#ok now to episode ten Ig

[xf-cases-solved]

S2E5: Duane Barry

Case: Our episode finds us in Virginia. I know this because it is the literal first thing written down in my notes. I'm learning. (No I'm not.)

Anyway. This episode, which takes place in Virginia, is part one of a three part (+ one weird fever dream episode) plot arc that will be extremely relevant to the rest of the overall plot of the X-Files from here on out. Everybody thank Gillian Anderson's daughter Piper for existing, and also Gillian Anderson for putting up with extremely questionable treatment from the show runners while she was pregnant, instead of just rage quitting like I probably would have. (She went back to work 10 days after having a C-section and they LET her, that's fucking INSANE and makes me so mad on her behalf lol.) 

But I digress.

Duane Barry! He might not have had to go film a TV show ten days after major surgery and like, giving life to a human being, but he sure is going through it, huh? Poor dude can't stop getting abducted by aliens. Probably. That, or he is suffering from a violent and unpredictable psychosis. It's one or the other for sure. And that wouldn't really be anybody's problem, except Duane has decided that he's done with the tests and teeth drilling, tyvm, and would like someone else to have a turn, so he captures his psychiatrist and busts out of the mental institution, intending to offer the psych up as tribute to the aliens. Unfortunately for Duane, however, he doesn't actually remember where the aliens said they'd pick him up at, so he hits up a travel agency, which ultimately devolves into him holding three workers plus the psychiatrist hostage.

Enter Mulder and our favorite punkass bitch sidekick, Alex Krycek! 😃 

Mulder, being the alien abductee whisperer that he is, gains Duane's trust, and we are kept on our toes as the episode does a pretty solid job at drawing out the suspense as we (along with Mulder) are ping-ponged back and forth about whether or not Duane is who and what he says he is. By the end of the episode there is still a lingering doubt, BUT, a very unsettling voicemail on Mulder's answering machine tells us we're gonna have bigger things to worry about now.

An agent, who I just now realized I recognize because she played a doctor on ER, asks Mulder to help with a hostage negotiation because he knows things about alien abductions, and then is surprised and irate when he makes the conversation about alien abductions; that same agent makes Krycek get her a grande 2% cappuccino with vanilla, which earns her my eternal love; Scully buys an entire bag of groceries for $11.14, and also breaks the barcode scanner with an unidentified metal implant and then just sort of shrugs at the store clerk and leaves; and a "Mulder, it's me" phone call ends with the sound of screams for help and broken glass, whuh-oh!

Oh, and this is the episode with the red speedo.

Welcome, friends, to the Abduction Arc!

Does someone die in the cold open: No, but things aren't really going great either. Not that they ever tend to be going great in X-Files' cold opens.

Does Mulder present a slideshow: No. No Mulder+Krycek slideshows 😡

Does the evidence survive the investigation: Ok, so the "case" this time was technically "do the hostage negotiation and get the hostages out alive," so evidence wasn't needed. Ig.

Whodunit: Duane Barry, our favorite kidnapper and alien abductee [citation needed]!

Convictions: Lol, I literally just blew out a sigh and said "ummm" out loud to myself alone in my office, that's embarrassing, but also... we'll come back to this question next episode. 

Did they solve it: Because Mulder did get the hostages out of the building safely, and because I know it's gonna be a minute before he or Scully have any real wins in their lives, I will give them this. 

[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Bulgaria's maternity leave laws. 58 weeks at 90% pay the entire time. In the United States you are lucky if you get six weeks, and even luckier if it's paid. And sometimes your boss makes you film a TV show ten days after giving birth through a giant gaping wound in your abdomen. (I know they were technically filming in Canada at the time, but it's an American TV show, so I'm counting it as United States bullshit.) Anyway, we treat pregnant people terribly! But let's just. Not think about that. Abduction arc time!!

***

General Total Stats:

(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 15 (not even gonna bother restarting the streak tho. y'all just hang in there for a bit, i'm sure things will start looking up soon. ish. probably)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, It's Me": 9 (three in total, and the last one ends poorly)

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 6

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 9 ½ (could have easily been shot at any time) 

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 9 (went back and forth on this, bc i know how this whole arc ends, but i think that if we look at this episode alone, and don't skip ahead, being kidnapped by a mentally unstable person who is known to be violent definitely counts as being in mortal danger)

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably Intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 14 (no, but dw, this stat is gonna get some mileage here soon)

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 5 (gdi. i had a funny one liner, but i know for a fact there is at least one person reading these in real time with their first watch-through, so i am trying very hard not to make jokes that are spoilery 🤐)

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 2

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 18 (no X 😔)

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car Are Hurt or Killed: 2

Total Number of Times Someone Correctly Guesses a Password: 3 

Total Number of (Plot Relevant) Nosebleeds: 5

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Tasted/Sniffed/Touched Something Questionable Without Following Proper Safety Procedures: 3 (no, but he did repeatedly break hostage negotiation protocol, which is similar in spirit if not practice)

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 3 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 4

Total Number of Times Someone Says "The Truth is Out There": 2 

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 9

Total Number of Maggie Scully Sightings: 1

Total Number of Lone Gunmen Sightings: 2

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 2!!!!!! (get that coffee, you loser)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 11½ (i wrote that shit down like a person without an attention deficit disorder, hell yeah 😎)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 5

[thegeminisage]

ok, now that i've watched all of tos (none of the movies yet...) i am going to do the top ten worst and best episodes, according to Me. they are as follows:

WORST EPISODES

10. the savage curtain - idk who thought putting abe lincoln in a cage match with the vulcan version of ghandi against like, ghengis khan and space hitler would be a good idea. but it wasn't. i did like seeing the vulcan father of logic though like "im gonna go sacrifice myself for peace" ok king

9. i, mudd - all of the mudd episodes are bad. he's not charming at all whatsoever. however, this one is better than the other one because uhura gets to pretend to sell out kirk and they're SOOO cute about it. her little giggle when he PICKS HER UP BY HER SHOULDERS and tells her how proud he is. PLEEEEASE

8. charlie x - the entire premise of this episode is that the bad guy is just autistic. and then they make him live on a planet without people because he can't adjust to normal life ???

7. shore leave - obvious racism of this episode aside, the faux-irish jig that played while kirk was being menaced by his extremely unfunny old bully nearly drove me over the edge. we DO love a good mccoy death fakeout tho

6. a piece of the action - if i had any interest in gangster films before this it's all gone now. that being said. i loved when kirk drove the little car. he was so bad at it. he was so happy.

5. mudd's women - like he's literally just selling women?? and the plot twist is that secretly they're ugly?????

4. who mourns for adonias - this is just "what if ALIENS build the pyramids bro" except for the 1960s. nail in the coffin for this one was kirk proudly declaring they didn't needs gods - because they already had the One God, thank you very much!

3. the paradise syndrome - WHY WOULD YOU HAVE NATIVE AMERICANS MISTAKE KIRK FOR GOD. WHY. like i know why but Why. i think the very worst part of this episode was that it had an amnesia plot that would have FUCKED if you had simply removed the people. if there hadn't been people in this it would've been in my top 10 episodes. i think this broke me.

2. the omega glory - this is the same as the last episode except there's no amnesia, and also the "native americans" are white cosplayers who worship the american flag and mistake kirk for god because he can recite the pledge of allegiance yes really. if i had a nickel for every time this happened i'd only have two nickels etc etc at least kirk didn't knock anybody up in this one ig

1. patterns of force - why would you make your two jewish leads wear swastikas and then literally be whipped by nazis. i know he's such a bad person but not even william shatner deserves that. number one worst episode everyone says it's omega glory but it's this one

BEST EPISODES

10. plato's stepchildren - this episode is hard to rank because like it's both good and bad. the torture scenes were genuinely upsetting, especially the ones at the end w/ spock & nurse chapel, because they weren't just violence being inflicted on tied up guys, but they were SUPPOSED to be upsetting, like it was literally the point. and also this episode bears the distinction of THEEE kirk & uhura kiss. literally historic.

9. the trouble with tribbles - i feel like everyone's heard of this but it really is as good as everyone says. sometimes 1960s humor doesn't translate to 2020s humor but it was genuinely hysterical start to finish. also, the distinct trilling sound was so imprinted in my brain i recognized it in the 2009 movie where i had never registered it before.

8. the naked time - aside from the KING SHIT george takei pulled with the fencing this episode also contains the "i am in control of my emotions [sobbing]" moment and kirk & spock LITERALLY having a slapfight. this episode has everything. an absolute masterpiece

7. the empath - i feel like this paired with "the world is hollow and i have touched the sky" really made me a Bones Understander. i feel a little bad about that bc everyone says the characterizations in s3, or actually that the season as a whole, is kinda shaky? but i watched without knowing that and i feel like i Get It now. also, this was the only score i went and relistened to on spotify

6. tholian web - the spock & mccoy episode ever. there's so many things to say about this from the death fakeout to kirk's little space suit but what TRULY got me was the instant and totally nonverbal agreement to lie straight to kirk's face to both preserve personal dignity and troll the shit out of him (while chekov and sulu are like also silently laughing as they listen in no less). what this episode made me realize was that it's a good thing they argue all the time and make kirk play referee because if they were on the same side kirk wouldn't stand a chance. like he'd be finished.

5. the city on the edge of forever - ok, so, this episode made me feel like i was having a mental break. the time travel. spock's little hat. when he watches kirk kiss edith and then goes back into their room to pretend he didn't see anything. mccoy and kirk basically hugging at the end when edith bites it.

4. requiem for methuselah - the first time i watched this i was kinda like :/ because how does kirk fall in love with a woman in FOUR HOURS? that aside the ending scene blew my tits clean off. i paced around my house for like 30 minutes going "what the FUCK was that" because i couldn't simply lie down and sleep after seeing it. rewatching the episode with uh. new context made me like it a little better. but even if it had been garbage the last scene shook me so thoroughly it would still need to be on this list. i'm getting wound up just thinking about it. number one most shocking tos moment.

3. the dagger of the mind - look, i understand that this episode was technically just run-of-the-mill stuff as far as everybody else is concerned but they put james t kirk in a little brainwashing machine. and the machine was shaped like a chair. and it gives people amnesia sometimes. i don't know how i'm expected to behave normally

2. this side of paradise - this is the episode where a flower jizzes on spock and gives him feelings. and look: it's really funny, and there's a lot to love about it. but the ending where kirk hurls verbal abuse at spock for a solid 92 seconds WITHOUT STOPPING followed by: spock beating the shit out of him until he gets his logic back. i have rewatched this perhaps 1,000 times at minimum. what the fuck were they doing

1. conscience of the king - this episode got me into this mess. i don't think i can elaborate further without significant self-incrimination. let's just say what happened was i thought "oh i'll just watch this one tos episode for context for the fanfiction" and one month later i'm writing fic about [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT

ok, that's my list. i thought about doing honorable mentions for episodes that had scenes i liked even though the overall episode didn't make it into my top 10. but then i realized that would mean recapping basically the entire series and this post is already too long. i do have to give the pon farr episode a shoutout though because even though so much of it was offputting there was literally a titty window in kirk's shirt. like, it's the pon farr episode. ok NOW i'm done

[mere-scratch]

WHAT THE FUCK

here's my little thing on good omens two (i just finished it less than a minute ago)

i write my reactions to stuff but it won't make sense bc i didn't write what was going on just like. what i thought. SPOILERS BTW

GREAT SHOW like amazing like fuck

i was actually sobbing at the end there

um. let's go by episode (photos of thoughts at the bottom)

[chapter one: the arrival] LOVELY opening like the entire scene was so cool and the lighting was incredible and it reminded me of the song meteor shower (cavetown) ((yeah i'll be making an animatic what about it)) also THE WING PARALLEL IVE ALREADY MADE A POST ABOUT IT BUT LIKE. OMG??? the intro happens and that is so so cool i was ENTRANCED and side note, when it's raining hearts (love that btw) the star cluster behind the makes a silhouette of a person (gabriel?) but idk if i'm just looking too much,, lmao. ok so present day we meet maggie and nina and i love them so much and they are very cute together. also ducks. also hi gabriel. also hi shax. the queen in the background of the coffee shop was very neat. i need to learn the i was wrong dance. OVERALL super cool episode and i loved it

[chapter two: the clue] loving the beard it's a moment, again this entire show is a masterpiece like the lighting and the everything is so interesting. we hear everyday (great song) and also crowley not killing the children but turning them into lizards is the most crowley thing i would expect of him tbh. i loved it. also by 2500 B.C. he said the angel pet name and i was living for it !! also YES aziraphale and crowley playing matchmaker is so fun. Job was great tbh. also zira lying to a room full of angels was amazing,, also the way zira was like 'it's our car' SHUT UPPP i love him so much it's so cute 💔💔 then also i think i saw the good omens book at one point maybe. THE OUTRO SLAYS AS PER USUAL.

[chapter three: i know where i'm going] I LOVE JIMS MUG (i want to make one) also,, muriel is probably my favorite side character in this season, I HATE LINDSAY (who doesn't) also the gabriel statue is so funny 2 me.. the whole crowley poisoning himself was great i'm assuming demons get like,, drunk on poison ig. not many notes on this episode tbh, great one tho

[chapter four: the hitchhiker] ok first off I LOVE MOONLIGHT SERENADE great song,, hi shax,, back to the nazi church i guess. mycroft holmes is a zombie now. nothing i can do,, also ZIRA CALLED THEM FRIENDS AW,, also i was SO SCARED at the magic show and crowley was shaking so badly omg T-T THE MIRRORS that was a great scene and i called the photo switch hehe. also ritz parallel at some point. lovely episode, again not much notes

[chapter five: the ball] this episode was so so fun i loved the dancing and the shenanigans also SHAX WHO NEEDS TEN THOUSAND DEMONS TO STORM A BOOK SHOP cmon,, also i thought nina would try and get crowley and zira together (im a master of predictions) also yeah lovely little scenes and OUT THE WINDOW you go gabriel. I LOVE YOU MURIEL also wait and seeeeeee,, the bookshop-turned-ballroom was beautiful tbh (don't think i missed those stares thru the window anthony janthony crowley) the demons showing up was so so cool, INEFFABLE HUSBANDS DANCING??? EE!! also t-o-s-t-e is great,, so is gabriel's coat omg,, NOW CROWLEY IS GOING TO HEAVEN?? lovely lovely episode

[chapter six: every day] SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP the love in this episode is RADIANT and girl,, i can't handle it. also MAGGIE i know you didn't think but cmon,,, also CROWLEY AS AN ANGEL WITH THE GOLDEN SNAKE WAS SO FUN,, the intro was so cool and the guitar was so queen-sounding idk how to put it. the halo was. SO COOL. also i called it gabriel FELL RAHHHHHHH i'm so great. shax you did NOT body shame zira bro. you did NOT. the trial was so interesting btw,, it was such a cool scene. bye bye demons! then zira starts a war?? unexpected. beez and gabe are SO CUTE TOGETHER i love them??? with all my heart?? they have a song. THEY HAVE A SONG. also the little dinner date parallels with zira and crowley to beez and gabe i was so happy. also THEY HELP HANDS OMGGGG ! alpha centauri reference was so sweet tbh. [a line from my notes: zira you're looking at crowley like he put the stars in the sky (he did but yk)] also nina and maggie talking to crowley was so sweet they gave him the push he needed 😭😭 also SHUT UP NINA CALLED MAGGIE ANGEL I WAS GONNA SOB and then crowley tried to confess and then aziraphale said the thing about them becoming angels and at that point i was already crying a little bit. i was so devastated when crowley mentioned the nightingales. started crying more. YHEN THEY KISSED I WAS FULL ON SOBBING AT THAT POINT FORWARD i was shaking so hard i thought i would die on the spot. then i got mad at zira for NOT GOING BACK FOR CROWLEY SHUT THE FUCK UP and the nightingale song biiiitch,, then it ended

now i'm very numb and will be spending the weekend going thru episodes and taking photos of cool things I CANNOT WAIT FOR SEASON THREE

alrighty i'm gonna go sob again now have a great day good omens fans

[interstitties101]

Ok. Dr who The Giggle thoughts.

