lonelyzarquon · 1 year ago
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Peter Cushing in Asylum (1972)
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oddlovergirl · 4 years ago
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Hey, the Golden Wind English dub is coming to a close pretty soon, and I wanna talk to you guys about something. Remember a common complaint about the English dub being about Narancia sounding a lot more masculine than his Japanese sub, which was considered more fitting to his androgynous appearance? Today, while I was browsing the Trivia section of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Vento Aureo https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/JojosBizarreAdventureVentoAureo out of boredom for the umpteenth time, I discovered a new fact added on the web page that there is a tweet stating that a non-binary trans-male actor named Casey Mongillo wanted to audition for Narancia but the BangZoom casting director didn't let them because she didn’t believe an LGBT actor could sound non-LGBT. As you can see from this article https://comicbook.com/anime/news/jojos-bizarre-adventure-dub-english-discrimination-lgbt-anime/, this is going to stir up quite a controversy, and for good reason, too.
For those of you who don’t know who Casey Mongillo is, they are the voice for Shinji Ikari in the 2019 Netflix English dub for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Scorbunny and Chrysa in the Pokémon Journeys television series, Shou Suzuki from Mob Psycho 100, and more. They’re also a gamer as well; you can find their gaming channel on YouTube. Once I got home from work, I decided to go on Youtube to find some videos on Casey Mongillo just to get an idea on what their voice sounds like, especially as Shinji. Needless to say, I am quite amazed to hear how Casey talks and even gave range when voicing Shinji, managing to give an androgynous edge to the boy (even if Spike Spencer managed to do a fantastic job voicing Shinji in the ADV dub). If Casey were to voice Narancia instead of Kyle, imagine the memes popping up about Shinji finally growing a pair and living in an alternate timeline where his relationship with his father isn’t so badly damaged, being rather healthy even (fun fact: the Netflix dub voice for Gendo is Ray Chase, and I know y’all like to make memes about Bruno being a parent). 
Also, I would like to let you guys know that Casey Mongillo has one thing to share in the aforementioned article I had a link to; they stated they don't want any negative energy to obscure the love fans have for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure:
Casey Mongillo: “I need to reiterate that I’ve discussed this with the casting director since. While it does hurt to not have been able to audition for this show and others because of my orientation, it also hurts to see people throwing hate around towards the director. Nothing gets solved with hatred. It's negative energy, and doesn't help anyone. It's better to help educate people with outdated views than hate and shun. I still have faith the studio will change for the better. Support VAs from marginalized groups. That is all.”
So yeah, please do this for Casey.
It’s truly a huge letdown that Casey didn’t get to voice Narancia. Don’t get me wrong, Kyle McCarley did a GREAT job voicing Narancia. Even if it sounds weird to hear Narancia sound masculine, at least Kyle managed to give a stellar performance as him, especially regarding Narancia’s heartbroken reaction in GW episode 28, and his talk with Trish in GW episode 30 is quite stunning, with him making the boy sound so calm and weary. But still, having Casey give Narancia an androgynous voice would be a match made in heaven (no pun intended regarding one of the Stands)! It just made me wish that I can hear Casey voice-act as my favorite little orange boi.
Just imagine! How frigging epic would it be to hear Shinji be an extraverted, childish cutie with a huge violent streak and even scream out the Volare Via stand cry? Just imagine that shit.
UPDATE circa 1/30/2021: Last night I happened to have rewatched a video Casey made https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6yDW5vLz-A, and it is spectactular to hear them give Narancia the appropriately high-pitched, childlike emphasis on the voice (and especially yelling out the Stand name Aerosmith). If there was a Golden Wind/Vento Aureo abridged series with a cast that includes Casey Mongillo as Narancia, I would watch it in a heartbeat.
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forestwater87 · 4 years ago
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Every episode of Camp Camp ranked: A very (non)objective list
It's well past the time of year when Season 5 of Camp Camp would've dropped. I fully understand and support it not coming out; the crew's health and safety are much more important than a comfort show.
However . . . man, would it be nice to have some comfort right now.
So I'm reliving the entire series! I've been known to share with the world a whole bunch of Spicy Hot Takes, but I've never really sat down and talked about my feelings about the show as a whole. 
And what's the best way to do that? Well, just ask Jenny Nicholson: a numbered list! That is, here's the series ranked from worst episode to best, because I want to get the negativity out of the way early and focus on everything I love (and because people enjoy complaining, so let’s frontload all that). 
The takes will be hot. The feelings will be intense. The post, I'm assuming, will be largely unread.
Let's do it!
Oh and duh, there are spoilers. I tried to keep it pretty chill, but you’ll want to have watched the whole show or just not care about spoilers before going forward.
Also slashes in the middle of “naughty words” are meant to prevent this from being kept out of the main tags. Who knows if it’ll work? I don’t.
60. Who Peed the Lake? (Season 4, epis/sode 3)
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Ah, good ol' Pi/ss Lake (or as @hopefullypessimistic84​ calls it because she's funnier than any of us will ever be, “Pis/s Fe/tish Dot Com”). Terrible, one of the few I’d consider nigh unwatchable. I actually kind of love this episode for being such great shorthand for "the absolute worst one."
Who signed off on an entire episode centered around Sherlock Holmes meets a bad om/o joke? Give me names and addresses: I just want to talk.
59. Reigny Day (Season 1, episode 6)
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And nobody was surprised.
I'll admit I'm more willing to defend this episode than many people, but it's not . . . like, good. It seemed okay when there were only 11 other episodes to compare it to, but now that there have been so many bangers, this comes across as extremely weak. 
And let’s just say the Na/zi jokes hit a lot differently in 2020 than they did in the summer of 2016.
I’m overall happy with the direction the showrunners have moved Dolph’s character in, and I can’t totally blame them for using a kind of humor that was fairly common in the pre-Trump era, but yikes, this has aged like milk. And it wasn’t even very funny at the time, so it aged like milk that was already pretty bad to begin with.
58. Squirrel Camp (Season 4, episode 10)
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This is a dumb one.
Not much else to say; it’s just kinda stupid and lame.
57. Fashion Victims (Season 4, episode 13)
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I love Sasha, but this is filler. Which isn’t in itself a bad thing -- I have a couple episodes near the top that could reasonably be called filler, and a valid argument could easily be made that “filler episodes” don’t actually exist in a show with no plot -- but as much as I adore the Flower Scouts and enjoy the handful of good moments we get in this episode . . . who cares? Does anyone really give a sh/it about anything that happens here? Does anyone get their life from this one?
I didn’t think so.
56. Foreign Exchange Campers (Season 3, episode 3)
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I know, I know, your Russian waifu came from this episode. Why do you think it’s so low on this list?
Okay, for real: this is . . . fine. It’s fine. It’s fine? I’m not mad at it, it just feels tonally incongruous and not very memorable beyond the fact that the fandom got really weird and kinda gross about Vera. But the episode itself? There’s some cute stuff with Neil and Nikki being jealous, but for the most part it’s a big hunk of white bread with some super mild white cheese that’s kinda soggy from sitting in a bag for too long and getting all condensation-y. 
That is to say: it’s fine.
ETA: Space Kid does say “fu/ck.” I can’t decide if that’s a point in the episode’s favor or against it.
This is the last of what I’d call the “bad” episodes. Everything after this ranges from mediocre to mind-blowingly amazing. But whatever our failing tier of Camp Camp episodes is, it stops right about here. 
Onto the good stuff!
55. Night of the Living Ill (Season 2 Halloween episode)
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I keep switching this with “Eggs Benefits,” which probably means they should be tied. But whatever, this is my list and I am in charge and I’ve finally decided, after like 5 changes, that I like this one a little bit less.
It’s a fun Romero parody with nothing I’d call bad. Really this one’s only so low on the list because I think it’s kinda icky, and looking at those green snotty faces makes me queasy. If you think this is a bad reason to put it near the bottom of the list, then make your own post.
54. Cameron Campbell Can't Handle the Truth Serum (Season 4, episode 11)
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I . . . don’t remember this at all. I initially had it a bit higher because I tend to love things with Campbell in them, but then I realized that nothing about this episode stuck in my brain even a little bit. 
Oh, this is the “Dolph has autism” episode that made everyone either extremely happy or really mad? Okay. I guess that’s the most remarkable thing about it. Neato.
Cam, I love you, but this was just not the best use of your sleazy charm.
53. Eggs Benefits (Season 2, episode 9)
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This is one of those episodes with enough cute moments and good ideas to save it from being totally unmemorable, and I mostly enjoy rewatching. Platypus being a mom is a fabulous idea, and pairing the campers the way they did was mostly really interesting and fun.
The Preston-Nurf stuff takes it down several pretty significant notches, though. It’s what the kids would call problematic, and while I normally enjoy how the show doesn’t skew away from darker themes and jokes, it didn’t really fit either of their characters and just . . . isn’t fun to watch. It’s not especially funny, it’s not especially tragic, it’s just uncomfortable.
52. Camp Campbell Wants YOU! (Season 1, episode 0)
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Honestly, this would be a lot higher if it was a full-length episode. It’s funny.
The next 5 or so episodes fall under the “cute but not very memorable” umbrella:
51. Nikki's Last Day on Earth (Season 3, episode 4)
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I love the ensemble episodes, so this was always going to score higher than any of the single-character “meh” eps. I didn’t see the twist coming, though I know a lot of other fans did. Textbook example of “cute but not very memorable” -- the Platonic ideal of that concept.
50. The Candy Kingpin (Season 3, episode 9)
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A clever idea that plays on Max’s worst characteristics and then calls him out for them, while also giving Dolph some much-needed character development. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like it really picks up until the last third of the episode, leaving the rest just kind of sitting there.
49. Campfire Tales (Season 4, episode 13)
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Who doesn’t love campfire stories?
That’s all I got. They’re campfire stories.
ETA: OH SH/IT THIS ONE HAS THAT REALLY SCARY STORY! Where David’s all like . . . Slenderman’d. Fu/ck, I didn’t remember that until I was writing out my thoughts for #35 or so. That definitely elevates it, but I’m too tired to try and re-decide where this should go, so just tie it with “New Adventure!”
48. New Adventure! (Season 4, episode 4)
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New trio! Focusing on these 3 was a definite risk, and I think it really paid off. While the “plot” itself isn’t anything special, there are a handful of really great side gags (hi, Dirty Kevin!!!!) and it’s fun to see these three interact. They all get some nice character beats. It’s a good time.
47. Something Fishy (Season 3, episode 8)
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This might’ve hit me harder if I’d actually seen The Shape of Water, but the send-up works fine without having more than the seen-the-trailer level of understanding. Gwen dresses pretty, which I love; Max sucks, which I also love. What drags this one down is mostly feeling like the surreal aspects of the comedy go a bit too far into the “what the fu/ck am I looking at?” territory without really . . . making an actual joke beyond “look! Wacky!"
Why is David at the opera with a bird? Why??
46. City Survival (Season 3, episode 11)
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Literally do not remember a single thing about this episode except David getting mugged and being called a “homeless twi/nk.” That should probably rank it lower on the list, but David being a fluttery mother hen saves it for me -- as does the fact that it leads directly into one of my favorite episodes, and the single best story arc of the series.
Next set of episodes is what I’m going to arbitrarily call “okay! but like the good kind of okay, not the bad kind.”
45. Bonjour Bonquisha (Season 2, episode 7)
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Max and Sasha masterminding a scheme is really fun; their dynamic is great (though it won’t be fully realized until Season 4), and heartbroken David is so tragically cute it actually makes my heart explode out of my chest.
Also I can’t resist a good “3 kids in a trench coat” gag.
44. Anti-Social Network (Season 2, episode 2)
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Neil is very relatable and I don’t have much else to say about this one. It’s fun to see an episode that more heavily focuses on our nerdy science boy, and Max and Neil teaming up to save Nikki was really charming and sweet and set my Makkiel ship out to sea.
43. A Camp Camp Christmas, or Whatever (Season 2 holiday episode)
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Why does this episode have a musical number? It’s not good.
Okay, that was mean. This is fun and cute and Gwen wears a pretty purple sweatshirt and Space Kid gives her a present and it’s really sweet. But that musical number is an instant fast-forward for me, sorry.
42. Preston Goodplay's Good Play (Season 4, episode 7)
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We get some Preston character development! Awesome!
It’s done in a really trippy and surreal way that totally fits his character and heightens the drama of the episode! Awesome!
David has an apparently-tragic history of being a French mime! Not a good call! 
Next tier: Some good sh/it! (Tbh, these could all be put in just about any order; they might as well be one massive tie.)
41. Cookin' Cookies (Season 2, episode 11)
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I love the Flower Scouts. I love Dirty Kevin. I love the idea of accidentally starting a dru/g empire. Another weird, borderline experimental one focusing on side characters, and I think it works better than “New Adventure!” because the scale of the melodrama is just so over-the-top.
The fact that this is in the bottom 20 but I have nothing but good things to say about it illustrates how dang good this show is. It’s only getting better from here, folks!
40. Romeo & Juliet II: Love Resurrected (Season 1, episode 7)
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Preston is a terrible playwright. This makes sense, because he’s like 11, but he’s the kind of hilariously bad I wish I’d been as a preteen, because his play is absolutely bonkers. Max fucking with David is great, Tabii vs. Bonquisha is great, Bonquisha in general is a giant amazonian goddess and I want to be swept up into her giant arms. Neil is . . . a robot, for some reason?
So much fun!
