#one of the most devastating episodes imo

[lilcathsmith]

Crime Show Meme - CSI insp. - [2/10 episodes]

"You're an average family, burdened with a tragedy that put you under a microscope. That close, nobody can look good" - Gentle, Gentle (Season 1 Episode 19, 12th April 2001)

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

Just some pre-ep4 thoughts

Aemond, Aegon and their relationship have been what I cherished most in HotD ever since the brothers started interacting on screen as their teenage selves. I haven't been this invested in a bond between two characters for years. So, it's hardly a surprise that I'm devastated about what we have seen during this season so far (and about what we, with a very high probability, will see tonight and in the next episodes).

The rift between Aegon and Aemond's supporters in the fandom has already begun, and after episode 4 it will, in all likelihood, become so much worse. But for my part I would like to say in advance that there will be no either Aegon or Aemond bashing in this blog.

Do I think that Aegon behaved like an asshole towards his brother? Yes. Do I understand Aemond's frustration about always having to remain (at least in some ways) second to Aegon? Yes.

Do I acknowledge that Aegon's treatment of Aemond might have had reasons besides Aegon simply being a dick? Yes. Do I resent that according to the writers Aemond, apparently, doesn't give a damn about his family? Absolutely.

Do I think Aegon should get a free pass for his behavior? No. Do I believe Aemond's (still hypothetical for now) betrayal of his brother to be justified? Hell no.

Will I turn my back on either of my favourite F&B and HotD characters and start talking shit about them either because of the incompetency and utter stipidity of the writers or to remain on someone's good side? Not a chance. I refuse to let HBO and the bunch of morons they entrusted the story to entirely ruin the thing that has brought me so much joy and fun over months and months.

Also: while the fandom blow up about the characters seems imminent, please (saying this preeemptively), leave the actors out of it. Tom and Ewan are their respective characters' biggest stans and defenders which IMO is completely understandable: it is essential for an actor to find within themselves the love for their character with all the virtues and flaws they possess, just like real people love real people. Otherwise, establishing the connection necessary to get to the core of the person an actor strives to embody becomes impossible. Ewan doesn't deserve hate for staying loyal to Aemond no matter what the script does to him any more than Tom deserves being called a rape apologist (and God knows what else) for sticking up for Aegon - which means they do not deserve any hate at all.

As for the fandom fighting, I absolutely can get behind the desire to defend one's favourite character - but it really matters how one does the defending. My sincere belief is that the fans really should take the page out of the actors' book here. Tom and Ewan, with all the love, loyalty and empathy they have for Aegon and Aemond respectively, are very close friends (Tom's words, not mine) to this day. If they have managed to go about the way Targtower brothers' relationship was treated in the script like adults, than we all can do the same.

[savagewildnerness]

E12

OK... I normally make notes on an episode when I rewatch, but I dunno... after watching S2E5, I just feel compelled to say a few things...  First... LOL...

Armand at the end!!! hahahaha!!!

OK, so first off - the acting is SO GOOD:

Jacob - especially the way he delivers his interview 1 take down of Lestat is SO MAGNIFICENT, OH MY! Jacob! You are DIVINE! (Also: Louis' see-through grid shirt: YES PLEASE!!!!)

Luke - is SO ERIC. OMG, he is SO GOOD!

Eric - is SO GOOD! The emotion. I want Ericasavampire and seeing as much of DM is still-to-come - Eric as a vampire - PLEASE!!!!?! Finally someone to love Armand for all he is. Write an entire NOVEL of your own invention writers please for Daniel!!!

Assad - I am at this point bowing down to my Assad shrine! I haven't the words for how perfect your Armand is. I only have love.

There is SO MUCH to analyse from this episode.  We must PSYCHOANALYSE the characters this week fully!!!

I utterly ADORED it!  One thousand thanks to the writers for creating something like this - not in the books, but totally feels like the books. 

And OMG, at this stage I will be devastated if Daniel isn't involved in this entire show from start to end... which also feels somehow some kind of a homage to River Phoenix, who would have played Daniel in the 1994 film had he lived...?

ANYWAY!  OMG ASSAD I LOVE YOU!  OMG WRITERS, I LOVE ARMAND!  Like this episode - how CRUEL Louis is to Armand!  And yet, Armand saves his life!  And not only that, he offers that pathway to Lestat... right until he is unable to utter Lestat's "I love you.."  And really, Armand, you did that in so much love for Louis - you sacrificed your self! Armand, Armand, Armand.

And Armand, seeking in Daniel what it means to be fascinating and special.  The irony is that Armand IS special!!!  He is absolutely the most complex vampire… he just doesn’t understand how to love or be loved… and Louis is NOT his "one"! But he is SO fascinating!  And special.  All of the edits to Radiohead's Creep PLEASE!!!!

I also find it WONDROUS in a show about vampires - where vampires are always a metaphor to The Outsider... yet... in art, The Outsider is often portrayed in imo an unrealistic way, as in "actually the outsider is infinitely special, really!", BUT IN ARMAND, the writers have given us a truly actually special character who feels like many outsiders do - AND is told by the person he loves SO much he would literally be a pathway to their other love that he is boring and not special and not enough... THAT is relatable! (Even though nobody has told me this, as I am simply isolated, personally! Yet, still, I feel it!)

Also - OMG it is both infinitely tragic and simultaneously hilarious that Loumand true sexy times cannot begin until Armand literally WIPES Louis’ mind of Lestat!!!  LOLOLOLOLOL (Poor Armand!)

Also LOL @ Jacob in the post episode thing - saying he can’t think of a bigger betrayal than rewriting the history of a person you love and that it makes him angry… referring to what Armand does to Louis… when IN THIS SAME EPISODE, that’s literally what Louis does to Lestat..!

Meagre thoughts as I didn't write notes during the episode, so just a few points I think of now (and I have had a glass of wine with this episode lolololololol!!  Lalalalala... GOTHIC JOY!!!!!!!!!!)

Lestat is my boy, but ASSAD'S ARMAND.  Armand was always my second favoruite vampire, but Assad - I do not understand how you are making me love Armand even MORE!  Be MORE evil, Armand.  And more tragic.  And more loving.  Be every thing you are.  I know you are fascinating!!!!!

Also, I cried A LOT in this episode! Though I did not note when. Like, that I feel compelled to do a post now with my random tipsy thoughts on a non HQ version with no subtitles I hope expresses A LOT about how I love this episode!?!??!!

[kaleaido]

So... episode 16 huh?

Okay guys, what the FUCK WASTHATTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111!1! that was. wow. oh my god. wow. okay I need to sit down. I'll be doing the bullet point breakdown again cause my thoughts are everywhere:

THE ANIMATION IS PHENOMENAL??? The art in general is AWESOME ii2 always had really fluid and cinematic animation imo but GOD this is such eye candy

Seeing the III contestants ISFUCKING SCARY I DIDN'T THINK WE'D GET TO SEE THEM AT ALL??? I THOUGHT THEY WERE GONNA BE MENTIONED??? They look soo weird in the old art style but this is cool I like it

okay I did NOT expect Taco to be doing her apology thing so early BUT OH MY GOD????// THE ENCOUNTER IS EVERYTHING I FEARED BUT IT WAS SO GOOD EVEN WITH THE SHORT TIME SPAN OHGUEAHGH......PICKLE........SORRY BUT I WAS CHEERING FOR HIM HE KIND OF ATE THAT UP........... AND THE PART WHERE HE FUCKING DIED AND TACO WAS CRYIGN?!?@!@KASJKADSDJWHATTHE FUCK WAS THAT. WHAT TWAS THAT BRIAN. BRAIN. WHAT. I thought they were having a fight or something but NOOOIT WAS WAY WAYWAY WORSE. HELLO???? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL ABOUT THIS . Actually! I'm not feeling okay. I don't like this.

