#running to watch a S2 ep to confirm

[girlbossblackbeard]

THOUGHTS AND LAYERS

i spent literally an hour analyzing this trailer at 0.5 speed. this post is long af and these thoughts are in no particular order and are poorly organized:

-there's a big storm (which I think was already confirmed), and ed gets swept overboard by a bucket on a rope:

he then crawls up out of the water onto the beach

then goes into the forest, creates a hut, has a journey of healing and self-discovery, meets hornigold (or his ghost??)

and kills him thus killing the part of himself that he hated the most (his violence) as a parallel to stede finally getting rid of nigel's ghost by accepting and believing in himself

-in the stede/ed split screen, the stede shot is from the first ep of s2 right after stede finds the marooned crew at the end of ep 10 in s1 (you can tell bc his hair and clothes are still clean, there's no gay bandana around his neck, and that's his lil dinghy buttons is rowing)

-they go to shore and wind up at the merchants shop where "susan" overhears they're tracking down blackbeard

and she invites stede's crew onto her ship, cue the outfit change in the BTS photos:

-the way stede makes that little swishy turn in the red coat -

makes me think this may be first time he's been in fine clothes since his "death" and i hope we get a moment of him reflecting on how he gave up everything for ed only to have him hate him :( but then obviously realizing that ed is worth it and he'd do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant getting a chance at spending the rest of his life with him

-izzy and stede team up, and izzy is clearly training either himself or stede on the revenge (?)

soooooo many questions: what caused him to leave ed and join stede's crew? is he fighting with ed and is training to take him out or is he just done having his love be unrequited so he leaves and just so happens to stumble into stede? is izzy thinking that if he can't cut out the longing he has for ed he has to kill him instead so the pain will go away? what, pray tell, the fuck is going on in here on this day

-wee john in the mermaid costume (and olu in a bunny or donkey costume?):

a fuckery? or just a weird acid trip? OR IS IT THE TALENT SHOW THEY NEVER GOT TO HAVE??

-ed really does force everyone on his crew to wear war paint

-all the tally marks scratched into the walls - is that the number of days since stede bonnet broke ed's heart?

-ed in the forest in PEARL NECKLACE HELLOW????????

-the tear in ed's eye as he moves the cake toppers closer together which he also painted to make the lady look more like him he literlaly is in love wiht stede so bad wht the FUCJ

-ed's crew is murdering SO MANY PEOPLE at the wedding wtf (pic not included bc scary)

-delusional moment but i hope anne bonny on stede's lap is looking at calico jack off screen

-stede and ed are running towards each other on the black sand beach (thank you @sluterastede for pointing this out to me wtf!!!!!!)

which evolves my theory that ed in the forest goes through his healing journey and realizes he wants to openly love stede again but then the navy attack and stede just so happens to have found ed at the same time and they're fighting to get to each other and taking out everyone in their way (what if that was okracoke lmao)

-the swede and spanish jackie hooking up in the trailer

makes me think the bts shot of ed and jackie is them looking at stede and the swede, and ed being SO in love with stede obvi but jackie is watching the swede do some weirdly hot shit so she's gotta have him (what if they got married and he became her umpteenth husband in a drunken vegas-like shotgun wedding where she wakes up the next day to realize what has happened lmao)

-also this pic is DEF from the reunited/make up era bc ed's half-up hair, no makeup, soft eyes, and buttons' clothing. i am weeping

-stede in pain - is it an injury or a tattoo? or torture as @sluterastede posits?? he looks down at his lower body before screaming so maybe he knows what's about to happen to him??

-ed in the forest wearing the pearl necklace (see above), ed saying "fuck you stede bonnet" wearing the pearl necklace (see below)

does he pick it up at the wedding??? (theory credit to @sluterastede!!!! can u tell we watched the trailer together 400 times) i can't tell if he's wearing it in the one wide shot of him in that scene:

but regardless of when he acquires it, does he take it bc he remembers stede said he wears fine things well???? and he starts to believe he may deserve them??

-side note about a LACK of something: ed isn't wearing the cravat at all in the trailer near as i can tell, and he's not wearing the pearl necklace when throwing knives at the wall (at least from what I can see, which is not much) which leads me to believe that scene is in the earlier part of the season

-lastly, the most important song lyrics from the trailer (the beautiful ones by prince):

and that's my dissertation on the ofmd season 2 teaser trailer thank you

[ayenah-ayenah]

spoiler!!! s2 good omens

I'm not sure if what I'm about to blabber about is meant to mean something else entirely, but I kinda thought in s2 they have sort of established, or confirmed, that Crowley was an archangel before he fell.

So, let me start with this conversation here in the second ep

Note the "only the mightiest of archangels"

Then Crowley says this

And she didn't laugh. It wasn't a joke. She didn't think it was ridiculous, she didn't mock him for saying that. It was a seriously possible scenario that Crowley did that kind of miracle (bc he was capable of such)

Then, of course, these scenes in ep 6

He casually opens it, confirming he was high in ranking as an angel.

Then this shot follows which really felt like they were making it obvious that Crowley was an archangel

The way it focuses on Crowley in this specific statement.

That's all I've got, really. But I really felt like they were making it obvious and pointing out that Crowley was an archangel.

Ep 2, in that car, the conversation they had, when I first watched it, I really 'knew' they were confirming him as once an archangel. Unless there was a rank above archangel and so, Crowley was that then.

