#because there were clues sprinkled throughout the season

[lej222]

Hey do you think Jisu's character purpose will end after the summer break finishes or when the summer season is over and by the time autumm appears? Like how frequently he is appearing in the summer vacation it feels like he will be gone soon (i will be so sad'). To me it’s always feels like when miae finally can remember her and jisu's childhood together how she saved her from bullies etc is that when jisu will return miae's name tag and goes away from her life. By that time i think jisu might catch romantic feelings for her (although this is a side theory i am not much sure about it but it can happen why not!) and he will try to not to get attracted too much like inho did in citt. Miae will never catch feelings for him though. It just doesn’t go with the story at this timeline. So miae may have some guilties towards him after he moves away from her life. She regrets how she treats him and wants to apologize properly but he is not here anymore. Jisu is a very important character but it’s only for some time. You meet certain people in life that comes unexpectedly and goes away unexpectedly but they left a deep impact in you. And for miae that person is jisu. Also to a previous anon you mentioned how in earlier chapter there's a line as this boy(cheol) is someone Miae will never be able to forget ever which sounded so depressed much like an omen in engilsh translations but in naver there's a ( ~^^) which makes it more lighthearted and playful. So i think this is not something we need to get worried about. Soonkki will deliver a happy ending for cheol and miae after all these mishaps i believe

I can't comment on the ending because at the end of the day I'm not writing it. Will Cheol and Miae end up together? Maybe? Probably? Despite the playful tone of that sentence, a bittersweet ending is also a popular theory in the KR fandom, but like I've said I don't really care about romantic outcomes. If we assume the narrator there is also the entity who recently took on an active voice then it's really hard to make an assumption about the ending. You absolutely have the right to believe in a happy ending because it has a high possibility as well. Don't let my post influence anyone about what they want to see, I'm just making my own theories here.

As for Jisu, I don't think he will disappear from the story after the summer break. Unlike the other supporting characters, he was foreshadowed since the very first chapter. The author carefully sprinkled clues about him throughout the whole story which solidifies the idea that he's probably the third most important character besides Cheol and Miae. We still almost know nothing about him, but we were already introduced to his mother and his house. Him not ending up with Miae is a real possibility, but I believe he will have a strong narrative role. I think different parts of the story focus on the growth of different characters, part 1 (ending with Miae's birthday) was mainly Cheol's story. Part2 gave us the changing relationship between Miae and Cheol, plus Jisu's stronger involvement. Looks like now we slowly start to get to know Jisu and his memories might be included in the second semester because we shouldn't forget his birthday comes last among the main characters. I can always be wrong though, don't take my words too seriously😅

[automatismoateo]

On His Dark Materials and its anti-religion sentiment via /r/atheism

On His Dark Materials and its anti-religion sentiment

I watched the Golden Compass when it came out, but I was young and unaware that it was a book, and that people were boycotting the film.

When HBO made it into a TV show, I learned it was a book and the show would be more faithful, but I didn't know by "more faithful" it meant "not downplaying the themes to avoid upsetting people".

I watched the show for the first time today. At the time of watching the first episode I still had no clue it was controversial or why, but something in the opening act piqued my interest. When one of the characters discovered something amazing, the bad guys tried to kill him so the truth wouldn't get out. It reminded me of how the church reacted when Bruno/Galileo tried to teach that the sun was the centre of the solar system, not the Earth.

As I continued watching, I thought it was a lot better than the film so I decided to look up the film on rotten tomatoes to see what people thought. The consensus intrigued me, it said that because it lacked the controversy of the book it had lax storytelling.

I was curious what the controversy was, so I dove down the rabbit hole and holy shit, it's glorious.

For those unaware, His Dark Materials is unapologetically and blatantly anti-religion. It upset so many Christians, Catholics in particular, that they attempted to boycott the film and ban the books.

The film producers decided to tone down the anti-religion sentiment, but the fact it existed at all still upset Christians because they thought it would lead children to the books and convert them to atheism.

For the show though, they went all out. I just binged the entire first season and I loved it. It's a beautiful criticism of dogmatic thinking and blind faith in institutions.

To sum it up for those of you who, like me, had no clue the book/show was like this, I'll give you a breakdown of its connection to Catholicism or religion in general.

The bad guys are the government that controls the world through fear. They worship something that no one ever sees or hears from called "the authority". They teach that everyone is born guilty and sinful, and they have to spend their life apologising for it (they teach the Adam and Eve story, talking snake, original sin and the apple). They silence anyone that dares to question their claims, labelling them "heretics". Their main goal is to remove original sin from all children so they can grow up to be "adults without sin". However, the children they "save" become soulless, empty people; a commentary on how religion removes the humanity from humans.

The good guys are the scientists, the people who seek knowledge and follow evidence wherever it leads, even if it goes against "the authority".

They sprinkle such metaphors throughout the episodes, but the season one finale had a monologue which pretty much spells it out for everyone as clear as day:

"They have been trying to convince us for centuries that we are born guilty, and that we have to spend a lifetime atoning for the crime of eating an apple. Is there any proof for this heinous stain, this shame, this guilt? No, not at all. We are to take it on faith, and on the word of the Authority. It has given them what they need... a means by which to control, to oppress, to frighten, and to keep us where they want us... on our knees."

I am absolutely loving this show, and I am very upset that I am only just finding out that it's such a beautifully crafted criticism of religion.

The icing on the cake is the absolutely stunning irony that every religious person that is banning the books and boycotting the movie/show is doing exactly what the bad guys of the book are doing: trying to silence people with different ideas so that they can maintain control on the population.

Submitted May 14, 2023 at 01:54PM by disappointed_shrew_ (From Reddit https://ift.tt/IC7ulUq)

[thehargreevesfam]

Does anyone have any predictions for s4?? I tried to think of some but I’m coming up completely blank

[systematicmasspoisoning]

Who is Sam's prison for?

If you're not up to date in DreamSMP lore, Awesamdude, resident Redstone expert, was paid stacks of diamonds by Dream to make an inescapable prison. It is located in the ocean next to Bad and Skeppy's mansion and is VERY large. Supposedly it will be using Elder Guardians to keep a prisoner from mining out due to Mining Fatigue. Even if the prisoner dies of hunger, they will respawn inside. This brings up the question of how

1. they force the prisoner to click a bed inside the prison

2. how they keep the prisoner from breaking the bed.

Regardless of the mechanics of the second one, I think the first is a clue as to who Dream will trap inside the prison. Consider the 3 canon deaths lore. He has used the threat of permanently killing Tommy to get the boy to comply and click on a bed in Logstedshire. So a 'permanent death if you don't comply' is definitely an effective tactic but ONLY for people with one life left.

The main two options are Tommy and Tubbo (or Philza). Or, Dream is planning on knocking another one of his potential opponents, such as Quackity, Fundy or Techno, down to one life in the time it takes to build the actual prison.

Quackity and Fundy aren't big enough threats yet, although Quackity certainly has the potential to be a threat, in this season of the SMP, El Rapids isn't big enough of a threat yet.

Most people would assume Dream's biggest enemies on the server are Tommy and Techno. Techno's role in the grand scheme of things is, as of now, undetermined. However, as Techno is one of the authors of this SMP season, he likely has something up his sleeve. He is currently 'retired' alongside Phil in their Antarctic Empire skins in a snowy biome, but he has made appearances in Tommy's streams to mock the boy for getting exiled (just like Techno predicted with the Theseus analogy.) An alliance between the sleepbois is possibly in the works, but right now, both Tommy and Techno have made it clear there is still a lot of animosity between them. So I don't see Techno, and by extension, Phil becoming much of a problem for Dream (for now.)

Tommy, on the other hand, has been visited by Dream almost every stream while Tommy is exiled; Tommy has been manipulated by him, gaslighted and threatened. Despite making the very real threat of giving Tommy his final death, Dream has stopped Tommy from any, um, self-harming actions. Dream told him "I need you alive." Narratively, that means that Dream has plans for Tommy (they are, after all, each other's main antagonist). But Dream has also said that Tommy will remain on exile for a long time and he told Bad and Sam as they were building the prison that he doesn't intend on using the prison on Tommy (unless he begins to act up was implied.)

Because Bad and Sam (and Eret) are working with Dream, I would assume imprisoning anyone from the Badlands is out of the question. But I think it's interesting how Sam is the primary leader of the building project.

Dream said that Sam is the only one who will totally know the ins and outs of the prison. So that possibly means Sam is the only one who would know how to escape the inescapable prison. The interesting thing about Sam being included in this storyline is his connections. He and Tubbo are very close, and Sam is also friends with Tommy. Its not long of a stretch to assume that Sam's storyline might eventually lead to HIM breaking out whoever Dream imprisons. Tommy, for now, is out of the equation, so who does that leave?

Tubbo. Someone who many people are now considering Dream's puppet. Dream has been laying on the manipulation lately, playing chess with him, complimenting him and trying to increase the wedge between Tubbo and Tommy. You would think Tubbo is safe, so long as he remains pacifistic and continues to make decisions that are to Dream's benefit. But there are things going beyond the scenes that we, the audience, need to consider. The script.

Symbolism and chekov's guns have been sprinkled into the story line for a long time, and it feels as though the roleplayers have upped the ante. It's hard to think about Ghostbur' compasses without crying, but I literally can't stop thinking about what they mean. When it comes to the duo, despite their estrangement, Tommy still considers Tubbo one of the most important things in his life. He placed the "Your Tubbo" compass right beside his discs in his enderchest. Meanwhile, Tubbo held his "Your Tommy" compass in his offhand nearly all stream today. They still care for each other, obviously, but think about one of the reasons Tubbo exiled Tommy in the first place.

He felt like Tommy was choosing the discs over everything else. He felt as though the discs were the only thing Tommy cared about. There has to be a resolution to this. It's been shown by the story that the discs and Tommy's other obligations (L'manberg, his friendships) cannot coexist together for long without it driving a wedge between them.

Tubbo has been streaming more Among Us lobbies and modded Minecraft lately. When he comes onto the server, he nearly has nothing to do. He loves big project and building houses, but as of now, Tubbo has so little materials to even bother making a home and his largest project, the ocean monument, has been placed on the backburner while Sam builds the prison. Its almost....its almost like Tubbo is preparing his audience and for a period of time where he has no reason to be on the SMP. If he's imprisoned, that's not very good content to watch, is it? I also noticed that Dream pointedly did NOT tell Tubbo about the prison today, instead referred to it merely as a 'project.'

My biggest theory is that the prison is for Tubbo. Tubbo is complacent to Dream now, sure, but Tubbo is very, very smart, and- most importantly to Dream - he still has one of Tommy's discs. And Dream wants it.

When talking sweet to Tubbo no longer works, I think the prison will be the next best option. Its possible Dream will frame Tubbo for some crime (foreshadowed by how Quackity and George tried to frame Eret for Karl's murder), or someone will threaten to overthrow Tubbo and Dream will bring him to a 'secure location' to protect him. Tubbo is very nervous about losing his one life, as exhibited by the safe room under the L'mamberg podium, and other comments about his fear of becoming the next Ghostbur. Dream said that he would protect Tubbo if someone tried to overthrow him. The only threats to Tubbo's current presidency is El Rapids. Ranboo is willing to wait until the next election to become president, but Quackity has shown a strong willingness to do terrible things in order to get power. In Quackity's war against Eret and Dream, Dream made many, many references to Tubbo being a better leader, possibly sowing jealousy in Quackity's mind. Sapnap, George and Karl, as apart of El Rapids also have a bone to pick with L'manberg and may also play a part in further separating Quackity from L'manberg and fueling his desire to be the most powerful nation on the server. Absorbing New L'manberg could be the next step.

Dream could pretend to protect Tubbo by bringing him to a 'safe location', the prison, and getting Tubbo to willingly set his spawn inside. Once it comes to light that it's a prison, with Dream his captor, Tubbo will have to make a decision. Give Dream the disc in his enderchest, or stay imprisoned. Freedom, or the disc, a compromise that has been made time and time again on this server.

I think that Tubbo will hold out and allow himself to be imprisoned, while Tommy returns from exile to make a prison break, with the help of Sam. I doubt that will end well, knowing Dream.

I also think at some point, one of the boys will need to bend. Either Tubbo choses to give up his disc to Dream for freedom, or he decides to take the disc with him to his grave. Its basically the Exile decision all over again. Life/freedom, or the discs/war. Selfishness vs. selflessness.

The two boys are learning throughout this current arc to be more like the other. Throughout his Exile, Tommy will learn to be self sufficient and has had to make big sacrifices consistently as Dream blows up the progress he's made. He's learning to chose his own life over property. Meanwhile, Tubbo (although he's only streamed on the SMP once so far this week) has already shown regret for exiling Tommy, and inherently by choosing to launch a war campaign against Techno, he is learning to chose war and bravery over peace and cowardice. He will gain an appreciation for the disks and/or recognize with greater understanding what they mean to Tommy. Maybe he will learn to care deeply for his compass and learns how willing he is to wage war if the compass gets stolen. It's about the symbolism - its what the object means that is worth protecting.

I think Tubbo will die protecting the discs. Or, Tommy will tell Tubbo to give it up. This is a better ending, in which Tommy will learn that the discs represent is his friendships. And, according to Ranboo, they also represent power, according to Ranboo. But on the server, according to Wilbur (when he asks Tubbo to spy for him) people have always represented power.

To Tommy, in this arc, I hope he will learn that keeping the discs is not worth losing his best friend.

[chidoroki]

In Defense of TPN S2

Okay, so before y’all start throwing your salt shakers at me, let me explain. Yes, I’m just as upset and annoyed with how the second season decided to cut out so much content that us manga readers were finally hoping to see: no Yuugo, Goldy Pond arc or GP Resistance, Lucas or Glory Bell escapees, Adam, poachers, or Cuvitidala Search. Since this season also (sort of) reached the 2047 time skip, we were also denied of the Paradise Hideout, Jin, Hayato, Ayshe, the Seven Walls & Imperial Capital Battle arcs and Alex due to the anime’s so-called “original story” idea. While some manga events still took place (B06-32 getting blown up, the trio’s reunion, Norman’s time at Lambda, the cursed blood and the Grace Field raid), they were all significantly changed and barely held the same emotional impact, as we see very little to no build up to these moments. Several volumes were skipped completely and despite others being touched lightly, we unfortunately missed out on major character development for everyone, most notably for Emma, but also the lighter side of things such as chef Ray, medic Anna, Rossi learning morse code, Minerva!Norman, etc. There’s honestly so much of the main story to talk about and I totally understand why we’re all so ticked off, especially since that darn slideshow did absolutely nothing to calm our hearts at the end of ep11.

However.. I’m not gonna stand by and say this season was worthless. Highly disappointing given everything I just mentioned of course, I get it, so don’t curse me out just yet. People can trash talk it all they want and I’ll sympathize 110%, but I personally won’t do so. I love this series too much and that’s a huge reason as to why I didn’t drop this season. Usually whenever I start a new series, it’s because I become interested in a character or two. I find that no matter what happens in that series, whether the story intrigues me or not, I’ll continue it if only to see more of that character. If the story is good, it’s just another plus for me to stay addicted, so while this season totally missed their chance to adapt the wonderful source material of my favorite series, I stayed to watch Emma, Ray and all the other children I’ve grown to love over the past two years. Another reason why I stayed on this train wreck was because of how thought provoking it became as turned into yet another guessing game for me. After first watching the OP and even more after ep3 aired, I kept wondering what would they include or leave out. How would they handle this scene if this and that were already changed? How would they fix this problem if so and so isn’t here? It felt like I was watching season one blind all over again; seeing all these little clues sprinkled everywhere and yet not having any idea on how the story was going to continue or end got me excited. That’s why I came to love this story in the first place, so having the chance to feel that again alongside characters I love so dearly.. it was fun for me (until the slideshow punched me in the face). While many people will look at this season and declare the manga and first season are both superior (which they are, I agree), I’m still sitting over here like “oh look, more content!”