II SUDDENLY TURNED INTO A MUSICAL WHATT!!! Steve Cobs song certainly was not on my bingo card but here we are. hate that guy but man he got a good voice

I'm digging the payjay angst but I didn't think that was a segue TO KILL OJ?????WHY WAS THAT SCENE SO GOOD. I'M FOAMING AT THE MOUTH IT WAS HORRIFYING!!! THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE OF MEPHONEX APPROACHING THE CONTESTANTS WASSOASHDGHWAHWASHJD But real talk, does this imply that Toilet was created by Mephone in some ways???

Hi guys I'm actually not okay with us seeing characters that are in pairs be separated. Mm yeah. OJ, Soap, Nickle. Yeah. I'm not okay that they spent the episode showing these characters hanging with their friends only for them to die. Yeah.I'm not okay seeing their friends being in complete shock of what just happened. Yeah. Mh yeah.........

THE HAUNTED MANSION GUYS ARE BACK YAYYY!!!!! and they were roomates <3 (dough i hope you die the second time)

Knife and Suitcase interactions are so well written I can't get over them. Also the way both of them handle 3GS isSOOEUAHGH I lovee 3GS

Knife and Trophy. Need I say more

Suitcase, Nickel and Balloon. Need I say more

Steven Cobs is horrible I hate him but he was also the most entertaining character in this. Him putting Mephone on speaker phone isEVIL I HATE HIM!!!!!! also never realised that he was so egotistical to name his products with "Me" in them that's such Steve Cobs things

THE PLOTTWIST IS SO. DEVASTING. IVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT FOR HOURS NOW. SO YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT MEPHONE WAS JUST ROLEPLAYING WITH HIS OCS????? SERIOUSLY???? This just makes so much sense but it's also so horrible. like how many of the stuff tthat contestants did was intentional??? Is this why Bot was one of Mephone's favorite contestants? because they were "real"???

Also quick thing but I just hopped off from Brian's stream just now and he said something along the line of how BP is the opposite of Steve Cobs. Which just makes me wonder if like. did Mephone ALSO make BP??? Did he make someone he could look up to as a healthy father figure??? This is making me insane

yeah my brain is absolutely jumbled right now. if anyone still want to yap on about ii16 hit my dm please I still don't know how to feel about this act. LIKE YEAH It's awesome I love it but wow......is the emotional damage really worth it....

[precious-little-scoundrel]

Seeing as I've read all your TWC and Dear John chapters what feels like a million times over, they're just THAT fucking good 😩 Do you have any fic recs for MOTA that stick in your mind, or any that you want to see more of?

Hello!!!! I love being asked about this. 💋 I’m so happy you’re enjoying these fics of mine, thank you for spreading the love!

I am admittedly rather behind in reading so when I caveat about not having finished something, it’s always with the intent of finishing and is no reflection on the scrumptiousness of the material. I’m such a stickler for settling down and enjoying a fic, gotta have everything all nice and cozy and right so I can fully dive in, and life’s been too hectic for that recently. But I have a few, and many more I’m looking forward to tasting.

💄Fave Egan one shot fic ever? Likely. The Major’s Wife by @stylespresleyhearted

💄 @steph-speaks utterly superb one shot of reader with Hambone Hamilton

💄 @ktredshoes is doing God’s work with Ev Blakely and Dougie, legit all of their stuff is gold imo

💄 recently devasted myself in the most happy manner by reading @swifty-fox ‘s Understanding in a Plane Crash …it’s got my husband John Brady in lead, what did you expect?!

💄every thing MotA related or not of @blurredcolour is a service to mankind and should be read when you wanna feel something. Shockingly, it’s not always angst, truly Bee has such a talent for conveying the gentler emotions of life with as much raw feeling as many who have to resort to torture porn. It’s an art

💄 @r-catsby ‘s Cleagan Basball Au… legit my comfort fic even tho that doesn’t bode well for my comfort. Need to catch up desperately

💄anyhting by my sweets babes @winniemaywebber @ginabaker1666 (they have an intertwined fic I believe?!!! how cool is that?) and @sagesolsticewrites writes is bound to spark joy in me

💄 @mercyedes Flak House fic really felt like i tripped the fuck out when reading and is practically gospel to me -you cannot convince me that we didn’t watch the episode containing that shit you just can’t. ILL TAKE TEN MORE

[theanxiousghostartist]

TMAGP 29 Spoilers (Theories and Reactions)

Ok, ok ok ok.. Holy shit I cannot wait for the finale!!

Celia and Sam:

Honestly, I'm glad Celia found Sam. While it would have been interesting to see one of the others find him, I like that Celia did, because we got more insight into her!

1) We know she cares about Sam. While we knew this from other episodes and their relationship, we can confirm that Celia deeply cares for Sam and isn't just manipulating him. The statements that Celia cares for Sam and Celia is manipulating Sam can co-exist.

2) Imo - Celia is the one most likely to survive. She knew the right questions to ask Sam to get to the important details about that Archivist (I'm going to try to call them, "that Archivist" so they won't be confused with TMA!Jarchivist), and why they attacked Sam. She also was reluctant to go to the Hilltop Centre, knowing that that Archivist was planning on heading there from Sam. Furthermore, she was planning on stopping Sam until he basically begged her to go.

3) Celia cares for Alice. While this episode had Sam/Celia interactions and no Alice/Celia interactions, we still saw Celia caring for Alice. Sam didn't want to tell Alice anything about his encounter with that Archivist. Celia was the one to force him to, and even then, Sam still blew her off when the train left the station. Celia understands that Alice cares for Sam and is very protective of him, and she understood that if Sam didn't tell her about that Archivist, it would devastate her, thus she made Sam call Alice.

So that Archivist is after The Magnus Institute and Hilltop Road. Interesting. While I initially thought they were feeding, I don't think that was the case. They wanted as much information as possible on the Institute and Hilltop Road, therefore, they went to the person that let them out. They were after Alice before, and on their way to find her, they found Sam instead. That's why Alice felt like she was being followed before, that Archivist was looking to get information out of the people who let them out. They initially followed Alice and found Sam instead; and they took advantage of that. Now they are on the way to the Hilltop Centre, perhaps they followed Sam there...

Gwen and Lena:

Ok, so Lena is proud of Gwen and Gwen dropped the act of being kinder to her, showing her true emotions. Interesting. I guess because Gwen gave her (and Augustus's/Jonah's (my theory lol)) information to Trevor, she assumes she will get the job anyhow. It makes sense for her characterization so far. I'm starting to wonder if Gwen is going to take a more Jonah-Magnus-approach to the job, if she gets it, and Lena is the one with the Gertrude-Robinson-approach.

Case: This case was very much a Buried case, with Viola even saying that she was afraid of drowning alone. It's interesting that she specified "alone" since Stan was with her. It reminds me of "Alone" in TMA Season 1, the statement of one of the Lukus's fiancée. So perhaps Lonely undertones as well? Maybe the Stranger or Spiral too, with the door/lock themes and the overall theme of unlocking yourself? Still, it's definitely related to the Buried.

Viola and Stanely Locke, I wonder if this is a reference to John Locke of the Enlightenment.

