#maybe s5 him was the build finally showing HAHA

[merlinssaggyyfronts]

merlin probably has the craziest sleeper build in all of camelot 😭

[veterveter]

Finally gathered teh courage to watch the Berlin trailer and... big cringe. i don't like the whole vibes of it, i don't believe them when they say its gonna be better than lcdp. i don't care about the new gang and andrés? i have a feeling they gonna ruin his character with this. i'm honestly glad that sergio and martin are not part of this. the only thign i'm looking forward is ralicia. (sorry for the negativity, maybe it's gonna be the best show of the century lol)

Heyheyhey!!!

Let's talk about your thoughts before I talk about mine: thank you first of all for popping by ♥️ Do come back if you'd like once you've seen the show, I'd love to hear if you still feel the same 👀 And I pretty much agree on everything you said. I don't feel like Martín would fit the tone they're going for with this show, they'd probably relegate him to being like, a fun sidekick cracking jokes or something - pass. Let me keep one half of the ship I still really like as a character. Ralicia could have actual potential though, their history seems of interest, so I hope they at least give us something there.

Other than the incessant need to turn everything into a franchise and milk audience goodwill until it runs dry, I think there's very little need for this to be about Berlín or set in the LCDP universe, if they don't really care about following up or building up on... anything, really. But I hope I'm wrong! Maybe I'm misjudging them! Maybe the advertising has done them dirty! In which case I'm so sorry to be a downer. I'm trying my hardest to not hate it on principle.

And for want of something positive to say, the smallest compliment sandwich you've ever seen: the bit they posted a couple days ago at Fontana di Trevi seemed a little promising? That was more of the vibe I wish this show had, haha.

They really want to hype up the new banda and I'm always unironically heartbroken when they call this Andrés's golden era and his dream team (I cannot remember the wording but you know what I mean). Maybe I'm overly invested and clinging too hard to the parts of pre-established canon that I like, so sue me. I know I should be taking this much less seriously and I might even enjoy it; instead I'm fretting over how I can possibly fit all these different Andréses into one person for writing purposes - let alone remaining invested in him as a character. I've already said this before, but S5 already did a world of harm in how much I like him, so.

I've had nightmares about this show, actually :D In one, they declared in the advertising that his third wife was the love of Andrés's life and if I want to know how he really felt about Martín, I should watch the show - and then proceeded to never mention him again 🔪

And haha you needn't apologise to me for the negativity - if the show turns out to be amazing, feel free to call me a fool :) Though I'm sure Pedro can carry quite a lot even if it's bad. I watched Gran Hotel last summer.

Anyway, I hope you take care, anon!! Do come back to me if you'd like, and have a lovely rest of the year :)

And buena suerte.

[cluelessbees]

hii how do u think s5 will go down byler wise if u do have an idea cuz ik ppl have their theories n stuff but just wanted someone else’s opinion. personally I think el and mike r gonna confront each other and break up first, and I don’t think that mike is gonna get outed tbh. other ppl seem to be set on that but that’s just another super traumatic thing to happen to mike on top of everything, getting outed won’t make someone more open about it like if it happens at the wrong time that can be so much worse than staying in the closet. i know I would just run away and hide from everyone in that situation which I don’t think we want for mike. maybe that’ll be what pushes him off the edge tho and make him break down finally and get everything out

Hi hello! Thank you so much for the asks <33

I'm very sorry this is late :,D BUT IM HERE

Ooooooo okay hmmm I agree with you tbh! I don't think it makes sense for Mike to be outed by someone especially because it's just a very disgusting act in general but also especially in context of the 80s – with the AIDs epidemic it's scary for a gay man to be out. If anything! I think he might be "outed" to the audience with a Vecna scene but that's about as much as I think it would go.

I also agree that El and Mike will break up first! I would love for there to be a heart to heart between them where they open up to each other for the first time, and I don't know I want them to show that just because they're broken up doesn't mean they don't care for each other (also maybe the fact that they can love each other better now that they're just friends!)

What other predictions do I have hmmmm...well I have ideas but I don't think they count as fully fledged theories haha. Like– I do think the swings are gonna come back some how. And I think there's going to be a moment where everything is fully addressed between Mike and Will. Because up until now they haven't really addressed everything. They've been more tiptoeing around it. Yes Mike apologises for the past year but they never actively address why things are weird or the rain fight or any of that.

So I feel like there's gonna be a moment where everything is finally out in the open (because there's so much built up tension at this point) and it'll be this moment of relief and I feel like after it'll be more calm between them y'know? Like it's all fighting and then finally once its all out it's quiet and they can finally talk to each other about it all, no more secrets. And I would love for there to be a quiet kiss at first – like its almost anxiety inducing to watch them build the courage y'know? I wanna hold my breathe and then exhale once its over and see how happy and comfortable they are together.

But yeah I'm just rambling now haha

tHANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE ASK I FEEL TERRIBLE FOR REPLYING LATE ANON BUT KNOW I APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH <33

[irishseeeker]

Since you’re answering asks about the show—how do you think they’re going to handle Bridgerton house in season 2 and going forward? When Anthony and Kate move in and the rest of them move to number 5, most of the Bridgerton kids still live with Violet (idk where Colin and Benedict live in the show…?) And since Bridgerton house was one of the main sets in season one, it would be jarring to suddenly have the main characters of future seasons be living in a house other than Bridgerton house.

