#ep: let it burn

[chrisodonline]

Kilbride is now offering Callen a drink. Because he has no reason to be cranky. And Callen's not being defensive. 

And now Kilbride is offering an ear. Night and day, this dude. "I respect your privacy." "This is your story." It IS his story, and he deserves to know it, dammit.

We've waited so many seasons for Callen to fully question the shit Hetty did, and now that he is, Kilbride is defending it. I mean, you're trying to justify child torture with the fact that Callen helps people? As if he needed to be tortured to do it? He was abandoned then abused then abused some more while people just claimed they were looking out for him and doing what was best, and any issues he had HE deserved it or those are just his issues. "I respect her, and she did it for the country." "We all make mistakes." 

Hello, my name is Z, and I want to write a novel on the way the show puts Callen through gaslighting and emotional and traumatic invalidation but totally thinks it's doing the right thing.

EVERYONE SHUT UP CHRIS O'DONNELL IS LOOKING SAD AND BEAUTIFUL RIGHT NOW.

Callen questioning if he's a dark, ugly thing, and a mistake. I think that, along with the conversation with Anna earlier this season, that was one of the most honest, and vulnerable, things he's actually said. Because you know he was treated like a mistake and a burden in so many homes. It's why he needed to find his family and what happened because if they just up and abandoned him for no good reason then all the people who hurt him were right. And later when Hetty tells him he was so difficult and it made it SO hard to put him in a good home, he didn't push back.  It's the same reason why he almost broke down not when his dad told him his real name, but when his dad told him he was a good man. It was two-fold: it meant his dad cared enough about him to keep tabs on him AND he thought he was a good person. 

I don't disagree with the past being a place to learn from and not live in. Kilbride is right. But this is not one of those things you LEARN from. I think if they wanted him to give Callen some actual guidance, they would've had a much, much different dialogue. Because all of them, Callen included, have plenty of things you can actually call them out on. But they only ever seem to get called out when they're actually in the right or acting understandably. UGH. THIS SHOW.  It has simultaneously done a good job at showing how people react to trauma and are shaped by things, including the fact that Callen is more vulnerable and susceptible to being taken advantage of than even he realizes because of the front he puts on, but then turning around completely invalidating all of that as just pettiness or bitterness essentially. UGH. THIS SHOW.

[harumichan12]

Oh my god I’m SCREAMING! HE'S BACK!!!

[luck-of-the-drawings]

OOH YEAH BABY ITS THE SURGERY EPISODE BABY!!! ME AND THE HOMIES NEED SOME NEW FACES FOR OUR NEW PLAN, AND WHO BETTER TO GET THE JOB DONE THAN THE TWO MOST EVIL PEOPLE WE'VE EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF HAVING OUR LIVES VIOLATED BY? I MEAN IT WOULD BE FUNNY. IT WOULD BE FUNNY.

[imwritesometimes]

"would you consider living for me?"

[dengswei]

if evil why sexy?

@asiandramanet creator bingo — free choice — hei long | burning flames (2024) episode two

[mira-likes]

So my rewatch has arrived at s2, and it's interesting to discover how I'm seeing ep1 with new eyes now.

I remember thinking that s2 started somewhat off in terms of tone, leaning too far into comedy.

HOWEVER.

I had not noticed at the time, as I have now, that ep1 gave us a momentary glimpse into a world where Fan Xian really did die, and what it would mean.

And particularly how it would mean Chen Pingping being ready to FUCK SHIT UP. It's like Fan Xian is his last tether to restraint. Once Fan Xian is gone, he's done being hinged nice and is about to go apeshit.

As I've said before, s2 convinced me that Chen Pingping hates the emperor and will destroy him with the exploding wheelchair. Well, the dude seems READY to press that button in ep1. His finger is ON that button as he waits to meet the emperor.

In the corridor before the imperial study, Fan Jian rages at Chen Pingping for having doomed Fan Xian with his schemes, and demands to know--what now? And Chen Pingping is like, I'll pay with my life. But there's a bunch of people I'm taking down with me.

And he has absolute MURDER in his eyes until he hears that the emperor got the second message and calmed down (and so they realize that Fan Xian has faked his death).

Chen Pingping, upon learning that Fan Xian is alive after all:

Chen Pingping communicates his vision on two other occasions during this episode. When he initially hears Fan Xian died, he summons the entire bureau and is like, be prepared because due to this death the world is about to fall into chaos.

(He doesn't say "because I'm on my way to murder the emperor," but it's implied. To me.)

And he gives a corresponding answer to Yan Ruohai when he asks, what if Fan Xian had died for real? His answer is: a lot of blood would be spilled.

And the episode is comedic in many parts, sure. But that bit is CHILLING??

Like, Fan Xian has NO IDEA how close he came to unleashing havoc on the country with his fake death.

And we don't even know what the emperor would have done. He legit freaks out when he hears Fan Xian died, and summons Chen Pingping in a thunderous enough manner that it's clear he's expecting someone to pay with their lives, too. (And then he's extra furious at Fan Xian for causing him to have these distressed feelings. So he'll make Fan Xian jump through extra hoops to "come back to life".)