From my memory, I took a lot of history classes: John Locke was a philosopher during the Enlightenment, advocating for so-called "natural rights" - life, liberty, and property - as well as theorizing on the "natural state" of humans, basically, what would we do if we did not have a government. He believed that humans have a "natural state" of kindness and helping each other, and that we exchange some of our rights for a government to organize and protect us, and because of this, if a government became tyrannical, we could take back our rights and rebuild the government. His ideas influenced a lot of people, including those involved in the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions.

There might be a connection there but IDK. I'm in a similar situation with them and their last name to what I have been with Ink5oul and their last name of Wilde (possibly a reference to Oscar Wilde).

This case was so interesting, and I was devastated for Stan.

That old scruffy person who opened the door for the Locke's had to be an avatar. Maybe the case is more Spiral related as they opened the door into an illusion/another realm? Then again, the Buried's coffin worked in the same way...

Maybe they were this universe's Breekan or Hope? Possibly a Lukus? I wonder if they will show up again...

Teddy and Alice:

Teddy has insomnia. I wonder if it is from staying away from the OIAR? (sorta like how Tim got sick when he stayed away from the Archives for so long)

I like Teddy's and Alice's interactions, I hope the two can talk after whatever will happen in the finale!

Teddy needs to talk to Alice about something in regards to his job, something "serious." I wonder if he's been having problems since he left the OIAR? Maybe in a similar way to Sam pre-OIAR? Oooh, or maybe he's Becoming? Maybe he had a run in with an External during his new job and has started Becoming? Or maybe he had started Becoming when he got the OIAR job and Lena, and/or her higher-ups were able to prevent it? Maybe the food helps the OIAR crew build up a resistance to the Fears? Lena has been very insistent on the crew eating the OIAR food, so maybe she did something to it (maybe with alchemy) to help the crew resist the Fears, like how Sam was able to resist that Archivist in the beginning and survived them messing through his memories?

"It's on the train:"

Yay! Go Alice! Protect your friends/potential love interests! (please talk to Teddy afterwords though!)

I like how Alice keeps fighting to save Sam and Celia here.

Wait, so only Alice can see that Archivist? Oh, maybe because they are an avatar and the OIAR crew is being marked/already marked/aligned with the Fears so they can see it? Either way, this is definitely an interesting detail!

Predictions for the Finale:

Ok, predictions time! So, I think Celia is going to die or be at least severely injured. You may be thinking, "But didn't you say earlier that Celia is the most likely to survive, in your opinion?" Yes. Yes, I did. However, I think that she would be the most likely to survive, IF Sam did not involve her in this mission. Now, that is not to say this is Sam's fault at all! (although, if she were to die/get injured, he will probably blame himself) I think that Sam and Celia are going to get chased by that Archivist, and Celia will die so Sam (and possibly Alice) can get away. Before she does, she is going to expose her being from the TMA-verse by asking that Archivist about the stuff she saw. This would leave Georgie and Sam having to take care of Jack for one, and for two, it would leave a good cliffhanger to explore both worlds and possibly figure out more about FR3-D1 and that Archivist.

Someone is going to Become, or at least, start Becoming. I'm not sure who though, my best bet is Alice, probably for the Spiral or Dark. I'm still not quite sure for this one, so I don't have much else to say.

Lena is going to play a key role in the survival of the OIAR crew. Going based off the theory that she is taking a Gertrude role; she is going to be the key to surviving. My theory is that Lena is going to go hunt down that Archivist when she finds out that it was near the OIAR, they are not an external, therefore, her superiors don't know about them, and she has free reign. She is going to find Sam and Celia (and probably Alice), with that Archivist, and either witness Celia die or Sam holding Celia injured or dead. She will be the one to beat/kill that Archivist, probably take the crew to the OIAR or to a "Fear resistant room" and start explaining general things to them (basic, things, not even as much as Gerry told Jon). We will end off with them coming in battered and traumatized and learning why. If this happens, one of two things could happen in S2: 1) Lena's superiors find out about what she is doing. She is killed by them and Gwen, having proved her loyalty by giving Trevor the files, gets her job like she wanted.

2) Lena's superiors find out too late, and they are Protocolled. Lena leads the team in a sort of resistance-style movement against the fears (and possibly Gwen, who may have taken over for her), to destroy the fears and prevent the alchemy project that the Institute was working on.

Also, I think near the end of the episode or near the end of the Hilltop Road shenanigans, we are going to get a glimpse of Annabelle Cane. (I really want to hear her again, guys; I want her to be involved with this grand plan)

I really don't want anyone to die, especially Alice and Lena, since they are my favorites, but I have a feeling Lena is going to die )):

Anyway, I can't wait for the finale! I will most likely have a lot to say about it :D

[williamaltman]

I'm gonna talk more about the episode later (including some positive stuff) but, right now I just want to say I'm really disappointed that apparently there's really not gonna be any retcon/reveal/whatever that Lestat actually wanted to make Claudia/was happy with the idea of having her as a daughter when Louis came with her.

I mean, on this episode they brought a version where Lestat was *even more* against the idea and is completely miserable about it, and, it does seem to be fake for the purposes of the trial, but... Louis then says it's actually closer to the truth?

And even if he's wrong, if this is not supposed to be believed like it seems at first glance (tbh I don't think he even meant that the whole thing was right, more just that Lestat told him it was wrong to turn a child), then this is already meant as the different "wronger" version meant to highlight the previous version as more real. Either way the difference is Lestat being annoyed and mildly reluctant vs Lestat being passionately against it and miserable when having to do it, which is like, a lose lose situation.

What I wanted from the beginning was to see a version where, at the very least, Lestat is happy with the idea when he realizes Louis means for her to be their daughter. Like I've said before, this is very easy to do. All you need to do is have him smile and appear excited or pleased when he says "...a daughter" and goes on to do it. Which is still not even close to the book version where he's the one to come up with the whole idea in the first place, but it would be at least one step closer and overall frame their (Lestat and Claudia) relationship in a more positive light from the beginning.

I'm happy with the crumbs we got on the trial, really, but it's not enough to me if besides reaffirming the narrative of her turning they're (possibly) going even further into Lestat being against it.

I know what people are gonna say, that in season 3 it's gonna be revisited again, with Lestat's reeaal perspective, but I really don't think so. This seems to be the revisiting already. I think it'd be kinda ridiculous to have a third version of the scene, and even if there is, that's not to say it's necessarily gonna be something more akin to what I think it should.

With the fact that they already showed more of the "fight" too, including making Lestat more sympathetic (which is clearly not fake considering the fact that LESTAT LITERALLY WENT OFF SCRIPT to express his guilt over it, how wrong he knows it was and to not let Santiago dismiss it), I think this means that the writers are more intent on their version of things than some people imagine when the idea of revisiting things and showing other POVs comes up.

I know that we most likely will learn of more things Armand might have changed in Louis' memories, but, this one at least is clearly not gonna be one of them. Armand's mind edits would be more focused on Lestat as a lover than something like Claudia's creation, and if anything I think he would be more likely to alter things to make Lestat more willing to break the rules rather than less.

I'm sure we'll hear about how much Lestat loved her, how devastated he was over her death and how he saw himself in her (especially since we already got a bit of that on the trial), but I think her turning is always gonna be "Lestat doesn't want to break the rules or ~have a third~ in his relationship Louis" which imo is such a misrepresentation of him and his dynamic with Claudia. The fact that even after Marius' warnings he didn't give a fuck? That's Lestat. It seems like if anything the writers want to make him *less bad* by not doing that (which is weird considering some of their choices in the opposite direction), by having him being somewhat responsible for a moment, but him not caring because he wanted her so bad and still not regretting it even after everything is so much more important.

