#christians really don't view non-christians as people huh

[tevatron]

my catholic colleague asked me if my family is christian and when i said no she said "oh, but you seem so nice!" uh oh!

[therealvinelle]

I've always wondered this, but what do you think the Cullen's political viewpoints would be, given their individual backgrounds? if vampires don't change after they turn, then surely they would all be extremely racist (especially Jasper). would this not come up at some point? they aren't like the Volturi because the Volturi are too old to care, but the Cullens are young enough that they have been brought up with opinions on stuff like sexism, racism, homophobia and the like.

Oh fuck.

You get an early answer because otherwise I'll just chicken out and delete this one, pretend I never saw it.

UMMM.

Since I'm guessing you meant American political viewpoints, we need a disclaimer. I am not American, and not too knowledgeable about your politics. Not just in the sense that I don't follow the day-to-day drama, but as I am not an American citizen there are several things I don't know, can't know because I've never lived in your country and therefore can't know what the effects of living in a country ruled by American policies is like. What I do know is based off of the news in the foreign section, social media (by which I mean tumblr posts), and Trevor Noah's Daily Show.

I am an outsider looking in.

Which is really rather appropriate, since the Cullens are too.

The Cullens go to high school and college, Carlisle works, they pay taxes, they own real estate, and submerge themselves in American culture. Esme, Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and Bella are young enough that this is in many ways their world, and apart from timeouts they've more or less spent their entire lives, human and vampire, integrated into American society.

Not fully integrated, mind you, they do what they need to to fit in and get to school or, in Carlisle’s case, to work. They go no further. No extra-curriculars for the kids, no book clubs for Esme, no game nights for Carlisle. They walk parallel to humans, not among us.

In addition to this they're obscenely rich, which puts them another thousand miles from the experiences of your average American. They won't deal with the health system, which means healthcare is a non-issue, they're not going to need welfare or other social programs, unemployment is another non-issue. Name your issue, and the Cullens don't have personal stake in it. Even the climate crisis won't be a problem for them the way it will for us.

What I'm trying to say is, American political issues are a concept to them, not a lived reality. Just like they are for me. So hey, you made a great choice of blog to ask.

I'll also add here that you say the Volturi are too old to care, and I agree- from an ancient's point of view, racism is a matter of "which ethnicity are we hating today?", and it all looks rather arbitrary after a while. Same with every other issue - after a while it all just blends together into "what are the humans fighting over today? Which Christian denomination is the correct one? Huh. Good for them, I guess."

I can't put it any better than this post did, really. The Volturi are real people, humans are nerds and tumblr having Loki discourse. Aro thinks it's delightful and knows entirely too much about Watergate (and let's be real, Loki discourse as well), but the point I wanted to get at is that politics really don't matter to vampires.

And I don't think they matter to the Cullens either.

So, moving on to the next point while regretting I didn't put headlines in this post, I'll just state that I don't think vampires' minds are frozen. Their brains are unable to develop further, and they can never forget anything, but... well, this isn't the post for that, but in order for this to be true of vampires they would barely be sentient. They would not be able to process new impressions, to learn new things, nor to have an independent thought process. Yes, we see vampires in-universe (namely, Edward, who romanticizes himself and vampires) believe they're frozen and can never change, but there is no indication that this is a widespread belief, or even true. Quite the contrary - Carlisle went from a preacher's son who wanted to burn all the demons to living in Demon Capital for decades and then becoming a doctor and making a whole family of demons. Clearly, the guy has had a change in attitude over the years. Jasper, in his years as a newborn army general, slowly grew disenchanted with his life and developed depression. James initially meant to kill Victoria and hunted her across the earth, then became fascinated and changed his mind about it.

Had these people been incapable of change, Carlisle would still be hating demons, Jasper would be in Maria's army, and James would still be hunting Victoria.

It goes to follow, then, that they are able to adapt to new things.

The question is, would they?

Here I finally answer your question.

So, we have these people who don't really have any kind of stake in politics, who keep up to date all the same (or are forcibly kept up to date because high school) and are generally opinionated people.

Where do they then fall, politically?

(And this is where you might want to stop reading, anon, because I'm about to eviscerate these people.)

Alice votes for whoever's gonna win. She also makes a fortune off of betting each election. Trump's 1 to 10 victory in 2016 was a great day to be Alice. MAGA!