Things I did not like (there are a lot of them tbh but I feel like they’re p valid)

Avengers tower. Be so ffr y’all. Enough. That bothered me So Much actually cuz enough with the Whoniverse shit. The whole point of dr who is to not bandwagon and this is aggressive bandwagoning.

The ending being Neil Patrick Harris missing a catch. Like ik it’s silly bc the toymaker is silly and all that but like. Very anticlimactic.

Bi-generation. Again. Be so ffr. There are SO many problems that would cause. Ripples in time and all that. And also it just doesn’t work with the show. The whole point of the dr is that there can only be one of them - the metacrisis was crazy bc it went against all precedent but still the dr was HUMAN. The dr splitting into two versions of themselves seems like a catastrophic event for spacetime by the logic of the show but ig limits like that don’t matter anymore?? I’m really frustrated with writers trying to push the limits of the show/the character by creating totally bonkers things that end up cheapening the premise of the show. The dr is insanely powerful, yes, but they also DIE. They change. They have limits. The whole point of a tragic hero is that they CANNOT remain the same and yet they ALWAYS remain the same because they are stuck in the narrative. I enjoy the idea of the dr finally getting a break but I feel like there were other ways of doing that. Or at LEAST explain that 14 is now human or has only one lifespan or something like that as an emergency way for really-fucking-old time lords to shed some of their trauma through bi-generation without causing ripples in time. I think maybe that’s what RTD was going for? But it wasn’t explained at all and giving 14 their own tardis was crazy. Cuz now they’ve just. Brought back 10 bc they liked him, no other reason. And I LOVE David Tennant. But not like this - not as fan service that ends up scratching the integrity of the show (not that the integrity isn’t constantly being scratched but whatever). Also - part of the reason the metacrisis was so tragic was because the dr could never grow old with Rose Tyler!!!!!! Only the metacrisis dr could. It was SO tragic that 10 never got to experience that. So they should’ve made it clear that 14 was human or limited in some way so they could grow old with Donna and experience growing old with someone they love finally. That would’ve properly conveyed the beauty I think (I hope) they were going for.

Treating the show as if there are no limits takes the weight out of everything. The always-upping-the-stakes trap.

Ik I just said this but the dr should’ve regenerated INTO Ncuti Gatwa, not just bc of the aforementioned OP-ness and logiclessness of the character rn but bc Ncuti DESERVED his own thing and to be the dr fully. I don’t like that he had to share his regeneration with David Tennant. It also separated Ncuti’s doctor and dt’s doctor so they seem like different people, not the same character played by different people, and I think that’s sad. One of the special things about regeneration is that you have an image of the former dr as you discover the new one and it’s bittersweet because the old one is gone but that person is STILL the new one. And that’s very special. You carry bits of each doctor with you. That effect is somewhat lost here.

The doctor would not go mad being in one place for a human lifetime cuz he already did that many times over. Those instances were major plot points actually. Remember a town called Christmas? Trenzalore? TEN would go mad because of his personality and the fact that he was always running from his problems but the dr is a different person now. 14 is not 10. But whatever I guess.

Just bad pacing of the episode bc they were trying to cram so much stuff in (like star beast). The best ep in the specials trio was wild blue yonder for exactly this reason.

The emotional convos w Donna and the dr should’ve been longer. She was his like. Primary outlet in terms of emotional vulnerability, and he was her biggest outlet for her full bravery and intellect and potential. The quieter moments when they rely more on silence and just acting and less on swirling plot devices are what makes the characters and their dynamic really shine and I wish they’d had more of that for the finale.

I did not understand why the toymaker was limited in the way he was. If you’re an elemental entity that can play with atoms like play dough then why are you constrained to only ever play games??? Why is there only ever winners and losers???

Justice for Martha Fucking Jones. Goddamn they CONTINUE to do her so dirty. Not even a mention. Damn.

Goddamnit RTD you can write BRILLIANT normal dr who episodes but you are doing WAY too much with the big ones. Lean off the meta stuff. Ground the show back into reality (or at least some semblance of logic cuz who are we kidding here. It’s dr who). Bigger is not always better and people don’t get sick of smaller but more emotionally intense plots.

Maybe it was the pacing, maybe it was the fact that we didn’t get to see any complex emotion from 14 about retiring (in a sense), maybe it was the lack of explanation/consequences about the bi-generation, or maybe it was just the ludicrousness of bi-generation in itself, but the ending did not feel as cathartic like it was supposed to. You can’t create emotional complexity out of complex plot devices. Take a simpler thing and do more with it please (hence the success of wild blue yonder). I feel like there could’ve been a different way to handle the ending. Idk exactly how (I have some ideas brewing) but it felt… incomplete. Or just immature/rushed.

If bro is gonna retire or whatever tf, don’t leave him with a tardis??? It defeats the point???

Things I liked

NCUTI GATWA!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!! The energy he’s bringing is AMAZING and I’m so excited to see him explore the emotional depth of this character. Hats off.

BAGAHHAHAHHAHAHA THE DOCTOR IS BLACK AND GAY!!!!!!!! SUCK IT!!!!!!!!!!! HES ALREADY FUCKING KILLING IT!!!!!!!

15 kissing his teeth made me SO happy. I SEE you.

I always love seeing David Tennant on screen regardless of anything else. Tbh.

14 getting a good hug from someone who literally fully understands. Even if it is themselves. What a fucking weight off.

The Toymaker’s lipsync!!!! SLAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Need I say more.

Having another former companion on the show :)

I really do love the idea of the doctor getting a break and hopefully shedding some of their trauma. They deserve it so much. But I’m sad again bc I feel like they didn’t have to bring dt back for that. I thought 10’s face coming back was something to do with the timelines fracturing (like they said in the comic relief thing!!) and the toymaker was related to that, and so in repairing the timelines they’d reset proper regeneration or whatever it is. (Note to self: see, that would’ve made so much more sense. The dr and Donna could’ve gotten their closure and 15 would promise to visit or smth and make random references in the next season to stopping by to say hi to Donna and catch up. Or like “you won’t BELIEVE what Donna just told me”. That’s the new reality I’m sticking with in my head. Anyway.) Like, the temporariness/transientness of 10’s face is what made it a treat! It wasn’t meant to last forever. So I loved the idea of dt’s face coming back as a form of releasing trauma and processing or whatever it was, but… the longevity didn’t fit. Sorry :(

Edit: also the dr was gay for himself. Lmao >:3 valid

[jinkx-monswoon]

AUBREY WATCHES AS8 - EPISODE 7

WE'RE BACK!! SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE ASS EPISODE UNDER THE CUT

as someone who had chicken nuggets at her graduation party, i say live your truth kandy U_U

LMAO LALA'S FEELING HER OATS

oml not jaymes pulling an irene 😭

crazy to me that everyone unanimously decided to go against track record. like it makes the whole thing shocking but also Not

good for kahanna but i think this is gonna be the straw that breaks the camel's back and she's gonna go home. granted she DID do okay in the trailer challenge but i think that's a one time thing

what up my name's lala i'm 32 and i never fucking learned how to count B)

LIL POUNDCAKE. OH MY GOD OHHHH MY GOD STOP IT

SHES BAAAACK

imma foxx, anita klew and ura dragg. they really went for low hanging fruit LMAO

it wouldn't be an acting challenge without a single cutthroat fight over a role <3

lmao alexis rlly went "ur tone seems very pointed right now"

"WHO DIED" STOPPP KANDY

oh my god. i love jimbo and jessica comforting alexis and then being like "bitch wtf" as SOON as shes out of the room LMAO

AWW. jimbos still being sweet thats adorable

KAHANNA WTF YOU DOING!!!! WHATS GOING ON

this season has been sooo drama filled and it is hard to properly enjoy

NOT RUPAULS DRAG INTERVENTION. OH MY GOODNESS HELP

YAYYYY KAHANNAAAA !!! U CAN DO IT THIS MIGHT BE UR RUDEMPTION ACTUALLY

STOP NOT THE READ ON ALEXIS

"I GOTTA WIN" COUNT. okay as disastrous as this season has been, the editing is fucking hilarious

mother jimbo giving kahanna advice!! shes a sweetheart honestly 🥺

take a shot every time the camera catches the GIANT bald spot on alexis's head LMFAOOOOO

THE LIL POUNDCAKE REPLICA?!?!?! OK BUT WHERE TF IS HER MIDDLE FINGER!!!! THIS IS CENSORSHIP ISTG

wait im so confused. why are there multiple lil poundcakes?? why does the position of her arms and hands keep changing between shots?? huh

OMG THE UNCENSORED FOOTAGE!!!!!

me looking at the replica lil poundcakes like "YOU WILL NEVER BE HER"

hypothetically if this lost all stars season actually happened ten years ago as jessica's character said, it would actually fit into the timeline because as1 was in 2012, as2 was in 2016 and this "lost season" would have been in 2013. this could have been the original as2 and then lil poundcakes disappearance caused the hiatus...... 🤔

ok wait?!?! kahannas actually not doing half bad <:DDD

LALA OMFG STOPPP 😭

"the nosy ass bitch made a troubling discovery U_U" took me OUT

A SMALL CALICO CAT NAMED YVIE ODDLY??????????

"a pussy?" LMAO

NOT THE WHISPER SUBTITLES. OH THEY CAPTURED THE MFIN ESSENCE

ELOGUENT??? 😭

lala: "she a little 🚗 💨 to me"

"A'KERIA IS THE BODY" IM GONNA PISS

oh. oh my god not the peeling skin on the finger thats so fucking gross EW

oh my god this is compelling. they introduced jessicas character as miss congeniality so u could NEVER suspect her....

ONLY A $25 REWARD LMAO

LALA?!?!?!? LALA WTF

HOLY SHIT. WHAT A TWIST. OMG

oh my god. lala is so fucking funny im losing it

THE RU-ENACTMENT HELP

HAHA NOT LIL POUNDCAKES FOOT GOING STILL TO SHOW SHES DEAD. THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL

WHAT!!! LIL POUNDCAKE LIVES?!?!?!?

okay that was actually really funny. im kinda living

OMG I FORGOT THEY DIDNT HAVE A SCRIPT. THAT MAKES THIS SO MUCH BETTER

ngl alexis kinda flopped for me?? 😭 she wasnt very expressive ig

omg hello baloney ghost fan

lala is almost definitely taking this but i think kahanna might be okay. i say ALMOST and MIGHT because the production of this season has just been all over the place 😭

miss fill-in-the-blank? ok this should be interesting

THE SAUSAGE CROWN OMLLLL

uh oh. ok now im worried for kahanna because nothing about her look matches the theme, only her presentation on the runway. its pretty but it just doesnt match the theme!!!

MISS BOOTLEGGER. oh my goodness

ASIA O'HARA'S DRAG RACE!!! OH MY GOD THE FUCKING CALLBACK I FUCKING LOVED THAT MINI CHALLENGE STOPPPPP

this challenge is lala's. im calling it

this look is SOOO kandy omg

"it looks like cookie and elmo had a baby" MISS VISAGE PLEASE ELMO IS A CHILD

its funny because i only get the bandanna code thanks to jaymes. thank you for educating the children jaymes mansfield U_U

just googled and um. alexis did i really have to know that about you fr 😭

WHY IS JIMBO AUSTRALIAN

omg OMG SHE SAID LET LOOSE

uh oh? kandy bottom?!

ok im glad i wasnt the only one who clocked alexis's acting lol

YESSSSS LALA!!!! OMG I YELLED AND CLAPPED SO MFING LOUD

HUH. BITCH WHAT. KAHANNA CLEARLY HAD BETTER CRITIQUES THAN KANDY ARE YOU MOTHERFUCKING KIDDINGGGGGGGG

how funny would it be if alexis got eliminated and kahanna survived her 4th bottom. that would be so funny

did u see the way jimbo and jessica looked at alexis when she stepped out earlier? honestly i think they're gonna vote for her. man if alexis goes home that would be so motherfucking funny

the way my face dropped when they were like "omg could it be gigi goode?!" but no it was jorgeous. damn 😔

OOOOO it's about damn time they used this song am i right?! lizzo lipsyncs literally never flop this is exciting

WERKKKK LALA!!! WERK THAT MFIN STRUTTTTTT

LALA WHAT WAS THAT SPLIT OMG?? SHE WENT DOWN FACE FIRST WHAT

lala def won that. she was smiling the whole time and it definitely boosted the performance

ok im gonna record my elimination reaction. see yall next week <3

[microwavedblobbrain]

Sorry bestie but we're talking about this lmao (I hope you dont mind)

Kakashi is Etho (my beloved <3) and Shrek is Smallishbeans! (or Joel)

Ok so in double life (which was season 3 of the life series lmao) they were soulmates but in Limited Life (the new season but it doesn't have soulmates) Joel joined the Bad Boys (Smallishbeans, Grian and Solidarity) but Etho joined team T.I.E.S (Tango, Impulse, Etho and Skizzleman). The Bad Boys are just as it sounds "bad boys" and they went after Skizz in one of the first episodes. They also killed some cows that the T.I.E.S were trying to get, so they are kinda enemies now. Forcing Etho and Joel to get a divorce. To make it more confusing, etho is now Bdubs and Scar's father?? and he left Cleo or she kicked him out???? its pretty unclear what happened in that household (ngl I'm pretty sure she kicked him out tho lmao)

I swear the "life" series is really good! it starts with 3rd life, then Last Life, then Double Life, and finally Limited Life lmao

....okay i know who smallishbeans is but I'm not touching the rest of that with a ten-foot pole

I wish them the best of luck in their divorce ig

[themanicgalaxy]

SPN 4X6 Yellow Fever

wait I think I’ve heard of this one?

so we open with Dean running from dogs, ok excellent 

ah so now I get the fear of dogs I get it now

oof hell rly fucked him up 

ooo yay consequence

well this coroner’s just Great

he just...dropped dead

wow what a delightful autopsy scene, just lovely

...wait...wait I recognize the cop

IS THIS WHO DEAN FLIRTS WITH

Extremely Germaphobic

Ah wait if the thing is Extreme Anxiety AH GERMAPHOBIC HE’S GETTING SCARED OHH

good foreshadowing if you don’t check the descriptors heh

wITHIN 48 HOURS

Dean is Suspicious of Teens

Tyler and Perry....just like Aerosmith ahahaha they were found out

does it go for naturally anxious people? are they more susceptible?

because Dean is Scared of a Lot cuz of Hell

aha, so Dean being Unsettled by snakes and scratching his arm

OH THE SUSPICIOUS OF TEENAGERS

damn the “tracing back the foreshadowing” is so much fun

20 is the speed limit ahahaha

HE WON’T MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN

wait let me check something

AHAHA SORRY DEAN

THE EYE OF THE TIGER IN THE CAR IS SO FUNNY

ah so he’s panicking

“I don’t even know what that is” AHAH

shockingly, NOT a bedlund episode damn

PERSONALITY TYPE

“fear as a weapon”

the writers want to say THAT was the point, the whole interplay going on with fear, and not that Dean is a dick...which like he is but also not ig

Find out in episode 10!

yeah I’m sure the research is really helping

“you’re dying again, loser” is...oh GOD

He’s doing REMARKABLY well hiding his emotions, I’ll give him that

this motherfucker is just panicking SO HARD I’M CACKLING

“I’ll man the flashlight” AHFPIASDHA

OO and their EMF gets busted because Dean makes them go nuts neat neat

*cat screech* AHHHHHHHHHHH

this is HILARIOUS

ohh the wood chips and Frank’s wife oop

Sam’s little Jump was cool compared to Dean’s Freeze trauma response

they probably did mean for this to be a play on yellow belly huh

...Dean...Flirt with...deputy...when close to death...what mean...what...what mean

oh god this is HORRIFYING(sheriff)

what did he do did he kill the wife

boy how much Fear Tamp Down does this guy(Dean) do on the regular

it’s like he’s doing everything for the first time as a terrified Kid that has to SUCK

aight yeh so Sam is like Traditionally Better with getting answers I’ll give him that

AW KITTY KITTY

hey Dean’s getting a lighting treatment like the monsters last episode is that on purpose

“a lot of people failed Luther, and I was one of them” ah Yikes why did that one hit me

this feels Vaguely of Mice and Men-y, with Luther being Big and Scary but with Cat

Hey Luther(and Lenny) both die in the end. 

