#guatemala scene

[dmempowermentshop]

(vía "Lake Atitlan Art, Panajachel, Central America Landscape, Travel lovers, Bohemian art, Vintage travel, Gift for him, Gift for her" Sticker for Sale by LitzoyGlobeArt)

Get yours today! 

[theancientwayoflife]

~ Cylinder Vessel with Palace Scene.

Place of origin: Guatemala, Petén, Dos Pilas or vicinity

Culture: Maya, lk style

Date: A.D. 740–800

Medium: Slip-painted ceramic with post-fire pigment.

[kodachrome-net]

Tony's Club, Guatemala City, 1992

[karihighman]

On location with Melissa O’Neil via IG stories✈️

[call-me-strega]

Batfam Prompt #4: Granddad Lore

Do y’all ever think Alfred just drops Dad Lore™️ out of nowhere?

Like, maybe Bruce and Jason are arguing about Red Hood’s past kills and Alfred makes a sassy remark “If we’re holding everyone accountable for murders they’ve committed under influence when can I expect my court date?” Stunning them both into silence. By the time they get their wits about them, Alfred has already moved on to cleaning the kitchen and refuses to elaborate.

Or seeing Dick and Tim returned to the cave after fighting Condiment King: covered in ketchup, looking like a murder scene, with pickles in places pickles should not be. And Alfred sighs and says “ Oh this mess reminds me of the summer of ‘95.” And when Tim and Dick go “wtf?” try to question him on it he just sprays them with the bat hose.

Or he watches Damien and Cass, trying to train Goliath the bat-dragon to roll over and says “Oh, yes, this reminds me of the pet lizard I had in my boyhood, Spike, who turned out to be a crocodile.” And then leaves before either of them can ask more.

Or visiting Babs at the library with Duke and Steph and he stops to talk to an old woman at the counter. And when he comes get back they tease him about having a lady friend. And he’s like “ Don’t be ridiculous. I met Judith during the Lavender Scare. Helped her ward off suspicion so that she could keep her job as a secretary to the senator without being harassed.” And then he wanders off to find a new cookbook, leaving the three gob smacked.

Or someone’s telling a story about a mission over dinner and Alfred goes. “Ah yes, Master Bruce that reminds me of the summer your father dragged me on a boys trip to Guatemala to search for the chupacabra. Although that trip was how we met your mother.” And he continues eating while everyone stares at him because this is a Lore drop with bonus Wayne Lore???!

[therebelcaptain]

sorry, i just found out that oscar isaac specifically requested yavin 4 as poe dameron’s home world because he found out that those scenes were filmed in his home country of guatemala and there’s absolutely no way i will ever be normal about that tidbit.

[stormoflina]

They look like the two protagonists of a comedy movie, where the two village idiots somehow end up babysitting a bunch of kids on a school trip. And this picture is the start of the scene when they realise they left one of the kids they are supposed to look after in Guatemala or something.

[queseraone]

Leading up to Season 6, your top 5 Chenford episodes so far—

(Yes they need to be in order. Honorable mentions are also acceptable 😉)

Go!

Wow, you really chose violence with this one...

I very much didn't just spend half of my work day spiraling and struggling to answer this. Ahhhhhh!!!! To a certain extent, it's easy. My top two? No problem. BUT THE REST???? WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO MEEEEEEEEEE?!?!?!!?

Okay, here I go. Wait I lied, first I'm going to explain my ranking a bit. One of the big distinguishing factors for me between the top 5 and the honorable mentions is scenes vs. overall episode. Some of the mentions include one AMAZING scene, but that alone doesn't merit a top spot for me.

I don't know, this was insanely hard. Ask me again tomorrow and some of these will probably change, but as of this moment, I'm going with—

Top Five Episodes:

Day of Death (2x11) - Do I really need to explain this one? This episode was everything. Perfect. Fantastic. Emotional. Intense. Beautifully acted and shot and scored. Truly one of my favourite episodes of TV ever. HE PULLED HER OUT OF THE FUCKING GROUND PEOPLE.

Double Down (5x01) - I am obsessed with this episode. OBSESSED. Lucy dreamed about their kiss! The conversations with Angela and Tamara (and the teasing)! How damn easy it is for them to touch and flirt and ahhhhh! Tim grabbing Lucy's hand when they find out Rosalind escaped! I REPEAT: TIM GRABBING LUCY'S HAND WHEN THEY FIND OUT ROSALIND ESCAPED!!!!! THE AIRPLANE BATHROOM!!!!!!!! *screams like a banshee* So hot, so unnecessary, so amazing. Battle couple! "Do you want to come in?" DO YOU TIMOTHY????? "I shouldn't." THAT IS NOT A NO MY FRIEND. SHE OPENED THE DOOR FOR HIM AND HE FOLLOWED HER IN UJAELGFJMAWELGHEAILKFGELAWGHEWAILGEWALR

Life and Death (4x01) - That damn hug at his place, ugh. SHE IS WEARING HIS CLOTHES! SHE WAS GOING TO HIS ROOM! The total married vibes when he's in Guatemala. It's delightful (bonus honorable mention for Tim's Guatemala Look, mmhmmm).

Now and Then (2x12) - The scene at the end, of course, but also for their individual stories (seeing Lucy grappling with the aftermath of it all, Tim's concern, the way he sets his ego aside and concedes to let Harper train Lucy) and the way they come together in some interactions with Abigail, "you got a time machine?" "I wish I did."

