#it's really good we got these moments in s3-4 that sort of show they are struggling but always come back to each other

[chirpsythismorning]

With Birthdaygate pretty much confirmed, here are two moments from 4x02 Vecna's Curse that hit different...

(1) First we have Jonathan stopping Will as he goes into Rink-O-Mania to tell him something. Will turns around quickly and almost looks, dare I say, hopeful?

But why would that be the case? Unless of course there's something Will's waiting for Jonathan to say, that he hasn't said yet? Happy Birthday perhaps? Surprise Will! We didn't forget your birthday! We're coming in! We have a party planned and everything! Meet you inside! (interesting that there were birthday decorations in there as well...)

Unfortunately, all Jonathan does is tell Will that they'll be back to pick them up at 6:00. And so Will goes from sad, to hopeful, only to go back to looking sad again...

I think a lot of fans attributed Jonathan's concerned looks in this moment as him knowing about Will's feelings for Mike. And I do still think that's present, especially as he's telling Will they'll be there to pick them up later. In that specific moment he sounds sympathetic like Sorry buddy, that sucks.

However, the look Jonathan makes after Will turns away, as Argyle starts driving off, doesn't look like sympathy or pity from someone witnessing unrequited love. It looks like confusion and almost deja vu being experienced by Jonathan himself. As if he's forgetting something, but doesn't know what it is...

(2) Next is at the very end of Will and Mike's fight. Mike sort of echoes the same level of frustration he had during their rain fight, when he said It's not my fault you don't like girls. We know the scenes parallel each other, and how after both of those things are said, there's this silence that takes over, making clear that this is as far as they can go, otherwise they might risk hurting each other beyond fixing. We see both of them make faces of deep emotion here, because they probably are also being reminded of their fight last summer.

And so Will's options here were to, either (A) take it even further and risk hurting Mike more than he's hurting him, or (B) just don't say anything and let the argument end there before it gets beyond repair.

But the thing is, it almost looked like Will was going to say something. He quite literally mouths the word But-- only to cut himself off all together, looking defeated.

Here's what I think. THIS would have been the perfect moment for Will to say, But, you forgot my birthday, Mike. If it was genuinely something as simple as Mike and everyone simply forgetting and needing a reminder, without any supernatural implications involved, I think this would have been the moment to do it.

It would have also mirrored their rain fight even better because it would have been Will saying something and likely walking away, leading to Mike being like OH SHIT I have to fix this! I messed up.

But we all know it's not that simple.

As far as Will knowns, EVERYONE forgot his birthday, not just Mike. And so him calling out Mike here, might have felt slightly unjustified in that it wasn't just him who forgot.

It's almost like they're not the problem here, he is. (WILL POV ANGST)

That's what truly makes the scenes at Rink-O-Mania so heartbreaking. Because it wasn't just about Mike and El ignoring him, it was the fact that it was his literal birthday. All the most important people in his life, who used the literal memory of his birthday to bring him back bc they cared about him so much in the past, have now apparently forgot about him in the present.

Not to mention, the story not blatantly acknowledging his birthday being forgotten in the narrative of s4, means that it was framed this way bc the whole point was they only wanted it to be hinted at in s4, saving it as a surprise revelation in s5.

And so, if Will did say here, but Mike, you forgot my birthday, how would that have impacted the conflict in s4 and Vecna's plan as a whole, specifically for Will? All it would have taken was them connecting the dots after that, figuring out Vecna's plan before he could even reach Will, rendering s5 plotless?...

S5 is likely going to jump right into this, there's too much incriminating evidence about unused footage at the Rink-O-Mania location. It also fits with them not mentioning it in s4 if it's intended to be an early s5 revelation.

TBH with all the storylines going on in s4, them exploring the depths of Will's connection to Vecna just wasn't an option, bc they wouldn't have been able to do it justice. He needs to be front and center for that.

They're clearly saving the best for last...

[love-has-a-way-ofgrowingbackward]

look guys there's something weird as HELL going on with aziraphale. all three minisodes we saw gave us an insight on how his brain works and his beliefs and everything and how it leads to him making the choices he's made. right.

crowley said something weird has been going on before the attack and we know he has a sixth sense for these things but WHAT IS IT.

i think i REALLY REALLY THINK there's going to be flashbacks to season 2 scenes in s3 and we'll get context and ohhh moments. like.

1. at the mystic shop crowley puts his cap on a snake. maybe just a sneaky nod to how he was wearing a cap but maybe something more?

2. i think the way metatron says "how predictable" and when he says "are you going to take it" so deliberately. they're huge huge clues i think. i feel like the metabitch knows something i dont which pisses me off.

3. i dont understand why the job scene was shot a little different to other ones and also why crowley and aziraphale sounded so different from the scene chronologically before and after that we see in s1. except maybe the seaside bit the whole thing was. definitely odd. and its also mentioned again and again and again. biggest question i have and also one of the biggest foreshadowing in the show is the job quote from the matchbox. what is that WHY IS THAT.

will we realise parts of the job scene were fake or left out and see in s3 how the line was relevant.

4. WHAT does metatron want from aziraphale sooo badly that he went to the trouble of going through his entire earth file and carefully construct manipulation plans a through to z to convince aziraphale to come up.

unless he was unnerved that they together blocked gabriel from him and left him in the dark while actively trying not to do something powerful and he wants armageddon 2 so he can destroy earth because he's the bad guy. and he cant even feasibly start on that as long as aziraphale and crowley are together/friends/as long as, metaphorically, the bookshop is theirs.

(the bookshop wasn't 'theirs' by the time crowley left i think. they'd sort of mentally given up on that which is why at the end muriel could enter without permission i think. if the south downs thing ends up being canon then maybe the bookshop will be destroyed for real because otherwise at the end they would end up at the bookshop)

5. look one of the most terrible thing in the whole ep6 was aziraphale not paying any attention to crowley in the beginning of the confession. he's really really flustered and there's a heartwrenching theme of him staring out of the window. he's absolutely terrified of the metatron seeing them and half his mind is on him.

aaaaaghhhh losing my fucking mind. you could almost hear the quote about the straightforward love life when crowley looks at nina and maggie. that feels like a conclusion kind of? like a really happy ending just like beelzebub and gabriel had. they're both good and loved. which is why i dont feel like we'll be seeing them majorly again... maybe we will i hope we will but idk. there's.

season 2 was soft gentle romantic definitely but it was also a sherlock holmes level of mystery. except we're at the start of the story when holmes doesn't get all the facts to solve the mystery.

also random not plot related questions.

why does the sandwich woman blink so much in the seamstress scene and why does aziraphale blink so little during the last lift scene. these probably dont mean anything other than the womans mascara got in her eye or something

how does the bentley play classical music which doesnt change for aziraphale but doesn't do that for crowley? is it love i hope its love

why does aziraphale's face do something odd when he leaves crowley to talk to nina ep5? or am i reading too much into it? he was very forthcoming with the rest but with nina he was sort of quiet (?) and reserved and went away looking uncomfortable.

why did aziraphale want so badly to drive crowleys car? was it meaningful or connecting to him? i know a lot of people say the dont hesitate to ask me any questions about love scene was aziraphale giving crowley horny eyes but i thought he seemed itching and really eager to get the keys? why does he want them sooo desperately. i don't fully understand their relationship which makes me WANT TO. what happens to a person when they spend six thousand years with their only friend and companion being a hereditary enemy, watching every single thing they do?

also why was he willing to give away a book and bribe out a book for the meeting? seems overboard for someone who doesn't really seem to think about heaven checking on nina and maggie. i think tbh it had less to do with heaven's suspicions than aziraphale being the kind of person who would love an excuse to host a night of dancing and food and love (mood) and he even got to participate by dancing with the demon he loves instead of just watching! (though i suspect he really likes that as well). hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

guys the brain rot has set in someone tell me im not imagining things

[oceanic-sunsets]

S4 and Its Role Storytelling Wise: The GA’s (lack of) Understanding of The Show

[Warning: long post ahead]

So I stumbled across two videos on youtube about season 4 of Stranger Things, analyzing it from a storytelling standpoint. As one does, I watched them, because I was intrigued about what people thought outside our bubble or places like reddit and fb. And I wanna talk about it because it’s intriguing how the answers are right in front of us, but most people, even people with knowledge about storytelling and media analysis, don’t consider more possibilities, too blinded by heteronormativity and how we’re used to the same formulas, the way most stories unfold. 

The first video, “Why Stranger Things 5 (Probably) Won’t be Good”, considers that the show is dragging on too long because all the characters have solved their conflicts and the entire main cast of characters are perfectly fine with each other, which means s5 won’t be a compelling story because you can’t separate the character development and inner conflicts from the plot. And I was genuinely surprised because this is the complete opposite of how most of us perceive s4.

 If anything, I don’t like rewatching s4 for this reason, because everything feels too open, too unresolved, with some clues and some key reveals but no real answers.

Mike and El are far from okay, they ended up the season not talking to each other. Will lied to Mike about the painting. Nancy and Jonathan haven’t had a real conversation about their future and how they really feel about it. Dustin is grieving Eddie and Mike isn’t even aware of his death. Lucas and El are grieving Max but not giving up on her.

And the most important one that upset me to no end for a while after I finished s4, before I sit down and analysed it: the characters come together to try to save Max, and Mike and Will do the same for El, and then they reunite… But they don’t have any real moment that reminds us that they’re friends, or why they are. This is hard to do when there’s so much action going on, but there’s always time to show us where these characters stand with each other. And this hurts me to write, but they don’t feel like a group of friends anymore, haven’t, for a while, since s3 probably. And this is intentional because they purposefully show us the party drifting apart in the beginning of s4, as soon as the first episode. 

The fact that they’re all back in Hawkins and working together again isn’t enough to show us that they’re back to being best friends. We need moments that show us why these characters are friends and stick together because they love and care for each other, choosing each other, not only because the circumstances force them back together. 

And in that sense, s4 lays the foundation for it to be something touched upon next season, but these characters are far from completely fine with each other. It’s going to be good and rewarding to have them all reunited and working together again and rebuilding their friendship at the same time, but it has not happened yet.

To say there’s no more “personal drama” to add on is a complete misunderstanding of where our main characters stand. When I heard that I was just thinking, did we just forget Will lied to Mike about the painting and he was only able to say “I love you” when he was pushed by Will, and we got no explanation for his weird behavior?!

The second video (Stranger Things 5 is NOT the Redemption You Think It Is) analyses several aspects of the show and brings up very important points about what makes a story feel real and compelling. This is a very good video, however, I found myself disagreeing once more with most of it. I’ll divide it into sections so it’s more organized, and I’ll talk about their arguments and my counterarguments. Keep in mind this is how most people perceive the show, and this person in the video is someone who does have some sort of knowledge about storytelling. 

*They see the Cali plot as useless. 

It is a fact that Mike, Will and Jonathan have been sidelined this season. While I don’t like this or agree with the amount of screen time they were given this season compared to other characters, they are far from useless. A lot of people seem to think they didn’t know what to do with them, so they put Mike and Will together in a van with Jonathan in Argyle just for funsies, and gave Will a crush on Mike as a last-minute decision. They perceive Will’s plot as simply being the “sad gay best friend who is obviously getting rejected”. 

Their reasoning is quite simple: They aren’t looking at the bigger picture, failing to consider how these characters all have a purpose and how the Duffers always say that each scene adds something to the story. Even seemingly insignificant moments have weight in the story and are used to help us understand the how and why’s, or as callbacks, parallels, or even to reveal future plot points. 

So what IS the purpose of the Cali plot? First I’m going to say what is NOT their ONLY purpose: saving El.

Yeah, that’s what we see them doing the entire time, but it’s not like El had an issue getting out of there by herself. I’m sure she would’ve been fine, ultimately doing the same thing we see her do: find a way to try to save Max when she’s miles away from Hawkins. 

So, if their purpose (storytelling-wise) is not to save El and help her get to Hawkins… What does the Cali plot add? 

CHARACTER CONFLICT that is going to BE IMPORTANT LATER. It’s, again, part of the FOUNDATION for the climax. Even with their little screen time, the Cali plot is KEY for future events. It builds lies upon lies that ended up inadvertently killing Max. 

Mike wasn’t being himself, incapable of having an honest, open conversation with El, not being able to tell her I love you. Mike’s inner conflict, his tumultuous relationship with El, isolation from his friends, and awkward behavior towards Will drove Will to lie to him, presenting his feelings as El’s. Will’s lie pushed Mike to rush a love confession in a life-or-death situation and instead of helping, it contributed to Max’s death and Vecna not being defeated. 

It serves the purpose to show the audience: 

The characters are lying. They’re not being honest with each other, and this has BIG consequences. 

They’re acting that way for a reason, but we don’t know why yet. It’ll be important later.

Mike and El do not understand each other and don’t work as a couple.

It sets Mike and Will’s relationship apart from the rest. They’re not just our usual friendship story, because if they were, their conflict would’ve been solved when they made up in s3. But their story is not over. This is the writers telling the audience: look here, we’ve established this pair and dynamic, it’ll be important. 

And the thing is, if Will was supposed to be your usual “gay best friend in love with the straight guy” story, why bother with the points we just went over? It was a choice to have Mike act that way, not being able to hug Will and tell El I love you, it was a choice to have Will lie about the painting making it impossible for the truth not to reveal itself eventually, it was a choice to establish them as a pair who has multiple hearts to hearts, and it was a choice to have El not speaking to Mike by the end of the season. 

It was a choice to have THIS as the final shot of the season. 

*Mike’s Character

Next, let’s talk about Mike, one of the least liked characters by the general audience right now.

To be honest, it’s easy to understand why, and even some of us were worried about how they’ve been handling his character. The GA perceives Mike as a supporting role, El’s incompetent boyfriend who went from this smart kid that acted as a leader, to an oblivious, mean character. He feels DUMB to the audience, because how could he not notice El acting weird and how upset Will was in the van scene? They think it’s a shame because he used to be a perceptive kid and now he apparently lost his perception. 