Although granted, the ghost thing doesn't happen in of mice and men

“Life’s too short for hate” feels important for these two fuckers to internalize

it’s nice that he mentions his expertise though, that’s neat

“you know who does that? crazy people! We’re insane!”

he just...has a list of insecurities he has with himself

this poor motherfucker flip flopped SO hard oh no that sounds kinda like Conflict

oh MY GOD HE’S GOING TO HELL THAT’S WHAT HE’S SCARED OF 

along with his brother abandoning him oh joy there's just a List my god

tries for Escapism in movies, fails Ouch

BOBBY AND JAPANESE

also it’s nice to have Sam run point for a bit, he’s fucking GOOD at it

and nice to see him interact with Bobby

Bobby, all the time, every single day: this is a TERRIBLE IDEA

also Bobby: the idiot children can’t be left alone, they’ll get even more stupid shit happen to them 

I love bobby singer so much

~hound dogs snarling at your fee-

ah he hid Frank’s killing of Luther

yes go anger the ghost whee

oh good Lilith

oof he really doesn’t wanna go back

40 years oh gOD

they have to kill him again? seems rather cruel

jeez that cut really close

“I’m fine”

Bobby: I call bullshit

god I love Bobby

“Aw he’s adorable” I FUCKING- BOBBY SINGER I LOVE YOU

oooo scenery

thE FUCKING LIL GLINT OF AZAZEL’S EYES AHHH

aw that’s a cute after credit scene

Jensen ackles just....vibing

god dammit this is great

YOU CAN HEAR THEM LAUGHING AHAHA

This is fantastic

HE USED HIS LEG AS A GUITAR AHAHA

ok uh wrap up:

1. So kripke said ~wait till episode ten for big reveal~(which I have guesses on), but it’s not cuz Dean’s a dick, it’s because he tries to repress his fear as much as humanly possible. Also repressing other things, which is my theory for the scene with the deputy, no I’m not taking any comments.

2. It’s nice to see Sam just working the case, it’s nice to see him interact with Bobby. I like his character in theory a lot, and when they put it into practice, it’s GREAT! this was FUN! Also the little glints of Azazel(hallucinations though they were) were interesting, I wanna see it as foreshadowing. 

3. Dean flip flopping between “mission from God”(previous) and “THIS IS INSANE WHAT THE FUCK IS OUR LIFE”(current) kinda shows off his conflict thing, he’s not sure what to think. Or more likely, He’s coming to terms with the fact that this life sucks and he doesn’t want it, but he’s trying to go an play the soldier to God(a father figure) 

4. I love Bobby Singer.

5. I’m sticking with the “of mice and men” reference. It’s probably not real, but I’m having fun vaguely reading into it, just revamped a lil.

[oh-so-heavenly]

It's time for chapter four of Our Flag Means Death

mary and stede 💔

they look constipated on their wedding,

THEY GAVE THEM GRAVESTONES?? (tbh i'm so dramatic i would like it, i'd show it to everyone i know)

"and don't play pirates with them" aw, why not :(

TAIKA WAITITI MY BELOVED

he's so hot. i mean, he's always hot but here, covered in leather, with long hair and the beard, looking like he hasn't taken a shower in years -he looks extremely hot

AND THE TATTOOS ❤️👄❤️

"they die quite dramatically, don't they? The Spaniards?" I mean, just above in this post i was saying how I'd like to have my own grave as house decor so, yeah

HE LOOKS SO GOOD

(sorry but the highlights are gonna probably be just Blackbeard from now on, he deserves it 🔥😌)

What's a frankfurter???

"Can we please focus?" I've got ADHD and I don't like your attitude, so, no :)

Ohh sausages, he's already seeing dicks on the clouds #mood

the uszh™ now available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video

that jump was so unnecessary and dramatic I LOVED IT

"hello, everyone I'm Blackbeard" hi, can i get your ig??

"huge fan, sir" that's a simp if i've ever seen one

I CAN SEE HIS BELLYBUTTON I NEED TO BOOP THE BELLYBUTTON BOOOOOP

"they've got a bird guy" unsupervised kindergarten kids indeed

#karl's the bird that's my mental state from now on

once again Stede is there with his tits out... as he should >:)

The Lighthouse 🥺

"and the children did that" look, Stede, my boy. I love you, alright? But AAAAAAAAAA

Blackbeard giggling owns my heart ❤️

"if you don't make a decision soon we're going to fucking die" "oh, now, there's an idea. I haven't done that one yet" i'm DEAD

I'm convinced Blackbeard is justa Gen Z: obviously not straight, has ADHD, loves trinkets and being dramatic all the time

NOT FRENCHIE NAILING HIS SHIRT

"hooolaaa" jsjsjs me encanta

"who's this Mary then?" R U JEALOUS??

the whole nightmare with Blackbeard looking like how Black Pete described him is hilarious

HE'S TOUCHING HIS HAND HE'S TOUCHING HIS HAND HE'S-

"do you work for blackbeard??" error 404 ed.exe has stopped working

"I'm Ed" SHUT UP AND KISS ALREADY

"if you're not jim, can I be jim" jsjsj

"most pirates i know, they're dead" ok so the bar is pretty low then

✨rather exquisite cashmere✨

THE SECRET PASSAGE AND ED IS SIMPING FOR HIM HE'S LIKE A CHILD ON CHRISTMAS

"is that Blackbeard" "mh? No, I'm Blackbeard" I CAN'T- 💀

oh, fuck me, his sly smirk and the little "shh"

Frenchie is so stupid but I love him, this guy doesn't have a single braincell

HE'S SHOWING HIM THE LIBRARY

AND HE LIKES IT

idk viking vampire clown sound's fucking terrifying to me dude

"Nine guns??" That's what bothers him

"You're a fucking lunatic and I like it" that's explicit eroticism and i like it

WHAT IN THE- HE'S WEARING ED'S CLOTHES, HE LOOKS SO FANCY AND COOL AND LIKE HE'S SERIOUSLY TRYING TO LOOK COOL

HE'S MOVING THE SLEEVES, HE'S DANCING they are both dorks

Izzy just went out of the frame like, i'm done with this shit

"you can be a real bummer sometimes" all the time, don't be shy ed and admit it, he's a party popper

"That's Blackbeard" I love Ed so much

oh, wow, that was a resignation

"do you speak Spanish?" I do, cariño, in case you need any help

Ecclesiastical latin??? (The worst thing is that he's kinda right, Latin is easy when you know Spanish)

Asdfghjkl I cannot believe they were saved by fucking dick clouds

Please no don't make Blackbeard sad he can't be sad, he's like a puppy, he deserves to be happy :(

"just kind of rocky and flat" yes it is, Frenchie, yes it is

THEY ARE GOING TO BECOME A LIGHTHOUSE

They are hugging

!!!

he got rid of some gunpowder so he could have his marmalade, you gotta love this guy

WAIT WHY IS HE MAKING IT SOUND LIKE HE WANTS TO KILL STEDE. I DON'T LIKE THIS

More highlights: episode one / episode two / episode three / episode four / episode five / episode six / episode seven / episode eight / episode nine /episode ten

[noitsbecky127]

rebecca watches tos: spectre of the gun

beginning on a red alert? fun

ok so there’s a thing here, with no passengers

but there are people here

don’t y’all have universal translators? hearing your first language shouldn’t be strange

I’m guessing these people prefer telepathic communication

great now all the tech is down

what the fuck is that

so they boldly went someplace they weren’t supposed to

why are they in the wild west

dad referred to this as “the ok corral episode” so ig that’s what happened

tombstone, arizona? is that a real place?

october 26 1881 was the date of the ok corral thing wasn’t it

ok so tombstone is indeed real

just googled it, ike did not die in the shootout so kirk will be fine lmao

oh and chekov got an alien-assigned girlfriend

he gets a decent amount of action doesn’t he

so are they trying to avoid their fates?

poor scotty can’t even get his scotch

at least chekov is having fun

jim is trying very hard to be believed rn. it’s going not good

going to the sheriff is a terrible idea

so what if they just leave before 5

yeah scotty you probably shouldn’t be drinking rn

chekov: if he shoots at me i will simply step out of the way. rip to everyone who’s ever been shot but i’m different

ok well that answers my earlier question about leaving, these aliens aren’t taking no for an answer

it’s 3 PM, time for a fight

oh ok the shootout’s been moved to 5 PM for trek purposes

poison them with snakes

oh my god they’re actually doing it

spock’s making a fucking grenade I love him

I’ve definitely heard the name “Doc Holliday” somewhere before

he’s just like “you’ll be dead soon, have fun before you are”

I love how Chekov is just making the most of all this

shoutout to sylvia for proposing to the man in 1881

chekov please don’t make trouble rn you’re already about to be in a shootout

CHEKOV

ik he’ll get better but STILL

“I understand the feeling” spock just said the F word, everyone’s real affected by this

“it’s quite alright, they forget i am half-human” :(

claiborne survived the gunfight but chekov is dead (though he’ll get better) so ig they can go differently than actual history

spock honey negotiating will not work

oh lord jim’s gonna try and negotiate with the sheriff isn’t he

yeah that went about as well as can be expected

and now spock’s complimented bones, things truly have turned upside down

“nothing can go wrong” something will go wrong

scotty, drinking: it’s to kill the pain spock: but this is painless scotty: did i fucking stutter

the tranquilizer didn’t work, guess the aliens control the sitch and they aren’t letting them out that easy

ten minutes till you die and you got nothing

the aliens also won’t let them just stay inside

his MIND killed him? spock where are you going with this

wtf is this solution

spock is just gonna mind-meld everyone into not dying by Gun

imagine firing your gun at someone and it just makes holes in the fence behind them, I’d run like hell

and now they’re just back on the ship?

chekov is alive bc he was focused on the hot girl, I love him

“we overcame our instinct for violence” and that’s the core of it, isn’t it? humans may be a violent species but we also have the intelligence and sapience to reject that violence and that’s what it comes down to

good episode! standard level of trek weirdness, plus a dash of good philosophy at the end there

[waynedunlaptheorgandonor]

hey so “find me” dropped on premiere and i just watched it, so you know what that means??

it’s review time!

(super rambly as usual) spoilers under the cut

before i say anything, let me say, IT’S FINE, Y’ALL. as predicted. people are gonna be dramatic bc there are daryl/leah scenes, but like...we been knew? and some of them were rly important caryl-wise. (tbh, the episode was kind of boring and just a set-up for other stuff, lmfao)

okay, review:

opening credits, which i think most of us have already seen, were cute. obvi there was some weird tension with daryl that leads to the coming-to-a-head thing at the end, but their banter is still cute af

they went fishing and daryl’s reaction to carol was adorable, and there’s an important parallel later on, so bookmark this

similarly, there’s an important parallel to carol’s “the dead catch up to us eventually”/daryl’s “i ain’t gonna let it”, so bookmark that, too

dog is the instigator for the flashbacks, so if you wanna blame anyone, blame him. he races to the cabin, which for some reason daryl, who spent five years in this forest, seemed surprised to see? didn’t you literally map out that whole area, my dude? whatever

cue flashback!

i might have the scene order mixed up, but i think it starts with daryl being all sad by himself, and then dog as a puppy shows up and he’s like “!!! a dog!!!” which is v cute, and then he runs back off. we don’t meet leah yet

we see carol and daryl having a conversation while standing on opposite sides of a river for no reason except to probably symbolize distance or maybe covid, lol. the conversation basically goes:

carol: things are different

daryl: yeah

carol: how long are you gonna be out here?

daryl: -shrug emoji-

carol: i get why you’re out here, and i’d join you if things weren’t...

daryl: different

carol: yeah

daryl: yeah. anyway, it’s gonna rain, and also i’m having emotions, so ttyl

the end

at some point we see daryl sitting with an extremely unhappy face while it pours rain on him in the dark, and i want that as a reaction gif IMMEDIATELY 

also the rain destroys his “where in the world is rick grimes?” map, which makes him v upset and scream-y, and we get the idea that he might be going a bit bonkers being all alone looking for a dead (or, ig, kidnapped by helicopter) man

in present day carol finds the note, and is like “oh dunk, she lived here??” so she knew about leah, and daryl’s like, “i already told you everything,” and carol’s like, “no you didn’t,” so we go back to flashbacks (but i’m still not sure what parts carol didn’t already know?? whatever, it’s not that important)

i’m just gonna hit the highlights of the flashbacks bc they were not that thrilling:

first time daryl meets leah the dog leads him to her cabin, and leah ties him to a chair and holds a gun to his head being like, “what are you doing on my land?” bc apparently you can claim whole forests during the apocalypse, and daryl says very little, and eventually she lets him go

next time dog finds daryl and he brings her back and leah is like, “the dog likes you” and they’re kinda flirty, and then daryl says very little and leaves

next time daryl is surrounded by walkers and leah shows up and helps and they hide in a tree and are awkwardly close to each other and daryl cannot handle the close physical contact so when the walkers pass he says very little except to tell her to never come back again, lmfao

the next flashback is my favorite bc daryl just fucking

goes to leah’s cabin and throws a fish at the door???

i laughed for ten years

he throws a fucking fish and then stands there for a minute like “is she gonna notice that i gave her a fish??” like, no, dumbass, you didn’t even knock, you just threw a fucking fish at her fucking door, what is wrong with you??

no wonder it’s taken him and carol so long if he thinks throwing fish at people is a smooth move. boy has NO fucking game

anyway, leah gets him back by finding him and throwing the fish at his head, being like, “wtf, don’t throw fish on my porch?” which, fair, leah

IMPORTANT CARYL PARALLEL (from here on out known as “caryllels”) #1: so earlier i mentioned the carol fish thing, and apparently the same thing happened with leah, where she speared a fish on her first try and daryl was like “tf?” v blatant “we are supposed to be thinking about carol and daryl’s relationship during this scene” sort of thing

leah’s backstory is bland. had a family, they got eaten or disappeared or something. she, her adopted son, and dog’s mom got away, but the kid was bit, and died the same day dog was born, bc ig when god closes one door, he replaces your dead son with a puppy, or however the idiom goes

ONLY PART THAT GOT ME LEGIT EMOTIONAL: 

leah asked daryl who he lost, and he says, “my brother”

asklfdjaslfdjskl

god i miss rick

i hated rick for so long and now i miss him so much

but i digress

IMPORTANT CARYLLEL #2: leah and daryl have the same “the dead get you eventually”/”i ain’t gonna let it” conversation as caryl had earlier, only daryl is playing the role of carol in this scenario, so again we’re supposed to be comparing the two relationships. lemme get through the rest of the summary and then i’ll tell you my opinion on what that means

fuck what even happens next?