Even if they do the "And I cannot say even now that I regret Claudia" it's not gonna ring true to me, because even if he misses her there's not much to regret in the first place when the responsability is like 90% on Louis in the show canon...

This is all water under the bridge in a way since it's mostly just how I've felt since 1x04, but, you know, with the idea of revisiting things and showing different versions I ended up getting some hope of it being changed and now it hasn't. Maybe there's really a third version and this will age like milk, but right now I don't think so.

[duckduckhjonk]

I just finished watching the new tpot episode and ouhhggggghhhhhh I have thinks and thoughts

Massive spoilers ahead, this is kinda a full episode review atp, I ramble a lot

First off I really liked One's area, it's super pretty and mystical but somehow feels sinister in a way? Like it's a little too dark to be fully whimsical and fun and mystical without a sinister hint to it.

This kinda also pulls towards my thoughts on One themself. I think they're pulling a cutesy coverup to something evil. I do not trust this number at all. And I pray this doesn't lead to her getting all these contestants eliminated because I am personally biased and will cry the day Fanny gets the boot.

Similarly, I'm really glad to have this storyline start going off. I really wonder what One wants from these characters. Are they as sinister as I am suspecting? I feel like One is moreso a Deal with the Devil type character and I don't think they're actually good friends with Two. I think that's a lie.

The characters themselves that are chosen are also really interesting picks. Fanny, Ice Cube, Basketball, Bell, and Bomby. It's kind of "what do these characters have in common?" I suppose it's they all needed something? Not entirely sure on that though, I mean yeah they probably do. A mouth, legs, help with Robot Flower maybe? An escape from being eliminated? It gets harder with those three to decide what they could get from One to be a part of their scheme.

At least I'll get to hopefully see more Bomby despite his elimination :3

Moving on, I really like the new teams. I think again Death PACT Yet Again is gonna be my favourite but the other teams are super fun as well. Truly devastating news that Golf Ball and Tennis Ball got separated. I fear neither have long left because of this. But on the off chance they do last, I'd like to see how they develop apart.

The challenge felt a little uninteresting but I think it was much more of a catalyst for figuring out team dynamics rather than be a focal point. Still pretty decent and a good finish to it. I personally love that Robot Flower ended up with Death PACT Yet Again.

Also really looking forward to one of the original exitors joining! I feel some of them were vastly underutilised in previous seasons and some got the boot just before getting interesting, pretty namely Dora and Liy come to mind. I voted for Dora because I'd like to see where she's going and what she'd do on TPOT. I think another interesting option would be Match. As much as I dislike her, I think she also has a lot of potential. Maybe a respark in her rivalry with Fanny, I think it would be interesting despite Bubble not being there. Maybe she would also serve as some motivation for Book to try and become better friends with Ice Cube before Match regains her trust.

Speaking of Bubble, I think I'd like to know what the BFB characters are doing. I don't think I'd like them to join the cast/show fully but maybe a check in? We already got Tear Drop in TPOT so none of them could join the show, but it would be interesting to see how they are.

I think in the future as far as theories I have go, I think One is going after either Golf Ball or Tennis Ball next. They're apart and need something and make pretty good targets. Although if it's a 1 per team deal I would also think Donut would be a good choice. He does have his arms missing but also I think he's been the most misused imo. He had a lot of potential on the pre split that I think wasn't utilised, especially with having Four's powers. I think this could be just what he needs.

As for further theories with One, I think they're definitely the weakest of the Algebraliens. Maybe their motivation is having all of these chosen champions and their "favour" is them giving One Twos power at the end of it. That's what I have so far, I mean I haven't seen enough to know 100% and I don't think that would be the case but that's my best theory.

Thanks for listening to me ramble 👍 lmk what you think!

[finnskeeper]

05x15: "The Long Goodbye Job"

Thoughts under the cut. I'm not sure how long this is going to be.

The Opening

"What was your mistake?" The cuts and bruises on Nate's face. The shaking. The barely held back tears. I knew this episode was going to be a doozy, but I didn't expect to be hit by a truck right out of the gate.

The Client

Here's where it gets interesting. There is no client. But Nate had to come up with one for the story he sells to Interpol over the course of the episode. So what would be so damn important that he'd risk everything? Making sure another parent doesn't have to go through what he did with Sam.

The Plan

Watching it a second time, it's definitely fun to try to pick out which points are fact and which are part of Nate's story. We know the rundown went a little differently (Eliot and Parker were at the briefing for the black book, not doing recon on the building) but there are likely elements that are real (Hardison's hesitation at the Sterenko, for example). The rooftop scene with Nate and Parker isn't real (because they didn't go in on the roof, they came in with the coroner's van) and that hurts my heart just a little. It was a great little moment for them, a passing of the torch in a way. It is possible that he took her up there and did all that math to calculate the water balloon shot, but honestly that kind of math is all doable from home base, since they would have access to building heights and distances, and doesn't need to be as accurate.

The Middle

"You said you made a mistake. How did your friends die?"

Aaaaaand there it is. Nate's face here wrecked me. The tears, the shock, the pain...given that he actually crashed the van into the river and took those injuries, do you think there was a small, tiny moment when he thought what she was saying was true? Did he forget, even for a second, that this was also part of the con and he was actually being interrogated about the death of his family?

The Job

Remember Nate is the narrator here, and we see him in the theater basement watching (though later we know he was, in fact, the responding officer), but there are little hints that something is amiss. A) There's no way Nate would actually miss the fact that radios would still work. Hell, Eliot wouldn't miss it. He grabbed walkies in the "Cross My Heart Job" when they didn't have earbud access. No reason to think they would forget those exist now. And B) "Baker 12" being the cop's designation. Nice, sneaky DW reference.

The Collapse

And here's where it all "goes wrong." These 2 minutes were THE most stressful, and that was me going in knowing the big reveal. Hardison dropping down the elevator shaft was horrible, but then Eliot comes in with a steel chair and the most devastating "Dammit Hardison!" of the entire series.

And then we have the whole back of the van/chase scene...

HOW DID ANYONE WATCH THIS LIVE/UNSPOILED AND NOT IMMEDIATELY THROW UP?

(Also, I firmly believe this is another hint that something is amiss...he went to jail to save these people. 3 of them are "gone," but Sophie is still next to him. IMO, Nate would never [willingly] put Sophie in any danger. It's established canon [in S2 he leaves Tara with some dangerous men, and Sophie calls him on it. He'd never leave her there], and having him drive them off a bridge to their deaths rather than surrender seems farfetched now that I look at it again with a clearer head.)

Nate losing it and just pounding on the table in anger and grief. I legit had to pause and walk away for a moment.

The Real Job

"WHY WOULD I LIE? WHY? I SCREWED UP, I GOT THEM KILLED! I LOST EVERYTHING, THE ONLY THING I EVER HAD! WHY! WHY! WHY WOULD I LIE!?"

And that's on Emmys, baby.

Nate looking right at the camera: "No active cases."

Hello, Sterling.

"You would get them killed for that." Is that a note of anger I detect in your tone, Sterling? Are you mad at Nate for their deaths? I thought you didn't like them...