The actual policies involved are completely irrelevant, she does this because it's fun. Election means she gets to throw parties. Color coded parties for the Republican and Democratic primaries, and US-themed parties for Election Night! (Foreigner moment right here: I at first wrote "Election wake" before realizing that's not what y'all murricans call it.)

Alice loves politics. Doesn't know the issues, but she sure loves politics.

Bella votes Democrat. She actually knows about the issues, and cares about them. This girl is a Democrat through and through.

Carlisle doesn't vote. I can't imagine it feels right. Outside of faked papers he's not a US citizen, this is meddling in human affairs that he knows don't concern him.

More, this guy has never lived in a democracy.

In life, Carlisle lived under an absolute monarchy that, upon civil war, became an absolute theocracy. From there he learned that vampires live under a total dictatorship.

For the first 150 years of his life, democracy was that funky thing the Athenians did in history books thousands of years ago, no more relevant to him than the Ancient Egyptian monarchy is to me. Then the Americans, and later other European countries started doing this.

Good for them.

There's this mistake often made by those who view history from a... for lack of a better term, a solipsistic standpoint. A belief that the present day is the culmination of all of history. “My society is the best society, the most reasonable society; all the others had it backwards. Thank god we’re living in this enlightened age!”

The faith in our current system of government is one such belief. We (pardon me if this doesn’t apply to everybody reading this post) have grown up in democracies, being told this is the ultimate form of rule, and perhaps that is true - but remember the kings who have told their subjects they had were divine and the best possible ruler based on that. Remember also that most modern democracies haven’t actually been democracies for very long at all, America is the longest standing at some 230 years (not long at all in the grand scope of things) and they have a fracturing two-party system to show for it.

Every society, ever, has been told they’re the greatest, and their system of government the most just. Democracy is only the latest hit.

This is relevant to Carlisle because he’s immortal and decidedly not modern. Democracy has not been installed in him the way it was the rest of the Cullens, Jasper included. To him- well, it’s just not his world. He has no stakes in our human politics, and as he is older than every current democracy and has seen quite a few of them fall, he’s not going to internalize the democratic form of rule the way a modern human has.

I think the concept of voting is foreign to him.

It requires a level of participation in human society that he’s simply not at. He does the bare minimum to appear human so he do the work he loves, but nothing more, and I find that telling.

As it is I think he'd be iffy about his family doing it. He won’t stop them, but in voting they’re... well it’s kind of cheating. They’re not really citizens, none of this will affect them, and by voting they’re drowning out the votes of real human voters. He does not approve.

Edward votes Democrat. He's... well he’s the kind of guy who will oil a girl’s bedroom window so he can more easily watch her sleep without being discovered, justifying it to himself as being okay because if she were to tell him to get lost he’d stop immediately. Same guy is so sure that he’d leave and never return again if she wanted him to, except this is the man who returned to Forks to hang around his singer, knowing there was a significant chance he might kill her. To say nothing of his Madonna/Whore complex, or of the fact that he tried to pimp out his wife twice, and was willing to forcibly abort her child.

This guy is very much in love with chivalry, with being an enlightened and feminist man who supports and respects women, while not understanding the entire point of feminism, which is female liberation.

He votes Democrat because he’s such an enlightened feminist who cares about women’s rights.

Emmett doesn’t care to vote, but if he has to he votes Republican. The guy is from the 1930′s, and has major would-be-the-uncle-who-cracks-racist-jokes-if-he-was-older vibes.

Esme doesn’t vote, that would require getting out of the house.

More, I just... can’t see it. I can’t see her being one to read up on politics and The Issues, period, but if she has to then I doubt she’d be able to decide.

Jasper doesn’t vote. Alice can have her fun, he does not care.

There’s also the whole can of worms regarding the last time he went to bat for American politics.

I imagine he stays out of this.

Renesmée doesn't vote. She has no stock in the human affairs. Who would she vote for, on what grounds? When Bella tries to pull her to the urns, she points out that she's three years old.

Rosalie, guys, I’m sorry, but that girl is definitely gonna vote Republican. Perhaps not right now as it’s become the Trump party of insanity, but the Mitt Romney type of Republicans? Oh yes.