i have these out of order bc they were all the fucking same, but the two of them get closer, and there is the vaguest suggestion of sex ever. you literally only see daryl’s hand

then jump-cut to them sitting at the table being emo, ig bc daryl was gonna go back to look for rick for a bit, and leah is like “who do you belong with? your brother you won’t stop looking for? your family that you left? [side note: that seemed rather pointed, like, “hey hoe, you abandoned your family, that was kind of a dick move”] or me?” and he says he doesn’t know, and she’s like “yeah you do, now choose”

jump-cut to caryl scene where carol finds him at the river and says that she won’t be visiting as much, and daryl’s like “k” and they have a brief argument where daryl’s all snippy, like, “what? do you want my permission for you to move on with your life? i’m not still emo about the fact that you’re moving on with your life, and i also don’t think it’s contextually significant that every time you show up in my flashbacks you explicitly mention that you’re married and have a kid,” and carol is like, “bro, you need to Get Your Shit Together and come home”

jump-cut to daryl having what i’m assuming is an epiphany that carol/fam have all moved on while he was out being emo, and so he decides to go be with leah, except, plot twist! she’s gone. the picture of her and her son is gone, but dog is still there. daryl leaves the note, which says, “i belong with you, find me”

for those freaking out about the wording about the note, may i remind you that she specifically asked, “do you belong x, x, or with me?” so he was just answering the question

aaaaaand back to present day

carol is like, “what do you think happened to her?” and daryl is all -shrug emoji-, and then she’s like, “...do you think she might have just...you know...left?” and daryl gets rull offended, which was kind of funny

(she probably just left, bud)

carol tells daryl to stop thinking that when people leave it’s bc of him, and connie’s name gets thrown into the mix, and daryl gets a “oh here we fucking go” look on his face, and it sets him off

he said basically what we were already spoiled for. “you just want to run, you don’t know when to stop, i shouldn’t have taken you off the boat bc you still just want to run” etc

and carol looks fucking HEARTBROKEN, which hurt me, and she goes into the other room and we end the episode with daryl staring forlornly out of the window 

the end

okay

so quick analysis

i think the significance of this episode is supposed to be so we have an understanding of why daryl is suddenly so !teamfamily, and !teamfuture, and how badly he wants carol to be there with him. at one point, one of them even says, “this isn’t about leah, or connie,” or anyone but the two of them. the title “find me” feels significant, bc the whole episode is daryl grappling with where he’s supposed to go, and what his purpose is, and by the end, he says to carol, “i know where i belong,” (implying, with her and the fam), pulling us full-circle. in the first flashback onward he is lost, but by the end he is found -cue amazing grace-

daryl and leah were flirty, but to me it felt very much like something that was just being used as daryl character development. we barely got anything that juicy between the two of them (except the fish throwing thing, that was amazing), and i still don’t think that it would make any sense, regardless of the showrunner, to pair daryl up with some rando after having so many other choices that people would have preferred. i don’t think we’re meant to #endgame ship it, so much as we are supposed to be like, “oh, ok, daryl learned the power of family and stability and leveled up, -you know what that is? growth gif-” as a result, i literally have no idea what leah’s role is gonna be in s11, but i don’t think it’ll be a huge plot point

so now we firmly know where daryl stands. he is all about moving forward, not looking back, and doing the best he can, and he’s frustrated bc when he took carol off the boat he wanted her to be in the same place as him so that they could grow together, but she wasn’t and isn’t there yet

so my guess is that what’s next for carol’s storyline is her reaching that same zen-level daryl’s at

once they’re both there, then they get to ride off into the sunset and make passionate love under the moon casting shadows over the vast desert wasteland 

whew

anyway

tl;dr: idk, episode was fine, if not kinda boring. lots of caryllels. can i go back to writing my vietnam war au now? 

the end

(stay hype, stan kang, and get daryl to call carol sweetheart 2k21),

-diz

[peachy-beomie]

Fellas, is it Gay to Kiss The Homies? <TEN-CENTRIC>

Genre: Light Hurt/Comfort

Pairings: Kunten (Qian Kun x Ten Lee) and implied (Ten x Everyone) [ALL SHIPS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PLATONIC]

Word Count: 1455

Warnings: Fluff overdose, might give you diabetes /t

Synopsis: Ten just really likes kisses and he wants to give them to his friends. That’s it.

A/N: I wrote this wanting it to be Platonic!Kunten but tbh it may have gotten away from me a little bit so believe what you want ig

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30021543

Ten has always been overly affectionate. In the eyes of Weishennies, Winwin and Yangyang bear the brunt of it. On variety shows and lives Ten can sometimes be found floating around one of his two didis or entirely attached to them. It’s become a joke among fans and members, the way Ten calls Yangyang baby while the maknae responds with countless protests and whines. But something fans are unaware of is that off-camera, the Thai male’s affection extends to all the members. Ten is known to demand touches from most any friend in reach. Even Kun, despite the pairs’ constant bickering. The WayV members have grown used to Ten’s insatiable need to hold and be held. There’s a silent understanding between the 7 roommates. All the boys know that comforting Ten is just more of a physical thing. Each member understands, and some have even become fond of the actions. Most surprisingly Winwin. Though he seems like a total skinship anti, he’s all smiles whenever Ten envelopes him in a hug. 

For the endless love and acceptance of his bandmates, Ten feels so incredibly blessed. But even in such a wonderful situation, there are things Ten can’t have. And lines he dare not cross.

To Ten, there’s nothing inherently romantic or sexual about his lingering touches. To him, spooning with his friends is his way of showing platonic affection. Obviously some things are reserved for romantic/sexual partners: making out and things of the like. But the lines between friendship and partnership are far thinner to him than most. He hasn’t told his friends about his affinity for kisses, having only recently come to terms with it himself. All through his life he’s had these fleeting urges to kiss his friends, and he’d always passed them off as intrusive thoughts. But lately, these urges have become more persistent. When his members are especially kind to him, he feels his attention float briefly to their lips, wishing to give them a small peck. It’s always a peck. A forehead kiss, eskimo, cheek, knuckle, nose; always something innocent. A mere grazing of lips to skin. No matter how innocent the intent or the action, Ten can’t help but feel completely and utterly ashamed. 

Friends aren’t supposed to want to kiss each other, he chides to himself. The dancer already feels like enough of a bother asking to cuddle and hold hands, he fears that by taking the extra step, he’ll lose all 6 of them entirely. So he pushes these feelings deep down, and continues on, hoping the others don’t notice his worry. 

Unfortunately for Ten, Kun prides himself on being in tune with his members’ emotions. Kun first realizes something is wrong during one of the group’s rare off days. He and Ten had opted to stay home, the younger practically BEGGING him to continue watching Doctor Who with him. The two eldest boys have been watching it together for a couple months, and have already plowed through 2 seasons (that’s quite impressive considering how packed their schedules are). Since it’s nearly impossible to refuse Ten anything, Kun finds himself lazing the day away on the couch, carding his fingers through the soft brown locks strewn across his lap.

“Fuck. Everything,” Ten says after they finish the season 2 finale. “Whoever made this episode is a monster.”

Kun giggles, leaning down to wipe stray tears from Ten’s cheeks. “You knew it had to end eventually Tennie.” 

“YEAH BUT THAT WAS SO M E A N!” Ten removes his head from Kun’s lap as the older laughs harder. “It’s not funny!” The Thai man pouts, only eliciting more laughter. 

“Aw you poor thing,” Kun teases, pushing himself off the couch and holding a expectant hand out to the pouting brunette. “C’mon you big baby. Let me make you something to cheer you up.”

Never one to turn down free food, Ten trudges to the kitchen and sits down at the table while his ge gets to work. Ten watches Kun work for 15 minutes before turning to the table and placing a bowl of noodles in front of Ten. The younger looks up at the singer then, an almost indecipherable look on his face. In those few seconds of silence, Kun sees hesitation in Ten’s eyes, an uncharacteristic moment of pause. It’s like Ten wants to do something but he’s restraining himself. Then all too quickly, the look is gone. Ten thanks Kun for the meal before scarfing it down. 

Kun doesn’t bring it up then, or when he sees the same look directed at Hendery the next night while they’re playing Monopoly. He waits a week before finally confronting the boy, having seen the same hesitant gaze 5 or more times by now.

He decided to confront him after their biweekly Just Dance tournament. Kun and Ten were on a team together and kicking everyone else’s asses. After winning their 4th consecutive battle they’d hugged victoriously. When they pulled back, Ten had “the look” written all over his face. And without warning, he pecked Kun on the nose.

Oh.

Ten stood straight in horror, he didn’t even give Kun a chance to say anything before bolting out of the room. The 5 other members followed him with eyes full of worry and concern. They’re only semi-placated with Kun’s promise of “I’ll talk to him.”

Kun opened the door to Ten and Hendery’s shared room to see Ten facing the wall dejectedly, curled tightly into his blankets. The older made sure he moved softly and quietly, not wanting to spook the boy. He sat himself on the bed across from Ten’s huddled figure, not missing the other boy’s flinch. Kun lays down behind the boy, wrapping his arms around his middle.

“I’m not mad Yongqin, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Kun uses Ten’s Mandarin name, knowing the younger loves the way it rolls off his tongue. “I just want to understand, ok?” The older rubs soothing circles on Ten’s arm with his finger.

“I’m sorry,” Ten whispers, almost imperceptibly quiet. 

“Qinqin I told you there’s nothing to be s--”

“No but I am sorry,” Ten says, turning himself in Kun’s hold to face the older, but still not making eye contact. “I-I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I could tell it was bothering you.” Kun says, raising the eyebrow of the dancer.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Kun confirms. “So do you have a crush on me?”

“Not at all,” Ten says honestly. He fiddles with his fingers between their parallel chests rather than meet Kun’s gaze. “I just… hhh I don’t know how to begin to explain it.”

“Take your time.” Kun assures which Ten is exceedingly grateful for. Kun has always been patient and level-headed that way.

“It’s kinda like… you know how you hug your friends? To show them you care about them?” Kun nods easily. “Well, for me… kissing is kinda equivalent to a hug with a friend. It’s just...my way of showing affection I guess,” Kun nods again, taking in every word Ten says. “It became apparent a few months ago. But I didn’t want to bother you guys with it, so I kept quiet. And I know it’s weird and it’s really no big deal if you don’t want to I can--”

“Ten.”

“Yeah, It’s too much isn’t it? Can we just pretend this never happened? I’m really sor--”

“Ten.”

“Look Kun don’t worry about it. It’s really fine. I just want to--”

“Yongqin.”

Ten finally ceases his baseless ranting. Kun rubs up and down the boy’s upper arms.

“Ten it’s fine. I never said I disliked it. If platonic kisses are something you want… something you need,” Kun smiles lightly. “Then I don’t see a problem with that.”

This time Ten actually does look Kun in the eye, cat-like eyes wide with disbelief. “What?”

“Just explain to me what you need Yongqin,” Kun whispers understandingly, and for some reason it makes Ten blush a little. “I’m all ears.”

Ten was left completely dumbfounded. He had just proposed something… crazy.... and yet Kun isn’t running. He doesn’t seem weirded out, or scared, or disgusted. He’s still there. 

“U-um…” Ten starts. “Just… small ones, I guess. Like cheek, nose, knuckles, forehead, hair, that kind of stuff,” Kun processes all this again. “A-and pecks on the lips are nice sometimes… i-if that’s not too much.”

Kun shakes his head and smiles, “Sounds good to me!” And to punctuate it, he places a small kiss on Ten’s forehead, setting the boy’s cheeks aflame once more. 

“T-Thanks,” He says genuinely.

“Of course Tenten,” The older contemplates giving him another kiss for assurance, but he decides that he shouldn’t overwhelm Ten too much just yet. “Anything for you.”

KUNTEN PIC OF THE DAY:

I call this one: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[just-slightly-unhinged]

I posted 3,230 times in 2021

10 posts created (0%)

3220 posts reblogged (100%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 322.0 posts.

I added 930 tags in 2021

#genshin - 464 posts

#mood - 243 posts

#kaeya &lt;3 - 45 posts

#i stand by this - 36 posts

#childe - 27 posts

#bo - 27 posts

#the way we're literally making a project about this lmfaoooo - 26 posts

#dsmp - 24 posts

#mxtx - 19 posts

#kokomi - 19 posts

Longest Tag: 110 characters

#i don’t get why karl would call him a murderer if he literally agreed to the plan and knew the consequences???

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Just watched the fruits basket episode, a part of me internally died when I saw the ground crumble and her fall ;-;. And yay, kiss scene, though idk if tohru’s actually going to remember it after she wakes up. Akito did a complete 180 in this ep, but it wasn’t out of place at all. Just shows how great the writing of this show is. Brb, going to cry for the next ten minutes

6 notes • Posted 2021-06-01 20:55:16 GMT

#4

just realized that if im reading heatwaves after testing, it’s going to be in june😬can feel the feels already

8 notes • Posted 2021-06-01 20:01:59 GMT

#3

tag masterlist

ill edit this as i remember ig

also my picrew side blog: @sleepyfanatic

FYI MOST LINKS ARENT FUNCTIONAL ATM

genshin

- kaeya

- kokomi

- childe(wip)

- kazuha(wip)

- ganyu(wip)

-chaeya(wip)

mood

<3 (interactions I have with people on site sorta thing)

i stand by this

;-;(wip)

umm ok then op

bi tings(wip)

intp(wip)

yea im calling myself out(wip)

9 notes • Posted 2021-09-26 19:45:32 GMT

#2

ok ok here’s the thing

While I’m stoked that Ajax’s getting a rerun again(major childe simp here who lost the 50/50 twice ;-;), i’m so worried that they’re going to do something horrible to him.

SPOILERS

Literally they killed off their first character Signora, like there’s no way she’s coming back based on how they showed the scene. Not to mention it’s canon now that Delusions cause accelerated aging and suck life force energy? Like people literally died using these, and while I could argue that there’s just a difference between Ajax and these other people just because Childe’s been trained with his and might have some sort of way to stop or limit the effects(not completely tho, as we’ve seen from his story quest).

So yeah, I’m really just hoping this is Mihoyo being biased for once or putting him there since his first few banners were overshadowed by the archons causing him to lose sales.

Because if he gets killed off, fuck this game lol

But then again, Kazuha also had a bunch of death flags but he’s fine? I think all playable characters should be fine hopefully, otherwise it makes no sense lol

Welp, here’s to hoping for the best

13 notes • Posted 2021-10-03 18:07:32 GMT

#1

ok, i was really confused by the ending of the latest story quest. While i do appreciate smug albedo, that last scene in mondstat, was that really him? or was it another subject? Three things that make me think this:

1) Why would Albedo joke about the gardener thing when that was a serious moment traveler and him were having? In the traveler’s canon thoughts itself, they were really confused because Albedo made it seem like it wasn’t a big deal anymore.

2) The star shape on his neck wasn’t there originally, but it was suddenly there? Maybe Subject 2 learned abt the one thing Traveler could use to differentiate between the real Albedo and imposter and then replicated that as well. We know that Subject 2 was highly intelligent as well so I could definitely see that as being a possibility.

3) The smugness in general. Look, I love it when characters are being smug, but it’s so out of character for Albedo. Subject 2 on the other hand, was way more cheerful and tbh matches the Albedo we saw at Mondstat.

So all i’m saying is, I really don’t think that’s Albedo, but I might be overthinking all of this ahaha. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what happens with that storyline. Other than that, AHHHHH we got so much Albedo content, very happy rn :DD This was definitely one of my favorite events for sure.