...

Bonus, if I am right

then it's a running joke that archangels don't remember saraqael lmao

Btw, I'm not really fond or, let's say, attached to the idea of Crowley being once an archangel. Like, I don't really care who he used to be. I just made this post bc I haven't seen anyone point out how the show has been dropping hints.

[cosmic-light-fics]

You can really tell how much Carmy doesn't want to lose Sydney again and how much he's had to change specifically for her. It was such a sucker punch to him in s1 ep7 when she quit. From the tension being as sky high as it was due to The Review, to Richie jabbing at Sydney every chance he got and provoking her even more during the to-go fiasco, to Carmy's pent up anger finally lashing out at Sydney and him reverting back to the commanding asshole that they had both decided was not going to be apart of their kitchen environment: all of that culminated into Sydney leaving and Carmy knew that if he had just handled that situation better, she would have never left.

He understands the value Sydney brings into the restaurant more than anyone. That's why he let her experiment with the new dinner menu and installed the to-go program even though he knew they weren't exactly ready for it. I think he loves how big of a dreamer she is, that's why he never truly refuses her. Case in point, when she brings up wanting a Michelin Star. He's totally against it and if he were running the business with anyone else but Sydney, you just know a star would be out of the question. But Sydney wants the star. He could have brushed the idea aside and never brought it up again, but he checks with her to make sure that it is something she genuinely wants and then when she confirms, he backs her 100%.

But he knows that he can still fly off the handle when things start to go awry, and I honestly think that is why he introduced the sign language to her. From all the times I watched that scene in ep.2, the moment didn't really call for it: he gave her the wrong measurements to the lacto ferment and it tasted awful. But when he explains that the sign means "Sorry," it's not about messing up recipes on accident, it's a "let's talk about this later" when two people are fighting. That's exactly how the sign is used from that point forward. Him introducing the sign is his way of improving for her, making sure that they can say sorry to each other without things escalating to the point of Sydney leaving. He won't have that happening again. He won't push her away like that again.

Him saying Sydney makes him better is one of the truest statements of this show. It's not even in a subtle way either. They could have had another incident like the to-go fiasco in s2 ep10 when he was riled up over the cold fish dishes. He was going to revert right back to the old ways of running the kitchen and then as soon as Sydney signs "Sorry" and firmly tells him to chill, he's so quick to cool down it makes my heart feel all warm and fuzzy.

Romantic, platonic or whatever type of connection Carmy and Sydney have, it's one of the best things about this show for me.

[xion92]

TMMN: Masaya/Ichigo relationship analysis, episode 13

And after 6 and half months, I’m ready to continue TMM couple relationship analysis! This episode is full of things, so it will be a looong post.

Let's start with the opening. Masaya and Ichigo have a single scene, but what a scene! Cat Ichigo is running away from the fat cat and finds safeness in Masaya's arms, with a kiss she returns to normal, with a nice elegant dress on, and while he holds her in his arms like a bride they exchange a happy expression (I suppose it’s a metaphor for Masaya who saves her and protects her from danger). It is the first time in New that I see Masaya so happy. I'm sure S2 will give us a lot of stuff!

The very first scene depicts Ichigo crying. But be careful, not that she just cries, it seems to be a very specific scene, only that being blurred you don't understand what it represents. It’s obviously one of the nightmares that Masaya is beginning to have. In the manga they started much later and didn’t herald a specific scene, instead they heralded that he would be the cause of her suffering. Obviously at this point Masaya can't know it, and I think this is one of the various reasons that trigger his transformation into the Blue Knight.

This is the face I had the morning after episode 13, after not sleeping a wink from brooding all night. 🤣

Masaya dear... never ever wonder what Ichigo is doing, trust me, lol

Yes, we understand that they insert foreshadowing all the time, I’m sure this recalls the fact that Masaya from lover will become the enemy and he and Ichigo will have to fight each other.

So, the first part of the episode focuses about ichisaya relationship, one week after their confession. This is only the point of start, it’ll surely evolve from here throught the series. Here is a nice change that we already see in Masaya: contrary to what happened in S1, he is no longer ashamed to confirm his bond with Ichigo, and goes straight to her friends to make them understand the news (indiscretions say that in the next episode he will even with the other girls). Sure he's still shy, they've been together for a very short time. But I'm sure he'll unlock as the series progresses. Masaya is a character who has no leaps in characterization, but proceeds slowly and steadily. This, of course, unlike the old series, where this poor man was treated only as a plot twist, and not as a real character. In that series, he and Ichigo remained quite distant, sometimes they didn't even seem engaged, while I have the impression that with New things will be very different.

Girls... even in ep 7 he called her by name in front of you. Have you forgotten?

And here is a scene that overturns, in a certain sense, the first episode of the series, although I will be cautious in this part of the analysis, because a report from a Japanese fan seems to confirm that this part will be explained better in the next episode. So what does Masaya say here? As with S1, watch out for subtitles! When there is any doubt about the actual characterization of a character, the first thing is not to trust the subtitles. And in fact… even here they are wrong! Masaya here doesn't say at all that he fell in love with her on that occasion. First he says she's been on his mind since he first saw her, because he'd seen her "smiling so happy." Then he says "mitore chattanda", which means "I was fascinated". Fascinated, but he absolutely didn't fall in love, in the truest sense of the word, that time. And even the fact that he is impressed by Ichigo's character does not lead to an infatuation like Ichigo's when he saw him. Masaya is only slightly blushed, certainly not like Ichigo. So we understand that he was just captured by a detail of Ichigo, the first that he noticed, and this has remained impressed in his mind. So from this flashback we understand a few things.