With all that nonsense out of the way, I thought I would go ahead and ramble about everything I believe the second season did well enough, because if I can take any heat off this adaptation then you’re damn right I’m gonna try. So if you’re wondering why on earth a manga reader even mildly enjoyed this season, it’s honestly just the little things such as a decently adapted or improved panel/scene, any new, interesting elements the anime may have included, or other personal favorite moments of mine.. which there were a lot of.

So no negativity past here kiddos, we’re gonna be as optimistic and lively as an orange antenna.

(mild manga spoiler warning, I guess? but I’m sure it’s nothing y’all haven’t heard us readers mention/complain about already)

- If you’ve read any of my reactions to this season, you would know how much love I have for “Identity.” Not only is the song still an absolute banger, but the opening sequence itself is fantastic. From the contrast between human vs demon, the cameos, the symbolism, the match cuts, the build up to the chorus.. just everything. I could talk about it endlessly and watch it several times over and still be impressed.

- Lani’s stupid fall.

- How clearly it shows Emma’s condition becoming progressively worse.

- Her scream.

- Ray’s apology, especially how soft his voice was when saying “sorry, Emma,” and the smile he gives after she tells him not to worry about it.

- And his entire promise to keep everyone in their family safe. Oh I was so happy to finally hear him say that.

- This exchange between Don and Gilda.

- Rossi and those darn faces he gives us. This boy is such a mood.

- How involved the younger kids were so they don’t feel like they were just.. there, which served as a reminder that everyone from Grace Field is smart, not just Emma and Ray.

- How pretty the demon forest looked at night when all those odd creatures started glowing (even those darn goowee).

- So happy with how this panel was adapted. That smirk of his is everything.

- The fact they remembered a small detail such as the bell.

- Knowing now that they cut so much out of the manga, I’m glad we at least got the hug.

- The ending sequence gave us a small look at Sonja and Mujika’s travels by themselves. “Magic” is also so very calming to listen to.

- How the children hug both Emma and Ray, as manga only had our girl receiving the hugs.

- Sonju & Mujika’s voice actors fit them perfectly.

- How impressed Ray was when he first tried their cooking. No wonder he was so eager to learn how to cook.

- Sonju’s story about the demon world from ch46-47 practically adapted word for word.

- While the manga also shows us how frighted the duo is upon learning they’re living in the worst case scenario, it’s seeing them and their hands physically shake that help push this scene a little bit more (not that you can tell this by a still frame but trust me).

- Their synchronized smirks and how well their excitement was not only animated but how genuine and real it sounds too. Emma’s laugh and the fact they made Ray of all people sound hopeful is fantastic.

- They kept the small Ray from this panel and made him better.

- I just love seeing him be optimistic.

- The entire scene when Emma & Ray are both scolded by the younger kids for acting so recklessly is perfect.

- They kept this tiny comment of Nat’s.

- Finally getting chef Ray and hearing how confident he is with his cooking skills already.

- Seeing other children like Dominic pick up archery and be surprisingly good at it.

- Anime pushed Emma’s quick learning ability further with archery by showing us how easily she could land a bullseye even after hitting something midair.

- How well they animated Emma’s first kill, from following the arrow as she pulls it back to when she releases it as it flies towards the bird’s eye.

- The fact that this scene and the next both used a water droplet to symbolize death just like we saw during season one with Conny and Norman’s shipments are so satisfying.

- The gupna scene and how well it emphasized Emma’s reaction to taking a life and how upset/bothered she was in doing so. The addition of a butterfly helps as well, as it’s another way this series tends to convey the idea of death. (you remember how many the OP had, right? tons.)

- I only just noticed that Ray is seen looking at a similar butterfly in the following scene as well.

- The anime doing this panel justice. Ep2 is probably the episode that follows the manga the closest and did real well in regards to that.

- Ray beating Sonju at chess.

- Chris knowing exactly which way to go without using the compass, which makes sense as he was seen mapping out the surrounding area in the previous episode.

- The kid’s adorable little freak out.-

- Giving us a better idea on how large the reference room of the B06-32 shelter truly is.

- Finally being able to hear our boy Nat play the piano. The fact that his first song is named “Nat King Cool” as a possible reference to Nat King Cole is also great.

- Rossi being an accurate representation of the manga readers while watching this episode.

- Chris being his cute self.

- Seeing Ray’s sleeping face after the manga denied us so many times by hiding it.

- It’s.. close enough. We love our chef.

- I love the idea that Nat plays a couple songs before everyone goes to sleep. That’s so precious.

- SHE!! With her hair down!

- Rossi teasing Don and the fact that just mentioning Gilda is enough to scare him.

- It remembered that Gilda has a tendency to count all the children.

- The level of confidence Isabella has in her kids.

- Ray being oh so close to shooting a human with an arrow.

- This hug.

- Chris leading the group through the underground tunnels, which he also does in manga but we learn earlier in this ep it’s due to all the time he’s played down here.

- Because of his extensive knowledge of the shelter’s layout, Chris also guides everyone to one of the secret entrances to escape after he realizes the intruders are only stationed at the main two.

- Ray’s first demon kill is smooth as hell.

- Curse this scene for being so dark because that damn smile Isabella gives us is amazing.

- Since Andrew was cut, Chris and Dominic survive the aftermath of the shelter’s destruction without any injuries.

- Although we weren’t expecting to see their older 2047 selves this soon, they look good okay?

- The emotion in her voice throughout this entire scene (probably the closest we were ever gonna get to Emma doubting herself in ch109/114 too).

- Please just let me enjoy this moment when Ray noticed her negative thoughts and stepped in to help just as I expected.

- Vylk and that goofy smile of his.

- Watching the duo communicate without words during the chase through the demon town.

- Our girl clearing this jump effortlessly.

- Norman’s squishy cheeks.

- Ray’s slap could’ve been better, I know, but at this point I’m happy they still included it.

- The fact we can see Ray’s face during the reunion hug this time.

- And this hug.

- Remembering the small panel of Ray noticing Emma’s bluff.

- Finally hearing this conversation because both voice actors do a wonderful job with it and thankfully the dialogue is on par with the manga as well. Also that one moment when the shadow falls across Emma’s face like that.

- Gilda comforting Alicia after her nightmare.

- The scene is very dear to me so of course I appreciate every little panel we can get.

- How carefree Ray sounded with his “Nopes.”

- How I only realized just now that this panel was also adapted.

- Okay so who’s brilliant idea was it to have the sun rise towards the end of this conversation as Ray helps Emma regain her confidence? I just wanna personally thank them because it was a genius move and I’ll treasure it forever.

- They kept Barbara’s slip-up.

- Like our demon friends, I think the Lambda crew’s voices fit them rather well, although Zazie’s was totally unexpected, like dude you’re 5, why is your voice so low?

- Another “it could’ve been better but at least they included it” moment.

- Vincent’s smile here cracks me up and I don’t know why.

- Barbara’s anger.

- The short snippet we get of the ch126 conversation when the duo was visiting Chris.

- The table from Barbara’s outrage was never magically fixed like it was in manga, so we get this nice shot of Norman reflected in the broken surface.

- The trio’s conversation about the royals and cursed blood follows manga relatively well.

- Anime did this panel better, I’m sorry. Thank you for showing my girl getting angry.

- This frame of Ray.

- This comment of Norman’s that made me wanna slap him.

- How Norman’s face is constantly in the shadows during this scene, which is something his office at the Paradise hideout probably wouldn’t have given us, so hurray for this location instead.

- How he and Emma bicker over how many days their deal should last.

- When the camera shifts in and out of focus during Barbara’s seizure.

- How this scene hid Norman’s face until they revealed the demon the crew killed.

- It really is the small details that make me happy.

- This smile of Don’s.

- I’ll take all the hugs I can get.

- Emma and Gilda’s little headbutt.

- Why does my boy look so grown up and handsome here? Hello??

- I suppose I have to give credit for Peter’s voice actor too hm?

- Actually making Smee a bit more relevant.

- Since the fight against Legravalima was cut, this shot of Zazie is the closest we’re gonna get to seeing him without his paper bag, but it does improve on that one panel of him at the start of ch153.

- Seeing more of Norman’s time at Lambda as well as the aftermath of the explosion.

- While this scene pales in comparison to its manga counterpart, having the sun set behind him while Norman delivers his famous line was still a decent touch. It’s a nice contrast to the sunrise in ep6 and I enjoy it very much.

- Wild demons managing to somehow successful jump scare me not once, not twice, but three times in a single episode.

- Emma getting back up to protect her family despite her injury. (i mean, it’s no ch93 comeback but oh well)

- Ray getting in another decent shot at a demon.

- This face of his.

- Seeing just how quickly the drug causes the demons to degenerate and all the chaos it causes.

- Actually showing Norman attacking a demon rather than just saying he killed Yverk off panel in ch153.

- Hate me all you want but the anime did this panel better too.

- The ch153 discussion is more or less the same but the fact they added in Norman looking to Ray for help and just having him snap back instead was priceless.

- Sonju’s grin.

- The scene when Norman stops Zazie’s attack may only last like five seconds but it’s wonderfully animated and I find myself replaying it countless times.

- How to make the manga readers and anime-onlys panic with just one sentence:

- Isabella being clever as ever by leaking false info into the radio the escapees have to lure them back to Grace Field.

- I just think Emma looks so mature and pretty here?

- Had Norman actually apologize to the demons.. or was just about to anyways.

- Demon Emma is precious and must be protected.

- The adorable mixup between both Emmas.

- I haven’t a clue on where or how the kids managed to gather all the supplies to create several hot air balloons and explosives.. but they did, somehow, and I’m impressed because I’m assuming that all happened within a day.

- Ma’am, could you be any more smug?

- Simon! And he ends up surviving!

- Having Sonju fight alongside the Lambda crew.

- Which reminds me that this is possible since the Imperial Capital battle didn’t happen (yet, in this timeline), so the three of them never received their injuries from Legravalima either.

- The smoke bombs, only because I remembered how Sonju used them back in ep1 while rescuing Ray so it’s nice to see them being used again.

- Showing Norman actually use a bow and arrow this time. He also hits his target on the first try through a smokescreen.

- Ray having enough strength to knock out two demons with a simple metal pipe. In ch169 he’s seen holding down a grown man so yeah, I can believe this as well.

- Having Jemima, Yvette, Rossi & Mark disguises themselves as shipments in order to rally up the other Grace Field kids. Mark’s face and the noise he makes upon seeing Naila again is also precious.

- Peter actually falling for Vincent’s trap.

- Getting one young child to listen to you is hard enough, but Emma manages to get about 183 of them (yes I counted, give or take the four who also disguised themselves) to follow her orders in no time flat.

- Phil helping with the plan to lead all the children to the elevator.

- It made me nervous upon seeing it but they made the Day & Night ceiling real pretty.

- I knew the reunion was coming and still cried.

- Take all my hell yeahs.

- I could listen to her say this on repeat and be overjoyed every single time.

- She’s beauty, she’s grace, she’ll point at gun in your face.

- Getting to witness someone shoot at Peter since no one did so in the manga? Wonderful. Having that person be Isabella who literally lands a perfect shot not even a full second after he pulls out that disc? Perfection.

- Mujika and Vylk bringing in hundreds of civilian demons as reinforcements.

- James!

- Those real quick shots of the ancestors because I had given up on thinking we would’ve seen them at all since the Seven Walls arc was skipped.

- I’m actually surprised they kept his death in and it’s as harsh as the manga.

- Ray confronting Isabella with the addition of this line.

- This panel being animated along with Emma’s thoughts from ch177 towards Isabella even though that chapter’s major event didn’t happen.

- I certainly can not forget about this hug.

- At least anime!Emma told the boys her plan before reaching the door, or didn’t keep it a total secret? If not then I’ll praise the boys for accepting her crazy idea regardless.

- Boy, do you know how much I love you and your smirks?

- SHE. STAYS. ALIVE!!!

- Vincent and Norman’s little fist bump.

- Different but close enough. Still cute though.

- The amount of emotions this one shot makes me feel is limitless. Catch me crying tears of joy over it for the rest of my life.

- Having Phil not only getting the chance to see a train but to ride one as well.

- This pretty shot of Gilda.

- As well as this beautiful one with Emma and Mujika.

- They gave us older Phil. Not sure how much older but he’s still adorable.

- Lastly, the goddamn soundtrack! Of course we heard a bunch of the songs from season one, but the new ones such as “The Evil-Blooded Girl” and the Arabic version of “Isabella’s Lullaby” are absolutely fantastic. I still have to listen to full soundtrack but from what little bit I heard of such songs such as “Nat King Ballade,” “Crisis,” “Norman’s Lament,” and “The Temple Ruins,” I’m sure every track is an absolute joy. I’m so happy we had Obata back for this season.

And that’s the end of it, I guess? Of course it’s not a perfect list, as the majority of it was just personal favorites of mine but oh well. (this is just as long as ray’s birthday post too, oh lord)

I’m not gonna be one of those manga readers who continuously nag people to go read the original source material, because that’s annoying and I understand that some people just might not be up for it. They might watch a series, take it all in and then move on to the next one. Others might want to find out about every little detail and invest more time into the story. It’s totally fine to enjoy a series your own way and you shouldn’t feel pressured to continue something you’re only mildly interested in or feel bad that you love something others might despise. Just do whatever makes you happy. If you wanna check out the manga and see why us readers love it to pieces, then I promise it’s worth it, especially if you enjoyed the anime or wish to see more of any character.. or the entire story. If the manga ain’t for you, then I hope the anime did something for you. It definitely could have been better though, I can’t argue with that.

Whether you’re anime-only or manga reader, can we all still hope for a remake? This season had more flaws than any amount of praise I could give, but if years down the line we get the FMA: Brotherhood or Hellsing: Ultimate treatment where the next anime adaptation follows the manga perfectly, you know I’ll be all for it. I’m too deep in this TPN hole and I’ll probably never leave.

