#give me them as a trio for just one scene in S5 so I can die happy

[oldfashionedmorphine]

I want more of this 😭

[tuiyla]

i trust your takes more than anyone else’s in the whole glee fandom. what would you say are the best kurtcheltana episodes?

Oh wow Anon that's very flattering considering I've dropped off the face of the Earth and barely interact with tumblr or the Glee fandom anymore, but I appreciate it! Because I've been basically gone for a year and abandoned my rewatch my Glee memory isn't what it used to be but I'll gladly go down memory lane with you.

Previously Unaired Christmas

As soon as I remembered this ep there was no question in my mind that it's the ultimate Kurtcheltana ep. Yes yes it's not even technically canon but I've famously never cared about that. For starters, it has their only trio song, technically a quartet that is admittedly a bit yikes but then also a final song feat Kitty and ND. Since it's "set in 2012" Santana doesn't even officially live with Hummelberry, she just chose to visit them and give them thoughtful and also Santana-esque gifts. I think that's really cute. And yeah, the Mall Santa stuff is a little icky but the three of them are so cute and fun. It's just a low-stakes Kurtcheltana adventure where they're being silly and young and delightful. I love the Pezberry moments, of course, but it also has some of my fav Kurtana shots and just in general they feel like a very cohesive trio. PUC is legit one of the eps that best showcases the chemistry between these three and I can't not love that.

2. Girls (and Boys) On Film

This ep is actually where I abandoned my rewatch and that's weird to me because I was really looking forward to seeing it again. Santana, following the iconic ending to Diva immediately establishes herself as a force to be reckoned with in Bushwick and it's so, so delightful. Her casual "yeah it's a thing I do" to going through everyone's stuff is something only she could pull off. There is some hostility here, of course, as Rachel and Kurt never actually invited Santana to live with them so they're understandably thrown off by Santana not only inserting herself into their flat but also firmly into their lives. Excellent moments for the whole dynamic, best of all being Santana's whole speech starting with "Kurt, sit down" and, of course, the final scene with Pezberry. That scene to me embodies so much of what makes Santana in her current state work as a ch, an agent of chaos who is ultimately trying to be there for her friends. It's an excellent showcase of what she brings to the NYC plot and a simply impeccable Pezberry scene. Really strong establishing ep for what having Santana in New York will be like. Actually, it's also a real shame because it introduces what this trio dynamic will be like and then there are barely any more episodes truly following through on it. Shame.

Honourable mention to the two subsequent eps as I consider this to be an NYC trilogy of Santana being accepted as a full-fledged member of the loft. Feud has her calling Hummelberry her family and Guilty Pleasures the wholesome scene of reconciliation where they really become roommates.

3. Love, Love, Love/Tina in the Sky with Diamonds

Unfortunately, in general we more so have episodes that have good Kurtcheltana moments rather than being Kurtcheltana eps. The Beatles two-parter is a good example, where the few Kurtcheltana bits we have are excellent but unfortunately they're less prominent as a trio and more so have duo moments, mainly Pezberry in the first half and Hummelberry in the second. But there's good stuff here, from Rachel and Santana during the engagement to their cute little promise to each other when Kurt starts working in the diner. As with many things Glee, this cute trio moment is soured in hindsight of the direction s5 ended up taking but nothing can take it away from us, or how Kurt and Santana celebrated with Rachel after that.

These are the only ones I feel like are worth actually ranking but some other honourable mentions:

Lights Out: overall I found Kurt and Rachel encouraging Santana to find her dream to be underwhelmingly executed but who doesn't love At the Ballet and the three mini-mes during the sequence

A Katy or a Gaga: the formation of Pamela Lansbury

Trio: gets a DIShonourable shout out as it should have been a strong Kurtcheltana ep but the Pezberry feud overrode all

Old Dog, New Tricks: honestly barely counts but it's the last of what I could even call an ep with a Kurtcheltana moments. The back half of s5 gives us a crowded NY scene with not NEARLY enough Santana, much less Kurtcheltana - i.e. Opening Night has Kurt call Santana as reinforcement for encouraging Rachel but they don't actually have a moment. Sigh. But 5x19 at least gives us the best hug and Kurt and Santana both supporting Rachel and Kurt being supported in return. It's wholesome and it's the very last trace of our favourite dysfunctional Bushwick family.

Utter disgrace I can't name any season 6 episodes that would fall into this category but special shout out to Kurtcheltana starting us off on Home in 6x02, a moment I treasure very much. Thanks Anon, it was fun to think about all this stuff again! And now, predictably, I have Pezberry feels.

[sometipsygnostalgic]

(Shipping bingo) Catrapta?

it's--- it's not a shipping bingo, flare xD

nonetheless i will answer for both characters individually

Catra:

I really do think Catra's an amazing protagonist/antagonist. One of the best written villains, period. And I love drawing her!!! I've put a lot of thoughts into Catra. I think she's very emotionally intelligent and tender.

However I feel alone in how I approach this show sometimes, and it's because the big thing that draws me to she-ra isn't one or two characters, it's the wider ensemble. Specifically the dynamics of Best Friend Squad, Super Pal Trio, Entrapta and Hordak, the Horde Trio, Catra and Glimmer....

When it comes to She-ra, 95% of fans focus on Catra and Adora's relationships to each other, and that's it. But they spent SO MUCH of the show apart. Catra has relationships with so many other people, and one of the points of the series is showing just how unhealthily fixated on just having that One Person she was, to the point she pushed out all other possible connections when she lost Adora. There's also complicated dynamics like Catra and Hordak which undergo a huge power shift. And you all know how much I love Super Pal Trio, with all their unhealthiness, and how at the end of the show they actually start becoming friends for real.

So it impacts not just how important other characters are in fan works, it also impacts Catra's own growth. I think her relationship to Glimmer is for example one with enormous raw chemistry. I do think part of this is the show's fault - towards the end of season 5 it fixated on the Catradora relationship but didn't give the time of day to any of these characters' OTHER dynamics. Adora didn't get scenes with Razz, Mara, or even Glimmer and Bow by the end of the season. Catra lost out on Scorpia, big oopsie, she didn't talk to Hordak again, her interactions with Entrapta were present but minimal, and she only got maybe 2 scenes with Glimmer after Corridors. So it's not a surprise that fans ALSO ignore all those other relationships, but it's still sad.

THE BLORBO OF THE YEAR

I don't think Entrapta has much wasted potential, the only problem I can think of is she never got a reunion with Scorpia. That would've been great, but during the only s5 ep where they interact, it's way after that and things are a lot more tense.

Entrapta is a paradox in terms of her handling of the show. From one point of view, she's an incredibly strong character, very relatable autistic representation, who retains relevance from start to finish - the ace card, the chess piece that sways the direction of the game - and she makes tons of friends along the way. Instead of being heartless she's proven to being very sensitive and emotionally mature. From another point of view, she's a caricature of autistic people who is consistently dehumanized by characters who are supposed to be her friends, with the biggest offender being how she was thrown on an actual fucking leash, and this ableism was never properly addressed or even recognised by the people who wrote it in, who assumed we'd side with the good guys because... i dont know. were the writers really that allistic???

I think she can be both things at the same time, yeah? you can have a character who is amazing in some ways and painful in others. and that is my experience with entrapta, but frankly, because the show's crew evidently loved her a lot, i find it easier to embrace the positive aspects. also she's just so much fun. how can i not? she just has her own energy that pushes out of the show she's trapped in. never change, entrapta.

You want to know my opinions on them as a ship...?

My favourite ship in She-ra is Glitra. I like Catradora too. I don't have any other gravitations to actual ships. I love drawing Catra and Entrapta as a duo and @phosphoricbomb is constantly egging me to draw them together, which is adorable. But they don't have any romantic chemistry in the show (much like how Entrapta doesn't have much romantic chemistry with ANYONE) outside of one or two interactions where Catra flirts with her to mess with her or with Adora.

I think they are one of the FUNNIEST pairings, however. Can you fucking imagine if Catra and Entrapta had started dating and Scorpia found out? Also there's no way they'd realise straight away they were dating. They'd just be hanging out a lot and get really affectionate until one day someone asks "are you two dating?" and theyre like "what? no. wait. wait, are we dating?" "we cuddled this morning and you kissed me on the head" "oh shit well that probably means something" +

But in terms of canon compliance, Entrapta is very much an "older sister" character to the best friend squad in the final season. Like. Sometimes she's the one looked after, and sometimes she's looking after them. And Catra falls into that equation. What's unique about their dynamic is they fall into a position where they have the potential to understand each other in a way the others will never get, because they've fucked up the world together, hacking the black garnet, building portals, and now they're facing the music together and making up for it by helping their friends. Catra can see how far Entrapta's grown, she might be the only person who knows her well enough to see since Hordak hasn't got the same perspective, and Entrapta is now starting to truly understand Catra for the first time, helping her out of a panic attack and even making her a new outfit and space suit because she's excited to be friends.

That's at the heart of their potential dynamic, I feel. Two people who are learning and growing at the same time, Catra's certainly the "smart one" but she does look up to Entrapta from time to time like Stevenson said.

Oh, also, theyre both autistic, and cats. 

[runninguplenorahills]

Which popular Will Byers trio dynamic do you think is the most fun/interesting?

Willelmax (Will, El, Max)

Willelmike (Will, El, Mike)

Bywheelclair (Will, Mike, Lucas)

Where do you see the party living at after defeating Vecna?

Do you wanna see more Holly Wheeler?

Joyren (Joyce x Karen) or Tedhop (Ted x Hopper) if they had to pair up in s5

Are you team Creelarke?

I stay spamming you 🧡

Ahhh thank youuu!!!💗💗💗

I think I really do like bywheelclair the best because byler is obviously my favorite romance while wheelclair is actually my favorite bromance so bywheelclair is basically the two of them combined. But of course it’s also simply great because they’ve known each other the longest and they know each other the best and yeah, Mike and Will are closer to each other than to Lucas on some level and there is a different kind of love involved with these two but the romance does not outdo the friendship. They love Lucas platonically as much as they love each other romantically so it’s just all pretty equal I’d say. They’re best friends, they love each other and they can fall back on each other. And we don’t want anyone to feel left out so we’re just gonna quickly add my boy Dustin Henderson to the mix ♥️

Ohh I really don’t know though definitely anywhere but Hawkins. I do kinda like Chicago for college and after that maybe San Francisco :)).

You know what? I’ve actually been thinking about how I really love it when Holly is included in fanfictions! Like, that thought just came to me literally a couple of days ago, so yes! More of Holly Wheeler indeed. Also because little siblings somehow know fucking everything 😭. I need snoopy Holly hahahha.

I’m strangely actually going with Hopper and Ted on this one. Like, just imagine Ted talking some random shit about idk, boring stuff and Hopper almost can’t bear it anymore. He’s so fed up because he just doesn’t like this man but then Ted starts drifting to the topic of Mike and he just makes some comment about Mike’s lack of attraction to girls (making fun of his son /derogatory) and that’s the thing that reignites the little spark in Hopper’s head that he knows that Mike is gay. Hopper just needed a little push to get that revelation back to the forefront of his head and actually acknowledge it and who would’ve thought that Ted Wheeler would be the one to give him that? No one, but now we have our nice little lead up to a Mike/Hopper bonding scene.

Yeah. I’m not 100% on board with it but they definitely knew each other in some way and they are kinda cute, ngl.

