#like several seasons and something you don't like the show and the writers are trash lol

[theharpermovieblog]

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

2023

I watched Ghostbusters Afterlife (2021)

Yes, I grew up on the original Ghostbusters films. No I didn't see the Paul Fiege Ghostbusters movie. Not because of the lady cast, the previews just never thrilled me. I may watch it someday.

The Daughter and Grandchildren of former Ghostbuster, Egon Spangler, inherit his farmhouse and find he died still fighting the Sumerian God Gozer.

Maybe you didn't grow up in the 1980's and 1990's. Maybe your parents aren't cool and didn't like Ghostbusters and never showed it to you. I'm sad for you, but for the rest of us, the Ghostbusters movies (and the cartoon show) are nostalgia on film. The blend of comedy, spooky horror, special effects and working class ghost hunting are forever etched in our brains. We can quote lines like preachers can quote scripture. We'd give a decade of our lives to own a proton pack. So, when trying to revitalize that franchise, fans can get pretty testy. The all female reboot brought out the worst of the fandom. Showing that incels sometimes like cool shit too, and can make any fanbase look like trash.

I'm very happy that this direct sequel didn't do a full 180° and try and please the incels and women haters. The choice to make the lead a smart young girl, was almost a slap in the face to every silly anti-women post on Facebook. This decision is part of what Ghostbusters Afterlife gets right.

The movie is directed by Jason Reitman, the son of Director Ivan Reitman, who helmed the original Ghostbusters. Jason has directed several good movies, some I like and some I'm lukewarm about. Here, he puts everything into continuing the Ghostbusters legacy, while celebrating the kid in all of us who grew up on the original films. The idea of literally putting kids in the place of the Ghostbusters and sending them on a Spielberg-esque small town adventure was the perfect way to make a sequel. Not replacing the old characters, but allowing these kids to dig into the lore of the Ghostbusters and their original film villain.

The movie looks good, is paced nicely, has solid humor and I really enjoyed the story. Yes, there's a lot of fan service and nostalgia bait. And, while I'm honestly here for that in a lot of ways, the nostalgia is also used to create a new story that's worth my while.

I also appreciate that a lot was done in practical effects. The practical Demon Dogs I'm especially grateful for.

And, I don't think I'm spoiling anything when I say that the old cast gets their small moment, without fully overtaking the story and I think the film as a whole is a nice remembrance of actor and writer Harold Ramis.

While not perfect, and maybe even a bit clunky, Ghostbusters Afterlife actually made me really happy. It feels almost like the condensed first season of a Ghostbusters television show, but thank Gozer it wasn't a television show, because I wouldn't have wanted to watch it.

They're making a sequel, which is probably unnecessary, but we'll see if it's any good. This sort of felt like a nice way to give the fans something and bring the Ghostbusters full circle on its own.

Happy enough with this. And, in this day and age of reboots and sequels, me being Happy Enough is high praise.

[cortexifansquint]

Feeling alone on this, but I really enjoyed like 80% of season 4! Given this wasn't the series finale, I'm not ready to trash the duffers out over a still incomplete story. As long as things wrap up right and the suffering ends with happiness for our gang! A theme of this season was communication, literally across locations and inter-personally between the characters. So I'm giving the benefit of the doubt that a lot of the relationship mess we're upset about might be intentional to resolve next season? Trying to stay positive.

The 💖👍🏾:

Jopper! Just everything about them, couldn't have asked for more. A passionate and soft kiss. Flirting. The talks. All the hand holding/hugging/touching. Huge contrast from tension last season. Byers-Hopper family reunion. Even Joyce getting to kill a demo-dog, I got everything I wanted from these two.

The horror elements. Vecna/001. Explanation into the upside down + tie-ins to past seasons etc.

Max & Lucas. Their individually plots and as Lumax. From emotional and supportive, to cute, to heartbreaking. The creel house scene had me a sobbing mess. Sadie and Caleb were amazing this year!

Was happy to get some Sinclair sibling scenes. And the interaction between all the parents was amusing.

Eddie Munson guitar solo. Eddie Munson period. I'm going to miss him so much.

The one on ones. They were nice moments and really made me nervous for everyone's fate.

Argyle was a treat. The humor breaks overall are always enjoyable in the series.

The battle scene was a good time! The music/score (!!) , the action of everyone kicking ass together from their locations. Hopper fighting the demogorgon with a sword. Nancy & Robin torching Vecna. El fighting Vecna.