So…do Anthony and Kate move in with the rest of the family? Do they allow Violet to stay there until the kids grow up? (side note the scenes between Violet and Kate about passing down the title of viscountess is gonna make me so emo) Will they decide to break my heart and have kathony live off screen at Aubrey hall during all future seasons so it’s not a problem? Am I thinking about this way too much? 🤣

Hi Anon! Hope you’re having a good day! That's such a good question and something I've thought a lot about.

Bridgerton House is definitely the most important set and the main place where they all have dinner and congregate and later this will be No.5 from S3. I think they’re going to increase the amount of scenes all the Bridgertons have together as those scenes are so popular from S1 and the show is about the Bridgertons after all! Plus Ben and Colin will be focused on big time this season to build up for their seasons.  Bridgerton is such an expensive show they’ll want to use the same sets as much as possible and they’re already expanding a lot for S2 with Aubrey Hall, the Sharmas and probably a few more sets. A lot of Anthony’s scenes take place in his father’s office in the books and S1 and they definitely will in S2, so Bridgerton House is very important. I reckon we’ll see Kate, Edwina and Mary in Bridgerton House for tea or dinner with all the Bridgertons at some point as well pre and post engagement. Bridgerton House is where we’ll  mainly see all the unmarried Bridgertons together, especially Hyacinth, Greg, Eloise and Francesca as that’s where we saw them most in S1 (excluding parties and balls) and there’s not a whole lot going on for them unless the smaller ones get more of a plot but I doubt that. We’ll definitely see more of Eloise everywhere like we did in S1 anyway as her plot will be her debut to society! 

I’m kind of curious if they’ll show any of Eloise’s suitors and possibly one she actually likes? As she does get a few proposals over the years in her book but she has 0 interest in any of them. I reckon we’ll see her just being the worst, funniest debutant in the history of London haha.

I think they’ll definitely do the move to No.5 but not properly until S3. It definitely will be jarring but I’m thinking they’ll make it a plot line for sure to show the transition and sort of the emotional impact of it, leaving behind Edmund and their family home. I could see Kate and Anthony moving into Bridgerton House in the last episode in the final scene of S2 like a year later with Kate recovered from her leg injury and pregnant, to set the scene for S3 as most of that will take place in No.5 with Sophie and the Bridgertons. No.5 is important for S3. I also think we'll see Violet and the Bridgertons having a moment together before they leave their childhood home either at the end of S2 or at the beginning of S3, as that's going to be emotional for them, particularly Violet as she’s leaving the place she lived with Edmund behind.  

 TVWLM ends in 1814 and AOFAG begins in 1815, which is when Edmund II is born. I’m thinking Kate and Anthony's role in the first 2 episodes could be Kate's struggles to adapting to motherhood or as Viscountess now they're living in Bridgerton House or something like that. Anthony struggles too possibly? Moving in with the family is actually a really good idea as that would definitely result in some humour as they all could get very sick of each other? Or it would just make it easier for the writers and the show to have everyone together. They could move in with the Bridgertons first and then they could leave just before the time skip in AOFAG. I really don’t see them all living together as that’s not how the books do it but who knows! I just really hope Anthony and Kate have a good sub-plot in S3. I'm thinking the first episode of S3 will be mainly about Sophie's childhood and life (or they could do it in flashbacks but for Sophie it would make more sense to just tell her story at once to understand why she runs away) and it will end with the ball scene, so Edmund’s birth fits in perfectly around then before the 2 year time skip. The ball scene could even be episode 2! 

This also will be the year Francesca enters society and marries John so John courting Franny & their engagement will definitely be a sub-plot in S3, maybe only for an episode or two or we might only get an introduction and then we see them married. This will happen before the time skip which I can’t see them avoiding as it just throws the entire time line off. Anthony will be relatively involved in that plot as well and so will Violet. 

Daphne's role in S2 intrigues me as she won't have Simon so to see where she fits in and if she has a plot herself will indicate what's in store for Anthony, Ben etc when they're married after their seasons and if their spouses stay on. Although, they will have a bigger role than Daphne regardless as the brothers always have scenes together and are relatively involved in their brother’s love lives. I can see Phoebe leaving after S2 but I would like if they focused on motherhood for Daphne in S2 and possibly helping Anthony out with courting and his love life if she does end up going. It would be sad but hopefully she stays! She might not really be in S2 we won’t know for ages anyway! 

The show is so expensive that I think they’ll minimize the amount of sets they have to set up or locations they shoot on and for S2, I’d be surprised if Ben and Colin aren’t nearly always in Bridgerton House. Benedict and Colin seem to be living in Bridgerton House in the show from what we've seen so far, they're always at the house and they return from balls to Bridgerton House. Anthony is the only one who doesn't live there but we never see his bachelor lodgings and I don't think we will until their wedding night, unless we seem some scenes of him brooding on his own and pining over Kate haha. I can see Anthony gifting Benedict My Cottage at some point in S2 to set him up for season 3 and to help him escape London, but in his book Ben has his own bachelor lodgings which I don’t think we’ll see until S3. I don't think we'll see Colin's bachelor lodgings until S4 as that's when he gets a place in RMB after returning from his travels. I think they'll want to keep Colin in the show as much as possible so any time skips that's when he'll be traveling like when they ended S1 with him going off to travel and then flash forward to a year and Daphne and Simon have their baby. So when he’s in London, he’ll always be at Bridgerton House or No.5.