[fallingtowers]

btvs season 6 episodes ranked

a lot of people don’t like season 6, but it occupies a special place in my heart. imo, even despite the fact that s6 is noticeably shakier than s5, together they represent btvs at its best. i totally understand why some people might not enjoy it, though. there are a few moments that cross a couple lines, and one of them—tara’s death—stands out as the biggest fumble in the history of the show. still, apart from those moments, i think the bleaker tone not only works, but also directly leads to a few of the most affecting beats in the series. it’s a good season with a couple of really glaring flaws! i’ve ranked its episodes! click through to check out the list!

21. episode 12, “doublemeat palace”: not only is this episode stupid, it’s also dumb.

20. episode 6, “all the way”: one of those episodes i found myself struggling to care about. nothing particularly riveting happens in it. sorry dawn for dunking on your big moment in the spotlight.

19. episode 4, “flooded”: my main issue with this episode is that the “buffy needs money” plot doesn’t make any sense. so the watchers’ council can pay its myriad employees livable wages but you’re telling me there’s not like, a stipend or something for The Actual Slayer? dumb. anyway shoutout to giles for being this episode’s saving grace. i think if giles called me a “rank, arrogant amateur” i’d die on the spot.

18. episode 5, “life serial”: the way the nerd trio is written is like, super grating. it gets a little better as the season goes on; it’s pretty bad here. a lot of the stuff they do in this episode also doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. the time loop is a ton of fun though, and the scene where buffy and spike hang out is great too.

17. episode 15, “as you were”: get out of here, riley!!! begone from me, vile man!!!

16. episode 19, “seeing red”: i debated where to rank this one. it’s not so much that it’s a bad episode—it’s well-written and everything—it’s just that the content is so uncomfortable. this is like THE episode that gives s6 a bad name i think.

15. episode 14, “older and far away”: in which xander and anya try to set buffy up with a slice of plain white bread with the crusts cut off. the best part is that buffy totally deserves it after setting the tone with riley.

14. episode 11, “gone”: a firmly middling episode. the invisible buffy stuff is a lot of fun, though.

13. episode 13, “dead things”: this is where the trio starts to get really interesting—although, to be fair, i GUESS all the goofy shit that came before this was necessary too in order to set the tone. buffy asking tara to confirm that she came back wrong is great; the ending scene is an all-time classic.

12. episode 16, “hell’s bells”: the whole wedding prep storyline is kind of a slog, but it kicks into gear and actually gets pretty fun in this episode, when all the relatives and demons start showing up. a lot of people don’t like the ending of this one, but imo it makes perfect sense for xander’s character. poor guy.

11. episode 9, “smashed”: there’s a lot of fun stuff in this one. willow slips further into her addiction, and buffy and spike finally fuck. the reveal that spike’s chip doesn’t work for buffy specifically is some big brain shit on the writers’ part.

10. episode 3, “after life”: the thing about this one is that the haunting stuff starts out so fucking baller and then it gets progressively lamer until, by the end of the episode, buffy is killing a ghost from a haunted house attraction with an axe. i gotta rate it pretty highly for a few scenes though: the apparition of buffy visiting willow and tara, spike seeing buffy again, and buffy’s reveal that she was in heaven.

9. episode 10, “wrecked”: poor willow :( the most heavy-handed of the heavy-handed metaphor episodes. still kinda hits though, mostly thanks to the strength of the acting.

8. episode 1, “bargaining (part 1)” & episode 2, “bargaining (part 2)”: poor buffy :( the ritual magic stuff is great. willow has never been sexier than when she’s vomiting up a snake while covered in blood. also, shoutout to the title of these episodes. episode? does this count as one episode or two? well, anyway, “bargaining” is a really good title.

7. episode 18, “entropy”: whoof!! rough stuff!! this one is really well-written. the way two plotlines collide and both come to a head because of it—that’s the good shit.

6. episode 17, “normal again”: whoof again!! what is up with the fuckin ending of this one??? it’s so scary. like ok maybe the plot of this one is a little dated, a little ableist, idk. i still think it’s a candidate for scariest episode of btvs.

5. episode 20, “villains”: god dark willow is fucking sexy.

4. episode 8, “tabula rasa”: this is such a classic. it’s like THE quintessential “spell gone awry” btvs episode. it also features what is probably the most memorable demon design in the entire series. the emotional beats hit so nice even though they are slightly undercut by tara’s absolute mess of a hairstyle in the final scene. what the fuck were we all thinking in 2001.

3. episode 21, “two to go”: GOD dark willow is fucking sexy.

2. episode 22, “grave”: god, what a fucking banger. this one’s got everything. giles coming back, xander saving willow… the scene where giles and buffy laugh about how much everything’s fucking sucked in his absence. a really excellent season finale. did i mentioned how fucking sexy dark willow is?

1. episode 7, “once more, with feeling”: okay, look, listen, i know i’m the most annoying person in the world for giving the musical episode the #1 spot, but i’m willing to die on this hill. this episode is so fucking good. it works on every level—the lyrics are clever, the music is good, the gimmick is a genius way to bring every plot thread to a head and put everybody’s secrets out in the open.

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S5 Ep 18: A Series of Ecological Disasters

Booting up ye old Yugioh, booting up a new aesthetic playlist to type to. (today’s playlist is webcore, which would feel like such a damn fake aesthetic, if it weren’t that every single one of these -core aesthetics are pretty damn fake and everyone knows it.)

Anyway, it’s been so long that, I’ll be honest, I thought I booted up the wrong episode:

I usually skip the anime intro, but I try to watch it once each arc, cuz the intros change, and this arc was like “screw it, here’s all the other villains, just pretend this arc isn’t happening.” They had Pegasus, they had Marik, they have Bakura (who is kind of in this shot as well, you can see him phasing in there.) And like...I guess they’re hiding the villain of this arc or something because that was it. Alexander the Great got just nixed from this villain list and that’s a shame.

Just a real weird choice, but since apparently this arc didn’t air in Japan they probably had to outsource this anime intro and whatever studio in charge of it just cobbled together stuff from every other season and then a couple of shots of capsule stuff.

Speaking of capsule stuff: get a load of how many freakin lines the animators have to deal with every time they draw Grandpa.

Bro saw this and was like “oh yeah, this is a Shonen Jump” and yeah. The hair does give those vibes. We got a good look at what Vegeta would look like if he really let himself go.

(read more under the cut)

Sorry, my playlist started playing a song where every single line of the song is “Adrien Brody” and it took me like a few minutes to realize I was listening to “Brodyquest” completely seriously.

Damn it, webcore, don’t betray me like this.

Anyway, this arc does something super surprising: Yugi actually hugs somebody and doesn’t look like he’s going to pass out standing up.

It is pretty fitting that the good Yugi hug would go to Grandpa.

And, as night falls, Joey Wheeler has gotten hungry, and there is nothing to eat but his new best friend and spirit animal, baby dragon. Unfortunately he shares life points with the dragon, and I think if you eat it that just instakills you.

And directly underneath him--since this world is like 100 feet wide and things just conveniently happen--Tea has told everyone that they needed to stop worrying about Joey. Which is a lot coming from Tea, because her worrying about Yugi/Yami getting hurt is most of what occupies her headspace in this series.

But even Tea was like, screw Joey, I guess.

Who kinda just falls directly into them upside down, and shows us what Joey’s hair looks like when it’s sticking straight up.

For reals, admire how long Joey Wheeler’s hair is. If Tea were upside down, she would have the same length of hair.

Also speaking of Vegeta, I am low key concerned that Joey has what appears to be a significant amount of male pattern balding going on for a teenager.

Apparently getting set on fire many, many times did have an effect on Joey, and this massive pompadour he wears is a combover. Poor baby.

Holy crap, if this is what card stress and getting killed multiple times did to Joey Wheeler, can you imagine what’s going on under Seto’s bangs? That’s probably why his bangs ride so low, Seto likely wears a freakin toupee.

Guys, Joey’s gonna lose his hair at 25 at this rate. Those locks just aren’t long for this world. Poor baby.

After Joey rejoins the party, he immediately eats all of their food. Not sure why they can’t just have Baby Dragon eat like...whatever Baby Dragon naturally eats...and then transform that into shared Joey Wheeler life points, but it’s not clear exactly how much of a life-connection they have with their Yugioh monsters. Not like it matters because Joey Wheeler is default starving all the time anyway.

Tristan has decided we should start laying blame, I guess because Duke Devlin isn’t here anymore to be the local kill joy. This doesn’t seem to be important at any point, and most of the characters are just ignoring Tristan because like...once you’re in the haunted game in a haunted tomb in a random part of India--it’s kind of moot to argue about who’s fault that is, youknow?

Joey reminds us that he found this quest item in a treasure chest under a secret waterfall. No one says “that was convenient that you landed there after getting chased through a ravine by man-eating birds after you got your dragon from when you got your crotch injury from getting spliced by that tree.”

Which is when Tea says “Wait! We haven’t had a plot thing happen in like 4 seconds! Wait!”

Hey what degree of “I don’t trust nature” do you have to be to assume that all the flowers are trying to eat you?

Like what level of anxiety is Tea where she not only is like “pretty sure the flowers are going to destroy us?” but also...she’s correct? Like she’s not wrong.

They set the dog flowers on fire, but unlike the Jungle Book this doesn’t solve any problems (which apparently got taken off the Disney+ kid’s menu so...yet again, I make a Disney reference in these recaps that future generations will not understand because so much of the Disney library has been banned from the vault. It’s almost like Disney should let go of that copyright they held on for like a hundred years, because what they’re holding on to is only going to get more racist with time. But nah. Gotta hold on with their greedy mickey mouse gloves.)

So instead of using fire, Tristan used his monster to electrocute the air (?) and blind the dogs. Wisely, the animators quickly jumped to this other scene so we wouldn’t have to analyze why it’s suddenly daytime or why that plan would even work.

Joey and Tristan do a lot of buddy buddy stuff this arc. Usually we see a lot of Joey and Yugi’s bottomless friendship, but we don’t get this much Tristan/Joey love. So shippers rejoice, these two seem to have several coordinated dances and songs...and I’d say that teens don’t typically do that, but I went to summer camp, there are situational places where teens will sing the entire vacation and make coordinated dances.

Weirdly, since Joey and Tristan share so much time together, this also means Tea and Yugi actually sit next to eachother for a lot of this arc, almost as if they were a couple. Mind you, they’re chaperoned closely by Grandpa, but youknow...that’s a different energy than I’m used to seeing.

That and like, they can’t have Tea dance with them because last time she did a dance, it was like a DDR fight and she elbowed some guy like it was a fisticuffs situation. Like there was some sort of dance war going on behind the scenes of Yugioh’s card war, and it came up once and I guess Tea resolved it and the dance fights haven’t come back since.

Overall, if they did a dance with Tea, they would get kneed in the face, so that’s probably why they insist on doing cancans as a duet and not a trio.

After Joey and Tristan freak out over having no food, Tea decides to just start eating in front of them.

and like...didn’t Joey eat that food yesterday? Like last night? The short term memory loss on all these fools.

Immediately after this we realize something weird in the water. That’s right, it’s a massive head.

Yugi seems to have forgotten they lit this turtle on fire and electrocuted the entire sky the night before. Not that it mattered.

There were like...nesting birds on those trees on that island. What the hell? They just killed so MANY of those man-eating dogs that are flowers.

Seriously are land turtles allowed to just...dive underwater for long periods of time? How does that ecosystem even work? It’s like...That’s wild to think about.

Inside the temple, they have to fight a genie or something.

In case you were wondering, the only reason Tea and Grandpa got iced is because they were the closest to the door. The two who were actually standing out of harms way were the closest to harm the whole time.

Bro tells me this is also what will happen to you if you are in the front or the back of the party while playing Cthulu D&D

Anyway, Pharaoh decides to disclose that his big problem of feeling guilty all the time and taking all the blame, which he did all of last season...is still a huge problem he will probably never tackle.