The ending. Again with the music and the visuals.

The 😖:

Was looking forward to more El living with the Byers. Joyce and El mother-daughter, sibling stuff with Will and Jonathan. Would have swapped out the extended bully scenes for it. Or at least a one on one with El & Joyce after the dinner scene.

Will Byers / Byler fans being done dirty all around. He was third wheeled, then sidelined and miserable all season. I'm not even that into Byler (mostly due to my feelings on Mike and his attitude) but I literally cringed at the "tender emotional music" being used for m*leven all the sudden and Will's feelings a catalyst for that love confessions (yikes). Then there's all the beating around the bush, thought they'd at least have him come out + reveal his feelings for Mike to Jonathan. Making the monologue more weighted with solid confirmation to the audience (people who are blind apparently) and knowledge from Jonathan. Or honestly just had a mutual m*leven breakup leaving the last season to deal with Mike's end but now...everything would be so crammed. Honestly I wish the painting was a thing anyway considering what it turned out to be/used for.

As a black person, it was an uncomfortable af seeing Erica and Lucas being held down/held at gunpoint by those jocks. Nice seeing them knock them both tf out though, so there's that.

Wanted more Erica Sinclair on my screen and utilized better than to make sassy comments (which I love her for of course but ya know). I want her involved with coming up with the genius plan next season.

No one mentioning or mourning Eddie outside of Dustin pissed me off a little. Steve and Robin spent all season with him and Mike was in Hellfire Club. Makes no sense.

Putting to the back of my mind since there's a S5, but the loose ends/questions. Where did Murray, Dimitri and Yuri go? What's up with Owens? What did they do with Eddie's body? So Ms.Kelley wasn't involved/evil? Are/can the Byers go back to California, is there a warrant for El? A time jump would make zero sense.

The 😐:

I didn't hate the Stancy revival. Mainly because a big part of their relationship ending was out of Nancy's guilt about Barb. So makes sense to bring it back up alongside Vecna surfacing traumas. Plus I'm a sucker for finding each other again after being apart kind of thing and J*ncy is hanging by a thread. However I would say I am annoyed with the show having Nancy torn between Steve and Jonathan constantly. She hasn't been completely content with either one for a decent stretch of time. Girl, pick one!

To add on, throwing J*ncy and M*leven back together after hanging by a thread all season with no real resolution to their issues. They're just good now I guess??

[tenebraevesper]

I asked this to another blog, but do you think the Season 4 finale made salt fics that depict Adrien in a negative light, while Felix is depicted in a positive one (at least when the fic uses Félix Graham de Vanily, when the fic uses PV Felix it's a bit more understandable) age poorly?

(Tho I like I said to the other blog I asked this question to, I always found a bit questionable when salt fics did that, since Felix's actions in his debut episode were quite awful, like how he tried to forcibly get a kiss on Ladybug on his debut episode, and one of the main complaints people have about Chat Noir is about how forceful he can be with Ladybug, so I never undertstood why those fics gave Felix a pass)

So, for starters, fanfiction is just a person's interpretation of canon and I don't think it can ''age poorly''. If it were a theory, then I'd agree, as theories can turn out factually wrong or miss the mark, but fanfiction? No, not really. However, the writer/reader's taste can change and they would seek a different kind of story.

As for the main question, portraying Adrien in a negative and GdV!Félix in a positive light is understandable given that Adrien has given us much more reasons to criticize him than Félix, and the Season 4 finale, in my opinion, has changed nothing about that fact. As a matter of fact, the entirety of S4 has only solidified the perception that Adrien is a very unlikable character. All he does is complain, whine and put other people into unnecessary danger due to this obsession Ladybug (Lies, Sentibubbler, Kuro Neko and Chat Blanc), and he gets away with all of those actions because, as Astruc said, he is perfect and the world needs to cater to him. He never learns a damn thing and during the rare moments he decided to change, he goes right back to square one (Glaciator 2.0.).