First, ep1 was NOT Ichigo's first day of school, but she had started high school for at least a few days. Second, he noticed her even before she noticed him. Third, both have a parallel and a contrast. Both are captured by something about each other the first time they see each other. Except that Ichigo, who is a normal person, is fascinated by his appearance and by his "winning genes", to put it in reproductive terms. Masaya is not captured by her appearance, but by a trait of her personality that strikes him, as it is something that he lacks at that point in the story, her cheerfulness and her happiness. This is a very different flashback from a similar scene in episode 39 of the old series, where he said, superficially, the same thing. There he said that he simply noticed her, and that's not good for Masaya's character. He is captured for the first time by something emotional, which must be specified. Without specification one might think that the first thing he noticed was that she was pretty, and this would go against his character. He first notices and is impressed by personality and character, then, if these "pass the test", by the appearance, which comes later. Obviously he couldn't know then that he was captured by her, he only understands it later, when he realizes he loves her and is able to reconstruct in retrospect how he started to like her.

It must be said that, when in episode 1 the two of them collide and talk, it doesn't actually seem that Masaya has ever seen her before. But let's remember that it is Masaya we are talking about. When he first saw her, he probably didn't even mentally realize that he was fascinated by her. So, partly because of this, partly because he is used to behaving in a kind and detached way with everyone, he went back to behaving as usual even with her, until he… saw the ticket. This is a scene that can be re-interpreted. Without episode 13, one might think he was just happy with the subject matter of the show. But by episode 13, his thought, obviously unconscious, may have been this: "The girl that fascinated me has the same interests as me!" And in fact it is only at this point that he, in the first episode, lets himself go a little more with her, and he seems really interested in her, as well as in the exhibition itself. I'd say it all adds up. And also, maybe in the next episode we will know something more about it…

Just excuse me...

...they’re gourgeous! Notice how in this episode, now they stay together (yeah, I say that because in my language we say “stay together” to mean two people are boyfriend and girlfriend 😁) they have often the same expressions. It’s another hint or their deep bond.

How cute in this scene, walking side by side to get home, clearly happy but still embarrassed and still not bold enough to holding hands. They are still awkward, like two real fifteen year olds in their first (and only, in their case) love experience.

Here we can see that when Masaya talks to her about volunteering at the aquarium, she is fascinated by it. I've already said it: in my opinion these two will end up working together on these issues.

He’s adorable, period. Like her, he’s ashamed to say she's his girlfriend. However, unlike episode 9, he easily manages to invite her this time. It's even little things like this that show his progression. And besides of that, I don’t think the employees asked him first to bring his girlfriend. I mean, how could they know he has a girlfriend only a week after their “getting together”? To me, it’s clear that Masaya asked them first if he could bring his girlfriend, and they answered yes. He’s only too embarassed to admit it 💙

And here THE SCENE starts: poor Masaya, his faces clearly show he’s thinking to be ended in a house full of crazy people!

Here he’s thinking “that time, when Ichigo invited me to the museum, I should have invented another commitment”. 🤣

However I really like that after his initial shock, he quickly recovered and introduced to her father, holding his gaze, and Shintarou accepts him almost immediately. Basically they represented in a few minutes scene a concept that in the old series took a whole episode!

Here Masaya has just realized that Sunday lunches, from here until his death, he will have to spend with them. Amazing how he has to hold back not to laugh. How can you not laugh in such a situation? 🤣

More mirroring expressions 💙💖

Later, it’s so good to see them doing normal teenage couple things: the little goodnight chat! Of course, for Masaya it must be unusual to see such an spontaneous family, when his is practically absent.

Oh, and Ichigo was fast to buy a new cellphone, huh?

Another mirroring expression. They’re adorable.

So, here we have a scene where he gets through his 2 different sides: his happiness, because he’s with his girl, in a place he loves, doing with her a thing they both love and they’re passionate about, but then he becomes sad, like in ep1, and says this.

I must admit that this scene is not very clear to me. Is it Deep Blue speaking through him? Or rather, does Masaya's personality come into contact with his and says between the lines that the planet belongs to aliens and not to man? On the other hand, it is a sentence in accordance with what Quiche will say later. I'd love to read the opinions of other fans!

And here something happens that I really wanted to see again: the concept of the first episode is resumed, in which Ichigo wonders why Masaya sometimes seems so sad. It is actually a theme that had not been touched upon since the first episode, it had to be resumed. Probably, clumsy as she is still with him, she is ashamed to ask him. She doesn't even have the courage to hold his hand, she certainly can't go and ask him something so intimate and personal. But over time she will understand for herself the reason for these occasional moods.

At this point, the plot arrives to bother, Masaya and Ichigo get separated, and Masaya begins to go into severe stress over losing her.

