#gifset just to manifest my new crush

[same-old-dream]

Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe Sharpe series (1993-1997)

[noahsflynn-archive]

let’s talk about that nygmobblepot scene in 3x18

I know there are so many metas (and other similar posts) out there discussing this scene but I thought I’d throw my two cents in because I just wanted to analyse it.

all of the gifs used in this post are from this edit I made btw.

so after oswald has ranted to the man putting him in the cage, we hear ed say “oswald?”

the gif is a lot shorter than the actual scene, in reality oswald stares forward for a bit before slowly turning around. we can assume the long pause before he turns around is partly out of shock, but also oswald preparing himself. it’s one thing to hear ed’s voice, it would be an entirely different thing to actually see him.

when he does turn around, and initially steps forward, he does it all slowly. we can assume everything is coming at him all at once so it’s got to be hard to process what’s happening. ed being there came completely out of left field. he probably would never have expected to end up right next to ed. he’s spent almost all of his time since waking up with these thoughts of wanting to kill ed and a lot of that time was spent actively seeking him out to no avail and suddenly he ends up in the cage right next to ed? it would be like some kind of sick joke because finally oswald has found ed, but he’s just out of reach.

oswald’s feelings are bound to be mixed at this point. all the anger he’s been carrying is still going to be there in some (small) way and if he truly did love ed (which I believe he did, and still does) then a part of him would be overwhelmed that the person he loves, the person he was arguably closest to (who’s still alive) is in front of him.

it would explain why he seems so calm. he’s so preoccupied by this sudden revelation that his mind is too busy trying to process it all. and this sudden overwhelming feeling he must have at seeing ed in the flesh would be enough to keep any anger from erupting (for now).

we can assume that ed’s eerily calm, too preoccupied because he’s processing the fact that oswald is right there, happens while oswald is being put into the cage and right up to when he says “oswald?” and oswald turns around. but in the gif below we do get one of his signature, over-dramatic gasps. 

it’s not the easiest to see (in the gif), and in the actual scene the initial pause before the gasp is slightly longer. 

because oswald turns around so slowly ed is going to be spending that entire time wondering if it’s really him. the gasp would be the full realisation of holy shit, it is.

when ed says “you’re alive?” he does so in an aggressive tone. it’s like all of his anger comes out at once and it makes a lot of sense for two reasons:

1) although ed ended up feeling guilty about shooting oswald and seemingly regretted it (evident in the things he says to hallucination!oswald), I don’t think he wishes he could go back and change it. I say this because in ed’s mind killing oswald was getting justice for isabella, an innocent woman, whom he loved, who was killed. (note: ed believes she was completely innocent). I’m sure ed would have much rather oswald never died, but to ed he almost had to push his own feelings down because they weren’t as important as getting justice. 

now this man who not only killed his girlfriend but lied to him and humiliated him survived. that hardly seems fair. so the fact that his anger comes out around the words “you’re alive?” is fitting. 

2) the fact that his anger is seemingly short lived can trace back to the idea that ed mentioned to hallucination!oswald that he missed him. those overwhelming feelings of “I don’t have to miss you anymore” or “this could be a second chance” (or similar thoughts) would most likely push his anger down. also, if we assume his initial disbelief was off camera, he’s already had a little bit of time to process the fact that oswald is there. (especially if he saw oswald being brought into the room).

oswald manages to walk right up to the bars and stare for a long time before his anger manifests. ed all the while just watches oswald, although when oswald first steps towards the bars ed does gulp a little:

and right before oswald tries to grab him, ed mouth is slightly open, and he stares like he’s in complete shock:

there’s a good chance that ed might have, for half a second, thought oswald was a hallucination but then quickly realised it wasn’t. the fact that his anger has seemingly stripped away by this point and he’s just completely stunned 

several things are probably happening: 1) he’s probably wondering how did oswald survive?, 2) his mind is fighting itself, asking, is it really him or is it a trick?, and 3) realising this person he loves, in whatever way that might be, is here. a part of him might not be able to work out if he’s relieved about this revelation or not.

ed being ed I can see him questioning the logistics of it but also being confused about his feelings over the fact that the person he was closest with isn’t dead. I mean, what must this mean in his mind? ed got close to kristen and then she died. he got close to isabella and then she died. he got close to oswald who died, but then came back. you could argue that isabella coming back was like (to ed) kristen being alive again, but once again she died, which adds another thought for him to mull over. oswald is back, but for how long?