This all makes Adrien a very frustrating character and his portrayal in salt fics actually isn’t that different from actual canon (at least in the salt fics I read) with one important difference - the writer puts emphasis on Adrien’s actions being wrong and problematic (while the canon show portrays his actions as him being in the right or completely glosses over them). I mean, considering how long Marinette had dealt with Adrien’s harassment, I’m surprised she hadn’t thrown him into a trash bin earlier. The Season 4 finale isn’t better in that regard either, as Adrien’s “supportive” actions come off as incredibly selfish or entitled, or sound more like empty promises, especially when you take his behavior during the entire show into consideration. Season 4 finale basically tells us that Adrien was right in lying and manipulating Ladybug (Kuro Neko), that he was right in refusing to communicate with her (despite the fact that she asked him several times to talk to her, e.g. Rocketear), that he was right to be reckless and add to Ladybug’s stress (Lies), etc.

Compare this to Félix, whose actions had actually been portrayed in the wrong in canon. He does something bad and he gets punished for it, e.g. attempting to kiss Ladybug in Félix and getting clocked for that - and please note, Félix kissing Ladybug only happened in that episode, while Adrien harassing Ladybug happened over the span of 4 Seasons. Even then, it was clarified that Félix did it to ruin Adrien’s image (thinking he has a celebrity crush on Ladybug) rather than creepily obsess over her (note the hundreds of photos on Adrien’s phone, which I’m pretty sure were taken without Ladybug’s knowledge). Frankly, if I had to pick between Félix and Adrien in this situation, I’d pick Félix, as he appears to be the more reasonable one (after all, Adrien’s reaction to being rejected is to refuse to help Ladybug defeat an Akuma - Frozer & Glaciator; and when Rena Rouge told him that her plan excluded him in Sentibubbler, he destroyed a chimney in a fit of rage, making him come off as very unhinged).

Then, there is also the fact that Astruc seemingly hates Félix, going by his Twitter comments, and people usually like to side with the underdog.

The last argument in favor of Félix is the fact that, unlike Adrien (whose go-to solution to a problem is to whine and complain until gets his way), he’s portrayed as intelligent, resourceful and competent (Gabriel Agreste, Risk, Strike Back). Considering how Adrien does absolutely nothing to contribute to the plot, even in episodes that focus on him (Lies, The Collector), is it really a surprise people prefer Félix over him?

As for Félix’s actions in the Season 4 finale, I can assure you that Félix!Fans acknowledge that him betraying Ladybug was awful. I acknowledge that this was a dire move on his part (and foolish - he could’ve just stolen all of the Miraculous). However, you need to take into account that Félix was always a morally grey character whose actions were supposed to benefit him and not other people. He isn’t a superhero and we know that, but we still want to see what he’s going to do in the future because he’s just that interesting. This is what makes him more intriguing than Adrien and a character I want to root for (and ignore Astruc’s passive aggressive commentary).

To keep it short, Félix gets a pass because he isn’t an obsessive creep and is a more interesting character than Adrien.

[sunnys-rewatch-blog]

S2, E1

"It's Alive"

TW: SA mention

Whoohoo! We have passed the landmark of reaching season 2. So far I am still very much enjoying myself, in spite of the many criticisms you see here.

It is absolutely horrible that someone had proof Jenna was SA-ing Toby and they did nothing to help or protect him.

"He's probably on his way to the meat grinder!"- thanks for the visual, Em. I guess her and Alison bonded over being fucking morbid and watching Mr. Meaty.

They were blackmailing Ian? Doesn't blackmail imply some kind of manipulation or extortion? Oh, the money!

Are the adults really trying to take these kids to a therapist as a display for public sympathy? No wonder they're so resistant and feel like it's punitive! This is something that should come from a place of compassion and care! It's so infuriating, by making them feel like they're completely being forced into it you're setting them up to resist treatment instead of getting help. How was Alison not traumatized with the knowledge that they would care so little about her death?

Fuck. Off. Peter Hastings.

Wasn't anyone gonna tell me you can buy breast milk online, or was I just supposed to find out from PLL? I looked this up and it's actually true. I don't know what to do with this information, but now I have it.

Aria is, realistically, going through so much right now and both Ezra and the showrunners think Ezria is so goddamn important we have to have this little "Are we over?" chat like. Right now. Man, I get it in a way, but sometimes you need to be okay with being on the backburner.

Where even are the Cavanaugh parents?

Pam, truly, could not be any more wrapped up in herself. What is she thinking, with this move to Texas? I understand the family stuff and wanting to be with your husband, and even wanting to leave this town where your neighbor's kid died and weird shit keeps happening- but Emily is kind of...involved in a murder case. She's been questioned several times in regards to this investigation at this point, and that doesn't show signs of stopping, especially since she is also now involved in a second death. I don't know what they do if they need to conduct a police interview across state lines. Maybe it's as simple as making a phone call.