39. Camp Cool Kidz (Season 1, episode 4)
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I don’t love Ered’s characterization in this one, but there are a lot of wacky hijinks in this episode that I think make it really enjoyable. Max’s wide-eyed revolutionary naïveté is a fun change from his usual dour pessimism, and Nikki’s loyalty to Ered is both very gay and very charming. Plus we get to learn a bit more about how the camp operates (and fails to operate), and it’s a nice way to better establish the campsite as its own setting.
(Definitely think “Cool” should’ve been spelled with a K though. But whatever, I don’t write for the show.)
38. Scout's Dishonor (Season 1, episode 3)
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The birth of Neeancy! The introduction of the Flower and Wood Scouts! Neil saying “cu/nt” -- one of the first and only truly shocking uses of profanity in the entire show! ZUKO!
I don’t know if my fondness for this one is rooted mostly in nostalgia or if it was actually really fun, but I enjoyed the he/ll out of it. Not as highly-rated as some other episodes mostly because it doesn’t really do anything, character or story-wise, but not every episode needs to be a massive game-changer that drowns us in feels. Sometimes it’s enough to have a fun romp, and this is very that.
37. Ered Gets Her Cool Back (Season 3, episode 2)
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Awww, Ered. I have a soft spot for her, because I love the archetype of a spoiled bit/ch clearly still figuring out how to be a person and have friends. You really get the sense of her as a teenager trying to sort her shi/t out in this episode, which I would love to see more of. Her interactions with Nerris are top-tier, and I like that it’s a continuation of how her character’s been softening since Season 1 into this kind of big-sister figure.
Also, all the female campers in this show are lesbians. I do not make the rules.
36. Attack of the Nurfs (Season 4, episode 2)
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I feel like this is a pretty underrated episode. But then again, I feel like Nurf is a pretty underrated character, so maybe that’s just my own personal bias.
I really enjoyed all the different iterations of Nurf, and I think Blaine did a killer job giving each one its own personality and life. It’s a fun episode that plays hard with cartoon physics (a 3D printer printing people! I love it!) and has a surprisingly moving ending.
At least, that’s what I think. Most other people seem to find this one pretty forgettable. Again: make your own da/mn list. I liked it.
35. Mascot (Season 1, episode 2)
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This entire episode is memorable for so many things, but a few of my favorites:
David is established as kind of a di/ck.
Platypus arrives and kicks all the as/s.
Quartermaster is the best.
Nerris, Harrison, and Space Kid all get little moments to show off how cute they are.
Neil and Nikki bonding.
This:
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34. Quest to Sleepy Peak Peak (Season 2, episode 3)
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I love watching Nerris and Harrison bicker, and Neil and Nikki fit really well into their group. It reminds me of being a kid, and of playing Dungeons & Dragons (as an adult, because I’m so cool), and of summer . . . which is a really good thing for this show. There are a lot of funny one-liners, and it’s just a good dang time.
33. Quartermaster Appreciation Day (Season 2, episode 6)
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I don’t think this one is all that well-loved, but I thought it was funny. There are literally zero important plot or character moments, but it made me laugh a lot, and that’s all I need a Camp Camp episode to do. 
I love QM, and the more we learn about him, the more confused and disturbed we end up being. What a fu/cking champion.
32. Arrival of the Torso Takers (Season 3 Halloween episode)
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I lowkey hated this one when it came out, because I knew the Daniel stans were going to be exhausting. And they kind of were? But looking back, it’s a great way to reintroduce this motherfu/cker. He’s a lot scarier than he was the last time around -- but also less competent, which is a great way to kick him in the proverbial ba/lls -- and while I wish it had a lot more Gwen in it, it’s a clever and creative Halloween episode. 
31. Operation: Charlie Tango Foxtrot (Season 3, episode 10)
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Charlie . . . Tango . . . Foxtrot . . . CTF . . . OH! Capture the Flag! I never got that before. Oh, that’s neat. I love this show.
Listen, every time the writers decide to take a risk and do something bizarre and creative, I’m going to be here for it at least a little bit. An entire episode told from the POV of the Woodscouts, explaining how hard they failed in all directions? A great gag where everyone in Petrol’s story talks in grunts? The return of Jermy Fartz?! Fantastic. 
30. Panicked Room (Season 4, episode 16)
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Listen. I’m a sucker for my trash grandpa; anything Campbell-centric is probably going to be pretty good (except #54), because he’s just one of the most consistently funny and engaging characters. Good times are had whenever this terrible man is on the screen, and giving him a romantic backstory? A tragic romantic backstory full of mistakes and emotional damage?? One where he waited 17 YEARS for the love of his life???
We have no choice but to stan.
29. Party Pooper (Season 4, episode 15)
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I’m so predictable. If you put Gwen in something, I will be happy. If you make an entire episode about how Gwen is under-appreciated and overworked and just trying to do her best despite the circumstances, I will dedicate my firstborn child to you.
Anyway, this episode is really sweet, and I liked the unexpected direction the writers took her relationship with her dad. He seems like a nice guy, they seem like they have a nice relationship, and . . . well, an episode about how hard it is to be an adult millennial hit pretty hard. Plus this was just a really pretty episode -- and not just because Gwen was in so much of it! Seriously, that night sky was a thing of beauty.
Also if you say a fuc/king word about Max and that godda/mn dog I will choke you out with your own intestines. Few things are more hilariously, annoyingly ironic than the fact that the entire fandom ignored and failed to appreciate Gwen . . . in the episode all about how everyone ignores and fails to appreciate Gwen.
28. Culture Day (Season 3 holiday episode)
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Now, would it be arrogant to point out that I had the idea for a Culture/Heritage Day back in September 2018? Yes, especially since I don’t think the writers ever read fanfiction and it has literally nothing to do with this episode. Will that stop me? He/ll no it will not! I am a creature of ego! Read my stuff! 
Anyway, this is a really fun look at Neil’s background, personality, and relationships. Max looking out for him is just . . . oh my god, I cannot, I’ve written like 30 of these and my brain is starting to melt, but these two are so cute. I love arrogant Neil, and I love protective Max, and I love QM and Gwen fuc/king over the Flower Scouts to save the day. Everything about this episode is lovely.
27. Cameron Campbell the Camp Campbell Camper (Season 3, episode 7)
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This should not be ranked so high (even if these are all essentially tied). This is a dumb episode based on a really, really dumb premise. 
But . . . I don’t know what to tell you. “Samboy Kidwell,” Max realizing he and Campbell are disturbingly similar and not liking what his future could look like, David’s “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed” face . . . this episode happens to hit all of my favorite things. It had a really good balance of heavy-handed moralizing and goofs, it was part of the most graceful lead-up into a finale the show has ever had, and I’m just all about it. 
Excellent job, Samboy. Count Olaf would be proud of your disguise.
There ends the “some good sh/it” tier. We’re starting to get into the really excellent stuff now!
26. Parents' Day (Season 2, episode 12)
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I know. You want this to be higher. I hear you.
Honestly I’m kind of shocked it’s this high; it’s my least favorite of the season finales so far, and I had to push past a lot of prejudice to actually rank this where I think it deserves to be, as opposed to somewhere in the like mid-40s. Mostly because it gave fuel to the raging inferno of “Max has terrible parents and David should adopt him” headcanons, which I’ve detailed my problems with extensively in the past (in a post that, statistically speaking, none of you have read).
But, trying to be objective: is this episode actually any good?
Well . . . yeah, it really is.
So much work was put into giving each of the campers families that make sense with their characters and bounce absurdly well off of them, ranging from wholesome and adorable (Nerris’s family) to quietly tragic (Harrison’s parents), and they’re all designed so well; they’re fun to look at and fun to watch interact with the kids and each other. (The only exception is Dolph’s dad, who is both kinda lame and misattributes the cause of the weird Na/zi thing because it did not come from Germany, I assure you. But things with Dolph are always a little off, and I don’t really know how you would give him a backstory that actually works with the character, so they were caught between a rock and a hard place there.)
The drama of David having to choose between the man he considers his father and the camp he considers his home is really touching, and him and Gwen choosing to take a sad camper out to get pizza instead of covering for their boss’s a/ss is such a beautiful moment for both of them that I can’t really blame the fandom for losing their mind over it. Campbell’s arrest leading into the arcs of the next two seasons was great as well, and the finale left us all with this weird sense of foreboding because we didn’t know what was going to happen next; it was the only finale that actually ended on something close to a cliffhanger, while still being satisfying enough to keep us all from melting down.
Plus, it’s funny. Carl and Candy are really funny and the idea of Neil and Nikki’s parents boning is funny in a horrible way. The joke about Quartersister is funny. It’s a good episode.
Should this be higher? Maybe, but I can’t bring myself to put it above the rest of these episodes. Again: make your own list.
25. Mind Freakers (Season 1, episode 10)
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The episode that launched a thousand ships. Assuming those ships are all Harrison/Neil, anyway.
It’s hard to talk about these Season 1 episodes because they feel so classic. Like, what is there to say? You’ve all seen it a couple dozen times; I’ve seen it a couple dozen times. Harrison is a di/ck, Neil is possibly an even bigger di/ck, and magic may or may not be real. (Though spoilers for literally every season: yes, magic is definitely real.) It’s so much fun watching these two smug as/sholes snipe at each other in an almost literal playground hair-pulling way that could very easily be read as flirtation. 
And the fandom did most certainly read it that way, at least for a little while.
24. Gwen Gets a Job (Season 2, episode 8)
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It’s Gwen. What, was I supposed to not put it this high?
This was the first Gwen-centric episode, and it absolutely slaps. She’s pushed to the breaking point and responds by being a cold-hearted BAMF, and it got her some pretty significant hate from fans but I don’t give a fu/ck, I loved it. We got to see her all dolled up, and then we got to see her all disheveled, and both of those looks were gorgeous. David gives her a tiny fragment of the love and validation she deserves (I don’t know if this is when gwenvid started taking off -- I think it wasn’t really until “Parents’ Day,” or even Season 3 -- but I ate that s/hit up).
Also, again: job hunting post-2008. It’s a bad time, y’all. Camp Camp gets it.
23. Follow the Leader (Season 4, episode 6)
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Yeah, I was kind of surprised at how high this landed, too. I guess I’m just a sucker for unlikely companionships, and these three have a great chemistry. The combination of competitiveness, sass, and reluctant admiration make their interactions a lot of fun. Their motivation of doing petty errands for Campbell for the sake of getting at the Box of Illegal Contraband is a great framework too, with high enough stakes to justify all sorts of wacky shenanigans without causing actual anxiety.
I want to see these characters forced to spend more time together. Please, RT, make that happen.
22. Escape from Camp Campbell (Season 1, episode 1)
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In terms of numbers, this feels so low, but considering everything from about #45 on is ranked as at least decent, this is actually a pretty high rating. There are 21 episodes I’d call better than this, but these decisions were all pretty painful.
This introduces us to everyone! The main trio, the counselors, Mr. Campbell; we get a snapshot of the major personalities running around the camp, the major points of conflict (Max vs. David, primarily), the major building blocks of future episodes, setting, and relationships . . . 
Again, I don’t know how much of my love for this episode is nostalgia -- there’s a lot of squeeing at familiar faces and gags; this is the first time David gets hit by a bus!!! -- but it was a fun and funny introduction to a series that’s ended up being so important to me, and I’m so grateful this wonderful, quirky little show with its wonderful and quirky little premiere. 
Of all the episodes, I really can’t look at this one objectively. It’s too important.
21. The Fun-Raiser (Season 3, episode 1)
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David and Gwen scheming is my ki/nk. They very rarely scheme together, but every single time their teamwork makes the dream work (or, more frequently, makes the dream fail horribly and have disastrous consequences) my soul flies out of my body and takes to the stars, where I write another 500 first chapters to gwenvid fanfics I’ll probably never finish.
This is a great follow-up to “Parents’ Day,” where we immediately see the consequences of the previous season finale and what happens when the one adult in the camp disappears. Mr. Campbell was a terrible adult, true, but at least he was smart enough not to steal QM’s hook. Like . . . whose plan was this? It was so bad. These two are hilariously incompetent sometimes -- often when their bad ideas are feeding off of each other, actually, a la this and “Space Camp Was a Hoax” -- and watching them frantically try and keep all their balls in the air is so great. 
The ending is satisfying, too; a bit graphic, in keeping with a show that tends to keep the violence limited to periodic spurts of bloodshed 1-2 times a season and mostly pretty mild the rest of the time, but between Max stepping up and fixing everything while still being his shi/tty self to our dear dumba/ss counselors getting their dumb as/ses handed to them (deservedly so, if we’re being honest) . . . it’s such a great note to begin a new season on.
20. Journey to Spooky Island (Season 1, episode 5)
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A classic.
We get to meet our spooky boy Jasper, we get to watch the comedy trio play off each other and continue to sketch out the general contours of their friendship, and we get to see the Quartermaster with a big purple dil/do for a hand. What’s not to love?
19. The Butterfinger Effect (Season 4, episode 17)
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CONTROVERSIAL HOT TAKES! GET YOUR CONTROVERSIAL HOT TAKES HERE!
I’ve already gone into some pretty intense detail about why I think this one is actually really good and carries the theme of embracing change that everything about Season 4 was centered around, but none of y’all read that so here it is in short: this episode is super funny, almost all of the campers’ transformations work really well as extensions of their characters while still being strange and surprising, and the fact that Nurf creates all of these problems by trying to solve them is deliciously fun to watch in a karmic sort of way.
Or maybe it’s just because any Nurf-centric episode is going to rank pretty highly for me. That is also possible.
18. Space Camp Was a Hoax (Season 2, episode 10)
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Our camp counselors being bad people: it’s my drug of choice.