Ehm, she WAS having a fun time, before you arrived 😂

And here Ichigo does something he should never have done. Something for which I had written a post praising her, precisely because she had kept silent so far. But now… she clearly tells Quiche her boyfriend's name. Girl, have you lost your mind?? You are dealing with a dangerous madman, psychopath, armed and obsessed with you. And you, instead of keeping quiet, are you going to tell him that you're in love with someone else, a normal guy who can't defend himself? Now you think Quiche won't go looking for him? Congratulations for being so clever… And in fact…

...dear Ichigo, what did you hope to obtain by telling him so? (btw, wrong subtitles again. Quiche just says he gets in the way).

However, I really appreciated that Ichigo decides to transform when Quiche threatens Masaya, and, despite her being the first to be in danger, always thinks of him, and when the Mew Mews arrive, the first thing she does is ask them about him.

I adored this scene, it’s another introspection that wasn’t in the manga. Masaya really gets frustrated because he wants to find Ichigo, but he can't because he is blocked by the crowd. The Mew Mews arrive and, having superpowers, jump over the crowd and reach her, while he is forced to stand there, powerless. It is precisely the last straw, which triggers the transformation.

We arrive to the Blue Knight scene, which has been changed a bit from the manga, as usual for the better.

1. Ichigo manages to defeat the monster by herself, it is the recoil that makes her fall from the building; however I don't understand why falling from a height would be a problem for her… can't she just turn around and land on her feet?

2. The BK has long pants, and a pink ribbon clearly placed there to call Ichigo; as a hint to his true identity there is also the structure of his hair; the tufts on his head and forehead are exactly those of Masaya, no other character has those particular tufts;

3. The BK doesn't kiss Ichigo on her chest, so Ichigo doesn't feel that he is cold, and he doesn't tell her that stupid sentence that Ryo had told her, which had nothing to do with BK and Masaya’s personality;

4. And there's a reason for that: viewers immediately learn that the BK isn't Ryo, or even Kei, although tant doesn’t mean Ichigo won't suspect it. Actually the series, by showing us the previous scene of Masaya (which Ichigo didn't see) and not showing him during the BK scene, immediately makes it clear to the viewers that he is the BK. Whether or not the characters will have this dilemma remains to be seen;

5. The BK doesn't put Ichigo down before attacking Quiche, but hits him with her in his arms, thus with a weight that slows him down and having to do without a hand. What a great warrior! And speaking of that, is the BK so skilled with a sword because Masaya is skilled at kendo, or is Masaya so skilled at kendo precisely because he was created by a god who uses a sword as a weapon? Hmmm…

6. While Quiche loses his mind, the BK, very imperturbable, doesn't even turn his head, but casts his eye backwards just as if to say "you're really nothing". He really took his revenge from episode 9!

7. Thank God (actually, to the authors) there is no scene where Ichigo looks at the point where Quiche disappears saying his name, and the BK hugs her from behind to get her attention. In New Ichigo absolutely doesn't care about Quiche, her attentions are instead all for the BK, as it should be.

8. Did you notice this? In ep 3, he says to her, basically, “you’re mine”. 10 episodes later, “I’m yours”. 💙

9. The kiss he gives her on her forehead is so sweet! It's really a transformation dragged by his feelings. Even in his unconscious, Masaya can't help but show his love for her, always in a delicate and respectful way. It's a very different forehead kiss than the one Quiche gave her last episode.

Masaya, sweetheart, who never stops looking for her. Of course, because contrary to episode 9 in which he only waited for her calmly, having seen that the monsters had been killed and therefore she was safe, here he has no confirmation even if he saw the other Mew Mews arriving, therefore he continues his research until he has confirmation that Ichigo is okay.

What a beautiful hug they give each other, him keeping his chin on her head as a sign of protection and care. I love how they are so spontaneous in their interactions, even though they are still shy. In the manga, when they found each other it was only him who embraced her, here instead they literally rush into each other's arms.

But isn't something missing? Well, the whole manga scene where Masaya interacts with Mew Ichigo. But I noticed that in the anime they redistributing the various events to not rush everything, so I'm sure this scene will be reinserted later, in a different context.

And that was ONLY ep 13. Ichisaya fans, be prepared, because we’ll get fat, very fat, with this season!

[twojamie-o-clock]

WHAT THE HELLLLL

OHMY GOD

I CANT even PUT THIS INTO COHWRENT WORDS WHAT THE HELLLL

Ok so I’m just gonna list out my impressions, thought processes when watching, fav scenes, etc. not very legible but. I just watched it ten minutes ago. Spoilers below!

- i wish we got more eps. S3, we got hints of Saxon throughout, and there were much more than 8 eps despite the ep run time being roughly the same. Because of that we got to see more of Saxon hunting + the whole utopia arc to set it up, rather than 6 eps of adventures and then the finale.

I liked that each episode had a strong theme but I do miss the bug eyed aliens, as Newman would have it, although the shift INTO fantasy as a genre kind of feels like hinting at Saxon/Yana etc so I really love that. (Btw I’m not trying to make this a koschei thing, just comparing with what best my little nuwho brain can.) anyways even tho I loved every episode of the season I feel like we needed more?? Not just bc I’m insane and I love this show (which..yeah we all wanted more) but because it would have been nice imo to see more Ruby & 15 & their encounters w sue (teehee) before jumping into the finale, especially since the transition between Rogue, with no snow and only a painting, to the UNIT tower, felt a bit rushed. I’m sure they had constraints I have no clue about but. :( still sad. If we could see more of sue w like the other worlds that would be cool but I suppose that one is for the NSA/comics !!!