And for the record, yes I imagine she does vote. To step back from politics would be another way she was relinquishing her humanity, and that’s not allowed to happen. So, yes, she goes to the urns, less for the sake of the politics involved and more because like this, she’s still a part of society in some way.

Now, onto why I think she’s Republican, I think it’s both fiscal and social.

This girl was the daughter of a banker who somehow profited off of the Depression, and who then became part of a family with no material needs that would soon become billionaires thanks to Alice. Poverty to Rosalie is a non-issue, as it is I imagine she views it as a much lesser issue than what she’s had to deal with. The humans can pull themselves up by their bootstraps, Rosalie’s infertility is forever.

Rosalie’s empathy is strongest when she’s able to project onto others, and she won’t be able to project onto the less fortunate at all.

Then there’s the fact that the Republican party is all about traditional family values, and pro-life.

Rosalie, a woman from the 1930′s who idolizes her human life and who‘d love nothing more than to get to live out this fantasy, is down for that. And as of Breaking Dawn she’s vocally pro-life, so there’s that.

This all being said I don’t think Rosalie cares to sit down and fully understand these politics she’s voting for, the possible impact they’ll have- that’s not important. What’s important is what voting does for her.

TL;DR: I bet anon regrets asking.

[llycaons]

The way I literally made a post about how catholic people are and how they talk about Jimmy and Kim's endings on Better Call Saul... people truly and honestly think that the show that constantly criticized law and the judicial system to the point of showing Kim and Jimmy at their best when they helped people getting out of sentences...

Like, people honestly and truly only see punishment as the only way! When the show was obviously hinting at Jimmy and Kim going for redemption of the mistakes they made... even more with the Better Call Saul scene with the other inmates...

People should be going to pray a rosary instead of watching shows with complex views of morality...

oh I completely believe that. I've seen a lot of posts myself that I don't really agree with...I do not want to hear a single thing catholics say about morally complicated media. or (unrelated) about non-western or non-christian media at all tbh. the handling of morality/guilt/redemption in cdramas is so refreshing to me in comparison. if you have that post of yours handy, I'd love to read it

I was a little let down that the show didn't do more, and I definitely would have liked to see more of saul helping others with their expertise rather than attaining personal redemption by confessing, but I agree that the show has been nuanced about the prison system so far...still think the evidence for saul himself helping people in the inside was a bit weak compared to kim

but the other inmates cheering on saul was very heartwarming (even if I definitely did not understand it the first time lol) and kim volunteering at the free legal office was such a wonderful step forward for her character compared to how she's just been forcing herself into this dull life where she does nothing and helps nobody and has no opinions at all, and I actually do agree that confession was the right step. not for kim, but since cheryl deserved to know.

it's also such a tragedy that kim stepped away from the law at all when she helped so many people. arguably she did more harm than good by leaving the law, but she really felt it was the only decision she could have made, huh.

[needlexvomit]

I was chattin' w a dude, who, I did not, infact, know, was a Hyper Christian, about being polyam, & he asked about one of my rules (no risking pregnancy, by ya kno, rawin' it), & he found out I was Pro-Choice, & lemme tell ya'll that bitch was seein' red. He legit tried to threaten me if I continued the subject, but kept asking questions, so I explained my views on that shiz, & how, while I like kids, I would rather die than birth my own. Let alone raise one. He legit was so pissed, dude lmao, he really almost threw my coffee. He just couldn't comprehend how I could care for already living children, or a child that was almost due to be born, but not care when it comes to non-fully formed, unfeeling, unthinking fetuses. He really brought up relatives who, he said, had planned to blow up abortion clinics like it was a good thing. They planned to murder innocent women who, for the most part, don't even wanna be goin' though w that shit anyway, & he was happy w it. These are the people to claim to be "Empathetic", "Compassionate", & "Godly". He really claims to support women, never wanna hurt them, & just be good to them in general. It's amazing. The hypocritical active ignorance. Anti-Abortionists really be nothing, but Evil, Self-Righteous, Idiots, huh? Lmao, anyway, if you're Anti-Choice, do me a favour & perish.

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “The Duck Knight Returns!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Francisco Angones

Storyboard by: Vince Aparo, Emmy Cicierega, Ben Holm

Directed by: Tanner Johnson

The big mid-season finale!