Going Under (5x21) - I loved the UC aspect, the phone calls that, let's be real, are straight out of a romantic comedy, the laundry room, seeing their concern for each other, Lucy being a badass, Tim's vulnerability, "I can't lose you the way I lost her" — all of it.

Please note that I honestly swapped a few of these in and out of the top five approximately 2194725 times before hitting post. (I still can't believe you did this to me.)

Honorable Mentions (in chronological order):

Season 1:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1x03) - I feel like this episode maybe isn't a popular choice for "favourite Chenford episodes," but I've always included it on my list. The scene(s) outside Isabel's apartment are so powerful. The way Lucy stands up to Tim, doesn't back down, goes into the apartment, and then the conversation they have in the shop after. The vulnerability of Tim opening up about Isabel, the way he blames himself for letting it get so far - and more importantly, the way Lucy senses what he needs and throws him a bone ("her apartment is pretty decent"). I just love the support shown in this episode.

The Hawke (1x06) - I love the way we're actually seeing Tim teaching Lucy things (D.E.A.R. Method, etc.), and the way he smacks Eye Patch upside the head for staring at Lucy's ass? And of course the money clip thing at the end. The way Tim tries so damn hard to be annoyed with her, but he can't hide the amusement on his face.

Standoff (1x09) - I love this episode so much. The teamwork they display in that apartment?? Obsessed with this battle couple.

Redwood (1x11) - "Thanks." "For what, doing my job?"

Plain Clothes Day (1x14) - Mostly for the sheer hotness of Tim Bradford in plain clothes (rolling up his sleeves? HELP), but I absolutely love how he refuses to let her wash out over her actions with that murderous asshole.

Free Fall (1x20) - Separated by a wall??? AHHHHHH

Season 2:

The Night General (2x02) - AUDIOBOOK, enough said.

The Bet (2x03) - They did not need to stand so close together, but I thank them for it. Seriously they were so damn flirty.

Control (2x17) - Their conversation during the stakeout is easily one of my favourite scenes ever. The way she reassures him and herself that it wasn't either of their fault? MY HEART. And then the delightful bits of humour that throw in some much-needed levity. I can honestly see his face and hear his voice saying "Hello." when he's calling her out over the fake call with Rachel. It's just a wonderful showcase of their dynamic.

Season 3:

Revelations (3x06) - Love seeing the starting point of Lucy be a total badass UC officer. And equally love seeing Tim's reaction to it. He acts the same way he did when Isabel was going in as a CI. Let me just repeat that - he acts the same about his rookie going undercover as he did about his wife being an informant. HELLO?

Amber (3x09) - The whole "I have feelings for you" scene? I would have lost it if I watched live back then, but I absolutely die laughing at it. Eric killed it with his reaction, pure gold. And just the general dynamic of their last shift, particularly Lucy with her checklist and knowing Tim will throw it out. THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELL (too well).

Threshold (3x14) - Tim in a tux! The green dress! THE ELEVATOR EYES!! "Save me a dance." HELPPPPPPPPP

Season 4:

Breakdown (4x09) - Eric acted the hell out of this episode, and it was wonderful (in a super depressing way) to peek into Tim's background a bit more. The way he trusts her with this case, and more importantly, the way he feels safe enough with Lucy to be vulnerable with her! "You're nothing like him." *sobs forever*

Backstabbers (4x18) - DANCE DANCE DANCE

Day in the Hole (4x22) - This episode is absolutely absurd. Doppelgängers? REALLY? But it got these fools to kiss so victory to 4x22! The scene in Lucy's apartment is pure gold, from Tim's broken brain to them kissing (obviously), to the awkwardness when Tamara catches them, to the look on Tim's face in the hallway.

Season 5:

The List (5x10) - The cold open of them getting ready for their date was a perfect showcase of their dynamic and their relationship. Trying on everything in their closets? The best friend energy of calling each other? Tim's face when she mentions the green dress?!?!?! It's absolute perfection. And then their first real date was so perfectly them!

Death Notice (5x12) - "This is the most amazing relationship I've been in since... ever" !!!!!!!!!!!! The hands outside the precinct. THE HANDSSSS!!! Their last shift riding together. Battle couple! LUCY LESSONS. "It's you." And, duh, THEY BANG!

Under Siege (5x22) - BATTLE COUPLE!!!!! And that hug/forehead kiss. The fact that we see over and over how these two strong people let themselves be vulnerable around each other, how they are each other's safe place. I am forever not okay.

What are YOUR top episodes?? I love talking about this stuff, and to be honest, I actually surprised myself with some of my choices!

Okay, hitting post before I change my mind again...

[theflyindutchwoman]

I can't go back to the apartment -- his empty room… You don't have to. You can stay with me. I don't want to impose. No, Lucy, you shouldn't be alone right now.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 4.01 - Life and Death

There is something in this scene that in many ways feels like a redo of The Dark Side/Day of Death… Tim's suggestion that Lucy shouldn't be alone or go home after the haunting day they've just had, has a similar vibe to his advice back then… The difference is that, this time, he makes sure he is the one there for her… that she stays with him. It's also how calm he is here, in complete contrast to the feral man he was when she was missing. All his focus is turned towards her. The way he's looking at her when they both leave roll-call together, already watching out for her, trying to gauge how she's faring with everything… Her well-being is his priority, period.