We get Space Kid tripping balls in what might be one of the funniest sequences in the show, the entire camp coming together to try and pull off the stupidest, most impossible task (and kinda maybe almost nailing it???), and once again the fun of watching Gwen and David scramble to keep from getting caught in their boss’s shit/ty lies is so great. And Lindsay’s voice acting is absolutely killer, even more so than usual. 
17. Jermy Fartz (Season 2, episode 4)
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I get the sense this might be a somewhat controversial one. 
I’ve written before about why I think this episode is a lot of fun, but it mostly boils down to two things: watching the campers try (and fail) to be nice to the most bully-able person on the entire planet, and the essential likeableness of Jermy. 
No, really.
I think a lot of people were put off by Jermy’s general grossness, because . . . my god is he disgusting, but he’s also polite and good-natured, and seems totally self aware of how difficult he is to be around, without letting it make him depressed. He’s cheerful in a weirdly downbeat way that’s impossible to understand until you see him in action. He’s so matter-of-fact about his own awfulness in a way that I found entirely endearing. I don’t think I’d want him at my camp, either, but get that kid to a good dermatologist and gastroenterologist, teach him some basic hygiene and social skills, and you’ll have quite a little gentleman there.
I do however find it hilarious that apparently David got the type of tree wrong when making fun of Jermy. Not only is that a great moment for reveling in David being an as/shole, but he didn’t even have the right wood. F/ucking idiot. I love him so much.
These last ones are my favorites! (Well, duh, that’s how this whole ranking thing works.) Maybe not perfect, but just really good and with limitless rewatch value.
16. St. Campbell's Day (Season 4 holiday episode)
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They Grinch’d Camp Camp. Those brilliant bast/ards, they really pulled it off.
Ignoring the fact that David is truly frightening-looking for most of the episode, this is a great bookend to Season 4, following up on the theme established in the first episode about how David is a flawed and selfish human being despite trying his best not to be.
This is another one I was surprised to find so high on the list, but the more I thought about it the more I realizes how good it is. David being a jerk is always one of my favorite storylines, and the fact that the trouble comes from him trusting Mr. Campbell too little instead of too much is a nice twist on the usual formula. Gwen coming to help him out despite a blistering hangover gave me aggressive shipping feels, yes, obviously. 
Between a lot of really funny little gags like QM’s failed satanic ritual and the genuinely touching moral about the importance of spending time with the people you love, it’s just a really lovely episode that gets just the right amount of maudlin for the holiday season. 
15. Jasper Dies at the End (Season 2, episode 5)
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I kept switching this and “Dial M for Jasper”; it was a really difficult decision to make, figuring out where these two belonged. I think in the end, while the John Dies at the End reference was very, very good, this one loses me a little bit by being told from David’s perspective. Now, normally the more David is in an episode the more I’ll be likely to love it (see my #1 for proof of that), but his blinders when it comes to the camp and Mr. Campbell result in a really funny story, but one without the same emotional heft as hearing about what happened from Jasper’s point of view.
That doesn’t mean it’s not perfect for what it needs to be: each Jasper episode builds on the previous ones, and having the same intensity of “Dial M for Jasper,” where we learn how he died and how his relationship with David fell apart, would be weird and heavy at this point. In Season 1 we just found out he’s a ghost (and eagle-eyed viewers realized he’d been a camper with David); in Season 2 we find out how David views their friendship and time at camp; and in Season 3 we get Jasper’s perspective. It’s an absolutely wonderful raising of the stakes (for lack of a better term), but the one that packs more of an emotional punch is going to rank a bit higher than the one that’s mostly just for laughs.
That being said: there are plenty of laughs in this one. Everyone -- Griffin, Miles, Travis, the animators -- nailed this one, and it gets funnier every time I watch it.
14. Camporee (Season 1, episode 11)
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AKA the episode where Forest realized she was in love with Gwen. 
What a great idea for an episode, seriously. Every coming-of-age story has a talent show or a competition or a big game -- something where the kiddos can show off their improved skills and teamwork to beat their bullies or whatever. And this show has both kinds of bullies: the popular girly girls and the violent muscleheads. What a great moment to pull everyone together and show how friendship can help us accomplish anything!
Except . . . of course that’s not what happens. Of course they’re absolute garbage, and of course teamwork isn’t the answer. Gwen is the perfect foil for David here, being the anti-teamwork, anti-Camp-Campbell adult who can perfectly and effortlessly undermine David’s relentless optimism. David wants so badly for his campers to live in the same coming-of-age summer movie he did as a child, and their staunch refusal to do that leads to a really heartbreaking closer to the episode, as well as lead into the next one. Everything about this, from the challenges to the setup to Gwen shouting “we are winning this FUC/KING trophy!” is just gold.
13. David Gets Hard (Season 1, episode 9)
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We have David. We have Nurf. We have Gwen. We have Max trying to be helpful in the shi/ttiest way possible.
We have all the makings of a da/mn good episode. And they deliver. Not a very emotionally intense or moving one, but so, so funny.
12. Dial M for Jasper (Season 3, episode 5)
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This isn’t the fate any of us expected for Jasper, and it’s not the fate of a lot of people wanted. But godda/mn it, it worked. The constant bait-and-switch the episode keeps playing with, where you keep waiting for something really dramatic and tragic to happen . . . and then the reality is that Jasper died because Mr. Campbell was stupid and careless, and it was all just a horribly sad accident.
It’s anticlimactic, but in a way that suits the series, both as a comedic counterpoint to all the hype throughout the episode and as a way to establish that Cameron Campbell is a bad man first and foremost through selfishness and laziness, not Daniel-esque sinister evil. Jasper’s death was totally avoidable and totally Campbell’s fault, and while that’s sad, it also adds a weird sort of lightness to the episode. David didn’t do something terrible to kill his best friend, Jasper didn’t kill himself, and without having actively chosen to murder a child (well, not this time), the door remains open for fans accepting Campbell’s later pseudo-redemption. It was just an accident, and Jasper was “haunting” David to tell him that he was sorry for how their friendship ended. That’s really sweet, actually.
I think it’s the best way this reveal could’ve gone, and I’m so impressed with how they pulled it all off.
11. Into Town (Season 1, episode 8)
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This might actually be the only flawless episode in the entire show. I mean, I call a lot of them flawless, and I mean that on an emotional level -- “I love this so much I cannot see anything wrong with it” -- but this one is a masterpiece of storytelling. All the technical jumbo I’m bad at, like planting and payoff and tension and all of that, is just perfect.
I feel like this is the kind of claim that needs to be backed up with a long-as/s essay full of citations and video clips and references to, like, Joseph Campbell or something, but this is my 49th entry in the list so I am not going to be doing that. Besides, I don’t think my English degree qualifies me to critique film/animation; I don’t even entirely know half the terms I’ve used to compliment this episode. Someone else please explain why this is such a good one.
10. The Quarter-Moon Convergence (Season 4, episode 5)
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I’ve mentioned in other entries that the weird, surreal humor sometimes doesn’t work; it feels too much like being odd for its own sake, and sometimes gets so distracted in being surreal that it forgets to include anything funny or meaningful. 
This . . . is not one of those.
Putting Harrison and QM together is a stroke of genius; the two of them are literally the most magical beings in the entire show, and using them as the conveyance for this great Lovecraftian horror-comedy was such a good idea. I don’t know if we’ll ever see these two interact in another episode -- honestly, this felt a bit like lightning in a bottle, and I have a hard time imagining what could possibly bring them together again -- but if this is the only episode we get, it is such a fantastic one.
Harrison makes a really good everyman, despite his powers; he’s just the right amount of confident and insecure to pull off that wide-eyed apprentice to QM’s grizzled wise mentor. (The fact that QM is objectively a terrible mentor is beside the point.) I still don’t entirely know what the two of them accomplished, but it feels baffling and momentous, with the perfect amount of gravity to make things extremely tense all the way through to the end.
Also, I guess God is an octopus? That’s kinda cool. I like octopuses.
9. Camp Corp. (Season 3, episode 12)
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Another unpopular opinion? Oh ho ho, I am so contrary! I am Not Like Other Fans! I am the Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way, refusing to have the same opinions of all you prepz.
I know this wasn’t the most well-loved episode, but I think it did a really great job tying together story threads woven throughout Season 3: Max’s selfishness leading to him hurting other people, his growing realization that he cares about his friends and the camp itself, the parallels between him and Mr. Campbell (and the fact that they both get this redemption moment in the finale). 
This is the most Max-centric season, focusing on his flaws and character growth, and they pulled it off in a really organic way that felt faithful to his character, touching without being too maudlin. The fact that his feelings about the camp are echoed in Gwen, Neil and Nikki, the other campers, and even Mr. Campbell drives home how important the camp -- and David -- are to this strange little family. 
Each season, Max reluctantly becomes a better person, without changing the fundamental core of who he is. That’s a really hard putt for the writers and Michael, and I’m blown away every finale by how they so consistently nail it.
8. Time Crapsules (Season 4, episode 18)
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Gwen-centric? Check.
Max learning how to be a better person while still being the bratty kid we know and love? Check.
Looks at one of the most under-appreciated character dynamics in the entire show (i.e., Max and Gwen)? Checkity check-check-check.
I don’t really have much to say about this one, which I should: it was considered a pretty serious letdown to a lot of fans, and I’m not sure how to explain why I loved it so much. 
Comparing Max from “The Order of the Sparrow” to Max from this episode is wild. It’s not like 2 different characters: they’re still very obviously the same cynical, self-absorbed 10-year-old trying to survive summer camp. But he’s become a more considerate friend and decent version of that kid, and it’s great to watch. The moment where he and Gwen go too far and immediately regret snapping at each other is still painful (on my god, the VAs in this show, they’re so talented), Nikki and Neil both get nice subplots about how they’re also growing up, and the ending is fuc/king hilarious, perfectly breaking the tension from Campbell’s speech, which is both beautifully done and important to hear, especially if you’re in a period of uncomfortable transition (like, say, in your late 20s, or living through about 5 different national and global catastrophes).
And okay, I found that speech on the wiki for this episode and it made me deeply emotional, so here:
Here's the thing: you've got to take your failures and make something out of them. Take Camp Campbell for instance: a lot of poor decisions went into making this place what it is today. Sure, somewhere along the line it maybe strayed from its path, not living up to the camp it wanted to be. At some point, the camp realized that the camp would never reach the end of its path until it was ready or until it gave up. So, if the camp wanted to keep embezzling money and dealing with foreign powers, so be it! But, at some point, it didn't anymore. I never saw this coming, but I'm starting to think this camp is the best it's ever been.
If this is the last episode of Camp Camp we ever get -- and for at least a little while, it looks like it’s going to be -- I can’t think of a sweeter, funnier, and more lovely bittersweet note for this show to go out on.
7. The Lake Lilac Summer Social (Season 3, episode 6)
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And again: No one was surprised. 
This is the longest non-finale episode of the show, and it uses that time perfectly. Rather than having some big emotional moments and character arcs -- which are great, don’t get me wrong -- the writers use the extended time to build a series of shenanigans as complicated as Gwen’s matchmaking web, and watching her try to set up a series of dominos (with David, for once, being the responsible, level-headed one) is almost as satisfying as the catastrophic results. 
Neil and Snake steal this episode, even from someone as in love with Gwen as I am, and for an episode that’s largely about making fun of shippers, there hasn’t been one that launched nearly as many ships as this. Neil/Snake? Tabii/Erin? Max/Nikki? GWENVID?! It’s all here, and I am here for it.
It was also fun to get a traditional episode setup in a very non-traditional show. I assume this means the beach and/or hot springs episode is forthcoming. (No, Pis/s Lake doesn’t count. Obviously it doesn’t count.)
6. Keep the Change (Season 4, episode 1)
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Again, this is an episode I’ve said a lot about in the past -- and I was pretty uncharitable toward Season 3, which in retrospect was very unse/xy of me -- but I stand by a lot of my opinions then: this is a fu/cking great episode.
David is an as/shole, Max is an as/shole, Campbell is an as/shole. No one escapes the as/sholery. David schemes, Max catches him in the scheme, Campbell gets drunk and kind of gay . . . I’m 54 entries into this list and I don’t have much to say anymore: it’s just really good and fun and I love it.
5. Camp Loser Says What? (Season 4, episode 9)
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This is another one I kind of hated when it came out, and again for fandom-related and personal-grudge reasons.
Fu/cking Daniel. That motherfu/cker. He shows up for 12 minutes and Tumblr bursts into flames. Every single time.
However, it’s really hard not to love this one. Daniel-as-Trump is a clever but subtle -- I mean, for this show’s definition of subtle -- allegory, and it’s amazing how much this slimy freak and the Woodscouts slot into it. David is a bise/xual disaster with the absolute worst taste in men, Dirty Kevin and Daniel are onscreen together for all of 2.5 seconds and the kevdan shippers lost their minds, and Xemug looks like Megamind for some weird reason.
My only minor complaint is that the ending is a bit anticlimactic, but it plays on Daniel’s stupidity and the value of teamwork, so it’s a very small nitpick in an episode that mostly works like gangbusters.
4. Cult Camp (Season 2, episode 1)
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Duh. There’s a really good song and we’re introduced to a charismatic, sinister, and totally dumba/ss villain. What’s not to like?
I don’t think I even need to say anything about this episode. Season 2 started off the summer by throwing a lit firecracker directly at the viewer’s face, and ignoring the fact that we as a fandom proceeded to eat each other, it’s impossible not to get caught up in the episode’s wild energy.
And dude, that song. Fabulous. Fu/ck Daniel, but thank god he’s around to be such a prickly little pri/ck.
Now for the top 3: Literally perfect, wouldn’t change a single solitary thing.
3. After Hours (Season 4, episode 8)
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I’m not sure anyone loved this episode as much as me. But this is my list, and I will put this up at the top if I want to and you cannot stop me.