Straight up, don’t be fooled by my caps, everyone else has completely forgotten about Alex, who is still running around that temple up there. They haven’t even asked Grandpa “hey is this your protege? Is this your mentee you never told us about?” Nah. They already forgot. 

How wild is it that Pharaoh thinks this is all his fault when he was the only one who was like “YUGI IT’S A TRAP DON’T GO IN THE- well...OK I guess we’re doing this, fine.” Is he upset he didn’t take control from Yugi and walk back to the plane? Because that’s the only way he could even be partially responsible, He was the only guy who was like “I see the end from the beginning on this y’all, and it’s the massive pyramid in India.”

Speaking of forgetting, they came across this language Pharaoh has decided to have nothing to do with.

This was actually a riddle and it was like...it was a riddle, sure, I guess.

And so Joey Wheeler does not hallucinate his dead wife from a previous incarnation and get on the back of his Baby Dragon to sail away into the sunset. Instead they’re just gonna walk.

Too bad Tea’s orb covered in wings only seems to hover a bit. Every single wing on that weird orb is absolutely useless.

And then Pharaoh’s pokemon is just a fire--which is hard to sit on--and Celtic Guardian...who would allow it, sure, but probably doesn’t fly (I think. He might fly)

And then Tristan’s Pokemon kinda seems like if you sit on it, you will get electrocuted. It can probably fly though. It’s very round. Seems like an anime thing that the more round your mascot character is, the more likely it can at least bounce a good distance.

So, next time, I’m just going to assume that we are going to do even more camping. And youknow, if you told me exactly HOW MUCH CAMPING was in this card game show with super future tech, I would not have believed you. But like...a lot of this series is set in the woods right? Like a lot a lot? I have grown to appreciate the woods.

Anyway, as always, if you just got here, this is a link to read these in chrono order:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

See you next time!

[theheightofdishonor]

Teen Wolf triads are something that can be so personal, so here’s a list of my faves 

Scott/Stiles/Allison

The OG trio. The gang that dies together might not stay together, but they’re still iconic.

Scott/Stiles/Lydia

Any Scott/Stiles/X dynamic is brilliant, but few more than this one. These three have been there since the beginning and they’ve gone through so much together. There’s no Teen Wolf without them. 

Scott/Stiles/Derek

They were the driving force in S1&2 and had some absolutely iconic moments together. Hate that there wasn’t more of them after that. 

Scott/Derek/Isaac 

Mostly based on S2/3. I was very invested in Isaac’s struggle to pick between these two. 

Scott/Stiles/Isaac

This triad’s dynamic completely changes between S2 and 3. In Season 2, Isaac, as part of Derek’s pack is a slightly antagonistic figure and it’s very much Scott&Stiles vs Isaac but in S3, Scott and Isaac grow closer while Isaac and Stiles erm, don’t. It’s very fun to watch. 

Scott/Isaac/Allison

My ot3 and the only trio on this list that I 100% ship. 

Isaac/Erica/Boyd

Ayy, it’s the OG Hale Pack aka 3 teens bonding over being thrown headfirst into something they weren’t prepared for and Derek’s horrible leadership. Isaac should’ve ran away with Erica and Boyd for solidarity’s sake. 

Chris/Allison/Isaac

Chris’s struggle between hating Isaac for dating his daughter and wanting to adopt him is hilarious. One of my favourites. 

Scott/Melissa/Isaac

 Who didn’t completely melt at Isaac joining the McCall fam? The scene where they’re ‘guarding’ Melissa was so cute. As a bonus, it made Stiles’s animosity towards Isaac that much stronger. Will forever hate that this trio was more or less non-existent in 3b even though I love Chris/Allison/Isaac. 

Derek/Cora/Peter

The non-dead Hales. Why oh why did Cora have to leave? Their family dynamic was great. 

Allison/Lydia/Cora

I know they only had a couple scenes as a triad, but there was so potential. We love antagonism with underlying sexual tension. And ofc, the only thing better than 1 terrifying badass that can secretly be super sweet is 3 terrifying badasses. 

Derek/Isaac/Boyd

At one point, the only non-dead members of the Hale Pack (TW quickly amended that). I always think of the S3a Loft scene where Boyd and Isaac skip school to protect Derek. Despite how awful of an alpha Derek’s been, they still care about him and he cares about them (as actual people and not just betas that he needs for power like he did originally)

Derek/Allison/Lydia. 

Yes it’s my 5th s3 based trio in a row, but can you blame me? This is 100% based off the classroom scene in 3x02. 

Allison/Lydia/Jackson

Although Lydia and Jackson were both awful in S1, their friendship with Allison and their immediately taking her under their wing was beyond precious. Additionally, it combines both the asshole-who’s-soft-towards-1-person- dynamic (jydia w/ allison) and assholes-who-secretly-care-about-each-other (jydia) And ofc, the underlying tension due to Jydia’s disdain towards Scott and later, Jackson and Allison’s experiences/knowledge of the supernatural. 

Malia/Kira/Lydia

Comedy gold. Their scenes speak for themselves and we needed more. 

Liam/Mason/Corey

Their S6a dynamic is sooo underrated and should’ve been given more screen time. I loved watching Liam and Corey struggle to get along for Mason’s sake because they want him to be happy. It was all very wholesome and one of the few things that made 6a worth watching. 

Stiles/Scott/Liam

Aka the best part of S4.Their dynamic is so fun and well-balanced and infinitely better because they’re a triad. You’ve got Scott and Liam figuring out their mentor/mentee relationship with Stiles co-parenting and preventing the Scott/Liam dynamic from turning unhealthy. (Liam and Scott’s S6 dynamic veered way too close to parent/child for my taste. They need Stiles to balance it out) It’s also hilarious how quickly Liam accepts being aggressively adopted by two idiots who are barely older than him. And Stiles takes so easily to playing older brother/co-parent. It’s adorable. They’re adorable. 

Erica/Allison/Lydia 

Very similar dynamic to Allison/Lydia/Cora due to Cora and Erica’s similar personalities but also not, which has a lot to do with Allison and Lydia’s reactions to Erica’s weaponized feminity. Also, there’s a lot more history between these girls and I want to know everything about what Erica thinks of Lydia after going to school with her for years. 

Sherriff/Melissa/Chris 

Of the top of my head, I can only remember that time where they were trapped under the Nemeton and that’s simply unacceptable. 

Sheriff/Noshiko/Melissa. 

It’s a crime that this triad never got scenes. Especially after the Sheriff tried to arrest Kira. I know Melissa bitch slapped him but I wanted to watch these two badasses gang up on the Sheriff together. ( the Noshiko/Melissa dynamic would be so iconic.) 

Victoria/Noshiko/Melissa

Another triad that never shared scenes (obviously because Vic is dead) but their power would’ve been off the charts. I want to make a joke about milfs, but I’ll refrain. 

The Yukimura fam

Seemed appropriate since my last two also included. Noshiko.I love family dynamics and the Yukimuras are no exception. The attraction of this triad, for me, is mostly the dynamic between Kira and Noshiko and how Ken navigates between them. They’re also a trio that we didn’t see nearly enough of in S4 and 5. Like seriously, where were they? Noshiko’s on the dead pool, but she’s barely mentioned. (on a mostly unrelated note, how is the 900 yr old Kitsune worth less than a girl that just found about her kitsune powers?)

Derek/Allison/Scott

I don’t need to explain this one. The angst, the drama, Derek projecting Kate onto Allison and Allison trying to murder Derek and their evolution to reluctant allies with a good dash of Scallison and Scott navigating his own difficult relationship with Derek. Aka the complicated, tension fraught trio we all loved/should love. ( ok, I kind of explained it)

Derek/Scott/Liam 

And here we have a two for one deal; two mentor/mentee dynamics in 1 triad. People much smarter than me have written about this trio in extensive detail, so all I’m saying is that Derek’s that one uncle who occasionally comes around and gives somewhat helpful advice. 

Braeden/Malia/Scott 

Braeden and Scott were great in S4. Braeden and Malia were great in S5. Scott and Malia are pretty great when they’re not in a relationship. Combine, and you get what had to be a kick-ass triad that’s sadly never canonly shown together (I think)

Melissa/Chris/Isaac

Not actually featured in the show, but Isaac deserves all the parental figures and I want to witness the surely epic custody battle between Chris and Melissa. 

Malia/Scott/Peter

That this trio is on here is actually pretty funny because I hate both Scalia and the forced Peter/Malia bonding in S6. But I loved the scene where Peter warned Malia not to fall in love with Scott because a) he has absolutely 0 right to advise her on anything and b) because of the history between Scott and Peter. In a way, a relationship with Malia is just another thing tying Scott to someone that’s repeatedly caused harm to him and his friends and was the initial cause for all the pain he’s suffered in the last couple years. I just find this dynamic worth exploring. 

Malia/Derek/Peter

The Hales 2.0. Derek and Malia deserve to bond over unwillingly being related to Peter, that scumbag. 

Malia/Stiles/Peter

Stiles and Peter are so fun together and Stalia is my jam. Throw in an antagonistic Malia and Peter relationship and they’re entertaining as hell. Much more lighthearted than Malia/Scott/Peter.  

Stiles/Malia/Lydia 

To clarify, this has nothing to do with a love triangle and everything to do with how their personalities play off each other. It’s one of those trios where together, they’re either terrifying or absolute morons. 

Stiles/Cora/Derek

Admittedly, my version of this is very Sterek+Cora and the hilarity of Stiles and his attraction to Hales but it’s also 3x snark and you really can’t go wrong. 

Scott/Stiles/Melissa 

It’s Melissa and her boys 1.0. This woman is by far the best parent on this show, and I love the specific dynamic among these three. Melissa might not always like Stiles, but she cares about him and there’s the mutual understanding that they both adore Scott and would do anything for him. Also, Mel being exasperated by the dumbass duo is always funny.  

Kate/Allison/Chris

Lowkey another custody battle because Kate and Chris do fight to be the bigger influence on Allison This is such a tragic trio to me, and the lesson here is basically that sometimes love isn’t enough. Chris and Kate both genuinely love Allison and she loves them too but can’t have both and at some point, she has neither. Kate and Chris care about each other, but that’s not enough either. In the end, they all lose each other. There’s no happy ending for them, at least not with each other. 

Derek/Stiles/Peter

Stiles just has chemistry (not necessarily romantic) with all Hales and this trio really shines through in 3x01 and in S3 in general. “Chess is Stiles’s game” asgdhfjgh. I wanted more of that very specific dynamic. 

That was a hell lot longer than I thought it would be, but what can you do. Feel free to tell me your own opinions in the tags/comments.  

[bedlamsbard]

(in response to this post)

This turned out really, really long, so, uh, apologies?  The short version is that the number one rule is that your legacy characters don’t undercut your main cast.

I think Rogue One and Solo pulled it off -- Solo is a weirder case because it’s a prequel story about a main character, but Rogue One’s use of Tarkin, Vader, Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, etc. worked for me because from the beginning they were there to support the original characters in the film and never wavered from that.  Rogue One also benefited from knowing exactly what it was going to do and never wavering from that for an instant.

In terms of the shows, TCW is also not a straightforward case because it was using film characters as its mains and pulling from all over, but in terms of OT characters that appeared in the show, I am pretty happy with how TCW pulled off Chewbacca in Wookiee Hunt (3.22) -- puts him there, uses him well to support the main character of that particular arc (Ahsoka) and the other supporting characters (the other youngling Jedi), but it doesn’t turn into the Chewie episode. Same with Ackbar in the Mon Cala arc in S4: support, not overwhelming, doesn’t waver from the central theme of the arc.  Tarkin’s the other big one, and I’m pretty satisfied with the way he was used in TCW -- he’s always there in reference to the main characters of the arcs he appears in, and not in reference to himself, if that makes sense -- he’s there because having him there specifically makes more sense than it doesn’t.