[popcornbutterflymedia]

the teen show genre is back. that it had announced it’s grand return at such a time of deep uncertainty and unimaginable loss, especially for an entire generation of teenagers, is relief, respite, and a necessary and urgent gain. there is nothing but gratitude for this...for its intended audience and for those of us who will live vicariously through the lives of the kids, for those of us who will watch, and walk with the kids. for someone like me who longs to feel strongly about a story enough to write again.

despite my ‘desperate begging’ for the return of the youth oriented show. i did not picture this. in my defense, i did not know about this story at all. now, when i did learn the gist of the story, i did not expect much. it is, after all, a trope we’ve repeatedly seen in practically every language. in my defense, again, i would have found this show, and watched it anyway, in support of the network, probably be mildly entertained, slightly amused, and successfully distracted. and that would have been enough. i was bound to find this show, though during a deep dive into the youtube rabbit hole, chancing upon a japanese doll and an american cutie, realizing the creative team for this show is that creative team. my favorite creative team. i was sold.

i knew i was going to love this show enough to write. the question is, how? do i live tweet, take notes, and write a post for every episode, or do i live tweet take notes, listen, take notes and write one big post at the end of the series? judging by how much detail i know this team puts into a story in the form of metaphors, seeds, pay offs, connection and clues, clearly obvious in this first episode alone, this calls for an episodic post, for the peace of my own nerdy, detailed obsessed mind.

it is worth repeating that i haven’t read the book. this focuses on the series alone. no references, no comparison to its source material.

and it begins. oddly so.

first, a note on the casting: my attachment to a show is dependent on my attachment to the cast of the show. i spent the weeks and months leading up the pilot episode learning as much as i can about this refreshing cast of newbies. i’d been watching rise since it began, and so it wasn’t difficult to develop a soft spot for the five rise kids who are part of the show. as for the rest of the cast, their interviews and streams are all surprisingly impressive. i always like to say ‘walang patapon sa mga batang ito.’ none at all. they are all so special that i am in awe of how many gifted children are in one batch at one time, in time for a show like this. the teen show slot was vacant because it was waiting for these specific kids. 

everyone who was given moments on this episode made the most of their moments. episode one’s surprises were criza, who is a natural. i am just grateful naih was able to use all of criza’s kulit energy. gelo, i’ve known is funny, but it wasn’t until i saw him in character that i realized just how hysterical he is. i enjoyed his interaction with ysay, i am wondering if there is more of that. v no longer surprises. i find that she is incredibly underrated still. i love that girl. fictional life sometimes clouds my judgement, ever so slightly, but these mean girls, are the mean girls i would cheer for. i’ve just been enjoying the girls’ junket interviews so much that it is also a joy to watch them in character. aimee is spunky, sophie is incredibly poised. khloe is a joy to watch, and ash just fits in, dalia...i have never seen a girl with such strong presence and beauty since hopie. i have never enjoyed watching a local queen bee as much as i feel i would enjoy, and hate to watch kim. dalia is amusing to watch too, so there’s that. joao, you know i have always found reliable and competent. limer, i am just happy an actor like him is in a show as big as this. kaorys is my in on this show. they are favorites. i adore them. she registers well on camera, and rhys is music to my ears, and has such an animated, expressive face. i cannot wait to watch their subplot and write about them in detail. i am attached to these kids. i know they are going to be a joy to watch.

melizza, melizza deserves her own paragraph. i first paid attention to when she was answering those miss universe questions on rise, and my jaw literally dripped at how intelligent she is. that intelligence shines through in her portrayal of elle. she is self-aware, and aware of her co-stars in a scene. she is conscious of where she is in a scene. she does she is a realiable actress in that there is no fear that she will break character it doesn’t have to be her scene, but i cannot help but watch her. she isn’t a scene stealer, but she is always acting, always reacting. she gets the assignment: from speaking french to playing a nuanced mean girl whose meanness, is as she understands and plays elle, stems from fear, from being threatened. i actually love that. there is no real villain in this story, just kids navigating unfamiliar, ugly, strange feelings, with limited ways to express these feelings. melizza gets it. i said i am a melizza fan now. i mean it.

donny and belle individually: i had known of donny, watched him long enough to know him, and who his family is. since he started mostly on social media, this ate didn’t quite get the appeal. no offense, it’s just a generational thing. haha! when he started acting, he was like most greenhorns to me, appeal understandable, charming to an extent, but with still so much to learn. i missed his last acting stint before this show. i did not watch jpd.

belle is a going bulilit alum. that’s all i really need to know to trust the casting. i wasn’t a fan yet. i had no clue about the story so i did not know just how much weight the character carried, but by virtue of the fact that she’s been acting the longest out of the ensemble, i knew she knew what she would be doing. i knew the management knew what they were doing when they casted her. belle as the focal point of the story lends such an air of confidence that the story will be told well and that the necessary intimacies will be handled with care. belle’s ability to transform would make max’s arc effective. i did not watch jpd. i had heard about it.i had heard it was surprise. ‘the ending part...’ it was all too familiar: lizquen, circa 2012, must be love: ‘the ending...’

it was completely blind, complete trust.

their casting made me momentarily forget that there were multiple rounds of auditions, from which the each of the cast were carefully picked. it just seemed so random, that is, in context of say, kaori and rhys that could count kuya’s house as part of their shared history. so much of my acceptance of this new pairing depended on how much i trusted the team, and how i knew they worked. i then consumed any and all donbelle content i could find, which, at that time was painfully lacking. imagine the excitement when that first general assembly officially kicked off the hih junket, from then on, they started to grow on me. 

these are two calm, cool, collected kids, with a kulit side for sure, but they both take their sweet time. there is a formality and wide open space that was begging to be bridged with these two. there were times i would will myself to see it.  theirs isn’t an instant explosion of chemistry, but a sustained afterglow. once that was clear, the goal of sustaining this partnership for however long, how many other stories they can tell together, also became clearer.

it was the tv patrol interview by the lockers that had me sold. it was him joking that they were already married with three kids. it was the way he looked at her in that interview, the way he still does, with donbelle, it’s all the little, quiet things. i don’t know how to explain it, but if they were to jump into the emotional deep end together, i have no fear.

now, back to the beginning which i thought was strange. a recap of what i imagine is the entire first season, artistic as it may be, is one huge spoiler. i realized, this is based on a book. those who’ve read it obviously know what’s going to happen. such opening is meant to set the mood. it’s an invitation to emotionally invest. it’s safe to say, it accomplished those two goals, but i feel as though there is more to that opening. as someone who is clueless about the source material, it reassures that it doesn’t matter what we know, or don’t know, because this is less a story of ‘what?’ and more a story of ‘whys?’ and ‘hows?’this takes me back to the first general assembly when comparisons to the meteor garden, boys over flowers were brought up. i understand the comparisons, but now that the first episode has aired, i feel so strongly against it.  

this introductory montage is proof that it is not about the pieces of the story, but how the pieces are moved around to tell a story, to give us a fresh new perspective of a trope, starring stereotypical characters. the story is told in retrospect, with our lead looking back, taking all the pieces of the whole apart, rather than building the story as she goes along (which is incidentally how i like to take in stories).

the introductory montage is a device that allows a more expanded storytelling. the story is told from max’s point of view. it’s a story of how she sees things, this makes her an unreliable narrator due to her blind spots and clouded judgement. as the story goes along, the audience sees that it is not only max’s story, it is deib’s as well, and the rest of the characters’ stories, max only sees the bigger picture in retrospect. because i am such a nerd, imagine my kilig when i realize why that choice for an opening was made? i may have screamed.

notes, questions, favorite moments.

belle’s ‘sigurado,’ the first 4-5 notes of the hooked sprinkled throughout the episode.

on the road: the transition from max on the trike and deib, in his car rushing through a countryside road, if that was clean editing, i’d celebrate it...that the two people were on the same road at the same time travelling different directions is the most clever storytelling moment thus far. i love when seeds are planted and pay offs are grand. it was hardly a meet cute, but it was some intense head on collision. okay, i got it just then, the accident was a literal representation of their metaphorical colliding. it was a lot of things for her: irritation, wonder, disturbance, fascination, disruption. it was a complicated mix for him too, except clouded by the rush of having to be somewhere else other than that moment. charged. electric. spark. lightning that escaped him. (yup. more on that later).

this encounter begs the question: what was deib doing there? why was he in a rush?

the airport scene: ‘hinihintay ka na ng kapalaran mo.’ a beautiful verbal sign of things to come.

meeting daddy: it’s what uncertainty does to max that i find so disarming her fidgeting the heart shaped pendant close to her chest, summoning said heart for strength, and grace, counting on the assurance of its familiarity.

the car conversation with dad: still disarming. charming. curious. that the necklace from which hangs her heart shaped confidante was actually her dad’s gift to her mom. how heartwarming is the thought that the one thing that makes her feel close to her mom is actually from her dad who she is meeting for what i assume is the first time? i think it’s a beautiful irony.

the dinner table scene. the family dynamic it established. elle’s french, max wrestling with the chopsticks on the side.

sleepless max. her hidden vulnerability, and with whom that vulnerability finds comfort. who is babu?

max’s fist at the school entrance, and elle calling her out on it.

the cafeteria scene, and how that whole moment is the selling point of the story - brave max who does not care for the social rules of her new school standing up to the bully who happens to look the way he does. i won’t say she’s unaffected, but at that point  her view is clouded with the injustice she just witnessed, that is until they recognize each other. as a side note: ysay and lorde’s interaction made me smile.

the aftermath. max has now caught the attention of the whole school, she has caught the attention of the mean girls so much so that walking down the halls is social suicide. when aimee confronted her, (sophie did so well!) my eyes looked for elle’s eyes. there were layers upon layers of emotion there: shame, hesitation, confusion, fear, maybe anger, there was a flash of her wanting to connect too, or did i just imagine it?

the gym scene with all the boys. it’s probably my favorite...not really, but it’s the scene that gave me so much, the scene that proved to me that this is more than just a simple, one dimensional teen show. this one moment spawned so many fan theories online that i have yet to read. it’s interesting when we cross that bridge, but to me for now, it is from this point up to the debate that kind of turned the tables, and gave the story a sudden depth that’s unexpected. it made the audience pay attention to deib as well, that this is as much his story too. and on the aspect of change, in one interview (i can’t remember which one), i remember belle describing max as someone who wants to change the people around her, and through that, she is changed as well. i did not understand what she meant at that time, until this. and the debate.

the debate: i just love the debate, simply because i love words, but long-winded dialogue like that is risky especially on a show like this. i loved it. i loved the rhythm, poetry, and point of it. i love how layered it is. i loved how comfortable was delivering his lines. i did not cringe, which just means he has gotten better at this whole acting thing, and it’s always a joy to watch someone breakthrough. this moment was necessary as a springboard to the next scene, to show that the rivalry isn’t just a physical one, but a rivalry of the minds too. (i enjoyed that that was pointed out in one of the kumu lives)  this is also one of the scenes that proved what the introductory montage was trying to establish: that max is an unreliable narrator, that there are things she doesn’t see. i would say the tables have turned, and it has, but we also discovered that deib has always been the romantic, and max the realist. at that moment we know that max will be changed irrevocably. that ending took the wind out of me. that hurt, but it was thrilling too, made me excited for things to come.

 ‘love is like lightning.’ poor deib doesn’t know he has been struck by lightning, and is prone to the electricity of one. he doesn’t know it yet because of the gray sky gloom of his shattered heart.

the kiss is everything, it was shocking, kilig and all that, but in context of the story, it is more appealing more kilig to think of all the interactions that lead up to that accidental kiss, all the pent up tension in those interactions that is channeled into that meeting of lips. oh gosh! it just occurred to me, this kiss was predicated by such a verbose exchange just to prove a point, to win. it only took this kiss to shut both max and deib up. i would say there are no winners here. they are both losers to love. except. it’s still to early to call it, right?

in terms of the team up: implied as it is, this is what i mean when i say, i am unafraid for these two to go there, when necessary. there is such a safety i sense between donny and belle, in the way they care for each other. it’s beautiful.

to say that this show only promotes bullying to its young, impressionable target demographic, could not be more wrong. this show matters because it gives its characters (who are representative of today’s teen generation), complete arcs, and safe spaces for feelings no matter how ugly they are. it’s a show that allows teens to be teens, allows them to figure things out for themselves, a show that allows them to relate with one another, as they should. and the usual byproduct of emotional teens relating with one another is bullying. it’s not the best thing ever, but it is what it is. see, we can only pray and hope that the kids turn out to be good ones, but to expect kids to be perfect is out of the question. this is a work of fiction, of course there is a tinge of exaggeration. now, if you all are that bothered by the bullying, i hope there are adults watching with you. be kilig. have fun with the show, but always look deeper.

why do you think i needed three re-watches and few days for a post this long?

i am excited for the next episodes.

__

(if i think to add more, this will be edited).

[agl03]

I want the Fitz theory!

Hi Anon,

Okay the mystery of “Where is Fitz?” isn’t going to be solved early on this season.  I think it will take most of the season before we learn exactly where he is about the point that Jemma finally convinces someone (Deke) that Fitz is in major danger and they need to take drastic action.  

Side note this might also suggest that Enoch has been taken/separated/deep dark bad theory is the betrayer because I can’t see him not helping save his bestie.

Yet, at the same time despite Iain being in and out of filming throughout the season I have felt that we’ll see him more than we expect too.   And today Jed’s quote filled in an option for me.

“Thanks to time travel, scientist super-couple Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) and Fitz (Iain De Caesticker) have faced a yet-to-be-disclosed number of offscreen experiences, altering them in unknown ways ("that will be explored,” executive producer Jed Whedon slyly teases). They’re also apart, again, with Fitz hidden away so that the duo’s combined knowledge cannot be used against them by the evil semi-robotic Chronicoms, who are now trying to turn Earth into their new home, Chronyca-3 and see S.H.I.E.L.D. as the only blockage in their way.“

As much as I would love another bottle episode of what we had time looked liked, logistically, I don’t think they had enough real estate this time.  Inescapable was one of those once in a series masterpieces that did so much not just for FItzsimmons.  Meaning the other way to “explore” what happened could be via flashbacks sprinkled throughout the season.

The theory is that instead of seeing where Fitz is as the team is jumping around, because where would the fun be in us knowing he was safe and sound all season just having some connection issues with the time travel space phone.  Throughout the season we’ll get little Flashbacks to “we had time” as it works with the story.  Be it a piece of tech they are working with, addressing Jemma’s upset and missing messages, or as it works with whatever they are currently dealing with.  This will build the drama of not knowing where Fitz is now and give us a look at what happened with Fitzsimmons and Enoch pre mission.  

Seriously 10 seconds of Fitzsimmons domesticity and I’m done for.

At the same time these flashbacks will be full of clues.  I would watch for clues as to who possibly betrays them because I feel for Fitz to be compromised someone in the “we had help” circle is responsible for it, where they were based at, hints as to the biggest bad, hints as to what tricks they still might be hiding up their sleeves, to hints or even the baby bomb full on dropping.  Imagine a tag scene flashback where Jemma turns with a full on baby bump and it just fades to black.  RIP my ask box.  

These scenes won’t have to be long, and wont’ need a lot of people, again ideal for Iain’s situation.  

It’ll be towards the end of the season as Jemma finally snaps about not getting the messages (Deke is tots going to have her back here) or Fitz does get a message out that he’s in trouble/a warning something has gone wrong that we will for the first time see where Fitz has been the whole time the Team has been time traveling.  This will all go down in what I call the “poop hitting the fan” portion of the season.

If Fitzsimmons do have a child that was in hiding with Fitz and they were betrayed.  The child is all the leverage they need to keep Fitz in line, while FItz would likely hide what was going on from her (yes I’m still convinced Secret Child is a girl).  If its not a child Fitz’s captors must have him locked up pretty tight or some sort of leverage to keep him from causing too much trouble.

I could be wrong but I feel this strikes a nice balance of giving us those bits of Fitz while building the drama of the Fitzsimmons story both past and present.  This is also liable to set up where Fitzsimmons will land after the final battle is over and I still think they will have to leave the team and be in their present, leaving the others behind when they were taken from the temple.  

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Riverdale 5X01 Review

Hey we are back! It’s been a while since we’ve had a Riverdale episode so it was great to see the show back. Obviously this episode was a continuation of the end of season 4 that got cut short so it didn’t really feel like a premiere which was a little odd but couldn’t be helped. To be honest while I did think this was a good episode for me I felt like it could have been better. I just wasn’t completely satisfied I kept wanting more and it was a little frustrating because it was always so close but just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. That being said there were still some really great moments in this episode and some good storylines. There is definitely plenty to unpack so lets dive in, as always there are spoilers, also these are just my own opinions and thoughts totally fine if you disagree.

As always I am going to break the review down into the different plotlines, and I’ll give you my thoughts and theories on them, I am going to start with the video tapes and the voyeur storyline.  

The Voyeur and Blue Velvet.