34 notes • Posted 2021-12-05 08:34:05 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[marukrawler]

bakugan battle brawlers liveblogging episode 37

- all im hoping for this episode is that shun at least gives dan a hard time PLS

- damn ok no need to be mean

- the fact that tigress and these two explicitly refer to phoenix as their sister but use standard honorifics for drago. . .superb

- like, i know you can use the older sister honorifics in different contexts but shhhh

- jo bypassed shun and went straight for dan lmaoo

- also the fact that jo calls dan by his first name but shun by his last name lmaoo

- damn how will dan and drago get anything done when their baes are right there cheering for them

- love how the snow isn’t affecting anybody too

- omg??

- TIGRESS????

- nOT DAN SAYING DRAGO’S NAME LIKE WYVERN DOES AAAAAAA

- dRAGO IM SO SORRY HONEY

- no wait no im not this is karma for being so op

- tHEY ARE ROASTING TF OUT OF HIM

- love how shun’s just been pushed to the side lol

- interesting how exedra’s abilities include taking the energy/sacrificing his allies in order to grow stronger himself

- love how everyone’s like ‘wOWW!! what an intense battle!! they’re so evenly matched and it’s only just begun!!1′ meanwhile shun and his dorito-face be like

- like bruh. emote. pls. im begging you

- not drago being this handsy w his opponent when wyvern is RIGHT THERE

- this episode should be titled ‘every bakugan taking shots at drago being a tsundere’

- ohh this dude already in the midst of evolving

- FINALLY SOMEONE OTHER THAN MARUCHO PULLING OUT THE CORRELATION

- damn julie could’ve used that, im so mad lmao

- are we gonna pretend that dan can’t turn it around w his dumb fusion ability

- lmao how is phoenix beating drago’s ass when their power lvl are even, i don’t get it

- the power of a girlboss

- dan is fr gonna pull out his fusion ability during some dramatic moment, im calling it

- shun breaking character to yell at dan is 😩👌 like bruh get up lmao drago is the one getting pummeled by phoenix, not you/j

- gosh i just wish these fights had. more intriguing abilities/gate cards so it isn’t just ‘i raise my attack power by 100 now im stronger’ and ‘i raise my attack power by 100 now we’re even’ woww such strategy lmaoo

- why do these kids insist on riding on their bakugan lmaoo DID YOU LEARN NOTHING FROM JULIE’S BATTLE

- one of them is hoping to get bridal carried ig

- shun gets bonus cool points for not even holding onto phoenix

- lowkey. . .if it’s valid for dan, it’s valid for this guy too ig

- top ten things to say in the hellhole you sent the devil to after he became useless to you lmao

- DESTRUCTION IMPACT (impact, impact, impact)

- love that echo effect lmaoo

- dID HE JUST KILL EXEDRA??????

- grainy af but shun should win for this maneuver alone

- love how extra shun is, had to activate his ability w a backflip in midair

- yall know if dan and shun were fighting in like. an actual battle w 3v3 bakugan, shun would’ve won easily but since drago’s op ass is the only one involved ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

- what’s hilarious to me is that dan at any point could’ve activated his fusion ability and he would’ve won. they really had to drag out the match so it seemed intense but there was NO REASON why dan couldn’t have ended the battle. heck, his fight w julie made a bit more sense in that regard bc he was afraid of hurting her if he activated his ability

- *looks at s4* no it ain’t

- mm, episode 38 is next. . .pls i hope it’s exciting 😭😭

[staysuki]

squid game final episode reactions:

1) is squid game the final game. i mean, its the title of the series, i was expecting for it to come up soon

2) ok so it IS squid game 😀 gotcha

3) i love how they’re gonna do this wearing bloody fine-ass suits. that’s also one of the things i like here, the costume design, sure, there hasn’t been a lot of variety but honestly it’s great.

4) so we all know that gihun’s gonna win or the police will come before the game ends. so many possible endings going through my head rn:

- gihun wins, gets the money, fulfills his plans

- gihun wins, gets the money, becomes the next black mask head

- gihun wins, police arrives, doesn’t get the money

- police arrives, gihun and sangwoo are saved, nobody gets the money

- police arrives, gihun and sangwoo are saved, they both take the money still(????unlikely)

- police arrives, gihun and sangwoo are saved, gihun kills sangwoo still

- they both die idfk 💀💀💀💀

i’m honestly just throwing a wide net here and hoping one of them is true 💀💀💀

5) also we haven’t seen the “host” yet. i’m still betting it’s 001 or someone from inside the games idk.

6) big brain with the sand, i love that

7) i live how in-ho just killed his brother and now ten minutes later he’s explaining squid game to some foreigners 😀 gotta love how life works

8) the rain really putting a nice vibe.

9) I KNEW HE’D SAY THAT 😭 putting her out of her misery my ass

10) sangwoo’s descent to villainy, goodness, i love it. hate him as a person, love him in a character writing perspective. if i ever wrote some angst or thriller fic, i would 100% follow his character narrative’s pacing.

11) it looks a bit boring because there’s only two of them, barely any effects or sounds but again, i really have to commend the action choreography. its so good.

12) hit him in the nuts 😭 or just complete the game while he’s down.

13) STOPPING THE KNIFE WITH THE HAND. I CANT. I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS.

14) i’m gonna be nauseous for days.

15) gihun spared him, ofc. ofc he would. but still, he has to win the game so like idk. unless sangwoo stands up still. or not ig. just end the game already 😭

16) stop with the clause three 😭😭😭 but that seems like such a gihun thing to do. idk, he never gave “here for the money” vibes. not like sangwoo, even ali had that desperation for money. ugh #JusticeForAli, i’m still mad.

17) no, kill sangwoo already 😐 he is despicable. he’ll probably kill himself

18) oh look at that, he did. the game is no more. but yeah, there was no where else this would go, gihun was definitely gonna win. i was still hopeful with the clause three though, that was one thing i didn’t see coming. they really gave me a hopeful red herring huh.

19) there was only one guy watching over the security cameras omg 😭 that’s so sad, everything is so lonely.

20) wow, so sick. they’re so cruel. but i’m happy for gihun (not really, he’ll be messed up for life) but jfc 😭 this show.

21) it does feel like a dream. imagine being stuck in an island for that long and then thats just what happens.

22) they really just dumped them on the side of the street huh 😭 does he even get the money. what a bunch of a-holes. give him his money

23) horrible way to wake up. some rando stranger smiling down at you with wide eyes telling you about jesus. i would think i died.

24) HE DOES GET THE MONEY (????)

25) oh wow he does get it. i didn’t know there could be so much tension in withdrawing cash.

26) imagine seeing that much money in your bank account, i wouldn’t know what to do 😭

27) sangwoo’s mom!!! 😭💔💔 “by any chance have you heard from sangwoo” I AM BROKEN

28) i feel like his mom is dead. i wanna give dear gihun a break but i just FEEL IT

29) why do i have to be right all the time 😀. i just felt it, at that moment, the slow panning of the camera as he walked back to his house, everything is dark. it’s 100% a death introduction. i couldn’t even cry because i was so busy being mad that i guessed it correctly. GIVE MY MAN GIHUN A BREAK

30) ONE YEAR LATER?!??!? THERES STILL 30 MINUTES. I hope he takes care of Saebyeok’s brother :((((

31) loving the rich poor guy aesthetic. again, gotta commend the fashion design and stylists here, they made him look so different.

32) i cannot see where this is going, i mean, with the way he was treated it seems like the bank guy knew he was rich rich but he asked for money. maybe he doesn’t wanna look at his bank account because of how traumatizing it is? ptsd?

33) cHoGiYo

34) THE FLOWER IS A PLANT (i meant like its suspicious). oh theres a card in it.

35) oh for fucks sake 😭 not the squid game again

36) I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT. 001 IS SO SUS. HE’S THE FUCKING HOST. I FUCKING KNEW IT. GGANBU MY ASS 😭😭😭

37) we saw ali die, we saw saebyeok die, we saw jiyeong die, we saw sangwoo die, we DIDNT SEE 001 DIE

38) no confirmed kill = still alive. still hoping on mr. hwang too 🤭🙈🙈🙈🙈

39) prediction = 001 started squid game to give a second chance in life because he’s rich af and getting old and think that he wants people to have another fair second chance in life because he cant have that anymore idk maybe. and also he likes gihun because he was nice to him this whole time.

40) great acting moment from gihun here.

41) what is this game 😭

42) 001 is right, he needs the answer. you cant kill him

43) anyways, senile old man is the bbeg all along, wbk

44) DONT KILL HIM FFS 😭

45) uh oh he bet anything. i bet he’ll be the next squid game front man if he loses the bet. also him being a sharkloan pls 😭

46) “if tHat Even is yOuR reAL nAme” im losing it

47) ms. girl really just walked away 😭 UNCALLED FOR

48) so is mr. 001 just a huge anarchist or smth. does he have a pessimistic view on life on how people are all meanies.

49) guilt for what he did??? he’s been doing it since the 90s 😭

50) there’s a few minutes to the bet left. he’s gonna run down there and help the drunk man himself.

51) IM GONNA SOUND SO HEARTLESS BUT I AGREE WITH 001???? (if i was in that situation, ofc i’d feel as broken as gihun but since i’m speaking as a detached viewer—) like, nobody was obligated to play and they all had a vote to end the game and then it was all up to them to join back AND THEY DID. maybe i’m just a sucker for rules and contracts and such, like, it’s a logical argument you can’t counter against (morals aside ofc). this makes me sound such a dick 😀

52) ok nvm he lost the bet 💀

53) whats up with him being so distrustful 😭

54) i love this part. the cutting of the scenes to gihun to 001 to the clock then to the drunken man. such great visual tension even with such simplistic scenes, you could tell what they were implying and what they were building up to. ugh, i love great cinematography.

55) ms. girl coming in with back up, we stan.

56) he died 😭 i mean, we saw it coming but where’s the doctors here

57) you saw that you lost— priorities right here.

58) whats up with mr. big brother hwang. i think out of all the characters, i’m confused with him the most. like, seriously, what a huge plot arc left unexplained.

59) THE RED HAIR I’M BAWLING

60) THE RED HAIR I’M BAWLING (2)

61) saebyeok’s brother 😭💔💔💔💔. HE IS SO CUTE AND INNOCENT I CANT

62) SANGWOO’S MOM 😭💔

63) how did he even explain where saebyeok is. i’m heartbroken.

64) OH MY GOD DONT LEAVE A SUITCASE FULL OF MONEY AND A CHILD ALONE IN THE OPEN 😭

65) awww he’s gonna see his daughter with red hair 😭♥️

66) MR. COFFEE PRINCE MY MAN. HE IS SO FUCKING CUTE IM SO SOFT. UGH IVE BEEN WAITING FOR HIM TO COME BACK ON SCREEN. ig he’s just some famous celebrity cameo, too expensive to keep him for the whole show or smth ugh he’s the best. he’s so ageless, so beautiful.

67) THE SQUID GAME STILL CONTINUING EVEN WITH 001 DEAD 👀

68) HE’S JOINING AGAIN ISNT HE 😐😐😐😐

69) go see your daughter please 😭💔

70) YEAH DONT JOIN. JUST GO TO AMERICA AND GET THERAPY IDK

71) GIHUN FFS 😭 what do you want to do by golly q

72) so gihun plans on rejoining and toppling the institution probably; is the front man even gonna let him in the game— i mean, they knew he’s 456 so like, they could literally just ghost him idk.

73) open-ended huh, perfect for cutting it there for interpretation or continuing with a second season. i don’t really plan on searching for any news on this so i’ll just surprise myself ig.

74) where’s my man hwang.

[lightsandlostbells]

wtFOCK season 3, episode 4 reaction

Kiss kiss fall in love? More like kiss kiss stay away from me.

I have to warn you. This is the episode where I lost it. I had to go back and edit so much unhappy capslock out of my notes. 

Episode 4

Clip 1 - Het drama again

Zoë shows Milan a video of the shooting prank. Milan asks about romance on the trip, Robbe says there were too many people and too little privacy.

Senne and Zoë have tension because Zoë is pissed that Senne was partying? And that he was posting pictures of parties on IG when she wasn’t there? I mean … look, I’m never a William fan, but this seems like Zoë’s problem. If you can’t trust him to behave when you’re gone, you SHOULDN’T BE WITH HIM. And if you feel like you can trust him, this dude going to bars or whatever shouldn’t bother you. At least it seems to be portrayed as Zoë’s issues. Milan mentions that she’s jealous. He seems to like Senne, and I do find that dynamic cute so far.

I do appreciate that the Noorhelm drama this time is boring and not like “Senne was mad about how Zoë handled her sexual assault” levels of offensive.

That being said ... Robbe’s story. Where.

If you’ve been telling a very tight story so far, where Robbe’s personal journey has been steadily progressing clip by clip, then a clip like this wouldn’t be that bad. We absolutely have not been watching a tight story. Even with the next clip of Robbe doing some introspection, I’m like ... can we not make every scene count toward his story when there’s so much catching up to do? Ten seconds of Robbe looking vaguely troubled out of a two-minute clip that’s mainly about Zoë and Senne’s relationship does not count. A better writer would find some way to make Zoë/Senne parallel to Robbe/Sander, like how Noora talking about William and “if he loves you, he’ll choose you” in the first clip of episode 4 is relevant to Isak sitting there texting Even and Even choosing his plans with Sonja over Isak.

Clip 2 - Milan and Robbe talk gaydar

Robbe checking out Sander on Britt’s IG … finally, some cyberstalking. Did he take a screenshot of a pic of Sander? Lol.

Milan sits down and asks Robbe his opinion of a guy on Grindr, sexy or not? Robbe is lukewarm, giving neutral answers, Milan says he’s allowed to have an opinion on whether a guy is hot or not.

It feels SO WEIRD to have this clip so late, and I’m trying to like … recalibrate my brain so it’s not just because it’s later than usual. I don’t inherently hate if a remake changes up the order of clips. But the problem is that we’re now FOUR episodes in and it feels like Robbe’s sexuality crisis has just begun, I guess? Or rather, efficient storytelling would start out with this clear view of what Robbe’s issues are, rather than muddling into it a few episodes in.

Milan’s all, this guy says he’s not gay, but he likes to blow guys. This turns into a conversation about Milan’s gaydar and how to know if a guy is gay. In the original scene, the purpose of this conversation with Isak and Eskild was there as a way of Isak figuring out if Even was gay. That ... does not really fit this version, because this clip is so late in the season. Isak was getting Eskild’s wisdom right after meeting Even, when he had nothing but a BJ reference to go on. But Sander eyefucking Robbe while kissing Britt and leaning in to kiss Robbe should be pretty big clues to Robbe that Sander likes men, no? And that he likes Robbe specifically. Yeah, Robbe might be doubtful because Sander is still with Britt, but nothing new has happened since the almost kiss to make Robbe doubt! It would make way more sense if they’d adapted the opening clip of OG season 4, with Even texting Isak that he had plans with Sonja, into the clip prior to this one. If Robbe had texted Sander an invitation to hang out, or even just a “hey, what’s up?” and Sander wrote back “plans with Britt” then it would be an understandable transition for Robbe to have some doubt about Sander’s sexuality in this clip, like hey, maybe he’s not actually into me, after all.

The scene might make sense if you think about Robbe listening and applying Milan’s words to himself. Thinking about how there’s “something trapped in them that desperately wants to come out.” Wondering if it’s obvious to other people that Robbe is gay. It still doesn’t quite work and I actually doubt that was their intention (I think it was all about how to detect if Sander is into guys) but I am searching for any scraps of Robbe introspection, so.

OK, at least they had Robbe immediately look up Grindr (I laughed that he searched “grinder”). Good! Sexuality conflict! Why is it so late! Although it was probably more about trying to find Sander rather than a personal move on Robbe’s part.

This is a very gay song, btw (I Like Boys by Todrick Hall). 