More to consider, though, is what do you know about queer acceptance in the area? That's something maybe a homophobic "cishet" (in quotes because it's implied but never confirmed, in-cannon) wouldn't think to ask, but there are places in the US where LGBTQ+ acceptance hasn't progressed much. From what I know- thanks to a friend who has Texan contacts and has visited at least once-the major cities are generally pretty accepting, but other areas vary wildly. It's still common for people to move to safer places, some have to stay closeted until they can do so. Queer culture is Googling the new city you're about to move to so you can assess your personal safety.

Side note- what even is Pam's profession? Is she supposed to just be a housewife? Last time I checked, "wallowing in self-pity and feeling personally victimized over my daughter's sexuality" doesn't pay very well.

...how much time has passed since Lucas left to go pick up Caleb? How much school has he missed? Someone should be looking for him, too.

Is this supposed to be group therapy? Or are the writers just banking on having an audience that doesn't know how therapy works?

Caleb sure does fall hard, fast. He really went all the way back to Rosewood just so that Hanna wouldn't think he left without saying "Goodbye."

And, to be fair, Mona ripping up and trashing his letter isn't anything that most good friends wouldn't do. If they weren't trying so hard to sell us "Haleb= True Love," this would be portrayed as commendable.

I know the whole "fake dating to true love" pipeline is a trope, but they do it with at least two of the Liars and it's not really satisfying in either case. In my opinion, it sucks all of the enjoyment out of it for the narrative to keep it a secret from the audience, there's way more joy in it to watch a scheme unfold- especially if both characters have an investment in the farce. The way it's done here doesn't build tension, so when the boiler explodes it seems sudden and out of place.

The girls have had one complete session with this therapist and she already thinks they should be forcibly separated.

Why would the name they picked out be something only Ian would know? I don't think Melissa even once implied this name was a secret. Maybe it makes sense in her mind that no one else could have possibly been told before she was told and couldn't have found out after.

Even though I don't find Ian likeable, and he's kinda squicky going after young girls, I almost wish he had been alive. I want to see what effect that would have on the story.

[xxgothchatonxx]

I've seen your review of the Clarice series. I watched. Boring story, uninteresting characters, boring episodes. I doesn't even feel like this belongs to the Hannibal universe. I never watch again. Compared to that, even Hannibal Rising is better. Really hope we get don't season 2. Bloodless, tension-free, ridiculous villain(s), political nonsenses. This it's more like a crime series. Now seriously Bryan Fuller for that hasn't been given the rights we to see this nonsense trash.

Thanks for watching my review, I hope you enjoyed it :)

Honestly, I didn't really have a problem with the political stuff. My issue with it is that it was just there to be "hey, we're Woke, right?" as opposed to actually doing something with it. Like the subplot with Ardelia fighting against racial discrimination in the workforce. Really wish that had more focus. And I'm honestly shocked that Julia got that much time to talk about how the aftermath of the Buffalo Bill case severely affected her and others in the trans community, which was/is very reflective of what happened and is still happening now. Too bad that stuff got pushed to the side for the sake of overly complicated plots, dumbass villains, and plot twists so disgusting- PAPA STARLING WAS NOT A COWARDLY CORRUPT PIECE OF SHIT! FUCK OFF WITH THAT NONSENSE!

If this show does get renewed for season 2, I am not watching it. And I want to just clarify that I gave this show a chance. Multiple chances. I wanted this show to work. I wanted this show to succeed. But it was just way too complicated, it did not work as a Silence sequel AT ALL, and it just felt like a half-assed cash-grab as opposed to something that had actual effort put into it.

Also... only saying this because i've been seeing this a lot... if I hear "Clarice failed cos of misogyny" one more fucking time, I am going to scream. Clarice did not fail because "well audiences just don't want to see women leading shows :/"... it failed because it was a bad show. That "well, audiences are sexist" excuse is already a very VERY tired excuse... but you DO NOT use that when talking about CLARICE STARLING! One of the most well-known and beloved heroines in modern fiction! A character who helped changed the way that female characters are represented on screen! So take that "audiences just don't want to see her" excuse and shove it firmly up your ass! We don't want to see Clarice Starling in a mediocre show! THAT is what we don't want to see!