But this isn’t true at all. 

Even in s4, when Mike is not his best and focuses too hard in pretending to be someone he’s not… He has shown us

Again

And again

And again

That he is still his smart, perceptive self. He just struggles when it comes to emotional awareness and communicating his feelings, which, you know what? it’s completely fair for a teen boy whose best friend went missing, discovered an alternative dimension, saw multiple people die, and… Do I have to keep going? And he still managed to figure out the number was inside the pen, that Nina was a computer, and had the idea to ask Suzie for help. But they don’t read him as a three dimensional character, which brings me to the next point.

*Mike being “The Heart” feels undeserved

Honestly, my first reaction right after finishing s4 was the same. I thought they had murdered his character, and how could someone who is a bad boyfriend, a bad friend, and mean be the heart of the group, the leader? (I’m so sorry, he’s my favorite character now and my resentment lasted like two days) 

I get them. This is what happens when you don’t consider the bigger picture and the clues for the character arc they’re clearly setting up for him. 

In the video, it is said that “S4 doesn’t do a good job of conveying his emotional growth”. This is true. That’s why the monologue doesn’t feel genuine, it’s unsatisfying and just overall weird. Not to mention the deathly (literally) consequences. But that’s the thing. S4 doesn’t try to make his love confession a sudden, magic solution for his individual issues and his relationship with El.

Because it’s not a resolution. It’s not growth. There’s nothing in S4 that made him suddenly realize how much he loved El, nothing that inspired him to want to tell her those words. It’s the opposite: he has to be pushed by Will, who lied to him and put words and feelings in El’s mouth that weren’t hers. The grand love confession that saves the day was prompted by a lie.

So again, they DON’T try to fit into the “love confession saves the day” trope. They make a POINT of showing us the indirect consequences.

And while this season Mike was distant for both the audience and the characters (for a reason), we have to remember the role he has always played: he’s the friend that cares too much, who doesn’t give up on the people he loves, who is always there supporting and trying to protect others (mainly Will and El). 

And this season finally has him as the one receiving emotional support, it shows us someone else looking out for Mike the way he always does for other people. This was said by Finn Wolfhard himself! and the Duffers, I’m sure, I don’t remember where right now, but if someone knows, please link me:).

Besides, these are Will’s feelings. His words show us how beautiful and intense they are. It’s how he sees Mike, despite their fights and the tension that seems to follow them everywhere. And Will has a lot of reasons to feel that way: Mike has always been kind and a good friend to him, it’s only recently that the complexity of growing up and feelings shifting into something new changed their dynamic. 

*”Max mourning Billy feels undeserved”

I’m gonna be honest, this is what annoyed me the most. It completely brushes over the real message and the source of a lot of Max’s trauma and the reason why she’s the one who got cursed: Max isn’t suddenly sad because she lost her step-brother who sacrificed himself to save them. She isn’t sad because the bad guy turned good in the end and died to redeem himself. She feels guilty because she wanted him to die, wanted him gone, and when it actually happened she feels like it was her fault. Billy didn’t redeem himself, one single good action resulting in his death doesn’t absolve him of all the bad. And Max knows this, that’s why she feels so guilty. It’s the mixed feelings of sadness, relief, and guilt. 

The last thing the video touches upon that I’ll address brings me again to something I mentioned before: 

*"Even in the same town, the characters feel a mile apart" 

This is something I agree with. No counterargument here, because it’s true. What tends to be overlooked, however, it’s the fact that it’s intentional. The Duffers themselves have said that you’re supposed to feel like the characters lost, like it’s hopeless. 

This is because Stranger Things as a whole is written using the Five Act Structure. You can read a post by @dinitride-art that explains this better here, but in summary, this is how stories are structured if you divide them in five acts: 

That’s why s4 feels the way it does. I love what it adds to the overall story that is unfolding, but I really don’t like it is as its own season. That’s because you’re meant to interpret the show as a whole, and yeah, last seasons tried to sort of give us a good and satisfying ending, but as we’re nearing the end of the show, s4 couldn’t do that.

It’s the second to last act, the moment we feel everything is lost and can’t be fixed. That’s why the characters even back together in Hawkins do not feel like a group of friends again (yet). That’s why the truth about the painting hasn’t come out. That’s why El and Mike aren’t talking. That’s why Mike and Will still have unresolved tension despite being friends again and a team. That’s why Max is in a coma. That’s why the Jonathan/Nancy/Steve love triangle was left unclear. That’s why Hawkins is falling apart, Vecna is getting strong again, and the Upside Down is starting to leak into the real world. 

There are many things I didn’t like about s4. There are things I think could’ve been done better and clearer to the entire audience. But I’m excited about what’s to come, and after seeing the effort and details put into the show, and how much care and love they put into their characters, I’m choosing to trust we’ll get a good, satisfying ending for the characters we love.

And with that, I’m done here! If you made it this far all I have left to say is thank you and sorry lol.

[runninguplenorahills]

Mike is going have a heart-to-heart with Hopper in s5 Theory with a capital “T”

At the end of season 4 we have this very minor Mike/Hopper bonding moment which is honestly pretty cool considering the fact that they didn’t really leave on good terms in s3. It emphasized that the “hatred” towards each other was a short lived phase and not anything serious or overly concerning. Their interaction set the path for their relationship to be better in s5 than it was in s3!

Hopper:“you grew”

Mike:“you shrunk”

This is their dialogue in this scene and it immediately shows us that both of them are past what had happened the summer before, while still keeping that dynamic they’ve got going on with Mike having the freedom to be snarky and not overly cautious around Hop. They also hug afterwards which indicates that Mike is comfortable around him.

“You grew” is of course not only about Mike’s hight! It’s a comment on Mike having made progress in growing up, and that he’s more mature than he was last summer. This was their very first interaction since last summer though! They have not seen each other in 8 months and so Hop doesn’t actually have any evidence for the second meaning of “you grew”………yet!

I think this scene was foreshadowing the fact that Mike and Hopper will actually fully mend their relationship in s5 by having an impactful scene together! And I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be a heart-to-heart and variation of a coming out scene!

Why do I think that?

At the end of season 3, right after that very awkward kiss between Mike and El, El goes to Joyce and they talk about the speech Hop wrote, and Joyce says:

“It’s the speech Hop wrote for you and Mike” – “you know. The heart-to-heart” – “he never talked to you didn’t he?”

The speech was for El and Mike! They were all supposed to have a heart–to–heart together but as we know, that didn’t work out at all.

Could this also mean that Hop will have a heart-to-heart with El and not Mike? Well, yeah. But I honestly don’t think it does! Hopper wanted to teach them an important lesson with his speech. The message behind his words was the important thing and by reading the letter El got that message! It might’ve not been in person but El already received that heart-to-heart that she was supposed to get. Mike didn’t.

Hopper’s speech/letter:

“I know this is a difficult conversation but I care about you both very much and I know that you care about each other very much […]”

Hop cares very much about both of them! YES, Hopper is El’s dad and YES, he’s going to be biased in a lot of different situations, siding with his daughter, but he also cares very much about Mike! So when Hop finds out about Mike and El’s current situation, I don’t think he will be an asshole to Mike again!! He said he cares very much about him but he has yet to show that he really does! And if he’s just an asshole to him again in s5 then he’s contradicting himself, their scene in s4 would be totally misleading and it would just be bad writing which is why I’m actually certain that Hop will even try and be there for Mike if he sees that he’s in distress over something!!!

This whole sentence also feels like it could foreshadow a heart-to-heart with Mike and Hop because the way it is phrased can totally be applied to Mike and El’s current situation!

“[…]a difficult conversation[…]” -> a heart-to-heart with Mike and Hopper would definitely be a difficult conversation because the main topic is a sensitive one, Mike already struggles with opening up and talking about his feelings, the suggestion of a breakup is difficult and the situation is just overall complicated!

“[…]but I care about you both very much and I know that you care about each other very much[…]” -> anyone who cares about Mike and El sees that they’re both not happy and that this is not working so the conversation is very much needed because Mike sorting out his feelings and a breakup is the best for the both of them!

“I care about you both very much” , “you care about each other very much” -> those two fragments are almost identical in sentence structure and wording which is usually done when trying to emphasize a connection between two separate things! So I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that Mike and El care about each other in a similar way that Hop cares about both of them: platonically!! Which reminds me of “Care. But you don’t love me anymore?” It’s almost like Hop will suspect that Mike doesn’t love El but cares about her endlessly nonetheless! And because Mike cares about her so much he should break up with her because that’s the best for her as well!!

“So we can build an environment where we all feel comfortable, trusted and open to sharing our feelings”

Mike is so clearly included in this!! Hop doesn’t only want El to feel comfortable and trusted enough to be open to sharing her feelings with him, he wants for Mike to feel and do the same!!! Can y’all imagine what kind of cement block would’ve come crashing down on Mike if he had heard Hopper say this to him during s3?? A person representative of a father figure (not to mike but narratively) actively trying to arrange things in a way that makes Mike feel comfortable to talk about his feelings??? Mike is in desperate need of that heart-to-heart!!

I feel like this sentence is also very telling that it all rather leads to a Mike/Hopper heart-to-heart than to a El/Hopper heart-to-heart in s5 because while El does have internal struggles, her main struggles are external and she doesn’t seem too have a deeply rooted inner conflict that impedes her relationships with others. Mike on the other hand has exactly that! Mike has this internal conflict that leads to him constantly repressing his feelings which he’s shown to also not be comfortable talking about. Which makes me think of “I never really… unpacked.” The fact that Mike has never actually talked about his feelings is such a significant problem and as of right now it’s one of the things that stand at the forefront of his character!! Mike’s character arc can not be satisfyingly concluded without him talking about his feelings which means it’s inevitably coming in s5!! And Hopper’s letter kinda seems to tease that exact moment!

“[…]changing. And I guess, if I’m being really honest, that’s what scares me. I don’t want things to change. So I think maybe that’s why I came in here. To try and maybe stop that change. To turn back the clock. To make things go back to how they were.”

This is the part of Hopper’s speech that directly resonates with Mike which is emphasized by the camera being on him all throughout! Mike has realized something about himself that inevitably will bring a lot of change along with it and that’s what he’s afraid of! He doesn’t want things to change so he represses his feelings in order to not have to face the change that would come with embracing them!! He’s so scared of things to change for the worse that he pretends that things are exactly like how they were before he had that realization!

That’s just not how life works. It’s moving. Always moving wether you like it or not. And yeah, sometimes that’s painful. Sometimes it’s sad. And sometimes, it’s surprising. Happy.”

And this is the part of Hop’s speech that plays directly after the camera pans away from Mike! This is something Mike does not consider! Even less at the end of s4!! But it is most certainly something Mike would’ve needed to hear! That things can change for the better!!

The last sentence is also emphasized on. It feels like a big reveal before Hopper sums up his speech, which is why I believe that that’s where it’s headed. This is a piece of wisdom Hopper gives Mike! Mike will take it and life will be surprising. Happy. Change for the better!

There’s also actually a rainbow in the shot when Hop says “and sometimes, it’s surprising” and Mike coming out as gay would definitely be a “surprising” thing for the GA! [not for us though haha] And it will result in happiness 🌈

As I said in the beginning, Mike and Hopper’s little bonding moment at the end of s4 really set the path for their relationship to be better than it had been and I truly honestly think that a heart-to-heart/coming out is the only way to achieve that due to their very aggressive talk in the car in s3!! That was the furthest from what Hopper had intended to do so I think it would be really satisfying to have Hopper actually give that heart-to-heart which he had planned all along!!! Their relationship also really deserves a redemption from that car talk!

We also have to consider that Hopper was also in the shed when Mike opened up to save Will in s2 so Hop even suspecting something isn’t totally far fetched! A heart-to-heart would also open up the possibility for an insanely fantastic parallel/call back to Mike and Hopper’s scene at the end of s2:

Hopper:“it’s okay”

Mike:“No! Nothing about this is okay!”

-> There’s of course a big chance that this won’t happen!! But I honestly would love to see Mike coming out to Hopper!!! Something about it just feels so right and it makes sense too, so why not?

[dorizardthewizard]

Galactik Football season 3 rewatch, eps 4 - 6

Episode 4:

Aww Tia and Thran talking about TV shows, I like seeing more interactions between characters we don't see together that often.

Also Tia looking out for D'jok by getting the video checked! We see her check up on him a couple of times in these episodes, I love their friendship. Here it's like a little reversal of when D'jok was looking out for her when the whole Rocket Netherball thing was going down

Hooooow does Thran's filter program somehow let him see what happened before the explosion?? That's not filtering anything out, it's straight up new footage!

Artegor putting his hand on Aarch's shoulder after D'jok's disappearance... they're such a divorced couple with messy history who still care about each other

Clamp: Without D'jok here, we don't have a captain!

A complete non-issue since D'jok only started being the captain because Rocket left, but he's back now so

THE KINGS, THE LEGENDS!!!

Aw that little moment of the Snow Kids being a little star struck, getting to play against Aarch and Artegor at their prime. Although I still don't know how that works exactly with the holo-trainer and their irl physical fitness but whatever

THEY'RE PLAYING IN PERFECT SYNC AS IF NO TIME HAS PASSED AAAAAAA

Standing all cool as they tell their Snow Kids to take a break and then immediately crumpling with their middle aged bones ajshahaha

Why does Sonny's English dub voice sound so forced now. "It COULD be a TRAP!!"

Aaaaand now D'jok's leaving as well, that was quick

Are they... you know 😳😳😳

No seriously Sonny's delivery just sells this ahahaha

I love team Paradisia's designs btw, very y2k. We've even got Clover from Totally Spies here!