It’s much easier in a lot of ways to talk about the episodes I hated than the ones I love this much. What do I say besides “literally everything about this fills me with joy and my life is better because it exists”? I don’t know. The counselors are my favorite characters, and between Gwen and QM having the weirdest bonding experience, Gwen getting to meet up with people who care about her silly fanfiction, Mr. Campbell being the trash grandpa of my dreams, David getting in way over his head . . . it’s the episode I always wanted, and they made it work so well.
Also, I just discovered that “Gwen Isn’t Your Mother So Stop Asking Her to Rinse Your Dishes” is an actual song and I am overwhelmed with delight. Here, I’m embedding it as well as linking because it’s so good:
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God. This show. What the fu/ck even is up with this amazing, weird-as/s show.
2. The Order of the Sparrow (Season 1, episode 12)
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Duh.
The entire first season is a great time (except “Reigny Day”), but it’s a pretty low-stakes kind of great time. There isn’t much in terms of emotional depth until the very end of “Camporee,” despite some hints at darker themes in one-off jokes and quick asides, so this episode comes a bit out of left field, tonally speaking.
But that’s not a bug, it’s a feature; if the show had been this overtly emotional from the outset, this finale wouldn’t hit as hard, and the rest of the season wouldn’t be as funny. 
This manages to serve as a capstone to the conflict of the first season, building on episodes like “Into Town” and “Escape from Camp Campbell” in a way that feels totally natural for both David and Max’s characters while revealing new sides of them. It works because it’s so unexpected, but it doesn’t come across as incongruous with their personalities. It’s the first and only time David swears in all 4 seasons, and that line -- I don’t even need to say it, you know exactly what I’m talking about -- still gives me chills.
Also, Gwen sings the camp theme song. Impossible not to cherish.
1. The Forest (Season 4, episode 12)
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I’m not sure if this one is a surprise or not. It might be the obvious first place, or it might be a bit of an oddball for some people.
I had a really hard time choosing between this and “The Order of the Sparrow”; I switched their places half a dozen times, and the difference in quality between the two is razor-thin. I think part of that is because it accomplishes a lot of what “Order of the Sparrow” does: puts David in a situation where he’s pushed to his absolute emotional and physical capacity, crushes every shred of hope he has left, and sees what he’s actually made of when you strip everything away. It’s much more dramatic this time around, but it’s the same basic concept.
And just like in the Season 1 finale, what we see is a man who’s determined to do good even when he isn’t rewarded for it, even when he’s actively punished for it. Who wants to love nature, and life, and make the world a better place -- despite his faults, his selfishness and thoughtlessness and anger, David proves that he is fundamentally kind. He’s not nearly as deludedly optimistic as he seems; he just refuses to stop trying.
Because somebody fuc/king has to.
I’ll admit, some of what puts this one in first place is that I’m a sucker for whump, and David really goes through the ringer. However, I also think it’s important to acknowledge the risk Joe Nicolosi took with writing this episode: it’s all centered around a single character, it’s darker and more viscerally bloody than any other episode in the show’s history, the art is focused on these grand sweeping backgrounds that must’ve taken forever to paint, and there’s very little talking in a show that runs 99% on clever dialogue. This could have so easily backfired -- and for some fans it did -- but it was brave and beautiful and breathtaking.
I’ve actually only watched this in full once. It’s really hard to get through; it’s just so intense and even disturbing. But if there’s one episode I'll remember for the rest of my life, even when I’m 80 years old and haven’t seen the show in years, it’ll be “The Forest.”
It’s funny how such a sharp departure from the format and style of the rest of the show somehow manages to perfectly capture the heart of it. Talk about a fuc/king achievement.
So what have we learned?
I don’t entirely know what the purpose of this whole exercise was. I think it was mostly to get myself a nice Camp Camp fix that came from something other than slogging through 20 different fanfic WIPs, and to remind myself of what a strange and fun ride the last 4 summers have been. 
I also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge what Camp Camp means to me. This show has been hugely important to me on a personal level: I met two of my best friends through this fandom, and I’ve never been more connected to a community or readers than I have with CC. I know I bi/tch about this fandom a lot, but it’s a big extended internet family, and I’m so happy to be a part of it. Going through all these episodes, getting the chance to ramble about the things I liked and the things I didn’t, was a great way to reconnect with a series and community that I love.
So . . . what have we learned?
1. Season 4 was all over the place.
Some of this has to be due to the sheer volume of episodes, but when I sat down and organized everything into tiers:
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There isn’t a single category Season 4 doesn’t have at least one episode in. I was surprised to see how high a lot of them ended up; it really was the best and worst of the show so far.
For the fun of it, I decided to give a number to each placement -- 60 points for the #1 episode, 59 for #2, etc. -- and see how each season broke down. Because that’s that kind of thing I think is worthwhile, apparently. And . . .
2. Seasons 1 and 4 are really good, actually.
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Well, I don’t think anyone’s surprised to see how well Season 1 stacked up; it was amazing. But I was surprised to see how much I ended up enjoying Seasons 3 and 4, when if you’d asked me before this little project, I would’ve said they were the most underwhelming. Maybe I messed up the numbers a bit -- I’m no mathmagician -- but not only are they all really close, but Season 4 was one of my favorites.
3. This entire show is really good, actually.
One thing that really struck me when I put it all together visually is how most of the episodes sit in the “good,” “really good,” or “amazing” categories. The amount of episodes that are memorable, fun, and/or emotionally resonant is crazy. I don’t now how many other tiny cult-hit web series can say the same, honestly, and all of the writers, animators, directors/producers/other people whose jobs I don’t really understand, and voice actors should be commended for their outstanding talent and hard work.
4. Thank you, Camp Camp.
It was a real pleasure to relive all of these episodes again and think about what they meant to me. It won’t be the last time I sit down and watch this show -- and it certainly won’t be the end of my being a shrieking fangirl over it -- but with this break, where we have to get through a blazing, extremely difficult summer without a new season to fawn over, it’s nice to stop and appreciate what a precious gem of a show this is.
I hope everyone involved with Rooster Teeth is taking a much-deserved rest and prioritizing their health and well-being. Thank you for creating something truly special, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
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jaskierskisses · 5 years ago
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Two Baths... And two Beds
Homoerotic Subtext in Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski and The Witcher Netflix's show.
The Witcher Meta. Parallels and Mirrors. Geraskier meta. 1x04 meta
Okay, Here I am. I thought I wouldn't write meta for another show more than Supernatural, but the Witcher looks promising... So...
This is a short meta about how Netflix's writers took Season of Storms, and they wrote a parallel, deliberately putting Yennefer as a Jaskier mirror, just like Andrzej Sapkowski did with Lytta Neyd.
Okay, let's begin..
Yennefer as a Jaskier's mirror (Netflix)
I won't talk here about the two Baths, but you can read plenty about it in this insightful meta written by @fantasticallyfoolishidea .
I will be more aggressive with Yennefer/Jaskier mirror in my series of metas about the show, which I'm rewatching.
I will just mention here that I tortured my brain thinking why the writers had established this blatant parallel, putting Jaskier/Geralt in one bath, and then Geralt/Yennefer. Why the mirror? I must confess I didn't read the books first. I watched the show, I saw the Geraskier well settled, and then I readed the first book (The Last Wish) in which I just found a tiny little subtext when Geralt answered "Opposite Attracts" to Nenneke, because she was questioning him his friendship with Jaskier.
I said to myself, okay, that was pretty gay, because that quote is usually used to describe romantic couples, right? Okay, so, I left that on my night table, and just continued reading...
I saw... Oh well... No Jaskier in Pavetta's dinner, Calanthe's Castle... Okay... But why Netflix placed Jaskier there where Geralt settles his destiny? Mmmm i don't have the answer for that. Yet. Let me finish the books... 😅
Now... Jumping from the blatant parallelisms between Jaskier and Yennefer in the show, let's focus in a couple of them...
We had the baths, 1x04/1x05. But we also had a lot of parallels in episode 1x06, it was like a ping pong game, yeah, Geralt was the ball...
I will talk about this more extensively in my incoming metas, but let's just check this one here...
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Jaskier asking Geralt to "run away with him", forgetting everything, just the two of them.
And immediately after that Geralt asking Yennefer to "run away with him" Forgetting everything, just the two of them. It didn't work
More than heartbroken sweet boys, and a established live triangle here, because both of them were rejected, there's a parallel in which we see the same situation but the love interest switches.
And my brain was fried here, why? Why Netflix's writers? I searched all over the web to see if someone had seen similar situation on the book. I saw a couple of pictures from some pieces of the book but it didn't satisfied my curiosity, so I began to read them. And I found the source of this love triangle and femenine mirrors for Jaskier.
Lytta, as a Jaskier mirror (Season of Storms)
Spoilers Alert of the book!
Okay, this will be kind of messy because I'm reading the books in my language, and I can't put the pieces here because a lot of people here wouldn't understand... So, I will make the translation into English, and it won't be the exact words on the English books, as I can presume. But I will try to show my ideas and what I saw.
In the precise moment Lytta made her apparition, there's a a dialogue between her and Geralt in which I recognized the following quote as a settled parallel with Jaskier...
Lytta: "(...) You are not sincere. But I know these words coming from a sorceress's mouth is a compliment. You were about to say that, right?"
Geralt: "Bravo."
In this first encounter, Geralt will refuse Lytta's flirtations, just for now...
Now... Where's the parallel here? There's a scene in the next chapter in which Geralt and Jaskier are talking about the blades the Witcher had lost, and you can swim into their argument, till Jaskier jumps with this comment...
Jaskier: "You are overreacting, Geralt."
And look what Geralt answers...
Geralt: "Coming from you, this is a compliment."
Are you with me on this? Geralt is quoting Lytta, and we are witnessing a very platonic conversation between two old friends, but why settle a parallel with a scene in which a woman tried to seduce the Witcher?? Is written on purpose, and puts Geralt and Jaskier relationship into the romantic field.
Now... Next parallel...
When Geralt came back from his first encounter with Lytta, he stays at night in Jaskier's rented place. In the POV of the Witcher, the place is described as comfortable, and nice, with a bed, a very enough big bed for two people. (Yes, there was only one bed trope).
Jaskier and Geralt sleep together in the same bed.
Let's jump to the Lytta parallel here... Okay, second encounter, Geralt is aroused with Lytta's enchantments, and they both are enjoying together with passion. Through Geralt's POV the reader discovers he is describing ONE BIG, HUGE BED.
And here was when my eyes opened... Netflix's writers based the homoerotic subtext of the two baths over these scenes from the book. But there's more...
Geralt asked Lytta about her assistant, another woman, and Lytta got jealous, saying he shouldn't talk about other woman with his lover in the bed.
Jaskier's asks Geralt why he was mad about him seducing women, and finished the question with... Or won't be that you...?
Is a quite we use to ask if some people are jealous, isn't?
Then... Jaskier talking about a lot of places, like restaurant, and towns, and more places, in his date on the tavern, showing he is a man who has seen the world... And Lytta talking about islands and sea, and places she has seen...
May I add something more? I'm positive this meta will have a second part because I still didn't finished the book, I just wanted to run into here and share my freaking shape with all of you...
PS: Jaskier asking if Geralt will stay another night with Lytta, Geralt confirming it, Jaskier touching his lute as if that was nothing but snapping at him he was doing that for a week, and Geralt correcting him, saying it were just four days??? That's jealousy my friends...
To Conclude:
Netflix's shows had settled the homoerotic subtext/text between Jaskier and Geralt based on the books ( I need to read them all, but I found this subtext, and is a confirmation of it.)
They also had written the Parallels and mirrors between Jaskier/Geralt/Yennefer to establish a love triangle, based on the scenes in the book two.
The two baths (separated for just one episode)could be perfectly compared with the two beds and the scenes (separated for just one chapter) that I described in this analysis.
I hope you like this, see you in the next metas!
Tagging: @legendary-destiel @jawnlockwinchester @mrsaquaman187 @spnsmile @agusvedder
If you want to be tagged on my metas, please let me know.
Buenos Aires, February 27th 2020 9:57 PM
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poorguysheadcanon · 5 years ago
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Whizzer’s Got A Type
ohhhhhhhh my god you guys so basically when i started this side blog i did not think i was going to be writing any full-length fics. this all changed when i started rewatching the show Smash and came up with might be my favorite headcanons i’ve ever had??? but anyway, after like 10 days of writing, editing,  and countless conversations about these characters, i have about 3200 words of a fic i genuinely enjoy, and i hope yall do too!! also, huge huge thank you to @browniemixinawaffleiron, @sandfordsmostwanted, and @cookies-for-all for helping me with this!!!
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After Marvin had gotten back from work today, he and Whizzer had fought for hours. Whizzer was late to making dinner and Marvin had been livid. The younger man had enough of his boyfriend’s screams and decided he was done playing housewife for the day. He grabbed his jacket and walked around for a while before eventually finding the closest bar, knowing he needed a drink or two. As Whizzer approached the bar, he saw the back of a man’s head that he knew he could recognize anywhere. His face flushed with anger and he began yelling insults at his boyfriend while hitting his shoulder. How dare he come here? Whizzer was the one who needed this bar, not Marvin who had booze at his place. As he began to say something particularly cruel, a man with a soft confused expression turned around. This man, who looked exactly like Marvin, glanced up at Whizzer and said “Well, I’m certainly happy I’m not actually the guy you’re so pissed at. Care to explain?” and Whizzer sat down next to his boyfriends' doppelganger, got them both a drink and explained his situation. He spared no detail and ended the story with him walking out mere hours ago. The man, who had introduced himself as Tom Levitt, was interested in every word Whizzer had to say. Whizzer was certainly not used to the look on Tom’s face, one of sincerity. He hadn’t seen that since he started sleeping with Marvin. When Whizzer finished up his tale, Tom shook his head before raising his hand to get the bartender’s attention. “You are definitely in need of another drink,” he said before ordering another round for the two of them. They talked for a few more hours at the barstools until their conversation moved to a taxi, and then Toms’ apartment, and the conversation seemed to cease once they reached Tom’s bed.