I don't care who (actually I do...) gets to do it, just give her to writers who actually care about this franchise! Who won't just ride the coat-tails of Jonathan Demme or do a half-assed Bryan Fuller knockoff!

Clarice Starling deserved so much better than this.

[darrowsrising]

i know you love Red Rising, I love it too, but people are allowed to criticize the books, whether its because they don't like the excessive violence or some other reason. Whenever you post something about how ppl who criticize the book need to just go away it makes me feel like you are policing opinions. I'm sure that's not what you mean to do so I wanted to point out that's how it can come off.

People are allowed to feel one way or another about Dark Age, I am not trying to police anyone about that, I am just saying that the criticism for violence is unjustified. And it is, considering that the Iron Gold Trilogy is Adult Sci-Fi and it delves into the war theme.

Bookstores may not have New Adult sections and they may put Red Rising in the YA section, but there is no excuse for not putting Dark Age into the Adult section. Moreover, Dark Age is a natural progression from the initial trilogy, which had plenty of violence. Pierce Brown warned about Dark Age for an entire year and a half. What exactly did people expect, when in the over all Iron Gold trilogy, Dark Age is meant to be the lowest point for the good guys, I honestly don't know.

'Dark Age failed to do that for a lot of people'. The violenece was MEANT to desensitize the reader as much as it did the soldiers on Mercury, as much as it did Darrow and the rest of the cast. Because that is what war does, it doesn't give you time to even process, you just have to keep going, so you numb yourself. If people failed to understand why the use of that, that's on them, not the writer.

Amidst the chaos, some violent scenes gad specific impact, meant to wake up the reader - the first forest, the Red crew member that got stuck in Darrow's armour while Atalantia launched nukes, Darrow's fight on Heliopolis, the Day of the Red Doves, the death of the Howlers, Ulysses' death etc.

I am not trying to police anyone's opinions, I apologize if it came that way, I just find the criticism completely unjustified and showing the lack of experience in the genre for quite a lot of people. I think for most, Dark Age is the first dip into this much violence and it's natural to freak people out, but...not enough to validate their distaste.

Dark Age used violence well, not cheaply and always with a purpose. I can point out several series which go for straight horrorporn (asoiaf, altered carbon, even the broken empire trilogy have plenty of violent scenes that were better left out or hide a deeper issue of the author), Dark Age is nowhere near that, although the gore and scale levels are about there.

I read the Fifth Season this summer and honestly, it may not feature a war (yet), but the horrors of that world are just as...terryfing as the RR series'. And just as explicit as in Dark Age.

Whatever people expected of Dark Age, to say that its violence is uneffective is missing the point. People are allowed to dislike Dark Age, because the violence factor isn't their piece of cake or whatever. But I don't think it's about the book itself, it's about their personal prefferences. And that is annoying, because they try to pass their opinions, which are personal and valid, as 'I didn't like this, so it's trash, nobody should like it, 1-star rating', along with some ol' accusation of sexism towards PB, because why not. That is what bugs me.

I don't mean to be mean or anything, I am just sick of seeing people butthurt over their own misinterpretations or shock that comes from reading about violence of the Adult Sci-Fi scale for the first time (or for the first time in forever). This may not be the case for everyone who didn't like Dark Age, but it's the general trend on GR.

Howl on!

[zalrb]

'you notice that they were written with more purpose' Lmao! what? Purpose and DE don't even belong in the same sentence. That's been the reason why we've laughed about this whole relationship. Julie may like and cater to that ship and it's fans (as she did in s4-8) but she has written it horrendously. Starting from the beginning of De meeting it has made no sense as to why Elena would even want to be in his presence much less in a relationship w/him. Like you said DE is about Damon. More->

‘you notice that they were written with more purpose’ Lmao! what? Purpose and DE don’t even belong in the same sentence. That’s been the reason why we’ve laughed about this whole relationship. Julie may like and cater to that ship and it’s fans (as she did in s4-8) but she has written it horrendously. Starting from the beginning of De meeting it has made no sense as to why Elena would even want to be in his presence much less in a relationship w/him. Like you said DE is about Damon. If this anon is asking why Julie continued writing for SE while going with DE in s4-8 I think it was initially suppose to lead back to SE until Nina left, after that I think there were several reasons. One of which is SE were so ingrained in the history of the show she can’t make sense without them even when she tired and failed to do so. How can she not mention and show SE still loving each other? They ARE tvd.”