Ok quick rant about the attempts at portraying "girl power":

Honestly idk about D'jok being annoyed they're all girls, this with the Elektra's comment earlier are examples of S3 being more heavy-handed like, “yeah these players are girls, but ACTUALLY that doesn't mean they're not good players!”. Compare this to the previous seasons where we just... had players that were really good and happened to be girls, and no one needed to comment on it? Like, Kernor is the top goal keeper and Lun-Zaera is the best striker for the Wambas, plus Tia was the Snow Kid's biggest weapon in season 1 so I don't think D'jok would immediately dismiss the girls like that. Maybe he would be disconcerted at being the only boy, but still. It's like in the lego n/in/ja/go movie where they were like “she's a GIRL, but she can still be a NINJA!” which has a weird psychological effect of actually enforcing to kids that there is some sort of disparity between men and women, when instead they could just portray her as an equal and let that do the talking, no need to manufacture sexism so you can call it out like “hey, we're so progressive!” (not that you can't have stories with that too, I just don't think it makes as much sense in this situation and shows a different approach than the first two seasons).

Rant over <3

NIKKI-4 IS TALLER THAN D'JOK YASSS

I like Team Paradisia's football outfits but what's the point of the visor?

They kind of have the Cyclops' style of attacking, lmao

D'jok you're such a bitch

Y'know at this point Aarch is like. Wow don't we have contracts with any of these kids? With notice periods?

I feel like S3 could have been more fun if the player switching had been more planned like, mix up the teams! The Snow Kids knew they'd have to get a player from another team but for some reason did not seem willing to let go one of their own, even though logically they would have to?

Artegor: He was bad for the team and we're better off without him!

Ah nice to see Artegor's no chill side still comes out sometimes

GASP! What a twist!

Episode 5:

Ooooh new name for a Ryker's player! Kinda wish it was the blue hair one just to distinguish easier lol

Nihla!! Although apparently Nihlis in secondary material. Not sure if it's clear what their gender is in the og French but I hc that the Shadows fuck around with gender anyway

Ok what, I remember this All Stars game happening but I thought it was later. I thought I skipped an episode for a second there because what, there was no mention of this mixed all stars game before at all??

also TIA SHOULD BE ON A TEAM

Nikki-4 sounds like the actual name Nikifor. heh

Rocket and Tia's H2O t-shirts! iconic nerds

My reaction to the Mice-delight advert breaks are the same reaction I have to any advert break

Ah ok so they were all contacted by other teams lol, in my mind Tia got contacted for the All Stars game but she turned them down because things were tumultuous for the Snow Kids and she wanted to be there for them <3

Also why are they dismayed that everyone's been contacted by other teams, that's kind of the point of this mixed flux tournament, no? It means they're good players!

Micro-Ice only got contacted by a fan club? WRITERS STOP CLOWNING ON MICE AND ONLY USING HIM FOR COMEDIC RELIEF HE IS A REALLY TALENTED PLAYER! Artie back me up

Ah ironic, Rocket can't make the flux jump and he falls, as opposed to season 2 when he saved Tia from a fall with the flux. Now I'm imagining Tia jumping up to save him and carrying him bridal style. It should have happened, writers

Rocket: Yeah I'm okay! Rocket: Actually, I take that back

We love a self-aware king who knows his limits <3

Christ it's just disaster after disaster for the Snow Kids, huh

Callie giving Nork the STINK EYE lol DRAG HIM she at least has some journalistic integrity

D'jok's being such an ass with the way he's talking about the Snow Kids, at least Mei showed there were no hard feelings when she left. What did they do to you, man? I can understand him feeling hurt and needing to get away, but now the show's going back to “D'jok only cares about winning” again. Like sure that could definitely be a front, but the show doesn't really look behind it as far as I remember

YAAAASS LUN-ZEARA

Surprised we didn't start this match with D'jok and Sinedd taunting each other

How dare you use the Pirate's soundtrack and not have a Pirate on the field >:(

YES KERNOR! weird to see her tired out though

The animation 😭😭😭

ooo call back to Netherball with this resonance thing, glad that has consequences. Cool that they show it affecting other players too, Kernor was the Netherball champion before Rocket after all

Does Simbai get dressed in her flux society clothes just to have a zoom call with them?

Ah wish we had more of that all star game

Episode 6:

Oh come on this is just sloppy now, he says the Shadows vs Rykers but that's the Pirates' logo. They got it right on the previous shot as well!

Is Mice practicing confessing to Yuki? I thought they were already dating lmao, surely they're past this

Why is Mark drawn with nipples but Micro-Ice isn't? Wait no he has them too in the next shot, what are the rules here 😂

Ah this scene is a classic. But 🅱lease give Micro-Ice some development that's not just comedic relief, even his stuff with Yuki is played for laughs. What about the fact that his best friend, no, brother, just up and left and shits on the Snow Kids on live TV?

SHARKY THAT. DOES NOT FEEL VERY LEGAL. SEXUAL HARASSMENT, IN FACT.

Kernor enjoying her little treat <3 I love when we get to see tough characters doing mundane things like eating ice cream.

I love this butler guy who hates his job. His wince when Tia says she needs someone to talk to before he reluctantly offers an ear, LOL. An icon.

Awww I'm glad to see Tia and Mei still being good friends. Mei I missed you!

THE SHADOWS WALKING IN UNISON UNDER THE UMBRELLA DSFJKFSSDF I know I shit on the animation but they do try to put in little things like that. They didn't have to animate that, but they did, for us.

Artie and Bennett shenanigans yaaay

Not Ahito and Thran deciding to watch the Shadows match instead of supporting Yuki

It's so fun watching the Rykers with how intimidating they are. Unfortunately my brain has been ruined and I keep getting reminded of something else when I see this gesture

He looks so unbothered 🤣😭😭

Again, what's the point of the Elektra's visor? Their flux looks so cool though

THE SHADOWS PLAYER IS SO TALL COMPARED TO THE CYCLOPS LOL

What position is Mei even playing now

Why didn't Kernor use her flux? Honestly goalkeepers should just use their flux for every save considering they don't have to run around as much

Is it just me or is Ahito not falling asleep as much as before

4-0???!!! NOT A SINGLE GOAL FOR THE RYKERS???!! RUDE!!!

The look Tia gives Lun-Zia, wtf man, this whole jealousy plot is just ridiculous. SHE WOULD NOT FUCKING DO THAT!

Why ya'll being so mean to Mice, dafuq ToT He just got violated by the paparazzi lmao show some sympathy

Sidney's reaction to Kernor sfsdfjksfjk good taste sir

OH NO NOT ZOLEEN

Ooooooo Pirates lore!! So they were already a thing before Sonny, he just took control from Magnus Blade and gave them a PR change

[shifthours]

OK why I think byler would help Mike's character let's go

SO we all know Mike was a great friend (tho a bit of a hothead) in s1 and s2 but then suddenly in s3 and s4 he's kind of an asshole (conviently when he starts dating el)

So right there it's alr a clear connection that milkvan isn't good 4 him bcs?? A relationship isn't healthy if u feel the need 2 detach from all your friends and give nobody else attention except each other...

BUT ANYWAYD I think byler s5 would change SO MANY THINGS 4 mike LIKE 1. HES WELL KNOWN 2 BE NOT THAT GOOD AT FIGHTING RIGHT okay well hear me out will is good at fighting and they have a moment where he teaches him (kind of like that jancy moment where Jon and nancy swapped the gun and bat 2 find out which 1 was better 4 them) and WE KNOW that will brings the bravery out of him (ex he litr goes 2 all means 2 save will despite knowing there's monsters and ppl dying and things) a bravery that was sort of snuffed out in the fact that Mike didn't really have 2 do anything after they found el, he just kind of was like 🤯 el use ur powers and she did so he doesn't rly have 2 do any of that anymore BUT WITH ELEVEN GROWING INTO INDEPENDENCE I think it wld be so nice 2 see a scene of him also learning 2 take care of himself and I think the best one 2 teach him that wld be will (showing him how 2 load a gun nd aim nd shit)

2. He wld finally be able 2 open up abt how he was feeling more often

In the show we've seen like.MANY many times that Mike opens up 2 will more often and more genuinely than he does 2 any1 else (including el)

If byler ends up being real I think it wld be so much more healthy for Mike bcs he would be lying all the time which is like the main msg of their group (friends don't lie!!!!)

3. Again I think we would get better insight 2 mike as a person for the first time since s2, his thoguhts his wants, needs, motivations, everything. Again when has he ever had a truly honest dialogue with eleven about how he feels (and don't tell me the stupid superhero speech bcs that was trash), he never has not really. He never tells el the complexities of his emotions but rather dumbs it down 2 😟 sowwy I was angy and that's it

But with will they really deeply talk abt things and admit things 2 each other that they don't talk 2 any1 else abt and having a connection like that be one of the main focuses in the show wld totally let us see into mikes thoughts and therefore him as a character so much better

4. HE CLD INTERACT W HIS FRIENDS IN A NORMAL WAY AGAIN one thing that irked me so bad w milkvan is they are insanely clingy 2 thr point of being unhealthy

Even though Mike and will have one or two moments in s4, this like?? Unhealthy obsessed attitude is still present (in mike at least, el seems 2 be getting over it), all he talks abt is el, he hardly even mentions anyone else at all despite seeing will for the first time in a year (u think he wld talk abt the party more?? b4 el got kidnapped I mean)

BUT ANYWASY yeah s3 was also rly bad w that where he wld just abandon his friends 4 her ALL THE TIME and there's a point where like.you really aren't a good friend if all u do is ditch them 24/7 and they all call him out 4 it.

BUT when el's out of the picture he seems to have no problem hanging out w the party (ex. When hopper told mike 2 stay away from el or else, and mike immediately starting hanging out w lucas and will again?? Yeah)

so I think byler wld make him a better friend as well

OK I think that is all the points I wanted 2 hit I feel like I'm missing one but ill just come back later and add on if I rmbr 😟??? BUT ANAYWAYS YEAH byler real

[campbenji]

It has been an eventful week, so this post took longer than I wanted to, but finally, a long post on s4:

Ok, let's start with the good stuff, because I think that's what most of us want to focus on right now:

-> First of all, call me a kinnie, but Ben was my favorite character this season. After two seasons of trying to find a middle ground between the Ben he was when he got to camp and the Ben he found in the island, it looks like he's finally sorting everything out, bringing back his sensitive, careful side, but still being open with the campers and feeling more sure of himself, which was a great change from s3 Ben, when he was still figuring this out. They did a great job with Episode 2 (the "just Ben" dialogue tugged some heartstrings ngl), and his interactions with the rest of the campers sure were more lighthearted and natural than in previous seasons, and it shows that he's finally finding his place within the group.

-> Mae!!!! 💖 She was a rush of fresh air while watching. Finally! An adult with morals who's willing to look out for the kids and actually doing something to take them home. I especially enjoyed her disposition to listen to the campers, which had been missing in the show (yes, even with Dave and Roxie I'm sorry), and was probably what made her escalate so far up my list of favorites. I wish we'd gotten a little more on her, since she was missing around halfway through the season, but we'll see what's in store for her in s5!

-> Now, the scene that made the entire living room shake: When Darius calls Brandon.

First of all, welcome back mister, you were greatly missed. Second, every time I think about how Darius's insticts jumped to immediately calling his brother I cry tears of happiness, I really thought he was gonna call the police but no he called Brandon hold up I'm gonna cry-

Anyways, I live in fear over what's gonna happen, since Brandon is probably the only person on mainland who knows or suspects the campers are still alive, and what would be better than making him reach out for the last 2 people who saw them? I really hope Brandon, Dave and Roxie make it to the campers, let them have a last chance at saving them.

(Also, random thought: Did anyone else got the tiniest bit scared when both Mae and Kash didn't believe the campers surviving on Nublar? Because someone a while ago said something about the public not believing the campers come from Nublar and saying it was all for attention and...um...*sweats nervously*)

-> Yaz's PTSD finally catching up with her. Some say it came out of the blue, others say it was about time. In my opinion it makes perfect sense, since not only has it been 6 months of running for their lives, but Yaz was the one who stared at the Scorpius Rex in the face, all the feelings and trauma from the Long Run had to have an impact on her. She had been bottling everything up, and the Long Run was the last straw that made everything come spilling out. I wished other characters had also gotten to talk about their trauma, but more on that later.

-> And talking about the queens of Rome, Yasammy stands unbeatable as it always has. Although they didn't become canon, we still got incredibly sweet moments between them: the drawing scene from Episode 1 (which has a lot of similarities with the balcony scene from the Cattle Drive 😏); Sammy helping Yaz with her nightmares (the bed scene was so domestic and cute, definitely made the top 3 of my favorite scenes of this season); how they were taking care of Angel, and the line that takes the cake: "Pretty sure you're the reason I have any feelings at all, Sammy" Like ARE WE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT??? The implications, the symbolism,,, that line is everything

-> THE CLIFFHANGER, aka one of the 3 or 4 reasons I'm still hyped for s5. I was already speculating it around Episode 8 when I started noticing Kash was mentioning his boss too much for it to be normal, and because I spent the entirety of October theorizing about his dad showing up I had some hope. When I tell you that the moment Kenji started walking closer I had a pillow on my mouth to not scream it, and when the reveal happened my sister and I were yelling so much I think the ones on the last floor heard us 😳

It's still hard to believe because,,, how were we right about that?! We barely had proof other than the painting and the 2 or 3 lines we had about Kenji's dad, and yet we were right??? I can't wait to see where they take this in s5, because the angst potential is unmeasurably high, and we might finally get the insight on Kenji's family that we've been so desperately waiting for since the beginning of the show

-> The kayak friendships! Darius and Sammy got more scenes together (which btw, there's not near enough 😐), and the Ben and Yaz friendship has finally gotten more development! The "I just don't like like you" scene has quickly become one of my favorites from the show lol

-> Baby dinos! They were so freakingshly cute, and how they did that sideplot of Ben not wanting to befriend them so it wouldn't hurt like it did with Bumpy but then giving in and naming the Brachiosaurus Firecracker had me smiling like an idiot 💖

-> And by the way, HOW DARE YOU SHOW US THAT SCENE OF BUMPY NO ONE WAS READY FOR THAT! My sister broke down crying, and the way they set it up after "I'm sure she's already forgotten about old Ben" LIKE HOW DARE YOU??? 😭😭😭

-> It was such a cool detail to bring back the DNA Sammy collected from Nublar, the drone had been a question on my mind for almost an entire year and now it's finally resolved.