(Honestly, I think the little philosophical lessons really helped with TCW being able to keep its focus: they have to drive straight towards that and not hesitate about it.  Every time they dropped those (I’m talking about you, Siege of Mandalore), they ran into a problem where they sort of wandered around a bit.)

Maul...I like Maul a lot.  I don’t have that much of a problem with the decision to bring him back into the timeline in TCW (at least you always knew that when George Lucas was doing something he was doing it because he enjoyed it, instead of the current case of “are you doing it for a purpose? for cheap lulz? for the aesthetic? are you setting up a sequel? are you trying to course-correct another piece of canon?”).  I do think Maul got overweighted in S7, and this is partially because they didn’t really have the space to build him up from where he ended in S5.  The Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir comic helps a little, but S7 is such a rapid switch from where he is in S5 (and you do have to assume that most viewers hadn’t read the comic) that he then pulls in too much narrative weight, and that’s because S7 was trying to do something really, really different from what the previous six seasons of TCW were trying to do.

Rebels sometimes pulls it off, sometimes does not.  Since we’re on the topic of Maul already, I am actually fine with Maul in Rebels.  I don’t actually think he was used to his full benefit because they pulled back at the last minute, but Maul in Twilight of the Apprentice? Fine with that. Same with Holocrons of Fate and Visions and Voices. (I’ve got a few other problems with Visions and Voices.)  Maul is always there in relation to the main characters of the show, not in relation to himself and not in relation to a non-Rebels character.  Did it have to be Maul (back in TotA, obvs, not the latter two)?  No, but it makes sense and it works really well thematically with all of the characters present in that episode.  Holocrons and Visions and Voices, same.

Twin Suns, on the other hand, another Maul episode, was a disaster -- beautifully made episode, everyone is in character, it should never have been made.  (I’m currently grumpy about this one specifically because I recently saw an “Ezra shouldn’t have been in Twin Suns” take.)  Yes, Maul and Obi-Wan are both interacting with Ezra, but Ezra in this ep is basically himself the McGuffin.  Neither the actual, thematic, or emotional conflict in the episode revolves around Ezra even if he’s the instigator of that final showdown.  If you can start and end an episode without the show’s main cast (and Rebels differs from TCW in that it did, very specifically, have a main character as well as a main cast), you’ve made a mistake.  Not to mention that Twin Suns takes a bunch of narrative and thematic weight that was set in TotA and earlier in S3 (such as the Maul/Kanan and Maul/Ezra parallels), and then completely ignores it in favor of a confrontation that is not going to be emotionally significant for viewers who are there for the show’s main cast.

Darth Vader mostly works in Rebels -- in S2 in isolation, not as part of the greater Rebels plot arc which is a weird hot mess of deescalating villains season by season (a whole ‘nother thing).  In Siege of Lothal he’s set up in relation to the main cast and that’s who most of his interaction is with.  Same with TotA, though I sometimes think more weight is put on the Vader/Ahsoka duel than should be there in terms of who the main cast are.  Sometimes I think it’s fine as is.  His other brief appearances are fine, since he’s mostly there just to loom and use up the fabric animation budget.

Tarkin really works in Rebels -- this is honestly Rebels’ biggest legacy character success, my gods, his introduction in Call to Action is terrifying.  Did it have to be Tarkin?  No, they could have made an OC and had the same role, but Tarkin here, in this context?  It ups the tension level a thousand percent, we see him ordering around the Imperials in the show (and the execution scene still gives me chills), and the end of Call to Action, when he’s talking to Kanan on the gunship and orders the destruction of the communications tower?  This is easily one of the most terrifying thing Rebels has ever done and to be honest, I’m not sure they ever topped it in terms of sheer presence.  Evacuating the star destroyer in Fire Across the Galaxy? Perfect parallel to ANH.

From S2-S4, Rebels really wavers back and forth on their use of legacy characters and this is true of the show as a whole from that point onwards -- when there’s a legacy character, they tend to be overweighted in terms of the episode and in terms of how much narrative space is given to them rather than to the main cast.  Not all the time (I have issues with the S4 Mandalore arc, but I think Bo-Katan was played fairly well because most of the narrative weight was still on Sabine), but a lot of the time.  The Future of the Force is really bad on this in terms of Ahsoka -- most of the episode is still focused on Kanan and Ezra, but then they’re taken off the board so she can have her dramatic fight scene.  Shroud of Darkness -- I go back and forth.  (I have other issues with Shroud.)  Leia in A Princess on Lothal -- mostly okay, but some weird moments, like using her to rally the Ghost crew into action?

Wedge in The Antilles Extraction -- fine  He’s played in relation to Sabine, his presence in the ep is thematically consistent with everything else they’re doing. Saw Gerrera in both S3 and S4 I really go back and forth on.  I think I’m mostly okay with him in terms of how he’s played in those four episodes, but I also think there are a lot of questions raised in terms of, like, his relationship to the Alliance.  (This goes for his appearance in Jedi Fallen Order as well -- I’m fine with it, it’s not mindblowing, it was nice to see.)  Mon Mothma I go back and forth on and part of this is because I’m not entirely sure what they were doing with the Rebel Alliance -- this same thing is true for Saw Gerrera.  Especially in the back half of S3 (though it appears earlier as well), Rebels is intersecting more and more with the Rebel Alliance in the lead-up to Rogue One and ANH, but I don’t think they were really entirely sure what they wanted to do with that thematically, which is how we get these wildly varying views of the Alliance even from within it, especially in S4.  Which is part of the reason why S4 thematically is A DISASTER.  (y’all I should not have come out of S4 hating the Rebel Alliance and I still can’t tell if they did that on purpose or not?)

I’m not mentioning every legacy character in Rebels here (Cham, Hondo, Madine, C-3PO and R2-D2, Bail Organa), but mostly the ones where they pay major roles.  Rex I think Rebels mostly managed to pull off having as treating him like supporting cast and not overweighting him as character.  -- The clone trio at the beginning of S2 has them in relation to Kanan, Ezra, Kallus and the stormtroopers, etc., not just in relation to themselves.

(I have no idea how to talk about Thrawn in this context because Thrawn isn’t exactly a legacy character from the current canon, but on the other hand he’s a major EU legacy character, so he’s also just a weird god damn case in general that doesn’t really have a parallel in current canon?)

What else we got -- Star Wars Resistance; doesn’t use that many legacy characters but uses the ones it has pretty sparingly.  Poe is always there in relation to Kaz, Leia has a very brief appearance, Phasma and Hux are mostly there because it makes sense for them to be there, same with Kylo Ren.  Resistance has its issues (both thematically and with pacing) but this is not one of them).

Jedi Fallen Order -- Saw was fine; Vader wasn’t overweighted once he showed up.  Battlefront II had its legacy characters almost entirely in context of Iden and Del; they weren’t there just to be there.  (And not being a gamer I’m not one hundred percent certain how those two felt in actual playing, vs. my watching them on YT.)

(I am not terribly familiar with the current canon books and comics because I stopped reading them a while ago.)

Non-canon example from Legends: Han Solo’s appearance in the Wraith Squadron novels.

The short version of this is: if you’re going to use legacy characters, you want them to be there in relation to your main cast. It has to work thematically; they can’t undercut your mains. Their stories, no matter how important to the saga as a whole, should not overwhelm the main cast of your actual show/film/game/whatever. And they definitely should not undercut your mains.  (I think Mando did this fine with Bo-Katan, tbh.)

[merinelsa]

Have you ever done a ranking list of your favourite episodes?

not really , the thing with me is that i never rewatch tv shows . i binge through them once and then just watch few scenes in yt , but never rewatch any of it even if it was one of my favourite show. Glee is the only exception , though i really only watch very few eps from the earlier seasons and rewatched s5-s6 twice , though i’d skipped 100, new directions and the wedding during both my rewatches. there are eps like new new york and wonderful that i watch time to time as comfort eps playing in the background . from s3, first time and big brother are the only eps i have rewatched 

i’d only watched glee for the first time last year , so like it’s not been that long to warrant a rewatch , but since i’d binged most of it in one stretch ( had taken a one month break b/w s3ep7 and ep8 because of how much i was getting tired of the shitty storylines of s3 , hence it being my least fave ) i forgot a lot of the non klaine stuff.

but i’ll try to rank the eps , just know that i’m very biased to klaine/kurt/blaine storylines . and the seasons too are ranked in the order i like them 

6 . season 3

22. i kissed a girl

21. pot o gold

20. prom-asaurus

19. yes/no

18. i am unicorn

17. mash off

16. the spanish teacher

15. asian f

14. on my way

13. props

12. choke

11. hold on to sixteen

10. saturday night gleever

9. michael

8. goodbye

7. big brother

6. nationals

5. heart

4. extraordinary merry christmas

3. dance with somebody

2. purple piano project

1. first time

5. season 1

22. the rhodes not taken

21. funk

20. showmance

19.  vitamin d

18. hairography

17. ballad

16. mashup

15. throwdown

14. the power of madonna

13. mattress

12. acafellas

11. dream on

10. home

9. pilot

8.  hell-o

7. sectionals

6. preggers

5. bad reputation

4. wheels

3. journey to regionals

2. theatricality

1. laryngitis

4. season 4 

22. britney 2.0

21. sweet dreams

20. lights out

19. shooting star

18. all or nothing

17. feud

16. thanksgiving

15. the role you were born to play

14. glease

13. swan song

12. sadie hawkins

11. naked

10. makeover

9. girls and boys on film

8. diva

7. glee,actually

6. i do

5. dynamic duets

4. the new rachel

3.  break up

2. guilty pleasure

1. wonderful

3. season 2

22. britney/brittany

21. the substitute

20. comeback

19. special education

18. a very glee christmas

17. the sue sylvester shuffle

16. night of neglect

15. new york

14. funeral

13. never been kissed ( except for the klaine part, the whole ep is a mess)

12. rocky horror glee show

11. rumours

10. audition

9. sexy

8. grilled cheesus

7. blame it on the alcohol

6. prom queen

5. born this way

4. silly love songs

3. duets

2. furt 

1. original song

2. season 6

13. the rise and fall of sue sylvester

12. hurt locker part 1

11. child star

10. homecoming

9. we built this glee club

8. what the world needs now

7. hurt locker part 2

6. a wedding

5.  dreams come true

4. 2009

3. jagged little tapestry

2. transitioning

1. loser like me

1. season 5 ( i’m not going to rank the quaterback )

19. opening night

18. 100

17. tina in the sky with diamonds

16. city of angels

15. bash

14. a katy or gaga

13. new direction

12. end of twerk

11. previously unaired christmas

10. trio

9. movin out

8. the back up plan

7. puppet master

6. love love love

5. old dogs new trick

4. untitled rachel berry project

3. frenemies

2. tested

1. new new york

now top five glee episodes over all

5. original song : don’t ask me what happened besides klaine in this because i truly don’t remember . but the klaine parts are pure heavenly. s2 klaine is something i missed a lot and didn’t appreciate enough during my first watch but rewatching some klaine centric eps has made me appreciate their friendship a lot more. even the stuff leading upto the kiss is fantastic , it’s also an ep that shows how rachel and blaine can get similar but how they react to criticisms and how blaine tries to include everyone when pointed out unlike making a fit out of it with rachel is where they diverge and makes these incredibly different personalities .and the kiss was just to good and sparks were flying everywhere and it is something that glee could never recreate with any other couple. and “ reminds you of your mom’s funeral doesn’t it “” the casket was bigger but yes “ just proves that they are equally dumbasses that fit each other so well

4. wonder-ful : this is just pure comfort ep. it’s so bright and upbeat in the middle of the previous dark eps. so much kurt and klaine . a bit more focus on kurt’s mental health issues, which will later be forgotten but it’s good over here. supportive blaine as always just highlighting how much they understand each other. a lot of burt which is always a plus . a very good mercedes plotline which should’ve been given more time but still is one of the better ones she gets.just seeing how light and loving kurt turns once burt is finally in the safe zone. and ‘you get kinda cute when you get nervous’ and ‘with you in it a wondeful life’ and whatever homoerotic stuff that is going on b/w rachel and cassie

3. Loser like me : the pure angst . i love storylines where they hit the rock bottom from such a happy place and have to find their way to the top by leaning in on each other and supporting each other. great klaine scenes, s5b we where pushed to believe that kurt had it all together, but we finally got to see kurt being an absolute mess and realizing how he contributed to their relationship not working out instead of pitting it all on s4 cheating . confident got help all by himself in a better position blaine , rachel finally getting a storyline that’s interesting and makes her one to root for . This ep always gives me the chills and makes me excited for the rest of the season

2. Tested : It’s genuinely one of the funniest eps ever. amazing rachcedes moment . the guys presenting one of my fave family dynamics in the show. great samcedes and klaine plotline . and i love the way liab is shot , such a well choreographed performance and it really looks like chris and darren had so much fun doing it.