Anyway: it's a lighthearted episode, for sure. But it's got some hella dark undercurrents that I didn't notice the first time.

[transldpdl]

Is My Very Nature That of A Devil - Louis de Pointe du Lac

[slayerkitty]

An open letter to Director Tee Bundit:

You have given us 9 beautiful, amazing, achingly, gut-wrenching episodes of I Feel You Linger in the Air. This show is ranking up with Until We Meet Again, La Pluie, and Our Dining Table right now for me in terms of how good I find it.

As this is now the 4th show of yours that I have watched, I just have one small request:

Please and thank you,

SK

[kengi-bengi]

GUH started working on this when Ep 3 came out, got busy and now im finishing it after EP 4 came out cuz-

I MEAN LOOK AT MY FANART IVE BEEN WANTING THIS FOR A LONG TIME BRO AND 3 GOT ME HUNGRY FOR IT AND 4 FED ME

[sherrymagic]

we (alpha enthusiasts) are eating so well this week finallyy <3

this ep had SO MUCH Alpha i was honestly taken aback, Sasa how is it that we've been winning so much recently? is this a dream? is it the power of love? did we give away so much we finally get to receive? whatever it is hope it never ends, our girl got so much screentime and proper depth and some actual backstory on what her hopes and dreams and plans for the future are, i feel blessed AAAAAAAAAA

[chrisodonline]

Guys, you know what would be HILARIOUS? If Callen got Castor to be an usher at his wedding since that's all he does these days.

Some quick exposition dropping. Guys, there is a person who commits arson on the loose. And he might commit more arson. That's what they keep saying. I think that might be important. 

Rountree is OF COURSE in his towel. But not the fun one Arkady wore that one time and scarred everyone for life in.

"Isn't this a pickle?" I laughed out loud at that. SAM HANNA. That reminds me of how LL called goosebumps "goose pimples" one time, and I thought it was adorable and had never heard that before. Anyway. So, awkward we "know" each other here. Mmhmm. Oh I bet you and agent lady had your own fires going, Rountree. 

Kilbride seriously asked for Callen to go to his office then asked him what's on his mind? Makes no sense. It was just to give a weird, contrived opening for Callen to question the odd team-up dynamics and seem annoyed with it even though THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR SO MANY WEEKS.  You are addressing his questioning authority but YOU TOLD HIM TO SAY WHATEVER WAS ON HIS MIND AFTER MAKING HIM COME TO YOUR OFFICE. I DO NOT GET IT. I don't know, maybe if you just flat out said why you pulled him in, would have saved everyone time. But I guess we got stretch out this conversation with dialogue. ANYWAY.

(Apryl, I am typing in all caps! I bet your ears are ringing or your Z-senses are tingling.)

Kilbride, this team is all about questioning authority. Why are you setting this up and then talking about being pissy? It's just more contrived angst so he can chew out these agents. "Your buddy Pembroke." His poor choices of words are really annoying me. "Surrogate mommy" and now even ironically referring to the guy who he watched torture a young Katya and found out did horrible things to Callen? I cannot.

"It is my attempt to keep you focused on the job." Callen has 100% been focused these past few weeks, though. He's actually been pretty present, physically, too. This whole scene is annoying me. UGH. But whatever.

Callen was nice enough to say Thank You, even though he totally deserved this info sooner. "Unhappy childhood" OMG. Poor. Effing. Phrasing.

Kilbride you could've listed some specific examples because he was totally just reading the paper and looking for Hetty. And he has legit just taken personal time to do this, even if he sometimes said it was for a different reason. It was his personal time. BUT WHATEVER.

[stormyoceans]

RIPPING OFF PIECES OF FURNITURE WITH MY TEETH IF ANYONE NEED ME I WILL BE GOING INSANE

[marielle-heller]

Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe (and Sam Axe as Detective Finley) in Burn Notice 3x02: Question & Answer

[littlespoonevan]

buck made the best decision of his life in 2x04 by deciding to do everything he could to support eddie and christopher while also starting to realise it’s time to let go of abby and then proceeded to make terrible choices in every episode 4 that’s followed that lmao

[argxstxs]

yeah yeah right right right because when you don’t SEE someone, they aren’t real, right? like yeah you love your kids and you’re doing all of this for them you’re breaking your back for them but no no I can’t call because maybe the poison drips through, right? my daughter was the victim of a racist attack and she doesn’t want to go to school anymore but if I have them followed for their safety even after my ex-wife begged me to stop having their nanny interrogated in the park it’s okay right? because it’s not real?? I want you safe but I can’t have you at atn because then I have to see you reacting to the decisions I’m making and it makes it real and what then?

and then! and then and then!! your dad dies and nothing matters anymore right? nothing matters because we ALWAYS got chicken and never got steak and it doesn’t matter that I threw tantrums and got hit because it’s not real! none of it is real!

so yes! let’s screw the entire fucking country and electoral system just so we don’t lose the company because who cares! the people? oh those people aren’t real! we’ll be in the west wing. nothing matters, Ken!

[vermillioncrown]

he's such a sweet-faced wolf wth bro 🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