Now, the bad stuff:

<- That. I could go on for an entire 10-page essay about how this makes me feel, but I'll try to be as short and concise as possible: some paragraphs.

First of all, the way they introduced it into the show. Sure, Kenji had flirted with Brooklynn in the first episode of s1, but afterwards there was absolutely nothing leading to it. All their interactions after that were more on a friendly light, even familial to some extent. It is mentioned that the s3 finale was "the turning point" of their feelings, but to be honest, there were no implications to it. Kenji had become more selfless during the past six months, coming to view the campers as family, him being worried over Brooklynn was not "romantic" in any way. We'll go back to the s3 finale later.

The kayak scene in s1 and the talk in 02x04 are scenes I want to bring into attention, since in these it's shown clearly that Kenji is way more mature than Brooklynn, which is of concern when it comes to their romantic relationship. While I do consider their age gap to be concerning, it's more about the gap in maturity: 13 is still on the very early years of adolescence, while 15 is halfway through. It's even implied on their character designs. Brooklynn's blog is clearly directed at children, her design and clothes are still somewhat childlike, and then you have Kenji here with A FREAKING BEARD. It's weird as hell.

Also, "there's a bit of romance in the air"? A bit? A bit?! They were thrown into our faces every five minutes! Not even 10 minutes into episode 1 Kenji was already looking at Brooklynn like that! So many aspects of the season were overshadowed in favour of That: how the island works, what's the plan behind it, how did the campers get there, who's aware of its existence, how are the campers going to leave this island, I can name more. Some of these were either never talked about, or mentioned in one quick line you can easily forget. And you could say "oh but this is like season 1, it's a new island, we'll have time to explore it later", but the truth is: s5 is pointing out to be the final season, with Kenji's dad showing up and Brandon going for Darius. Next season is coming loaded with Mantah Corp, Kenji's relationship with his dad, and the campers trying to get home in one piece. There's not going to be enough time to explore the island correctly like s2 did, for example. All those questions had to be answered this season, and they weren't, thanks to their supposed development.

And the butchering of the characters...oh god. Outside of Ben, every character in the camp fam was affected by the romance subplot, if differently for each one. Kenji and Brooklynn were basically not allowed to have any meaningful interactions with the camp fam besides each other, and when they did speak to other characters 90% of the time it was related to the romance. Kenji was supposed to have more development in s4, yet all he did was become a simp for a 13 year-old girl and any arc he could've gotten this season was thrown away. I think Brooklynn was treated better when it comes to this, but she was still reduced to her romantic subplot, and her feelings didn't look genuine. Yaz and Sammy have had 3 seasons of build-up, and after everything that happened in The Long Run there should've been a follow up to their feelings and where their relationship stands at that moment. In my opinion, if they wanted to go for a romance subplot, they should've gone for them, it would've been paced out better and it would have made sense.

But the one character outside the pair that was most affected by all of this was...

<- Darius...Darius, my boy, how do you keep going? It's been 4 seasons, and he has not cried ONCE. Every other camper has gotten their moment to cry, to be vulnerable around others, except Darius, the leader, the godforsaken main character. The show constantly forgets he's 12, he barely counts as a teenager, and he's enthrusted with the lives of 5 other kids, who are as much as 3 years older than him, as well as his own. The s3 finale was sort of promising an answer to this, an insight on the pressure Darius is constantly feeling, BUT *drumrolls please*, turns out Darius instantly forgets about what Kenji said to him in 03x10 halfway through episode 1, Kenji being angry at him was just because he had a crush on Brooklynn, and Darius never gets the focus he deserves because why would we do that when there's this "romance"!!!

Also think it's important to mention how he was held back by Kash for 3 whole episodes. I said I wanted the rest of the campers to deal with things by themselves, but between them doing perfectly fine without him and him being incredibly chill with his situation compared to, for example, when Mitch and Tiff were chasing him and Sammy in 02x07, just leaves me severely disappointed. He literally has numbed down all the trauma and grief he has in order to help the others, and that's just our interpretation, because at this point who knows what the writers will even do with him. The trailer for s4 had most of us waiting for a season that would focus on him, yet he was distant from many of the campers through the season. Darius deserves a season that truly focuses on him and lets him talk freely about his feelings and trauma the way other characters have done through the show.

<- The beacon. Before the season dropped my speculations were that Mantah Corp had intercepted the signal and they just never cared about it. But not only was it never mentioned, we also found out that Kenji's dad is the president of Mantah Corp. If they had received the signal from Nublar, he would've been informed, and would have gone after it (unless he's an actual piece of garbage of a human being, which honestly would not surprise me, but in the context of the show I don't think they're going that far.). My theory right now is that someone related to the park got the signal, but assumed it was just a person and decided to not act, Dave and Roxie heard about this and are trying to figure out what to do, hoping it's the campers. It's been 2 seasons and we still don't know what happened to it, we need answers.

So my final conclusion is that the season wasn't all bad, the plot had a lot of potential and some of it was handled properly and still managed to keep me on the edge of my seat, but there were some major fuck-ups and decisions that messed up some of its aspects. It's definitely my least favorite season, but looking back at it it's not as terrible as I first thought it was, and I am still tuning in for s5.

[askandsmile]

i got all y'all's messages and i do think i have more to say, but at the same time i'm just like 🥴️🥴️🥴️

this season isn't great, but this episode was terrible. evan is a terrible writer. he's also a fucked up troll. he likes that he's the b*rchie king, he likes b*rchie, he projects onto them. and truly, the less we try to explain anything about this, the better.

i think i need to wait and watch what comes next (from better writer's hands tbh) until i say anything else regarding canon.

but long post ahead, cause i've been wanting to address something that it's not even coherent, but it's just making me insane lol.

we have 6 episodes ahead of us. 6 weeks. if you guys freak out with every single thing that happens, no one is going to enjoy anything anymore.

i don't have spoilers. all the spoilers i had, from when i was in the clubhouse with evan, i gave to you. the way i read the interviews, i told you. i don't have anything else to add. i never had inside info or anything like that, all my speculations were based on rumors going around *and* the bts we got.

all that i could speculate i already did.

"oh, but what if--"

well. when s4 ended, i said, "if they're gonna make veronica look like archie's second choice, i'm not going to watch s5 live". i carried on watching because they didn't, they made it quite clear that veronica is archie's first choice seven years later.

i'm saying it again, "if they're gonna make varchie go through some b*rchie drama/bullshit again, i'm not going to watch s6 live."

if i do watch it, it'll be the same by the end of it if they get a s7. you have to go episode by episode with this show until the entire journey makes sense.

that's all i can do! that's all i can control. that's all you guys can control: the time and dedication you're willing to give to this show.

(i write a fic that's never-ending and even with roughly 4 readers left, i am pushing through because i want to finish it. this is the time and dedication i'm willing to give to this show, writing this fic to those who still enjoy it and to myself, and to varchie.)

so my suggestion now is, let's watch the episodes. it's 6 weeks. are you going to be anxious for 4-5 out of 6 weeks because of something that maybe, possibly, perhaps will happen? are you going to try to make me and other people anxious because you are? i'm choosing, at this point, to trust my ship and the story they've been telling about them.

i know it's harder for bugheads at the moment (reminder that i, myself, am not one although i did love them back in s1 and do support their relationship in the core four context) because they've been dealing with another love interest, on top of cole and lili's breakup, on top of not getting a lot of content, or bts, etc, etc.

but as a varchie shipper...guys, i've been there!

i have seen reggie tell veronica they could be endgame. i have seen archie dance a duet with josie saying he'd fight for her. i have seen archie writing a song to someone else. i have seen veronica getting married to another guy, and then possibly sleep with him after sort of maybe getting back together with archie. trust me, no one in this fandom knows better what you guys are going through right now.

so yes, maybe jabitha will date, or maybe they won't. maybe bh will get back together this season, maybe they won't. it doesn't mean the end of bughead, not at all. look at all the shit other ships have been through (even b*rchies, really). you guys are fine.

is the show good right now? no, it's not. i thought it wasn't so bad until 5x08 (even with the b*rchie thing) but then it just went downhill, and 5x13 was the worst episode ever. no wonder it had 0.7 ratings. but like, does that mean it will stay so bad? i don't know. i haven't watched 5x14, 5x15, 5x16, etc. i don't know what's coming. it might be great! it might suck.

and you guys don't get it, half the varchie fandom left in s3 because there was no sight of varchie anywhere, and then we were pleasantly surprised with the best build up ever in s3C. but you know what? sometimes i wish varchie hadn't gotten back together then! so we would see more of that buildup, some actual reaction from archie seeing veronica choose reggie instead of him, etc. it would've opened a sea of possibilities for a good story.

and whether you like it or not, this is giving more space for other characters to be around. they're not developing them. they're not writing them well. but you can't deny that we have seen more of toni, reggie, fangs, even kevin and cheryl, than ever since...ever.

and it's okay if you just watch for your ship. but the show, and the writers, are not worried about you shdhshd. i think there has been a misconception about that. the ships exist within the show, and this season feels so weird because the core four is apart and bh is apart, but the show is ultimately about the characters and their good/bad decisions.

so, thinking about the characters, ask yourself: is archie in conditions to be with veronica right now? is betty in conditions to be with jughead right now? jug and archie are in their way to healing, it looks like, but betty still isn't. is veronica in conditions to be committed again atm? i don't know. will this change in a couple of episodes? maybe!

and it's same for other characters. choni are going through the exact same thing bh is, they just don't have the impending doom that is b*rchie hovering above, but i guess no one doubts choni.

but imagine if they get back to choni and just give them a few throw away lines and boom, it's all magically fixed. wouldn't they feel betrayed? don't you enjoy the aspect that bh is taking time for this reunion after they were completely shattered? i know i would've written varchie differently if i could.

anyway. it's useless to think "oh, zalben said this, evan said that, ras said this" when we can't control what they say, or how they think. we can only interpret it (90% of the time i've been right about them but whatever) and we can only watch the show in front of us and absorb something from that.

(which is hard when the episode sucks, but it's what we can do).

all this freaking out is making me stop enjoying the show, and the fandom. it's not giving anyone any joy. you guys have to calm down and i'm not being dismissive of how much a tv show can bring anxiety, but the only thing you can do is trust the process.

bughead has been a solid thing for 4 seasons. it's their first major problem. varchie has been not that solid but very, very present for 4 seasons. b*rchie has been whatever it has been for 4 seasons. jabitha is a new ship, but it's around now... but hasn't even really happened yet. like, all these characters have their stories to tell among them, and if we don't enjoy the road they take, we can only try to detach ourselves.

okay, i guess, that's it. i'm not sure if i make any sense, but i'm so exhausted of people not trusting what's being shown to them and only thinking about zalben, bdaily takes, evan, ras, yadayada, who the rvd writers liked on twitter, like... c'mon.

[multimetaverse]

HSMTMTS 2x09 Review

Spring Break was a bit of an odd ep but helped move some key plots forward. Let’s dig in!

Well people can no longer claim that Portwell is one sided. We finally got Gina’s pov and she starts off the ep uncertain whether the shift in their relationship means that EJ likes her but by the end of the ep she seems sure of herself and that EJ likes her back. I liked that she didn’t try to pretend that nothing had changed or that she hadn’t noticed potential signs that EJ might like her; it always sucks when tv characters act like idiots. 

Perhaps the most important reveal of this ep was that Gina has a much older estranged brother who left her and her mom many years ago. That certainly makes her backstory more tragic and is definite set up for her brother to eventually return.

The writers continue to give Portwell great tropes, capping this ep off with an airport rom-com trope that also calls back to EJ getting Gina the place ticket so she could come back in S1. Not only did Gina keep EJ’s Duke sweatshirt but she altered it to fit her better which is both sweet and bold in the assumption that it was hers to keep. Gina got her sign when not only did EJ show up to drive Gina home and take her luggage but he brought her the granola bar that she had wanted but forgot to pack. I wonder if her posting on her story that she was ubering home after her flight was cancelled was intended to see if EJ would show up since the camera focused on her posting it. Also sweet that she’s taken to calling EJ, ‘ Eej’. 

EJ’s opening was good, shows a lot of his character growth from the selfish guy he was in S1 and how he’s learned to value other people which of course leads into his feelings for Gina. We got another great use of the camera as character tonight when Gina was laughing after her facetime call with EJ until she realized that the camera was on her. 

Jack was a lot of fun. Though he didn’t really change Gina’s mind over anything like the ep description said he would.  Seemed like Gina was largely over Ricky and wondering about EJ at the beginning and the end solidified her feelings for EJ but Jack didn’t really play a role in that, it’s not like he encouraged Gina to reach out to EJ or anything. There’s a vague sense in which Jack being nomadic linked him to Ricky’s unreliability in Gina’s eyes with her craving stability but that’s a stretch. Jack mentioned that the second most dangerous part of a plane ride is when the plane takes off, a hint to the blossoming Portwell relationship where in order to take off one or both of them has to risk a confession even though they could be turned down.

This ep might seem a bit weird in hindsight. The zoom parts probably won’t age well and five years from now people might be wondering why they had Gina hang out with a manic pixie dream boy of sorts for an ep.

The path is clear for canon Portwell in the finale with EJ being Gina’s second chance at romance and her first kiss since they clearly telegraphed it out of nowhere. I’ve been impressed with the great work the writers have been doing since 2x05 to build up Portwell as a ship but also work on Gina and EJ as individual characters; they’ve been the highlight of the season so far. 