Her reluctance to go back to her apartment, scared of seeing Jackson's empty room, is so devastating. And it makes Tim's steadiness even more important : he doesn't even hesitate before inviting her to stay with him. It actually looks like he was already thinking about it, when she mentioned going home, as if he was trying to find a way to broach the subject. He is so gentle with her, so casual about his invitation, trying not to make her uncomfortable or feel pushed. The fact that he is the only one who apparently considered this detail is very interesting in terms of storytelling… It underlines the shift in the different dynamics and relationships. For three seasons, the focus was on how close the rookies were : it would have been perfectly natural for Nolan to step in and ask Lucy if she wanted to stay at his place… To mourn their best friend together. Having Tim take that role is a subtle way of showing how she is starting to gravitate towards him more and more instead, bringing them much closer.

Lucy looks so touched by his offer, giving him an out, afraid of being an imposition, of him being just polite. He doesn't take it though, instead emphasising how she shouldn't be alone in a time like this. And truthfully, this is as much for her as it is for him. She definitely shouldn't go home in their empty apartment that will only remind her of Jackson's death - I'm assuming that Tamara is staying at a friend's. But I don't think Tim wanted to be alone either. Taking care of her means that he can focus on something else than the events of the day. But most of all : he's already lost a coworker, his best friend is missing… There is no way he is going to let her out of his sight if he can. Not after what happened the last time. Not when Angela's kidnapping has to bring back memories of Lucy's. Not when he spent so many times beating himself up and feeling responsible for what happened to her. Having her with him at his place would actually lessen his worry… especially since she could still potentially be a target, as she was the one who arrested La Fiera in the first place… He isn't going to take any chance this time around. Just like Grey doesn't take the risk of sending her to Guatemala with the rest of the team for the rescue.

This invitation really shows the progression of their relationship. His gentleness, her little thanks, showing how much she is moved by his attention… Setting the stage for that beautiful moment at his place.

[nerdsbianhokie]

Reading the World

In 2023, I challenged myself to watch a movie from every country in the world during the year, which I more or less succeeded. At the start of this year I decided to read a book from every country in the world (without the time restraint) and got a map to track my progress along with a challenge on Story Graph.

List of countries and books below the cut

Current count: 37

Afghanistan:

Albania:

Algeria:

American Samoa:

Andorra: Andorra: a play in twelve scenes by Max Frisch

Angola: The Whistler by Ondjaki

Anguilla:

Antigua and Barbuda:

Argentina: Our Share of the Night by Mariana Enríquez

Armenia:

Aruba:

Australia:

Austria:

Azerbaijan:

Bahamas:

Bahrain:

Bangladesh:

Barbados:

Belarus:

Belgium:

Belize:

Benin:

Bermuda:

Bhutan: Folktales of Bhutan by Kunzang Choden

Bolivia:

Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Botswana:

Brazil:

British Virgin Islands:

Brunei:

Bulgaria:

Burkina Faso:

Burundi:

Cambodia:

Cameroon: The Impatient by Djaïli Amadou Amal

Canada: The Gift is in the making: Anishinaabeg Stories retold by Amanda Strong and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Canary Islands: Dogs of Summer by Andrea Abreu

Cape Verde:

Cayman Islands:

Central African Republic: Co-wives, Co-widows by Adrienne Yabouza

Chad:

Chile: The Twilight Zone by Nona Fernández

China: The Secret Talker by Geling Yan

Christmas Islands:

Cocos Islands:

Colombia:

Comoros:

Cook Islands:

Costa Rica:

Croatia:

Cuba:

Curacao:

Cyprus:

Czech Republic:

Dem. Rep. of Congo:

Denmark:

Djibouti:

Dominica:

Dominican Republic:

Ecuador:

Egypt:

El Salvador:

Equatorial Guinea:

Eritrea:

Estonia:

Eswatini:

Ethiopia:

Falkland Islands:

Faroe Islands:

Fiji:

Finland:

France: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

French Guiana:

French Polynesia:

Gabon:

Gambia:

Georgia:

Germany: At the Edge of the Night by Friedo Lampe

Ghana: Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey

Gibraltar:

Greece:

Greenland:

Grenada:

Guam:

Guatemala:

Guernsey:

Guinea:

Guinea-Bissau:

Guyana:

Haiti:

Honduras:

Hong Kong:

Hungary:

Iceland:

India: Coming Out as Dalit: A Memoir Of Surviving India's Caste System by Yashica Dutt

Indonesia:

Iran: Darius the Great is Not Okay by Abid Khorram

Iraq: Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi

Ireland:

Isle of Man:

Israel:

Italy:

Ivory Coast:

Jamaica: When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten

Japan:

Jordan:

Kazakhstan:

Kenya:

Kiribati:

Kosovo:

Kuwait:

Kyrgyzstan:

Laos:

Latvia:

Lebanon: Beirut Hellfire Society by Rawi Hage

Lesotho:

Liberia:

Libya: Zodiac of Echoes by Khaled Mattawa

Liechtenstein:

Lithuania:

Luxembourg:

Macedonia:

Madagascar:

Malawi:

Malaysia:

Maldives:

Mali:

Malta:

Marshall Islands:

Mauritania:

Mauritius:

Mexico: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Morena-Garcia

Micronesia:

Moldova:

Monaco:

Mongolia:

Montenegro:

Montserrat:

Morocco:

Mozambique:

Myanmar: Smile as They Bow by Nu Nu Yi

Namibia:

Nauru:

Nepal:

Netherlands: We Had to Remove this Post by Hanna Bervoets

New Caledonia:

New Zealand:

Nicaragua:

Niger:

Nigeria: Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Niue:

Norfolk Island:

North Korea: A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea by Eunsun Kim

Northern Mariana Islands:

Norway: Blind Goddess by Anne Holt

Oman:

Pakistan: Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

Palau:

Palestine: The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher

Panama:

Papua New Guinea:

Paraguay:

Peru:

Philippines:

Pitcairn Islands:

Poland: Return from the Stars by Stanisław Lem

Portugal:

Puerto Rico:

Qatar:

Rep. of the Congo:

Romania:

Russia:

Rwanda: Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

Saint Barthelemy:

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha:

Saint Kitts and Nevis:

Saint Lucia:

Saint Martin:

Saint Pierre and Miquelon:

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:

Samoa:

San Marino:

Sao Tome and Principe:

Saudi Arabia:

Senegal:

Serbia:

Seychelles:

Sierra Leone:

Singapore:

Sint Maarten:

Slovakia:

Slovenia:

Solomon Islands:

Somalia:

South Africa:

South Korea:

South Sudan:

Spain:

Sri Lanka: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

Sudan: The Translator: A Memoir by Daoud Hari

Suriname:

Sweden: Fire from the Sky by Moa Backe Åstot

Switzerland:

Syria: The Book Collectors: A Band of Syrian Rebels and the Stories That Carried Them Through a War by Delphine Minoui

Taiwan:

Tajikistan: The Sandalwood Box: Folk Tales from Tadzhikistan by Hans Baltzer

Tanzania:

Thailand:

Togo:

Tokelau:

Tonga:

Trinidad and Tobago:

Tunisia:

Turkey:

Turkmenistan:

Turks and Caicos Islands:

Tuvalu:

Uganda:

Ukraine:

United Arab Emirates:

United Kingdom: Poyums by Len Pennie

United States of America: Reclaiming Two-Spirits: Sexuality, Spiritual Renewal & Sovereignty in Native America by Gregory D. Smithers

United States Virgin Islands:

Uruguay:

Uzbekistan:

Venezuela:

Vietnam:

Wallis and Futuna:

Western Sahara:

Yemen:

Zambia:

Zimbabwe: We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

[doublestandardlove]

bro literally jane's a car is a blatant horrible ending for everyone all around and @nico-the-overlord can fight me about it

tom's in a mental hospital and will probably get arrested for two charges of literally attempting and succeeding at a hit and run

tim has no guardian, assuming there's no extended family in hatchetfield, and if there is, tim's gonna be miserable bc his dad's in jail, miss becky is acting strange, and that's not even assuming that emma's back from guatemala

becky's soul is trapped in a car that's either gonna be destroyed or taken apart, considering the implications from *that* scene she would probably feel all of it :/

jane won't have enough claim to tim, even if she's able to tell her son that she's not actually becky. the law says otherwise and if she tried to prove it's she'd go to a mental hospital too

anyways tl;dr jane's not gonna have custody of tim, tim lost his mom, dad, and potential maternal figure, and becky's straight up screwed

SERIOUSLY PLEASE- share your thoughts i need to be proven right y'all

[xmaveria]

HEY HAVE YOU HEARD OF El ESPIRITU DE LA MASCARA SHORT FILM ?

It puts together wonderfully sown of a short based in Guatemala by a Guatemalan-Uruguayan team.

You can see the preview here!

"the film follows IQ’, a curious and playful spirit who listens to the sound of an old prayer that summons him to the world of the living. At the other end of that prayer is Saq Nikté, an 11-year-old Mayan Kʼicheʼ girl with vitiligo, who forges a mask as an offering to the spirit"

SUPPORT INDIE FILMS LIKE THIS INDIGENOUS CENTRAL AMERICAN FILM !!!

"The film is born from a need to see more animated projects from Central America, specifically from Guatemala. There is very little support for film projects in the country, let alone anything animation-related. Our goal is to elevate the talent that already exists there and support those who are learning for the first time from this experience. But more importantly, it’s a celebration of our country's rich indigenous culture, aiming to shine a spotlight on it."

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Tuesday evening all :) Another non Chenford ep BUT good separate SL’s once again. After this this won’t be an issue for a long while ha Good scenes with Harper training Lucy for UC. Which I LOVE basically female version of Tim and I love it. Good moments with Nolan and Tim. You read that right haha Nolan still mainly a putz but their scenes are good. Second to last ep of the season. Woo here we go.

3x13 Triple Duty

Tim and Nolan are paired together in this one. Their dynamic changes a little more each time they are paired. Last time was 2x12 when Lucy was with Harper. We start the episode off on lovely note. Tim asking how Henry is? Ugh love this man’s heart. Look at him asking Nolan of all people a personal question. AND he’s being genuine about it. Be still my heart Mr. Bradford.

Tim asks about his interest in T.O. once he’s graduated as well. Look at our boy creating conversation with John. I love it so much. I think it's partly to see his reason but mostly genuine. Nolan asks Tim if he has any advice he could share he would appreciate it. Tim saying ‘Sure’ is the best. Look how he’s grown. Being a fountain of info for Nolan. How times have changed.