- i geeeently predicted sutekh (many mutuals I have on other platforms had been bringing up the twist bc there have been so many clsssic callbacks) and was confirmed once they started listing off gods; I have NOT watched 4’s run yet (bears mentioning that I’m still on 2) but I have read a 10/Gabby/Cindy comic about Anubis. (Btw I could totally derail and yap about those comics but. As 11 says. Let’s not go there.) I loved the eeriness of this episode with the music, the time window (lmao I love love love kate; she feels like she’s gotten very steady development despite not having much screen time w/o it feeling rushed. Also, I’ve only seen 2 or 3 serials with the brigadier so it wasn’t as impactful for me but it makes me excited to get to 3) etc all of it was very fun and tense.

- i love Mel I can’t wait to meet her. The scene where she deals with 15 was amazing, I love seeing past wizened companions who aren’t all screwed over. It’s just so like. Agh. Yes he’s an idiot in a box. And he goes around changing people. And it’s not always good. But it’s not always bad.

- thought processes: I wanted it to be Susan (sucker punch of watching this right after rewatching hartnell’s run—which, yes, is done in avoidance of the war games, but is rewatching Susan & 1 nonetheless) but because they kept on suggesting it it felt like it wouldn’t be. I thought it was going to actually be the tardis then, when I saw the tardis was the trap, so I’m assuming the correlation is going to get explained next week OR I’m just kidding context bc I haven’t reached 4 yet (I wish I could have all of classic who in my brain when watching 15, but I’m also savoring classic very very slowly. Ik the tardis was a major part in pacifying Anubis in the comics as well, but I won’t lie I read those a while ago and my memory is kind of dusty)

- oughoigsjshrsije Carla <333 and also Ms Flood chill what’s going on my girl just wanted some tea.. /j anyways I’m !!!! SO EXCITEDDDDDD

- time is remembered & memory is time ooooofogfififieisiwk that’s gotta be one of my fav lines ever from this series. Thank you. Thank you.

- ok. Let’s be that person. Rogue is probably noooottttt coming back for the second half of the finale so I’m guessing they’ll rope him back in for s2 which is great but like. This kinda loops back around to the “we needed more episodes” to set this up, or at the very least longer episodes to compensate. Idk I’m hoping the Christmas special will go around to him but. Anyways. Yeah.

I’ll try to word this better later but! Yeah! Lmk ur thoughts!

[that-left-turn]

I don't get your last anon. I thought this is shipping? Well, we're shipping Caryl, right?! Hardly a ship goes canon. My ships never went canon. Why aren't we allowed to whine about it for years and years?

We start to ship someone, we're searching other shippers, enjoy fanart, fanfiction and whine when they won't get canon etc.

My oldest ship started mid 90s when I was barely a teenager.

Let people enjoy and love whomever they want. No matter if they're going canon or not.

We saw, not long ago, how ridiculous it can get when when a couple is canon. (Cringefest at its finest)

So it doesn't matter that they haven't been together until now. It might not matter if they go canon S2. As long as people ship them, great. (BTW, my first ships fanfiction is still getting updated almost daily 🤗)

Agreed, shipping isn’t related to whether a couple has gone canon or not. It doesn’t even matter if the ship is a popular one because the important part is that it resonates with the viewer. It’s just common to seek confirmation for your observations—we all wanna know we’re not “out there” for thinking something, right? I think the previous anon was simply frustrated and wanted to know why I didn’t seem to share those concerns. I get that 🫠 I can sympathize with the feeling.

My point about the fandom dying wasn't about canon at all. Like you said, there are fandoms where the shows ended decades ago that are still going strong 😊 It feels like there's too much in-fighting between different factions of Caryl fans for this fandom to be healthy. How someone ships is individual: some fans want to remain in their happy bubble and enjoy the fandom spoils without engaging with TPTB, others want to advocate for their ship to go canon. Live and let live, y'know? I don't have the right to tell another person how to enjoy their hobby.

As to whether Caryl would turn into “a cringefest” if they were to go canon depends on how well the showrunner writes old married couple a mature middle-aged relationship, what tone is set for that arc (if it runs counter to the external plot or harmonizes with it), whether there’s studio interference and if the NW EPs have agendas of their own.

AMC (and Norman) like ambiguity to the point of plausible deniability. Caryl will in all likelihood reunite in the last two episodes, unless the block shooting was completely wild (in which case the script supervisor and line producer were the two worst jobs of the entire production). There won’t be time to explore an emotional arc—the reunion would be the denouement of the first two seasons’ B plot: seeing each other again. If there’s canon, it might be the case of acknowledging it having happened at some point offscreen (before the spinoff) and then the show proceeds with “business as usual.”

Based on what little promotion AMC/TWDU have done so far, they’re aiming to draw in all factions of viewers (including those who hate watch) rather than to build anticipation for the core demographic. That usually means a studio is nervous about how the season will be received, but we’re still in standby mode and I don’t want to make blind predictions because AMC has never acted the way other studios would in similar situations.

[glendover]

watch ghost files with me eps1 s2

what’s better than a new ghost files eps on my birthday?? literally nothing

the caption saying “boo, bitches, did you miss us?” YES OFC I DID

will we see blueprints again? you know I’m a sucker for them 😩

had to look up what a penitentiary is,,, Istg my English isn’t fancy enough for words like this just call it prison or something 😭

night in the penitentiary: locked in

old ass prison with dubious torturing methods always end up haunted it’s like the secret potions to get ghosts

THE 3D MODEL AND THE BLUEPRINT CAN I GET A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE BLUEPRINT??!!?