There was discourse this past week over how well or poorly Portwell has been set up. Objectively very few ships on this show get much in the way of set up or consistent writing. Redlyn and Kowie had barely any set up before getting together. Seblos had none (though in fairness that was due to Disney restrictions) and Miss Jenn and Mike Bowen didn’t have much set up either. Rini did get lots of development in S1 but that’s because they had already dated and were the main ship of the show. The show’s not really about slow burns, if Jenzzara canons in the finale they’ll count and if Rina ever got together they’d also count but neither of those ships have gotten consistent development with Mazzara not being in several eps and Gina and Ricky not even interacting for the past 3 eps. 

Is Portwell a slowburn? In a sense since they did feature quite a bit in each other’s S1 plot lines and even had a fake dating plot but it is true that they were platonic and not that close in S1 so it’s a wash. There was clear set up for romantic Portwell in 1x10 with team wonderstudies and Gina staring at EJ (which interestingly enough looked more like set up for Gina to pine over EJ). I think the main problem is that even though we saw Gina and EJ hanging out in the background we didn’t get any scenes of substance between them until 2x05. It was a mistake and there should have been some scene, like EJ and Gina commiserating in 2x03 over being single on Valentine’s Day or something like that. Hell there was even that still from 2x01 of EJ and Gina looking at each other at the piano while they were in the frame between Ricky and Nini singing and having a moment  which would have been good foreshadowing but that shot wasn’t in the ep.

Whether Tim just really wanted Portwell to be a surprise in 2x05 as a mid-season twist to throw the audience off of what looked like a Rini/Rina triangle or he was unsure as to whether he wanted to go with Portwell or if he just planned it out poorly we may never know. Regardless they’ve had great writing for 4 eps in a row now which puts them slightly ahead of the 3 eps in a row of development Rina got in S1. I’m sure if someone added up their screen time they’d find that Portwell has more screen time this season than Kowie and more screen time than Redlyn or Seblos  got in S1. 

Caswell cousins was fun and Ashlyn did in fact paint EJ’s nails. 

Set up for Seblos drama next week, it’s refreshing to see Seb being jealous over Carlos flirting with other boys that’s definitely not something you see on Disney shows.

Ricky got some healing done with his mom. Enough to cover their issues? No but this is probably the best this show is capable of. There was a brief mention of therapy sandwiched between other options which sounds more like checking off a box then setting up Ricky actually going to therapy. I noticed Lynne was smiling at odd times like when she told Ricky she knew about his breakup with Nini; whether that was poor directing or acting I don’t know. Who knows if we’ll see Lynne again. As an aside still so wild that Tim named Lynne who’s been a kinda shitty mom after his own mom who he seems to be fairly close with.

Really liked You ain’t seen nothin as a song but not a fan of the Tiktok style vid. I’ll level with you wildcats, I’m too old to really get Tiktok, it just seems like a crappy version of Vine to me. Let you go was good, seemed better fitted for Joshua Bassett’s voice than some of his previous songs. A big sign that they’re not circling back to Rini for a long time for sure. Though on that note we got a bit of a hint that Ricky was Nini’s muse which may one day come back as a way to help bring them back together. 

Looking Ahead:

If there’s only 3 weeks left till the Menkies, with only 2 weeks left for rehearsal due to spring break, it’s hard to see East High winning unless North High is disqualified or has to withdraw. 

Lily is in a promo photo so she’s likely the unexpected facetime Ricky gets which is what I had theorized. Also makes it much more likely that she’s the party crasher Ricky re-evaluates in the finale though what Tim actually wants to do with those two I do not know.

There’s little point in bringing back the Valentine’s chocolate since there’s no real stakes. Rini are already broken up, Gina hasn’t spoken to Ricky since 2x06, and it’s not like Nini and Gina were ever close so even if they stopped talking to each other it wouldn’t really affect the show in any way. 

Seems pretty likely that Second Chances refers to Gina realizing that her first try with Ricky failed but her second chance with EJ won’t and that leads to her sharing her truth and cue the Portwell confession and kiss, perhaps with an assist on EJ’s end from Mazzara. We’ve gone well past the point where Portwell can be brushed off as just a plot device to help Rina but Tim is playing with fire by getting the audience so on board with Portwell if he’s once again going to have EJ lose a girl he likes to Ricky in S3.

Gina certainly needs to talk with Ricky and I do think that happens in ep 11 or 12 and leaves them on better terms. As I mentioned last week, if Tim was smart he’d slam the door on Rina if he’s going with canon Portwell or vice versa. If he wants Rina to be a slow burn he’s really botched the writing this season, it’s been too one sided and too angsty to sustain any kind of momentum or audience interest. They haven’t even interacted for 3 eps now and not only has it not affected the show but it’s inarguably made Gina’s story line much better.  Again I don’t think he’s smart enough to not try and do Portwell and then later Rina but he’s accidentally set up the Rina story line to quite easily slam the door permanently on them by having their conversation be closure for Gina who’s moved on and an apology from Ricky who never liked her back as much as Gina liked him.

Not looking forward to seeing Nini basically live out Olivia Rodrigo’s life in future seasons

Curious to see Carlos’ apology song to Seb. Ricky helping him with it is a great way to help start redeeming Ricky’s character in the audiences eye’s. According to Matt there is a bit of a Ricky/EJ rivalry this season and if it’s really happening the sleepover would be a good place to do it though I hope it’s not about Gina. 

Until next week wildcats.

[septiembrre]

I'm a little late but I just saw your post from a year ago about latinx rep in good girls and its sad reflecting back on it and how the show could've done better. Rio was just another stereotype, I hate how he was ambitiously latino and there was just no connection to his culture. Was he first, 2nd, or 3rd Gen? If he was 1st Gen it didn't make sense to have the family speak English. One thing that always annoyed me is how OOC he was at times and how the writers purposely made him out to be like some brown aggressive misogynistic man. They didn't bother making him complex. In a way I'm glad the show got canceled. As a Mexican woman the way Rio was written was racist.

Wah, I’ve been sitting on answering your ask. I wanted to tease your ask apart and respond to it sentence by sentence. But... my brain kept rechazandolo, so now I have feelings dump instead.

Since Good Girls ended, I have been parsing through how I feel about S4 and GG overall — sometimes more positively, sometimes more negatively. Then, I flip to reminding myself it’s not that serious (it's just tv! this is supposed to be my leisure activity!). Then, I waffle back to reflecting.

So, no textual analysis just feels and whining under the cut. I know folks are still mourning the end of the show and I don't want to yuck anyone's yum. Tagging with #ggnegativity.

My short answer is that Good Girls is my beloved, sometimes joyful, sometimes hurtful, complicated little show. Even now that we’re no longer getting new episodes I’m wary of sifting through the information we have about Rio because it’s a mess and it seems like a lot of his character was poorly thought out (ahem, all those dumb messages from Bill Krebs confirming multiple instances of lack of intentionality or care!).

I say this because I was tempted to start responding to you by riffing off of your comment with, “y'know, now that you say that, I think he’s third or fourth gen…”, pero who cares? And the point was never specifically about what gen he is, or even more specifically about... lol, I was going to say it doesn't matter what nationality he was, they just needed to pick one. Ugh, but the wording of that is too glib. The lack of intentionality behind these details feels sanitized to me, it feels very white gaze, it feels lazy.

However, I could have forgiven a lot of this weak character construction if his baseline, plot-related characterization on-screen was more consistent. But, Rio was often used as a plot device in a way that often fell flat for me, a weekly recurring bogeyman whether his antagonism made sense or not. On one hand, I feel for the creative team, because I think they were in a hard place, trying to avoid romanticizing Rio, and trying to seemingly backtrack the sexualization of him in Season 2, but... Idk, it's complicated.

Retrospectively, it’s sitting with me how much Good Girls is rooted in whiteness. While it's something I discerned before (lol, most obviously with 2x13 and in S3 with Lucy's disposability), you know how some shows get to their third or fourth season and finally start investing in their marginalized characters? It’s a crappy thing to hold out hope for, they're crumbs! But, I was. And we did get some Rio worldbuilding. But, ultimately, it felt weak to me -- under-conceptualized or under-worked.

For example, I liked Nick as a Bigger Bad who drove Rio and Beth together. I also thought that Nick's non-existent moral code was a lovely foil to Rio's, and that this contrast humanized Rio in a way that he needed. It also cast a new light on Rio's behavior of the earlier seasons, outside of Beth's perception in a way that I thought was healthy and needed. Great, meaty stuff! However, Nick and Rio's relationship came across as shallow to me. There really did not seem to be a lived-in quality to their scenes. The show really struggled with that element overall -- even with the three lead protagonists (their decades-long history with each other and interactions between their families being largely absent). I wonder why they made that choice.

It's strange because on the flip side we got a hefty amount of contextualization for MLM guy Vance and Annie's bf Kevin... Even that cop who Mick killed! All white men, too.

Me da pena.

Or maybe the thing that bothers me is that those scenes between Nick and Rio didn't center Rio's perspective effectively? Despite the one-on-one scenes being outside of Beth's framing (Rio being a secondary character typically tethered to Beth's story arc), there still was a lot of distance between Rio and the viewer? Like I think of Vance in his kitchen with his wife and child, and the way we as viewers were brought into that to empathize with him, and I think of the distance of Nick+Rio boxing scene or the scenes at the bar. Argh! It's hard to pinpoint without the textual analysis I feel too grumpy to do. It was such a narrative choice to keep Rio aloof and I side-eye it.

Anyway --

Overall, the writing room/show creators/decision-makers didn't seem to consider Latine/x/a/o viewers throughout the crafting of Good Girls and that sucks. It really feels like I'm being told to conform to the white gaze in watching the show, and after 2x13 that makes me feel prickly and defensive. A part of me yearns to do a rewatch to map Rio’s character (and inconsistencies) but I still yield joy from Good Girls — it’s been my main comfort story during the pandemic. I also rendered joy from Season 4 specifically — some of those scenes between the leads at the end were phenom!!

I am leaning into what's bringing me joy right now, so I feel hesitant to stew in critique, even while I also feel some sort of need to make sense of the hurtful racializations. I have a compulsion to write them all down on the same post or list -- somewhere where I can see them all at once and understand. But, at the moment, it’s not a use of my time and energy that feels good. Opting into fics and writing is bringing me a lot of joy during hard times.

I have to close with one final whine, that I am SO fatigued with television options right now. I find myself desperately wishing for more TV out there whose priority audience isn't only white folks. Good Girls isn't alone in its treatment of Latinx characters, or alone in mishandling characters of color or gay characters, or prioritization of empathy for white het male characters, but certainly, creating something more thoughtful shouldn't be so hard.

[mindibindi]

In light of some of your shows disappointing you, can you share your top five/ten moments of your fave idiots (from whatever fandom) being in love and actually admitting it?

Dear Anon,

This has been in my inbox for a century or so, partly because I am a terrible tumblrite (apologies) and partly because I didn't quite know what to do with this ask. To be perfectly honest, I don't have a top 5, let alone a top 10, of these sorts of instances. This is perhaps because I have a sadistic talent for choosing ships that never come good or perhaps this is because TV writers suck and they don't know when/how to write good resolution and healthy adult relationship.

I have literally had one ship (ONE!!) in all my days of shipping that came good. It was in a little Australian show called "Seachange" that ended PERFECTLY with Max and Laura finally finding love after both had had terrible heartbreak. This is them:

This show and ship ending the way it did was VERY important to me because it arrived right after s3 of "Ballykissangel" in which my fave character was literally (this is not a joke) electrocuted to death mere seconds after receiving a declaration of love from the man she loved. People are still recovering from the trauma inflicted by this "resolution".

For me, "Seachange" came along and initially I was really invested in Laura and Dan but then Dan LEFT and I was heartbroken! It was a real surprise when I found myself even more captivated by the second pairing this show set up. Ever since, it has stood in my mind as an example of ship done right. So of course, they had to reboot the show recently and break Laura and Max up. (I didn't watch).

My point is, the reason I can't invest too much in the idiocy of SVU/OC and the reason I was so quick to give up on "Ted Lasso" after the stupid "twist" with Rebecca's love life is just that I'm a jaded shipper who has been through this toooooo maaaaaany times. I'm looking for shows that just do better, do different. But look, I won't deny that there is fun in URST, there is. So in the spirit of your question, I will share my top 8 being totally in love and ALMOST admitting it or ALMOST getting away with admitting it before disaster strikes. (I don’t think it will come as a surprise to anyone that Keeley Hawes features heavily on this list)...

1. Peter x Assumpta (Ballykissangel)

2. Gene x Alex (Ashes to Ashes)

3. David x Julia (Bodyguard)

4. Louisa x Spiros (The Durrells)

5. Phil x Melinda (AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.)

6. Jack x Liz (30 Rock)

7. Jaime x Brienne (Game of Thrones)

8. Mulder x Scully (The X Files)

Some (dis)honerable Mentions:

Cal admitting to his daughter that he loves Gillian in the final seconds of the s3 finale...only for the show to be cancelled (Lie to Me)

Tim & Daisy getting together and having a baby.....in a retrospective documentary (Spaced)

Kate getting shot in the head before she & Gibbs got anywhere close to a relationship (NCIS)

Ten and Donna are more of a friend-ship for me but we all know how that ended... (Doctor Who)

Castle and Beckett getting together was handled really well....until the show got super sappy and began to suck (Castle)

Will and Mac got a really good resolution...but I wouldn’t necessarily put them in my top 10 ships (The Newsroom)

[oodlyenough]

@firstofoctober dedicatedly does this fandom meme at the end of every year ever since back in lj days and i am bored so here we go

even just calling this a "meme" is so dated now. love it

1. Your main fandom of the year: It was probably Borderlands by definition for a majority of the year, although in that sort of waning way where different things monthly would catch my eye. Ah the slow end of an era...

2. Your favorite film this year: Oh my god wtf movies did I watch this year. I think basically by default it's No Way Home because it's the only film I can remember watching from 2021 flkhghlg... it was certainly the movie I was most anticipating, by which I mean also the only movie I was anticipating and the only one I braved a movie theatre for in the past two years.

3. Your favorite book this year: Much like the above, I only read a few books, and right now I'm hard-pressed to remember what I read, when. The pandemic's a blur. But I am certain How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa was 2021, and I did enjoy it. I like short story anthologies. The other one I've been working through is a Shirley Jackson collection.