Their convo is interrupted by hearing multiple gun shots. Assault rifles from the sounds of it. They pull up to cemetery and are shot at immediately. They follow the guy deep into the cemetery and find his body. Looks like he was shot to hell and couldn’t make it any farther. They investigate more and stumble upon a massacre. I love the look they share as they hear backup arriving. Pretty grim.

Looks like the war that was created last ep with La Fiera has begun. Crazy brutal way to start it but she is a VERY angry grieving mother. She is taking swift action and justice on the late Tomas’s business. His son clearly her target for what happened to Diego. A turf war has begun and doesn’t look like there are signs of it letting up.

Angela shows up on scene to confer with Grey, Tim and Nolan. La Fiera flew back to Guatemala to bury Diego. She has since returned to take care of unfinished business. She is camping out at a hotel downtown. Rented out the entire floor for her time in L.A. Grey tells Angela to go and see her. Cesar has gone to ground and Narcotics can’t find him. Tim says he could ask Mack he worked for his dad. Now that he’s in rehab will have a clearer head to help out. Look at the good that came from him helping Mack out. Full circle goodness already. Good job Tim.

We catch Lucy and Jackson fighting over who’s going to do paperwork. Jackson is winning until Grey calls her into his office. Leaving him with the dreaded paperwork haha When she enters his office Harper is there. Grey asks her if she heard about the mass casualties from this morning? Lucy tells him yes that they expected as much after what happened at the hospital.

Harper then steps in and says this has created an opportunity for them. Saying how when bosses are murdered/die it changes things. UC’s get upended from their covers due to it. She then says it lets them bring new UC’s into the field. We watch Lucy light up like a Christmas Tree. She could not be more excited about this news. Ready to jump in and do whatever Nyla wants to be apart of this.

If Tim could hear all this he would be having a coronary. LOL Lucy is so excited to have another crack at a UC OP. Saying she is so ready to do this again if they need it. Harper tells her not so fast. This won’t be a sting operation like last time. It's going to be be a long term placement instead. Much different than the one time OP she did back in 3x06. Her character remains the same the operation not so much.

Grey lets her know she would be on her own. No backup or surveillance like last time. That he’s told Harper to test her readiness today. That if she doesn’t sign off with confidence it’s not happening. You can tell Lucy is chomping at the bit to prove herself. I do love Grey telling her it’s ok if by end of day she isn’t prepared. No shame in the game. Harper tells Lucy to go get changed they’re throwing her in the deep end ASAP.

Tim gets the info he needs from Mack. Yay good job Mack ha Tim and Nolan roll up to Cesar’s hideout. Tim is confident and leading the charge in the convo. Quite sexy to watch. Telling Cesar if he just honors the deal his father made La Fiera might let him live. Otherwise she’s coming for him hard and won’t let up till he’s dead.

Cesar is pig headed and refuses to do this of course. Saying what belonged to the father will be inherited by the son. Ok but no LOL They warn him if his men believe the deal is legit they’ll bail on him. Leaving him exposed and alone by not cutting this off at the pass. Cesar continues his cocky act. No wonder she ends up offing you my man….Nolan asks Tim what they do from here? He tells him they can only hope Angela having better luck with La Fiera…

In their downtime Angela has assigned Tim the task of cop RSVPs and getting the number down. They haven’t replied so he has to track them down for numbers or if they have to reduce that number. He’s battling with someone with the amount they want to bring. Tim is so over being a MOH LOL Nolan motions for him to hand over the phone. John throws Tim under the bus. Saying he miscalculated the venue cap. That she can’t have a plus 4.

When he hands the phone back my lord. If looks could kill LMAO Asking if he’s proud of himself? Throwing a fellow officer under the bus? John’s reply is pretty solid(even if he's schmuck). Tim can’t even refute it since it got results haha Ballsy of him to do tbh. If you weren’t friends with Lucy... You'd be dead man John.

Angela calls Tim and her ringtone is the wedding march. I love this little detail so much. It's adorable. He asks how her meeting went? She tells the guys she can stop the war. Tim ask how? Angela lets them know through giving her the recording from hospital. She can take control after that. I adore Tim teaching Nolan something during this. Always in T.O. Mode I love it. Basically telling him live today fight tomorrow mentality with this. They keep citizens safe today go after her tomorrow.

We catch back up with Harper and Lucy. Lucy looks ready for her first test. Harper tells her she can’t cram 100 hours worth of training in one day. So all she can do is teach her what she needs to know in order to survive. Asking her the three things she needs to know to make it. Lucy tells her about being aware of the law, always stay in character and can’t remember the last one. Harper fills in the blank above.

Nyla emphasizes how much multi tasking she has to do just mentally. I couldn’t do it personally. She then asks Lucy if she’s worked on her backstory at all? Our wonderful dork says 4 notebooks. Harper laughs. Oh Lucy never change my friend never change. She gives Lucy 5 minutes to get into character before they go to this party. Gah love this dynamic so much. How far we’ve come from the dark days of the sewer.

Harper has invited her to a party with a test involved. Clearly someone tied to her UC life. Wants to see how she does. Lucy is slick af talking with this guy. Talking in double speak about ‘cooking’ and the big orders she can handle. Even calls him out for asking about where she learned to cook. She is crushing it until she see’s Tamara then you watch her demeanor change completely.