The next morning, Tom rolled over to find a handsome man in his bed and he smirked to himself. He carefully got up, not wanting to wake the man sleeping peacefully, and got up to make them both some tea. As he was taking the kettle off the stove, he felt strong arms wrap around his waist from behind him. He smiled a bit when a kiss was pressed to his cheek before he felt Whizzer’s head rest on his shoulder for a second before he walked over and sat on Tom’s couch. They drank their tea in comfortable silence before Whizzer finally spoke up. “Well, I should probably get back to the war zone… try and smooth things over.”
Tom felt his heart pang but he pushed it down, offering a smile and a kiss on the cheek instead. “I wish you all my luck, but do call me again if he ever acts as dumb as he did last night.”
And call him again he did. Sooner than Tom expected, if he was honest. They had little fights here and there for about a week but things got back to normal. Well, normal for them. But after a little while, they had another big fight and Toms’ phone buzzed during a late night writing session with Julia. Tom sheepishly explained his plight to his best friend who promptly rolled her eyes while telling him this affair was an awful idea. “Tom, sweetheart, sleeping with this guy just because you look like his boyfriend is a terrible idea. This is just gonna end up hurting you in the end.” Tom just shook his head and began grabbing his coat before saying, “Well Jules, not all of us have men falling at our feet. This is what I have. Plus, he’s great in bed and shares my taste in tea. So I like it, no matter how it ends.”
After about a month of this went on, Whizzer going behind Marvin’s back far more frequently than he originally intended to. Eventually, this all had to come to a stop. One morning, Whizzer had forgotten to cover up the hickeys on his neck and Marvin took notice. Marvin questioned him and Whizzer revealed what had been happening, making jokes about Marv’s cute little doppelganger and calling him Marvin’s “better half.” Marvin hid his heartbreak behind more arguments and after two full days of screaming matches, their 9 month (10 month) relationship ended after a game of chess. Whizzer called Tom, trying to hide the shakiness in his voice as he walked out of Marvin’s place with his bag. Tom was actually in the middle of a workshop for he and Julia’s musical but as soon as he heard the other man’s tone, he called out for the rest of the day and met him at his own apartment. He made Whizzer tea and sat on the couch with him, rubbing his arms every once in a while. Whizzer got tired and laid his head on Tom’s lap, prompting him to play with his hair. Whizzer fell asleep and Tom smiled contently. He took this as a good sign. The sleeping man was now single and still chose to spend his time with Tom, that had to mean something. Tom had thought before that he was getting too attached to Whizzer, but when he looked down and saw him all curled up, Tom decided he got attached just the right amount.
A few months went by and the two men grew closer, all while not getting too serious. Whizzer spent almost all of his at Tom’s apartment, content to spend his time listening to Tom and sometimes Julia work on the Marilyn Monroe musical that he was about 90% sure they were calling Bombshell. Tom even got Whizzer to sing a few times, which Whizzer was sure wasn’t beneficial to anyone unless Tom was curious if his songs could still sound decent if someone tone deaf sang them. When Tom wasn’t working, he and Whizzer would go out to various bars together. It was a happy blur for six months.  Life was much calmer for Whizzer like this; no bickering, no insults, just kisses and affection. And although it was nice, something still felt off. Whizzer liked Tom, he really did. Not only was he sweet and funny, he just so happened to look exactly like the man he had loved. It was the perfect scenario, Marvin’s looks but a kind personality. He should have been head over heels for Tom, but he wasn’t. Tom wasn't Marvin and Whizzer needed to find a way out before he hurt Tom, more than he probably already was going to.
Tom had been in rehearsals all day, Bombshell was two weeks away from going to Boston and everyone was on high alert. At least when night fell, Tom went home to find Whizzer at his apartment most days. Nothing made him happier, his work life was starting to come together (even though it was beyond stressful) and his home life felt happier than it ever had before. He came home to something that shook his world that day though, Whizzer packing a bag. He coughed a bit to let his presence be known and Whizzer looked at him with a pained expression. “I hoped I had finished packing before you got back, but we need to talk.”
Tom bit his lip but nodded, sitting down on the couch and patting the spot next to him. Whizzer sat down next to him and put a hand on Toms' leg. Whizzer attempted to explain how he was feeling carefully, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Tom but he knew that was unavoidable. He did the best he could to soften the blow. Tom was holding up okay, all things considered. Hiding his emotions when he needed to was one of his best talents. That all went out the window when he tried to mumble out, “Are you… are you going back to him?” And all of a sudden, Tom was a puddle of tears and Whizzer didn’t know what to do. He wrapped his arms around him and rubbed his back.
“No.. Not yet at least. He’s just on my mind still, I don’t think he’s leaving it any time soon. And it’s not fair to you that I keep this going, as much as I want to. Because I really like you, Tom, you’re such a great guy. It’s just not fair to you. I’m so sorry, Tom,” he whispered and continued to rub his back. Tom quickly forced himself to calm down and he wiped his eyes, looking at Whizzer before kissing his cheek.
“You’re a great guy too Whizz, if you do go back to him, make sure he deserves you. You deserve to be treated so much better than what you got before, if you do ever go back to him make sure you’re treated with respect.” He said and got up slowly, wiping his eyes again. Whizzer got up as well and kissed his cheek. “Take care of yourself Tom,” he said before quickly grabbing the rest of his stuff and walking out, leaving Tom alone, completely heartbroken.
Tom sat for a while on the couch, drinking scotch and trying not to cry again. He eventually called Julia, not trusting his voice but knowing she would understand him. She picked up and immediately heard his shaky breath. “Tom, what happened?”
He sniffled a bit and mumbled out a quiet “He left… he... He said he still loved his ex and that it wasn’t fair to me or something…?” and Julia grabbed her coat and began to walk over to his apartment. Tom sighed and said “You were right, I guess. Don’t tell me you told me so though.” Julia chuckled sadly “Of course I’m not gonna tell you I told you so, at least not for a few days.” They stayed up a few hours drinking and talking about the men in their lives, eventually passing out on Toms’ couch.
Almost a year and a half after that night, things were looking up for both Tom and Whizzer. Whizzer and Marvin were back together, much happier than they ever had been before. Marvin had grown a lot over the course of their breakup and treated Whizzer with respect, something the younger man didn’t think Marvin was capable of the last time around. Bombshell had finally made it to Broadway and things were going really well for Tom, he was even nominated for a Tony for Best Director. With the two of them so busy, they rarely thought of each other. This changed the night of the Tony Awards while Whizzer was sick in bed.
After a day of being pampered by Marvin, Whizzer was curled up in his boyfriend’s arms in bed. Whizzer was very whiny when he was sick, even though all he had was a common cold. Marvin made sure each of Whizzers’ requests were met, even the ridiculous ones like having his bath at exactly 107 degrees. The day was finally winding down and the two had the Tonys on as background noise. Everything was quiet in a comfortable way until a certain someone's name was called out on the TV for Best Original Score. Although Whizzer had complained of a sore throat all day, he screamed. That was Tom, his Tom, on his TV screen accepting an award. After his general excitement died down, he explained to Marvin who that was. Marvins face paled a bit when he realized this was his so-called “better half” doppelganger that Whizzer had been with all those months ago. Whizzer was too caught up in his excitement to notice, already grabbing his laptop to look for tickets. “Marv, we have to see it. We have to go see Tom’s show, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner.” The older man just sighed, knowing there was no way around this, and took out his credit card.
The soonest the two men could get tickets was two weeks away and Whizzer was both counting down the days and incredibly anxious all at once. On the one hand, he was so excited to see this show. He remembered the days he spent watching Tom and Julia write songs, the times he would stop into the workshop to see Tom at work, and of course all the times Tom would sing various Bombshell songs to him. On the other hand, seeing this show meant seeing Tom again. After leaving Tom’s apartment that night, Whizzer hadn’t seen the man. As much as he wanted to see Tom, he was scared that Tom didn’t want to see him.
The day finally came and Marvin and Whizzer arrived to the theatre, dressed to the nines. They had relatively close seats and Whizzer was so excited. The second the curtain opened, he was in a trance. The show was fantastic and he felt an overwhelming sense of pride for Tom. By the act one closer, Whizzer had already cried twice. The first time was during “Never Give All The Heart” because he could just hear Tom’s struggles with love in there. Even though Marilyn (or more accurately Ivy) was singing, he knew that this song was personal to his ex. He cried once more at the act one finale, holding Marvin’s hand so tight the older man thought he was losing circulation. During intermission, the two stood in the lobby discussing the plot and how much Whizzer adored it. Marvin did as well, but with his underlying anxieties about Tom, he didn’t want to admit how fantastic it really was.
In the middle of their conversation, a staff member came walking up to the pair. “Mr. Brown? Tom Levitt has asked that you and your guest come to the stage door after the show so he can give you a tour.” Whizzer smiled excitedly and nodded his head, thanking them as they walked off. It was really happening, after all this time he really was going to see Tom again. Just as he was about to talk with Marvin about it, the lights flashed as a signal that intermission was about to end. They quickly found their seats again and the curtain rose again for the second act. This act also made Whizzer emotional but nothing could have prepared him for the death grip on his hand during “Hang the Moon.” He glanced over at Marvin to see what was wrong and he saw him desperately trying to hold back tears. Whizzer rubbed his arm gently and leaned over to whisper to him, “Love it’s okay to cry, no one’s gonna see you.” And that was all Marvin needed to let his tears flow. When the lights came on after curtain call, Marvin was still desperately wiping at his cheeks to get rid of the evidence of his emotions. Whizzer gently wiped them away while softly telling him that it was normal for him to be crying. “Whizz it’s stupid, I shouldn’t be crying over a- I’m a grown man.”
“Marvin. It’s okay, you’re allowed to cry whenever you’d like. There’s nothing not normal about crying. You’ve seen me cry a bunch of times, is that not normal?”
“No, but that’s differ-“
“No it’s not babe, we’re both grown men. We both have emotions. It’s perfectly alright to let them show.”
Marvin stayed quiet for a second and wrapped his arms around Whizzer, thankful he had someone like him in his life. “Thank you, Whizz. I needed that.” The younger man gave his boyfriend a soft but sweet kiss before taking his hand and beginning to make their way to the stage door.
Once they reached the door, Whizzer pressed the buzzer and waited for the stage manager to open the door for them. He smiled and thanked the woman who led them back to Tom. It was now Whizzer’s turn to have a death grip on his boyfriend's hand. He released it the second Tom saw the two of them and was walking over with open arms. Whizzer quickly hugged him with a smile, Marvin standing back slightly to let the two have their moment. They exchanged pleasantries before Whizzer began to praise Bombshell. “Tom it's magical, really. I haven’t enjoyed a show this much in a long time. I just can’t believe those songs you’d sing to me have turned into this.”
Tom smiled sheepishly and shook his head. “Well it wasn’t just me, it was Julia, and Derek, and Eileen, and-”
“Tom stop, give yourself some credit. You’re so unbelievably talented, I’m so happy I get to see you shine like this.”
Tom blushed a bit and touched his shoulder. “Thank you, really Whizz. I’m so happy you got to see this show outside of me drunkenly singing to you.” When Marvin saw the blush creep onto Tom’s face, he walked up and put his arm around his boyfriend’s waist. Tom looked over at him and his eyes got wide for a second before going back to his signature smile. “Ah, you must be the famous Marvin. So happy to meet you.” They shook hands, Marvin making sure he had a firm handshake. Tom tensed a bit when he felt his hand crushed by Marvin’s but he just continued to smile.
Marvin would eventually walk off to let them talk once he was sure Tom wasn’t a threat. He walked over to Leigh Conroy, looking particularly starstruck. Whizzer looked over at him and saw his boyfriends eyes light up. He laughed slightly and looked back at Tom with a smile. “So… you and Marvin seem to have worked out, I’m really happy for you. He’s treating you better, right?”
“Yeah, so much better. It’s like night and day honestly, he’s wonderful,” he said as he glanced over at Marvin again, sighing happily. “So, enough about my relationship. Have you found anyone?” Whizzer asked him, hoping he found someone that gave him the love he gave others.
“I did, he sits on my desk all day and spins, his name is Tony.”
“...Tom”
“No, I did.. One of them left and one… well, one died.” He said and looked down and Whizzer put his hand on his arm.
“Tom I’m so sorry.”
Tom nodded and smiled sadly. “Me too.” The two talked for a while, happy to catch up with each other. Their conversation eventually died down when Ivy walked up to Tom and cuddled up to his arm, knowing exactly who Whizzer was and how badly he had hurt Tom.
“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met,” She said with a smile while giving him a slight side eye. Ignoring the side eye, Whizzer smiled.
“Oh my god, you’re Ivy Lynn. You were absolutely amazing in the show. I’m Whizzer, an old friend of Tom’s.” She smiled politely and thanked him before reminding Tom of plans they had for that night. Whizzer smiled softly. “We should probably get going anyway. It was great seeing you again Tom, really. Don’t be a stranger,” he said before giving him a quick hug and walking off to find Marvin.
“So that’s Whizzer, huh? Seems cute enough, but you really still think he was worth the heartache?” Ivy asked and looked up at Tom.
“Yeah... Yeah, I think he was.”