Going by the first season, I presume there's going to be 8 episodes in season 2. I think Kate and Anthony will be married by episode 5 like Simon and Daphne were. That leaves 3 episodes of Anthony's 'I won't love my wife idiot' stage. I would love for us to get a full episode of their honeymoon in Aubrey Hall but I don't think we will considering the book didn't have it and we're going to get at least 2 episodes in Aubrey Hall anyway. I do think one of the post-marriage episodes will be focused on Kate adjusting to the role of Viscountess and her bonding and having some very sweet moments with Violet and the Bridgertons. I hope they'll focus on her insecurities and her struggles with how Anthony is behaving and just how society has been treating her.  Especially when Anthony ran off to Aubrey Hall after their engagement and left Kate all alone to deal with the whispers? I hope they address that and he gets some slack for it. I think there’s going to be a good few scenes in S2 at the Sharma residence as well and a few balls, definitely one at Lady Danburys, so we’re in for an amazing season! 

Who knows what will happen but I could see them using very similar sets for Bridgerton House & No.5 in future seasons so it wouldn’t be a big change. No. 5 will still be a big household if it has the 4 youngest and Violet and occasioanlly Colin and Ben. I’m still not so sure about Eloise’s book and on, I think the strongest and most popular books plot wise are Anthonys, Benedicts and Colins and everyone is hyped for them. Daphne’s did extremely well though with a weaker book (that was still good just not a favourite of mine) so I have high hopes for them to do all the Bridgerton’s books. What I think they could do is possibly combine Eloise and Francescas for S5? As they’re both taking place at the same time in 1824. Gregory’s book was okay but it could be a good adaption as there’s so much going on. Who knows! They’ve already included Marina and Philip so that seems like an indication they would love to do them all and plan to?

I really went on here (again, do I ever stop talking). I don’t know what anyone else thinks but I’d love to hear! I could talk about Bridgerton forever tbh and I really do need to get back to the many invoices waiting for me <3 hope you’re having a good day anon!

[theexecutionerssong]

Hey!! I know you dont know anything haha but would you bet on the writers making Cas come back for last ep or nah? What is your instinct?

I think from a narrative point of view, it’d make no sense to not bring him back. With last night episode, every big narrative arc is wrapped up. It’s done, it’s over, Chuck is defeated, Death is gone, Michael is dead, Lucifer is dead, again, Jack is the new God, the people who disappeared were brought back (except for Eileen (and Cas (and that was on purpose))). Dabb said that 15x19 was the season finale and i guess 15x20 is the series finale. The epilogue. And it’s going to focus on the brothers and the family they have created and the relationships they’ve built over the years. Eileen needs to come back, and so does Cas. I was talking with a friend who is completely out of the fandom and when she heard that Destiel went canon and Cas had died and that it wasn’t the last episode, she was ????. She said that for an outsider, it’d be baffling not to have Castiel in the last episode, because everyone knows how central to the show Cas has become. And as someone who is def not an outsider, I agree. 15x19 ended with the brothers, just the two of them, and maybe that would have been okay if the show had ended with s5, but not now. That’d be shitting on everyhting they have built since then. And what would be the point of Lucifer using Cas’s voice to call Dean last night and the way Dean ran to the door, and how he demanded for Cas to be brought back, if they don’t follow up on that, or mention it at all? There’s been terrible writing over the years but not bringing Cas back would be the worst they’ve ever done. 

I’ve been rewatching everything from the begining for the past couple of months and I’m up to season 7, and do you know how many times Dean and Sam have said that they have given enough? That they are tired and have done enough? They are right. They deserve to rest and just take a few monster hunts here and there, build a family if they want to, with their loved ones. They deserve that soft epilogue. And I hope against all hopes that the writers will them have it.

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

“#before he became evil aligned!!” poor dan lmao. actually, i’m curious, what’s your take on dan as a character, and his development throughout the show? season 6 really did it’s level best character assassination on him imo, but until that point i really enjoyed the direction his character was heading. curious because i absolutely adore the way you write dan (and dair) in your fanfics and i was wondering on what your take on him was

ahhh hi! getting this ask was a delight because honestly, talking about dan always brings me great joy. i’ve only watched gossip girl once (yeah, i know!) and i relate pretty heavily to dan (weird introvert, wants to be a writer, always felt out of place in high school but found my friend group in college, etc) so i am pretty biased. anyway this got long, so i’m putting it under a cut!

so, for the most part, i really liked dan in season 1. i don’t remember too much about him in season 2 or 3, like, specific details, because it’s been a while since i watched those seasons, RIP. i feel like season 4 was the last season we had a likeable dan (or at least, a dan i liked!). season 5 had some good dan moments, but at the same time i wasn’t very happy with some developments in his character, and i absolutely agree with you about season 6 slaughtering his character, haha. i’ll elaborate as much as i can.

things about dan’s character that stand out to me are moments like the one in s1 when he talks to blair in the stairway before they’re even friends and opens up about his mother. when i watched that i was like :0 because that was a very big expression of openness and vulnerability, and for him to offer it to blair, who he didn’t even like, just to show her that he understood/ could relate to having mother-related issues was such a big act of kindness, especially because it wasn’t something he owed her or something expected of him. he didn’t need to do that, but he did anyway! i found that sweet. 

in the same vein, when blair, vanessa, georgina and dan are all at NYU, dan taking blair along to georgina’s party even though they aren’t friends because he knows what it feels like to be left behind, and he doesn’t want to do that to anyone - like, that moved me, a lot. lonely kids get it! dan did the exact opposite thing with his newfound popularity that blair would’ve done; he did his best to ensure that everyone - even people he didn’t like - were included. 