Missouri is the ghost place

imagine getting chased by fast jack, man I wouldn’t even try to run

jack trying to communicate via the flashlight already????? season two really is insane

Shane scaring the ghosts by telling them they are dead 💀

ghosts already got to Ryan this is fine 🤡

shut up, Shane is so cute hyping Ryan up 🥹

If I were a ghost I purposefully wouldn’t show myself to Ryan and Shane but I would follow them everywhere they go just looking them over the shoulder and laughing

Shane is becoming some sort of ghost therapist this episode 😭💀

little dance monkey!!

romanticising the prison with the moonlight 🤩

bro shut up the glowing eyes???

Ryan is the grinning man, confirmed

the thievery ghost likes mr bean!!!!

no but the commercial break was actually funny

peekers didn’t want to peek to night

how bad can a ghost/devil dog truly be?? all dogs are the same, all they want are belly rubs and treats

not the ghost calling Shane daddy lmao

disturbing daddy

why is the seven people cell so small???

Shane having to remind Ryan to freak out when scary shit happens is so funny

She said mattress when you walked to the mattress, go do your thing and be scared Ryan how hard can it be??

“Are you in pain?” *light turns off immediately*

the ghost wants them as their friends forever and to never leave; cute

SOLO INVESTIGATION

Ryan should gaslight himself into thinking he’s not scared, I believe he can do it

Shane energy, like shenergy you know like kenergy 👀

Zen Ryan? Well I only believe that once I see it

Shane screaming while Ryan is talking about not being able to hear him even if he got stabbed 💀💀

this truly looks disturbing 😭😭

well idk about the punching but sure you got this Ryan

chill Ryan might be the scariest bit of this episode

the face of a chill man

Ryan truly isn’t his fear

disassociation bestie Ryan 👯

this didn’t even feel like an hour wtf???

I’m so happy the ghoul boys are back omg

this was so much fun!!!

[redvanillabee]

I’ve seen a few mentions of a Michael Carter/winter soldier thing now on here but can’t seem to find an actual explanation? are you able to elaborate because I’m so intrigued!

Hey anon! I must first preface my answer that I did not really witness the development of this headcanon; I kinda pieced this together through fandom archaeology and going through too many fics to count. But in short, WS!Michael is kind of a fanon conclusion as to what happened to Michael—because unlike what Peggy believes, he is not dead. 

There were already suggestions that Michael is not dead when the show first aired, from the cryptic “M. Carter” name (which could refer to both Margaret ‘Peggy’ Carter and Michael Carter), to Jack’s mystery shooter. But we only really get confirmation that Michael is not dead when the show was cancelled, and the showrunners revealed what they had planned for Michael:

we would learn that Peggy’s late brother Michael was not only alive and kicking but involved in some very nefarious, super-villainous shenanigans. (LINK)

Now bear in mind that the run of Agent Carter follows on the heels of CATWS, and overlaps with Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Civil War, and Agents of SHIELD S2-S3. This was when Marvel really first experimented with linking their movies and TV shows together; really, the current MCU thing of ‘you need to watch this ep of this season to understand that movie’ started here. And one of the first bits of intertextuality that Marvel TV played with was HYDRA/Arena Club. You really wouldn’t know the Arena Club is tied to/a version of HYDRA, unless you’ve seen Agents of SHIELD S3.

And from what I’ve seen, the fandom slowly pieced together this piece of information, what is going on in the MCU, with what details the showrunners revealed in post-cancellation interviews. A WWII soldier previously thought  dead but is “not only alive and kicking but involved in some very nefarious, super-villainous shenanigans”? Who is in one way or another tied to HYDRA (M Carter file—Vernon Masters—Council of Nine/Arena Club—HYDRA)? Where have I heard of that before?

So the headcanon was born. What if Michael was some kind of proto-Winter Soldier? What if instead of being killed in action, Michael was captured and turned by HYDRA, leading to massacre detailed in the M Carter file? What if they turned Michael into the first iteration of the Winter Soldier? It would be just like Marvel to use him to tie back to Bucky in CATWS/CACW. They’re gonna end S3 with Peggy thinking they have cracked the HYDRA super soldier programme, when actually at the same time, deep in Soviet Russia, Bucky is being—

You get my point.

[slitherouter]

Hey, remember when TLOVM came out and you got the episodes early, like a promo, or preview? but the plot started with like the dragons attacking the city, and not the tavern fight etc., what we now know is the beginning of the series? Did you ever figure out what was it? Did you get the last episode instead of the first, or was it the promo for s2 a year in advance?? I find myself still thinking about that from time to time lol... and now the new season is coming so I thought I'd ask. Thanks~!

Hey Anon, thanks for asking! It's an exciting question with a very exciting answer.... What I was watching back then were indeed the FIRST TWO EPISODES OF SEASON 2!!!!!!!! Just like I suspected but couldn't confirm until I've watched the entire first season. I write TV critiques for a leading Israeli website, and I pushed to write about my beloved VM show for months in advance (at some point they were trying to have me interview Matt, but it didn't happen 😢). Anyway, I got two episodes as preview. It was supposed to be the opening to the series, but someone made a mistake and send the first couple of eps from season 2 instead. Knowing the plot, I knew this couldn't be right, but I didn't believe episodes of s2 even existed at that point. Well, they did.