4. Your favorite album or song this year: According to Spotify wrapped it was Red lmfao. I also got into Sour like, six months after everyone else.

5. Your favorite TV show this year: Arcane apparently?! Sneaking in just below the deadline.

6. Your favorite Tumblr game this year: I'm using creative liberty since a) no fave tumblr?? and b) this meme is not designed for Gamers and I played way more games than I watched movies or read books. Anyway Psychonauts 2 was my GOTY! I absolutely loved it, what a gem. Fun to play, great script, incredible level design, unique look and feel. I played a lot of good games this year, but Psychonauts 2 takes top slot.

7. Your best new fandom discovery of the year: I guess I have to give it to Arcane despite only being around for like, two weeks, it's the first time in years something sort of wholly took over my thought process after finishing and made me want to write fic, etc. Runner-up mention will go to Spider-Man just because god I consumed so much Spider-Man this year lmao... two Insomniac games and their DLC, every movie including Spiderverse and all the MCU ensemble clips. It didn't really give me the same level of intense emotional investment, but it sure did give me something to, like, academically study lol.

8. Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year: Man I actually... can't think of anything that really stunned me? I guess I was lowkey disappointed we didn't get Harley Quinn s3 but that's not really the same. Also the Harley Quinn TV show comics sucked ass, so maybe that.

9. Your TV boyfriend of the year: Viktor Arcane, the latest in my long line of beloved white men with sad puppy eyes. I am nothing if not consistent.

10. Your TV gamer girlfriend of the year: I'll give this one to Alex Chen. I really wanted to like True Colours, of course, but I was still surprised by HOW MUCH I liked True Colours, and particularly Alex herself. What a wonderful, nuanced character. The whole game rests on her lovely empathetic shoulders.

11. Your biggest squee moment of the year: "Squee moment". This meme is so old. God bless. I'm actually not sure? I can't think of any big announcement or ship development that made me lose it this year, lol. Maybe seeing No Way Home just because it was cool to be in such an excited, cheering theatre, especially after two years of pandemic. And now I am back in covid 2: christmas boogaloo lockdown anyway, so it was kind of a last hurrah lmfao.

WAIT NEVER MIND it was the announcement RTD is coming back to Doctor Who?!?! !?? What the fuck!! Return of the king... Roll on 2023

12. Your most missed old fandom: Don't have one. I do have an old fandom I wish I could stop hearing about forever because mention if it brings only pain and bitterness due to a creator's radicalization. No points for guessing.

13. Your fandom you haven’t tried yet, but want to? None comes to mind.

14. Your biggest anticipation of the New Year: Lots of video games lol... LIS Remastered, Oxenfree 2, Horizon Forbidden West. Killing Eve's final season. Harley Quinn... hopefully...

[sunriseseance]

How would you rank Klaus’s level of closeness with each of his siblings?

Oooh okay I'm gonna. Include s2 but also proof from their childhoods. Also I'm gonna be an obnoxious student of Derrida and Wittgenstein and say: how do we define closeness? I'm going to say it's emotional understanding and compassion and love and getting along and not, like, physical closeness.

1. Allison. They're very similar people. They're emotionally intelligent, addictive, guilty, self-aware, sad, distant, masked people that only REALLY reveal themselves to each other. We see this in s1e1 when they hug and talk a bit about their lives, and when Klaus cradles Allison close while they both sob post-branding. And then s2? Give me a fucking break? They're so similar and they're the ONLY people who see through each others' bullshit, and they're both okay with that. I find their relationship fantastic and inspiring and I just!!! There's a reason I've written so goddamn many fics about it. Allison and Klaus are The Closest

2. Diego. Klaus understands that Diego's Tough Badass thing is an act. Diego is a soft heart enough that he is willing to love Klaus in spite of all of his bullshit, even if he can't see through it. They adore each other, even if they don't always perfectly understand each other. But often they DO understand each other. Klaus gets Diego's psyche, and Diego is a compassionate heart enough to understand Klaus Pain, at least sometimes. It's sweet and good. Second.

3. I'm gonna say Vanya? But only s2 Vanya. In s1, Klaus didn't talk to Vanya once and I believe this was on purpose. Klaus is comically private and Vanya wrote the book on his private life. But then she got locked in a cage and lost her mind--literally. She came out, she showed remorse, she became open and honest and a person Klaus could see himself in. I think he'll love the Vanya with her memories back, too, but she needed that extra step.

4. Five. They get each other. These bitches are calculating and intelligent and funny and weird. The difference is that Five cares SO SO SO much and Klaus just.... Doesn't. So they can connect on an intelligence level, a trauma level, and a joke level but just fucking not a care level.

5. God this is hard. I'm gonna say Luther. They're both alcoholics. They're both isolated. They're both fuckin bodily weird. I think they have this bizarre bridge between them that is sort of unbreechable, but that doesn't mean they can't be friends, or that they can't communicate across it. I loved seeing their communication failure in s1, and I'd love to see more of why it happened (although I do think I get it. Klaus is introspective. He understands he's fucked up. Luther was new to that, and was new to understanding the outside influence. Klaus was failing to communicate across that gap). I think they could be good, though maybe not close in the visceral sense, friends, but that they aren't yet.

6. Ben. I love Ben (even if you've been here long enough to know he's my no7) so let me be clear with my reasoning: this isn't Ben's fault. These two have been far too close for far too long to have any compassion for one another. It's a recipe for toxicity and I don't blame Ben. Ben is physically close but he calls Dave a fling, he presses possession on fucking KLAUS, he is such an asshole in the motel closet in s1, he pushes Klaus to go look for Luther, and so on. Klaus ceaselessly makes fun of Ben for his lack of autonomy and for being dead which is just sort of unimaginably cruel. They've lost their ability to care for one another in a way that is pretty stark and pretty harsh. There's moments that shine through as kindness, but in general they aren't close. They're animonious and cruel and it's a perfect depiction of what would happen to this kind of relationship, and it's tragic, and I feel for them both so so so deeply. It was such a tragic situation. I'm fascinated about how s3 will handle this all. I am excited to see this. I am already annoyed at fandom wanting to polish it.

[oceanic-sunsets]

S4 and Its Role Storytelling Wise: The GA’s (lack of) Understanding of The Show

[Warning: long post ahead]

So I stumbled across two videos on youtube about season 4 of Stranger Things, analyzing it from a storytelling standpoint. As one does, I watched them, because I was intrigued about what people thought outside our bubble or places like reddit and fb. And I wanna talk about it because it’s intriguing how the answers are right in front of us, but most people, even people with knowledge about storytelling and media analysis, don’t consider more possibilities, too blinded by heteronormativity and how we’re used to the same formulas, the way most stories unfold. 

The first video, “Why Stranger Things 5 (Probably) Won’t be Good”, considers that the show is dragging on too long because all the characters have solved their conflicts and the entire main cast of characters are perfectly fine with each other, which means s5 won’t be a compelling story because you can’t separate the character development and inner conflicts from the plot. And I was genuinely surprised because this is the complete opposite of how most of us perceive s4.

 If anything, I don’t like rewatching s4 for this reason, because everything feels too open, too unresolved, with some clues and some key reveals but no real answers.

Mike and El are far from okay, they ended up the season not talking to each other. Will lied to Mike about the painting. Nancy and Jonathan haven’t had a real conversation about their future and how they really feel about it. Dustin is grieving Eddie and Mike isn’t even aware of his death. Lucas and El are grieving Max but not giving up on her.

And the most important one that upset me to no end for a while after I finished s4, before I sit down and analysed it: the characters come together to try to save Max, and Mike and Will do the same for El, and then they reunite… But they don’t have any real moment that reminds us that they’re friends, or why they are. This is hard to do when there’s so much action going on, but there’s always time to show us where these characters stand with each other. And this hurts me to write, but they don’t feel like a group of friends anymore, haven’t, for a while, since s3 probably. And this is intentional because they purposefully show us the party drifting apart in the beginning of s4, as soon as the first episode. 

The fact that they’re all back in Hawkins and working together again isn’t enough to show us that they’re back to being best friends. We need moments that show us why these characters are friends and stick together because they love and care for each other, choosing each other, not only because the circumstances force them back together. 

And in that sense, s4 lays the foundation for it to be something touched upon next season, but these characters are far from completely fine with each other. It’s going to be good and rewarding to have them all reunited and working together again and rebuilding their friendship at the same time, but it has not happened yet.

To say there’s no more “personal drama” to add on is a complete misunderstanding of where our main characters stand. When I heard that I was just thinking, did we just forget Will lied to Mike about the painting and he was only able to say “I love you” when he was pushed by Will, and we got no explanation for his weird behavior?!

The second video (Stranger Things 5 is NOT the Redemption You Think It Is) analyses several aspects of the show and brings up very important points about what makes a story feel real and compelling. This is a very good video, however, I found myself disagreeing once more with most of it. I’ll divide it into sections so it’s more organized, and I’ll talk about their arguments and my counterarguments. Keep in mind this is how most people perceive the show, and this person in the video is someone who does have some sort of knowledge about storytelling. 

*They see the Cali plot as useless. 

It is a fact that Mike, Will and Jonathan have been sidelined this season. While I don’t like this or agree with the amount of screen time they were given this season compared to other characters, they are far from useless. A lot of people seem to think they didn’t know what to do with them, so they put Mike and Will together in a van with Jonathan in Argyle just for funsies, and gave Will a crush on Mike as a last-minute decision. They perceive Will’s plot as simply being the “sad gay best friend who is obviously getting rejected”. 

Their reasoning is quite simple: They aren’t looking at the bigger picture, failing to consider how these characters all have a purpose and how the Duffers always say that each scene adds something to the story. Even seemingly insignificant moments have weight in the story and are used to help us understand the how and why’s, or as callbacks, parallels, or even to reveal future plot points. 

So what IS the purpose of the Cali plot? First I’m going to say what is NOT their ONLY purpose: saving El.

Yeah, that’s what we see them doing the entire time, but it’s not like El had an issue getting out of there by herself. I’m sure she would’ve been fine, ultimately doing the same thing we see her do: find a way to try to save Max when she’s miles away from Hawkins. 

So, if their purpose (storytelling-wise) is not to save El and help her get to Hawkins… What does the Cali plot add? 

CHARACTER CONFLICT that is going to BE IMPORTANT LATER. It’s, again, part of the FOUNDATION for the climax. Even with their little screen time, the Cali plot is KEY for future events. It builds lies upon lies that ended up inadvertently killing Max. 

Mike wasn’t being himself, incapable of having an honest, open conversation with El, not being able to tell her I love you. Mike’s inner conflict, his tumultuous relationship with El, isolation from his friends, and awkward behavior towards Will drove Will to lie to him, presenting his feelings as El’s. Will’s lie pushed Mike to rush a love confession in a life-or-death situation and instead of helping, it contributed to Max’s death and Vecna not being defeated. 

It serves the purpose to show the audience: 

The characters are lying. They’re not being honest with each other, and this has BIG consequences. 

They’re acting that way for a reason, but we don’t know why yet. It’ll be important later.

Mike and El do not understand each other and don’t work as a couple.

It sets Mike and Will’s relationship apart from the rest. They’re not just our usual friendship story, because if they were, their conflict would’ve been solved when they made up in s3. But their story is not over. This is the writers telling the audience: look here, we’ve established this pair and dynamic, it’ll be important. 

And the thing is, if Will was supposed to be your usual “gay best friend in love with the straight guy” story, why bother with the points we just went over? It was a choice to have Mike act that way, not being able to hug Will and tell El I love you, it was a choice to have Will lie about the painting making it impossible for the truth not to reveal itself eventually, it was a choice to establish them as a pair who has multiple hearts to hearts, and it was a choice to have El not speaking to Mike by the end of the season. 

It was a choice to have THIS as the final shot of the season. 

*Mike’s Character

Next, let’s talk about Mike, one of the least liked characters by the general audience right now.

To be honest, it’s easy to understand why, and even some of us were worried about how they’ve been handling his character. The GA perceives Mike as a supporting role, El’s incompetent boyfriend who went from this smart kid that acted as a leader, to an oblivious, mean character. He feels DUMB to the audience, because how could he not notice El acting weird and how upset Will was in the van scene? They think it’s a shame because he used to be a perceptive kid and now he apparently lost his perception. 

But this isn’t true at all. 

Even in s4, when Mike is not his best and focuses too hard in pretending to be someone he’s not… He has shown us

Again

And again

And again

That he is still his smart, perceptive self. He just struggles when it comes to emotional awareness and communicating his feelings, which, you know what? it’s completely fair for a teen boy whose best friend went missing, discovered an alternative dimension, saw multiple people die, and… Do I have to keep going? And he still managed to figure out the number was inside the pen, that Nina was a computer, and had the idea to ask Suzie for help. But they don’t read him as a three dimensional character, which brings me to the next point.

*Mike being “The Heart” feels undeserved

Honestly, my first reaction right after finishing s4 was the same. I thought they had murdered his character, and how could someone who is a bad boyfriend, a bad friend, and mean be the heart of the group, the leader? (I’m so sorry, he’s my favorite character now and my resentment lasted like two days) 

I get them. This is what happens when you don’t consider the bigger picture and the clues for the character arc they’re clearly setting up for him. 

In the video, it is said that “S4 doesn’t do a good job of conveying his emotional growth”. This is true. That’s why the monologue doesn’t feel genuine, it’s unsatisfying and just overall weird. Not to mention the deathly (literally) consequences. But that’s the thing. S4 doesn’t try to make his love confession a sudden, magic solution for his individual issues and his relationship with El.

Because it’s not a resolution. It’s not growth. There’s nothing in S4 that made him suddenly realize how much he loved El, nothing that inspired him to want to tell her those words. It’s the opposite: he has to be pushed by Will, who lied to him and put words and feelings in El’s mouth that weren’t hers. The grand love confession that saves the day was prompted by a lie.