since you’ve read my fic, you’ve probably seen my overuse of the “dan is not gossip girl” tag. i don’t think it makes sense for him to be gg, not because of stuff like him reacting in an empty room or whatever else, but mostly because of his arc. the whole charlie trout thing in season 2 (i think it was s2?) where he writes the story about chuck and his mom and then doesn’t send it anywhere because he doesn’t want fame at the cost of exploiting his friends, and then that bit where he doesn’t publish the bart bass fire in a building story because he knows it’ll hurt chuck, serena, and their family made it clear that dan understood that his words had the ability to do real, tangible harm, and was trying to be ethical about it. 

in fact, in the end of s4, when vanessa steals his manuscript, his reaction isn’t elation; it’s one of horror. he knows what’s in that will hurt people, and he doesn’t want it to see the light of day in the form it’s in. the phone call between dan and vanessa before she takes the manuscript and makes a run for it made me hold my breath while i was watching it - it was so clear that dan didn’t want it to be published. the fact that the choice was taken from him left me feeling pretty sad at the end of s4.

which is why when s5 began, i felt like it was pretty discordant for him to be so enthusiastic about the book in the way he was - his entire “it’s just fiction” spiel obviously didn’t fool anybody who he’d written about, and it felt inconsistent for him to feel that way? like, dan knew the potential of that manuscript to hurt people. him suddenly acting like it’s art and therefore justified & absolved from criticism felt really off to me, especially given his stance on this issue in the past. s5 dan reminded me a lot of a very specific type of writer - a really pretentious, sees themself as better than anyone else, “i’m not being rude i’m just being honest”  (when they are actually being very disrespectful) kind of character, and i didn’t like that much. 

however, s5 also had dan being a great friend to blair, and just, idk, doing his best in other spheres of his life, which is why i used the phrase “evil aligned” in that hashtag - i wouldn’t say s5 dan was evil, he definitely wasn’t malicious in the way s6 dan was. but he was callous in a way that i felt made s6 dan’s cruelty sort of believable to me - like i could see how s5 dan would evolve into s6 dan, especially given the season finale: blair’s rejection, serena’s manipulation (i usually love serena, but she was evil this season), and possibly his own self-hate/regret about cheating on blair - i think it makes sense for him to handle all of these emotions extremely badly and come out of the ordeal bitter. 

a lot of people say that dan’s very judgemental - i actually didn’t see as much of it as people make it out to be, probably because this is my first watch and this show is so full of things, like, so much is happening all the time? i wasn’t really watching the show with the intention of analysing dan, so i feel like a lot of stuff probably went over my head. 

i do see dan having a lot of harsh opinions about people he barely knows, jumping to conclusions too quickly, etc, but something i like about dan is (before he became vaguely evil) the moment he realised he made a mistake, he did his level best to fix it. like that entire incident where he’s supposed to be blair’s wingman with chuck in s2, and he sabotages it on purpose, and then serena goes ‘that wasn’t okay’ and then he tries to salvage it by talking to chuck? i feel like dan fucks up a lot and makes bad decisions but he also is aware that he isn’t perfect, or whatever. idk. maybe i choose to just see the best parts of dan.

also dan being nasty about serena hurt my heart, and my favourite thing about fanfic is that i can sort of go “fuck this, we don’t want this for dan or serena”. i like dan and serena as being exes who are still friends, and i wish the show had given us that - dan complains about serena a lot at various points and as someone who really likes serena (she’s my child, ok) i was really :/ about that. 

anyway, i feel like dan’s biggest flaw is that he can sort of get stuck in his own head sometimes? like, he forgets that there is more to reality than just his little dan-bubble. and this often leads to him acting like a dick, or not being thoughtful, or forming opinions about people too quickly. this isn’t really a small flaw. in the right context and in the right situations, i feel like dan can do a lot of damage and cause a lot of harm in a way that is in character for him.

the way the show did it though? nah. 

also, if they’d made him super evil from the start (like they did georgina), i would totally have vibed with it! but alas, they did not.

[the-lightning-strikes-again]

Okay so... yall talking about fix it fics and shit canon and all but if you have a few moments - what are your ideas about how the show couldve ended? Or go after s6?

Hi, anon! Thanks for the note! Oh wow, there’s so many answers to that, haha. I do think there are some real gems from s3 that would have made sense to work toward in s6-s8:

I think it would have made more sense to really expand on the rift creatures / dark entity as the final big bad. At the end of the day, VLD’s Zarkon and Honerva were victims of quintessence corruption that inhibited their self-control, but there were other forces pulling some strings that were never really fleshed out.

In the s3 flashback, pre-rift Honerva said the creature from the neighboring reality talked to her? Lotor in s5 noted that Honerva had grown fearful and paranoid, whereas before she was enraptured by the rift? I think there’s so much there around the quintessence field and its entities that would have made sense to carry through as the final big bad–and to round the VLD story back to the events that so originally disordered the universe.

And a part of this is my own desire for some clearer world-building too. VLD still can’t explain to me how quintessence works. Like, why exactly does the essence of life itself (quintessence) turn people into monsters, if they already have quintessence in them to simply be alive and are surrounded by the quintessence already in all things? Is it really the quintessence that corrupts people…or does it make sense that it’s something else in the mix?? Other things that would have made sense s6 and onward:

If I have to keep the colony plot, then Allura goes to the colony and actually uses the life-saving powers she learned via Lotor to restore them and possibly figure out any additional details about the situation itself. It’s wild that the second colony got jilted totally in s8, especially for being the core reason that s7-s8 plot even existed, lol. Bonus points if Allura discovers/realizes that Lotor was after life-saving alchemy for the sake of said colony. Also, it would be nice if the Alteans are thankful to Allura for restoring them, and they bond with her.