So, there's your answer, anon. I feel very privileged to have had this sacred content accidentally dropped in my lap, and hey - I wrote a glowing review about CR and TLOVM, so it's fine. Under the cut, there's a tiny bit of spoilers about plot points I remember in those two eps, for whoever's interested).

SPOILERS FOR tLoVM SEASON 2 AHEAD!

It started at the exact point season 1 ended, with the Chroma Conclave attacking (like the promo they released about a month ago), and continued on directly after that, with the city falling and VM running away, through a tree portal. As they are trying to gather their wits about them and figure out what happened and what to do, Grog is starting to communicate with his new found sword. He gets affected and the party has to help him come back to himself, and it basically revolves around Grog's struggle. ...and that's all I'll say for now because I feel bad spoiling it :)

[catherinerandom-blog]

So, I just started watching Black Mirror. I totally love it. It definitely gives me Love Death And Robots vibes just its not animated. So far I've seen every episode in seasons one and 2 (excluding the first episode of season one because I was advised to skip it), and I also saw the 1st episode of season 6 bc it was just what started playing when I went to watch the show on Netflix. I wanna give episode reviews for the ones I've seen so far in the order I watched them, so spoilers from here on out.

S6 ep1 Joan Is Awful: I loved it. The show did such a great job contrasting the show with reality. The twist was epic when I 1st watched, but compared to other episodes is just alright

S1 ep2 Fifteen Million Merits: again great episode. I loved how hopeless the situation felt. No matter who you were it just felt awful, and I love how well they instigated that feeling

S1 ep3 The Entire History Of You: this one was alright. I kinda super disliked the main character even before he got real crazy, and the concept didn't quite pull me in as much as the others.

S2 ep1 Be Right Back: this one was cute and sad. To be entirely honest I felt bad for the AI. I feel like the MC was a bit unfair to it. Not that I think the AI cared that much, but still. The thing was perfectly polite, no dangerous self aware controlling behavior at all, and she locked him in the attic, poor guy.

S2 ep2 White bear: so at first I wasn't a fan of this one. I'm not a fan of thrillers and I thought the bystander commentary was mediocre, but then the twist happened. Oh my god, did I adore the reveal. And props to the actress playing the MC because her screams of agony at the end gave me chills to the bone. Thank God cruel and unusual punishment is not permitted where I live.

S2 ep3 The Waldo Moment : this one as a story was alright, but what really freaked me out was how realistic the scenario is. If somebody ran for government as a joke a significant portion of the population may actually vote for them. I mean Trump got elected. People will vote for people as a joke and that has serious consequences. After this episode I promised myself if I ever saw someone run for government as a joke I'd vote for someone serious.

S2 ep4 White Christmas : I just finished watching this one and Jesus Christ! The 1st story didn't get to me but the last two did. I guessed the twist pretty early on in the ep but the concept of being trapped in a room for months with nothing to do is such a terrifying concept it really really got to me. Additionally the whole blocking people thing is scary as hell. Specifically the whole getting blacked by everyone, can you imagine? So lonely. And then the ending, 1,000 years per minute for at least 24 hours. I already have a fear of immortality, did not need that confirmed thanks.

Over all this show has been an experience and I'm all over it.

[worthyking]

sorry i decided to come into your ask bc replies are so limited in character, i wanted to give you the whole run down bc doctor who ep/season/specials structure can be really overwhelming for new people.

so. if you'd like to watch just rose/dt then i'd recommend to watch s1 ep12-13 at least, just to get the context of how dt becomes the doctor. then after that comes a christmas special called the 'christmas invason' which is officially his full first episode as the doctor. then comes s2 in full swing, this is the season rose is fully in person present for.

like i said, if you want to get the full picture of rose/doctor then it's advised to continue on with david tennant's seasons as the doctor is down bad plus there's a twist in s4. rose/doctor's story doesn't end completely in s2. so when s2 is over there's again a christmas ep 'the runaway bride' to watch, then s3 follows. then when that's over there's once again a christmas ep called 'the voyge of the damned'. then s4. after that there are 4 special episodes which at the time we got in place of a full swing season, at this point it was confirmed that dt would soon step down from the role of the doctor, so instead of doing a full s5 with him they decided to do in-between run with him with 4 special episodes in which they closed his run.

i know you said you're only interested in rose/doctor but i personally really recommend david tennant's whole run because he's just really wonderful as the doctor. but it's up to you! i just wanted to help with the episode run downs because god help us all doctor who can be intimidating for one silly sci-fi show that's been running for so long.

BLESS UPPPP, you explained this so well. so what I'm getting is that my whole mission to just watch 2 seasons would do the show a complete disservice and that this'll definitely have to be a longer project..I think imma watch the first two seasons (+ specials) first but I'm hella intrigued about S4 now so watch me watch all 4. I'm also hella in a watching slump and trying to watch more productive shit, but I might have to throw that resolution out the window. thank you so much for this!!