1. New new york : this ep is the perfect mixture of fluff , comedy and angst. And on top of that we get never tried before combination of dynamics like rachel and artie as well as our favourite dynamics like klaine, blam, kelliot . also , out of all the klaine plotlines, this feels to me the most realistic one and really shows how much they want to work out their highschool relationship into an adult setting but they’re still young clueless inexperienced couple who doesn’t really know what they’re doing but still trying to work it out the way they think is the best one to protect their relationship , showing how much they care for each other as we enter into the crazy hard parts of their relationship. also , to see these whole set of highschool friends trying to navigate their way into this busy adult life is so fun to watch .  

[karihighman]

An Upstead timeline

Because I was thinking about how far Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton have come, and I just wanted to be nostalgic for a moment. Enjoy my ramblings! (:

The beginnings: season 4

Ah, yes. Hailey’s debut. I loved 4x21 “Fagin” for that reason. Also, Jay’s first impression of her seemed to be like “dang this girl is sassy...but I’m not complaining” haha.

Also we can’t forget the sass Hailey displayed in the survelliance van. 😂 Legendary. And Jay kept up w/it too. We love a sarcastic duo - even before they were partnered up!

Anyway, the next episode was when Hailey officially joined Intelligence. A moment of awkward silence for the two of them trying to shuffle around each other when Voight gave Hailey Jay’s desk because she was now partners w/Erin. Oops. Too funny.

Then of course, the season 4 finale saw Hailey be invited out to Molly’s with Jay, Adam, Kevin, & Will. She had the memorable “I’m Greek, we see tragedy in everything” line, along with that first of many looks she’d give to Jay after a conversation - longing & wistful. 😔

The new divide: season 5

Season 5 saw Hailey and Jay become partners & already they were there for each other when Jay had a tough case. While we didn’t see it air in the actual episode, there was a deleted scene from 5x01 that showed Hailey telling Jay that she’s “got his back.”

As the season progressed, we saw them continue to be there for each other as a source of support. Remember in “Fallen” when Jay kept checking up on Hailey’s “relationship” with fellow officer Sean McGrady?

“Is this really about the case?”

“See ya tomorrow.”

“Ooookay.” — yeah okay Jay we see u.

The next few episodes were Jay’s big arc in s5 where he dealt with being undercover while dealing with PTSD. Hailey was “neutral” at first, because she didn’t know Jay well enough to know how this would affect him, though she’d see it soon enough when he pointed a gun in her face at the end of 5x07. Even after that incident, she still called him to check on him. Now that’s a quality partner.

Another telling moment for their partnership was when Hailey went to bat for Jay with Camila. She knew if she talked he’d be in big trouble, so she had to do something to help him. She still made sure to remind Camila that she would “bury her” if she didn’t keep her mouth shut about Jay. Damn, remind me not to get on Hailey’s bad side. 😯

She even convinced Jay to go to therapy — how amazing is that? She helped him get help.

There were a few lighter, fluffier moments for their partnership as the season progressed, which you can see below —

And then came my favorite episode for them - Ghosts.

Hailey got tangled up with Booth who got her old partner killed. Jay, being her new partner, was concerned about how close Hailey was getting...not only to the case, but to Booth, as Booth was bordering on obsessed w/her.

He bailed her out, but then then two argued at Hailey’s UC apartment (hello, married couple moment haha) - But despite that, he still helped her go on w/the undercover plan.

Cue Jay going under as Ryan, a dealer that Hailey (as Kelly) knew. Things got even more awkward for the trio when Booth asked “Ryan” how many times he screwed “Kelly.” Yikesarama.

Towards the end of the episode, Booth got handsy with Hailey, which put Jay in an awkward position. He tried to keep his cool, but then the deal was blown. Hailey being the badass that she is fought off Booth, but it was Jay who brought her back down to reality to keep her from doing something stupid (even though let’s be honest, Booth deserved a few more kicks in the head).

The kicker of the episode came when Jay went to check on Hailey, and the two would start what would turn out to be “their thing” aka - drinks and long conversations about their cases & the feelings surrounding them. Hailey opened up about Booth and Garrett, and Jay listened. He was there for her, and that’s when they really started to form something special. Something that was more than just a typical partnership.

The rest of the season would only build on that momentum, bringing out little pieces of Jay and Hailey’s pasts, as well as how they dealt with things amongst the team. Jay lent Hailey a supportive hand (literally) when Al died in the season 5 finale, & in a deleted scene, the two offered comfort to each other at the vigil Intelligence held.

Care & being there: season 6

Jay and Hailey’s partnership grew even more so during s6. Their first major moments came in the crossover episode, when Jay was shot. Hailey was distraught, but it was more than that. She thought he was dead, & she thought she’d lost him forever. Her emotions were running high and she pushed down all those feelings that had come bubbling up to the surface. But they were there.

(Unfortunately she compensated by sleeping with Ruzek, thus beginning Upzek. Ugh. Anyway).

Even though she started a fling-turned-semi-relationship with Adam, Hailey & Jay still leaned on each other.

When Hailey dealt with a tough case, Jay was there for her. He made sure she was okay. Heck, even Adam noticed & told her, they should talk you know, “partner to partner.”

The following episode saw Hailey help Jay when his judgement was colored by his war past. She then reminded him of the famous “thing that works between them” and offered to buy him a beer to chat. He accepted.

When Jay found out about said romance, he was taken aback and you could tell by the look on his face that he was hurt...but honestly, maybe a little jealous. I think this solidified his feelings for Hailey, even if she didn’t wanna admit her own to herself yet.

“We’re good. And we’re always gonna be good.” -Jay to Hailey

6x12 has them do another heart to heart conversation, only for it to be interrupted by Ruzek, who called Hailey. Jay told her she should go, and even though she said okay, you could tell she didn’t really mean it. Just like Jay didn’t really want her to go. But these two have gotten good at hiding their feelings by now.

*forgot to add 6x14 when Hailey was kidnapped (along w/Kim). You could see the look of complete distress on Jay’s face when he & Kevin raced out to the truck, just missing it. Then when Adam told him they “should’ve been all over them” Jay went on the defensive, telling Adam “he didn’t know what went down” because he wasn’t there. Ruzek, Ruzek, Ruzek...as if Halstead wasn’t beating himself up enough! Even though later in the ep, Adam and Antonio were the ones to find Hailey & Kim, you saw Jay later ask if she was okay; and you saw the camera pan to both of their expressions when Voight gave the “work things at work” talk. Jay felt bad knowing he didn’t do his job at protecting his partner; Hailey was starting to debate her relationship with Ruzek on the job.*

6x15 offered us the iconic scene of “if I was gonna follow someone blind, I’d follow you” which we now know is essentially Hailey-speak for “I love you.” Because she told Jay that she’s trusted him from the day she met him. How freaking adorable is that?

Fast forward to the s6 finale & you’ve got a whole lot more feels between these two. From Jay’s line of “I’m going where you go” meaning he to would follow Hailey; to his protecting her FIRST without regard for his own life (actually literally using himself as a human shield!); and then of course, their heartbreaking conversation in the break room.

“We’ve only been partners a couple years...you’ll forget about me just fine.”

“Hailey... [no].”

aka - Hailey was scared of losing him again & not knowing if they’d be partners again, so she bit down on her feelings and brushed it off. Jay did the same, although he looked as if he was going to spill any second of that scene. You know what I mean.

You could see the looks in their eyes — they were saying everything without actually saying a word.

This episode was when the both of them seemed to accept their feelings of each other to themselves — as in, they admitted it to themselves, even if they weren’t ready to share them with each other. 💙

Deeper feelings: season 7

And now we’re onto s7, where even in the premiere, you could see how in sync Jay and Hailey were. The two worked together to help their boss, and they relied on each other more than ever to get the job done. Hailey supported Jay, even if she didn’t always agree with him.

Later on in the season, we saw him do the same thing. Although, when Voight split them up in 7x03, they weren’t happy about it. Jay showed his emotions with a look, while Hailey vocalized hers to Voight. Hailey = 😠 there.

In the crossover, we saw a concerned Jay over Hailey being quarantined, but also a concerned Hailey when Jay was taken hostage by Seldon. She even went all Sniper to save him! Go Hailey go!

They continued to work alongside each other, mainly in surveillance (apparently those two have a thing for vans 😉) to help the unit solve cases.

Jay had another tough case in 7x06, and Hailey noticed how much it affected him, even if she didn’t say it right away. Jay would do the same for her in the next episode when her CI was shot, with looks and a concerned voice like she had done with him.

And now we’re at 7x09, aka the fall finale from hell because Jay’s life is in the balance.

And Hailey Upton is livid over it. She was so desperate to get Jay back safely that she pushed the limits to find him. And just when she FINALLY did, he was ripped away from her yet again. Heartbreakingly tragic for these two...almost like a Romeo & Juliet vibe. 💔

Here’s hoping Jay will be okay in 7x10 when Chicago PD comes back in January, because Hailey really can’t lose the man she loves. I think this made her realize just how much she cares. And he cares so much for her.