Channeling Lucy Chen in this moment and not Nova. Like she’s supposed to be doing. One of the cardinal rules of UC. This guy she is with is laying hands on her. Takes everything in her power not to kill this kid. Lucy plays it off as not liking how he’s treating her. That she can’t stand to see it. He says he can take care of that for her then. To watch the grill.

He walks over and shouts at the boy with Tamara. I love the silent communication between her and Tamara. She takes a step forward and Lucy stops her. He tells him to make his way over. Harper is asking wtf is going on? He tells her Nova didn’t like how the kid was treating that girl. Harper does some double speak of her own talking about how the girl needs some better focus.

The little snot is a cocky putz when he comes over. Lucy tells him he needs to treat her better. Shows him her gun when he tries to be a turd back. He cowers and says won’t happen again. Lucy telling him 'Good now piss off.' Amazing. UC Lucy is always a delight to watch. That confidence radiating off her when she's in character.

Tim and Nolan are waiting on Smitty for civilian clothes and a unmarked car. They need to follow Cesar but can’t in their shop and uniforms. He was supposed to pull clothes from their lockers. He ended up pulling them from lost and found LOL Tim holding up the ‘Hugs 4 life’ shirt is everything. Nolan complains they gave him their combinations for their clothes. Smitty says 'Yeah but he didn't do that' My god. Tim asks why they rely on him for anything? Haha

Their scene follows up with hilarious continuation of the guest list. It’s like Nolan wants to die. Tim has been incredibly chill and patient. More so than he's ever been with him. Maybe don’t test that boundary John. Smh. Always takes it too far. I do like him re-instilling fear in him a bit. He was a little too cocky last time he stood up to Tim about this guest list lol.

Also plain clothes Tim is my fav kind of Tim. Well until we get 'Metro Tim' but that is a long ways off. You think I’m thirsty for him now. Phew lord you all just wait... Tim’s death glare gets interrupted. They see Cesar take off and notify dispatch for backup as they pursue him. The way Tim says ‘Cesar’ hot damn. Take me now sir. *fans self* That inflection he does I can not get over it. Mmm.

We soon find out Harper planted Tamara there as a distraction. Lucy pretends she knew it was a test. Uh huh sure you did.... Protective mama Lucy comes out quickly after. Saying she should be in school. Tamara tells she Nyla wrote her a note. Lucy then asks about the guy. She just walks away from her without a word LOL Nyla's reaction is too cute. Lucy in none too pleased with that reply but doesn't have time to delve deeper.

We then meet the man from the BBQ. He’s another UC an expert in Narcotics. His Name is Shay and Nyla set her up there for a reason. He tells her what a good job she did with the kid. That it was a nice save. He is also an expert in making all kind of drugs while being UC. He tests her and she CRUSHES it. I love the proud face on Nyla. She knows the superstar she has ahold of. Couldn’t be prouder if she tried.

Shay tells her 'Good.' That they’re going to spend the afternoon cooking. Telling her it’s one thing to know what to do when everything is good. It’s another skill set to know what to do when it’s not. That’s what’s going to keep Lucy alive should shit hit the fan. (which it will) That skill will end up saving her life. We will see that in the next episode.

Tim and Nolan roll up and see he’s left his hideout for a booty call. To see his baby mama. No wonder his father has no faith in him. Man is putting this first during a drug war. After he leaves they go and knock on the door to talk to her. Saying they need to talk to her about Cesar and anything he's hiding here. Angela calls Tim saying she thinks La Fiera’s plan isn’t to kill him, but to kill his kid. For him to feel the same suffering she is feeling.

As she says this a car rolls up five shooters ready to go. Tim is sexy af as he talks Nolan through his plan. The plain clothes are adding to said sexiness. But yummy the way he says they’re about to find out how steep the price of admission is. Good god man you truly are sex on two legs walking. The way he exits the house confident as hell. Pass me the ice water. Confidence is an attractive thing on its own. It’s insanely so on Tim Bradford.

I do love the banter between John and Tim in this scene. Definitely found a little groove at this point. Also we got a shot of Tim’s ass in jeans. Wins all around. Talking about how much money they’d need to walk away. They make a joke about being Batman rich. Nolan takes an impressive shot at the main heavy. Yes I complimented Nolan. I must be high off of Tim in Plain clothes being authoritative. Probably won’t happen again.

I do enjoy how the scene unfolds in the house. How Tim and Nolan slowly take apart her crew. Each taking out a couple guys each. Watching Tim in the field being all competent always a delight to behold. The ending scene is pretty cute. Tim may not always like Nolan personally but he respects him as a cop. This is a good bonding moment for them. Tim’s proud of how he handled himself in his knife fight. It’s all over his face. Nolan actually impressed him. There's a first time for everything they say.

We see Lucy at the station waiting on word about the operation. Nyla comes over with exciting news. She got a glowing recommendation from Shay. Saying she is more knowledgeable than most of his own people. Nyla also approves and says Grey has officially given her the go of being in this operation. Nyla tells her to get personal life squared away before tomorrow. No telling how long she will be gone. That she can’t let her guard down ever but to go home for now. To rest up tomorrow the real work begins.

We rejoin the guys at the station. Filling out a mountain of paperwork. Nolan asks if Tim wants to order Thai food? Tim doesn’t answer his question but does say he’s a good cop he will give him that. John looks confused and is like so food? My god Nolan. LOL You’re about to get a serious lesson my good man. I love how passionate Tim is about teaching the next generation. It shows in his training and how he is about it with everyone. He has to make sure he really wants this.