Honerva actually having maternal instincts to care about her son. She oddly showed MORE genuine emotion for him in s4 and s5, while appearing to wake up from her corrupted memory, than she did from after the point that Oriande supposedly restored her. Had Honerva managed to convince Lotor of her awakening soul and that she had passed the test at Oriande, Lotor might not have pursued returning to the paladins or otherwise jumpstarting a dumb Sincline vs Voltron battle.

Sendak not attacking Earth out of revenge because that’s generally pointless for his ultimate desire to be emperor of the Galra. It would have made more sense for him to strategically attack Lotor’s empire and make swooping gains of territory for the Fires of Purification.

An s7 arc aligning Honerva and Lotor back to team Voltron. They’re suspicious/cautious due to unresolved conflict about the colony but are also in need of stamping out the rise of Sendak (who has perhaps made some deal with the dark entities/rift creatures that approach him, promising to empower him as they had Zarkon?).

The Sincline ships transforming as an assist to Voltron–but also with maybe a few jabs to Voltron too (like, Hulk punching Thor in Avengers 2012) and some Lotor snarky snark about alliances.

Various fronts coming together to defeat Sendak and permanently drive away the rift creatures or dark entities from the universe.

The successful accomplishment of obtaining unlimited clean energy so that the Galra empire could replenish all it had stolen from the planets it had enslaved, and to also allow them to leave the empire without further war.

Earth getting access to quintessence and building its own defender (IGF-Atlas). Other planets following suit.

Voltron no longer being a single vigilante but being part of a united front for justice and peace-keeping/humanitarian efforts as everyone works together to heal the universe from 10,000 years of trauma.

And I guess this is just one way to “fix” VLD, haha. There’s so many possibilities!

[karihighman]

An Upstead timeline

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

The beginnings: season 4

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

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

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

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

The new divide: season 5

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

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

“Is this really about the case?”

“See ya tomorrow.”

“Ooookay.” — yeah okay Jay we see u.

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

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

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

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

And then came my favorite episode for them - Ghosts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Care & being there: season 6

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hailey... [no].”

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

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

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

Deeper feelings: season 7

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[raisedbyanother]

Some of the non rumbelle “highlights”:

Leah Fong: I think no matter how dark something is that I write, it needs to have some sense of HOPE at its core. That has really stuck with me. 

What is your personal ranking of the seasons of the series?  BrigitteHales: This hurts me. Hahahaha I'll say my favorites in no particular order -- season 1, 3, and 5. I loved the Dark Swan story.  It was so much to construct.  Doing flips on established characters like that is always so much fun. 

What was your favorite episode to write and which storyline did you both find the most interesting?  Brigitte Hales: My favorite episode to write was Page 23.  I may be in the minorty here among fans but I loved the Dark Swan.  I also loved building it to reveal Hook.  That took some careful planning.  Still proud of that.

Any fun ideas you scrapped from the episodes you wrote?  Dana Hogan: At one point in Broken Heart (S5), Dark Hook was going to surround Emma with dream catchers all re-playing the horrible things she did when she was Dark Swan. It was such a cool beat to write - a horror movie beat with deep character emotional resonance - but alas, production realities are a real thing and sometimes you have to kill your darlings.

why did Killian just leave? Why didn't he try to fix things with Emma right then and there? ☹  Brigitte Hales: Killian is a complex man, who carried around a lot of pain and shame.  I really think that there were somethings he believed you couldn't come back from.  For me, the heart of that scene is what he says about sitting around the dinner table with everyone knowing what he's done.  It was just too much for him. 

What was your favorite captain swan moment to write?  Brigitte Hales: This is terrible but I loved the break-up scene.  I spent so long on it. SO LONG.  Also, of course, pancakes. That one was almost a first draft.  I just understood what it should be from the get-go.

I love the break up scene too! There is so much to unpack there and it was beautifully written. I liked seeing how for the first time probably Emma didn't run, but she just went upstairs to take some time till Killian was ready to talk. I saw that as a big character development. And I loved Emma talkint about the trust they share wirh each other, it was a depiction of a healthy couple fight. And pancakes scene of course is my religion hehe :) Brigitte Hales: Yes, I really wanted Emma to be in the right there.  Actually, an early draft of it didn't quite have her reacting strongly enough.  Someone corrected me on that (maybe David Goodman) and they were 100% right. Emma's love for Hook wasn't needy.  In this moment, she needed to be the grown-up in the room.

[To all], were there any rejected arcs/ideas you would've liked to explore? Thanks  Brigitte Hales: YES! And sadly, I cannot mention them. Adam always reminds me that what's on screen is what was meant to be, and he's right. GRUMBLE. 

So after the Captain Swan breakup, Emma seemed to quickly believe that Killian would just abandon her, which was almost against what her growth as a character was about. I know sometimes certain things have to play out for the plot to move forward, but how do you guys choose how the characters react to certain events? Obviously every character has set backs and a bit of regression, but how do you decide when, how and why it should happen?  Brigitte Hales: I don't know what else she would have thought.  She knew this was a huge obstacle for him.  I know fans had a hard time with it but it made sense that if anything was going to send him running, that might be it.

Also, sometimes you just get a feeling about things.  You want to keep characters' journeys interesting. If someone has been on one path for too long their story starts feeling stale.  It's something you just kind of know. Fans can feel it, too.