Ah, yes, the actual target. Honestly, no one explains this better than John Rogers himself in the DVD commentary:

“This is a big ass speech. This is a big ass stop the show, this is the moral framework of the entire five years you’ve seen. Nate Ford justifies 77 episodes of Leverage in this speech, cause you know what? It is the last goddamn episode, you’re gonna know why we made the show. We didn’t make the show cause we thought it was clever or cute or fun. I always say this, no show succeeds unless somebody loves it and you know what, everybody loves this show and to me, what Nate’s saying here is important enough to say out loud. No one should be allowed to cheat and get away with it.”

JUSTICE OR ORDER

The Twist/The REAL Job

"Parker's still in the server room." *insert Thor meme here* Is she though?

Fake bodies! And where are those pesky van drivers?

Sterling figuring it out and letting Nate gloat, just a little.

Sophie being the Sterenko operator AND police dispatch AND the supervisor, acting as the grifter/mastermind behind the scenes.

Nate revealed as the patrol officer.

ELIOT ROLLING HIS EYES AND FALLING INTO THE VAN "DEAD."

The recap of how it actually all went down.

"They'll be mixed in with the audience!" Cut to the OT3 in silly little soldier costumes on stage.

10/10, no notes.

(Hey, do you think Sophie/the team had the live feed of the interrogation room so they could know when to move to the next phase of the plan? Do you think they watched Nate rip his own heart out as he played out his worst imaginable scenario?)

The End

"Justice is always easy." Dammit Sterling! Why do you always make it so hard to hate you?

The Proposal ("You gotta say it.")

The OT3 ("Til my dying day.")

LEVERAGE INTERNATIONAL, HELL YES

The final scene is giving "end of Men in Black" vibes. The swanky suits, Hardison and Eliot in power stances, the callback speech, PARKER MASTERMIND FTW...it's all so good.

Has a show ever ended so perfectly? I don't think so. This is the yardstick upon which all other finales will be measured.

Now it's time to go back and watch S1 in the proper order.

[zukkaoru]

These new blorbos you got here, they’re compelling. Should I give Bungo Stray Dogs a shot? Manga or anime?

YESSS okay so. i do really enjoy the bsd anime but the manga is (imo) significantly better. especially once you get to late season 4/season 5. the anime tends to,, sort of water down some characterizations. however the nice thing about the anime is that it includes adaptations of some of the light novels, whereas if you only read the manga, you would have to break at certain parts to read the light novels (specifically the dark era light novel i would say is most important to understanding the main storyline). something else the anime did that i. am not a fan of. is they changed the first light novel - dazai's entrance exam - so it takes place during the events of season 1 instead of two years prior when dazai first joined the agency, and they cut out a good half of it in order to cram it into two episodes

my Ideal recommended watching/reading order is:

bsd anime seasons 1-2 -> the dead apple movie -> bsd anime seasons 3-4 -> bsd manga, either from the beginning or from chapter ~71 to chapter 112 -> bsd anime season 5 -> bsd manga, chapter 113 onward

i also highly recommend reading dazai's entrance exam light novel at some point, but it doesn't matter when. as for the other light novels:

the dark era is adapted at the beginning of s2 (i have not finished reading the ln itself so i can't speak as to how good the adaptation is), fifteen is at the beginning of s3 (this one is mostly good, but some of the fun bits and little characterization moments esp with dazai are cut), ranpo's backstory in untold origins is at the beginning of s4 (i have not read this + i believe the untold origins light novel has more than just ranpo's backstory which was not adapted). the fifteen light novel also has a manga adaptation which i believe is either about to be finished or just recently finished updating. dead apple also has a manga, and was adapted into a movie. i have not read this light novel yet either.

the BEAST light novel is an alternate universe. i have only read the manga for it, but i definitely recommend. there's also a live action movie adaptation which i have not seen but i do not trust. wouldn't recommend watching that first from what i know of it.

light novels without adaptations: storm bringer is chuuya's backstory - i'm partway through this and it is widely regarded to be the most emotionally devastating of the light novels (with the exception of, perhaps, BEAST). 55 minutes i believe takes place sometime in the season 2-3 era? and focuses on atsushi & akutagawa (+ dazai & kunikida?) i haven't read this one yet but i've heard many good things. there's also gaiden which focuses on characters who aren't really present in the main bsd show/manga - one of the main characters works in the government and shows up at least in dead apple. i haven't read this one yet either so can't say much about it. the day i picked up dazai was just recently released, and i haven't read it so i can't say much about it either except i believe it focuses on oda & dazai and might be best understood if you've read BEAST first.

there's also BSD wan! which is a silly comedy vibe spin off. there's one season of it + a manga, but it's not required watching/reading and i don't believe it's considered canon to the main storyline. there are also several anthologies which also have little stories in them but are not necessarily considered canon to the main storyline, but i've heard those are hard to find translations for

tl;dr: the manga is overall better than the anime, but the anime is probably best to start with because it includes important information in the light novel adaptations. once you finish season 4, i would read at least chapters 71-112 of the manga before watching season 5

[majorbaby]

The minute I cut that rope they made me a soldier. MASH Season 11, Episode 6 — Bombshells

I used to post practically every week about s11e06 Bombshells because it's my favourite BJ episode and the one I find most fascinating, because BJ seems to frequently think that it's BJ against the world, and Bombshells is a rare example where I think this is narratively true. At last, here are my lengthy but decently articulated thoughts about this Very Special Episode (to me!).

BJ has this "lone wolf" view of himself because he either imagines he has nothing in common with the people around him and therefore it's hard for him to relate to them, or he actually has a hard time relating.

Aside from Potter, who is hardly his peer, and Frank who is The Worst and also leaves two seasons into BJ's run, BJ is the only main cast member who has a wife and/or child waiting for him at home. He's in a different stage of his life than anyone else, and he lashes out at Hawkeye and Margaret at different points claiming specifically that they can't possibly understand what he's going through by being in Korea, away from his family. But for a few differences in their personalities, their world views, and I suspect their class backgrounds (though the latter two are open to interpretation), Trapper might be the character whose civilian life and role on the home front most closely resembled BJ's, and they should kiss about that tbh.

Relatability is important to BJ. We see that through the tension created when he feels his friends 'can't relate' to what he's going through to the point that he gets upset if they try to tell him they understand how he feels. We also see this through how he bonds to people from similar walks of life, for example, the patient in Death Takes a Holiday. Some of this is just normal human behaviour. It makes sense that BJ would relate better to people who share the same values as him, and a wife and children are symbols of those values. Of course, that doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't connect with people who have different lifestyles with us. BJ obviously does do that, although he doesn't stop wanting relatability and that can make things rocky for everyone involved. What I'm trying to say is, BJ isn't as alone as he seems to feel he is. In fact, it's kind of funny how not-alone he is, sharing a tiny tent with Charles and Hawkeye, which naturally causes tension between the three of them. And the fact that he relies very heavily on Hawkeye's support throughout the show.

But in Bombshells, he's really, properly alone. Early in the episode, he'd been giddy to get away from the camp and everyone in it to spend a day by himself, fishing peacefully. Then the most harrowing thing to ever happen to him onscreen happens, and Hawkeye isn't there, as he so often is, to shoulder it with him. All BJ has is a total stranger who gives him an impossible task that goes against pretty well everything BJ believes in, to a fault. A doctor forced to cause someone's death - imo, I think this moment is equally as traumatizing for BJ as Hawkeye's moment on the bus in Goodbye, Farewell and Amen. BJ, who couldn't get on board with Hawkeye's plan to do a medically unnecessarily surgery in Preventative Medicine — even if it meant they had a chance to prevent the further injury or deaths of dozens of patients — is forced to cut a man's life line. It's a devastating moment and I have a lot of sympathy for him.