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cliquestitsandicks · 5 years ago
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Tracking Kat
Episode 1: Kat is mourning the end of her relationship with Adena. It has been 5 weeks since the breakup in Paris. She's still looking at old pictures of them and posted one. She still hasn't sent Adena's equipment to her, even though Adena has been texting her asking for it. By the end of the episode, she's admitted to (in order) Alex, Patrick, and Jane & Sutton that she is not okay. She is still sad about the end of her relationship. Alex tells her "you're so hard on yourself. You got your heart broken. There's no expiration date on heartbreak. You move on when you're ready to move on and when you *are* ready, you will find someone amazing. Someone who will never leave." Then Patrick is an entitled, invasive dick. She told her girls she wasn't ready for it to be real yet and that's why she hadn't told them... but she broke down in front of them. She'd finally accepted it was over. End of the episode, she makes an instagram post exposing her vulnerability to the world and packs up Adena's things for good.
Episode 2: Kat injects Jane for fertility treatment. She is very familiar with Jane's reproductive system at this point - best friends. She learns the Wild Susan, a club Adena took her to that became a safe space she frequents and which happens to be 1 of only TWO lesbian bars in the city, is closing. She learns the only reason it's happening is because developers want to gentrify the neighborhood. We learn Kat has a lawyer (not sure how that may come up later) that she met through the #BeReal campaign. Anyway, Kat throws a queer prom as a fundraiser to help save the Wild Susan. It ultimately fails because $42,000 in one night from poor people is a bit much. But it was a valiant effort and, as Kat learns, the gentrifiers were well aware of its impossibility. This episode is leading up to her political career. "I've been so into my feelings lately, it feels really good to challenge my energy into something that really matters". I am so proud of Kat. In Season 1, I would have worried she was avoiding her feelings, but the writers made a big deal of showing she's done the exact opposite of that in the prior episode.
Episode 3: Kat has been researching councilman Reynolds and he's a total piece of shit - helping gentrifiers, cutting funding to parks, and voting against paid maternity leave. She's fired up. Our girl is P A S S I O N A T E & informed! We meet the councilwoman for whom she plans to volunteer and her campaign manager, Tia. Tia's a tiny, bubbly boss with natural hair and a bright smile and we see Kat brighten up. We later learn she and Kat have more in common, both being NYU grads (actually overlapping while there) and both brilliant. Tia, however, is not from a wealthy and connected background. In their initial meeting, Kat tells Tia "I'm just looking for something to channel my rage and depression". Kat enlists her besties to help get the councilwoman to unseat problematic Reynolds. Sutton clearly sees something between Kat and Tia because she does a friend's background check (checking the social media) and tells Kat she looks very single to which Kat responds "it really doesn't matter because I'm still getting over Adena" and Jane seems skeptical of Kat's protestations with her silent smirk. We learn Kat has really soft lips. Kat is the voice of reason for Alex, being the first one to acknowledge the hypersexual "dangerous" Black man depiction that will likely be projected onto him if he admits he is the man in his friend's story. Then we see her naturally command the crowd at the rally. Again, I am so proud of Kat. She isn't holding back when she knows she should speak up. She's taking control of her narrative. She's fighting for what's right in a constructive manner. And now Tia, who has way more experience with this than Kat, is recommending she run for office.
Episode 4: We start the episode with Kat describing what would be her district and job description to her best friends. She's looking excited about the potential to do something that matters and really help people. In her conversation with the Toby (?. don't know, don't care), we get to see more of Tia being supportive of Kat and Kat being confronted with whether she's motivated to actually run or just wants someone to beat Reynolds. We learn Kat had an abortion in 2013 when she was 20 AS IS HER GOTDAMN RIGHT BECAUSE IT'S HER BODY, but it's something she's felt some sort of shame/concern over seeing as nobody close to her knew about it. Then, and this is so great, after telling her friends she has the conversation with Tia. Tia shares that she's had one as well and completely understands not wanting it to be public knowledge, but in sharing her experience educates Kat on yet another way vulnerable people are having their rights stripped, this time through manipulation and "crisis centers" that shouldn't exist. Tia remains supportive and doesn't pressure Kat at all with her decision. "I am by your side if they come for you, but you gotta do what's right for you". When we get that great speech from Jacqueline we see Kat being moved my the statement that you'll never know what you're capable of if you don't take a leap faith to face challenges that frighten you, then you'll never know what you're capable of. [i'd like to pause right now to say Jacqueline is fucking wonderful and i love her like my white auntie. also Sutton needed to hear that again just as much as Kat and i really appreciate this entire moment.] When Kat leaves Jacqueline's celebration, she passes by one of those "crisis centers" Tia told her about and decides to use her voice to help others. "I like to think of myself as a pretty strong, empowered, forward-thinking, open-minded woman. But, up until now, I haven't been able to talk about my abortion. If me putting myself out there helps even one woman to feel less alone, less ashamed, and less guilty then it's worth it." And just like us, dear Tia is blown away. She actually exhales a breath she didn't know she was holding and biiiiiiiitch (!!!! excitedly). and then they're dancing! This is the episode, upon rewatch, when i recognize how often Tia touches Kat unnecessarily.
Episode 5: Kat's entire recap includes Tia, ending with Sutton saying "she seems to be very single". Her very first scene, Tia is complimenting her walking out of some campaigning event we later learn was a Town Hall. Can we just talk about Kat's blazer for a second? First of all, i want it. Second, how did they find something so perfectly her? It's colorful but still semi-professional, fun, but still about her business. Heart-eye inducing. ok. So the next time we see Kat, she and Tia (whose last name they finally mention as Clayton) are reviewing campaign platform and doing debate prep at Kat's apartment. Tia's complimenting Kat almost continuously at this point. Clearly she's impressed, borderline gushing. and Kat tries to brush it off. Tia's not letting her. And there's this moment when Tia forces herself to break eye contact with her (around 5:40 of the episode). The show tells us Kat still hasn't dated since Adena, but Sutton brings up the "stupid smile" she gets whenever Tia's mentioned. She's making better decisions than Patrick and her being compared to Patrick is lowkey happening a lot. I'm starting to wonder if they're setting up Kat taking over digital if she doesn't win the campaign. Ok, the song choice as they pan to Kat and Tia... "I never normally check my phone 10 times in a minute. I'm not the girl to be kept on hold 10 miles from the finish." Again, Tia is very touchy with Kat, never anything inappropriate of course, but the hand is always on the back or the arm. and their interaction is just.. lovely. I squeal. it's so cute. they're so comfortable. Kat invites Tia to the dinner BEFORE (i got the timing on that mixed up before) Tia says she's "a boring straight girl" [the test determined that was a LIE... nah, my good sis Tia is dealing with some internalized homophobia which is no joking matter, but we don't learn that until the next episode]. Apparently, Kat can cook now? So she just liked Adena's food better i guess? idk... anyway. I get why some of the things Tia said can be taken as flirting, but i still believe that you accept what someone says is their sexuality until they say otherwise. yes, that's even when they're saying things like "when i see what i want, i go for it" and "Annndd she can cook. it's hot" and looking at you like that. Kat telling Jane to apologize because he's her boss and she got suuuper disrespectful and would absolutely deserve getting fired makes me proud. She's the mature friend now. She's the one with a level head on her shoulders. Kat finally makes her feelings known to Tia, but this is after Tia has already stated she's straight. Tia reiterates that this is a professional relationship and apologizes for Kat getting the wrong idea. I'm reminded of when Alex Danvers told Maggie Sawyer she was into her and she was rejected... but in that example i was floored and heartbroken for Alex because ugh, i just didn't see that coming. With this, however, it felt like Tia was clear in her words even if it shocked the hell out of me what the words were. So i didn't feel heartbroken for Kat. I thought... tbh... she brought it on herself for refusing to respect Tia's "no", however soft it was. But the writers did let us know it wasn't over with the music selection... Kat looking at "You and Tia make a great team :)" as "I'll go to war for you" plays.
Episode 6: All the emails have been released and Kat has no worries at all about that because she's a professional. And we get to see her be a boss addressing the entire group. Patrick isn't there this episode (YAY for our sanity!) and i think Kat being a boss so often when Patrick isn't around is intentional. When we see Tia, she says last night is forgotten but she thinks it's a bad idea to remain Kat's campaign manager... which is clearly a hard rejection. One can argue that it's too harsh for someone merely admitting they were into you. But it's just as easy to argue that it's appropriate after telling someone, very clearly, that you are not into them romantically and them ignoring that and saying that you were flirting with them on this date they never called a date before you were already there?? so i'm not mad at it. At the end of the episode, we find out that Tia was rejecting herself, not Kat. Turns out, Ms. Tia Clayton has known she's attracted to women since she was in high school, but she "didn't want to want it". Tia is so TINY AND ANXIOUS ABOUT HER SEXUALITY AND MANY OF US HAVE BEEN THERE. But... and i say this in jest... for someone who is really trying not to be out in the open with her gay, she sure was comfortable kissing Kat all outdoors for anyone to see. My good sis is smitten. I'm excited for the story. Again with the music during their scenes though... "I cannot fallll in love with youuuuu. I cannot feeeeel this way so soon, so soon." Also, my girlfriend and I have watched the gifset of the kiss over the phone and swooned (we live in different states for now). This episode, we also got the flashbacks (i missed Lauren so much). Kat's got red streaks in her hair, is a friend to strangers, has regrettable sex with men who taste like pickles, and is cute as a button. She also called Jacqueline "Mama Jackie" and that's it; that's her name now.
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lizacstuff · 6 years ago
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I don’t know what to make of Malex or MM or Alex and Maria this episode. I liked the Malex scenes but then Alex left and went directly to mark his territory with Maria and then Michael and Maria looked heartbroken in that final scene.
There definitely was a lot going on this ep for those threecharacters, and honestly, I felt my heart break a little for each of them atdifferent moments.
Loved Michael opening up to Alex and deciding to tell him thetruth, not just about being an alien, but about his tragic upbringing and thentaking him to his lab and showing him something he apparently hasn’t evenshared with Max and Isobel, the rebuilding of the ship. I do wonder what kindof reaction Michael wanted from that. Did he want to see if Alex would be upset at the idea of him leaving or maybecurious or even relieved? Was it a test of sorts?
I can’t really blame Alex for needing to take a minute andprocess; it’s understandable he left. Also, as the audience we have the benefitof knowing that he is partly shook because he knows he has the missing piece ofthe ship, the missing piece that could potentially take Michael away from himforever. It’s a lot, let’s be honest. However, I also understand that it probably felt like a rejection toMichael. Michael doesn’t know he has the missing piece and therefore doesn’t haveall the tools to accurately read Alex’s reaction. I felt for both of them.
Now to that Alex and Maria scene, my first impression wasthat it was actually really adult of Alex to go to her and make sure Maria wasaware that Michael was the museum guy. How easy would it have been for Alex tokeep it to himself and build some resentment and set them all up for somemiscommunication drama? That’s what lots of people would have done. But he didn’t,he was very upfront. On rewatch I did think Alex got a little pointed with her,but I think that is a 100% natural reaction to the situation. No two ways aboutit, Alex was understandably hurt by the whole thing, but also seemed cognizantthat he didn’t have any right to be upset at Maria.
Alex’s tone in that scene did make we wonder, though, about thewarning from Maria’s mom about touching something from another world making himugly inside like his dad. Alex does seem to have an edge to him since he found thepiece of alien ship in ep 5 and I don’t know the character well enough to knowif it’s developed since he got the piece of alien ship or if he’s always had itor if it’s a natural product of his combat years. The way he was with tying uphis father (which I loved and cheered) and what Kyle notices in the bunker (ifyou ever want to drop the 0800) and even Liz (his accurate but pointedassessment of what kind of friend she was being) and then with Maria in thisscene. It’s subtle, so maybe that “edge” I’m sensing from him nothing… but ithas made me wonder if it’s the start of something.
As for Michael and Maria, I definitely felt melancholy fromboth of them in that final scene. 
For Maria’s part, I think she was being honest in the desertwhen she said it would never happen again, and if someone she might confide inlike Liz had found out the next day, I think Maria would have repeated that itwas a one-time thing etc and meant it. However, when Alex came in and told her,I think it completely knocked the wind out of her sails. Over the last fewmonths Michael has become a true friend and someone fun and easy to banter withand even rely on (fixing the sign, comforting her when she was crying) and Ithink that after she spent time with him away from Roswell and they hooked upin the desert, that maybe her thinking subconsciously changed, and in the darkestrecess of her brain, she was starting to think of him as an option.
On top of that, Michael had been a source of friendship and afun distraction during a time of acute sadness and stress about her mom. Forher, he is someone easy to be around, he doesn’t demand a lot, and now all ofthat has changed because he’s Alex’s guy. 
So in that moment I think she lost a friend (at least in theshort-term) and the potential for something more, even though I don’t think shewas aware that she was really thinking of Michael as a romantic option untilthe moment it became impossible.   
As for Michael, I think he really likes Maria and also hadn’trealized how much he was enjoying their antagonistic friendship over the lastfew months.  Michael doesn’t really have many friends and Maria has becomean actual friend, outside his complicated alien world. He doesn’t have tothink about all their alien troubles and everything with Isobel when he’s withher. Plus, he was obviously attracted to her and I think he probably enjoyedtheir night together very much.  Having said that, though, I think his sadnessin the final scene was mostly about feeling rejected, compounded by his earlierperceived rejection from Alex, so now he feels like he’s losing one of his onlyfriends in town. I don’t think Michael realized how much the relationship meantto him until that moment when she gave him the cold shoulder.  