I knew right from the beginning that, yeah, this episode's going to be the big one. It turned out to be even bigger than I imagined. I must say something first.

If there's anything that should disqualify myself from reviewing this episode, it's that I'm barely familiar with Darkwing Duck. I have watched a few episodes, knew about some of the villains, and, of course, know that amazing theme song, but I wouldn't call myself a huge scholar of the subject. In another way, that should make it even better for me to review it, because, for the most part, the little kids this show is targeting have likely never watched any episode of Darkwing Duck. It's not on Netflix, for one. Let's get to the episode.

This episode begins with a masked villain who aims to blow up an orphanage by setting up bombs in the sewers. No real reason, he just wants to be bad. He is going to be stopped by the terror that flaps in the night, the pebble in the penny loafer of depravity, and someone who is willing to do things in a non-comfortable way. He words that slightly differently, of course.

He's not too sharp, ending up stepping on every land mine. However, he never gives up, and ends up living up to his notoriety, as whoever this bomber is seems to know his name. All in all, a good way to introduce the character for people who don't know who he is. He grabs the villain, and then decided to reveal who he really is...

...himself?! To be concluded...coming absolutely never! This turns out to be the cliffhanger series finale for the series. This was first detailed in Friendship Hates Magic, but this is the first time we actually get to see what would have led to Darkwing Duck's Finest Hour. There was this one villain from the original that could easily be what the payoff was, but there's no way anyone would known in-universe.

This all turns out to be something shown by the ever-so-proud-of-being-Darkwing-Duck Jim Starling at a special event attended by the biggest fans of Darkwing Duck. A comics convention? A Darkwing Duck convention? A Darkwing Duck comics convention?

No, he's at an opening for Siesta Rick's, a furniture store, being a last minute replacement for the much-more-fitting-for-this-event Johnny from the Ottoman Empire. No, Djinn, not that one. Can't help but notice it was just Johnny, too; apparently the two brothers have yet to make up after their incident from The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck. However, there's no time for that plotline.

I wasn't lying about how it was attended by the biggest fans, the plural only justified by Launchpad not being alone. This guy is just as excited as he is, wondering what he could possibly say to the actor who played his biggest idol as a kid.

I felt this episode was a lot longer than most of the previous episodes, though a reason for that is that we get an even shorter intro than usual. It's longer than just having the DuckTales logo fade in and out, but far shorter than the shortened intro that appeared after certain episodes. However, they did color the logo purple.

Right from the get-go, we see that Jim Starling is this washed-up superstar, sitting mostly alone, telling his agent that he is "the one and only Darkwing Duck" and he deserves better gigs. All he needs is an exorbitant price tag for one of his autographs, and I think that was mostly implied by him snatching the bills from the president of his fan club before he can even say his name. By the way, his name isn't revealed until the very end of the episode, and it's actually a minor twist to people who know the original. I'm just going to call him That Guy.

He's far more excited to see a young kid, in this case, Dewey, which makes a lot of sense. Darkwing Duck was a kid's show, and seeing someone from the next generation. Unfortunately for him, Dewey's just here to get an autograph for the pilot who's fainted a few feet away. After taking a photo of Jim Starling awkwardly smiling with a fainted man with his signature on him, Dewey notices a logo popping up as soon as he types the hashtag #DarkwingDuck.

Darkwing Duck has become a trending topic on their version of Twitter, alongside theories about Gizmoduck, National Pants Day, not that widely celebrated in this universe, and some horrible opinions. Hopefully not mine! The reason why it became trending is because a new Darkwing Duck movie was announced, and the boys take it to themselves to investigate. You'll see that will be fitting for pretty much all of them for different reasons.

While trying to keep Launchpad from looking at the rear view window to see the faint-causer, Dewey does raise that question of why they have to be the ones to bring "the one and only Darkwing Duck" to the studio making his new movie, and Launchpad merely agrees with the sentiment. To Launchpad, Starling is Darkwing Duck, and Starling lifts his head up and agrees in a way that indirectly calls him a buddy.

In an obvious chain of events, he ends up crashing. This fainting gives it a different reason beyond any inability to park a car, so it's still up in the air if that "surprisingly good parker despite everything else" gag is still happening. Dewey gets worried about this studio not taking kindly to someone who crashed a car into their studio opening, but it turns out said studio is owned by someone who knows that Launchpad and crashing go hand-in-hand.