Tim calling Nolan on his crap for being indecisive is AMAZING. He doesn’t want the next generation taught by someone apathetic. Or as Tim says views it as a consolation prize. He takes so much pride in being a T.O. He’s making sure Nolan is doing it for the best of reasons. So very Tim to feel it is his duty to vet anyone wanting to be a teacher. Put them through his paces see if they're worthy.

John has never had a Tim test before. You better believe he’s doing it now for him. To see how he’ll react to him goading him. Pushing his buttons about his intentions. Nolan passionately defends himself and why he wants to be one. You can see on Tim’s face he accepts John's answer. Then it’s the most guy way to end their convo. Tim answering his previous question about food. Nolan says 'Love it' and it’s over. No emotions just food. Men. LOL

Lucy is on her way home when she is kidnapped. I can only imagine the Caleb PTSD she is going through in this moment. Her being overpowered instantly. Her yelling ‘No no’ ugh my heart. She’s brought to a rooftop where Harper is also bound and gagged. She is bleeding profusely from her head.

Lucy holds her own from the jump though. Saying Coco was being tortured so of course she said that. The killer instinct holding up. The one Harper saw in her from day one. She doesn’t let the fact this guy is accusing her, Coco and Harper of all being cops. Then he douses Harper in gas and says he isn’t asking. He knows they are cops. All he wants to know is what the cops know about Salonga and his future plans. That whatever they know will affect future deals.

It’s intense af as he starts a lighter up. It’s then we really watch Lucy dig deep. Rely heavily on that killer instinct of hers. How she walks her way out of this with just her words. That if he sets that fire Salonga is good as dead. Recalling he is in debt to some bad people.

That she’s the only one that can relieve him of that debt. Cook him up a fortune. But if he kills Harper all that goes down the drain and she won't cook him a damn thing. Emphasizing he needs her more than she needs him. That he needs to pull his head out of his ass and let them go. Such a BAMF in this scene. Holds her own with a fiery performance.

We find out it was another test set up by Harper. Nyla having the most Tim-like reply when Shay sings her praises. Lucy is livid and calls him a full service asshat LOL He takes no offense and says she will thank him later for this. (I mean she will...) Lucy is vibrating with anger for the both of them. Like a cornered animal ready to strike at any provocation. She is insanely revved up finding this final test insane.

Lucy goes after Harper pretty hard regarding her PTSD about being abducted. Nyla is on point per usual and says that’s why she did it. I mean it’s a great way to see how she would react. To see if Lucy could push past the PTSD and still function. Stay in character and keep herself and Harper alive. She passed with flying colors. Even if Lucy is raging at the moment.