So again, they DON’T try to fit into the “love confession saves the day” trope. They make a POINT of showing us the indirect consequences.

And while this season Mike was distant for both the audience and the characters (for a reason), we have to remember the role he has always played: he’s the friend that cares too much, who doesn’t give up on the people he loves, who is always there supporting and trying to protect others (mainly Will and El). 

And this season finally has him as the one receiving emotional support, it shows us someone else looking out for Mike the way he always does for other people. This was said by Finn Wolfhard himself! and the Duffers, I’m sure, I don’t remember where right now, but if someone knows, please link me:).

Besides, these are Will’s feelings. His words show us how beautiful and intense they are. It’s how he sees Mike, despite their fights and the tension that seems to follow them everywhere. And Will has a lot of reasons to feel that way: Mike has always been kind and a good friend to him, it’s only recently that the complexity of growing up and feelings shifting into something new changed their dynamic. 

*”Max mourning Billy feels undeserved”

I’m gonna be honest, this is what annoyed me the most. It completely brushes over the real message and the source of a lot of Max’s trauma and the reason why she’s the one who got cursed: Max isn’t suddenly sad because she lost her step-brother who sacrificed himself to save them. She isn’t sad because the bad guy turned good in the end and died to redeem himself. She feels guilty because she wanted him to die, wanted him gone, and when it actually happened she feels like it was her fault. Billy didn’t redeem himself, one single good action resulting in his death doesn’t absolve him of all the bad. And Max knows this, that’s why she feels so guilty. It’s the mixed feelings of sadness, relief, and guilt. 

The last thing the video touches upon that I’ll address brings me again to something I mentioned before: 

*"Even in the same town, the characters feel a mile apart" 

This is something I agree with. No counterargument here, because it’s true. What tends to be overlooked, however, it’s the fact that it’s intentional. The Duffers themselves have said that you’re supposed to feel like the characters lost, like it’s hopeless. 

This is because Stranger Things as a whole is written using the Five Act Structure. You can read a post by @dinitride-art that explains this better here, but in summary, this is how stories are structured if you divide them in five acts: 

That’s why s4 feels the way it does. I love what it adds to the overall story that is unfolding, but I really don’t like it is as its own season. That’s because you’re meant to interpret the show as a whole, and yeah, last seasons tried to sort of give us a good and satisfying ending, but as we’re nearing the end of the show, s4 couldn’t do that.

It’s the second to last act, the moment we feel everything is lost and can’t be fixed. That’s why the characters even back together in Hawkins do not feel like a group of friends again (yet). That’s why the truth about the painting hasn’t come out. That’s why El and Mike aren’t talking. That’s why Mike and Will still have unresolved tension despite being friends again and a team. That’s why Max is in a coma. That’s why the Jonathan/Nancy/Steve love triangle was left unclear. That’s why Hawkins is falling apart, Vecna is getting strong again, and the Upside Down is starting to leak into the real world. 

There are many things I didn’t like about s4. There are things I think could’ve been done better and clearer to the entire audience. But I’m excited about what’s to come, and after seeing the effort and details put into the show, and how much care and love they put into their characters, I’m choosing to trust we’ll get a good, satisfying ending for the characters we love.

And with that, I’m done here! If you made it this far all I have left to say is thank you and sorry lol.

[pluviophile-bookworm]

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Rewatch pt. 4

I really need a pick-me-up after 2x11, and I feel like 1x7 might be what I'm looking for, so here I am again with another HSMTMTS rewatch. I'm genuinely so excited for both of these episodes, so without further ado, let's jump right into

1x6: She stands for... lies, pressure and very inappropriate suggestions (coming here after 2x11 might have been a mistake, actually)

I honestly don't get why Nini's reaction to seeing Ricky in full Troy costume was so big — he actually looked pretty ok to me. Sure, the wig is a bit too much, but so what, it's cute.

Ahhh my boy Reddy is so adorable in that talking head... 'click!' Gosh, I love seeing him so cheerful! Guess he's embracing his role as part of the crew. As he should.

'I'm home'. Yes, Sebby, and you look so good, too! Gosh, I love this scene so much. I can't believe I'd forgotten about it.

Gina looks beautiful, though — I mean, she looks beautiful in anything, but I really like the Taylor look on her.

Ok, I fully understand everyone's frustration about this picture — it's genuinely so hard to get a good picture of someone jumping up in the air, and I can only imagine what it would be like with six people. A bunch of my classmates tried to do something like that ages ago and, needless to say, it didn't go very well. No good pictures were taken that day.

Ah, Portwell: the early days. Ok, but wanting something and feeling like you have to get it is far from the same thing, EJ. Honestly, these two in their early days as accomplices... this is not the first time they've been like 'X is the same thing as Y' when it's obviously not. I mean, of course, that time they became accomplices because 'we want the same thing' — which, at that point, they didn't.

Ok, but they were in such unison with that 'Not now!'... couple goals! You know, even before either of them had considered the possibility of them being a couple for real.

That's a lot of pressure that Miss Jenn is putting on dear Carlito over there. I mean, he's one of the youngest at the drama club and he has to essentially do her job for her, all while she's not even sure if she'll be able to return to her job. I just... keep reminding myself that these kids are closer in age to my little brother than they are to me (except for EJ, who is precisely in the middle), and then the pressure they're under takes on completely new proportions in my mind. None of them should have to deal with all of this. And no amount of 'trust the process' is making it better.

'Should I just live vicariously through someone else?' Oh Reddy, you should just live for yourself. I mean, the truth is I don't practice what I preach most of the time, but I really do mean this. Just go out there and live your best life. You're not Ricky's therapy dog or anything (that being said, Ricky's getting a therapy dog when?).

What part of 'a forest of boys' does Nini not get? It's simple enough. Just help Carlos do his job, how about that? I mean, he shouldn't have to do everything himself anyway.

See? He cracked. That's what happens when you put all this responsibility on a teen's shoulders and be like 'deal with it'. He was just trying his best, you guys. He did not deserve all the clapback.

Ricky's forced optimism about Miss Jenn and the show is too much even for me. Sure, I know everything turns out mostly alright at the end, but this just sounds like Ricky's on the verge of a breakdown. You know, every time someone's been too unrealistically positive on this show, it has ended in a breakdown. And that's the last thing I want.

I do agree about the simple acoustic version of the song, though. Sometimes simple is the best option.

Major props to Carlos for going up to Mr. Mazzara like that. If someone had bullied me, and especially if that someone was a teacher, I'd never have dared to call them 'Benjamin Mazarra!' to their face. Even when he's on the verge of despair, this boy is still the boldest. And we love him for that.

Is this where the 'Carlos Surname' joke started, though? I had forgotten. It was funny while it lasted.

Ricky doesn't know it yet, but he's seriously playing with Gina's feelings there. And I don't blame him because, again, he doesn't know yet, but I still feel bad for her.

'Despite the 4.3 GPA, I'm actually an idiot.' — EJ is high intelligence, low wisdom, confirmed. Not that this is news, but I really don't remember much about this season, so I'm pointing this out now.

Now forgive me if I'm not feeling for Miss Jenn after 2x11... she did some really unforgivable things there. Still, as much as I want to say a real qualified teacher would not do any of that, my personal experience suggests otherwise, quite unfortunately. Miss Jenn might not be very emotionally mature, but not having legal teaching credentials is not her biggest issue, really. It is precisely her lack of emotional maturity.

OMG, Big Red accidentally invited the entire drama club over! And that, I guess, is half of how Redlyn established themselves as the hosts of every out-of-school drama club gathering. Thanksgiving is, of course, the other half. Gosh, those two were the parents of the drama club even before they were a couple. Guess they're soulmates in that way, too.

Ok, so I didn't comment on this after 2x8 when Big Red did it to Ricky, but now that I finally notice that Seb did it to Carlos, too (I took my time, thanks), I need to talk about the knee touch thing. See, this is exactly the amount of touch I used to be comfortable with (since I'm very touch-averse) — both on the giving and on the receiving end — and it can mean so much when you feel bad. It's a subtle 'hey, I'm here, it's going to be fine', a sort of hug-without-the-hugging... I feel like this is a gesture we don't see enough of in media and it can feel just as intimate as, say, holding hands or cuddling. I don't want to talk about kissing because I don't know anything about it. But I just love how we've got the knee touch depicted by both a romantic pairing and a platonic pairing in the show. Ok, rant over. But I just really wanted to talk about this because, well, I saw myself in it.

'Her past is a little bit sketchy'... I see, Ash has already started writing Truth, Justice and Songs in Our Key, even if she doesn't know it quite yet.

Miss Jenn finding out Mike is Ricky's dad is just as awkward as it should be. Whatever they had going on should have ended right then and there.

'... people in the dramatic arts are insane' — 'Thank you.' — Umm, Miss Jenn, you are not really helping your case there. Quite frankly, you're lucky you've got the allegiance of the entire drama club. I don't think they'd have your back as much after 2x11, though.

Ok, but... Big Red wearing a longcoat just to take it off for the dramatic flair of it all? An icon if I've ever seen one. Also, mad props to Larry for apparently learning this number in record time after Dara got injured.

Oh, and... mad props to all the kids in-universe for writing, rehearsing, and learning this entire number in one night.

So both Seb and Natalie have solo lines in the song... and Seb was promoted to main in s2. So does this mean Natalie will get the same treatment in s3? I mean, that will probably mean they'll try to stick her in some sort of romantic plot, and I really don't need that, but I really, really want her to be a main character.

Also, let's not forget we had our first Redlyn moment in this number... seeing them dance together makes my heart jump with joy!

I won't lie, though, the entire dance number and everything was just a little bit uncomfortable to watch after 2x11... these kids do so much for Miss Jenn, and what does she do? Put insane amounts of pressure on some of them, shuts others down at every attempt to put in a word, favours yet others despite their abysmal performance at the audition, and then has the audacity to tell that same person to jump off of something high, with all the implications attached? Not that I'm naming any names, of course. Ok, this has taken a sudden and uncalled for turn for the dark, so I guess I'll just move right along to the next episode now.

1x7: A world where 'That was terrible!' and 'I'm so happy!' can both be true at the same time

My girl Ash is doing the recap! And she's a pun queen, too. 'Miss Jenn was in hot water, Carlos was a hot mess...' — not pleasant, but so true. But wbk. Ashlyn is the best.

And... Ricky and Nini's on and off chemistry is back on. Good for them, because after season 2, I really needed to see a good rehearsal. But I'm thinking EJ's joy at the end-of-school bell had little to do with Thanksgiving...

That look Reddy gave Ashlyn as she was walking out... might be me digging for breadcrumbs, but I think I just saw the exact moment my boy fell, and he fell hard. Ok, I realise now after I've said this that 'fall' probably isn't the best choice of words, but you know what I mean. Fell for Ashlyn. Not like... oh, never mind.

'So meek, so mild, sword!' I can't really explain it, but I love this line. And I feel like it describes Ash so perfectly: like, she might be meek and mild, but if you cross her, she's armed. Gosh, I love her!

Not the Caswell parents leaving their children alone over two holiday breaks! No wonder these two are the way they are. But they're about to get a beautiful Thanksgiving celebration. [Fun personal fact: the year I was born, my birthday fell on Thanksgiving day. That doesn't mean much in Bulgaria, but my dad works with a lot of Americans so my parents knew about it and I've known this and that about this holiday I've never celebrated since I was very young. I have no idea why I'm telling you this, but Thanksgiving has always reminded me of my birthday for this reason, so... ok, moving on.]

So I know she kind of suggested it, but... why does Carlos think it's his place to invite people over to Ashlyn's? I mean, this was part 2 of Redlyn establishing themselves as the hosts for any out-of-school gathering, but... oh well, it led to a beautiful party with everyone, so... I'll allow it.

I really liked Nini's talk with her grandma. It was really nice, and a very fitting way to remind everyone what Thanksgiving is originally about. I feel like people often forget that when it comes to... literally every major commercialised holiday.

Wow, EJ really is that person where once the tap is open, it can't stop spilling. And I kind of like that look on him. It's a transitional stage between EJ 1.0 and EJ 2.0, and I appreciate it for what it is.

Ahhhh it's Redlyn's first proper 1-on-1 conversation! I mean, it got kind of really awkward really quickly because of — surprise, surprise — Nini and Ricky (and EJ), but those two are so adorable! No more breadcrumbs — we're about to get an entire five-course meal here! Which goes really well with the Thanksgiving setting, now that I think of it.

Gosh, they've never really talked and my boy whips out the 'the only thing I'd ever throw at your face is a brighter spotlight' line right off the bat? Boy is whipped! But like, he is the master of grand gestures where Ashlyn is concerned. Still, in this first moment they shared, he really was like, go big or go home, and home isn't really an option here. But I should have known, it's in his name after all. Gosh, I love both of those two so much! Especially when they're together.

Ok, so... this is a really bad way to meet your mother's new boyfriend. Poor Ricky. As if ringing his mum wasn't hard enough already.

See, when I rewatch season 1, I get where the Rina stans are coming from, but then again, remember when I used to say I wanted Gina and EJ to just be friends? Yeah, that's changed too. Not that I ever shipped Rina romantically — I rarely ever ship a pairing unless they're explicitly stated to have something going on, just because I can't see that sort of stuff very clearly — but I really, really want them (Ricky and Gina, I mean) to be really good friends. Once they get past the awkwardness of their sort of history, I mean.

I miss the good old days when Nini was a nice person... I mean, we kind of (really) had a glimpse of that in 2x11 (I'm guessing she was making up for Miss Jenn's very inappropriate slip-up), but I miss the days before she was this big internet-famous songwriter and actually had to be convinced by Ashlyn that she should write songs for herself... wait, now that I think of it... Ashlyn might have helped create a monster there. Oh well. Still love her so much!