So we open exactly where we left off with Betty and Jughead in the cabin only now the FBI are there and I get to see my boy Charles which made me happy. During the scene we learn a couple of things, first Mr Honey was not the one killed in the video, which begs the question of who was? The second is that Jughead raises the possibilty that he has been hacked which could lend some evidence to the theory going around that the Stonies still have access to Jughead’s old laptop and were somehow able to get access to his new laptop through it. The third is that the owner of Blue Velvet video store is selling tickets to view the tapes. Jughead believes that whilst he probably isn’t the voyeur he is involved and is profitting off of the tapes. Only the owner isn’t talking so Betty and Jughead have to look elsewhere for clues. I do want to just say real quick though that I did not understand the scene between Betty and Miss Bell. Like I didn’t understand why she went to Miss Bell for answers? Especially as Miss Bell didn’t even give her any useful information. Unless it was just there as a way to reintroduce Mr Weatherby back into the show which I must say it was good to see him again but his line about how he makes it through most nights without waking up screaming was actually kind of sad just because it shows how traumatised the people of the town really are. We have gotten quite a few lines like this now that really do show how much of an effect all the murders and everything have had on the townspeople of Riverdale. I mean you had Kevin’s line about being numb but screaming inside, also kevin and fangs talking about who they could be outside of riverdale and Ethel saying she just wanted to make it out of riverdale in one piece, the writers have done a good job of weaving those comments throughout well what would have been the whole season.

Next Betty and Jughead go to see Brett and with a little bit of sweet talk and a sprinkling of the threat of violence on top they are able to to get some info out of him. They learn that David (the Blue Velvet guy) does these redband viewings and the only way to get access to them is to either be on a list or to take a snuff film to David. What I found interesting about this scene is that it seemed to me like Brett was playing them a bit, I just get the feeling he’s got some ulterior motive. For example when he asks what the investigation is to me it looked like he was trying to stay casual and I think he already knew that’s what they were looking into. When they confirm it he gets this kind of smirk on his face like he’s happy that they are investigating it. I do think he knows alot more than he is letting on and I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he is manipulating them.

So Betty and Jughead decide to take Brett’s advice and make a snuff film with help from Cheryl and Reggie. Interestingly this snuff film actually doesn’t end up contributing to much in this episode because the moment they show it to David he can tell it’s a fake. Which makes me think why would the writers bother having it in there, why not just have Betty say to Jughead oh we can give him that tape of my dad? Well I do have a theory on that as I think the fake snuff film with Cheryl is going to come into play later. Remember in the season 5 trailer there’s a shot of cheryl’s dress covered in blood.

It’s the same dress Cheryl wears in the snuff film and to me it looks like the same location of the snuff film and it also looks like its the same chair. Also the way its hung up like that makes this feel like a threat of some kind. I think that the voyeur is going to try and frame Cheryl for a crime of some kind and that she’ll go to prison I mean that is also the same location where her uncle was killed so it might link back to that somehow. This could explain why Toni is pregnant and living with Kangs after the time jump.  

After taking the tape of her dad to David, Betty is able to get access to the underground viewings. After letting Jughead in through the back door they start exploring the place. In each room there is a different video playing. Now anyone who has read any of my season 4 Riverdale posts knows that my theory on the Voyeur is that its actually a ring lead by Donna and is made up of the stonies, the farmies, terry and his tickle gang and Mr honey and the Blue Velvet guy. Well the videos that are being shown could be used to support my theory. The first video we get shown is one of the s*x tapes that the Stonies recorded and that Brett sold to the Blue velvet store. The second video we get shown is a tickle video. That links in both the Stonies and Terry. We then see a video of a group of people beating up someone tied to a tree and then the Black Hood video before they find the voyeur’s tapes. The first voyeur tape we get shown in the one where they are killing my honey. But what about the farmies. Whilst there isn’t any video linked to them I do think we have a clue that would point to them. Remember earlier when I said I didn’t understand the scene between Miss Bell and Betty because we didn’t get any information from it. Well I do think it was used to remind us about the farmies through Mr Weatherby. Which means throughout the voyeur plotline we’ve been reminded of the stonies, the farmies, the tickle ring and mr honey and I don’t think that’s a coincidence it does seem to me that they want us to connect these groups with the voyeur.

Ok moving on. Whilst exploring the screening they spot a guy in an owl mask who appears to be filiming the people at the screening. Obviously Betty and Jughead believe that this is the voyeur. However when they try to go after them they run into Jellybean and the person gets away. We learn from Jellybean that she heard about the party from her friend’s brother who is on an email list. However I don’t think it was an accident that Jellybean was at the party, we know from the season 5 trailer that at some point someone is going to sneak into the Jones/ Cooper household and threaten Jellybean with a knife. I think that the voyeur deliberately lured Jellybean there as a warning or threat to Jughead. I do think this will explain why FP will leave the show as well I think the knife video coupled with this instance will cause FP to make the decision to take Jellybean out of Riverdale to keep her safe.

Later whilst at prom the voyeur releases a video showing images of the gang dancing then stabbing a guy in the same owl mask as earlier in the episode and who is wearing a name tag that says David. This scene though is really really wierd and at first I was really confused by it because whilst the video is playing a group of students come onto the dance floor and start dancing like they are at a rave and I kept thinking why the hell are they dancing? Well later it then hit me, hypnosis. The video starts out showing images of people dancing at the screening/ rave before it shows the images of the gang murdering someone. I think all of the people who go to the dance floor and start dancing like that have been to one of those screenings and were hypnotised to respond that way, either when the lights go out or by the song that comes on or even a bit of both because the moment the song is stopped and betty turns the lights back on all the people who were dancing stop and look around confused like they are not sure how they got there. Also the fact that jughead is the one that goes to the computer to turn off the video makes me think that maybe that was his laptop and that it really is being hacked by someone, most likely the stonies.

Ok now we are going to get to the first thing that annoyed me about this episode and it is something I have spoken about before. After turning off the video Betty and Jughead run out of the prom to go investigate. But the thing is they don’t even stop to tell Archie and Veronica what’s going on. I’ve said time and time again that one of the problems with the show is that the characters are too segregated, you always have the same characters interacting with each other and only each other. None suffer more from this than the core four. I mean that video wasn’t just about Jughead and Betty, it involved the whole gang and yet neither of them bother to stop and explain what’s going on to everyone else, like it would have been so easy to write a quick conversation in where the rest of them follow Betty and Jughead out and ask questions, they could have been given a quick explaination and then told them that they would explain more later. But we got nothing. I think the thing that frustrates me more is that Archie had that speech earlier in the episode about how prom was the final dance they were going to have together and so they couldn’t miss it but then other than a like 2 second clip of them making a toast we don’t see them interact with each other at all. Even crazier than that I don’t think the core four communicated with each other outside of their couples at all this episode which considering prom is suppose to be this big milestone to celebrate with your friends its a bit ridiculous to me that the core four don’t have any conversations. The only other scene outside of prom where all four of them are together is at the speakeasy and they don’t actually talk to each other they are just there together so I wouldn’t really call it them interacting. I know I sound like I’m ranting and well I am but as I’ve said before I am soo tired of this dynamic they’ve got going. There is only so many times a person can watch Bughead investigate a mystery, or Varchie have s*x and fight with her parents over and over before they get bored. It makes me miss season 1 when everyone was involved in the investigation and everyone communicated with each other about the things they had found out. But I think the best evidence that the core four don’t interact enough outside of their couples comes from KJ Apa’s interview where he says.

“It’s really funny because I’ve been so used to shooting scenes with Cami and I’ve mainly been with Cami on set, so it’s funny when the roles start reversing,” Apa explained. “And it’s interesting because it’s like ‘Oh this is what it’s like to work with Lili every day! You know? It’s a completely different vibe, it’s amazing and it’s fun because it’s different.”  

The fact that he isn’t used to working with Lili everyday speaks volumes. Like think about it for a second these two are suppose to be best friends on the show and yet the actors don’t usually work together and aren’t use to working together that’s crazy to me. Though I will admit that I am excited that that seems to be changing and we might be seeing some new dynamics. However I hope they don’t fall into the same pattern again but just with new couples. Like I am a Barchie shipper and I would love to see loads of scenes of them together but I don’t want to only see them interacting with each other I want to see Betty interact with Veronica, and Archie with Jughead and Jughead with Veronica and Veronica with Archie and Betty with Jughead, I want those friendship bonds as much as those shipper moments. I love seeing my ships interact but it needs to be balanced.

Ok so after that rant lets move onto the next plotline.

Varchie and The Song.    

This was actually my favourite plotline of the episode just because of Camilla and KJ’s performances they did such a good job and honestly the storyline was so heartbreaking. The storyline is kicked off with Veronica finding the song Archie wrote for Betty. She obviously thinks its about her and asks him to play it for her. You see that he is trying to shrug it off as being nothing. But the part that hit me in the heart was when she said she liked the idea of him getting back into music. To me this is so heartbreaking because it was Betty that got him playing music again, it was Betty who inspired him again. Veronica is so happy for him yet she has no idea that its because of her boyfriend’s strong feelings for her best friend that he was able to write songs again. Also you can see that this is hurting Archie too. I feel like Archie gets alot of stick and judgement for the whole cheating thing, way more than Betty because people think he doesn’t care about Veronica but thats just not true and I think this episode really showed that. I mean he was wrong for cheating obviously but at the same time he can’t help his feelings, you don’t choose who you fall for or even when you fall for them. Betty and Archie’s mistake wasn’t that they developed feelings for each other that was beyond their control, it was that they weren’t honest about it and as a result let those feelings lead them to cheating, their second mistake was not telling their significant others right away and lying to them again. Archie in this episode is very much being confronted with the consequences of that and he is clearly hurting because he knows he is hurting/ going to hurt Veronica.You can see Archie also still has a lot of pain from Betty rejecting him on top of his feelings of guilt and is trying to forget and push it out of mind. He becomes obsessed with getting into the Naval academy because he is trying to run away from the situation and sees the Naval Academy as a way out. He tells Veronica that the song stinks and throws it in the trash hoping that it’ll take his feelings with it. To be honest this whole scene where they are talking about the song made me feel so uncomfortable, as it was suppose to, because you just know what’s coming and seeing Veronica so blissfully ignorant to it is just heart wrenching.  

We find out that Archie has some competition for the position at the Naval Academy and that competition is KO Kelly from Katy Keene. Veronica proposes a boxing match to help decide who will get the position. I will admit I quite liked Archie and KO’s scenes together. They were quite short but I do think it helped show alot of how Archie was feeling and just how conflicted he is and how much he just wants to escape it all. I mean their conversation when KO asked Archie why he was interested in the Naval Academy was so telling. Archie basically tells us that he wants to start over completely he wants to leave Riverdale behind. His use of the word completely is again really showing his mentality at the moment because KO has to point out oh it won’t be completely because you’ll have Veronica and you guys are going to last. This happens twice in the episode where someone makes a comment suggesting that Archie and Veronica are endgame and both times you can see that Archie is uncomfortable with it and just sad, he just looked so sad this episode. I think deep down Archie knows that his and Veronica’s relationship is ending and he is struggling with that because he does care about her and he does love her, the last thing he wants to do is hurt her but at the same time I really do think he has fallen out of love with her and now he has these deep feelings for Betty but because he loves and cares for Betty as well he wants her to be happy and he believes that she has no feelings for him. Plus he doesn’t want to hurt Jughead either because he cares about him too. As a result I think he’s feeling very overwhelmed and stuck right now like he’s backed into a corner because no matter what he does someone is getting hurt. Knowing Archie he also is probably putting all the blame on himself and has just decided that everyone will be better off with him gone, but on the flip side of that he is also probably afraid of being left alone, he says to KO that all his friends are going to college and he missed the boat on that so he could feel like he is going to be left behind. Basically Archie’s having alot of feels right now and it’s kind of tearing him apart.

But another one of my favourite moments between Archie and KO is KO’s reaction to finding out that Veronica has a speakeasy. Which leads into the scene that made me so so uncomfortable. Look I had guessed that Veronica was likely to find the song, I even put it in one of my theory posts I even predicted that maybe Archie would end up having to sing the song and Veronica would figure out it wasn’t about her.  But what I never would have predicted in a million years is that Veronica would be the one to sing the song, so well done Riverdale you got me there. Honestly Veronica being the one to sing the song made it a thousand times worse, I mean the secondhand embarassment was real. Just the whole time I wanted to look away but couldn’t. However I do want to talk about Archie and Betty’s reactions really quick.

The really interesting thing about this scene to me is that they actually don’t show us Betty and Archie’s reactions straight away. First they show us KO’s reaction who smiles clearly recognising that this is a love song, I mean he doesn’t know what’s going on, all he knows is from Katy who has told him Archie and Veronica love each other, he’s likely listening to this song and just thinking oh Katy was right they really love each other. The next reaction they show us is Jughead’s and to be honest he doesn’t really react much and I think this is suppose to show that just like Veronica he is very much in the dark and has no idea of the storm heading his way. It is only after being shown their reactions that we are shown Archie’s reaction and you can see that he is hurting, he remembers back to when he tried to play it for Betty. We also get to see Betty’s reaction and obviously she is shocked but she also looks really sad. I think she has been trying really hard to ignore her feelings for Archie and so this is a reminder that she wasn’t expecting and it probably pulls those feelings up again. What is interesting to me is that Betty is the first one to look over to Archie not only that but she maintains her gaze on him she doesn’t look away, Archie however when he does look over to her immediately looks away again when he sees that she is looking, she carries on looking at him for a few moments before also finally breaking her gaze away. It seems like Archie can’t maintain eye contact with her and I do think that is because of how much he is hurting. I do feel like in this moment he was more caught up in his pain at Betty’s rejection kind of like in 1x02 when Archie plays the song for the group and Betty just flashes back to Archie rejecting her and she can’t take it she just runs away. Well I think that is exactly what Archie is going through right now but he can’t run away because then people will know something is wrong and if they know something is wrong they ask questions and then someone will get hurt. The other thing I do think is interesting is in the flashbacks they chose to use clips of Betty smiling which to me was a curious choice in context of the scene. I mean it’s clearly not a happy scene, Archie is in pain, Veronica is singing a love song that was written for her best friend by her boyfriend plus jughead is there and yet they don’t show clips of betty looking sad, and there were shots of betty looking sad in that original scene so why have they chosen to show Betty as smiling? Personally I think it is to show that Betty might not be as over her feelings for Archie as she seems but only time will tell.

I think for Archie hearing Veronica sing the song is what makes him really start to question things. I mean that scene right after you can see he doesn’t feel comfortable kissing her and he is clearly trying to get away from her as quickly as possible. Also poor Veronica seems so surprised when he says good night without telling her he loves her. Though he does say it I do think she picks up that there is something wrong but I think she just brushes it off as him being nervous about the fight the next day.  One thing I will say though and it is another complaint and does go back to that need for more characters to interact is I think there needed to be a scene with Betty and Archie at this moment. After Veronica walks away but before Archie leaves I think the story would have benfitted from Betty coming out and talking to him because it was really weird to me that she didn’t try to talk to him. I mean if it were me I would want to know how Veronica got the song, you know I would have questions so it was odd to me that Betty didn’t come and ask how it had happened, what did Veronica know? I needed more from this scene, I needed more depth. I appreciate that there were alot of plotlines going on so they might not have had time for it but tat just brings me to the nect thing I think Riverdale could work on. I do feel like this episode felt a bit rushed and that was because of how many plotlines were included, I do feel like Riverdale has this habit of overstuffing episodes with too many plots and so those plots feel rushed or not complete. I think if they have fewer plots going forward then they could flesh out the plots they do have make it a more complete story.

So that leads us to the events of prom. Ok so I probably shoudn’t have laughed at this, and in my defence it was more of a bitter laugh than anything else but that picture they showed of Archie, Veronica and Betty in the first few moments of prom really summed up the situation didn’t it. Archie being confused between Veronica and Betty again makes me think back to season 1 where you had a dance and a love triangle it really has come full circle in the most chaotic way possible.