Clip 3 - Robbe and Yasmina talk het drama

Aaron talks to Robbe about sitting close to his teacher to see her boobs and the teacher saying she knows why he’s sitting there. I highly suspect this is just a dream Aaron had, unless the teacher said it in a pissed off way. Throw his ass in the back row, big-breasted teacher!

Robbe meets up with Yasmina. Yasmina wants to know the dirt from the seaside, Robbe fills her in. Soooo are they good friends, or what? He tells her about Aaron and Amber and they laugh and stuff. I mean it’s cute and all but like … where is this coming from? Did they become great friends in the S2 that I didn’t watch?

And that’s the whole clip … again, I ask what was the point? 

To establish that Robbe and Yasmina are friends? Way to undermine the development and importance of that relationship by basically cutting through the buildup and hard work to the payoff. Sana and Isak meant more to people BECAUSE they started off prickly and grew to like each other and respect each other via their actions and words, right? That their conversations were more interesting because of their opposing views and resulting friction? That the friction was extremely relevant to the religion discussion?

Was the point to talk about Aaron/Amber and how Amber supposedly isn’t interested? We don’t need Yasmina’s commentary on that at all since we could see how Amber herself reacted to Aaron. Like if Yasmina was all, yeah, Amber couldn’t stop talking about Aaron, she says she doesn’t like him but I think she does, then I guess I could see the relevance of this conversation since it’s “new” information ... but it’s just the same shit we already know. And again: why spend so much time on a SIDE HET ROMANCE during a gay character’s season? Two of out three clips in this episode so far have been about side het romances!

This clip was just not needed at all except to set up Robbe and Yasmina so the impending religion conversation feels mildly less like two characters who have barely spoken on screen suddenly have an intense and somewhat personal talk. Something they could have done in earlier episodes instead of the other repetitive, unnecessary clips they’ve done this season. 

Clip 4 - Dance chicks

At Noor’s dance performance, Robbe’s pals are drooling over the performers (and honestly being rather inappropriate and distracting). At least they got Robbe’s lack of interest right. Even though they have established this FIFTEEN THOUSAND TIMES with the lack of interest in Noor, like this clip almost doesn’t feel necessary at this point! If they’d had it earlier in the season, sure, but now it feels redundant. Like we really super mega get it by now that Robbe’s not into the girls.

The instructor thanks the performers at the end and Robbe says that he was “so gay.” Hey, except you know what? THERE IS NO BUILDUP TO THIS MOMENT. ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NONE. Except for the homophobic jokes from his friends in the previous seasons, but there’s nothing I can recall in this season.  But more importantly, Isak’s similar comment was prompted by him taking the gay test in a preceding clip. Taking a quiz about generalizations of gay people, rooted in homophobia! Which Isak applies to the dance teacher! In order to distance himself from being gay! WE GOT NONE OF THAT HERE. For fuck’s sake.

There is no setup or reason why Robbe goes from being somewhat neutral about gay people with Milan asking him about the Grindr dude two clips ago - where Robbe is just kinda like, yeah OK, whatever, you think everyone’s gay, Milan (but he’s not overly grossed out or homophobic) - to this moment where he’s making a derogatory comment about a person he perceives as flamboyantly gay. This scene just happens because it did in OG. And the thing is, obviously you can attribute Robbe’s reasoning here to internalized homophobia. We know internalized homophobia exists and why he has it. But this is a scripted narrative, and any scripted narrative needs to have things happen for a reason rather than just because.

I remember complaining that Skam Italia had a bizarre take on this scene. But that’s nothing compared to the laziness on display here.  

Jens is like WTF at Robbe’s “so gay” comment, it’s clear he’s not feeling it. I do like that Robbe gets defensive when Jens scoffs at him. They ask Robbe why he’s such a downer lately and if it’s because of his dad, or because of the Vlogs. Robbe blames the vlogs and yells and walks off, they’re confused.

Lol I just realized that I don’t think there was any followup to the prank from the seaside trip that had Robbe all pissed off. Nothing to show that the boys reconciled or that Robbe didn’t get over it right away.

I have a big problem with the way the boy squad is characterized so far, and it might be because they come across as more self-absorbed than other boy squads, as well as having a more superficial bond. I feel like so far they’re a rather cynical take on teenage boyhood. Again, not expecting them to be perfect or to be overly mature, but this show has to do a lot of work to make me believe they have the empathy or maturity to deal with Robbe’s situation kindly. (EDIT from the future: lol)

Clip 5 - Robbe and Yasmina talk religion

Oh shit, somehow I didn’t connect that dots that Aaron mentioning the teacher’s boobs would lead to THE boob teacher making an appearance! Unless there are multiple teachers with notable breasts at this school.

Another scene of Robbe not interested in breasts ... I mean, not to sound like a broken record, but this would have been good about three episodes ago.

The teacher is talking about religion and Darwininsm and creationism, which prompts Robbe to complain about how people still have religious beliefs in 2019.

Heavy fucking sigh. Have we gotten ANY religious moments from Robbe’s mom this season? Or from anyone else? Do the writers realize that Isak grilling Sana about religion was prompted by his OWN MOTHER’S religious beliefs and his fear of her judgment of his sexuality? No? Not surprised.

For real, Robbe just complains about religion out of nowhere … and like, obviously religious homophobia isn’t a rare thing, it exists. But it has not been established why Robbe in particular cares about the effects of religious homophobia, compared to say, the casual homophobia of his friends, or gay stereotypes, or gay bashing … we don’t know why religious homophobia has PERSONAL relevance in Robbe’s life. And yes, this is a concern for every gay person! But from a STORYTELLING perspective, there should be some focus as to what Robbe’s main fears are about being gay. Lack of acceptance from his peers? His family? Religion? Violence? Homophobic slurs?

I would say based on previous seasons, the most compelling basis for Robbe’s internalized homophobia would be the homophobic attitudes of his friend group. A revised take on the dance chicks scene might have been done with this in mind, but it wasn’t, and so it’s all just very muddled. 

Anyway, Robbe goes on this tangent and asks Yasmina why she believes in God. The teacher voices what I thought and is like, why the fuck are you talking in class?

Again, there is NO BUILDUP to the involvement of religion at all. They have this shoehorned in friendship, I guess so he can ask her. He does bring up homosexuality at least, and how religion is so black and white.

Yasmina asks him what he believes. ONE THING they got right: they had Robbe challenge Yasmina on an intellectual level, and so Yasmina challenges him on an intellectual level right back. Because a lot of their dialogue is lifted right from OG, that’s why it works. LMAOOOO. Yasmina points out that homosexuality is an evolutionary “dead end” so therefore it can’t be genetic, so what is it? A disorder? A choice? I will also give some credit for her invoking the most anxiety-causing options to get under Robbe’s skin.

But the tone of their friendship does come across very different, because in the previous scene they seemed like good chums who had a rapport, and here it’s like Robbe lashed out at her for no reason, even less than Isak did with Sana, because Robbe just decided to torch his friendship with Yasmina out of the blue. I guess the answer is that Robbe is cranky so he decided to grill Yasmina over religion, but again, the fucking question is: why was he cranky? Two clips before this one they were on warm, friendly terms. In the last clip, he lashed out at his male friends, but that has nothing to do with religion. What the writers are asking us to do is basically just imagine all the stuff that’s happening in Robbe’s brain instead of doing their jobs and showing it to us. You don’t have to spoon feed us but you don’t also get to stick a few peas on a plate and wonder why we’re going hungry.

(REALLY. IT WAS NOT PROMPTED BY ANYTHING, NOT A TEXT FROM HIS MOM. WHICH IS WHY ISAK WAS UPSET AND LAUNCHED HIS INTERROGATION AT SANA.)

(CAUSE AND EFFECT, MOTHERFUCKER)

Clip 6 - Bowie playlist

Robbe is doing homework when Sander sends him a Bowie playlist. Robbe listens to Space Oddity and has a brief Moment. It’s very nice but wow, wouldn’t it be even better if Robbe fell for Sander listening to that? Say, in the last episode? Before they almost kissed? And before Robbe was suddenly declaring himself a Bowie expert to Noor?

Sander calls him, I like Robbe fixing his hair before he answers. It’s a video chat, gotta look his best! They have an actual conversation about Bowie and they flirt. Sander invites Robbe to the cafe later and Robbe is happy except then Britt is in the background and apparently she’s going with them, so it’s not a date after all, oh no. Robbe’s actor is good at subtly conveying his disappointment here.

Robbe hangs up and sticks his head against the bed (lol) and then goes back to Grindr. He immediately gets messages for horny sex and then gets rid of Grindr. 

At first I was like, yay, this clip had a clear point and a sense of cause-and-effect, but now I’m like ... ehhhhh. Because the purpose of Robbe checking out Grindr is either A) so he can look for Sander or B) so he can check it out as a general way of exploring his sexuality (or both). The suggestion is that it has a lot to do with the former, because it was part of Milan’s advice as to how to find out if someone’s gay. But it’s a little weird here, because Robbe just saw that Britt was coming along to the cafe, so he should be discouraged about Sander. I mean, I think it’s still possible that he’s trying to figure out if Sander likes him because he’s getting mixed signals between the playlist and Britt, but it’s just a little off. And as for option B, I’m not sure why now of all times is the best time for that, like if you think about it, the sting of getting his hopes dashed should be the predominant emotion here, would he go straight to Grindr just to be like hmmm, maybe I’m into dudes?

And it bugs me because there is a super easy fix to this clip! Just have Sander send the Bowie playlist, Robbe listens to it, and as he’s daydreaming and smiling a bit, he gets out his phone and checks out Grindr, ready to search for Sander. But there are too many sex messages so he’s just like WTF and gets rid of it. Then Sander calls and they have this conversation that ends in Robbe being reminded that Britt is still in the picture. (Or he doesn’t need to get the sexy messages at all, I mean they’re kind of funny but I’m not sure they’re plot-necessary here.) 

Noor texts him that they’ll meet up later. It’s not 100% clear but it sounds like she knew about meeting up with Sander and Britt, so that means Britt probably told her previously. Which is a little bit of different context from OG, because I was under the impression that Even asked Isak to hang out with them hoping that they’d be alone, and then somehow Sonja found out and made it into a group thing with Emma, making Even grumpy. With this it seems like it was planned as a group thing from the beginning, Britt knows they’re meeting up later.

Or wait, when Sander says he’ll give Robbe advice at the cafe later, does that mean Robbe already knows they’re meeting up? That would make sense because it’s what happened in OG (Even invited Isak in an earlier clip and then Isak found out Emma and Sonja were coming in a later one). They’re incorporating all kinds of OG elements in this episode so I wouldn’t be surprised. But I assumed that this was the invite because we didn’t see Sander talk to Robbe earlier this week? Shouldn’t we have seen that clip since it’s the first time they’ve interacted since they almost kissed? I checked the texts for this episode and I don’t see anything like Sander inviting Robbe, either? Did I just miss something? What is going on?

Clip 7 - Robbe is late to meet Noor

Later that day …. Robbe rides a bike. Very fast. The music is dramatic! This would not be out of place for an O Helga Natt scene

And yet it’s not OHN, it’s Noor? Noor seems annoyed. Because Robbe is late. OH NO THE TENSION WHATEVER WILL WE DO. WE CARE A TON ABOUT ROBBE AND NOOR.

Noor is super pissed at him and starts screaming and shoving at him. What the actual fuck? She complains that she thought he was dead or something and is mad he didn’t even send a message. She says fuck you and walks off. Robbe follows her on the bike.

I don’t know how popular this opinion is, but Noor did not come across as great here, like when I watched it I was baffled at her response. I say this as someone who is chronically early and also gets annoyed at lateness. She has every right to be annoyed that Robbe is late and that he didn’t message her to tell her he’d be late, and I get that there’s supposedly more to her reaction than just this one incident. But the screaming and especially the shoving at him is just WTF. 

Also, she told him to meet him at 19:00, and the beginning of the clip is at 19:21 (I see what you did there) and Robbe arrives like a minute or two later. So he’s 20 minutes late, which is certainly annoying, especially because it’s dark and chilly outside, but IMO not a cause for “I thought you were dead or in an accident!” and the OTT reaction. 

Clip 8 - Robbe and Noor fight

Sander and Britt are in the cafe, Robbe and Noor argue outside about him giving her mixed signals. Has ... he ...?

OK, I’d say I half-see her case, and I half-don’t. If Noor can somehow sense Robbe’s disinterest during their makeouts or lovey-dovey moments or w/e, then I can buy that. I think there are slight moments where he doesn’t seem into it. But Robbe has put so much more genuine effort into their relationship than Isak did. He hasn’t even turned Noor down for sex, really, they’ve just gotten interrupted every time, or she’s thrown up. He didn’t want to go to her dance performance except then he told her he would go approximately thirty seconds later. He went to her dance performance. He went to the seaside with her and kissed her and slept in the same bed with her. This is the first time he’s actually fucked up with her.

Noor sounds ridiculous right now. “Do you still love me?” Uhhhh what??? You’ve been dating for less than a month, really? Did he tell her he loved her at any point? I’m serious, is there some material I missed? Some nuance in the language that didn’t completely translate?

I get it, I’m watching insecure overdramatic teenagers! I’m just wondering if I’m supposed to be on Noor’s side here. They could have portrayed this less OTT and more fitting to Robbe’s actual offenses.

Anyway Robbe and Noor have a screaming fight in the street and he says he can’t breathe anymore because of her. I can buy that even if it’s dramatic because he’s feeling trapped by her due to his sexuality. She walks off, Sander and Britt come outside. Britt goes after Noor and hugs her, Sander sings Space Oddity to signify the crash and burn of Robbe/Noor. He has on a Pink Floyd shirt so at least his musical taste is more varied than Bowie.

Clip 9 - Robbe and Sander by themselves

Robbe and Sander drink alone at the bar, they don’t think the girls are coming back. Sander texts Britt and then tells Robbe they’re going to do something else. He shows him Britt’s text saying that Noor needs some time alone. I mean. this drastically changes the context of them going off together … it’s not because they want to be together, necessarily (although they do) but it’s by default now.

So they leave.

Yeah, I do not love what they did with this scene. It’s short and to the point but I want to point out a few things.

First, because again, there’s no need to break up most of these clips into such short, choppy scenes just because 15 or 20 minutes have passed in-universe. It might be exciting if you happen to be watching and following at the exact time these are being posted, but it also messed with the flow of the scenes and the build of emotions. Imagine if we cut off after Isak and Even left Emma and Sonja and then 10 minutes later we got them riding around on a bike. We’d missed that beautiful transition from the silent, empty room to Isak on the bike and then Head Over Heels kicking in. That’s one of my favorite moments in season 3 and it’s because of that transition. It’s because I was sitting there watching this uncomfortable scene and wishing Isak and Even could be alone and then they got to be alone and my stomach swooped! If you break up moments like those, there’s just not as much build. (Or imagine - horror of horrors - an O Helga Natt where Isak gets the text from Even and it cuts off after he runs out of the church and then resumes when he arrives at the school, so we don’t see his journey. You lose so much.)

Second, there is a curious lack of romantic/sexual tension in this scene. It’s there on Sander’s end, I think, or at least you can read it there due to his focus on Robbe and even some of his body language. Robbe, on the other hand, seems more upset that his girlfriend who he doesn’t even feel genuine attraction to has walked out on him rather than the fact that he is sitting next to the boy he’s crushing on, alone together, right before they share their first kiss later that evening. And it just makes me want to know why. 