Upstead ship captain Jesse Lee Soffer said it best: if you were to ask Jay or Hailey, “do you love him/her?” They’d say yes. As for what kind of love that is, they aren’t 100% sure yet...

because they haven’t even admitted their feelings to each other yet. But anyone can see that they are there. Pure and genuine feelings. Love. Respect. Admiration. 🖤

[mswyrr]

lucifer s5: best guesses about tone/theme

I think it’s going to be a pretty positive feeling season. I have no clue about specific plot stuff, but just the overall tone and thematic message. I’m coming at this from several assumptions (any/all of which might be wrong!), which are:

It’s a myth/fairy tale that’s supposed to convey psychological truths about the life cycle

Specifically, like a lot of fairy tales/myths, it’s a story about the maturation process, emotionally, from child to adult

The angels are eternally in the “child” role in their family because they do not question their Father, just obey and admire him. They do not form families of their own, or articulate what they want the world to be

Lucifer was the first angel to become a “teenager” and start the process of separating your identity from your parents by questioning/rebelling against them... and he was smacked down so hard for that (told that he was evil) that he’s been stuck in that stage until he came to Earth this time and started getting therapy/forming real emotional bonds outside his original family

Their vision of adulthood is one that balances Duty and Desire/the inner Adult and Child

This is represented by Chloe (Duty) and Lucifer (Desire). They’re a woman who never got to be a child and a man who was told perpetual obedient “childhood” was the only way to be good and dutiful. Both characters have within themselves the other’s dominant quality: Chloe desperately wants to express desire/joy and embrace her inner child for the first time and Lucifer wants to find a way to embrace duty as an adult, as something he chooses and owns for himself, rather than blind obedience to Dad

When they start out they have negative/unbalanced versions of Duty and Desire - Chloe just buries herself in what she owes to others and she’s suffering. She’s isolated, she’s hurting. Apart from Trixie, none of her connections really nourish her soul. Lucifer embraces desire so much that none of his connections really nourish his soul either. He’s living entirely in the fun side of things, but that can be empty if there’s no genuine giving to and connecting with others beyond that. There has to be a balance and they seek that balance in each other.

IMO it’s not a coincidence that talking to Chloe and holding her while she cries and then turning down her offer of sex out of concern for her is an important turning point in her growing trust in S1 and his burgeoning growth/redemption arc. He doesn’t just want the fun things he can get from her: he wants to be there for her when she’s hurting too

IF (and it is a big if) I’m guessing right here, then S4 was about the Duty/Adulthood side of things.

Lucifer figures out how to embrace duty as an adult (rather than an eternally obedient child/angel). He ends up in the same place (literally) that he was, but this time from active choice and out of his love for the family he’s found separate from his parents, no longer caught in a desperate cycle of love/hate with his dad, no longer entirely defined by that relationship.

And it’s hard but it’s satisfying - in the same way Amenadiel becomes an adult, as a father, having to really look at the world and make choices about what he wants it to be. Two eternal children, trapped as the Good Son and the Rebellious Son, break that cycle and achieve the point of maturation, which is to make your own decisions about what *you* believe should be and then follow that up by putting your money where your mouth is and living out your values with the people you love.

Even when it’s hard, it’s *yours*. Your life, which you’ve chosen. Nobody else is telling you what to think or do.

The whole thematic feel of S4 is the hard work side of things in that sense. For the main romance, the hard work of repairing a long-term relationship is the focus of things for Chloe and Lucifer. How you have to decide whether you want to keep choosing this person or not, even when they show that they’re flawed and cause you pain.

But, like.... okay, so they fought their way to a positive articulation of duty as an adult who owns their own choices and consequences. But where’s a positive articulation of desire/letting your inner child have fun too?

That’s what I see as missing and they have one season left to address that, so.... I do think it’s going to be overall (in tone and mood) a season with some real joy in it. Not 24/7 but an overall sense of claiming the joy that’s the other side of all the hard work of owning your life and your choices as an adult.

The final piece of evidence for that, for me, is that if this is a coming-of-age story about the maturation process, then it ought to have a happy ending: people find their way, make their own lives and pay the price for that but also reap the rewards.

It’s not just my shippy heart that wants scenes of Chloe (after trying so hard previously and having it not work out!) getting to have *fun* with Lucifer in a real way. And him getting to experience fully the positive side of desire: which is how enriching it is when you share it with someone you *also* share your adult burdens of duty with. So there’s a positive cycle of sharing obligations and joy between you.

It’s also a story about community and they’ve built up a pretty great blended/found family - so I think there’s probably going to be something about how the strength of that family will come together to resolve the final situation. I don’t think the show intends for Dad to be a bad guy entirely. But I do think the extremely authoritarian/patriarchal original family is something both Lucifer and Amenadiel have grown beyond. And that we’ll see more of that.

Hopefully there will be enough time to develop Maze’s relationship with her mother and/or continue her journey toward finding a partner, since Maze is the third part of this trio of supernatural beings who were caught in perpetual childhood/adolescence and have grown into adults.

I also think Ildy and Joe will use the season as a love letter to the story and fans and everyone, which will involve a more positive tone.

But I don’t think that positive tone will be “false” - there’s a ton of people on Reddit who think the tragic ending of S4 was perfect because tragedy is better than comedy. And, it’s like, er, no?

The story of growing up is a very real thing billions of people engage with. People really do go from obedient child, to questioning teen, to adults who take on responsibilities of care/commitment to others. Sharing burdens and joy. Choosing each other, even when it’s hard. Like, the world is a mess, but there’s a lot of good, kind people trying their best too. And if people didn’t do that creative and hard and beautiful work, BILLIONS OF US, every day, the world wouldn’t have that goodness.

It’s totally cool to tell a myth about that process, its pain and beauty. It’s part of the truth of life and as valid as the tragic parts of life are valid. And I do think that’s what they’re aiming for!

/shrug/ I could be off in my guessing. If they don’t go the general direction I’m expecting I won’t be fussed about it or anything.

But I really think there’s some loveliness ahead, both for deep story reasons, in terms of what they’re trying to say, and just because they’ve had such a wild and beautiful run and they’re going to want to bask in that in their final season.

[easilydistractedbyfanfic]

Countdown to Season 6 Raven/Murphy #3 - Raven is an elephant

Hi again! I’m continuing my totally random countdown to Season 6! We’re only 12 days away now! If you missed post #1 or #2, there you go!

Basically this series of posts is my self-indulgent way of talking about why I love these characters, but maybe there’s a piece or two of insight I’m hitting on while I’m at it. Buckle up because this one is LONG! Today I’m gonna talk about why I think Raven is an elephant. I can hear you all saying it now - What the heck does that even mean, Jenn? I mean just that, fellow Murven fans. Raven is the elephant in the room and let me show you why I think that. Here’s your first clue, but I’ll get to this one in a minute! Ignore my crappy pictures and just go with the point I’m making, mmkay?

Alright, but to the beginning! In 4x04, Raven/Murphy/Em0ri are in their first scene together. The first time all three of them are in the same camera frame, this happens, below - 

Raven’s in the middle. Not really a big deal on the surface - any time you have 3 characters in the frame together, SOMEONE is going to be in the middle, and I do get that. In 4x05, Murphy is not present. In 4x06, Em0ri is not present (lots of Murven though). In 4x07, no Raven, not much Murphy. 

In 4x08, Raven/Murphy/Em0ri are all positioned pretty close together on one side of Baylis’ radiation pod while everyone else is set farther apart and mostly on the other side. Why are these 3 put together? Em0ri is in the middle but Raven is set up front, closest to the pod and when the camera shows all 3 of them in the frame, Em0ri is often hard to see or actually blocked by Jackson, the frame of the cryopod or is tucked behind Murphy or Raven. They are not on the same plane/do not have the same prominence. The scenes with Baylis go by fast, but again - look at when all 3 are in the same frame. 

Obscured, and the middle. Remember, this is only when all 3 of them are in the frame together. 

This takes us to 4x09, where we get the first coupla scenes with someone in the middle again. 

And then we see Murphy & Em0ri in a scene right after they have sex, but it is debatable on how sexy this is when they aren’t in bed together and are mostly dressed and focusing their eyes elsewhere. What are they looking at? Who are they talking about? Who is present both physically (in view) and metaphorically? Oh - are we talking about an ELEPHANT in the room?

The whole scene here they go back and forth from them to Raven. This feels way less intimate than it could have been with just the two of them. No knock to other ship fans, honestly - we all have our preferences, yes, and I’m not here to debate which ship is better. My point here is what is the purpose of a scene where a third party is literally in the MIDDLE of a kiss? Again, excuse my crappy phone photos of my tv, y’all, but how the frick am I not supposed to read into this when it’s like a threesome is happening in my bedroom?!

That kiss is the last scene of the 3 of them together until the end of 4x12, but I would like to note that in 4x09, Murphy “looks back” at Raven three times. Once when he leaves her alone in the room when he’s worried she’ll have a seizure, and then twice when he leaves her behind to float herself. Dang I love tropes! In addition, they leave the bunker to go after Raven as well as perhaps ensuring their survival, making her part of the focus/reason of their own scenes. 

In 4x12, Murphy is the third person to come down the steps to Raven, after only Bellamy and Clarke. I find that interesting, FYI, but I’ll spare you my details. When he talks to her, she follows him and doesn’t talk to anyone else who has arrived at that point. They all move around a lot after that but there are more frames with Murphy & Raven in them and I wouldn’t say there was a frame with all 3 of them since it just goes so fast and they’re all moving. 

In 4x13, the first (very brief, yes) frame with all 3 where they’re finally still literally has Raven’s hand blocking Em0ri. 

They’re not all 3 in the frame again until the end. There’s a super brief shot of Raven & Murphy standing next to each other at 23:04 with Bellamy and Em0ri opposite them while they refill oxygen tanks, then Murphy is over Raven’s shoulder in the rocket but Em0ri is behind her and not seen. However if you wanna get technical about it, it does form a triangle with the way they are sitting, especially when you consider they could’ve put Monty & Harper there instead. There is a moment when Raven unbuckles her seatbelt and starts to float where we see Raven/Murphy/Em0ri in the same frame but the focus is on Raven floating in zero-g and again - metaphorical elephant in the sense that she’s where the attention is. Then who helps drag Raven into the Ring when her air is the lowest - and where is she positioned? The middle. 

That whole scene with the air is another elephant encounter. They start sharing because of her/they keep sharing because of her. When they pull her to the air vent, Raven is in the middle. I thought there was a frame where all 3 were shown at the air vent when it starts to work, but there is not. The frame is Raven & Murphy together and then Em0ri separate. 

OMG this post is getting long and I need some chocolate. Are you all sick of this post yet? Because we’re about to go into S5. Holy crap I really am that weird obsessive fan, aren’t I? Lemme finally put a cut in here. 

First scene with all 3 in S5 frame - I can’t be the only person who has noticed a pattern yet, right?!

They move to the window, Raven’s in the middle, but they only frame Raven & Murphy in the next shot. Raven & Em0ri go back to the radio and then we get this. Yep, I put a heart around her, I’m a dork. -

Annnndddd then we get this - 

In 5x03, there is a scene where all 7 of Spacekru is in a shot in the rocket while they head to the Gagarin for the first time. Monty, Harper & Murphy’s backs are to the camera, but the order is Em0ri/Raven/Murphy with Raven in the middle of the two. Then we get the last image of all 3 of them for a while - and hey, look - the perspective has changed a bit. Murphy is framed in the middle here. I could go into another whole post about why I think this happened based on what’s happening on screen, but if there’s anybody still reading this at this point, you’re probably all groaning and thinking “No, dear god, please don’t” and I hear you, I really do. Plus I’m tired, so there’s that. 

After this scene, they don’t all 3 come together again for a while, but Raven is still that metaphorical elephant when Murphy & Em0ri share scenes. First, when he says he’s staying behind for Raven in 5x03, then in 5x05 when Murphy & Em0ri reunite, her first words to him are asking where Raven is. Elephant. 5x06 in the cave Murphy brings Raven up a couple of times as Em0ri tries to remove the collar. Same ep when they are in the rocket talking about their breakup, he mentions Raven again and she asks if he was jealous. This is where he has the idea to blow up the rocket fuel like Raven did in S1. Metaphorical elephant. They kiss, but Em0ri makes a point of saying it doesn’t mean they’re getting back together. They get a hostage. 

5x08 (Murphy/Em0ri not in 5x07) - they are negotiating a hostage exchange to give McCreary for Raven. Then they slightly argue over Murphy making a deal with McCreary to get Raven back, among other things, but again, the elephant exists here even though they do not all 3 share a scene. 