For me one the saddest part of this episode was that moment when Veronica was telling Archie about her plan to defer Barnard for a year and she says ‘I’d rather lose a year than be out of sync with you, maybe forever.’ Not only do I think that this shows that Veronica has picked up that something isn’t quite right I think this is the moment that Archie knew he had to tell her the truth. Because he realises that they are already out of sync and they have been for a little while now. I also think it shows how much he does care about Veornica that he wasn’t willing to let her give up on going to college for him. I wasn’t at all surprised that Archie told Veronica the truth, I said before that I reckoned Archie would tell Veronica the truth but Betty would just lie to Jughead because that follows the pattern of the last time they kissed. I will say I have hella respect for Archie for telling her the truth, that clearly wasn’t easy for him and also he told her the whole truth not just that he had kissed Betty but that the song was for her. He could have taken an easier way out and just told her that he wanted to break up because of them graduating and distance or whatever but instead he told her the truth. But my heart did break for Veronica and that scene where choni, bughead and varchie were all dancing and seeing that contrast between the two other happy couples and then Varchie who you could just see them crumbling but trying to hold it together.

So I haven’t really been in the Riverdale tags since the episode aired because I didn’t want to get spoiled and I couldn’t watch it right away but I forgot to blacklist it too so I saw a couple of posts on my dash. From what I can tell this next scene was a bit controversial I spose you could say which is the one where Veronica and Archie talk and Veronica says they shouldn’t tell Jughead and that they will just go their separate ways after graduation. Some people said that she should have gotten angry and when I first saw those posts before watching the episode I 100% agreed I was actually a little mad and thought it was going to be just like in season 2 where Veronica and Jughead just shrugged the Barchie kiss off which made no sense. But having watched the scene I actually thought it was so much more heartbreaking the way they wrote it than it would have been if she had just gotten angry. I mean to me it seemed like she was just soo heartbroken that she didn’t have the energy in her to be angry she didn’t have room for anything else but the pain she was feeling and that just made that scene that much more heartwrenching and made me feel even more for her. Also I saw some say that her plan about not telling jughead and going their separate ways after graduation is too mature. But here’s the thing I don’t think its mature at all if anything I actaully think its very naive. I completely understand Veronica’s thought process and how she’s feeling here. They have two weeks until gradution, their last two weeks and these weeks are suppose to be ones of celebration and looking forward to the future with excitement and anticipation, they are suppose to be two weeks of cherising your friends and they’ve already got so much to deal with with the voyeur that she doesn’t want as she says to overshadow those two weeks with drama and break ups and not being able to talk to her friends and celebrate with them because they are all so hurt and angry. So instead she decides the best thing to do is pretend for two weeks like nothing is wrong. She probably thinks that its only two weeks and that’ll it’ll be easy to do. That’s why I think it is naive because I don’t think they will be able to just ignore the situation and pretend that its not there and that again just makes it so much more sadder. Really I feel so sorry for Veronica and for Archie, Jughead and Betty because they are going to have so much to deal with.

Choni and Family Feuds.    

Ok so next on our list of topics is the plotline with Toni and Cheryl. This is another plotline that I enjoyed. I am glad we got a little more backstory for Toni and I really hope we continue to get more. This was another storyline that I thought was really sad. It’s all set off when Cheryl asks Toni if they can invite her family over for a dinner. I do think their situation was actually kind of similar to Varchie’s in the sense that Cheryl clearly was looking to the future of their relationship and making it more serious just like Veronica was looking to her and Archie’s relationship. But just like Archie Toni was keeping a secret that throws a wrench in hers and Cheryl’s relationship.

I will say that Madalaine did an amzing job this episode. But there were two scenes in particualr that blew me away and were really sad the first was after she asked about the dinner and she thinks that Toni’s grandparents might not be accepting of their grand daughter being in a lesbian relationship she starts to cry at the thought of having to pretend not to be her girlfriend. I really do think during this conversation she is remembering all the things her own mother did to her because she was a lesbian and the pain that brought her. Which probably makes it even worse when she goes to Toni’s grandmother and finds out that it’s not that she is lesbian but that because she is a blossom. I think Cheryl figured that if she went and had a friendly conversation with the grandma then she could help make her more accepting and more comfortable about Cheryl and Toni’s relationship. But instead she finds out that their problem is with her specifically as a person and who her family is. Cheryl has always been judged for who her family is and so I think this really hurts her and it brings me to the second scene that just made me ball my eyes which was at the end when Cheryl is crying to her Nana Rose and says that she knows that her and Toni won’t end up together and that the curse of the Blossom family and that she is destined to be alone. I mean when you think of everything she has lost, first her twin brother, then her parents however awful they were, all she’s got left is Nana Rose if Toni leaves her. But she knows that family is important and she doesn’t want to put Toni in a position where she has to choose between her and her family.

I also understand where Toni is coming from as well though, I mean she is in a very difficult position because she clearly loves Cheryl but their families have a lot of bad and painful history but on the other hand that’s not Cheryl’s fault. That scene as they are leaving prom was really bittersweet. Cheryl thanking Toni for giving her some happy prom memories to hold onto and Toni trying to reassure her that they will work things out while both their eyes are welling up just killed me. I really do hope that they can work it out.

The Kinks.

Yh I know I have already complained more than I usually do in these in reviews but there were some moments in this episode that made a feel a bit, well they just didn’t sit quite right with me so I figured I would put them all here as they aren’t major issues like the ones I talked about earlier.

1) Although I understand that Veronica felt like she was doing something romantic and supportive I didn’t agree with her taking that song and singing it without Archie’s permission. Even if it wasn’t that song just any song. To me songs are very personal things and so I just didn’t think it was right of her to take something so personal to Archie especially after he had already thrown it away.

2) This one might be a bit of an unpopular opinion and don’t get me wrong I love that Choni were prom queens but I hated that part where Cheryl stopped anyone else from signing up because to me it tarnished their win. Like they didn’t win prom queens they were given it because there wasn’t anyone else to vote for. I dunno to me it just would have been so much more satisfying if they had competition and they won it because people actually wanted them to win, whereas I feel like they way they wrote it made it seem like they won by default.

3) As much as I understood why she did I also don’t think Cheryl should have gone to speak to Toni’s grandmother without Toni knowing.

Theories  

We are nearly done the last thing I want to do is just discuss some theories about what I think might happen next. These theories are based on the promo for the next episode and the promo pics that have been released for the graduation episode.

So it looks like Archie is going to go off the deep end next episode if that promo and Jughead’s comment about the straw that broke the camel’s back is anything to go by. I mean I think Archie’s comment in the promo to Betty of ‘are you kidding me? What isn’t wrong?’ really sums up Archie’s life right now, he didn’t get into the Naval academy, Veronica knows the truth and is hurt, betty who he has feelings for rejected him and then he gets a tape from the voyeur reminding him of a moment when he felt at his weakest, and on top of that it’s going to remind him of his dad and I really don’t think Archie has properly grieved and gotten passed his fathers death plus if I remember from the synopsis I think the guy who killed his dad needs his help which is who I’m assuming the guy in Archie’s room in the promo is. But I could see this leading to Jughead finding out the truth. I think Archie will start to act more and more unhinged as the episode goes on plus we know that he gets beat up by hiram which could lead to Jughead asking questions about why Hiram is upset with Archie and I think eventually Betty will confess out of concern for Archie’s behaviour maybe or something along those lines.

As for how veronica is going to react to her dad beating up Archie I don’t think she’ll be best pleased, she wants to pretend there is nothing wrong and to avoid any drama and her dad beating up Archie is not going to make that easy. I do think things are going to unravel pretty quickly from there.

I definitely think that we will find out who is behind the tapes in the next episode once that’s all wrapped up they can focus on graduation. I am still sticking to my Donna theory especially as the next episode is called ‘The Preppy Murders’ which is another name fro the stonies I kinda feel like they are just shoving it in our faces at this point that the stonies have a huge part of this. I know alot of people think its Charles but I hope its not. It’s not just because I like his character either but because the build up for that hasn’t really been there. I mean I can find so much evidence to suggest that its donna, the farmies terry and mr honey but there is only like two or three instances of Charles acting suspect and most of them can be explained away by him being an FBI agent. That doesn’t mean that they won’t have it be charles jsut that I would find it kind of anti-climatic if they did.

I can legit see the last few minutes of episode three being from the time jump and I reckon it’ll be that scene from the trailer where betty has a gun and I think it’ll be something along the lines of them finding out Polly is missing or something that sets up what the mystery for season 5 will be.

Ok that is all I’ve got right now. If you have read to the end then thank you, What did you guys think of the episode? Are you happy Riverdale is back and what are your theories for the rest of the season?  

[mrdantastic808]

DuckTales: Solving Mysteries, Writing History

With DuckTales returning for its third season, I’d like to take a look back at Season 2 and explore one of the core storylines, not only of the season, but of the entire series.

Spoilers ahead for Season 2 of the 2017 DuckTales series.

Catharsis is defined as “the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.”  Storytellers use this to great effect.  If a boy pursues a romantic relationship with a girl throughout a television show, catharsis comes in that moment when he succeeds...or doesn’t.  In a heist film, does the character obtain that object? In a murder mystery game, it’s the revelation of who the murderer is.  

Since the creation of Huey, Dewey and Loui in 1937, one of the greatest mysteries is the identity of their parents.  They’ve always been known as the nephews of Donald Duck or Scrooge McDuck.  While briefly mentioned in the nephews’ first appearance, their parents remained absent since.  Their mother, Dumbella “Della” Duck, made a few appearances in the comics, but mostly in flashbacks.  

When DuckTales 2017 premiered, its pilot episode ended with a picture of Della.  Doing so promised to explore one of the greatest mysteries in Disney history, and immediately leaping out of the shadows of its predecessor. New fans can enjoy the show for its comedy, fun characters, and action-packed storylines.  Old fans can appreciate the layered characters, smart storylines, and nuanced Easter eggs.  And now...completely hooked onto the show because of this 80-year old mystery.

And DuckTales didn’t disappoint.

Throughout the first season, clues were sprinkled here and there.  The revelation of why she’s gone became the focal point driving into the season finale.  Just when we thought the storyline was resolved...she was revealed to be alive.

Suddenly, fans had a chance to see something that’s never been done before: a reunion between the nephews and their mom.

Throughout the second season, we find out more about Della.  Not much was known about her prior to DuckTales, so the creators had to invent her character.  We find out how she survived on the moon and why Scrooge’s rescue ships never found her. Through her struggles, we learn a lot about her personality.  With each failed attempt to escape, our hearts feel for her.  As time slips away, we share her stress knowing that there are three kids out there growing up without a mom.  When she finally returns to Earth, we hold our breaths in anticipation for what’s coming next.

This leads to episode 12, the halfway point of the season.  The culmination of 80 years.

Della meets her kids for the first time.

Dewey immediately runs to her.  Of the nephews, he’s been the most passionate about the mystery of his mom.  He spearheaded the investigations.  He was the most upset at Scrooge over losing Della. It’s only fitting that he’s the first to embrace her.  This tender moment between mother and child is perfectly emotional.  Huey is the intellectual one, and when he finds Della sharing similar traits, he embraces her too.  Louie is the skeptical one.  Because of all their previous adventures, this reaction is realistic.  But even he drops his wall and accepts his mom.  

As Huey, Dewey and Louie share a tender hug from their mom, every fan shared the same reaction of Webby:

 It’s the catharsis fans have waited for decades.

Where do you go from here? This was only the opening shot of the season’s halfway point.

Della may be their mother...but she has no idea how to be one.  After all, she’s been away for ten years, before they were even born.  The rest of the episode establishes how bad Della is as a mother. This is designed to illustrate how much she grows throughout the rest of the season.  

Just as Scrooge spent Season 1 learning to bond with each kid individually, Season 2 does the same with Della.  By the end of the season, she’s a natural fit in the family. But the past doesn’t forget, and in the season finale, the past returns in a major way.  It’s the perfect test to prove how much Della has grown since then.  And she’s no longer alone.  As a family, they overcome the Moon invaders (personification of Della’s past imprisonment) and stand united.

Season 2 has been Della’s journey.  She easily could’ve become a female clone of Donald or a generic adventurer.  Instead, the creators have done a fantastic job of developing her as a full character and integrating her into the Duck family. Now that they’re united, they’re ready for the adventures ahead of them in Season 3 as they take on F.O.W.L. and encounter other iconic characters from the Disney Afternoon.  

[prosopopeya]

@platoapproved​ tagged me!

Are you staying home from work/school?

i am working from home, yes. the first few weeks were awful because it was school from 8:30-3:10 basically but now it’s a bit better with only monday/tuesday having all classes meet, wed “off” (though I spent 4 hours doing work unrelated to my classes/grading this wed), and thurs/fri being “blocks” (aka only 3-4 classes meeting for 45 minutes with long breaks between). this feels a lot more sustainable, though i wish we could condense the classes on thurs/fri instead of sprinkling them throughout the whole day

If you’re staying home, who’s there with you?

fiance (whose job is work from home anyway) and the cat

Are you a homebody?

yes... my work has actually been Straight Stressful Garbage for a few weeks but behind that, i can feel my social resources being replenished. this has been healing for me in some ways; teaching EXHAUSTS me and while this new system is draining me in new ways, it’s totally different from feeling completely dead by the end of the day

What movies have you watched recently? What shows are you watching?

movie? who is she? jk though i actually have no clue. it’s been a hot minute. right now i’m watching the circle US and loving it. and then i think i’ll watch this new docuseries that just dropped bc netflix knows me.

An event that you were looking forward to that got cancelled?

spending the last few months with my seniors, maybe. their graduation is supposedly still going to happen, but in july.

What music are you listening to?

for some reason lorde is my new work soundtrack. i’m finding that tree smashing and rock smashing and clam digging time in animal crossing is a great time to listen to podcasts. i want to be catching up on like sawbones but so far i’ve just been listening to true crime bc... i'm that basic bitch. so far been listening to uncover season 1 about nxivm.

What are you reading?

slowly been working my way through my best friend’s exorcism, purchased for me on a whim by my work bff. i actually just got a reading log and i’m kind of excited about digging into it.

What are you doing for self-care?

not working after 5:30 (when jon gets off) and on weekends as much as i can. like today or tomorrow i need to actually sit down and write out some plans for the week but also? no thanks? i also needed to force myself to remember to put on moisturizer in the mornings.

i tag anyone who wants to do it!!!

[unfortunate-stranger-losers]

The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations - How to Crack the Code

Now that Season Three of A Series of Unfortunate Events has aired, I feel it’s about time to finally tell y’all the Code from The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations- for those of you who can’t get the book, haven’t read it yet, can’t figure out the code, or who just don’t wanna spend time finding it out yourselves. 

On page 188 of The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations, the key to cracking a code sprinkled throughout the book is provided: 

WARNING → THERE IS A SECRET MESSAGE IN THIS BOOK

You may have noticed a cross-referencing technique that appears throughout these pages, looking as such: (See: Notorious Researchers, pg. 30). This device is a helpful way to direct readers to relevant information that can be found elsewhere in a text. 

It is also a handy way to send a secret message. 

Every librarian knows that books contain secrets, and hiding a secret message in the pages of a book is a frequent VFD tactic. Volunteers who cleverly cross-reference will discover the message, while their enemies, who rarely finish a book, remain unaware. 

If you have read this far, you may be wondering how to discover this message yourself. First read the book carefully, making note of any parentheticals shaded an unusual hue. This is no printer error; it is a key informing you that part of the message can be found on the suggested page. Follow the references and locate the letters colored a corresponding hue. These letters are scrambled, not unlike an anagram. Once you have unscrambled the word, write it on the color-coded line of this telegram. Completing the telegram will reveal the answer to a question that has stumped philosophers, police inspectors, and even Lemony Snicket: 

What comes after the end of The End? 

Next to this description is a photo of a telegram, which is fourteen words long: 

___ ____ __ _______ 

____ ___ __ _____ 

____ ____ _____

__ _____ _____

And, indeed, each word is underlined in a different color. 

Now... onto cracking the code.

As referenced, there are occasional cross-references in the text. And sometimes, the See: is in the color you need to look for. 