after oswald reaches the bars he seems to have a pretty strong, thought provoking reaction:

he stares with his mouth slightly open which he eventually closes it. all the while he looks sad. how must this feel for oswald? it’s all well and good waking up and saying that he’s going to kill ed, but to actually be faced with him? 

on the one hand he’s standing right in front of the man who almost succeeded in killing him. oswald jokes about how he’s hard to kill, but that must have been terrifying. there could always be more to this, because sometimes there’s no such thing as coincidences in gotham, but he was really lucky that ivy just happened to be there. 

but on the other hand, he’s also standing in front of his best friend and the first person he’s been in love with, that he’s aware of. (I think he had some kind of crush on jim but perhaps wasn’t aware of it himself).

the initial shock is most likely wearing off at this point and it’s the sadness that hits first. earlier in the episode when he says to jim “after all, we’re old friends. right?” and he genuinely seems close to tears. (you can see that in this gifset) the fact that he kind of swallows a little after saying it and immediately turns and walks away says to me that he was genuinely upset during that encounter which makes sense because his only other loyal “friend” (gabe) turned on him. 

after that scene with jim oswald genuinely has nobody, sure he has the freak family, but they’re new, I’m thinking more about people from his old life. so to be confronted with his best friend, and considering the last time they stood across from each other, oswald got shot, it must be overwhelming and confusing, because he still, in some way, loves ed. 

oswald has strong emotions and strong reactions to them, but we’ve actually not seen much of him reacting in such a sad, on the verge of crying, kind of way.

the height of his emotional state is also outlined in his action of trying to grab for ed.

I did slow it down a little for the gif, but the action is incredibly quick, sudden. which isn’t too surprising. oswald has attacked quickly in the past, however, in response, ed doesn’t even have to jump back that far:

if oswald was more in control of his emotions he would have let ed get closer to the bars and then grabbed him. 

side note: even if he had succeeded in grabbing ed I don’t think oswald would have hurt him, but only because he would have realised that there’s was nothing he could really do with bars between them and if ed got hurt the court might take him away, therefore halting oswald’s plan for revenge. either way, oswald’s instant reaction is to grab ed because we can assume at this point he’s over the inital shock, leaving room for his upset to manifest into pure anger.

(also in the gif of ed stepping back, he finally closes his mouth and seemingly swallows)

the scene ends with them staring at each other, but it’s different this time. oswald is almost crazed but oddly calculated:

again the gif is shorter, but after he initially tries to grab ed, it takes a little while before he pulls his hand back. his hand grazes the bars, almost like he isn’t paying attention because all of his concentration is on ed, and when he grabs onto the bar with one hand it’s almost like he’s using it to help lift himself up.

throughout this whole scene they don’t blink, however, it is most noticeable and creepy during this moment with oswald.

the fact that he struck so quickly and ed was able to step back to avoid his grasp is a rookie mistake. oswald must realise that he should have lured ed into a false sense of security and then struck. so now, he’s cold and calculated. he’s brushed aside all his other feelings in order to focus on his anger.

as I said further up, ed shooting oswald partly came down to the idea that getting justice for isabella was more important. just like here, oswald’s need to get revenge on ed is stronger than any feelings he might have. that’s most likely down to something that’s been drilled into oswald, he can’t just step aside and let ed get away with nearly killing him.

from ed’s final shot, we can assume he’s aware of this.

it is a little hard to tell from the gif, but all of ed’s emotions seem to have disappeared. he’s just watching oswald and his face is completely blank, both which suggest that he is now aware that oswald really is a threat and wants revenge.

ed doesn’t move. the entire time we see him on camera he never really moves, except for when oswald tries to grab him and he’s forced to step back. the difference with this final scene is that he’s fixing oswald with a look that’s vacant of any obvious emotion and makes him almost unpredictable (although, if you were to perceive any emotion, I would say fear).

it’s like they’re preparing for an impending fight. of course, we can’t say for sure, but the next episode will confirm it. (just because there a picture of them together, doesn’t mean they start off on the same page.)

this scene is less than a minute long and yet there’s so much packed into it. it says a lot about the talent of the crew but also cory and robin. all of them, working together, managed to create a powerful scene that is arguably one of the best nygmobblepot scenes we’ve ever received. we get to see two people who simultaneously love and hate each other reunite. we witness both of those feelings in way I doubt we’ll ever get again. as someone who has recently felt a big disconnect from this ship, this scene managed to include elements that I love about both characters, and also gave us something that felt completely new for this pairing that sucked me right back in again. I can’t wait to see what they do with nygmobblepot after this.