5x09 - Hey, the trio is finally back together! But from here on out things get murkier. They share a scene, along with Echo, but all 3 of them are not in the same frame. Em0ri is shown with Echo and Murphy and Raven are shown together as the camera pans back and forth. Back in the church in Shallow Valley, they are not all 3 in the frame again either, although I’m gonna take just a wee second to point out that Murphy is often in between Raven & Sh4w when it comes to sight lines. Super brief shot of removing the shock collars and it transitions from Raven & Murphy being on one side of the church on beds to Sh4w and Em0ri across an aisle. They are not all 3 in the frame in any part of this episode. 

They’re all 3 not in 5x10, but in 5x11 we get a frame of Murphy in the middle of Raven & Sh4w as he hands her some wire and there’s a scene of those three. Then that transitions to a scene where Em0ri and Echo come in and Raven and Murphy are on the ends with everyone else in the middle. Then they go into the snow and all 3 ARE in the frame with Raven & Murphy on the ends and Echo and Em0ri in the middle. Anybody who has heard me rant about this show knows I hate this entire snow scene (except for the lighting), but for the most part, Raven & Em0ri are in the shot together more than anything else. In the cave planning scene when the camera pulls back, Echo & Em0ri are in the middle of Raven and Murphy again. 

5x12 - another snow scene, not all 3 in the same frame. Cave scene with radio call to Monty has a sort of circle with Echo, Raven & Em0ri on one side and Sh4w on the other with Murphy pacing between. Super, super brief glimpse here where Murphy stands, Echo right in front of him confronting him, Em0ri all the way to the right and Raven in the middle but it’s so quick I don’t really count it and all the shots here are mostly individual faces. 

5x13 - the frame with a bunch of them looking at burning Earth has Em0ri so far towards the back she’s hard to see, though Raven is sort of in the middle of Sh4w and Murphy. 

And that’s it. I would say the last true shot of JUST Raven/Murphy/Em0ri happened in 5x03, otherwise they are only in the frame together along with Echo and/or Sh4w too. 

But I’m one of those people who watch shows with this kind of framing in mind, and while I have combed through the trailers and some of S6 leaks already with that in mind, I’m not going to spoil anything here. Just watch it for yourself with an eye towards who is standing where, what are they focusing on, who are they talking about and whether it adds or detracts, and see what you come away with. And anyway, no one wants me doing another long-ass post like this, do you?! 

What does this all mean, you might ask, now that we’re finally at the end? Well, not that the show needed to convince me, since I decided these two stubborn hard-heads would be fun to push together way back in S1, but I’d say there’s evidence that the show is telling us something. From 4x04 until the end of S5, there is a pattern when these three characters are in the same frame ANDYou can decide for yourself what that is, but like I said in the beginning - Raven’s an elephant and there’s no changing my mind. And I know how I see this but this isn’t an anti post and I hope no one tries to turn it into one. 

If you stuck with me til the end, then I give you major props, peeps! You can join the ranks of the obsessive along with me! LMAO!

[sometimesrosy]

The 100 S5 rewatch: Sleeping Giants

All right going in. Everyone is coming home. This is when Bellamy finds out Clarke is alive. And when Clarke is captured. These are all long. I’m recapping the damn things and giving my commentary. Look under the cut. this is like 1500 words. If y’all want a tag drop a line. I need to start doing these more regularly so I don’t run out of time before the new season OMG ITS ALMOST SEASON 6!!

McCreary Shaw and Diyoza, handsome trio of incorrigibles. Oooh. One of those prisoners is impaled. Madi doesn’t think it’s the right thing to do to kill the prisoners. Clarke says it’s their home and they are taking it. The prisoners aren’t listening to Diyoza when she says hold. McCreary is like ‘this is not your damn army I’m not gonna—“

KAPOW Clarke shoots dude. McCreary rolls for cover. You shoulda listened to your ex girlfriend dude. She’s smarter than you. Bringing the earthmover in. Diyoza sends McCreary in to hunt down somebody to interrogate. Shaw doesn’t want to fight. “Why does it have to be war.” Diyoza’s mad because he gave up jets for spaceships.

Hey Spacekru. I love them. Emori’s flying them to elegius 4. “Commencing operation uninvited guests.” Ha ha. Raven is funny. Oh Raven had to take over. The ship was spinning and Emori couldn’t align it. Murphy is an ass to Emori. Echo takes out her sword on the ship and Bellamy eyes her. The past is already coming back. Raven sends Emori back to the ship to run diagnostics and Murphy offers to stay and help. But they snipe at each other so Harper stays instead.

Prisoners. Mining missions were dangerous. They sent people they thought were disposable. Sounds familiar.

Monty finds the com. They hear that the Eligius is hunting their people. Clarke puts Madi into the hole and tells her she loves her to lead them off.Bellamy is listening to them tracking her, and they don’t know that it’s Clarke. A feisty one, pretty, too, and Raven looks at Bellamy. They think it’s Octavia.

McCreary shoves Clarke to the ground, he’s such an ass. “You only caught one?” “We only saw one.”

“Her people will come for her, be ready.” They don’t even know. Shaw is playing good cop.

McCreary starts hitting Clarke and Shaw stops him. And then McCreary goes after Shaw because he’s not one of them. They are not a unified people.

Shaw sees the night blood. ‘Blood alteration like they had on Eligius 3. Two suns. No sunscreen.” Foreshadowing.

Clarke and Diyoza. Two peas in a pod.

Murphy Monty and Echo wheeling the fuel to the ship. Echo missed Murphy’s stupid little joke and Monty and Murphy are sniping at each other.  Useless. Coward. Brats both of them.

Echo finds the cryo sleepers.

Kodiak protocol coming. Harper’s trying to make Emori feel better. Wants her to give him a second chance. Murphy, “you were talking about me, weren’t you?” She says “don’t flatter yourself.” But they WERE talking about him.

Bellamy was looking at the ship manifest and they are all murderers. Raven tries to make him feel better because his grandpappy Blake was a 4 time phd and astronaut and he’s not at all like that. They’re still thinking that these people are descendants. They see the video when Diyoza takes over the ship. There’s the best dad in the universe mug. 

In comes Kodiak. Hush I need to watch Bellamy fight. God I love watching him fight. He’s gotten so much better at it.

MAN. Kodiak is TOUGH. Echo slashes him across the back and then runs his gut through and he just kicks her off. Bellamy has to choke him with a wire while Raven has been gut punched like three times.

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” This is a quote from Arthur C Clarke. He is mentioned. Clarke’s name sake.

Murphy wants to kill all the sleepers. Bellamy doesn’t want to start a war and escalate. Echo also agrees that they should be killed. “I know how you feel but it took three of us to take out one of them. Giving them reinforcements when we can stop it is a strategic mistake,” Echo says.

“We’ve been off the ring for less than a day and we’re already talking about murdering hundreds of people.” Bellamy is not happy.

“This is not murder. It’s survival. They die now or we die later. If Clarke were here this wouldn’t even be a question.” Murphy. Clarke is very much still a part of their lives. She’s dead but not forgotten. AND NOT DEAD.

“WELL CLARKE’S NOT HERE!” Bellamy yells.

“Exactly. She died so we can live. Bellamy This is how we do that.”

“Maybe not,” Raven says. She’s got the plans.

Echo says to rig it so they can trigger it from the ground. “Leverage,” Bellamy says. Murphy huffs off and Bellamy calls him back because he wants his opinion. He says it’s a risk.

“But Clarke didn’t die for us to live just for us to go back to the ground and make. The same. Mistakes.”

“What the hell. Let’s be good guys.” Murphy gets a little thrill.

Okay. I think that’s as important a conversations as Clarke’s voice over about there being no good guys. Remember season 1? Bellamy as the rebel king selfish ass and Murphy as the murdering psychopath? And Clarke is now the one with no mercy, impaling strangers.

Now Clarke with Shaw. I expect to see some good interaction with them in s6. Playing good cop. “Believe it or not, this is the best conversation I’ve had in a hundred years.” He’s from Saginaw MI. (JR is from Detroit.) And he was an altar boy, who rode a motorcycle. McCreary has found Madi, And Clarke speaks. “Please she’s just a child.” She tells about the trap that Madi is leading them into. “IF you let her go, I’ll tell you everything.” McCreary doesn’t want to listen but he’s standing down.

Let’s begin. Start with how the world ended.

“Which time.” Lol. Classic.

Wow. I can’t believe they’re still on the ship. So much happens in this episode. Raven tells Bellamy that she has to stay up there. Bellamy is like no no way.

He’s really affected by the thought of leaving her behind. He wants to stay. She tries to make jokes about him screwing it up. It has to be me. ‘I am not leaving you here.” She says he needs to go find his sister. But Bellamy doesn’t want her staying behind to kill 300 people.

“No no, I left Clarke behind to die and I can’t—“ like he breaks “—I’m not doing that again.” Foreshadowing there. And also showing how much that hurt him. It really did. You can see it in everything he does.

Raven flat out lies. Oh yeah there’s an escape pod. Calls him an idiot. He still doesn’t like it.

“Six years ago I promised myself I would find us a way to get us back down. Bellamy this is it. Please. Let me get you all home.”

Emori is like where is she? She offers Murphy to stay. “I said it’s technical.” Monty offers.

Murphy heads off, and Bellamy is like “NOW Murphy.”

He’s like nope. Raven might need backup. “Hey with Emori flying, this is the survivor’s move.” Making jokes. Why do they always make jokes when they’re doing something self sacrificing and don’t want the other to feel bad, “See ya on the other side.” Ugh that’s Jasper’s line. Emori smiles and then she’s like. Wait I don’t like this.

Raven is like… What the hell are you doing here? “Why is everyone so surprised? It’s not like there’s no escape pod—“

“There’s no escape pod.” She lied so Bellamy would let her stay. “You know what you were right. Dying alone would have sucked.” An actual reference to that time she tried to kill him after the ring of fire. And he was like, “I woulda shot me too.”

Emori putting the pod down. It makes me so happy when she sets that puppy down light as a feather. And then the big smile when Bellamy tells her they didn’t die.

OH they’re out. And Eligius finds them.

Clarke is telling her story and they tell her they’ve found new people. And she is FLABBERGASTED. They are about to kill FOUR or our people NOPE. Madi to the rescue. She is a BAD ASS. Thwack. Bam. Bam. All dead.

Bellamy staggers back. “She’s just a kid,”

“Bellamy? She says. Clarke knew you would come.”

“Clarke’s alive?” And he’s just stunned.

“She’s in trouble, we have to go.”

Monty steps forward and asks about the bunker and she’s just like yeah no let’s do that later, she grabs Bellamy’s hand and drags him off. THAT IS THE BEST SCENE.

Ugh McCreary, you are such an ass. Shocking her. OH DON’T WORRY YOU’LL GET YOURS AND CLARKE WILL GIVE IT TO YOU. Poor Clarke. She’s REALLY being shocked hard. DIYOZA STOP SHOCKING HER.

THE ROVER. I will not stop yelling. You can’t make me.

Clarke is like, “Madi… no,”  and inside the rover…

Bellamy is like, ‘Madi… no,” when she tries to take out a gun and go with him. And he promises he won’t let anything happen to Clarke. Parenting alike. Exact same dialog. “Take the rover back. I won’t let anything happen to Clarke, I promise.”

Clarke is watching him through the headlights. She has no idea who he is. But she jumps when she hears his voice.

Bellamy negotiates with his Captain Daddy mug and tells Madi to leave with a fist in the air, at which Clarke can take a breath finally. He walks towards her, watching her.

“283 lives? She must be pretty important to you.”

“She is.”

BOOM OUT.