If you follow each See to its corresponding page, you’ll find letters scattered across the text that are in the color you need to find. These letters make up each word. 

Word-by-word, let’s see what we can find: 

The first word, in dark purple, is on page 133: The Reptile Room. To be honest, this is the hardest word to find: the dark color is very close to the color of the actual text. There are three letters here, in the following sentences: 

You always want to do something new, but at the same time, I wanted to see if there were clues I could integrate into the design. 

This flips it so the priority is the reptiles, and his own living space is sort of diminutive. 

And in “The Reptile Room,” [Monty]’s delighted to share his world with these kids. 

otw

The second word is on page 99: Toupees for Toddles, in an orange-ish color. There are four letters, which can be found in the following sentences: 

“Well, we can’t put a wig on a baby.” 

It’s one of the oddest things I’ve ever done in my career, applying a little wig on a baby. 

When we started the second season, Presley had grown her hair long enough that we could actually create the ponytail with here own hair, which was a relief. 

ests 

The third word, in a hot pink, is on page 130: Mr Poe’s Office. There are only two letters, which can be found in the following sentences: 

It can be goofy, but it’s never goofy-stupid. 

He’s the guy that’s literally standing between Olaf and the Baudelaire fortune. 

of

The fourth word, on page 110: How to Dress for a Masked Ball, in a gray-blue color, can be found in the following sentences, with seven letters: 

The flashback that opens “The Carnivorous Carnival” is set at a Venetian-style masked ball, where masks conceal a number of familiar faces. Cynthia Summers designed each mask with the character in mind, including Dr Orwell’s “eyeglasses,” a Medusa-inspired snake mask for Uncle Monty, and theatrical comedy/tragedy masks for the Snicket Brothers. (Jacques wears the comedy mask, while Lemony, of course, is tragedy.) The ball also marks the first on-screen appearance of the mysterious Beatrice, described in the script as “a beautiful woman dressed as a dragonfly.” 

eidnrsf

The fifth word, four letters long, is on page 45: Olivia Caliban/Madame Lulu, is in gray: 

A dangling thread from Season One was a certain book on secret organizations discovered by Justice Strauss - a book whose title will be familiar to anyone reading this. 

Still, they liked the idea of a character finding The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations and having the book change your life, as it will no doubt change yours. 

While the book’s version of Olivia is a veteran agent of dubious morality, the show reinvents her as a noble school librarian struggling against institutional corruption. 

There, disguised as Madame Lulu, she fulfills her mission of passing the book to the Baudelaires - and sacrifices herself at the lion pit to save their lives. 

jtsu 

The sixth word, colored light orange, is on page 109: How to Dress for a Career in Food Service. The three letters can be found here: 

Author Daniel Handler explains that the VFD agents we meed in the show are the types of people whom children notice by adults overlook. 

You’re going to notice things that are invisible to the adults talking over your head. 

Take a good look at the restaurant’s terrifying logo. 

uto

On page 141: The Miserable Mill is the seventh word, in two red letters: 

“The Wide Window” left us with no more stage space, so it forced us to shoot the mill at a real location, an old dock building which we then tried to make look like a stage. 

Klaus comes back from the eye doctor, but he isn’t quite himself. 

fo

The eighth word is on page 97: The Real Sugar Bowl. There are five light purple letters: 

According to Esme, it was stolen from her by Beatrice, and according to Olivia, it may have been the reason for the VFD schism. It’s not the first sugar bowl to play a vital role in a work of classic literature (interested parties may seek out We Have Always Lived in The Castle at their local library), but Daniel Handler muses on another possible inspiration: “There a whole sugar scene in the movie Midnight (See: Snicket, Jacques, pg 44) that must have seeped into me when I was a child. Somehow I think that was one of the sugar bowls of literature that ended up sneaking in.” 

The existence of four identical sugar bowl [props] may be of interest to Esme Squalor, or at least her actress, Lucy Punch, who requested to keep one when the series wrapped. “My character was so desperate for it,” says Punch. “It seemed appropriate.” 

eahrc

The ninth word, in blue, is on page 172: The Carnivorous Carnival. There are four letters: 

There’s literally no program you can watch that’s any wierce. 

The aesthetic of carnivals and circuses is naturally creepy and absurd to begin with. And then you add the overlay of our material, where everything is filtered  through the Baudelaires, so the sets are designed to be seen as if you’re a vulnerable child glimpsing this horrible world and trying to maintain hope. 

Count Olaf arrives at Caligari Carnival, where he hopes the fortune-teller can help him. 

wlli

The tenth word is on page 89: The Many Faces of Barry Sonnenfeld. There are four green letters: 

and in “The Vile Village,” he’s the fire chief posing with his Dalmatian int he firehouse-turned-saloon. 

A common ancestor to our series’ interconnected families? 

Barry birthday is April Fool’s Day, and for his birthday, I decided to knock off a painting with him in it. 

We’re shooting the Hotel Denouement right now, and the whole hotel isi based on the Dewey Decimal System, and each floor is a different subject. 

eetm

On page 64-65: The Sinister Songs, you can find five magenta letters for the eleventh word: 

“I was a huge fan of the books in my twenties, and I  was also a huge fan of Barry Sonnenfeld, so to see those two come together and actually be a part of it was unreal.” 

Count Olaf introduces himself to the Baudelaires with this song and dance - ignoring the fact he’s already met them. Handlers says, “Singing is perfect for Count Olaf because he imagines himself so wonderful.” 

All of the dance numbers were choreographed by Paul Becker, who pulled double duty in the first half of “The Carnivorous Carnival”.

She’s had quite an exciting / Time on the road

agina

On page 24: Violet the Inventor, there are two gray letters for the twelfth word: 

But now those inventions, like the Baudelaire mansion itself, are gone. 

She promised her parents she would always look after them, and while Count Olaf’s schemes have put that promise to the test, Violet’s managed to stand strong in even the most unfortunate situation. 

on

Pages 116-117: Deciphering Code: Using the Dials of the Spyglass, has five purple letters for the thirteenth word: 

As a volunteer, you already know why and when the spyglass was created (See: Motion Picture, Pg 10) but we will briefly recap its history here.

A permanent mark has its advantages, since even the most absent-minded member rarely leave the house without their ankle (See: Peg Leg, pg 86), but it has its drawbacks too, particularly if the organization undergoes a schism, so that the same symbol that once stood for comradery and literacy suddenly represents treachery and pyromania now that it is inscribed on the ankles of your enemies. 

But just as a movie might be more than a movie, a spyglass can be more than a spyglass. 

Critics called these films terrible, which was the point: Sebald wanted to ensure that no one would want to see them besides other volunteers, who would be more interested in their secret messages than their artistic value. 

The cinema’s projectionist assigns the film a production code made up of a unique combination of numbers and symbols. 

riynb

The fourteenth and final word can be found on page 32: Who is Lemony Snicket? There are five pale green letters: 

He is currently investigating the lives of the Baudelaire orphans,  though his reason for doing so is unknown, as are his whereabouts. 

Mr. Snicket can be identified by his dry wit, his tailored suits, and his ankle tattoo, as well as his tendency to launch into wordy monologues containing Very Frequent Definitions. 

But when developing the series for Netflix, Barry Sonnenfeld and Daniel Handler independently felt that their Snicket should be seen as well as heard. 

And they both independently thought of Patrick Warburton, a frequent Sonnenfeld collaborator whom Handler had loved in a little-seen film called The Woman Chaser. Volunteers who track it down will note that it features Warburton speaking to the camera in a suit and a deadpan style that one might call Serlinig-esque - or Snicket-esque. 

haebc

The Code

So now we have all the words:  

otw ests of eidnrsf 

jtsu uto fo eahrc 

wlli eemt agina 

on riynb haebc  

Which do not take a long time to unscramble... 

What comes after the end of The End? 

Well, it turns out... the code is a couplet... 

Two sets of friends, just out of reach 

Will meet again on Briny Beach.

[azurehyn]

I hate to sound like a toxic 'fan', but there's probably no other way to describe this, because this is a rant of everything I personally found wrong with Voltron, as a fan who does love the show but isn't blind to the fact that...they fucked up.

I know someone's going to say "well if you don't want to be a toxic fan don't post stuff like this" well excuse me but fuck off, i need an outlet after that emotional trainwreck

If you're here for positive allurance you ain't gon get that

If you're here for positive klance you ain't gon get that either

Because why? This season was a fucken mess and screwed most us over. Hello and welcome to my poor and angry Ted Talk

They shouldn't have introduced so damn many plot points and leave over half of them hanging

They lied? Multiple times? Example: was Keith's suicidal moment properly addressed like they said it would be?

THEY FUCKEN BAITED US WITH KLANCE. IF YOU WEREN'T GOING TO MAKE IT CANON WHY DO ANY OF THAT SHIT?? LM AND JDS I AM GODDAMN LOOKING AT YOU

Lance being Altean? You handle that well with good clues scattered throughout the seasons and DON'T EXPLAIN HOW HE IS ALTEAN TO BEGIN WITH?

Lotor. Was. Wrong. I'm turning to @astralscrivener on AO3 with their fix-it fic because yeah Lotor's arc was good one but felt fucking off because he deserved a redemption arc and I DON'T SEE THAT ANYWHERE

Rift monsters anyone? There is a whole beautiful avenue of story there and y'all just left it hanging

Allura was also kinda wronged? Her character started off inherently hating Galra and quick to jump to the worst conclusion about them. What Lotor did was shitty af, but the way Allura handled that entire situation invalidated her growth from hating Galra for being Galra. If she had properly grown as a character and the writers/showrunners actually showed that, she maybe would have reacted differently to SHOW it, to show that growth. This is just my personal opinion, the situation might have ended up the same either way, but i dont like how it was handled.

Call me a Klance fan for hating on the show but i am never going to get over or forgive this; KLANCE WAS WRONGED AND WE WERE FUCKING BAITED. I feel like many Klance fans wouldnt be as bitter as we are now if only we werent fucken BAITED

Tim Hendrick is the real MVP

Which reminds me; how is it good rep to show us Shadam, and we only know it's Shadam from the comic-con because it is not even PROPERLY PORTRAYED IN THE SHOW ITSELF that this is a gay relationship which could/would have been construed as roommates/friends NOT LOVERS, kill Adam so that so that we know little to nothing about him, then AT THE END OF THE SHOW pair Shiro with someone, again, we have little to no connection to? I feel like Dreamworks or whoeverthefuck was trying to squeeze too much rep into one single character, with Shiro being Japanese, disabled, mentally scarred from his trauma, oh and also gay but still a great role model. Look, i have no problem with Shiro being any and all of the above, but as has been mentioned by others, they relied too much on our love for Shiro, and tried to fit in too much rep in a single character when it could have been evenly spaces out between all or more than (1) one of them.

You know something ain't being done right when a plethora of fanon is lightyears better than canon. Again, dont get me wrong, i do love the story of vld, BUT that does not excuse the smell of the stanky shit they pulled multiple times.

...y'all there's 200k word fics out there better than what the beauty of Voltron derailed into

They had a chance to be a groundbreaking american animated show in terms of represention and instead they chose to skate close to the ground instead of shattering it by screwing up on multiple accounts.

LANCE WAS A WASTED CHARACTER. SO MUCH POTENTIAL, BEAUTIFUL POTENTIAL THAT WENT TO COMPLETE AND UTTER SHIT

As a hardcore Klance shipper, i say Allurance would have made more sense and sent a better message if it wasn't some half-assed shit sprinkled into s7 and shoved down our throats in s8. By making it canon you're essentially saying its totally fine for a guy to make repeated attempts on a girl when she's said no, and he'll eventually get her through dogged determination. LANCE WAS A FUCKIN REBOUND. WHY SAY HE'S GOING TO BE SOMEONES FIRST CHOICE (do not @ me about The Feud) THEN GET ALLURA TO 'CHOOSE' HIM AAAAFFFFTTTTEEERRRR LOTURA BECAME A CANON THING???

"Better an open-ending for Klance than a definite no possibility of it" bitch the fuck, don't bait us with Klance and make it such an obvious ship from FUCKING SEASON 1

"You'll be happy with the lgtb rep" *insert most deadpan expression in existence* does this look like the face of a happy camper

If you could make Korrasami a thing on freaking Nickelodeon, how did you fuck up so badly with Klance on NETFLIX?

"Voltron was targeted at 7-12 year old boys" KIDS WERE SEEING THAT KLANCE WAS HAPPENING. MY 6 YEAR OLD BROTHER SAW IT AND THE KID'S MORE INTERESTED IN FOOTBALL THAN LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE IN LIFE

Unrelated but also related: if the Dragon Prince doesn't deliver on the GOOD lgbt rep they promised within the next 1 or 2 seasons, i am never trusting any american animated show that throws out the "oh we'll have lgbt rep just you wait n see" bone ever again

As someone who identifies being both demisexual and bisexual (demibi? Because apparently demigay Keith is a thing which just hurts now), i am sorely disappointed by, and hurt by voltron. The show isnt even bad! Its a good fucking story with good characters, a number of whom were utterly wasted. I think the whole mess vld derailed into in later seasons could have been avoided if they just didnt try for any romantic angles. Because, as they said, this is a show for 7-12 year old boys. Do you really think boys that age give an actual shit about romance.

Do you guys who read fanfics notice there is no 'fix-it' fics for the first 3 seasons? Those only turned up season 4 onwards. Does that say something? Hm...

I am just so angry and SAD and disappointed with THIS being the end to our journey with voltron. Just what the fuck. I know there's the comics but it's kind of not the same? And after what happened with the show i am wary about the comics now too.

Fucking KICK forever, fuck all of you haters and shit writers of the latter seasons, and bitches i can say that because I AM A WRITER AND HAVE BEEN ONE FOR 10 YEARS, I CALL IT LIKE I DAMN SEE IT

Finally, to end this rant, I leave you with what Tomoe from Kamisama Hajimemashita (dub) once said: I AM SEETHING. SEETHING WITH PURE RAGE.

*sits back and prepares for the hate*

[meowmingaiah]

a jar of happiness in a nutshell, sis (a film review)

Amélie, an isolated woman, hears about Princess Diana’s accident lead her to a memorabilia box that would change her isolated life forever. “Le Fabuleux Destin d’ Amélie”, a 2001 French-romantic comedy film by Jean-Pierre Junet, revolves around a woman named, Amélie Poulain, born in Montmarte and a waitress at The Two Windmills— who grew up as an introvert but an imaginative and creative one, for ever since her childhood, she was only surrounded by her peculiar parents, her only friend— a goldfish, which was thrown away by her mother leaving her alone by herself. One night, as Lady Di, the Princess of Wales, died in a car accident, dropped a perfume-stopper rolled upon a wall tile and found a memorabilia box that impelled her to find its owner. From then on, as Amélie felt sudden contentment, she started fixing people’s messy lives— to sprinkle happiness and joy upon them. However, as she met Nico Quincampoix, a quirky guy who collects peoples’ torn and discarded pieces of photo booth pictures at Gare de l’Est ticket hall and was enchanted by him, Amélie began to feel anxious about her happiness as she struggles alone in her life. Le Fabuleux Destin d’ Amélie shall be watched for it was able to uniquely portray that patterns of life and innate human nature of inevitably craving for dreams, pleasure, love, and happiness to feel alive. 