I know BJ well enough at this point that I don't expect him to voluntarily reach out to anyone for help, but interestingly, his isolation is even mirrored by the B-plot. We get an unusual Hawkeye-Charles team-up, where they run a scam reminiscent of the ones Hawkeye and Trapper used to pull, duping the whole camp for funsies. It's not just that normally HawkBeej are the unit to Charles' lone-wolf, it's that Charles and BJ's roles are reversed here even in the tone the plots take: CharlesHawk are doing something frivolous together, while BJ pursues a serious plot - now it's possible my memory may be failing me, but I can't think of another episode that replicates this formula. One specific example of these plots playing off one another as the A/B plots regularly do on MASH: BJ makes a phone call to try to figure out if the man whose line he cut might've survived, while Hawkeye and Charles make a phone call to see if they can contact Marilyn Monroe, the star of their scam.

In typical BJ fashion, when Potter tries to ask if everything's okay, BJ pulls away and acts like everything is fine, but this time it's because he has a plan and he wants to see it through on his own, rather than just sit by himself feeling powerless. He even tells Potter he'd like to try another fishing trip — trying to catch the one he'd cut loose the day before. He does all of this on his own checking beds, asks around, flings open the doors of the ambulance trying to see who's inside — but the fact that these scenes are interspersed with the B-plot, this would make an interesting montage, which is the thought that inspired the gifset I made. It matters less to me why he's doing it and more that it's a rare instance of him doing it on his own.

If he thinks that's because no one can help him, the episode doesn't really argue with his assumption. Hawkeye can tell that something is off, but despite his efforts, BJ keeps himself out of reach. I do not like the position the narrative takes at the end, when BJ tells Hawkeye that they, as surgeons think they're "self-righteous" and better for thumbing their noses at the estabilshment - I think that's a pretty dishonest way to characterize everyone at the 4077th including BJ and an straight example of MASH's unfortunately centrist leanings in the later years.

But despite my problems with that messaging, I still like this episode for it being about BJ and his resolve, detached from those around him and detached from the other big part of the BJ character - his family. All the other big BJ episodes - Period of Adjustment, War Correspondent, Death Takes a Holiday - feature his personal relationships in a big way that drives the plot. Bombshells is an episode that promotes BJ to protagonist, demoting other characters who might otherwise play a role in the drama.

This is most striking to me when even Hawkeye is unable to reach BJ and plays no role in the resolution of the A-plot. He sympathizes with BJ and tries to comfort him with "Well you didn't have a lot of options" - that may be compassion from Hawkeye, but I think it probably sounds dismissive to BJ, and that puts them in an odd role-reversal: BJ in crisis, and everything Hawkeye says is cold comfort to him. Finally, Hawkeye resigns himself to the feeling that he can't help BJ with this and so he leaves when Margaret comes to get him.

I'm not especially fond of the way BJ resolves the plot by giving away his medal and is then shown to be somewhat at peace with that, not because I fault BJ for it, but because I take issue with the broader practice and so does the show on many an occasion. What's important to me is that BJ also does that completely on his own — tie-up the plot.

I could probably go on about how much I disagree with the messaging of this episode, how much I detest the show taking a shot at it's own formerly anti-establishment beat and how that actually does the BJ character a disservice, but I'm not going to here because it's not as important to me as the unique format of this episode.

Bomshells is no s04e19 Hawkeye, but I really appreciate having so much textual stuff to chew on for BJ, rather than having me sit here and try to interpret the inconsistent writing that the writers admitted to for BJ, or Mike Farrell's acting directions. You could say this about a lot of characters, but BJ really deserved to be given the opportunity to stand on his own two feet more often.

[eaeulfl]

Definitely spoilers below for anyone who isn’t done watching

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My mom and I just finished rewatching snk earlier and so I’ve now watched snk, from beginning to end, a grand total of three times and my mom two times. It’s a shame I didn’t think about officially categorizing/compiling some of the episodes/moments into lists after the first time and the second time but here we are. I believe my views/preferences have definitely changed since then, albeit the changes aren’t too dramatic. Anyway I probably just have too much time in my hands lmao

My top 5 most emotional episodes/moments in no particular order:

1. Armin realizing that eren and mikasa didn’t think he was useless and then him trying to convince the soldiers around them that eren wasn’t a threat to humanity

Truly one of the most iconic, most moving parts of the whole show imo. I liked armin so, so much in season 1 and even now my heart still hurts just thinking about the him at the time. He really was the most precious, most promising, sweetest, kindest little thing you’ll ever lay your eyes on. I’m not into any kind of physical contact at all but I just wanted to hug him hold his hand and assure him that everything was going to be alright and that he was doing amazing. Objectively they really only survived because Pyxis arrived just in time, but this doesn’t and shouldn’t diminish the shine of his heart and courage. Season 1 armin will forever remain the best armin for me personally. Absolutely the bestest boy and friend you could ask for.

2. Artur braus: “Sasha…Yer all I hoped for.”

I’ve shed some tears exactly once the entire three times I’ve watched the series but I seriously almost lost it here as well. It was a very, very close call. Sasha is and will forever remain best girl for me and she deserves all of the good the world has to offer.

3. When gabi and falco were screaming their lungs out for Reiner and reiner just kept asking them to be quiet, and then as he transformed again he asked why they wouldn’t just let him die

This one is a bit different. The first time I watched this I didn’t really hurt but I definitely felt a sense of horror. Now I just find it really sad. You can say gabi and falco were trained candidates but specifically in that situation they were just two helpless kids desperately screaming for help and the “help” was ultimately just a guy who had pretty much given up on life because he’d already suffered too much and for too long. It’s insane.

4. When artur braus was talking about how he let Sasha become a soldier not knowing he’d eventually realize that perhaps the world was also just another kind of forest and then after he asked gabi if she was ok and she asked back if he really didn’t hate her kaya came running to kill gabi and Kaya starts screaming and crying after she fails to do so

I had whole-body goosebumps the first time I watched this. Artur and Lisa swallowing their pain and extending their compassion and Kaya struggling with so much anger and sadness were devastating.

5. Levi telling hange to give her heart before she went off to try to slow down the rumbling, her death, and then him telling her to watch over them, and then hange meeting Erwin and the rest

This is the one and only time I’ve ever cried watching the show. I wasn’t ugly sobbing or anything but this really was the heaviest, most painful thing. Exactly after I heard Erwin say “it took off” I lost it. I genuinely don’t think I’ll ever get over hange’s death. Or Erwin’s.

My top 5 best fights/action scenes in no particular order:

1. Sasha freaking fresh graduate braus running down the wall to save Samuel and then shooting the hook of her odm gear into Samuel’s lower calf

This simply isn’t talked about enough. PERSONALLY SASHA IS AND FOREVER WILL BE BEST GIRL.

2. Jean saving Connie and then Marco connie and Annie saving Jean in trost

I really liked the teamwork here and I wish we could’ve seen more of it. Also I’m not like a big fan of Marco or anything but I feel like with some time and experience he could’ve been a good leader too. Or a vice leader. I think it would’ve been interesting to see Jean and Marco work together as commander and vice commander or whatever was next in rank.

3. Everybody working together so that eren could seal the gate with the boulder

This was pretty emotional too.