That someone being Scrooge McDuck, who is in a meeting with Alistair Borswan, who is totally not Christopher Nolan. He's trying to get some more funding for the big finale of his new Darkwing Duck movie. This will be tough, as not only has he spent a lot of money already, Scrooge hasn't seen a film since the 30's. The only films he ever funded before this were instructional videos starring Donald doing stuff that workers shouldn't be doing. Kind of wish we could see those, actually; the DuckTales equivalent to those Goofy shorts I always loved as a kid that didn't need any guy to say "BLAAAM" over them.

Before Alistair can prove that he can use those funds to give Scrooge his much wanted profits, and be convinced by Scrooge's idea of giving the villain a giant mustache to twirl, Dewey, Launchpad, and Starling show up to crash this meeting, all for different reasons. Dewey wants his cinematic dreams to come to life, Starling wants to begin this great creative partnership, and Launchpad starts to stare at the poster for the upcoming film.

Launchpad: Aw, cool! A big budget reboot of a thing I loved as a kid! Those are always great!

See, it's funny because it's usually not true. See, not only is this going to be a new Darkwing Duck film, it's going to take Darkwing Duck in a different direction! In other words...it's a reboot. I was practically destined to review this episode, it seems. I review nothing but reboots on this site; it wasn't an intentional theme, but it became a theme nonetheless.

Alistair can think of only one thing to stop all of the questions: show the trailer. Hey, it would be good focus testing!

Unlike certain reboots, it's quite clear we're seeing a very different Darkwing Duck, not a continuation. One could say it's a Beginning of a Dark Knight that will eventually Return. People are running away from the "Dark-Wing", the entire movie is set in the nighttime, and Darkwing Duck is told by the not-Commissioner Gordon character that he shouldn't go flapping in the night, but he's too dark to go by anyone's rules, like "don't set the streets on fire with your initials". Darkwing: First Darkness, not suitable for children!

We do get one early reaction shot from the well-established biggest fan of the show, and let's just say that this trailer is not going to get a lot of thumbs ups.

We get to see the reactions from everyone involved, with only Alistair grinning at his own work. Launchpad is offended at the prospect of a Darkwing Duck that sets fires and harms innocent people that aren't accidental. Starling liked it, if only because he still thinks he's going to be a part of this. As for Dewey, he absolutely hated it; he couldn't tell who the villain was, or what was even happening.

He then describes his ideas for this movie. See, everyone has their own ideas to reboot a beloved series. Look at, say, Looney Tunes. Along with the normal "Bugs Bunny in the forest outwitting his foes" reboots, it's been a sitcom with everyone in a house, and even an anime-esque superhero show set in the future. What I'm trying to say is that Dewey seems to be batting for a Loonatics Unleashed, suggesting that there should be aliens and ninjas.

Scrooge decides Dewey should be in charge, because, hey, this is for children, and Dewey's the most childish child he knows. This sets up a sort of B-plot. I don't really remember too much about it, to be honest. Jim Starling has different ideas, and it should be him that should have them, because he's obviously going to be the star of this movie. Even though he did not appear in the trailer, nor did he know anything about this movie until Dewey told him, he has to be the star, right? Right?

What very few would have guessed, unless you took a good look at him and realized he's practically a splitting image of Darkwing Duck sans mask, is that the role is going to That Guy. The one grown man that wanted his signature who didn't faint at the mere sight of him. Hopefully, the guy who claimed himself as the "one and only Darkwing Duck" isn't too stabbed in the heart about it.

...sorry, I had to reference that at least once.

To make a long story short, Starling ends up getting thrown out of the building. Launchpad shows up, and his dislike for the movie's new direction has cured his inability to stand along Starling without fainting. Either that, or they realized that fainting joke was getting old.

Starling goes into his limo and comes out as the one real, original, don't-call-him-old Darkwing Duck. Jim Starling's to bring the glory of his original masterpiece in the only way he can, and calls Launchpad his sidekick. Hey, just like the original! This makes Launchpad faint again, which would have been a little more powerful if it wasn't a gag.