First of all, this film was something to be enjoyed and reflected on because of its fanciful narrative elements which are the following points; (1) the plot was well-devised that can provide the viewers to be enticed on the flow of its narrative. Starting from presenting Amélie’s childhood background or Amélie as a child [e.g. the physical environment, norms, habits, etc.] going to the core and connecting it to the protagonist’s conflict— which is “Man vs. Self” , that was deeply presented as she grew up by seeing how Amélie struggles in socializing and forming connections with people around her causing to resort on dreaming and trying to orchestrate events on the lives of the other characters but hesitant or unconscious of reciprocating it to herself. Moreover, it gives amusing scenes on how Amélie’s curiosity directed the happenings on the film. Also, (2) the use of an omniscient third point of view, an all-knowing one, as if Amélie’s journey was being watched by someone made the story more appealing. By the means of an omniscient narrator, it emphasized that an audience is expected to see a drastic change that would happen in the protagonist’s life— for at some point, it tells clichés in the story but not in an annoying way, [e.g. “Finally, on the night of August 30, 1997, comes the event that will change her life forever.”] leading a viewer to be more intrusive and intrigue by observing each step of Amélie. It also made the film wittier as someone was narrating each characters’ fetishes or quirks— giving the viewer such hints about their secrets or individualities that indeed, pleasure is innate to humans— and with those, it can actually raise a comparison between the other characters vs. Amélie by highlighting the differences of the general pleasures vs. hers. Another point, (3) the symbolisms which showcased significance on the development of its whimsical story are the following; (a) the treasure box or the childhood memorabilia of Dominic Bretodeau, who was a father longing for his childhood memories and his child, was the starting point of everything— it was the most influential thing in Amélie’s life because it is where she was able to suddenly feel a complete harmony within herself causing the events to flow naturally, (b) the painting of Raymond Dufayel, one of her neighbors whom described as The Glass Man, pertaining to Amelie as the girl with the glass water whom Dufayel can’t capture for he feels she’s an outsider, this symbolizes that Amélie, is an art on process— that is still needed to be released from her isolated realm making it more substantial and interesting to await for Amélie’s change, (c) her habit of skimming stones on the river, the movement itself, portrays sequence that once perfectly thrown can create continuous momentum and (d) the photo album of Nino Quincampoix, if it wasn’t because of this, she wouldn’t have the chance to fall in love with somebody as what Gina, Amélie’s fellow waitress said, [“Love is a great beautician”] and nothing would make a difference in her life. Thus, those components made the narrative well-composed, valuable and effective for people like seeing someone changing for good.

Second, its cinematography. It was tremendously apparent that this film’s cinematography used a lot of extreme close up shots using center and rule-of-thirds framing, to accent the significance of character’s facial expressions [wincing, smiling, crying, etc.], bodily movements in almost every scenarios creating a comedic and serious vibe and effectively presenting emotions [e.g. pleased, ecstatic, disgusted, awe, grief] of the characters for the details— not just details but extreme ones of their expressions were indeed, accentuated. One of the best scenes of extreme close-up in this film was the opening remarks, where it showed frames of portraying Amelie’s childhood giving the viewer a glimpse of the protagonist’s isolation for it was clear that she was just only enjoying her own company as well as, the innocence of youth. Some techniques that leading to this kind of shot was starting from a wide-angle shot then suddenly zooming in or tilting the frame as it introduces characters, complimenting a deeper analysis on their personalities and characteristics [e.g. fetishes, likes, dislikes, habits, etc.] Furthermore, it was also used for the objects that serve as clues or hints on Amélie’s complex schemes of dwelling into people’s lives— which is really interesting. Another example, the use of panning and combining it with center framing was also recognizable for the sequence of events in one scenario giving the effect of continuous movement of happenings [e.g. young Amélie taking a photo shifted to another character to make it look like it is just really happening naturally and portraying what’s on the environment] it gives a sense of involvement for the viewer which helps to build the intensity of events. The shaky camera technique— which is a unique way of portraying captured moments and how rapidly things are happening. This can be observed on some montage on the films [e.g. Amélie going to the train station and the last scene, where Nico and Amelie were riding in a motorcycle]. This kind of technique is something fresh on my eyes, it’s not a conventional type, as what is written on the former part which makes it unique. Also, Bruno Delbonnel’s color grading was astonishingly aesthetic. If someone would not notice how aesthetically pleasing Le Fabuleux Destin d’ Amélie is, then that someone is probably blind. At the utmost, it is the most critical part of the film that made everything wholesome. The combination and manipulation of vibrant and deeply saturated hues of red, green and yellow set the atmosphere of the film creating a French-vibe, what that context feels like, a dreamy, imaginative, whimsical, fanciful as if you were involved in the love-story of Amélie and Nico, the color grading was immensely, extraordinarily and exceedingly remarkable— setting the mood and the atmosphere throughout the film. The strong visual look of this film was everything, any viewers cannot deny it. The cinematography was meticulously planned and well-executed, I am almost out of words.  

Third, to associate different scenes and to maintain its continuous state, this film is edited with the use of creative combinations of transitions. I think the transitions played the role of escalating the sequence of events— (a) how Hervé Schneid, the editor, used whip transitions to exemplify the change of season and time while focusing on one subject, (b) the cut-aways where Amélie got her revenged to the neighbor that fooled her, where there was an exchange of contrasting emotions— where it is obvious that Amélie was having fun messing with her neighbor while the latter was tremendously disappointed with what was happening, the transition made the scene really hilarious, (c) the used of match cuts especially on the scenes when Amélie was counting people who were having orgasms as well as, the scene where Georgette, the resident hypochondriac and Joseph, Gina’s rejected lover was having sex in the toilet room and how it wittingly conveyed the vibrations that the both characters felt while doing the action, I felt that, (d) the cross-cuts that was used to get inside the head of Amélie as she thinks about the pattern of possible actions of Nico making that scene feels extra saddening, and (e) how Amélie’s happiness was conveyed by the means of fast forwarding and jump cuts while riding the motorcycle with Nico, it was so good to feel the happiness of our dear protagonist. However, I think some standard cuts in the film were not consistent for some looks like unfinished and it made the motion looked not so natural— like it became a void to represent different scenes making the transition look odd and not effective.  

Overall, Le Fabuleux Destin d’ Amelie, is indeed, a must be watched film for it expounded the following; for the narrative it serves— (1) a well-written plot, (2) the wittingly use of omniscient point of view, and (3) mind-blowing symbolisms, for the cinematography presented— (1) detailed subjects with the use of extreme close-ups while combining it with other angles to create connection of juxtaposed effect, (2) panning which imitates continuous movement and (3) aesthetically pleasing color grading, for the editing— how it used creative combinations of transitions, (1) match cuts, (2) cut-away, (3) cross-cut, etc. indeed, this film deserves its recognition for it would let the viewers to take chances, to take risks, to live our lives in pursuit of happiness. Thus proving that humans are inevitably craving for dreams, pleasure, love, and life to feel alive. 

[thesportssoundoff]

Manny Machado To The Yankees Maybe? Well...

Joey

July 12th

There's been a lot of scuttlebutt around Yankeeland about the reported increased interest into All Star SS/3B Manny Machado. This has been met with either tremendous applause from fans or angry derision from fans. The weird thing is that it's a 50/50 split between the Yankee fanbase itself, not even from a "throughout the major leagues" standpoint. Yankees fans either LOVE the idea of adding Machado or HATE the concept which is really strange given the way this fanbase almost always comes to a consensus pretty quickly. To lay out the opening a bit, I'll do my best to present what both camps seem to be saying:

For Machado:

-It's the chance to add yet another all star player at a position where the Yankees don't necessarily have a "need" for an additional player but would probably benefit greatly for improved play.

-It's the chance to further fortify a strength and dare teams to get through this lineup four times in October with a juiced ball (let's be real here) without suffering significant damage.

-It opens the door to moving Andujar or even Didi to potentially improve your squad down the road.

Against Machado:

-This team needs pitching!

-We love Andujar and Machado is just a minor upgrade over him!

-Machado wants to play SS and this team has a collection of players who can play shortshop.

-Why trade for even MORE offense?! Did we mention this team needs pitching?!

In the interest of giving myself a break from solely taking MMA and boxing, I've decided to go ass first into this whole Machado to the Yankees rumor and conjecture to give my own thoughts and opinions on the matter. Am I for it? Against It? Well....

1- Even if you don't get him, getting involved is a damn good thing.

Let's start there.  The mere presence of the Yankees and their top 3-5 farm system forces teams to be honest in bidding for Manny Machado. If the Red Sox, Dodgers, Brewers, Phillies and the such want to make a move for him, having the Yankees involved helps make them pay for it. Giving those teams competition reminds me of when the Yankees sat down with Carl Crawford for the sole focus of getting the Red Sox to up their bid on the player. Sometimes if you're going to be painted as the asshole of the MLB, it's okay to actually BE the assholes of the MLB. Teams aren't going to be sympathetic to your cause so might as well give them a reason to hate.

2- It's not JUST that he makes the line up better.

The upgrade over Andujar with Manny Machado on offense is not as large as you'd think. Even if Andujar is very much a Starlin Castro 2.0 (a guy who isn't going to walk much, K's a bit more than you'd like probably and will live on those hot streaks where he goes XBH crazy), that's a very valuable type of player and he's putting up damn good numbers. Adujar's .279/.313/.495 115+ OPS is not that big of a steep endless decline from Machado's .314/.383/.573 163+OPS. Manny's better offensively by a large margin but he's having an outlier-y season. It's defensively where this team would gain a serious step up. Machado has historically been a very, very good defensive third basemen while Andujar's defense was what prevented him from playing much last year. This year he hasn't been the world's biggest butcher but his lack of range and slow feet have been well discussed. In an argument suggesting Andujar be shopped at the deadline, RiverAveBlues painted a pretty stark picture:

"That’s a long way of saying if you hit the ball at Andujar, he’s going to make the play. Hit the ball anything more than a step or two away from him in either direction, and he’s probably not going to make the play. Does that mean he won’t make those plays forever and ever? No, of course not. Andujar could improve his reads and first step and range. Young players are known to get better, after all. That said, Andujar is something of a defensive liability. His value is tied up heavily in his bat, specifically his power and ability to make contact since he never walks."

http://riveraveblues.com/2018/07/three-reasons-yankees-make-miguel-andujar-available-trade-deadline-174411/

The Yankees are already carrying one so-so defensive infielder with Gleyber Torres (who to me is fine defensively despite what feels like the usual lapses from a dude who has been a SS/3B his whole life) and a catcher who is having a really poor year defensively. Throw in so-so work from Greg Bird and Neil Walker and this infield could use somebody who could shore up some of the holes it has. That's why it's not just Machado batting 3rd/4th that makes this a smart move.

3- You can't trade for what doesn't exist.

Fun with numbers! Here's five pitchers, names removed:

A- 4-4 78.2 IP 4.00 ERA 2.96 SO/BB ratio 6.05 IP per start 1.206 WHIP B- 10-5 105.1 IP 4.44 ERA 3.38 SO/BB ratio 5.85 IP per start 1.177 WHIP C- 5-7 102 IP 4.11 ERA 2.32 SO/BB 5.67 IP per start 1.294 WHIP D- 4-5 86.1 IP 4.80 ERA 2.91 SO/BB 5.86 IP per start 1.286 WHIP E- 4-8 103 IP 4.28 ERA 2.72 SO/BB ratio 5.72 IP per start 1.359 WHIP

A is Sonny Gray at this time last year B is JA Happ C is Tyson Ross D is Matt Harvey E is Cole Hamels

Those are the four most realistic trade options since the Mets probably aren't moving their big 3, The Angels aren't going to move Garrett Richards now with his injury and MadBum is destined to be stuck in San Francisco. The top four options on the market are all pretty much a step below what Sonny Gray was and the key here is that outside of Harvey, the likes of Happ, Ross and Hamels have all been trending down recently. With Gray, he was streaking going into the trade deadline (his final ERA pre-trade would be in the 3.43 range). They THOUGHT they were getting what they need now; a guy who could start in the playoffs and slide behind developing ace Luis Severino. They thought Gray would be at worst a solid #3 and unfortunately it just hasn't panned out that way. Chances are there's no real upgrade available above what they believed they were getting last year. Their investment in Sonny Gray WAS the chance to get the lock down long term rotation help---and it went bust. It happens sometimes.  Any pitcher they're getting is probably worse than Sonny Gray, a perceived ace in his mid 20s who was believed to have the stuff to win in New York. It just didn't work out.

The Yankees need a guy who could be a solid #2/3----but that guy doesn't really exist in this market. There's no help to be had in this barren wasteland of faded aces and reclamation projects. JA Happ is the top pitcher available and would you feel comfortable with him starting game 3 of the ALDS vs the Indians or the Astros? I'm not quite sure. Happ would absolutely help you in terms of having a proven established guy in the rotation instead of Domingo German or Jonathan Loaisiga. The reality is the Yankees need what doesn't exist which means they can either create a starter (with Justus Sheffield from the minors) or hope that they can find a way to manufacture offense to outscore teams early and ride the bullpen late.  Or hope that Masahiro Tanaka and Sonny Gray suddenly get back to being good.

4- I'm not up for a rental

If you're giving up pieces for Manny Machado, it can't be for a rental. Obviously for tax purposes, the Yankees want to be able to stay under that 189 million dollar number so they can't agree to a deal this year. That said if you're giving up pieces for the best 3B in the game then you better have a clue as to where he fits in going forward. If that's as your 3B or SS of the future matters of course but you better ensure you leave a long term idea as to whether you'll have the player long term.

5- Whatever they do, it can't be out of panic.

Seriously. The Yankees are 3 1/2 of Boston with plenty of games to go, they have the best record in the league against good teams. They've beaten Houston and Boston and Cleveland with an as is squad. They'll get back Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres soon with the hopes that Torres can continue his All Star play with better health while Gary Sanchez can try to regain some of the form that made him a feared bat in 2016 and 2017. They JUST got back Masahiro Tanaka who probably will help solidify the rotation some. They own a tremendous bullpen and there's help in the farm system. I want them to try and grab one more impact bat; either at 1st, 3rd or even out at LF. I'd like for them to grab the best lefty arm they can to solidify this bullpen finally. I'd even be really happy if they could get an upgrade over Domingo German. The reality though is that any move they make has to be done for something resembling a long term vision. A Jaime Garcia type doesn't do much of anything for this team, a rental who isn't a difference maker just adds another body to the squad. I understand a 40 man roster crunch is coming shortly but I'm not concerned about that because you can ALWAYS find ways to get that cleaned up (Bryan Mitchell, Callum Smith, Garrett Cooper and Ronald Herrera all dealt). Make the moves that fit the long term vision this team has had over the last three years. There's no need for filler deals.

In the end? I mean how could you NOT want to be in Manny Machado? You're trading for a peak prime all star who can play 3rd or short. You're improving your line up AND helping yourself into October. He's a monster with RISP, he's coming into his own as a power hitter and he wants to be here. He's not THE difference between going to the WS and not but I feel a hell of a lot better about Judge-Machado-Stanton with Sanchez, Bird, Didi and Gleyber sprinkled in than I do otherwise. I also feel as though he, all things being equal, is clearly better than just grabbing a mediocre starter. If the market doesn't have arms? Make teams score 8 to beat you.

[strixmoonwing]

Thoughts on Voltron Season 4

...Can’t say I’m really a fan of this season. Not to say I hated it, because it did have some really good moments such as:

-Matt finally returning and Pidge being such an adorable happy gremlin about it. The whole second episode focusing on her journey was very well done and probably the most well-written and strongest one of the season. Matt Holt is the badass, nerdy goofball that lots of the fandom (including myself) were hoping for. He even gets a moment every all of the paladin (including Lance which made my Latte heart giggle).

-The action scenes towards the end were cool.

-Some very well-done Allura and Lance moments towards the end. Like, really Klance is my top ship, but Allurance is becoming a fast second. I was really touched by their scene. 

-There were some darker scenes sprinkled throughout the season (Lotor killing Narti and the alien Pidge befriended dying in front of her) that were good in showing that the stakes are getting higher and emphasized on the wars taking more of an effect.

-Ends with big damn hint that Lotor is joining them. Really just because I wanna see the paladins actually see and interact with him since they’ve only really heard his voice.

