#god the line delivery

[brother-emperors]

WILL NO ONE RID ME OF THIS TROUBLESOME PRIEST ROMAN?

When Caesar arrived in pursuit on the third day, Theodotus showed him Pompey's head and ring, but Caesar was offended and wept.

-Liv. Per. 112.4

the title quotation is referring to the famous quote associated with the henry II-thomas becket conflict. the uhhhhh. the themes match, somewhat. feels the same, in some kind of way. anyway, fucking RIP to caesar and pompey. it's gotta be lonely, to start off as three, and then two, and even locked in conflict, there's a familiarity of being known that you're never going to have again. ah, what loss. what tragedy. etc etc etc.

[kruelsaffron]

Kratos just holding his son as gently as possible…. T_T

[cockworkangels]

genuinely and wholeheartedly i think this is the best scene of the entire season

[fangswbenefits]

How can I not fall for this silly little man.....

[spiderziege]

sometimes i look for 'bad' tv shows to watch while crocheting (aka stuff that doesnt really require full attention) and i thought dead boy detectives would be perfect for that, but after a few episodes i think. actually this show is like a train wreck i cant look away from. im hatewatching with full attention. im fascinated

[vethbrenatto]

I will help you confront those that did this to you.

[fatalism-and-villainy]

While talking to @menciemeer, something came up re: Jack’s motivations for being in Italy in season 3 that I haven’t seen discussed much - and that is that he’s explicitly there not to catch Hannibal, but to save Will. Here’s his dialogue with Pazzi in Secondo:

Jack: If he hasn’t already, Il Mostro will return to Florence. Pazzi: Come back with me. We have a chance to regain our reputations and enjoy the honours of our trade by capturing the monster. Jack: I’m not here for the monster. Not my house, not my fire. I’m here for Will Graham.

This is even more striking in light of the context for his character that the very next episode gives us - his conversation with Chilton in Aperitivo establishes that he’s been forced into retirement with the FBI, but he’s not interested in regaining his standing or reputation. (Very odd in light of the fact that come the Red Dragon plot, he seems to still have his old job in Behavioral Science). Chilton tries to get him to use Will as bait to find Hannibal:

Chilton: Will is going to lead you right to him. Jack: Oh, no, he’s not. Not to me. I’ve let them both go. I’ve let it all go. Chilton: You dangle Will Graham and now you cut bait? You’re letting Hannibal have him hook, line, and sinker. Jack: You’ll excuse me, Dr. Chilton. I like to be home in the evenings when my wife wakes.

What stands out about this exchange is Chilton’s “letting Hannibal have him” phrasing. It foregrounds not subduing Hannibal, but preventing Will from succumbing to his worst impulses, as a central motivation for Jack in 3A. It’s also significant that it’s his need to care for Bella that leads him to defer pursuing anything relating to Hannibal or Will, because her death is framed within the episode as the impetus for his investment in following Will to Europe - as he tells Will in the funeral scene, “you don’t have to die on me, too.”

So much of Jack’s character arc in the first two seasons is juggling his repeated sacrifice of others for the greater good. His guilt over what befalls both Will and Miriam features prominently in season 2, and during Will’s trial, he’s already prepared to put his career and reputation on the line to stand up for Will and atone for what he feels is his role in Will’s downfall. Both the traumatic events of Mizumono and Bella’s death bring about more of a full turnaround in that direction - Jack becomes less invested in apprehending killers in service of public safety, and more invested in saving the specific person who’s been harmed by that project.

I think this motivation doesn’t always stick in people’s minds because these exchanges get eclipsed by Jack beating Hannibal to a bloody pulp a couple episodes later, as well as his inexplicable return to working for the FBI in 3B. But even in the former altercation, his fight with Hannibal feels personal, more about venting anger and grief than actually apprehending Hannibal. In Dolce, when Will asks why Jack didn’t kill Hannibal, Jack responds “maybe I need you to” (in the same exchange, of course, as “you need to cut that part out”). That scene also establishes clearly that Will and Jack are, like Pazzi, “outside the law and alone.” As in Mizumono, they’re effectively vigilantes - and Jack’s mission is not serving justice for the FBI, but in saving Will from Hannibal’s influence.

This is why, despite the fact that Jack is once again embroiled in FBI business in season 3B, I always envision his role post-canon as being a continuation of what haunts him in the first half of the season - less about catching or killing Hannibal than about rescuing Will. It’s a lot more compelling to me, at least, than him simply continuing to be the face of law enforcement.

[coconut530]

Some derps for the past three Malevolent episodes ~ 🕷️👩🏻🎄

[johnsilvers]

speaking of absolutely stellar minor character monologue moments

[suitetarts]

have you ever been so infatuated that you give yourself a headache?

[stupitunclehal]

thinking about the way rufus talks to dimitri. becoming very sad. the absolute brutality that is inflicting this treatment on a twelve year old child for six years when you are the last living relative he has, when he’s not allowed to leave your line of sight, when you’re either actively supporting or turning a blind eye to attempts on his life, when he’s literally losing it and every paranoid and self-loathing impulse is being reinforced by worsening psychosis.

the fact that this is something dimitri internalizes and something that becomes a core facet of how he perceives himself. it’s reinforced in everything from how felix speaks to him (yes, ofc, I understand felix himself is processing some horrific things as well) to how he’s treated by bystanders even when he’s putting his best foot forward.

a few snippets in 3hopes show that, even when he’s generally popular and he’s a very good and proper young man, people are still afraid of him (largely bc of his brute strength and status). note that and then the way he behaves throughout the academy phase in 3houses and what you’ll see him say in side iterations (some of the quotes in heroes, for instance). he offers to help with manual labour, errands, anything that benefits from his strength that is not related to killing.

fuck you, rufus; he didn’t but dimitri should have torn your head from your shoulders in AM. fucking cocksucker.

[averlym]

"careful, or i'll quote that"

[reservoirreputation]

Me: Height difference is nice, can be cute. Not my favorite thing in a ship, but it's nice.

Cuddy in 3X15, having to get on her tippy-toes to give House a hug.

Also me: jdhsaf;dsh;fkjds;lkgjaflkgjlaksdfjalsdkjflk

[owlinks]

what do I do with myself after hearing "I see you as the only star in the sky"

[pookachuka]

oh wow what a shock the married couple fights like a married couple and makes out afterwards

[ghostlyarchaeologist]

"I was, uh, just trying to be nice. I didn't want to hurt your feelings, is all."

Almost Paradise S02E08 Uncoupled.

For @my-beloved-lakes