Starling's first plan: while Darkwing Duck distracts the guards with his ability to disappear into any role, which is definitely exaggerated by the far-too-over-himself Starling, Launchpad has to break into That Guy's trailer. Launchpad questions if this is really "heroic", but Starling talks him into it anyway.

Launchpad: Now I wait for that phony actor, lock him up, and us, the good guys, wins. Totally heroic.

I'll be honest: I know, it's Launchpad, he says stuff like this. Practically every line seems to be him unsarcastically saying something that should be said sarcastically. He does think he locked himself inside the trailer, until his savior shows up. That Guy recognizes him, and asks what he's doing in his trailer.

This leads to a fight scene, though Launchpad is completely apologetic about all of this. Eventually it stops when he finds out he was going to beat him with a vintage Darkwing Duck shampoo bottle, and almost suplexes him into a complete run of the Darkwing Duck Adventures comics.

Eventually, this just leads to two grown men playing with their toys. I mean, that's pretty much what this show is; a bunch of grown men who grew up with the Disney Afternoon playing with action figures of their childhood favorite shows, except it's animated, fully funded by Disney, and is generally really good. Eventually, we get to hear That Guy's story, and not just in any way, either...

...but in comic book form! Much like Launchpad, he idolized Darkwing Duck as a kid, buying his merchandise, and even using him as an inspiration to stand up against his bullies. Even if he got knocked down, he'd always get back up, and he has Darkwing Duck to thank for that. If the art style looks familiar, that's because it's drawn by Michael Peraza, as his signature at the end of this comic proves.

There's easily a contrast between the two Darkwings. That Guy just wants to inspire kids just like his idol did, while Starling, the man who played said idol, just selfishly wants his most famous role back, seeing himself as the "one and only" Darkwing Duck.

While That Guy convinces Launchpad to change his motives, Starling is a bit busy with the guards. What could possibly be a good cover for a purple-cloaked guy with a cape?

How about hiding in a crowd of several other purple-cloaked guys and girls with capes, courtesy Dewey and his wacky ideas? Finally, the Dewey plot actually managed to tie in with the other plot. The only real time it does outside of one other thing at the end.

With some convincing from Launchpad, That Guy confronts Starling, saying he's sorry for everything. He offers him the chance to teach him how to be the best Darkwing Duck, give him the opportunity to fix the movie, and just maybe, this new Darkwing will inspire generations to come!

This seems like this would be the passing of the torch from the old actor to the new actor, and it almost seems like it as he begins to shake his hand. And...there's 8 minutes left, is there?

Jim Starling: Yes...

Jim Starling: ...I will!

Right from the beginning, it seemed that his only problem with the movie is that he's not in it. But maybe he just needs a little more convincing of his own!

Forcibly taking over That Guy's role, Jim Starling tells a wandering Launchpad that the new guy told him he can be in the finale. Launchpad really questions this, far more than the apparent villainy from the last couple scenes. When Launchpad is not buying it, that's really something.

The scene is the big finale, directed by Alistair, Dewey, and a little mustache-related advisory from Scrooge. This is where, in a shocking twist, Darkwing will have to surrender to the classic villain, Megavolt, who, most important to Scrooge, has a villainous mustache.

Starling is not too happy about that script, though Dewey's new lines making Megavolt say that he's awesome doesn't exactly please Alistair either, and he ends up doing some improv. He ends up doing everything Launchpad didn't want a true hero like Darkwing Duck to do: harm innocents and cause fires!

Launchpad is certainly not happy about that, but before he can point out the obvious, he hears someone in the distance. It turns out it will take a lot more than just doors getting slammed into his face to stop That Guy.

We even get a fight scene, a real one with no apologies, between the new Darkwing Duck and the old one. I've seen FV shows with less violence, and I don't even just mean that other show! Not a bad thing, by the way.

In an excellent bookend with the first scene, we see that That Guy is well deserving of his role when it comes to not giving up. And not in the way that Starling "didn't give up" by not following the script. A box full of dynamite detonates below him? He just gets back up. A piano falls on him? He gets back up, spitting out those piano keys like that old cartoon gag. He even takes on Megavolt's gun, which was actually electric!

Launchpad eventually comes in. Even Scrooge talks, in a more in-character way, that this seems way out of character for him. However, since he is a huge fan of Darkwing Duck, Launchpad is actually far more qualified to speak to two Darkwing Ducks. Speaking of electric, he's also a guy who's really qualified to get into some sort of accident, as this electrical tower is about to electrocute him, and this could be a good chance for either one of them to show their heroism.