Harper tells her it’s the last test. Lucy is still full of spit and vinegar in her reply. Saying the last test was the last one. Nyla telling her that’s why she wasn’t expecting this one. Then gets really real with her. Asking if she wants an out? Still wants to do this Even after what she just experienced? Lucy brimming with an immense amount of adrenaline and says ‘Yeah. I do.’ The ep ends there. Hell of a day for our girl my god.

~~~~~~

Side notes-non chenford

Not a ton. It is nice to see Stanton get his come-up in’s after he’s reinstated. That’s about it for non chenford stuff really.

Holy crap we’re hitting the finale next. I swear I just started s3. Blinked and we’re at 3x14 now it’s a shortened season but still.

As always thank you thank you. To all who support these reviews with likes, comments (oh how I love comments don’t be shy ha), and reblogs. Makes all the work I put into them so very worth it. Shall see you all in 3x14 :)

[modern-dream]

From Architectural Digest –

The team commissioned a botanical mural to be hand-painted onto the backsplash tile, which wraps the room. The Breccia Capraia marble countertops with purple and green veining and lower cabinets, painted Guatemala by Argile, complement the meadow scene.

[fatehbaz]

Caribbean cruise vacations have a long violent history. Earlier today, I came across one of the early print advertisement illustrations for the Caribbean cruise ship vacations offered by “the Great White Fleet.” And I pondered bananas.

Just as uncomfortable as it sounds. The story of the origin of the Caribbean cruise industry is, after all, also the story of the origin of the term “Banana Republic.”

In 1914, the Great War began as the planet’s powerful empires of old were collapsing, as British, French, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, Russian, and Qing/Chinese powers were marred by internal revolt and global warfare. But in 1914, the United States completed their Panama Canal and consolidated power in Latin America and the Caribbean, celebrating the ascent of a “new” empire made strong, in part, by bananas.

As of 2022, bananas generate 12 billion dollars per year, with 75% of bananas exported from Latin America and the Caribbean.

The planet’s single biggest banana-producing company is Chiquita. The Chiquita brand was previously known as United Fruit Company, which had essentially monopolized the banana industry in Latin America. United Fruit Company has a bit of an image problem, following its theft of Indigenous land across Central America in the early 20th century; its role in provoking the killing of tens of hundreds/thousands of plantation laborers during the Banana Massacre of 1928; the company’s direct role in the CIA-backed toppling of the Guatemala government in the 1950s; and the company’s role in paying to harass and intimidate labor organizers in Colombia in recent decades.

But what of the “romance” and “adventure” of the Caribbean?

So it’s 1915 or 1916.

Middle of the Great War. Classic empires are disintegrating: Spanish empire, British empire, Austro-Hungarian empire, Russian empire, Ottoman empire, remnants of the Qing/Chinese state, etc. And whose empire is rising? United States, an empire expanding in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. After the 1898 Spanish-US war, as Teddy Roosevelt’s cartoon cavalry conquered Cuba, the Spanish Main belongs to the US of A. The US Navy controlled the Caribbean Sea, and was aiming to expand across the Pacific Ocean, to Hawai’i and beyond.

But the official US Navy isn’t the only fleet upholding the empire. The United Fruit Company had its own fleet.

The text of one of these Great White Fleet ads, from 1916, adorned with imagery of a blue-and-gold macaw and an aerial map of the Caribbean, reads:

“[W]here winter never comes and where the soft trade winds bring renewed health. [W]ith all the comforts and all the luxuries of life you enjoy aboard the palatial ships of the GREAT WHITE FLEET. Delicious meals a la carte [...]. Dainty staterooms, perfectly ventilated [...]. [A]mid the scenes of romance and history in the Caribbean. And with it the opportunity to win for yourself a treasure of health and happiness, of greater benefit than the fabled fountain of youth, sought by Spanish adventurers in the tropic isles of the Spanish Main.”

Who’s leading the charge?

The United Fruit Company!

From the May 1916 issue of Red Book. Image source, from Archive dot org:

Another:

Image source, from Archive dot org:

“There the Pirates hid their Gold -- and every voyage, every port, every route of the Great White Fleet through the Golden Caribbean has the romance of buried treasure, pirate ships an deeds of adventure [...].”

The Golden Caribbean.

The same region where Columbus murdered Indigenous people, where the US and France had just spent 100 years punishing Haiti with unending economic warfare afters slaves rebelled against colonization, and where the United Fruit Company would now set up shop.

The company’s plantations would expand across Central America, establishing brutal racial hierarchies and essentially controlling federal governments of Central American nations.

In 1928, over 30,000 laborers were on strike at banana plantations in Colombia. They demanded payment of actual wages, rather than the credits they were given which were mostly only redeemable at company-owned stores in company towns. The US government threatened to send the Marine Corps to intervene if the “subversive” workers would not return to UFC’s plantations. In December 1928, after martial law had been declared, General Cortes Vargas entered the town square of Cienaga (Magdalena) during Sunday gatherings, with machine guns, opening fire on the crowds, and killing perhaps 3,000 people.

In the late 1940s, the United Fruit Company intensified its ad campaigns led by propagandist Edward Bernays (nephew of Sigmund Freud???), who also practiced his skill at manipulative advertising when working to popularize the American Tobacco Company by showing women smoking “torches of freedom” and linking “women’s rights” to cigarette iconography.

Bernays, who explicitly wrote about his “counter-Communist” intention in the ads, was “drafted” in the war to topple ascendant leftist governments. After 1944 and after Arevalo’s labor reforms, Jacobo Arbenz Guzman took control of Guatemala in 1951, and took over 200,000 acres from United Fruit Company and returned them to poor families. Bernays launched propaganda attacks against Guatemala, helping to plant stories about Guatemala eventually carried in the Saturday Evening Post, New York Herald Tribune, and Reader’s Digest. In January 1952, Bernays personally led a tour of Central America, accompanying publishers and editors of Newsweek, the Miami Herald, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Cincinnati Enquirer, Scripps-Howard, and Time magazine. When the CIA-trained military force led by Carlos Castillo Armas invaded Guatemala, with CIA aerial support, installing Castillo Armas as president, Bernays called them an “army of liberation.”

Bananas and Caribbean cruises aren’t the only culprits in expanding imperial power in Latin America, the tropics, and the Global South.

In 1914, the same year that the United States finished the Panama Canal and consolidated power in Latin America and the Caribbean, Richard Strong was a newly appointed director of Harvard’s new Department of Tropical Medicine. Strong was also appointed director of the Laboratories of the Hospitals and of Research Work at United Fruit Company. Strong toured the company’s plantations in Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Cuba. In the coming years, Strong would also personally approach Harvey Firestone, chief executive of the Firestone company, which owned and brutally operated rubber plantations in tropical West Africa. Research in tropical medicine was thus inaugurated by and dependent on colonial/imperial plantations and racial/social hierarchies at United Fruit Company and Firestone sites across the tropical regions, planetwide. Strong is just one character that demonstrates the interconnectedness of academia, fruit plantations, rubber supplies, food distribution, motor vehicle industries, strike-breakers, military forces, imperial expansion, and other tendrils of violently-enforced racist power.

Today, in 2022, Chiquita maintains twenty thousand employees across 70 countries. 

I think about this as I eat a banana for lunchtime. I think about this when I see the Edenic portrayal of a Caribbean shore, a landscape baked not so much by the tropical sun but instead scarred by centuries of genocide, slavery, and plantation labor, where government officials gleefully report “with honor” on the massacre of thousands.

“Just a banana, it ain’t.”

Agreed.

[lsdrey]

well, it's more things from my oc that I've drawn and a scene that will always give me a laugh from a series I watch.

vincé is Italian with latin descent, (guatemala) and also that he is extremely annoying as he always makes Daniel angry and he is tremendous simp of Cassandra, don't blame him he likes to be treated badly.

I painted her hair so she could identify who she is, I'm too lazy to paint.