4. Sasha no odm gear just massive guts and pure skill braus saving kaya

Enough said. Personally still one of the most iconic episodes in the whole gd show.

5. Keith shadis saving surma and rallying and then leading the other cadets, and Jean rallying and leading the soldiers

I absolutely loved that despite his “inferiority complex” or whatever you’d call it Keith is still a soldier and most importantly a leader and a mentor through and through. I loved that even as an older character he still underwent a learning process concerning his own identity and the world. And I’m so proud of Jean for having come so far. Is it Janbo or jeanboyyyyyyyoubetterstopbeforeistartscreamingcryingthrowingup? Also I really appreciate that they acknowledged Pyxis one last time before his death. He really was one of the goats.

My top 5 general moments/episodes in no particular order:

1. When Jean asked armin if abandoning your humanity was the only way to win, and if eren did become that monster would that really be a victory for humanity

This has really stuck with me. Jean best boy.

2. The new Levi squad (eren mikasa armin Sasha jean Connie historia) cleaning the cottage and kinda sorta goofing around and then Levi coming in and inspecting the table and then saying “I’m quite sure I gave you enough time.” lmao

The mood isn’t entirely light here but it’s light enough that they can joke around and get into petty arguments and I really wish we had more episodes like this.

3. Floch telling it like it is before the ceremony to honor their fallen comrades and eren I really can't say if it was the right decision or not jaeger asking armin "What is there beyond the walls?" trying to build his confidence and then finally shutting the hell up after recalling the gruesome death of his aunt faye

Yeah I said I wanted more moments with a lighter mood and this is anything but light, but I'd be lying if I said this wasn’t satisfying to watch. Floch's later ideals were messed up and even without that in the picture it was pretty mean on its own, telling armin that erwin should've lived instead when armin had no say in the decision, but his honesty and objectivity were refreshing. The satisfaction gained from this is still overshadowed by the sacrifices that had been made and by erwin's death, but at the very least this was included into the dialogue. Someone had to tell the truth. Seeing eren unable to continue with his nonsense was just the cherry on top. Again, this is majorly overshadowed by the fact that eren still had his way and the rumbling still happened, but at the very least it was included.

4. Sasha eating seafood/Niccolo's food for the first time

Sasha really undid years of brainwashing and racism by just being herself the beauty of her heart the power she holds SASHA BESTEST MOST LOVABLE GIRL.

5. The first time Sasha eats ice cream and Connie eats from the same ice cream and then sasha goes back to eating the ice cream again

I understand this might not be a big deal for some or maybe a lot of people, but for me this really shows how close they are and how comfortable they are with each other. Neither of them hesitated. It was just so natural for connie to say "Let me try that!" and then to just go for a bite, so natural for sasha I love food braus to extend her arm to offer the ice cream and then to eat it again. I know it's like a really, really, really small thing and maybe not even a thing at all, but it made me feel very warm inside. I've said it before and I'll say it again, how I wish the main trio of snk had been sasha jean and connie instead.

[fruit-sy]

Finished watching the Soul Eater anime

AND I LOVE MAKA AND SOUL HOLY SHIT, YOUR HONOR THEY ARE A DUO . NEVER SEPARATE THEM AHSJBXKZHSB

After watching jjk, Nobara was my 2nd favourite character because of how she's both badass and girly, but I was bummed that she didn't appear as much as I wanted her to in the anime, so I looked to other animes where a girl was the main character and saw Soul Eater had a female main protagonist.

The first episode and I was HOOKED. LOVED IT AAA MAKA KNOWS HOW TO KICK ASS AND SHE'S SO COOL AGSJWWJCOQLFJWK

At first I was kinda on the fence about the art style, but after getting into the first episode I positively ADORE IT. So much charm and style and exaggerated poses which kinda reminds me of ROTTMNT in a way. I see people mentioning it was Tim Burton-esque, and I see it too. A lot of halloween vibes which was very fitting at the time.

Anyways, the fight animation was great, I loved Maka (and Soul) and I was very invested,, until the fanservice came out. I felt like bashing my skull against the wall and just dying inside because of how much I couldn't handle the cringe. But I held out because Maka was my light in the darkness.

Super glad I did because Maka is so fun to watch as a character huehehe. Her dynamic with other characters is really fun, she's a capable fighter and knows how to get around in a fight. She even goes off the hinge and if you know me that makes me giggle excitedly ehhehehehehe (poor crona tho ;_;)

My brother told me "It's an oldie but it's a goodie" and (for the most part) I very much agree. I was late to this anime by 14 years but better late than never amirite?

Anyways, Soul and Maka are everything to me and they should NOT be separated. Though Maka looks like the reasonable one, they're both equally dumbasses. They bicker a lot and sometimes have serious arguments which cause them to split apart, but their friendship runs very deep. I love how I feel like they stand equal with eachother, both pull their weight and one's presence completes the other's, whether literally through the weapon-meister relationship, or figuratively through their friendship and uplifiting eachother when they're down in the dumps.

Soul genuinely really cares for her. Like, he shields Maka in the fight with Stein, Crona, and when she fell, he's there to pull her out the deep end when she's gone into Madness or when her knees buckle under the pressure of a battle or when she's furious beyond belief, and he's loyal as hell and will go through hell and back for her

And the feeling is very mutual! Maka is devastated when he took a hit for her and is determined to get stronger. The scene where she picks up Soul although her hands were burnt by him was hype as hell.

Their whole schtick of like "staying cool" is also so adorable i cant my heart-

ANIME SPOILERS

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The first half of the anime was fantastic. Though it pains me to say the second half was rather lackluster and the ending was disappointing imo. I've heard whispers of spoilers that they fumbled with the ending but I wanted to make that judgement by myself.

It baffles me why these studios don't just put the series on hiatus until more chapters from the manga releases.

Anyways, I'm currently picking up from the manga and I'm hoping for a better ending and story there ;u;

[bunmurdock]

bun you’re so sweet, it makes me so, so happy that you liked my writing !! :’)🧸 i thought i’d write back just to casually yap more about matty (its giving obsessed

cause, tbh, i think about him having a hard time falling asleep quite a lot after watching that scene where elektra sleeps on his couch (s2e7) and the camera focuses on her chest and breathing. as far as i interpreted, it’s sort of a way to make us “see” through matt’s senses.

like, imagine how relieving it must have felt to him falling asleep to her presence after ten years apart? he didn’t bother letting her sleep on his bedroom and sleeping himself on the couch, neither leaving her there to go to his bed, he simply drifted off in a literal chair next to her and a very fucked up neck position lmao.

foggy also mentioned briefly (also s2e7) about how devastated matt was after elektra left him and i often think about that smiley, soft, baby college matt trying to sleep and just live overall without her back then :(

it’s not the ideal super healthy type of relationship, but, being super honest, i think it’s quite impossible to reach that with mm. it doesn’t matter how hard he tries, i think he’d always rely and depend so much both physically and emotionally on his partner.

bro’s got a daddy, mommy, mentor, priest and nun issues on his back. turns out daredevil is just canonically the most sensitive baby ever, who would have thought?! (im looking right at you, stick 🔪)

THIS IS THE KINDA DISCOURSE I LOVE. YAPPING AHEAD.

re: s2e7 "the camera focuses on her chest and breathing. as far as i interpreted, it’s sort of a way to make us “see” through matt’s senses." i definitely read it as that. even though his connection with her wasn't physical, it was definitely made to feel deeply intimate, and to me it was 100% emotional infidelity to karen. i also read his connection with elektra and his final lay to rest at the end of that episode as an itch/addiction scratched, particularly an identity-based one. because season two's biggest antagonistic force imo was matt murdock's own hubris and his inability to reconcile his dual natures as he dealt with the consequences of his own actions from season one (vigilantism over law and order). i know charlie cox once said something to the effect of "when matt puts the suit on, his intentions are good, but when he starts beating on criminals that can turn." that internal conflict coupled with the loneliness and violence of his mission that no one could understand or empathize with but elektra is why i think he fell back in love with her. it was always more than sex for them, but a sense of "i know you like no one else, and you know me." and us-against-the-world dynamics.

that said—definitely. i think a huge part of matt murdock's allure is that he's extremely private—to a fault—but will let one very special person in on everything in his life. he naturally reaches for soulmate bonds. i've always seen matt murdock as a lover, not a fighter, first. sex with him would have a spiritual component. ugh they don't make em like him anymore. 😔

share your mm thoughts

[thatsrightice]

Hiiiii.