You know, I love the Choosical, but it's all a bit sad, if you stop to think about it for a sec. Just picture little single-digit-aged Carlito making this whole thing up in an attempt to participate in his favourite thing... only to not have anyone to play with for the next ten years. Great, I just made myself cry. The thing is, I relate to that story a bit too much. I remember in preschool, when the rest of the children would play together, I'd sit in a corner by myself and read the only book that was there... over and over, day after day. I don't even remember a single thing about that little book right now, but back then I clung to it like it was everything. And I couldn't very much share the experience with any of my peers, seeing as I was the only kid there who could actually read (my grandma used to be a preschool teacher and she taught me to read when I was 4). So yeah. I went off on a rather personal tangent there. Thing is, I know how little Carlos felt and I'm so happy that he finally gets to share this thing he made with a loving and supportive group of friends. Everything has its time and place, I guess.

'Look, I'm not following Big Red just because he paid me a compliment' — of course not, dear, you know your own worth and we love that for you — but see, when he said that thing that you're referring to as a compliment, he did not lie! You really are the brightest star and deserve the brightest spotlight. See, the thing I love most about Redlyn's compliments to each other is that they're so sincere and state nothing but the absolute truth. Those two just see each other for what they are, and love each other as they are. And I think that is beautiful.

It's so funny to me every time someone gets something wrong and Carlos just walks past them out of nowhere and corrects them without missing a beat. I kind of relate to that side of him, too. Except it's usually about grammar and language in my case, not HSM trivia.

If I were Nini in this scene, and was suddenly put face to face with Emily on the spot like that, I would not have been able to handle it. So props to Nini for handling it.

Yeah, sorry to break it to you, Emily dear, but whatever you're doing is not a Cockney accent. I don't claim to be an accent expert, but I know first-hand what Cockney sounds like and... that's just not it. Even Dick Van Dyke was closer to a Cockney accent in Mary Poppins, and that's saying something. (See, I feel bad criticising any aspect of Emily because her actress is no longer with us, but... I have no idea who let them get away with passing this off as Cockney).

Is this the beginning of Jennzara there? I am loving this.

Of course Carlos was obsessed with Glee as a kid... but wasn't he a bit too young for it when it aired? I know I was, and I'm older than those kids. I mean, I waited until I was emotionally mature enough to watch Glee, and that wasn't until 3 years ago, when I was 18 going on 19. Ok, I'm thinking too much into this. Moving on.

Ahhhhh, Redlyn! Just... all of their moments. But screaming the lyrics of What I've Been Looking For on top of their lungs while looking right at each other... was so beautiful to watch. Give me more of that!

EJ: 'That was terrible.' Seb: 'I'm so happy!' — Moods, both of them. Those two are real-life emojis, aren't they? And we love them for that.

'... without laughing... or killing each other.' — I feel like that last specification was needed given that it's Ricky and EJ we're talking about, and especially what happened last time they had to do a one-on-one exercise during rehearsal. The ensuing scene, however, is the most hilarious thing!

Root beer, huh? Is that the HSMTMTS code for 'awkward' now? I mean, Nini and Gina had a nice talk there, all things considered. I really want the two of them to put the Ricky thing past them and be friends... but we'll see.

Gina is trying to make the sleepover thing look like 'it's not a big deal' despite how big of a deal it obviously is to her... to which I say, good for you, girl, but I wouldn't know. The only sleepovers I've ever had have been with my little cousin who is 9 years younger than me and also insists on sleeping with a very bright nightlight on, which means I can't sleep at all. So yeah, I wouldn't know. But I'm happy that Gina is feeling included.

So this is the exact moment when it becomes clear that Big Red is not telling us the complete truth when it comes to his HSM knowledge... '14 and 10'? Even I didn't know that. I knew 14, but... for someone who allegedly 'hates musicals', my boy has very detailed knowledge of one certain musical movie... I love how it got him a certain girl's attention, though. Not that she wasn't already paying attention to him, if you catch my drift.

Ok, but this hits even harder now than it did the first time — just when Gina has finally managed to make friends, to feel included in their group, her mum has to move her away again. This is straight-up tragic. I'll say it now, and I'll probably say it again when it comes up in the rewatch — Ashlyn is an absolute queen for taking Gina in for the next semester.

'That's sort of what you always do, huh? Take care of everyone else' — yeah, Ash, and you do the same. You two just need someone to do for you what you do for other people. See, guys, this is what I mean. This is why they're soulmates. Because in a world that has more or less forced both of them to put others first, they put each other first. They each get to be the most important person to each other after they've been stepping back for others all the time. And if that isn't beautiful, I don't know what is. I know I'm repeating myself over and over saying this, but... they own my heart and soul and I'm not for sale.

Ok, but Ashlyn's little run after Big Red left was so cute! Girl is... I don't know why I keep using that word, but... falling.

Unpopular opinion: Out of the Old is the best Nini solo to come out of this series to date. Maybe I feel that way just because I relate to it most, but hey, that is a valid reason to like something.

Oof, EJ's losing followers. Oh well, if they're unfollowing him for being too honest, they didn't like the real him to begin with. So good riddance to them.

Yikes... Jennzara fell asleep with flammable stuff left unattended... we all know how that ended, but just the fact that they felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in each other's presence... speaks volumes. So I guess... well, I don't know what exactly I'm saying regarding the fire they caused, but I loved this big little moment they had.

So this is it. That was 1x6 and 7 and, well, they were beautiful, but there are some parts I can't look at in the same way anymore after 2x11. Guess that's the risk of a rewatch. The Redlyn scenes, though — still the best part of both of these episodes. That and a couple of other things for which I don't need to pretend like I haven't seen season 2.

[darkpoisonouslove]

Riven x Musa

Ok, so I keep seeing posts everywhere that basically badmouth S8 and after seeing ten seconds of the trailer (YIKES to the animation, what’s wrong with the industry that they are making everything anime? Powerpuff Gen Z, I’m looking at you – obs: I didn’t watch it fully yet) I can see where some of the criticism is coming from but anyways…

My favorite Winx!couple EVER has always been Musa x Riven since I was kid and first watched the show (Netflix is not helping ‘cause I ship them even there).

I remember yawning at Bloom/Sky, rolling my eyes at Stella/Brandom and making a completely incredulous expression that I could literally feel forming on my face at Helia/Flora (can anyone say ‘unrealistic’?). Timmy/Tecna are a second favorite.

And why my Winx OTP are Riven x Musa followed after Timmy x Tecna? Because it reflects real life. In real life you’re not gonna stumble into people whose real and deep relationship problems are solved in twenty four minutes (not even that considering that some episodes present the “problem” half-way through said 24 minute-episode).

The breakup between Riven and Musa in S6 (spoilers everywhere after all) was one of the most mature breakups in the history of breakups with the hope for the future (yes, I’m completely ignoring S7, sue me, the whole thing was one huge filler anyways). And, after reading a lot of opinions on both ends (defending Musa/attacking Riven and defending Riven/attacking Musa) and watching the episodes in question (reuniting through reconciling) I think I can give my own analysis.

Since Musa AND Riven (individually and as couple) are my favorite characters in Winx, I think I CAN give a fairly unbiased view (hopefully).

*clears throat*

Ok, keep in mind that I’m defending BOTH of them, because I ship them too hard not to.

Musa Being OC (sometimes being called ‘brat’): C'mon, people! Musa and Tecna are OC since S4 anyways, where are the tomboy and the nerd? With the sneakers, T-shirt and comfortable-looking clothes? Noooo, now they all need neat skirts and hot pink high heels and long, glamorous hair. Do they look good? Of course, but and I would totally be less pissed if there was ANY indication on the reason for the change. Are they just maturing? Expressing themselves differently? Crowd mentality? Tune and Stella finally broke Musa down and Tecna followed soon after? Was it just to please Riven and Timmy? ANYTHING (even the 'pleasing a boy’ would at least be A reason - a ridiculous one that would piss me off, but A reason none the less), was just a sudden impulse that took?

Sure, we can talk about “character growth” until we are blue in the face, but the matter of the fact is that there was none.

The changes we see in Musa and Tecna are basically the creators making them more like the rest of the Winx (I’m including Aisha in this too, where is the sporty girl that matched the boy’s interest in extreme sports? C'mon! Even Bloom and her Girl Next Door looks are replaced with Bratz and Clueless-level of outfits).

Is anyone really going to look me in the eye and say Stella wasn’t a shallow (if friendly and good-natured) Mean Girl? She got better, but as I re-watch the show (currently in S3, meaning almost half-way through the content), Stella still worries more about her hair than anything else even while under literal fire.

More and more, Musa, Tecna and Aisha are losing their identities and what made them, IMO, the more badass Winx.

How did the two on the left went from this…

… to this:

Yeah, yeah, Musa still sings, Tecna still technobabble and Aisha is still a Warrior Princess but Aisha was the first one to go Bloom and Stella on us with Musa and then Tecna following soon after. It’s not just their clothing style, it’s the way they carried themselves too.

Right now? The only thing keeping them apart is their BF blues (different kind of blues) and some personal interests (singing, shopping, tech, the whole drama with Domino/Sparks, etc). But that’s IT, their personalities are going down the drain!

Sorry for the long-winded text, but the reason I’m expressing my disappointment at their change is because Musa’s reaction fits it. S6 we have such an AMAZING breakup (didn’t even think that was possible, WTH, right? Amazing breakup?) only for her to be mad as hell at Riven at S8? Bad writing, that has been dragging her (and the rest of the Winx) down to becoming just one unilateral, shallow character (the Specialists are also falling into that pit, what in the world did they do Helia in S8? He sounds like Thor telling about his “brave exploits” there, yikes). And continuity what? What continuity? Do they even remember how the breakup was written?

But ok, let’s put the Audience View aside for a moment and focus only on the In-Universe terms.

S6: You’ll always be my hero.

S8: What on EARTH are you doing here. 

I laughed a bit, the contrast just got to me but instead of getting mad at one or the other like most of the fandom, I laughed.

Musa followed that by saying that Riven has not maintained contact and just in that I would be beyond pissed as well and giving my support to Musa. WTH, Riven? I think that each season is more less six months to a year? Sort of? Still, zero contact for so long even after ending on amicable terms and wanting to stay friends? And he went off on his own! A text now going, “I’m not dead” would be the bare basics for Musa not to worry herself bald!

BUT then I also read comments about how this was a two-way street, why didn’t Musa call either? That’s unfortunately something that I very much doubt will ever be explained. One of those: did it or didn’t it? Musa could have called and went straight to voicemail with no signs of life from Riven or she might not have called and just expected him to call as if feminism were dead and all initiative must come from the guy (which doesn’t even fit because they parted as friends).

Since we have no info on the above, I put it on both of them. It’s not fair to say, “HE should have called!” or “Why didn’t SHE call?” because we don’t have fricking context. So the only thing we can take is: no contact.

BECAUSE I put the lack of contact on both of them, Musa’s reaction was a little too much, however, Riven shows up all smirks and leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and I would have flashbacks to S1 if it wasn’t for the animation style that made all the guys look like girls. Dude! Not the time for that kind of posture. Not saying that he should be all sheepish and rubbing his arm as if he had done something horrible (again: we don’t have context on the no contact) but a more neutral approach was warranted here. Nobody does themselves any favors with that kind of attitude no matter what how high of a horse they may be (rightly or not) riding on, if anything I would react like Musa solely on that one.

Next episode we have that Riven convinced the guys to follow the girls in some mission and Musa was angry. Again: I would be too. WTH? Yes, yes, they helped and if it wasn’t for them, the Winx would gotten seriously injured but Musa did have a point saying that this demonstrated that they had no trust in them and need their hand held, it was no sanctioned mission like on Earth after all. BUT, Riven does something that I would never expect from in S1-4: he explains, he reasons it, he puts it in all the words that he does trust Musa and co and that he only wanted to show that he’d be there for her (you know? One of the main issues in S6 that made them breakup in the first place? His inability to conciliate Specialist work with supporting his girlfriend and ultimately failing or feeling like failing in both?) and Musa still pouts, crosses her arms, and turns around. Geez. I expected that one from Stella, not Musa. I think the closest Musa has ever come to THIS was back in S2 when Jared explains that Riven was the one to recommend that he interview Musa and yada yada yada and she got mad and stomped off on the poor guy that didn’t even understand what was going on (only to immediately apologize to Jared and recognizing that it wasn’t him that she was mad at… like I said: what character growth?).

Riven then goes to show that he indeed grew when he asked for advice from Sky and Brandon (WTH, right? Can we picture that happening back in S1-3? He very grudgingly would LISTEN to UNSOLICITED advice from Nabu and Helia in S4-6). And does a very, very goofy and embarrassing show of affection. Yeah… again… I can picture Stella loving the light show with her face for IDK how many people to see but not Musa (although can we really blame the guy after the series went out of its way to make Musa all Stella-like? Clothes, attitude, the only thing missing is making Riven carry her shopping bags around and call him “Shnookums” (although the mental image is already enough for me to fall over laughing, just for the face Riven would make). Still, I have to count that one against Riven if only because (as much as the show gives only lip service to it) Musa isn’t Stella.

Riven being mind controlled (again) aside, those two are back together. And on the overall? Riven showed more growth than any other character in the show COMBINED (he is the Zuko of the show), that doesn’t go to say that he didn’t make mistakes since coming back in S8 (but that was more a guy trying to win back a girl than… betraying his friends for a pair of nice legs or… IDEK like in S1 – where, mind control or not the show itself made sure to make it clear that he had free will) or that he is now the one out of Musa’s league. I think that NOW it can actually work… if the show allows him to keep the progress, Musa is the next to see her flaws and work on them (which she showed to be able to do since S2) and put effort in the relationship. The difference between them is that Musa can actually work on herself and the relationship at the same time. That’s not me saying she is better than Riven in any way, everybody has their own pace and their own way to cope, to improve and to self-reflect.

I still root for them.

~*~

PS-IDK why, but I read posts about how Riven changed so much and posts about how all his progress disappeared and he is now back to his S1 attitude and I’m just cofused. Yeah, different of opinions and so on, but such opposite opinions on the subject of a guy whose relationship was focused on three episodes?