WHAT A FUCKING MASTERPIECE!!

[pixiedane]

Tom Paris/Harry Kim?

I see Harry’s relationship to Tom as his most important on the ship. Period. He is close to others, especially B’Elanna, but Tom is special, and has been since their meet cute in Quark’s bar. Fresh out of the Academy, on his first assignment, on his first ship, on his first day – and he chooses to stand up to two of the most senior officers on the ship on behalf of the questionably charming criminal he just met. It reminds me of another Harry, Potter, when he chooses Ron over Draco their first day. And if Voyager wasn’t lost, and Tom went back to finish his sentence, Harry would be stuck on the ship working under people he’d disrespected on day one. That’s very interesting to me. Another example of Harry’s quiet bravery. 

So, best friends, who love each other, is canon in my viewing. Best friends who are in love with each other – yes and no. Certainly I read Harry as closer to and more attracted to Tom (and fwiw also B’Elanna) than any of his canonical love interests. And I read Tom as a little in love with basically everyone because he considers himself so unlovable. Harry is special to Tom, absolutely, but not exactly the way Tom is special to Harry. I think Tom (and fwiw also B’Elanna) considers Harry to be too good for them, the best of them. He thinks Harry deserves better – and he’d feel a lot of guilt about it. Tom is really good at guilt, almost as good at guilt as Kathryn is – and B’Elanna, and Chakotay, there’s a lot of guilt on that ship. Harry’s different because he doesn’t carry around all that guilt. He’s healthier. 

Season 1: Harry and Tom become close right away. Of everyone, Harry is the most upset about being lost in the DQ. His life had a plan – everything we learn about his family and past suggests he lived a charmed, sheltered life (also: I think he’s engaged to Libby because he’s supposed to be, not because he’s particularly attached. She’s pretty and kind and fits into his bubble, but I don’t see a lot of passion in what we get of their relationship.) and getting trapped 70+ years away from home and family is nothing he imagined. Tom was his first friend on the ship, they even met before the ship, by minutes but still, and he clings to that familiarity because it’s the best he’s got out here. Add the second person he gets close to, B’Elanna, who he goes through a traumatic experience with, and then works most closely with, and it makes sense the three of them end up a trio (and for sure I can see it as a romantic triad, though not this early). 

And Tom – Tom needs friends, right off, that’s the number one thing we learn about Tom. He’s actually terrible at being the loner he thinks he has to be/deserves to be. He glomps on to Harry, Kathryn, B’Elanna, Kes, even Neelix and Chakotay. Tom tries to be a bad boy, heartbreaker, buried feelings, laugh it off, basic jerk but he’s TERRIBLE at it. And Harry chooses to be Tom’s friend, eyes open. 

Season 2: So “Non Sequitur” and “Twisted” happen back to back and make it clear that Tom and Harry are each other’s most important person. As I say in my photocap, Harry pretty much explicitly chooses Tom over Libby so that’s a thing. And during the montage of people choosing who to spend their possible last minutes with in “Twisted”, Tom chooses Harry. If I were to insert a P/K romance into canon this is where I’d do it. 

Season 3: S3 brings us “The Chute” which is probably the shippiest Paris/Kim episode, but also an ode to friendship, and both interpretations are pretty great. Tom and Harry spend the entire episode sweaty and share a bed, and then Harry risks his life for Tom and Tom acknowledges it for the declaration of love it was. All GREAT. And if they’d lived the rest of their lives in that prison, at least they’d have been together (and together, I’m sure of it). 

But S3 also brings Paris and Torres closer together (I love them, but do feel for Harry) and an alternate timeline where Harry marries Tom and Kes’s daughter (yikes). 

Season 4-series end: Seven arrives, Paris/Torres are a couple, and Harry fades into the background. He’s still Tom’s bestie, he still has a crush, and if the P/K romance I mentioned earlier happened I can easily imagine P/T and P/K evolving into P/T/K. But it’s all a bit back burnered. 

S5′s “Timeless” is another one of those ‘Harry throws away his whole life to get back to Tom’ episodes but other than that the best we get are scenes of fun in the holodeck and a conversation here and there. 

SO: I think Harry loves Tom and Tom loves Harry. I think Tom might initiate a physical relationship that he would instantly regret (because he thinks he’s using Harry). I think Harry half resigns himself to being in unrequited love with Tom. I think Harry, Tom, and B’Elanna could have a great threeway relationship if they could get over their collective individual hang ups about being worthy of it. And I hope Harry found love when he got home. 

Finally, I think this has been in my inbox for at least 6 months so thank you for your incredible patience, I hope it is worth the wait. 

Send me a ship and I’ll give you my (brutally) honest opinion on it and/or write a scenario/give you a series rundown of my headcanons

[sol1056]

I have to wonder about the marketing again... pre s5 when they aired compilation videos & Keiths ended w/ his attempted sacrifice? Which we were all dying to see addressed? Matt & Coran were there, Lotor w/ whom he has SO many parallels (on purpose bc TOO many, which EPs ignored 2 write THEIR story), it HAD to be adressed, but it wasnt. So did the marketing just straight up baited us w this to watch? Or did they think we'd be getting it bc in previous s5 version they knew about, we would have?

My understanding is that marketing works with the artifacts and info they’re sent. As in, “here are a bunch of clips from the season that are a) exciting and b) not major spoilers.” Or “here are images from the designers that you can use for posters and stuff,” even if sometimes that includes a broadcast date before it’s been officially confirmed. Marketing just took it and ran with it. 

I think the most likely explanation for ‘yet another issue never dealt with’ is also the simplest, and it’s the one the EPs already gave us. They looked at all the scenes/pieces for the upcoming season, and cut everything but the plot points they wanted to hit. 

If the scene for Keith consisted only of, say, Matt asking Keith what the hell he was thinking, or Kolivan getting word and giving Keith the angry glare yet again, or even the team’s reaction? First off, it’s a major emotional beat, and we know from previous seasons the EPs are Not Good with emotional beats. Second, if it wasn’t tied to a plot point (or could be detangled from one easily), the EPs probably tossed it to the side. It’s just people reacting, after all, and there’s more important things to cover, like, y’know, Lotor killing Zarkon. With a stick. 

As @ptw30 has mentioned before, marketing will mislead, but it doesn’t lie — and you could say the same for most professional VAs, too. So the combination of the clip and Jeremy’s assurance that the situation would be addressed tells me that this reaction scene probably did exist, in some fashion. It may’ve been scripted and recorded, and then edited out of the storyboards to make room for more garrison trio antics. 

The same process might explain other baitey marketing moments, too. If the staff sent over clips and images with perhaps some bare outline of the context — “here’s Shiro’s boyfriend at Garrison” or “here’s the dramatic end to the big earth battle mid-S7″ — some overworked and underpaid marketing cog may’ve leapt on it. A queer relationship, we can make extra banners for Netflix highlighting that! A really dramatic moment, that’ll make a good post-season promo gif! And bam, landmine. 

I guess you could blame marketing for being misleading (or tone-deaf), but first you’d have to verify they came up with that on their own. From everything I know, at least, marketing takes what the production staff gives them, and works from there.

[missjackil]

My 14x08 Opinion

Byzanthium This one got me feeling some kinda way.... Lets start with Sam sitting bedside with Jack? Ughhh my heart!! Sam has sat bedside of people as they were dying, like Bobby and Claire, of course Dean, but you could see in his face and posture, this was a whole new feeling. A hint of anger came out for a second when Jack said “Tell him Im sorry” and Sam said “Tell him yourself!” but he got a grip and smiled softly “He’ll be right back” Jack couldnt have been any sweeter either. Of course this didnt help my heart any.  “Sam?” “Yeah?” “What happens next? For regular guys like me?” “I dont know” “Then this will be an adventure” Hear that?? Thats my heart shattering!! The amount of emotions Sam showed was heartbreakingly refreshing. No, we didnt get any sobbing, (on screen) but Ive resigned that he saves that for when Dean dies only, but my boy was definitely heart broken. His storming off had me worried. Sam doesnt always make the best decisions with a broken heart. I liked that Dean wanted to give him space... all the way up til Cas told him he left on his own. Then well... space be damned right? I loved that Dean instantly worried Sam made a deal.  I loved the scene with Sam angrily chopping the trees... it reminded me of Red Meat when Dean was taking it out on the trees also. Then he broke the axe head, he crumbled.... the self loathing came out once again that he cant even build his son a pyre. My boy was helpless and lost. Watch your step now, I havent gotten around to cleaning my heart up of the floor.  Now, the “Getting loaded for Jack” scene will go down in my mind as a classic iconic scene forever. Along with great scenes like Sams arms opening as hes about to jump into the pit in Swan Song, the Church scene in Sacrifice, “Sammy Close your eyes” in My Brothers Keeper, the Night Moves scene in Baby. I will always remember this episode by that scene. It was beautifully shot, The candy bars were nothing less than adorable, Sam having a genuine, dimple filled smile. All 3 of them laughing, having fun, drunk off their asses. Then Sam flips his glass and staggers off.... tapped out.  Now, how Sam didnt have a hangover the next morning, or how he came up with an idea how to bring Jack back after 5 whiskeys, shows my boy has some super powers I think LOL to bring Lily back was odd, but good. This showed me that even though they CAN bring people back from the dead, its still not an easy feat. They dont have a resurrection spell, or readily available demon to make a deal with, they didnt call on Billie. This is good. This will keep us wondering and worried about how they can bring each other back in the future. However, Lily coming back considerably shorter was weird... older, sure, I get it, but shorter? Anyway, I LOVED Sam angrily shouting “HE’S OUR KID!!!” at Lily. Its the first time Sam vocally acknowledged that he feels more for Jack than his friend or little brother. I know some of you think the whole “my 3 dads” thing is cheesey and too much like fanfic, but of everything they could have pulled out of fanfic. this one was pretty bold, and I think it works, and its beautiful. (Sure Id rather it just be Sam and Dean as daddies, but Ill accept the trio) The heaven scenes with Jack were good. Im glad he got time with Kelly. The heaven scenes with Cas and the angels was boring, and it seemed they didnt really know what to do with the Empty entity or what kind of deal Cas could make. So he makes a deal that seems as though he just cant let himself be happy. Not that big a deal, though it should upset the hellers eh? Since if he allows himself “to be happy with Dean” hes gonna get sucked into the Empty.  So we end with them “knowing where Michael is” which could kill my “hiding in Dean” theory, but I still have that in my pocket because 

Naomi said she had a general idea, so they dont know exactly

Dean still had those mysterious dizzy spells

Jensen said we will see Michael!Dean again at the 300th party

Jared said Sam will confront Michael

Trailers can be very missleading

Im looking forward to the mid season finale next week. One thing I will definitely say in favor of the post Kripke era, is the cliff hangers for the mid season are always good, even if the episode sucked, they always leave us on a cliff hanger that makes us stressed out and speculating for the whole hiatus. Kripke didnt do that so much, we had s1 “Oh dad is on the phone” S2 “Dean has a secret about Sam” S3 Very Supernatural Christmas and no cliff hanger. s4 Angels are gonna fight Demons (zzzzz) S5 Ellen and Jo died, and Lucifer cant be killed. Great episode, but not actually a cliff hanger. Where as even though S12 Lotus sucked, it was a great cliffy to have the boys carted off to Fed Prison. And last years being trapped in the Bad Place with a “dinosaur” or going back to Sam getting his soul back, or how dead is Bobby? You get the picture.

So needless to say I really loved this episode. A couple minor issues that wont really matter in the long run. So on a scale of Bloodlines to Who We Are Im gonna give this one a strong 9. Well done everyone... well done..