I don't like spoiling episodes unless I have something significant to talk about it beyond just outright ruining it for anyone who didn't watch the episode. Honestly, I felt the same when I spoiled the commercial break twist here, but this review would have been quite short.

Well, maybe I could talk about the ending of the Dewey part, which just ends with him apparently recording over the footage of the fight scene he wanted to use the salvage his movie. When did he even get the time to do this? I don't really care. The Dewey plot is definitely the low point of the episode. Really, that isn't saying anything, and it's really just low compared to the rest of the episode.

There's a lot of spoilers I didn't want to show off here. It's shocking, satisfying, and well worth a watch. In the end, at least one of them proves that he is worthy of his namesake, and the other...well, you'll see.

How does it stack up?

With good commentary on reboots, great new characters, and tons of twists and turns, this episode is just incredible in every way. The Dewey plot would have just taken away from it if there was more to it, so it's not that much of a problem. A Top 5 episode, a must watch.

What's going to happen next? A trip to the moon, that's what.

← The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee! 🦆 What Ever Happened To Donald Duck? →

[marklewis777-blog]

The day it all changed...

At the age of 53, today I celebrate my 27th birthday.  Hang with me.  

Perhaps some friends with very different world views will find this thought provoking…and not preachy…perhaps even dialog worthy. You know where to find me. 27 years ago, on April 7, 1991, Jesus gave me new life and started a "new thing" in this human being. I hadn't hit "bottom" or anything...that came 10 years later. He BEGAN the work in me...and it continues each day. Today, I see His hand in my life more than ever. There are still plenty of challenges, but I face them with different perspective...an eternal(long term) viewpoint. I see the dark parts of my soul and thus my need for him more than ever. I am more grateful than ever. I love him more freely…and more deeply than ever. I am humbled by the 27 years worth of people he has sent to sown into my life. I am in awe that he has used me to do the same for others. I've seen and personally experienced physical healing and watched peoples lives that were in bondage(serious emotional/chemical/spiritual) be set "free". I've seen very broken relationships healed. I've seen "coincidence" that is NO WAY coincidence, but nothing short of answer to prayer and/or miraculous intervention/insight. I trust that those of you with different world/faith views know I care for you deeply, and you don't see me as a nutcase(well, at least not spiritually:)...and know I respect your viewpoints. We can dialog and disagree without offending one another(what a concept). I am grateful for the wisdom I often receive from you! Here's the deal: Jesus is not a placebo. Not a crutch. Nor is he a guarantee of an easy life. Relationship with him is life-giving, transformational and catalytic. Our western idea that "all religions are basically the same" is just, well…western. This idea doesn't work when one looks at the facts. I believe we disrespect other faiths by throwing them in one bucket so we can stay comfortably on the fence. BUDDHISM holds that life's suffering is caused by desire, so the "goal" is to rid oneself of any worldly or personal desire(kinda impossible in 2018 America, huh?). At it's core, it denies a "god" and holds to reincarnation and/or nirvana (not heaven). HINDUISM is polytheistic with no personal god, but millions of gods that must be pleased. It holds to reincarnation and karma - you get what you deserve(which, if we are honest, puts each of us in a very precarious position spiritually speaking). ISLAM, like Christianity is monotheistic, and though it recognizes Jesus as a prophet, it is blasphemy to consider him to be God. Also, one must earn his/her way into paradise...without really knowing if one has done enough "good".  Exhausting.  JUDAISM is also monotheistic, and though it points to Jesus all through it's own writings, the Jews are still awaiting their messiah. ATHEISM takes the huge leap of faith that there is no creator(though they often get offended by people worshipping this non-existing god). No ultimate meaning to life. No afterlife.  All truth is relative(except for the "truth" that all truth is relative.  Whoops).  NEW AGE exalts self to "god" and oneness with an impersonal universe (As far as I've seen, humans make pretty bad gods who fight primarily for their own little kingdoms, and the universe doesn't "know" me personally…nor does it, or can it love me.) There is an innate response in the human being to worship SOMETHING. All through history… human beings have worshipped something or someone. It sure seems we are hardwired for relationship with a "higher power" or entity. Always searching for "it'. CHRISTIANITY is monotheistic and has a relational God. It is not based on do's and don'ts or earning one's way to God. The believer lives in RESPONSE to Gods gracious and loving response to him/her. God came TO man as Jesus…as a servant. He left eternity and ended up on the cross. God became SERVANT to man in order to build relationship. Let that sink in. Does any other faith that has thrived have a servant, sacrificial creator? With Christ, there is GRACE, not karma (AKA - you get what you deserve). No deeds needed to gain favor. No need to "find God"…he was never lost. He reaches out to us. This is love.