I loved Snow and Emma's relationship.  Did the writing team consider doing an episode featuring them in Season 6?   Was there a reason why Snow and Emma didn't have any longer solo scenes after "Lost Girl" in Season 3?  Thanks!  Brigitte Hales: Is that true?!  Huh.  No, there was no reason.  I'm just trying to scan my memory for all the scenes I wrote with them but you're right... I think we really liked the family dynamic.  But I don't have a good answer for that one. 

How did the experience of working on such a unique show affect your personal writing style, if at all? (For both)  Brigitte Hales: I love this question!  So MUCH.  I'm able to access villains in a way I never was before.  And I think it taught me the beauty of high concept storytelling.  Also, I bet I'm a more positive writer now.  I like to bring joy into people's lives.  Once made me realize that might be my gift. 

It would have been great to see a conversation about their breakup between the two, I'm curious if you had anything planned for an eventual conversation between Emma and Killian that I think they obviously had.😁  Brigitte Hales: Oh yeah, but sometimes that stuff gets cut for time.  We had so many characters to service. 

How much does a season/plot change during production? Did you ever significantly change the destination of the plot while writing it?  Brigitte Hales: Sometimes but it was rare.  In a serialized show you have to construct things carefully because the episodes ahead of yours are built on your decisions. 

Did you ever consider showing a couple domestic scenes of Killian and Hope (knowing Jen couldn't be there) during s7? I missed them so much, I'd give anything to have more interaction of captain swan with their daughter.  Brigitte Hales: I think the general consensus is that domestic scenes are more fun to imagine than actually show on air.  Emma and Hook shopping in Pottery Barn... not much drama there. 

In some scene in S7, Wish Hook and Tiana kind of flirted in a way. Were they supposed to be a couple at some point?  Brigitte Hales: How I wish I could answer this. SO MUCH. 

Did you like the Land of Untold Stories arc? Were there plans for it to last longer? I really liked it but I thought it was too short  Brigitte Hales: I know! I'm not sure why we didn't spend more time there. 

In 7x22 we saw little Neal was around 6-7 years old. In the season 6 finale he is supposed to be a toddler. Does that mean despite the wish realm and seattle curse time hops the real time that passed from 6x22 to 7x22 for our Storybrooke characters is 4-5 years? Timeline gets confusing sometimes.  Leah Fong: Wow. Well, there was a time when I knew the answers to this. But what I can say is even though Season 6 AIRED in 2016-17, Storybrooke was behind that. A few years pass between Season 6 finale and Season 7 premiere. Then more time passes in Storybrooke during the run of Season 7. Hope this helps! Haha.

What do you have to think about when writing characters and adding to the show's story and mythos?  Brigitte Hales: You just want the characters to feel right.  Imagine writing dialogue for your friends.  Everyone has their own unique way of expressing themselves.  You're constantly trying to modulate so you don't damage a character. 

[msbeccieboo]

Arrow 7x19 Brain Dump

I didn’t really dig this episode to be honest (see what I did there?! Such lolz 😂). It wasn’t that it was bad, it was just misplaced within the season, and maybe also it just seemed to fall a bit flat after last week? Meh…perfectly watchable though, and I love one John Thomas Diggle, so it was great to see him take centre(ish) stage again! 

John Diggle

Oh Diggle…I love Diggle…I miss Diggle…yay to all the Diggle! We finally got to meet another relative of John’s after 34627 years, and it was no other that Winston from Ghostbusters! Dig and Oliver approach General Roy Stewart, who turns out to be Dig’s estranged stepfather, for intel on a flash drive from the Ninth Circle. That he was Dig’s stepdad is news to both Oliver and Felicity, which I think was a real shame; in all these years spent together he’d never mentioned his parents?

Anyway, plot happens, and Dig and the General are kidnapped by Dante, which gave the men an opportunity to work together and to demonstrate the love and the respect they have for each other, which was just lovely! Never in my life did I imagine I’d see Duncan MacLeod electrocuting Winston from Ghostbusters 😂!

The backstory with Dig and his stepfather was actually really poignant. Where Dig had believed the General to be at fault for his father’s death, then promptly swooping into his mother’s and their lives, he actually had been protecting Dig’s father’s legacy for all these years. The General hid the fact that Bio-Papa Dig actually died due to his own negligence, also causing the death of two other Marines, but had allowed Dig and Andy to believe the worst about himself, keeping their father’s memory a brave and heroic one. This is what being a parent is, and Dig is finally able to see him for the good man, and strong father-figure he really was for all these years. The general tells Dig “Every child deserves to believe that his father is a hero, and believing it, you became one.” This is the legacy he has left for John. I did get a bit choked up at this, especially John’s line “If I’m a hero, it’s all because of you, Sir”...my John Diggle heart 😭😭!!

Continued under the cut

David is such a wonderful actor, and if this episode did anything at all, it was showcase this. He gave an interview saying that the story with his Stepfather continues from here…so will we see Winston again? I hope so! Or this may just mean the continued theme of non-blood family i.e. Dig’s eventual adoption of Connor.

There were some sweet moments between Oliver and Dig, with Dig opening up about his step-father and real father. Oliver was there for him, as both a sympathetic ear, and to give some advice. It’s nice to be reminded, and shown, that Oliver and Dig will always have each others’ backs (Dig’s personality transplant in 7a notwithstanding).

However…where was my Delicity???  There was ample opportunity, just wasted…Felicity was right there, she discovered the truth about Dig’s father! Delicity for the taking!! But no 😡 Where was Dyla??? For fucks sake, we have a Diggle-centric episode and Lyla doesn’t’ even get a look-in? Barely a name drop? Or JJ (in the present)?? COME ON PEOPLE!!