So, yes, I’d agree there was some heartbreak there for bothcharacters, but I don’t think those feelings are a serious barrier for Michaeland Alex, it’s just… complicated. They’re all going to have to reset theirthinking.
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lucky-katebishop · 6 years ago
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Top 10 Failed/Doomed Ships
Hello! So I watch a lot of TV and something that pops up a lot are relationships that the public has been rooting for, but for some reason or another, the writers and show-runner feel like it would be the best to end that relationship. This is a list of my personal top 10 failed relationships that were once canon. 
Note: This is my opinion and only my opinion, I do not speak for the general public or anybody besides myself. Also none of these pictures are mine, I got them off Google Images. 
Spoilers for: Gossip Girl, Gilmore Girls, Daredevil, The Defenders, Skins (UK), That 70′s Show, Please Like Me, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Lucifer, How I Met Your Mother, and Doctor Who
10. Josh and Arnold (Please Like Me)
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Josh and Arnold was so soft. They were so so soft and when they broke up in season three, it was weird because it not only felt like a crushing disappointment but also a relief. They had been fighting and had recently decided to have an open relationship where Josh had found another man, and it was weird because (it may have only been me) I rooted for Josh and that other man. Their breakup felt so realistic because it felt almost impulsive, the way they screamed at each other during the camping site. Josh ended up getting back together with his season one boyfriend and it didn’t feel right to me. But I have always praised this show on how realistic it feels and Josh and Arnold’s breakup depicted how sometimes in life shit happens and it’s just not the right time for two people to be together. Which really sucks because they were like so great together, but the reason this is so low on the list is because of that realistic feeling. It just unfortunately was not their time to be together anymore.
9. Matt and Elektra (Daredevil)
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Matt’s life has always been so private, even to the audience, so when we were given the gift of a series of flashbacks of a baby faced Matt in college and his super elegant, dangerous girlfriend, Elektra, I instantly fell in love with them. They are the epitome of the good guy/bad guy relationship and it’s amazing! I love their dynamic, especially when she comes back and Matt is faced with his moral dilemma of trying to stop her, or join her and it’s so unbelievably hot. Their relationship is so hot. What’s worse is that Matt was so heartbroken during the entirety of The Defenders, trying to find her that he was almost unable to focus on anything else. The way he would risk is life for her, even when she didn’t even recognize him just speaks volumes about their relationship. I understand why she had to die, it just sucks because I would’ve liked to see more Matt/Elektra fighting villains and just being super sexy morally gray vigilantes. 
8. Lane and Dave (Gilmore Girls)
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Okay, you’re probably going, “Why is this above Matt/Elektra? You’re crazy!” Listen. Every single time I watch Gilmore Girls I am infuriated about how Lane and Dave broke up. I understand that the actor who played Dave had to leave to star on The O.C. but Lane and Dave were just so cute and adorable! He read the whole freaking bible in a single night to persuade Mrs. Kim to let him take Lane to the prom! They understood each other, and he supported her with their music, her mom, and her life. Dave enjoyed playing music for Mrs. Kim for pretty much an entire day just so he could be near Lane. He never made her feel bad for the things she liked, and he was just so so gentle. I always rewatch the scene where Dave is jealous about how Lane is going on a date that her mom set up for her and he ran all the way to her school just so he could say, “Hi. Just checking in.” I will never forget jealous Dave! So cute, just so cute. Lane and Dave breaking up is something I will never forgive Amy Sherman Palladino because it was the catalyst for Lane’s shitty life. Lane married really young, she had kids (and she didn’t even enjoy the sex, mind you) and then didn’t even end up being a rock star like she wanted! I know she was supposed to mirror Lorelai, but Palladino could’ve done Lane better. Instead she did her dirty. 
7. Joel and Midge (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel)
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I don’t believe Midge and Joel are a failed relationship in the way that you might think. It’s the reason why they are going to keep going back to another is the reason why they are a failed relationship. Lenny Bruce sang it himself in the season two finale. Midge and Joel are meant to be together in the most fucked up way possible. Always going back and forth between getting back together and being apart. They will always love each other in the most comfortable and frustrating way possible. Sabotaging their future relationships. I do not believe they belong together. I do not believe Midge has to settle for him and I don’t believe Joel has to settle for her. She has changed, he can see that and he doesn’t like it. She inspires Joel to be better but that doesn’t mean they belong together. Amy Sherman Palladino has a vision and it frustrates me but I understand this is the way things are supposed to be. So we as the audience has to settle for their relationship just like they have to settle for each other. It’s brilliant in it’s own fucked up way. 
6. Barney and Robin (How I Met Your Mother)
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I am not over this. I am still not over this. Hey, guess what, I am not over this! Man, the series finale did us dirty. For an entire season to be revolved around the love between Barney and Robin only for the last fifteen minutes to rip our security and comfort out from under us is diabolical. Barney and Robin went through a lot. Their character development was beautiful but the writers had a vision and just straight up ruined them. Barney and Robin knew each other so well and they had so much fun together vs Robin and Ted who Ted just expected so much out of Robin and tried to make her into something that she wasn’t. Robin and Barney were a badass couple who shared their vulnerabilities and insecurities because they felt safe in their relationship which is why it’s a damn shame that they had to get divorced in the last few minutes of the series finale. 
5. Rich and Grace (Skins UK)
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Generation 3 could’ve been better, I know, but it got progressively worse when Grace died. Why they had to kill off the most beautiful, adorable, sweetest character in Skins history I don’t really know, but damn them. Grace and Rich were the epitome of the dark, angsty character dates the light, bubbly character. He was a metalhead and she was a ballerina and if that’s not cute then you don’t know what you’re talking about. Their relationship has always reminded me of a Shakespeare tragedy, where two unlikely characters meet, fall in love, are torn apart by their families, they run away to get married, and the one of them di- oh okay, so yeah, they’re Romeo and Juliet. Alright. I never made that connection until just now. Well it fits because they are fucking cute and romantic as hell. Just thinking about them rips my heart out because I really didn’t like generation three, but I really did like them. I am angry and betrayed that I never got a relationship like this in high school (I mean granted I didn’t have a relationship in high school so...)
4. Chloe and Lucifer (Lucifer)
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Just look at them in this picture! So soft! I love them for so many reasons. She makes him human, most of all. Who would’ve thought Satan himself would feel vulnerable around a human being? This is better mythology than Hades and Persephone. Just, god, they are the high strung detective/ morally gray childish detective dynamic and it works so well. I put them on the doomed relationship list because well, they were canon for an episode and then just kind of stopped. They’re kind of like New Girl with Nick and Jess because you know they are going to happen eventually, you just don’t know when. I just hope that the show does better when Lucifer and Chloe get together vs when Nick and Jess got together because season three was a mess. The most amazing thing is that they both bring out vulnerabilities with each other. Chloe lets down her walls when she’s around him and he becomes more human. It’s so cute. They’re partners and they trust each other and damn, did I mention that she makes him human? Because that is truly insane. I can’t wait to see what they do with season 4. I know it’s going to take a really long time for them to get together and that makes me want to rip my hair out but we’re going with it. The reason why this is so high on the list is because they had everything going for them in season two but Lucifer had to be himself, of course and it just fucked everything up.
3. Hyde and Jackie (That 70′s Show)
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Still bitter. Still angry. Still annoyed. I mean, come on, Fez? Really? Out of everyone Jackie could’ve end up with, she ended up with Fez? Are you actually serious? Hyde and Jackie were such a surprising couple but it makes so much sense. Their relationship, to me, mirrored Kitty and Red a lot and I’m really mad they broke up. I am not even going to talk about the last season except I think it’s universally agreed upon every That 70′s Show fan that it should not have existed and it’s incredibly stupid (and out of character). Hyde and Jackie evolved together, and they cared for each other, and they made each other better people. They just matched so well and it got all screwed up. 
2. The Doctor and River (Doctor Who)
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They were so perfect because of so many reasons it makes me so sad they broke up. But the worse thing is that I know why they had to break up, I get that, and I accept it. But damn we really should’ve gotten more scenes of them just being domestic. They were so perfect! And River’s storyline is just beyond genius, I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that they had planned this storyline in season 4, my god. They were both so playful and fun, I like to believe they’re the more bubbly version of Matt/Elektra. The Doctor cared so much for River and I think it sucks so much that we didn’t get to see as much cuteness as I would have liked. They had like two kisses, three kisses tops and I find that sad because their chemistry is so amazing. Sorry my reasons are getting progressively worse, I am tired. 
Honorable Mentions: June/Happiness (The Handmaid’s Tale), Sammy/Abigail (Dance Academy), Jane/Michael (Jane the Virgin), Sara/Chuck (Chuck), Tracey/Connor (Chewing Gum), Evie/Dylan (Lovesick), Maddie/Josh (Liv and Maddie)
1. Dan and Blair (Gossip Girl)
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Listen. I don’t care what you say, they belong together. Dan and Blair is a couple you wouldn’t think would work but they fit so well together. They’re both from completely different backgrounds but it doesn’t matter because they have each other. Dan understands Blair in a way Chuck never could. Dan loves who Blair is not in spite of her flaws but because of them. Blair and Dan are able to say those three words that Blair and Chuck had so much trouble saying: I love you. Honestly, Blair and Chuck were never able to say I love you to each other! (well they did but not as easily.) It says something, huh? Dan was there for Blair when Chuck wasn’t, he loved her when no one else would, and he saw the value in Blair. They brought each other up and were so soft. They had problems like any couple but they communicated with each other like a healthy couple does in order to grow from their mistakes. They really did love each other and were the healthiest couples in the entire show (besides Cyrus and Eleanor). I will forever be bitter. 
I hope you enjoyed my list! Sorry if you didn’t agree with me, leave who you think belongs on this list in the comments. I’ve made a couple lists similar to this, so here’s the link: Masterlist
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miafic · 6 years ago
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here’s a little bonus scene. it takes place after the next chapter (not the one you just read but the one after that). 
this is under a read more, but if you’re on your phone, i know it won’t show up, and i am SO sorry for that!! this is almost 1700 words :/
~~~
Lucas sat silently in the small car, only the quiet whispers of the heater running for company.  He’d had KSBJ on, but even that didn’t feel right. Not after…
Lucas sighed and reached up to free his hair from the bun he’d spent nearly four minutes neatly arranging. “Ugh,” he muttered, resting his head on the steering wheel. Almost immediately, though, he straightened again and looked up through the rain-spattered windshield. Hoarsely, he demanded, “Why are you doing this? I’m trying to be patient, but I don’t understand. Why are you…”
He fell silent, shaking his head at himself. “I’m sorry. I know you know what’s best. But please. They’re good kids. They’re my kids.” He wasn’t supposed to feel like that, was supposed to keep things professional and distant, and sure, he may have acted like it on the outside, but on the inside, those boys were his weakness. And God knew that, had known before Lucas was even born that sets of four teenagers would destroy him over and over. It was Lucas’ duty to be absolutely torn apart. 
“Please.”
He was about to beg some more when the thought of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane popped into Lucas’ head and he was humbled even further. Lucas knew his own sweat would never emerge as blood, not a day in his life. He exhaled slowly.
“If this is your will, then please be with me,” he whispered. “Be with them. Do what you have to, but please let us know you’re with us. That’s all I ask, especially if you’re pulling everything apart. Just give me a sign.”
Rain continued streaming down from the sky. Lucas remained silent.
Ten minutes passed. Twenty. Thirty.
He turned the heater down two notches and, when the clock read 9:38, finally pulled out of the empty parking lot and began driving home.
~
When Lucas entered the house, it was dark save for the warm, orangey glow of the lights over the sink. He shed his wet jacket, leaving it on a peg by the laundry room, and began the trek up the stairs. The boys would hopefully be asleep, but he could never be sure, especially with Awsten, who it seemed hardly slept at all.
When he made it up the stairs, he drifted over to Jawn and Awsten’s room, stopping and leaning against the doorjamb and waiting until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. After a few seconds, he could see Jawn sleeping and Awsten’s eyes open, looking evenly back at him.
Lucas lifted a hand. Awsten mimicked him. Lucas was about to speak, but Awsten beat him to it.
“You were gone,” he whispered.
Lucas nodded.
“Zakk said you’d be back. He said you were gonna make us talk some more.”
“I got tied up,” Lucas said softly. A lie, but… it was what Awsten needed to hear.
“It’s okay. I didn’t want to talk to Jawn any more anyway.”
“Tomorrow,” Lucas noted in a murmur.
“Kay.”
“Get some sleep.”
“I’ll have a nightmare,” Awsten protested, shaking his head.
The words surprised Lucas; Awsten was usually so secretive about his fears. He entered the room, brushing his long hair back behind his ear as he crossed the room to crouch in front of Peace and Purpose’s newest child. “You might,” Lucas nodded knowingly, “but you need the rest.”
“I don’t want it.”
“I know.” He waited several seconds while Awsten tried to decide what to say next.
Lucas could hear the rain steadily coming down outside. 
“Otto’s really not coming?” Awsten finally whispered.
Lucas shook his head and braced himself for the angry tirade to come… but there was none. Awsten just looked weary and heartbroken.
“Okay.”
“Okay,” Lucas echoed.
“I keep being mad at you and then not mad,” Awsten confessed quietly, forcing a laugh. “I know it’s my fault. But you picked the punishment.”
Lucas nodded attentively.
Awsten stared at him, a strange look in his eyes.
A long moment passed, and although the pause was slightly uncomfortable, Lucas didn’t feel threatened. Awsten was exhausted, and that was allowing him to open up. While it wasn’t always the best idea to have the kids spilling secrets when they were so tired, Lucas was anxious to get his hands on any information Awsten was willing to share. He’d been there for over a week, and it still felt like Lucas hardly knew anything about him. Of course, kids had been at the house that stayed for months and still shared barely anything at all, but after their conversation on the day Awsten arrived, Lucas wanted more from Awsten. He wasn’t one of those shut-down kids.