Now…before your knee jerks too fast... Early in my faith, I was still skeptical at times. The more I studied, the more I saw that even liberal historical scholars acknowledge the following about Jesus: 

1 )He did exist. 

2) He claimed to be God incarnate(One cannot call him a "good teacher" or a "moral man" if he falsely claimed to be God, and that HE was the ONLY way. What do you do with that?! Either he was God or he was a nut job). 

3 )His opponents did not deny his miracles which they SAW and HEARD about, but blamed them on "demonic powers". 

4) The religious leaders crucified him for his claim of being God. 

5 )He died by way of crucifixion. 

6) He was VERY much dead. 

7) His tomb was found empty- which was guarded by Roman soldiers (highly trained killing machines who, if they lost the body of Jesus, would be executed) 

8) Historical accounts show he appeared to over 500 people AFTER his death. 

9 )He appeared to men walking on the road to the town of Emmaus. This was a 7 mile walk from where he was crucified. Remember, he died with spikes through his feet and hands. Flesh ripped from his back. Spear into his heart. Massive blood loss. He was dead…and days later, appeared alive walking on this road (this story is told by previously cowarding disciplines who were eventually killed because they would not recant. 

10)After seeing him alive again, His followers, who scattered like cowards while he was being beaten and crucified, were suddenly emboldened and all but one died as martyrs for what they stood for. 

11)People will often make up and follow something they know is a lie, but they will not die for what they KNOW is something they made up…at least not en masse.

12) The historical apostle Paul was not only considered to be one of the brightest, influential and intelligent religious leaders of his day, but he was a hired gun sent out to persecute and kill people of "The Way"(Christians). He would gloat over his victims. Today we would call him a terrorist. His historically documented conversion has got to make one consider what he experienced when Jesus appeared to him.  Paul became, arguably, the most influential voice of Christianity aside from Jesus himself.  

13) Immediately after Jesus' alleged resurrection, people became part of this movement (now about 1/3 of the world's population - it all started from a homeless "peasant"(?). 

Lives and cultures have been transformed for over 2000 years because he is the real deal.  

27 years ago, I got to a place where, if I believed there was some sort of Creator(which makes a lot of sense if I was being intellectually honest), this Jesus made a lot of sense. It is not a matter of one spiritual bent being right or wrong, but a matter of one that makes sense. One that yields ongoing good fruit. If one is going to hold tightly to a "faith" of any sort…which will ultimately greatly influences how they live, it ought to hold up to hard, objective scrutiny. If God is real, it makes sense to discover what that journey would look like. Even if it challenges one's status quo, personal preferences or life-long held beliefs.

One might say, "well what about the crusades"(etc) and all the bigoted and violent things done by those who claim to follow Jesus.  Not to mention our current day “far right” culture that wrongly marries nationalism and so-called “conservative politics to Jesus.  I will say without hesitation that they do not represent the historical and biblical Jesus.  Sadly, there are people and groups from all faith streams that bring shame to what they claim to believe. Don't let "church" or professed Christians be your (only)example of what the Creator of the universe is like. The truth is, all humans are hypocrites at times and misrepresent what they say are their personal convictions.  Don't let politics dictate your view either. Believe it or not, there are true Christ-followers who are republicans, independents, and yes, even democrats.  Yep…I know some Jesus lovers who where "feeling the BERN" in the last election cycle:)

Look to the source - Jesus. Do some objective research. There have been much smarter, more highly educated skeptics, more vehement “God-haters”, more vicious murderers, more broken addicts, more promiscuous adulterers, and more wretched sinners than you and I who have come to love this Jesus.  

So...here's my happy bday card to me:) Thanks for the 27 years. Looking forward to the next.