-Allura was Keith a lot so if technically the Allurance moments could be counted as Klance as well.xP

So, as I said, there were some scenes I did enjoy, but here are my biggest cons of the season:

-KEITH. FUCKING. LEAVING. EPISODE. ONE. Seriously, dude, I apologize for every saying you had too much screentime in season 2. My biggest problem with this is that in previous seasons, mainly season 3, we don’t really see Keith taking that much interest in helping the Blades of Marmora. Hell, we see Lance and Hunk interact with the Blades more in season 3 than Keith did. So it just doesn’t feel right that he’s willing to risk to much of his family’s safety to go on Blade of Marmora missions. And I know that Keith doesn’t want to be Black Paladin and that’s also a big factor of him trying to distance himself so that Shiro can take charge. But that’s still a rather selfish way of thinking and would have got the paladins killed if the Black Lion hadn’t responded in time. It just sets Keith’s character back from the lessons he learned last season about taking account the lives of those around him before making going off on his plans. And by the end of the episode, it doesn’t really feel like he learned his lesson? I wish we could have seen his time with the Blades at least, maybe missing his team...his family...you know. Or at least have him a plot of trying to find out more about his mother while with the Blades! Overall, I wouldn’t have minded Keith leaving, if only for a much shorter time, but I think it was not handled well at all and set back his character from the growth he had last season.

-Shiro flying the Black Lion again so quickly. I don’t mind that it happened, but it plays into my problem with Keith this season, it felt rushed and I wished it had happened later. It felt like an excuse for Keith to feel guilt-free about leaving. 

-No more hints or clues about the Kuron project.

-Hunk and Lance’s development got shot out the airlock, especially Hunk. I literally had to fast-forward through the fart joke scenes because I was cringing too much. And it felt weird see Lance take charge a lot in season 3 and then have him pushed back into the background this season, and especially not have him have more of a reaction to Keith leaving after how close they got. Lance’s biggest development this season was his moment in inspiring Allura, which was wonderful and touching, but still felt like it wasn’t enough. Lance needs to be shown to be able to development and character without being a support to Keith or Allura. And come on, please, just give Hunk something. Please.

-Lotor and his plot felt a bit all over the place. In season 3, he seemed to have everything planned out and always on top of things. So, it felt kinda jarring to see everything suddenly falling apart for him and his generals.

-The Fucking Coalition shows. The Coalition shows went on for waaaay to long. I felt like one or two would be enough to showcase what they are doing, but the episode with Coran arranging all the shows, I had to fast forward through a lot. I’m sorry, but I felt alot of the the coalition show time could have been spent expanding on character development and plot...maybe showing how Keith was doing? 

-Keith’s almost sacrifice. BOY YOU THINK YOUR TINY ASS SHIP IS GOING TO BREAK A SHIELD THAT A THOUSAND LASERS AND CANNONS CAN’T?! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LANCE ISN’T THERE TO BE YOUR IMPULSE CONTROL, YOU IDIOT.

So overall, as much as there are moments I loved about this season, it still felt weak and all over the place compared to last season. Here’s hoping season 5 will be better.

[things-i-think-and-junk]

Storytelling Elements and Undercover Jon

 I’m going to preface this essay by quickly stating that I’m going to try to remain unbiased. This is neither pro-Jonerys or anti-Jonsa. I’m going to try to talk about this just using storytelling and film analysis. This theory that is floating around doesn’t work when contrasted to the usual methods of storytelling and plot twists that GRRM and D&D have employed throughout this series. Jon undercover doesn’t work and is a failed plot device.

So what is the basic idea of Undercover Jon? For those that don’t know, it’s that during the entirety of Season 7, Jon Snow was infiltrating Daenerys’ base camp and swaying her to his side, seeking to gain her aid, her armies and her dragons in the fight to come. He used any means necessary, one of them being the long con. He’s playing the game essentially, acting as a double agent. His loyalty is to the North and he is manipulating Dany, telling her what she wants to hear and influencing her emotions so she feels compelled to help him.

What it boils down to is that Jon is deceiving her and it will be revealed in some great plot twist in Season 8.

Okay, so now that we’ve established the idea, why doesn’t it work?

Let’s begin with the basic idea of suspense as outlined by Alfred Hitchcock, the master himself:

“There is a distinct difference between "suspense" and "surprise," and yet many pictures continually confuse the two. I'll explain what I mean.

We are now having a very innocent little chat. Let's suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, "Boom!" There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o'clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: "You shouldn't be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!"

In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense. The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed. Except when the surprise is a twist, that is, when the unexpected ending is, in itself, the highlight of the story.”

So why is this detailed quote important? Because this is something that is often employed by storytellers, specifically those in film based media. You can get away with shocking twists, but you need to let the audience in on the secret in someway. The most common means is foreshadowing, whether direct foreshadowing or indirect. We have two different examples of this in the show specifically.

Let’s start with direct foreshadowing for one of the more shocking moments to happen in the first seasons, Ned Stark being betrayed by Littlefinger. Since then, we’ve learned not to trust or believe Baelish in most everything he does, but there was a time when we were still uncertain about him, naive and innocent. However, we were given a direct warning from the start, around the time that Ned was investigating Jon Arryn’s death. Littlefinger told the audience what we needed to know:

We were informed that Baelish was someone we shouln’t believe and there was something about him that was dangerous and untrustworthy. A number of people didn’t (much like Ned) because we were lulled into thinking that Ned was the hero of the story rather than a false protagonist. So when this happened:

It was genuinely surprising.

Direct foreshadowing is letting the audience in on the secret, setting up a big reveal that will happen. It might be subtle, but it is there, something we can point to later. It’s a conversation that we were privy to, which is extremely important for any type of long con of this nature.

Let’s compare with indirect foreshadowing, which is symbolism and tiny clues that we, as detectives are to go over.

One of the biggest reveals in the show overall was R+L=J. Jon is the hidden prince, the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna and this bombshell was saved for the climax of the show, Season 7′s (technically Season 6′s) finale. It came out of nowhere and was such a shocking twist!

...Or was it?

There was no conversation with the audience in the same way we had with Littlefinger, but the evidence was there from the beginning: Ned never speaking of Jon’s mother, Ned’s defense of the Targaryens and the murder of children. My personal favorite evidence of indirect foreshadowing was this little easter egg:

Literally: RLJ (R+L=J).

We have had the evidence sprinkled from the start, it was clearly there, but it was a matter of recognizing it or piecing the clues together. It wasn’t so well hidden that no one saw it coming. In fact, GRRM said once in an interview:

“At least one or two readers had put together the extremely subtle and obscure clues that I’d planted in the books and came to the right solution… So what do I do then? Do I change it?! I wrestled with that issue and I came to the conclusion that changing it would be a disaster, because the clues were there. You can’t do that, so I’m just going to go ahead.”

Again, this was something that was supposed to be subtle, but we had the clues available to us. GRRM does not spring anything on the audience and neither do D&D, the character motives are pretty well spilled out from the beginning. If a major character makes plans to go through with some form of deception, then we are made privy to those plans, allowed in on the conversation.

There has been no direct foreshadowing for Jon to go undercover and manipulate Dany. We have not been given a conversation that discusses the idea. The last time Jon infiltrated a group to receive information, there was something to alert the audience that this was the direction he was going.

First, we have Halfhand’s advice to Jon shortly after they were captured:

Jon: “They died because of me.”

Halfhand: “See that it wasn’t for nothing.”

Then we are shown the setup for the plan:

Halfhand: Mance is gonna march on the Wall. When he does, one brother inside his army will be worth 1000 fighting against it.

Jon: They’ll never trust me.

Halfhand: They might, if you do what needs to be done.

We are directly told that Jon will begin infiltrating the Wildlings, which is followed closely by Halfhand building up Jon to be a traitor. It culminates in a fight where Halfhand sacrifices himself and instigates Jon to kill him. Only that way is the deception complete and Jon is given access to the Wildlings.

Even in the books, the set up for this is directly told to the reader with Halfhand giving this quote:

“Then hear me. If we are taken, you will go over to them, as the wildling girl you captured once urged you. They may demand that you cut your cloak to ribbons, that you swear them an oath on your father's grave, that you curse your brothers and your Lord Commander. You must not balk, whatever is asked of you. Do as they bid you ... but in your heart, remember who and what you are. Ride with them, eat with them, fight with them, for as long as it takes. And watch." - A Clash of Kings, Chapter 68, Jon VIII.

Let’s compare this to another situation and another big reveal, Roose Bolton’s betrayal of Robb in the Red Wedding. This didn’t come as a complete surprise because the audience was shown that Roose was beginning to turn, specifically during his scenes with Jaime. Rather than capture Jaime and return him to Robb, as he would be expected to, he releases Jaime and sends him back to the Lannisters. They are cordial (enough) with each other and we are given a glimpse into Roose’s desire to find the best deal for himself.

When he stabs Robb, we already knew that he was colluding with the Lannisters, even if we didn’t know the exact means he would betray Robb or what he would receive from them.

So now let’s look at Season 7 Jon. In the episodes before and after his arrival on Dragonstone, we were not told directly that he is infiltrating Daenerys’ camps or attempting to repeat his previous deception with the Wildlings. There is no conversation similar to what he shared with Halfhand and no moments that the audience were left to feel suspense for him in being discovered.

Remember, when Jon is with the Wildlings, there are several moments where they doubt his loyalty and the stakes are upped for him. In the books, Mance orders Jon to sleep with Ygritte to prove his loyalty. In the show, he’s questioned by almost every Wildling he comes across. Even Ygritte displays an awareness that Jon is playing her and we have another instance of direct foreshadowing.

Ygritte: “Don’t ever betray me.”

Nothing like this exists in Season 7. We have Sansa urging Jon to be smarter than Robb and Ned, to listen to advice, but that was culminated in Jon placing Sansa in charge of Winterfell, showing his trust in her abilities and advice. This is when Jon and Sansa begin separate journeys in Season 7. Sansa’s journey is her ability to enter the game and come up against a more seasoned manipulator, Littlefinger.

Jon’s arc this season has been preparing for the coming war, something that Daenerys is clearly meant to be part of as Melisandre said herself:

Melisandre: “I believe you have a role to play, as does another.

We are even shown in the first episode the different threats that Jon and Sansa will be dealing with separately. Jon believes the greatest threat is the Night King, while Sansa believes it is the people who play the Game of Thrones. Throughout the series and novels, these two have been on these two separate arcs. Jon has nothing to do with King’s Landing, as his story has always tied in to the Others. Sansa’s has always had to do with the Lannisters and Baelish.

For Jon to suddenly become involved in the Game of Thrones, we would need some sort of foreshadowing, either indirect or direct that this is a method he would use.

So what evidence do we have about Jon’s character in Season 7?

Let’s start with the first episode. Jon is sitting in judgement on Alys Karstark and Ned Umber, deciding if he should punish them for their father’s treachery. With all of his men and sister telling him to take their lands away and give them to someone else, what does Jon do?

This is a use of direct foreshadowing because this is repeated in Ep. 3:

We the audience have been shown that Jon will not judge someone for the actions and cruelties of their parents, it doesn’t come as a surprise then that he is willing to extend a bit of faith and trust in Daenerys, as he did with Alys Karstark and Ned Umber. He will focus instead on the coming war rather than rewarding or punishing as leadership sometimes dictates.

The entire focus of his council is to begin preparations and training for the army he will need.

What about Jon asking the advice of others or taking council, something he is criticized for in the first episode?

Well, he has a moment of asking Sansa’s opinion about Tyrion and his character, a parallel to the moment in Season 6 when she pointed out that she was not asked about what sort of man Ramsay is. He learned his lesson in that and asked Sansa’s opinion.

However, we are shown that it doesn’t always relate to what he is going to do. Jon makes his own decisions and acts as he thinks is best. He makes the decision to go south and parlay with Daenerys, all without consulting his men before hand or even alerting Sansa to his decision. Even when they protest, it is clear he has made up his mind.

What can we take from this scene? Is he going south to manipulate Daenerys?

The evidence says no. There has been no buildup for it, no evident payoff and no clues left for the audience to glean that this is his intention. Jon is capable of deception, but deception without clues and foreshadowing? That’s not likely.

Let’s return to the idea of suspense. We are given no stakes to invest in. The only concrete plan we have is: Daenerys has an army and dragons, Jon needs to convince Daenerys to use army and dragons in the coming war. That’s it. Nothing else has been established or said beyond that. Instead, we have the characters directly telling us how that alliance will be achieved. Tyrion says it himself in Ep. 3:

Tyrion: Give him something by giving him nothing. Take a step toward a more productive relationship with a possible ally.

Compromise is the key for them to forge an alliance. The terms of that compromise are even clearer in Ep. 6. Convince Cersei to join the coming war rather than to continue fighting Daenerys at present, thus creating a truce and allowing everyone to face the greater threat. Daenerys temporarily gives up her claims on the throne, Jon bends the knee. Very simply spelled out and it even comes with a side of suspense, as our focus is now on whether or not they can convince Cersei.

The questions about Jon/Dany’s alliance or even winning her help are concluded in Ep. 6. We are told by Daenerys: “we will do it together, you have my word.” The filmmakers and show runners do not add anything in to clue us, the audience, that we have reason to doubt her in this or there is any reason Jon would need to keep convincing her. There is no look shared between Tyrion and Daenerys, no conversation with Jon worrying about if Dany can be trusted. These clues are important to storytelling because, as I stated a few times before, suspense is key.

The only twists that we have coming our way are Cersei’s treachery, Jon’s parentage and the revelation about Jon and Dany’s relationship. All you need to do is look at how each of these moments were set up, showing us that these would be important conflicts in the next season.

Jon’s Parentage:

Bran and Sam talk about Rhaegar and Lyanna’s marriage, while we are shown the flashbacks, allowing us to see that this is true. Just like Bran, we are part of the visions. Afterwards, it is directly stated: “He needs to know the truth.” There is no surprise in this, no twist that we can’t see coming. Jon will eventually be told the truth.

Jon/Dany’s Relationship:

As Jon enters Dany’s cabin, Tyrion comes from out of the shadows, revealing he has witnessed and guessed what is about to happen. As Jon and Dany make love, there is a closeup on Tyrion’s face, clear displeasure there as he returns to his rooms. Again, we are shown that there is conflict brewing. Tyrion doesn’t approve of what is happening and we are aware that it will likely come up in some way.

Cersei’s Betrayal:

This one is key, especially in contrasting Jon’s possible deception. We have Cersei come to the Dragonpit and declare that she agrees to the terms of the truce and that she is summoning her men to come and aid in the fight. Our heroes feel relief and leave, they are convinced that she will keep her word.

The next scene with Cersei has her coming in while Jaime plans on the army’s route to Winterfell. The following conversation allows us to see that Cersei has no intention of keeping her word. She ridicules Jaime for meaning to fight with them, she lays out her plan and spells it out for us. What’s more, none of this is a surprise when we compare it to her other moments this season, specifically when it comes to the insurmountable odds that she is up against.

When told she can’t beat Dany’s dragons and armies, Cersei doesn’t back down, saying that she will continue to fight. Underhanded methods have been shown to be Cersei’s M.O, as we saw in Season 6. Again, visual clues that she might act in a dishonorable, sneaky way.

She hears that she can’t beat Dany’s dragons and army? What does she do? She goes back on her word to let the army be dwindled down or wiped out by a separate threat. We had foreshadowing and clues that this would happen, it doesn’t come out of nowhere to surprise us. There is even a conversation that this is the plan and this is what she is doing.

So what can we take from all of this? What I hope you gather is that twists don’t come out of nowhere, that they are built upon and clues are left to alert us that something like this is a probability, whether direct or indirect. We, in some form, need to be told that this is something that is happening and conflict will come from that.

There is no evidence supporting Jon being undercover, not in filmmaking and not in storytelling. Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but the evidence is always right there in front of us and it isn’t present here.