My main gripe with the episode was, we could and should have had this storyline for Dig at any other point in this season, or at any point with in the entire series. Imagine this going off in S4 when Dig was also dealing with learning of Andy’s true past as well, or S5 when he was dealing with his guilt over Andy’s death and coming out of the Army again! The story wasn’t fitting for the final run of episodes of the last full season of the show, and also squeezing in end-of-season plot points to Dig’s hard-earned solo storyline was a disservice to his character; he deserved a true standalone episode with no distractions. Also, where the hell was the spartan logo in the credits??? RUDE!   

Felicity

Although not as explicitly as last week, Felicity was still a focal point in this episode, hurtling her story towards the end of the season, for Emily’s final episodes 😭😭. I loved seeing badass Felicity (since always😉), pulling a gun on the random Irish Ninth Circle dude! She was so brave, if not a bit reckless, but this is the hero Felicity Smoak has grown into over the past 7 years, and I love her all the more for it! Alena brandishing a keyboard was a hilarious bonus!

Perhaps Felicity’s most heroic act in the episode is destroying her ‘legacy’, Archer (who she refers to as ‘her’…so adorable!!), in order to stop the Ninth Circle from using it to target anyone else. She has a bit of a eureka!moment, when she realises just how dangerous her creation could be in the wrong hands, despite her best intentions for creating it.

Source: smoakmonster

I loved her drawing a parallel between herself and her father (although unfairly, I believe), knowing that in the future she literally pretends to the whole world that she becomes The Calculator, again in the pursuit of saving the city. In the face of this, she says she still wants to leave something behind that is from Felicity Smoak, not Overwatch. My love for this character knows no bounds!

So by the end of the episode we realise that Archer won’t be the basis for Smoak Tech. Seeing Felicity talking Smoak Tech business with Alena was awesome, and I can’t wait to find out what she creates to launch her company, as we know how successful it becomes in the future! I also loved seeing Alena’s faith and encouragement of Felicity.

Source: arrowdaily

Ah Alena…I knew this was too good to be true! Despite her clear love and faith in Felicity, it looks like Alena is not ready to give up on Archer, and will likely rebuild (albeit with good intentions, I still believe). But it looks like Alena will be the one responsible for the Archer program ultimately ending up back in the hands of the bad guys, be it the Ninth Circle, or ultimately Galaxy One. Felicity is undeterred by losing Archer, and knows she has more to give, to create in this world, as she simply says about her legacy “I guess I’ll just have to build a new one” 😍😍

Bonus:

All of Felicity’s helmet-talk in this episode made me giggle! (I’m immature, ok!!)

“John’s helmet just came back online”, and “Madame Helmet” in the flash forwards 😂😂😂 

Olicity

The Olicity moments were definitely far more subtle in this episode, as they arguably should be in a Diggle centric episode, but I still would have liked mooooore...I’m a greedy Olicity whore, sue me 😂😂

We got some little hand holding moments, which will just never not make me swoon 😍

Along with the Felicity-patented chest rub 😍

Source: lucyyh 💗

Finishing each other’s sentences 😍

Source: 1-crazy-dreamer 💗

Then just Olicity being a badass vigilante team, saving John, and hacking/breaking into classified government sites 😍

Source: smoakmonster

I would have liked to see more of Oliver’s reaction to Felicity and Alena’s attack; he showed such restraint when checking she’s ok!!

Flash Forwards

I am a big fan of the flash forwards, and I loved them in this episode!! Still missing my boy William though…please come back soon!! The plot was pushed forwards, we got some nice character backstory for Connor, and some quality SmoaknHawke moments. Nice to see the writers can still do some things concisely and effectively!

We opened with Felicity working on the Galaxy One Helmet that Laurel gave to Mia last episode. I adore that despite the many changes to Felicity in the future, she still exclaims “frack”!! In order to get data from the helmet, Mia and Connor need to go in search of a power module. This leads them to the Deathstroke Gang (!!!), where their leader, JJ, is referenced!! JJ DIGGLE GUYS!!!! I can’t believe he ended up one of the bad guys…baby Sara would never!!

Connor opens up to Mia about JJ being his adoptive brother, and former best friend 😭, though they have lost touch ever since JJ went dark after becoming overwhelmed with the expectations he felt pushed on him by Dig and Lyla….whaaaaat???! I can’t wait to meet future Dyla and JJ!  I’m so into this family drama already haha!! I loved seeing this talk, and mutual understanding between Mia and Connor, I ship them so hard already! I also liked seeing the softer side of Mia again, she definitely has a gooey centre like her parents…just buried deep 😂

As they are chased out by JJ’s goons we get an epic almost-kiss that had me squealing KISS HER!!!!!

At the end of the episode, Felicity finally discovers that the helmet is one of many that are all interconnected and running the weaponised version of Archer. As they come to realise the implications of this we see the army of Galaxy One soldiers lining up, super chilling! I love where this story is heading, and look forward to seeing these parts of the episode every week!

Oliver/Emiko/Ninth Circle

While Oliver’s love and faith in his family is generally one of his most endearing qualities, Oliver….honey….give it up, Emiko is EVIL. I am so utterly bored of Emiko now. She is a waste of screen time, an unnecessary distraction for Oliver and a drain on my patience 😡

Oliver tells Emiko that Dante killed her mother, that he misled her, that he doesn’t care about her, but that Oliver still does. Oh Oliver 😭😭

By the end of the episode Emiko decides to kill Dante (bye then!), and continue her path as head of the Ninth Circle, now that they are in possession of the experimental bioweapon. So that’s another villain offed this season. Beth and Steven said pre/early S7 in interviews that there wouldn’t necessarily be a big bad this year, which I guess is what they’re going for by killing every attempt at one. Emiko certainly isn’t big bad material herself. The writers seem to be using this season to wrap up Felicity’s story, launch the flash forwards, and set up season 8 (and possibly the crossover?). But in trying to do all of this they are sacrificing this season’s storylines, which is annoying me slightly. At this point in the season we normally have an idea of the trajectory of the final few episodes, but it’s still not really clear. Given that this is the final season for Arrow as we know it, this is super frustrating.