I don’t blame Robbe’s actor at all, because it’s the director’s job to tell him how to play the scene. But I rewatched this scene trying to be generous, and there is not a single shred of attraction or tension from Robbe toward Sander.  He checks the cafe door when it opens, he asks Sander to text Britt, and when Sander suggests they leave, Robbe’s first instinct is to ask what if Noor comes back. He sits there moping into his beer the whole time. He doesn’t sneak looks at Sander. He doesn’t try to talk to Sander about anything except Noor and Britt. No banter, no discussion that’s focused on them, Robbe-and-Sander, you know, the main couple of this season (supposedly). It doesn’t even feel like he’s consciously trying not to look or interact with Sander because of the romantic tension. No, it genuinely feels like Robbe’s #1 thought right now is Noor. Does that make sense to you? It makes sense for him to be a little out of sorts due to the fight, but does it make sense that Robbe seems to have no perceptible reaction to being alone with the guy he likes? Does it make sense that they didn’t take this chance to throw in some romantic and sexual tension in order to pave the way for the kiss that is going to happen very shortly? Gotta say that I think this scene exemplifies my earlier complaints about how Noor was so prevalent early in the season and how Robbe/Noor was built up. Because once again, Robbe/Noor has taken precedence over the undeveloped Robbe/Sander pairing.

Finally, as I said above, the situation makes it so that Robbe and Sander are on their own by default, not by choice. Combined with the bizarre lack of tension, that makes this scene fall totally flat. There’s no sense that these two really really want to be alone together. There’s no joy in them running off together. Robbe actually seems reluctant to go off with Sander. And not even because he’s fearful of what might happen, ooooo things might get a little gayer than I can handle right now, but like he’d rather sit here and drink and think about his girlfriend. 

It’s like they were concerned that Isak and Even were too mean to Emma and Sonja so they decided Robbe and Sander would only be alone because it was the girls’ decision to leave them, not the other way around. We even get that text from Britt so we know that Noor totes isn’t coming back and it’s OK for them to leave. I have no idea what their actual motivation was to construct the scenario this way, though. I would love to know. (The answer would probably annoy me so I’m better off not knowing.)

It’s little stuff like this that makes me want to sit down the writers/directors/whoever’s behind wtFOCK and have them watch scenes from Skam S3 and write an essay on the construction and execution of clips. Do some homework about timing, tension, narrative structure, and everything else that makes S3 work. 

Clip 10 - Smooch time

It’s 21:21 so you know what’s happening. Also, bullshit! Why is this happening so fast. You haven’t earned this!!!!

Sander buys them booze. The Sander actor is very good, honestly. I like his screen presence. It is a testament to his abilities that this relationship is working for me at all, because it sure ain’t the writing. (Robbe’s actor is doing well, too, but the writing is dragging him down since he’s present for all this nonsense.)

This scene of Sander and Robbe drinking and riding bikes is genuinely good on its own and they have strong chemistry when they’re allowed to show it. They have easy banter and interaction, there’s a callback to the booking.com reference from when they met. Really, this part makes me sad, because I can see the potential here! If the writing was GOOD, if the story had a legit direction, if it was just better storytelling all around … this season could have been wonderful, they had the right guys to do Isak and Even’s story justice. Instead it’s like this one terrific moment in a sea of wtFOCK.

If they go in the pool I will roll my eyes. C’mon, guys, you DO NOT HAVE THE SYMBOLISM to do this scene. It had a meaning in Skam, in most of the remakes it’s just an arbitrary location.

Yep, it’s a pool.

Sander takes off all his clothes so he jumps in bare-assed, and Robbe laughs. Sander yells at Robbe to get in the pool so Robbe does a fucking striptease while Sander watches, more or less, and he’s about to get in the pool in his underwear, but Sander is like “all the way or no way” so Robbe takes off his underwear after a brief moment of hesitation and jumps in. So they’re naked in the pool. Cool cool cool.

 Seeeeee, on the one hand this COULD be a moment of liberation, I could see it, taking off the clothes and jumping in as a representation of abandoning the stale hetero life or w/e. But I don’t think wtFOCK has built anything resembling a clear arc for Robbe, to the point where this act means anything, really. (Can you imagine Isak doing this in episode 4? I don’t know if it fits his character at that point, but I could at least be like, OK, this is part of his ~rebirth and I think we’ve built him up enough that this moment of liberation feels like a culmination of something.) I’m also not totally sold on the way they presented this, like we’ve got a closeted gay kid alone with his crush and the crush takes his all his clothes off and then Robbe takes all his clothes off with only the barest reluctance (but he’s not like … distressed or worried, just kinda like “aw, man!”) For some closeted gay kids? Sure, guess I could see it! But in the context of “this kid is struggling with his sexuality and he’s alone with the boy he likes and he’s supposed to be going through Some Shit”? Why doesn’t this have a bigger reaction in Robbe? Since they are drunk and not necessarily overthinking things in the moment, however, I will let this slide. Cynically I think this is mostly about trying to make wtFOCK Sexxxxy. I’m not a prude and I don’t have an objection in theory to a teenage couple skinny dipping together, but wtFOCK has a trend of taking a thing that happened in OG and going “How can we do this but more?” and these remakes know Evak is the big sell in fandom, so. They’re making it spicier. (EDIT from the future: Jumping ahead to later content on wtFOCK ... they very much are trying to make it Sexxxxy.)

Also, these guys just haven’t had a lot of buildup yet! And I can see like … rewriting this scene so the first kiss isn’t necessarily some epic release of a simmering tension and growing love, but more of a tentative, pivotal moment with a gay kid kissing a boy for the first time, and having the relationship grow from there. But wtFOCK isn’t doing that, it’s trying to do the Evak thing with the epic romance, and they haven’t earned it.

They go underwater for the breath-holding contest, Sander tries to kiss Robbe (Robbe’s eyes are pointedly closed so this feels like some unnecessary POV breakage) and Robbe shoves him back. He’s still in a good mood, though. They go back underwater and Robbe kisses Sander. Yay, I guess.

Lol, I don’t actually want to sound like a bitter asshole. The song choice is lovely! The cinematography is pretty good! And like I said, they have nice chemistry. It’s just that the storytelling has been so messy up to this point that I can’t get too invested. The very first clip I saw in real time for Skam season 3 was the pool scene - I had just discovered the show a few days prior, and I kept watching the clips on repeat. I could not get enough of this story. I really really needed those guys to kiss. Yeah, I recognize that at the time the story was brand new and this wasn’t the fourth iteration of the same pool scene and the sixth first kiss for this couple, and you really can’t recreate that feeling of not knowing what comes next in a remake like this. Still, I think that if the writing had just been better, I could have been happy and invested in this moment.

I also think that the pool scene in particularly has a tendency to get written in kind of a rote way in the remakes. Some of them have put their own spin on it - I had plenty of criticisms of Skam France’s S3 but I did enjoy their first kiss and I praised that they made up their own symbolism - but some of them have gotten so close to the original, the exact same banter, the interruption at the end, and it doesn’t feel natural for those versions of the characters. I’m not sure if the remake showrunners think that the original scene is something the fans want to see or if they’re being lazy or if they think the OG is just that good (which it is, lol). I don’t think any remake has been that faithful with their O Helga Natt clips, by comparison. 

Anyway they get caught, yadda yadda.

Clip 11 - Morning after the pool smooch

Robbe gets up and sees Zoë looking at Senne, seemingly hungover, on the couch. She makes coffee to spite him since the coffeemaker is loud.

Zoë asks Robbe about last night and says Noor was at the door. Robbe doesn’t tell her what really happened. Apparently Noor looked like she felt bad. I don’t think I can handle more Robbe/Noor, guys. I appreciate that OG didn’t drag out Isak’s thing with Emma once he kissed Even, but I’m not confident this won’t happen here.

Zoë asks if he’s all right. Man, the most effective relationship this season is probably Zoë and Robbe? Which is fine! But like … boy squad ain’t great, Sander and Robbe aren’t well developed, they fucked up Yasmina and Robbe already, Milan and Robbe are way behind schedule…

What if the reveal were that Sander were in Robbe’s bed?

It’s not. Instead, Sander texts him as a cover of Space Oddity plays. Robbe has angst and blocks Sander on WhatsApp. Ohhhh my. Another thing I appreciated about OG? That Isak was all in after he kissed Even, and that the angst came from different places besides the typical gay coming out storyline of “kissed a boy, regretted it, went back in the closet temporarily.” Not that it’s unrealistic, just that it’s done so much.

I think we’re supposed to take away that Zoë saying Noor was there looking sad made Robbe reconsider what happened with Sander? Or just general internalized homophobia. I don’t think the latter is totally out of Robbe’s characterization based on what we’ve seen so far, although I wish there was clearer writing so it felt more like “Robbe has internalized homophobia that made him block Sander” and less like “????? internalized homophobia I guess.” Again, I’ll letting this slide because I can also rationalize it as him being a little drunk last night, and now that he’s sober he regrets his choice, even if I don’t think this is a great choice at this stage in the season.

Clip 12 - The heaviest of sighs

The subs helpfully gave a trigger warning for homophobic slurs so I knew this was going to be “good.”

Robbe is listening to music as he goes home. Sander comes up to him, smiling, wanting to know why Robbe blocked him. Robbe says to leave him alone, that Sander got him drunk and took advantage of him.

L M A O welp, this would soooo kill this ship for me if I were invested.

FIND SOMEONE ELSE, SANDER, YOU DESERVE BETTER

Oh, so Robbe also shoved him and called him a dirty f****t! What a great romance!

No, really - this is the EXACT THING I was so glad that Evak DID NOT DO. I’m not saying their romance has to be free of flaws, that there can never be fuckups, that Isak can’t ever hurt Even and vice versa. But this is such a common and ugly trope in gay media. 

Robbe goes inside and slams his door, Milan asks what’s wrong, Robbe tells him to leave him alone. We get Milan’s POV and not Robbe’s at the end. 

Anyway lmao. wtFOCK indeed.

Did you enjoy the cuddle scene in Skam, where a same-sex couple got to be tender and sweet and open with each other for almost seven minutes? A clip that felt refreshing and even revolutionary for its normalization of gay intimacy? Hahahaha, fuck you.

Okay, seriously though. It’s not a problem that we didn’t have the cuddle scene immediately after the pool scene. It’s not a problem that they want to change up this storyline and make it their own - though again I would ask the creative powers at wtFOCK why they’re making these particular choices. It’s not a problem if Robbe and Sander’s relationship has some extra bumps along the way to their happy ending.

WHAT EVEN PROMPTED THIS CHANGE IN ROBBE, like I get the answer is “internalized homophobia” but Robbe was BUCK NAKED WITH SANDER IN THE POOL so like. Can we please get SOME context for why he suddenly had a freakout? Can we please get some narrative structure with cause and effect? Can we get a fucking reason that Robbe went from 0 to 100? Because if it was just the blocking Sander on WhatsApp, that’s one thing, but accusing him of sexual assault and calling him slurs is so vastly beyond that. If we’re supposed to take away that Robbe feels bad about Noor, that still doesn’t explain the ugliness of his reaction, rather than just telling Sander that he has a girlfriend and it was a mistake or whatever.

I’m going to add that I understand that Robbe went through some additional homophobic shit from his friends in previous seasons - I remember Moyo saying crappy things to him in S1, and I watched a S2 scene where the same thing happens. So I can understand if  Robbe’s internalized homophobia is very strong. But they’ve also cut out so much stuff in this season that added to Isak’s internalized homophobia (no mom’s religion making him anxious, no gay test, no gay generalizations from Emma...) If they want to rely on internalized homophobia from previous seasons, then we really need a reminder in this season, such as his friends making homophobic jokes, which I do not recall hearing so far. And they need to show what happened between the kiss to provoke such a homophobic reaction.

After Sander said that thing about not knowing if anyone would ever love him … why did they do this? I love me some pain in storytelling but this isn’t just angst, this is needlessly cruel.

There is, believe it or not, a middle ground between “conflictless fluff” and “cruel homophobia and assault allegations” where you can have some tension, even have Robbe have a freakout, without bringing in this kind of material. Robbe could have told Sander to stay away without accusing him of assault or calling him slurs. He could have said he wasn’t gay or that it was a mistake or even “I was drunk” without following it up with “and you took advantage of me.” All of these options might have stung for Sander and for any viewers who were hoping for morning-after cuddles, but they also create conflict without pushing it over the edge into OTT cruelty. 

HOW I WOULD REWRITE THIS EPISODE:

Ahahahaha

So far this season is like a disconnected set of scenes from Skam S3 with bonus filler scenes and unnecessary clips about non-Robbe things. It’s getting hard to think about rewrites because the point, if you will, so often so unclear. It’s also hard because this episode squeezed in so many OG scenes that were missing from earlier in the season that it’s like, well, shouldn’t we have had this a few episodes ago? Should we just leave them out now?

Okay. Start by getting rid of the first clip in this episode that’s mostly about Zoë/Senne, bump up the Milan clip. We start with Robbe looking at pics of Sander on IG, Milan comes in and asks if there was any romance on the trip, then they get into the Grindr talk, etc. The Grindr talk makes more sense before Robbe almost kisses Sander, but like. We can’t do anything about that now. What might be better is if the whole “how do you know if a guy is gay?” thing takes a swerve into not just Robbe trying to figure out Sander, but to something uncomfortably close to Robbe’s own behavior (like IDK, referencing body language and how a guy will lean in closer, like Robbe did with Sander) and then Robbe gets cranky because he’s worried he’s too obviously gay to other people. After Milan leaves, he starts looking up stuff like “how to act straight” or “how not to seem gay” or whatever. That leads us into the next clip...

... the dance chicks scene. Now we’ve seen plenty of Robbe being disinterested in girls already, so this time we’re going to show him trying to be interested in girls instead. Like he’s watching his friends’ annoying horny reactions and he’s clearly trying to imitate them and join in, but we can see that he’s awkward and not totally feeling it. But he’s trying. Then after the performance, Robbe makes the comment about the dance instructor being so gay.

There is a problem, IMO, in that Robbe’s friend group has been shown to be more homophobic than the average boy squad (as seen in S1 and S2). And frankly I don’t really believe yet Jens is the type to shut down a homophobic comment. Like in S2 Moyo and Robbe straight up start calling each other f*gs and Jens is like chill, no one here is a f*g, but if there were, you should date each other. That’s his idea of intervention. So I’m not sure how to handle that. 

I don’t love this idea, because I hate what they’re done with Moyo in particular, making him pointedly more homophobic (to be discussed in a future reaction) but Moyo and Aaron could perhaps laugh at Robbe’s comment and start riffing off it, while Robbe is sitting there pretending to laugh but looking increasingly uncomfortable, and Jens notices something is off with Robbe, and he tells the guys to knock it off, the guy is gay, so what? Big deal. Then aside from the other guys, he asks Robbe if something is wrong, and Robbe snaps at him or attributes it to family problems again. 

I was going to also say that the setting for this clip doesn’t really allow for Sander to swoop in, like Even did to return the snapback, but actually maybe it could? Noor could have invited Britt and Sander to watch the show, right? So maybe when Robbe makes this gay joke and his friends are laughing, Sander comes up while Britt is talking to Noor and is like, hey guys, what’s up? Robbe’s friends are just like, oh nothing, did you see how gay that guy was? Then Sander is like, sorry, what’s the problem with being gay? He tells them off a little. Meanwhile Robbe is standing there awkward as fuck, not looking Sander in the eyes, while Sander is looking at him for backup, but Robbe just makes an excuse to bolt. Maybe he walks past Noor without saying anything, so she looks confused.

Now onto Robbe and Yasmina. Man, I truly hate saying this. But: If you are not going to incorporate other religious themes into this season, then you don’t need to redo the Isak-Sana friendship. Again! I don’t like suggesting this! But what actually is Robbe and Yasmina’s relationship bringing to this season when it’s portrayed like this? 