Well this is what I mean! 

First of all, I don’t think people quite get it when I say that Delena is a relationship that isn’t about Damon and Elena as a couple. Narratively speaking, it’s about Damon. Elena is his symbol, Elena is his target, everything is about what Elena can do for Damon.

For instance, this is what Caroline Dries says about Damon and Elena’s goodbye in 6x22: 

“Dancing on our show, among all the different character couplings, is sort of a motif,” Dries continued. “It’s our way of the characters having sex in like a beautiful way, so it made perfect sense on the road, which is symbolic of Damon’s journey as a vampire[…]”

This is what she says about Stefan and Elena’s goodbye:

“And then there was the location of Stefan and Elena’s goodbye, for which the writers chose the waterfall that Stefan and Elena first visited in season 2. “They had one of their most beautiful relationship moments while they were walking up that waterfall,” Dries said.

Even when the show retcons Damon and Elena’s first meeting, it’s for Damon’s benefit:

It was us wanting to give Damon something to fight for. Ric is unbeatable, a jillion times stronger than Damon. Damon was a dead man, and Ric was relishing beating him, and Damon had nothing left to live for, having been passed over once again. It was just that slight little thing that she said to him, when she was just trying to take the sting off: “Hey, maybe if you and I had met first.” She was just trying to soften the blow. But in reality, he had this memory that gave him the will to fight back. I love that moment, where Ric’s about to drive the stake into him, and he’s like “You know what? I’m not ready to die today.”

But when Stefan and Elena first meet, it’s about them as a couple: 

Julie Plec: In my mind, Elena’s parents are dead. It was a human accident, and a human tragedy, and as we know, the night that Stefan pulled her out of the water and saved her life. That was kind of the beginning of their love story. (source)

Elena is legitimately Damon’s plot line so she actually just has to be there for him to react to, which is why they kept erasing her and building her back up so they could give Damon various situations to navigate. First it was the sire bond and what that means for Damon. Second, it was Elena erasing her memory and what that means for Damon. Third, it was Elena being in a coma and what that means for Damon. 

So if there is any purpose in how “DE” was written throughout the series, it’s about Damon and his development, which is hilarious because he has literally no development with Elena, he never changes, he never matures, he is consistently trash but that’s a different post.

The writing for Stefan and Elena is and always was about them as Stelena because it had to be because that was the root of the show:

KevinWilliamson: Elena was like this walking dead person, she feltdead inside. And along come Stefan, who literally is dead, and looking for away to come back to life. And these two people, these two souls who werereally, you know, out of breath, find each other and learn to breathe again andfall madly in love. And from that, this epic love story was born. (source)

Julie saysTVD’s premise was the girl that loses parents, feels dead inside, meets undeadboy, they bring each other to life. “You want to be able to say ‘This is a showabout this thing’ and at end of show, you have to set up how that will workagain and again.” (source)

which leads to number 2, which you said:

2. “One of which is SE were so ingrained in the history of the show she can’t make sense without them even when she tired and failed to do so. How can she not mention and show SE still loving each other? They ARE tvd.”

Because they have said repeatedly and without fail, that the show was about Stefan and Elena and their relationship

KevinWilliamson: The thing that works so well about this show isthat’s a serialized mythology genre love story. It’s about these two lostsouls, these two dead souls, one human and one a vampire, who are together,their love for each other brings them back to life. I mean that’s epic. (source)

Bob Levi: For thepilot and the TV series to work, the relationship between Elena and Stefan hadto be magic. I said to myself “This is phenomenal”. There is real chemistrybetween Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev. (source)

KevinWilliamson: Is she single right now? Elena is always, nomatter how single she is, she’s still standing there with Stefan. They’re acouple who have conflicts and they have a big one looming. They’re starting totruly disagree about how to handle things. But no, I wouldn’t stay she’s going tostay single by any means. I wouldn’t say she’s single now. She may be arguingor disagreeing with Stefan at the moment, but I don’t think they’re too farapart. (source)

And while I have always said that if JP wanted SE together she would’ve found a way to bring them together (I still think KW could’ve too but believe he believes he needed more time and it’s because of how the finale turned out) I do believe they consistently honour the fact that SE is basically the bedrock, even when they move away from logic and plot and reason, SE is always there because the show is SE:

And all of the gifs I’m posting relate to storylines and arcs between Stefan and Elena throughout the seasons. Of course it makes sense that Stefan would charge Elena to bring him back when Elena has been directly related to Stefan’s humanity since season 1. Of course Elena would confuse a picture of Damon for Stefan when Damon has told her he’s not Stefan for three seasons, and the writers could’ve left it alone, they didn’t need to do insertions like the ‘two epics loves of my life’, ‘Silas is pretty hot’, Stefan didn’t have to ask Elena to bring him back, episodes didn’t have to be written that way, but they can’t help writing for a ship that is so fundamentally ingrained in the show that they literally have their own love theme. Even the necklace returns to an SE symbol after seasons of retcon

which is why in 8x16 Elena is here:

They are really the only couple on the show written well and with purpose that is earned and that can be tracked throughout the series.

[onlinedragon]

Okay, so you watch pretty little liars, I have always been interested in watching it? But I don't know if it's for me? Can you give me like a pros and cons list of why or why not I should or shouldn't watch it? If it's too much trouble? You don't have to

The first several seasons were so good! That’s what originally drew me to the show, tbh. Just solving the mystery and all that. There was a strong plot, dynamic characters, and interesting twists. 

However, as the show progressed, the writers really did a hatchet job on the whole thing. The endless plot holes, nonsensical storylines, red herrings out the ass, and absolutely MORONIC romance plots really ruined a potentially stellar show. Sure it’s aimed at the teen crowd, but that’s really no excuse for bad writing, in my opinion. Lol. 

I won’t spoil anything for you, @outsideallboxes ,so you’re safe there. I will happily give you a list of pros and cons! Absolutely! I’m very long-winded (a curse or a blessing depending on how you see it), so bear with me. 

Pros: 

The characters. 

One of the most interesting dynamics of the show is the relationship between the 5 main girls. Their journey is really fascinating. They have been through so much and the strain of their individual (and collective) experiences sure take its toll. Very interesting to watch. If you like Gossip Girl-esq style shows, this one is for you. 

The plot. 

Before everything got shot to hell, the premise of this show was super fascinating. It is also very simplistic. One friend mysteriously goes missing, it brings the friend squad back together to solve the aforementioned mystery. But, these girls have big secrets and someone behind the scenes plans to expose every single one of them. The “simplistic” story starts unraveling and shows that there is something much bigger at play here. It really makes for a great show, honestly. 

The fans.

Easily the best part of the show. Lol. I’ve seen some absolutely unbelievable theorizing from fans that rival anything the writers of this show could ever even dream up. Every little detail is analyzed. It’s honestly incredible. Also, they’re funny as heck! Because the show has gotten so bad now, humor is the one thing that bonds us PLL fans together in this final season. Lol.

Cons:

The writing -direction/misdirection. 

Hooo boy. This is probably the biggest one. The writing has failed this show. Before season 5, there seemed to be a consistent story, driving towards the answer to one question. Now, it seems like there’s 4 different stories happening all at once and no one can even remember what that original question was to begin with, and not in a good way. Lol. It’s batshit insane right now. 

The plot holes.

Similar to above, the plot holes have just ruined everything. RUINED EVERYTHING, I TELL YOU! The show is just one, giant plot hole at this point, tbh. And it’s not even over yet. Lol. GOODNESS!

The cringe.

Dear God in heaven, this is one of the cringiest show I’ve ever seen in my life! In my whole 22 years, I’ve never seen anything quite like this. Lol. UGH! It’s so bad sometimes. There are some ridiculous scenarios, lines, and moments that have made me question why I even watch each week. Lol. It’s brutal, fam. Brutal. 

Final overview.

Overall, do I recommend it? Not particularly. 💀 I recommend the first 4 seasons, I will say that. If you don’t go into it expecting miracles, then I’d say go for it. Things get wild around season 6. And by wild, I mean awful. If you want something to laugh at, then I’d say this is the show for you. Lol. I’m a bitter fan. However, even though I trash talk it every week, I keep coming back, so idk what that says about me. Lol. 

Right now, I’m just sticking with the show to find out what happens, pretty much. Lol. I’ve been around since the show first aired 7 damn seasons ago. 7 whole years!!! 😂 

The end is near and I’m ready to toast to the show’s death. So, those are my thoughts. Lol. Hope that helped you solidify a decision. ❤️