Hmm, for a bit of a meh episode, this still got long…oops!

Thank you to all the wonderful gif makers, as always. You guys rock!! 💗💗

[julietsemophase]

I just feel I need to say...

(Regarding Sherlock, rant under the cut with lots of spoilers...)

I didn’t hate it because “Johnlock didn’t become canon” - like - look at the end?  They are living happily back in Baker Street after they rebuilt it exactly right and are raising Rosie together and THAT’S PRETTY GAY.  Mary basically told them to go be happy.  So, yeah, it would have been great to have it undeniably stated, but on that front, I’m pretty happy. 

I’m mad because it was a fucking Saw movie (I HATE torture porn SO much).  I don’t enjoy watching innocent people get murdered because a psychopath wants to “play a game.”  That shit fucks me up :(

I’m mad because it was all about Eurus who we literally only just found out existed.  And yeah, the actress was incredible in the last episode playing three different parts right under our noses, but what do I care about this character?  They just kept telling us “she’s so clever.  But I didn’t really enjoy her or anything once she was just being her in the prison?  I’m not surprised they had to shoehorn Moriarty in, because HE’S the one I was desperate to see!

I’m mad that the last episode ended with John being “shot in the face” but it was just a tranquiliser dart - like?  What was the point of that?? Was Eurus sending a message?  Why didn’t she just kill John?  I guess if she was trying to get Sherlock’s attention that could work, but I didn’t feel it really paid off for me.  

I’m mad because this season didn’t have a proper ‘case’ episode.  Where was the crime solving?? Where was the Hounds of the Baskervilles, or A Study in Pink??  Or even the Bloody Guardsman?! 

I’m mad because Greg and Molly got like two minutes screen time each.  And yeah, it was a nice touch to have Sherlock get Greg’s name right finally.  And that phone call with Molly was heartbreaking - but that sort of made me mad too?! She’s just there to be punished for Sherlock’s benefit!  I would have MUCH rather had a story arch for her to actually give her some development.  She’s just a tool to make Sherlock feel things and that’s just lazy writing.  

I’m mad because although I’m alright with the open-endedness of the Johnlock, we did get confirmation that both the bad guys were queer.  That just didn’t really sit right with me - it felt if was okay to have LGBT representation so long as the characters themselves were being condemned.  

I’m mad because Redbeard was...a boy.  Again.  I have never even heard of this child, so, apart from the fact we should be upset a child died, why do I care?  It’s obvious that child murder = bad.  But we saw how much Redbeard the Dog meant to lonely, awkward Sherlock.  I sort of feel like cramming in this “other best friend” devalues the fact that John is the only one in his life to ever get him.  The only reason he was made human was to parallel John’s plight in the well, but we KNOW that Sherlock loves John and would do anything to save him, mostly because we’ve watched the show for four years, but in case we missed that, Sherlock had a couple of extremely touching moments where he screamed that John was family.  (I actually liked that very much.)  We didn’t need that extra twist.  I was fine with little Sherlock being upset at the loss of his only friend, and that it was a dog was better for me because until he found John he’s never WANTED to have a human friend.  

And that brings me to: am I supposed to buy that Sherlock Holmes, who has one of the greatest minds of several generations...FORGOT HIS SISTER AND HIS BEST FRIEND??? Like, never, ever, once remembered these two people existed?? In his whole friggin mind palace???

*sigh* Okay, so I loved the opener with Mycroft in his house with the clown etc, that was brilliant.  I LOVED Moriarty’s entrance to Queen on the helicopter.  I loved Mrs Hudson hoovering to Metallica.  And most of all, I loved that Sherlock and John were so solid, and it was the two of them against the world again.  I guess, I would have rather seen an episode slowly building that relationship back up again to a point of mutual trust over a more traditional case rather than this lightweight torture porn morality essay.  Ultimately, I didn’t find Eurus to be a sympathetic character, and am probably just going to forget the whole thing happened.

Sorry, if you’ve read this far, I didn’t mean for this to become an essay, but I think I needed to try and order my thoughts and work out WHY I was so mad and distracted by the whole thing.  Now maybe I can get on with some stuff I should actually be doing haha.  

And to be clear: all of the above are just my personal opinions.  I know lots of people who really enjoyed this episode, and I’ve seen a lot of Sherlolly fans who are very happy haha.  I’ve also seen a metric tonne of devastated Johnlock fans too, and I can totally understand how they feel queerbaited.  It must be so hard for the writers (by which I mean Gatiss and Moffat I guess) to keep their initial high standards up, it must be a lot of pressure.  But having been thoroughly let down by Moffat on Doctor Who, to the point where I just gave up, I’m really sad to see that Sherlock looks to be going the same way.   Apparently there is going to be a S5.  I just hope they maybe bring it back in a more cohesive direction.  I loved 4.2 The Lying Detective SO MUCH, so I still have hope.  I just feel really let down by last night.  Maybe I’ll finally write a Johnlock fic, cheer myself up with some super domestic fluff :)