5, 6, 11 and 15 for the MotA ask 😊.

5. Which episode wrecked you the most emotionally?

Episode 5 because I was riding SUCH a high from the scenes with our Just-a-Snappin’ trio. I was so freaking giddy, I’d been waiting for the post-Bremen reunion for SO LONG. Flyboys being flyboys, the making fun of each other and the laughter and joy was just unmatched. Might just be my one of my favorite sequences of scenes. And of course as soon as I saw Bubbles on that truck and Crosby standing there, I knew something was off. So incredibly wrong. But seeing that their Fort went down and collided midair with one of the other Forts? Devastating.

6. Which characters death hit you the hardest?

If you thought the answer was going to be anyone other than Bubbles then you’re wrong. See, I knew it was coming because I knew Bubbles wouldn’t make it out of the war, but they caught me off guard because Joseph Bubbles Payne did not go down on the mission to Münster. It cut me open ngl like I don’t cry very much watching shows until someone else is crying so seeing Croz breaking down absolutely sent me. And honestly? His real death was so much sadder. The new Colonel (not seen in the show) had had decided going over the same target at the same altitude twice in a row was a great idea… it was not.

11. Which actor was most suited for their role in the show?

I think everyone was cast really well, but Callum Turner as Bucky just felt like I was watching Bucky Egan reincarnated. And that’s a high compliment coming from me because he’s not in my top 5 favorite characters. Like he looks exactly like him and he was perfect with that Hollywood-attitude that Bucky was known for.

15. Do you have a comfort character?

Rosie. Hands down. Croz is my favorite boy like his story and it sucks how underrated he honestly STILL is imo, but Rosie is such a safe and stable constant. He may not have been there the entire war or the entire series, but he was level headed and confident and everything those boys needed in a leader. He spent hundreds of hours training new recruits with Crosby like they flew every day together for a while. He would get knocked down and just get back up again, he was so freaking incredible and still very humble with a pinch of that cocky pilot attitude we love.

[thewingedwolf]

wait i’m gonna be so annoying and have a final thoughts here

the aesthetic & main romance has just really fallen off. they are incapable of sticking the landing in the third act & while they still have some good looks, i think there’s a certain level of playing it too safe (see Kate’s wardrobe!!!!!) and also just, bizarre makeup choices that were a bit distracting.

they also just don’t know how to keep a character waiting for their romance while building that character up over several arcs. kind of a bad trait to have for a tv show?? 😭😭 like, i love them with all my heart, but everyone has said that eloise, benedict, & colin have felt so confused at points as characters, like the writers didn’t know where to go with them. they’re just waiting for their romance instead of like, growing.

Colin was the male lead what do we even know about him beyond his inability to interact with a woman without projecting onto her.

once again the milfs outsold, agatha and violet are the best thing about this series and i don’t care how much i like violet’s lil thing with agatha’s brother, i want those two gossipy old milfs to kiss sloppy style.

it’s too goddamn short, i think this wasn’t a problem in s1 or qc bc it’s the First season so there’s not as many characters to follow but they keep introducing all these other characters that take space away from a) The Main Couple and b) The Bridgertons As A Family, and those are the draws of the series!! it’s too much for only 8 episodes, what happened to 12-18 episodes for high budget or cable shows, if they had these people on like Normal tv contracts they wouldn’t have such a hard time scheduling and have these long ass waits between seasons Either, im tired of this and i blame the duffer brothers and i want those two nerds hunted for sport.

also hyacinth and gregory are getting SO OLD OMG HURRY UP 😭😭😭

i think they did a better job this season with folding the siblings in together but it feels disjointed from s2. anthony & kate specifically feel very oddly thrown in there and idgi. i loved seeing the bridgertons using calling times as an excuse for Group Hangs, and i loved the way John pointed this out to Francesca. i liked that the ending with benedict where he’s realizing he’s the oldest still left at home with two like, toddler siblings and feeling unhappy with it, but bc they struggle with incorporating all the siblings together, we really lose that thread from last season between him & anthony that could have given benedict a way to explore his sexuality in a slutty way while also giving anthony something to do & not drop the art school thing. however, this is all detailed and would take a lot of time and they only have eight episodes. why. do 13-18 or im gonna start sending death threats to ceos. for legal reasons that’s a joke haha.

i do think in the few kathony scenes we got, they nailed the dynamic that she is the world’s most put upon eldest daughterson and he needs to be institutionalized. pls put jonathan bailey and simone ashley in another thing together so i can see them together again. this can’t be the end. be the next tom hanks and meg ryan please. he george clooney and julia roberts. i’m on my knees here.

am i allowed to say i’m glad we got a long devirginizing scene like in s1 & qc but also we did not see Nearly enough of those two fucking. more than kathony but imo still not on the level of the other two. also you could write an essay here about the sex politics of this show. i will refrain and say Is This Not The Pervert’s Show?? Can we Please get better pandering????

i think no one can handle a big cast like shonda not even her hand picked teams. qc handled having a host of characters so much better. early grey’s is really great at this. htgawm is good at this. u can tell what season she was really In That Writer’s Room. shonda pls get back in the writer’s room i need something as emotionally devastating as “meredith i’m so sorry” “you must be the woman whose screwing my husband” i need sexy like the “teach me” scene but with the freedom of streaming to get freaky with it, this cast WANTS to deliver but netflix & these writers are NOT up to the challenge!!!

i love bi benedict. even if nothing else comes of this i didn’t think they’d genuinely have benedict get intimate with and acknowledge being attracted to a man. genuinely really jazzed about that. but they Have said they want to explore his ~fluidity more and there’s so many scenarios that could be, i have no idea what the hell they mean by that askksjd. crossdressing sophie, genderbent to solomon, a trans sophie/solomon of some persuasion, im excited to see where they go!

BI FRANCESCA. MICHAELA STIRLING. PEOPLE ARE HATING BUT YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION. esp bc you could do a michaela that has like, resigned herself to a life of never feeling love only to fall in love At Her Cousin’s Wedding so well with this. these three, michaela francesca john, are gonna break my HEART i’m READY for it!

i want the resolution to one of the gay couples to include brimsley & reynolds encouraging charlotte to cure society of homophobia somehow. if we can do this with racism we can do it with homophobia. why the hell not.

listen to me. listen closely. are you listening. if we don’t get lesbian eloise what are we even fucking doing here. enough fucking around. give me a real sign this is all going somewhere. i am no longer asking.