They left out the weed blackmail, which is really just a plot device in OG, but it’s a plot device that sets up Sana and Isak’s thread. It also gets Isak to kosegruppa to meet Even, something which is irrelevant here.

Sana’s main tie to S3 is Isak’s mom. Isak’s mom is religious, that makes him anxious, and it’s a hurdle to coming out to her. Robbe’s mom is not religious, Robbe’s internalized homophobia doesn’t seem to have anything to do with religion specifically other than this one scene with him and Yasmina. It’s just a disconnected tangent. What’s more, what is Yasmina’s eventual advice going to do for him? Sana’s advice led Isak to come out to his mom.

I really like Yasmina. If there’s another way that her presence is relevant to the themes of this season, by all means let’s find it and include her. As it is, either make it that Robbe’s mom is religious and include the Robbe-Yasmina subplot, or don’t and leave it out. 

I would love to see in-depth and meaningful friendships develop among all the characters in the Skam squads, just because I love all those kids. Jonas and Vilde? Even and girl Chris? Eva and Mahdi? I don’t care how random, let’s have them all! But there is a finite amount of time per season, and we can’t extend time for all possible relationships - just the ones that are most relevant to the story we are trying to tell. 

I mentioned above a fix for the Bowie playlist clip that makes it have a little more sense to me. If you include Sander in the dance chicks clip like I said, you could have Robbe thinking about Sander again and wondering if he’s into men since he called out the boys’ homophobia. That’s how he ends up on Grindr. Then Sander sends him the Bowie playlist, Robbe listens, Sander calls and they talk, Robbe apologizes for bolting out of there the other day. Sander invites him to the cafe later, Robbe’s all :D until he realizes Britt is there and is coming too, then he’s :(

He’s late to meet Noor and Noor is upset, but not like ... screaming and shoving at him. She’s more snippy and passive-aggressive, she walks off. She says she’s upset because he ditched the dance performance without talking to her, and then he’s late to meet her, it seems like he just doesn’t care that much. They have a fight but it’s like a normal fight and not The End of the World. Just tone down Noor’s OTT anger and make it more natural.

I don’t have a preference in this version whether Noor and Britt leave the cafe and Sander and Robbe know they’re not coming back, or whether Noor and Britt just go to get some air and cry it out and Sander is like fuck it, let’s leave. The important thing for me is that Robbe sits there with Sander, painfully aware that they’re alone, and there’s lots of tension and awkwardness and his brain is clearly hyper-focused on the proximity of Sander’s knee to his own. They banter and flirt and then when Sander suggests they leave, Robbe acts like he wants to go.

Don’t do a pool scene for the first kiss. Give a shit, make it your own. Except IMO they have done so little to establish this relationship in terms of larger themes or symbolism that they have nothing to choose from. 

Man, what if THIS episode was about going to the seaside, after they had been talking for several episodes, and they kissed in the sea when they were alone? That would be at least somewhat plausible? A take on the pool scene/underwater kiss that wasn’t the exact same.

You could do something related to graffiti, perhaps? Instead of breaking into a pool, they break into the tagging place or wherever. Or something else related to Sander’s artwork, because I know that this comes up in their version of O Helga Natt.

I’m not wild about adding this blip in Robbe and Sander’s relationship after the kiss, because of how much ground we need to cover the rest of the season (it messes with the pacing yet again) and also just because I like that Skam didn’t do this expected route. However, if they wanted to make Robbe try to shut out Sander again: the strongest case for his internalized homophobia seems to be his friends. So have him meet up with them again the day after kissing Sander. His friends bring up Sander and how weird he was at the dance performance about the gay instructor, like it’s just a joke! He took their comments way too seriously! Is Sander gay or something? And maybe Robbe tries to defend Sander - no, he’s a cool guy, really - and then his friends are like, pffft, what, do you have a crush on him? Robbe denies and everybody chills out, but Robbe seems troubled. Maybe this is when Jens finally gets a fucking clue and realizes something’s up with Robbe, and in the future there’s a scene where he shuts down gay jokes. For now, though, we do see how Robbe would feel compelled to go back in the closet. Sander texts him and Robbe blocks him.

Now we come to the worst part. So. Take out Robbe calling Sander a sexual predator and a homophobic slur and pushing him, that’s for sure. If he must reject Sander, do it in another way. “I’m not gay.” “I was drunk.” “It was a mistake.” “I have a girlfriend.” It’s not actually hard to do this clip without adding this ugly taint to their relationship.

Since I’m trying to think of rewrites without just copying Skam, here is a radical change on how to include a post-kiss freakout from Robbe earlier on so the pacing isn’t as odd. In previous recaps, I suggested Sander should be introduced earlier as a mysterious stranger that Robbe is trying to find. Well, maybe we can rework that. Robbe and the mysterious stranger share a kiss in episode 1. They’re hiding from the police or security or something after getting busted at a party or while tagging or w/e, and they’re both a little drunk and high on adrenaline, they’re smiling and laughing because they actually got away, and it just ... happens. The mysterious stranger can initiate it, but Robbe tentatively reciprocates before running away. Robbe freaks out and it’s after this that he starts heavily pursuing Noor. Because, you see, he’s not gay, he was just drunk, and it was all that other guy’s fault. But at least he doesn’t have to see that random guy again, right? No one will ever know. Just like no one will ever know if late at night when he can’t sleep, he does a Google search to see if he’s gay if he liked kissing a boy or if he can’t get it up with his girlfriend. Or if he goes on Grindr to see if he can find the mystery dude. It’s a bust and Robbe gives up and settles into dating Noor. Except in episode 2, OH SHIT, he’s introduced to Sander again via Noor, and it’s awkward and fuck, Sander has a girlfriend. Well, that’s good, right? Totally not a bummer. Anyway, Robbe tries to avoid Sander or tiptoe around him but they end up spending time together because they’re stuck at the seaside under the same roof. Maybe they directly address the issue by Robbe saying he’s not gay and Sander being like “me neither” (which technically is not a lie, lmao) and brushing it off as a mistake, or maybe they both pretend that it never happened. Maybe Robbe is more aggressive about it at first and Sander is like, whoa dude, chill out, I’m not going to tell anyone. Still, they get to know each other, there’s heaps of sexual/romantic tension, and in episode 4 (or 5 or whenever) they kiss again and it’s Epic.

This arc is definitely not the same as Isak’s or Evak’s and I absolutely won’t claim that it’s in the same league as what Julie Andem did, but I can see a narrative arc like this making some sense. Better than trying to do Isak’s arc half-assed.

It occurs to me just like … how little we know about any of these characters in terms of subtext or something? No hints about Sander’s background, really? Let’s get some clues in there.

I think something I miss about Skam was how kind it was. How all the characters were at heart, good people capable of the most generous love and empathy. And maybe we’ll get there with these characters in the end, but overall, so many of these people just don’t feel like that! There’s so much more ugliness and cruelty involved in this story, and it doesn’t feel like it’s done with good intentions, like to show the audience how to handle these situations and to heal. 

There’s this weird attitude of defense where cruelty, tragedy, and negative events are defended in the name of realism and there’s a backlash to the backlash, acting like the critics just want fluffy plotless hand-holding and cuddling, a conflict-free season, or a story where no one makes mistakes. And it’s like people forget that in Skam season 3, the story was FULL of angst! We know Evak get their happy ending but like … from episode 1 all through O Helga Natt, the story is packed with conflict. People hurt each other. Even in episode 10, not everything is perfect. It is very possible to do angst and conflict without this ugliness. Like … I have to assume people weren’t here for episodes 5 and 6 of Skam S3, or for the hotel scene, or episode 9 up to OHN, because I can assure you, there was no lack of angst. There was just a lack of shock value gratuitousness.

As always, let me know if I missed something due to cultural or linguistic context.

[thatssonano]

Hey, remember the research paper about why TV fails to represent female muslims? Well here it is.

Hey guys,

So I'm finally gonna try to write a real little thing about how TV fails to write muslim women. I thought about doing a real research paper and I wrote the introduction and got really anxious because it reminded of my very stressful master degree lol so this is much more simple. Anyways, let's get to it. 

As a kid, I was very hungry for representation on TV. Mostly because I had no models, no one to identify with. As a very introvert and self-conscious kid, I didn't know what to be or what to do. At some point, I started looking up to my sister, very beautiful, very intelligent and very ambitious girl. So I thought "I ought to be like that, that's what a muslim girl like me should be like.” 

Thing is, I wasn't as smart as she was, my grades were not as good, I wasn't as pretty or as popular at school, and there was not a single box I could fit in. I ended up being the "weird but nice little sister". But I was so invisible everyone would nickname me "Sarah 2" (my sister's name being Sarah.) And you know what? For the first time, I felt like I existed. Because I was "the little sister". Dude, how sad is that?

I was too white for them, not muslim enough, too weird for them. So obviously, it was tough to pave a way for myself when I was the only girl like me. 

The first time I was finally not nicknamed was when I got into college at the age of 17. Only because we didn't choose the same college. And I understood I didn't have to be as smart or as ambitious as her, I understood that I didn't have to get the life she had when I was 22. 22, guys. 

I'm turning 26 in one month. And I chose my own life. But God, how much time it took me to realize that there wasn't only one type of "the muslim girl"? 22 years.  

I'm not saying that to share about my life or whatever, I just want to show the consequences of not having representation on TV. And for sure, many people don't care about representation, my sister doesn't, my brother doesn't. But I do. Maybe that's because I'm hypersensitive, maybe that's because I believe art should mirror reality. All I know is that it's necessary for many. 

I met Sana Bakkoush on a random fan video about several fictional couples on youtube. I didn't know Skam then but there was this second in the video where I would see Noora and William staring at each other or whatever, and there was this beautiful hijabi girl in the back. I had to know what this show was about. So I did my research and binge-watched it. With much luck, I got to the end of the whole show before episode 3 of season 4 came out. So I learnt to grow with Sana, I fell in love with her, and I just felt like I could understand her. I was her. I finally was validated with her. Up until episode 5, all was well. And then,… it just broke? Still today, I'm trying to understand how they could let that happen and I guess there's one obvious reason. The writing staff was white. Julie Andem is white. And to me, if you're not from that community, you should not try to write about this one. 

As the plot thickened, you could feel like it was unbalanced, incoherent, and that many things didn't make sense. But that's pretty normal, because if you don't live the problem, you can't understand. Now I won't curse Julie Andem for not trying, but I guess what should have been done was to hire a muslim writer. And God, people can't tell me it's too tough to find. Even if it was not Iman Meskini's job, she could have asked her. God, this girl taught more about ramadan through her ig story than Skam ever did. 

Now I'm not saying she didn't do us all dirty when she gave us 9 episodes instead of ten and it all broke us on June 17th 2017 (Yep, this day is a national holiday now). And honestly, I've got not one good explanation for this except they didn't feel her story was that important. Unconsciously, I hope, because it would be too evil otherwise.

The reason, to me, that Sana was so many people's favorite character was because Iman Meskini gave her so much realness. Sana was strong yet vulnerable. Everyone, muslims like non-muslims could understand her, and I think she inspired so many people. Her life is amazing, and she's what now? 22. I really hope she gets a Nobel Prize in the future, she deserves it. 

Now let's talk about the others. I think it'd be a bit faster. 

Imane Bakhellal. Uhm. Well the main issue is the same, she was written by a white man. So obviously, it was 1. wrong. 2. wrong. 3. wrong. The story barely focused on her faith and whenever we'd see her pray she'd be interrupted. Look, I've been praying for 13 years and the only times I've interrupted my prayer were because I had just realized I had not done wudhu. Or I was too jet-lagged so I was praying in the wrong direction.  

Thing is, Imane didn't make me feel anything. And it was even sadder, because I am a muslim living in Paris. To me, her story wasn't focused on her, it wasn't even focused on religion or her struggle living between two cultures. I didn't learn a thing. And God, that hurt. That hurt even more when the director didn't acknowledge it was poorly written and was actually proud of it. It hurt that white people get the right to write our story and we're there, not having any voice. It sucked. But I guess, she had ten episodes, right, even if the last episode was within the same day. 

It didn't really bother me that she kissed him. The speech she recited did though. I got really frustrated about it. How hard would it be to find a muslim writer? Honestly, I would have been glad to join them, even as a volunteer. 

I'm not actually mad at the actress, I guess it was just a reflection of her relationship with islam. And I know many people got the representation they wanted, but to me, it remains poorly written. To me, it remains hypocrite because they don't get it. Being a muslim woman of color in France sucks sometimes. But having at least her story focused on her would have been great too. 

 Ok, let's move on. 

Amira Mahmood. I love her a little less than Sana, but I mean come on, that's understandable, right?

Amira is strong, she's beautiful, kind, smart. And her season was going well, until it wasn't anymore…. Because, well, it ended. I keep on wondering why it happened and I came with no logical answer. So maybe it was lazy writing, maybe it didn't matter to them, maybe the writers were just tired. I don't know, honestly, I don't know. But it pissed me off bad. (Honestly it was the third character I was let down on, lol, it started to be a lot to handle). Also, the other seasons were so greatly written, they had depth and understanding, it was soft and beautiful. And to me, season 4 just felt… lazy? Sure, I loved Mohammed but the Australia plot wasn't even that important it actually got fixed over text? And how hard would it be to find exciting plot for a muslim character? What? Everything should be about kissing, hair and sex? Well, no. I mean, I would have loved to see her actually working, I would have loved to see her actually bonding with her dad, I would have loved to see her at a boxing game… The summer and fall after I graduated high school was a very hard time to me, mostly because it was a time of discovery and transition. Everything was changing. God, they should have explored that more. So I don't know, I just felt detached then, and I think that's more sad, actually.

But I do believe the actress did a great job, and I wish Tua all success. 

Shall I give a little paragraph on Nadia from Elite? Hell yeah I'm going to. Well, the show is focused on sex so, I mean, are we even surprised the writers did this to Nadia? Not really, but we're still mad. Again, it was written by white people; who focused on all the stereotypes people spread about muslims. The strict dad? Check. The very quiet and invisible mom at the mercy of the dad? Check. The muslim girl who does not actually know why she's religious and only follows her parents' footsteps like a sheep because islam is just way too strict so no one in their sane mind would ever venture in such a religion? Check. The hunger for having white friends and doing the same? Check. Falling for a white guy and giving up everything she ever "believed" for him? Check. I hope the writers heard about what people had to say about it. 

Honestly, I know some would say "there are muslim girls like this". Well, ok. But what about us? We've been invisible to society for years and years. I grew up without having a single fucking idea about who I was and I just always felt like I was the odd one out. Too white, too Algerian, too muslim, too girly, too boyish, too into traditions, following too much her parents' rules… Well, growing up I just decided, I will never be enough of something, because I’m a little of everything. So yeah, some muslim girls do that, but some others don't. And we want to see these girls too. We want to normalize their way of life, so they can just live. And we want them to have the same screen time than the rest of the cast. And we want them to have exciting plots too. 

God, I've been smothered by the fucking veil debate in France for weeks and weeks and I couldn't breathe anymore. That's why we need visibility. To be acknowledged. To erase ignorance and hate. To create a homogenous society in this globalized world where everyone is different and it is okay. Because as long as your liberty isn't in danger, then the other can live as he wills. 

To finish I guess some of you would be like “if you’re so eager to criticize the work of others, just write your own story” Well I did. I actually finished one scenario in French and I have just started one in English. But how can I actually make it into reality if I don’t know anyone in the business bold enough to work with me on it? 

Honestly if you've read all of that, congratulations, thank you so much, love you all, peace out. 

I didn’t write everything I wanted but I believe it’s long enough already lol. Be safe, well and kind. (that’s what Bob Morley says and he’s a king).