“I want to tell you something,” Awsten whispered.
Lucas promised, “I’m listening.”
Awsten swallowed and pulled the covers up to his chin. Lucas could hear him slowly dragging his feet around between the sheets - back and forth... back and forth... back and forth... He wondered if Awsten was trying to self-soothe.
“The, um. The last time I saw my real mom, she told my dad to hit me.”
Lucas nodded.
Awsten stared back at him, clearly trying to read his face.
Lucas had been expecting another sentence - another several sentences, actually - but he quickly realized that was the entire thought that Awsten had wanted to share.
“I’m really sorry that that happened to you,” he said sincerely.
Awsten nodded. “Me, too.”
Lucas hesitated, hoping that Awsten would share more, but no words came.
“Good night,” Awsten said, turning over in bed.
Lucas, of course, got the hint and stood up. “Good night, Awsten. Sleep well.” He paused again in the doorway, spent a moment watching over both Awsten and Jawn, and then drifted over to Ashton and Travis’ room.
“Lucas!” Travis stage-whispered happily.
“Shh,” Lucas replied, raising a finger to his lips, but he couldn’t help but smile. It was always nice to know someone was glad to see him.
“You didn’t come to the night meeting,” Travis stated.
“I didn’t. I’m sorry. You can tell me all about it in the morning.”
“Okay. Where’d you go?”
“I,” Lucas invented, thinking quickly, “had to go to a different night meeting. But I’ll-”
“What kind of night meeting?”
“A very boring one,” Lucas replied with a dramatic wrinkle of his nose.
Travis mirrored the expression. “I’m real glad you’re back now.”
“Me, too.”
“I missed you lots.”
He smiled again. “I missed you, too.”
Travis looked pleased.
“Get some sleep, Travis. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay. Good night!”
“Good night.”
With a glance over at Ashton’s sleeping form, Lucas headed away from the room and went into his own, where he took a moment to bury his face in his hands and breathe. Then he changed out of his nicest clothes and into his Dodgers pajama pants. He was just about to head to Zakk’s room when there was a gentle knock at the door.
“It’s me,” Zakk murmured.
“Come in,” Lucas replied easily.
“How’d it go?” Zakk asked, slipping in and closing the door behind himself.
“You want to see the video?” Lucas asked in lieu of responding directly.
“Yeah, definitely.” He plopped down at the foot of Lucas’ small bed. “I wanted to watch it live, but like you said, I couldn’t leave Jawn and Awsten there with JB like that.”
“Did they…?”
“Nah, they were fine. Got into it a little before bed, but it was just verbal. Nothing too terrible.”
“Does Ash still seem worried about it?”
“A little, yeah. But Travis is fine.”
“He’s awake,” Lucas supplied as he sat down beside Zakk and unlocked his phone. “Awsten, too. He just talked to me, actually.”
“Whoa, what?”
“Yeah. Said the last time he saw his-” He held up air quotes. “-‘real mom’, she told his dad to hit him.”
“We already knew that from his file,” Zakk pointed out.
“Yeah. But he doesn’t know we know.”
“I’m glad he told you, then,” Zakk decided. He shook his head. “God, I hope he never has to see her again.”
“He’ll be here til he turns eighteen, I’m sure,” Lucas sighed. “The ball’s in his court then.”
“Yeah.”
“Here,” Lucas said, pressing play on a video from his camera roll and passing it to Zakk. 
The room was silent save for the tinny voice coming through the phone speaker. Zakk was hanging on every word. Lucas, on the other hand, had rewatched the recording so many times in the parking lot that he practically had it memorized. But as he heard it again, maybe for the hundredth time, his eyes welled up.
“Wow,” Zakk whistled as it ended. “That’s perfect, dude. That’s - Lucas, hey.” Zakk must have looked up and seen Lucas’ tears, because suddenly the phone was being discarded on the comforter and an arm was wrapping around Lucas’ back. “No, no, it was perfect.”
He hadn’t cried in front of Zakk in months, maybe a year, but God knew this had been a tough week.
“I’m so upset,” Lucas confessed, his voice breaking. “Not about what happened in the video, but just, the whole thing. I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe it.”
“Me, either.”
“And I’m sorry I didn’t come home. I should have texted you, but I just needed some time…”
“I figured that was what happened,” Zakk said soothingly. “You deserved a break. I wasn’t worried about it, and the guys were fine.”
“It’s my job.”
“And you did so much more than your job tonight.” He gave Lucas’ elbow a comforting squeeze.
“You really think it was alright?” Lucas wondered softly.
“It was above and beyond alright.”
“Okay, thank you,” Lucas exhaled heavily. He turned slightly to face Zakk, and the pair embraced tightly.
“I’ll do the paperwork tonight,” Zakk decided as Lucas sat up and wiped at his eyes. “You go ahead and get some sleep.”
“Zakk-”
“No, I’m doing it. How long does it take, three minutes? It’s fine. Let me take care of it.”
“Twenty, at least,” Lucas countered. “Twenty-five. Thirty.”
“That’s cool. I don’t have anywhere to be,” Zakk said, a cheesy smile on his face.
Lucas couldn’t help but chuckle.
Zakk stood up and headed for the door. “And hey, just like we always tell the boys - I’m here if you need me. Just knock.”
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laurengrace008 · 6 years ago
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Rise: a beautiful show
I feel so strongly towards a show, a show that when I saw the first episode I truly felt there was no way I could love this much. This show is truly brilliant and just what we needed on tv. It highlights the lives of those who need a place of refuge and seeks the theatre as so many of us do. I have not been this disappointed in a television company for not renewing a show. I understand that they are serving a business and not just putting things on tv because a small group of theatre kids feels so strongly about what has been produced. To have these children put on a show as radical as Spring Awakening was a bit out of most high school's reach but the lesson it served was one which should be taken to heart and has touched the lives of many. If what you are putting out on stage is not something that you fully, and wholeheartedly believe in, why are you doing it at all? For Lou to change the whole plan of the show an hour before opening because he felt the kids deserved a chance to see this production to it's fullest and not sell than short is truly so amazing to see. I am beyond disappointed that so many of the brilliant story arcs which I was so excited to see follow through into the next season will not be seen but infinitely grateful for the time we got with those storylines. I was incredibly excited to see how the dynamic of Simon's family changed after his decision during the show and his father's subsequent decision to walk out. I was excited to see what the show was going to do with the budding " relationship" between Micheal and Sasha as well as Sasha's impending decision about her pregnancy. I was truly heartbroken when Maashous left and wanted to see if his character would be continued in the new season especially considering his place with the fans. I was excited to see how Sam and Gwen's relationship would change after the custody became shared and what would happen with that. And, as cliche as it seems I was the most excited to see how Robbie and Lilette would work. I followed the emotional rollercoaster that was their relationship from the beginning and when he said that he loved her I started to bawl because I truly felt as though that relationship was real due to the outstanding acting by Damon and Auli'i. This show had so many stories which could have been seen and the biggest being what would happen with Stanton Drama? This show was what I looked forward to every Tuesday night and Wednesday night when I would rewatch the episodes. The music, the costumes, the acting, all of it came together for this spectacular show. I mean it had Stephine J. Block for Christ's sake! I can't say enough about this show and this is truly just my honest reaction just minutes after finishing this final episode of this show. I thank the fantastic show for putting on the performance of a lifetime and giving us all something beautiful to watch and rewatch. I think the main point that we can take away from this show is if your heart isn't fully into what you're doing it. The reason that Stanton High's last performance was so powerful was that they put their whole heart into it. 
"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." -Herman Melville
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wazafam · 4 years ago
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The Bachelor may not have aged too well, and it’s only just coming to terms with its problems with diversity and sexism. But instead of dismantling its entire structure, the franchise is simply trying to do better. In the last two decades, the show has seen almost everything - impromptu break-ups, last-minute bait-and-switches, and even some really nasty fights. But drama is not the only thing that determines the success of a Bachelor season.
RELATED: Bachelor - Everything We Know About Colton Underwood's Netflix Show
"You need different types of seasons… It's like having an NFL team. Whether it’s a Super Bowl-winning season or a season where you just miss the playoffs, whatever it is, you say, "Here’s what we really liked. Here’s what didn’t work. Here’s what people responded to," and you make adjustments for the next season,” ABC senior vice president of alternative series, specials, and late-night programming, Robert Mills, had said in an interview. Here are the 10 best seasons of the show ranked:
10 Season 24
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Peter Weber’s season of The Bachelor had plenty of drama but also a lot of messy situations which made for great TV. In spite of being perhaps one of the least popular bachelors in the franchise’s history, viewers clearly wanted to keep watching Weber. He was not a great conversationalist, he didn’t just create tensions but also made some feuds worse, he was indecisive, and not to mention he failed to sell the obviously scripted Hannah B storyline with his bad acting. But the clumsiness of it all was what hooked the audience and made the show so tweet-worthy. Of course, his much-publicized last-minute shocker which saw him dumping Hannah Ann for Madison was also unexpected.
9 Season 21
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Fans had simply seen too much of Nick Viall already in The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, so there was an element of predictability in this season which actually carried through till the final rose was given out, as most viewers could already guess that Viall was about to pick Vanessa Grimaldi.
RELATED: 10 Earliest Bachelors - Where Are They Now?
To be fair, the season had plenty of surprise elements and Viall was charismatic and entertaining enough, and in spite of not being a fresh face in the franchise, he was able to acquire quite a bit of a fan base.
8 Season 14
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This was the first season of The Bachelor to be aired in high definition which was lucky because this was also one of the most explosive seasons of the show. A contestant named Ali had to leave the show midway for work-related reasons, another contestant named Rozlyn was asked to leave for having inappropriate relations with one of the show’s producers, and of course bachelor Jake Pavelka and Season 14’s winner Vienna Girardi reunited for a special post-split segment soon after the show ended where things got heated and a teary-eyed Vienna had to leave the segment midway. 
7 Season 4
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Broker Bob Guiney was considered an ‘odd’ choice for a Bachelor in 2003 because the show had typically only considered very wealthy, eligible tycoons so far and Bob came across as a regular Joe. But his affable, boy-next-door quality soon charmed the viewers and the contestants and also opened up the show to many possibilities.
RELATED: The 10 Earliest Bachelorettes - Where Are They Now?
Bob had also been rejected by Trista Sutter in her season of The Bachelorette and the trope of the nice, heartbroken guy trying to find love worked in his favor and helped him get a steady base of fans.
6 Season 23
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Colton Underwood just came out as gay, and received a lot of love from his fans. But fans had a lot of opinions about Underwood’s The Bachelor season which was as dramatic as it was entertaining. Underwood was the first virgin bachelor in the franchise history, and after he proposed to finalist Cassie Randolph during a tour to Portugal, Cassie rejected him as she wasn’t sure about getting engaged. After this a heartbroken Colton punched a camera and jumped a fence and disappeared into Portugal countryside. Cassie and Colton did reunite that season and though they did not get engaged, they embarked on a long relationship. 
5 Season 12
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The twelfth season of the show featured British financier Matt Grant and though Grant seemed pretty charming and likable, he didn’t exactly leave a mark and was somewhat forgettable. His choice of fiancee was also a bit predictable as he picked frontrunner Shayne Lamas, who he shared an obvious connection with and had even nicknamed ‘Monkey.’
RELATED: The Bachelor - 10 Reinventions The Series Needs
But the season did have its highlights, as the women did go an extra mile to impress the first British bachelor, like a contestant named Stacie who got called out for being creepy for stuffing her underwear in his pockets.
4 Season 5
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Bachelor Jesse Palmer was a big reason why season 5 is one of the most rewatchable and engaging seasons of the series. The former football player did get himself into a number of hysterical situations, and famously gave a rose to the wrong woman at the first rose ceremony as he mixed up the names. Palmer unintentionally made for really good TV because fans always tuned in for his next goof-up, plus the drama on this season was also pretty high stakes.
3 Season 15
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After he couldn’t find love on the show’s 11th season, Brad Womack came back as the bachelor in the 15th season; this was obviously an intriguing premise as viewers were really interested to see how things pan out for him. Even the contestants on the show were somewhat skeptical about the indecisive Brad and this made things really interesting because this is not what usually happens on the show. Womack also got slapped by contestant Chantal O’Brien at the first rose ceremony of the season.
2 Season 9
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The ninth season of the show was filmed entirely in Rome and featured Prince Lorenzo Borghese. Though royal titles are unrecognized in Italy, Lorenzo’s father is the representative of the titles of Duke of Bomarzo, Prince of Sant’Angelo e San Polo, Marquess of Monticelli, Count of Chia, Lord of Attigliano e Mugnano and his grandmother is Princess Marcella, but Lorenzo isn’t entitled to use the titles since he is a second son. Nevertheless, the season did offer a nice change of scenery and Lorenzo himself was widely liked by the viewers and he chose Florida teacher Jennifer Wilson in the finale. However, they did not get engaged and broke up shortly after the finale
1 Season 22
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 Racecar driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. may have been a great bachelor on paper, but things took quite a turn following his proposal to Becca Kufrin in Peru, as Arie realized he was in love with another finalist Lauren Burnham. When Arie ran into Becca as cameras were rolling, things got very awkward between the two of them and led Becca to tears. The season itself was quite well-paced and entertaining, and Arie and Lauren got their happy ending and are now happily married and parents to a daughter.
NEXT: The Bachelor - 5 Most Annoying Villains Ever (& Most Entertaining)
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