[girlbossblackbeard]

brain thoughts whilst watching s2 ep1

if u saw me post some of these as their own posts no u didnt

-y'all are so smart for predicting that the steard HAD to be a fantasy/dream sequence

-"I never made you leave him. You did that yourself" *stede kills him* hmmmmmm definitely not a metaphor for stede trying to kill/silence the part(s) of himself and his actions that he hates and is ashamed of and that story arc DEFINITELY isn't a parallel to Ed's comatose dream journey we see later in ep 3 when he confronts Hornigold's ghost only to realize that it's actually a manifestation of Ed's self-hatred. this is just a silly little pirate show with silly little fake sword battles that's all :)

-Okay. We know this is a fantasy. We know this is a silly little pirate show. We know it's a haha funny comedy with two of the best comedic actors the world has ever seen in the starring roles. And Yet. The ungodly heartbreaking "Ed" that Stede yells the second time just before running to him is so gut-wrenching, so full of desperation, so overwhelmingly breathtaking in the undeniable agony laced throughout that one syllable, I wish god had put me in Izzy's place instead bc it would've been a thousand times less painful to literally be stabbed directly through my abdomen than to hear Stede say Ed's name like that while tears well up in his eyes

-watching stede and ed run like that gave me the ick im so sorry yall i wanted to be brave about it but i just cant be

-okay but WHY am i blushing when Ed looks directly into the camera for his lines in the fantasy sequence.........how in the hell did stede not spontaneously combust the second those stupidly big brown beautiful doe eyes made eye contact with him

-EVERYONE SHUT UP STEDE'S FACE AFTER HE AND ED COLLIDE AND ARE ROLLING AROUND IN THE SAND IS A LOOK OF ABJECT DESPERATION AND AGONY WHAT THE FUCK HE MISSES HIM SO MUCH AND FEELS SO GUILTY HE CAN'T EVEN BE TRULY HAPPY IN HIS OWN DREAMS

-"I knew you'd find me, babe" "You're not mad?" "I knew you'd find me, love" "So, we're good? About everything?" "Fuckin' love the beard, mate" Even in Stede's dreams Ed does not confirm that everything is alright between them. I'm starting to think this dream sequence is actually a nightmare sequence because he gets confronted by his fears by not only Izzy throwing it in his face that Stede left Ed of his own volition but Ed steadfastly refusing to answer Stede's questions about their relationship being okay

-in stede's dream ed has his full beard because that's a marker of the last time/era stede remembers being truly happy with ed before he ruined everything at the naval academy and broke ed's heart so severely it turned him into the very monster the rest of the world always wrongly made him out to be

-"can't be worse than you moaning 'ed, oh ed' all night long" black pete my beloved

-GOD stede's hair and scruff look so GOOD on him what the HELL

-WEE JOHN'S HAIR AND EYELINER AND PIERCINGS AND EVERYTHING LOOK SO GOD DAMN GOOD HE LOOKS SO GOD DAMN GOOD

-stede's silly little thumbs up to the swede as jackie makes him throw that ass in a circle reblog if u agree

-stede talking to the patrons at spanish jackie's is just a typical customer interaction working in the service industry

-ayo i think spanish jackie's is serving food now?? guess that overhead issue she mentioned to geraldo in s1 is no longer an issue bc that place is popping

-if ricky was able to clock stede immediately and doesn't think he's dead even after his very public and very loony-tunes-esque death then how many people in barbados actually believe he's dead??? does the whole town just kinda know he faked it and have accepted that he abandoned his family, became a pirate, came back home, drunkenly bisexualized his ex(??) wife's new boo thang, then faked his death so he could abandon his family again???

-"Demon? I'm the fuckin' Devil" I can't accurately put into words how hearing this line so softly spoken paired with seeing Ed's beautiful kohl-covered eyes as the guitar and xylophone from the song kicks in has affected me but I can say with 100% certainty it is the root cause of my new mental illness, whatever that may be

-fuck OFFFFFFFFFFFF EVERYONE LOOKS SO FUCKING GOOD ON THE KRAKEN CREW IT'S ACTUALLY INSANE

-LOVE LOVE LOVE the freeze frame with the day of the week overlay it is SUCH a visually excellent component of those scenes

-i know we're all supposed to be very sad and upset at ed shooting a guy (that was BASICALLY ALREADY DEAD) but for the love of GOD that man has never served so much princess babygirl gender in one cocking and shooting of a gun as he did in that scene

-JUST REALIZED ED IS WEARING A LONG TRENCH COAT JACKET THING IN THE SHOOTING SCENE AND THAT'S WHY THAT SHOT IS AFFECTING ME SO MUCH IT LOOKS LIKE A DRESS

-the immediate stoppage of the music with the smash cut to the crew trying to process the trauma that they've been through is so fucking funny, the editors have absolutely mastered the science of comedic timing

-"i dunno, i've never really been to a wedding before so i've got nothing to compare it to really" archie my beloved

-"i've never seen blackbeard like this. he didn't even bat an eye when ivan got killed" i don't have the energy to really put all my thoughts about this into coherent sentences, so all i'll say is that i'm really disappointed this is how they chose to deal with ivan not being in the show anymore. idk what went down with guz khan and whomever made the decision not to invite him back for s2, but at the very least i feel like they could've either written him off in some other way or simply not mentioned him at all. killing him off in one sentence that gets immediately interrupted with a comedic line just doesn't sit right with me

-"i lock the box and then i don't open it again" frenchie just like me fr

-i know stede did NOT just say "he's just blowing off some steam" in response to olu pointing out that ed has been committing so many crimes they literally had to start listing them on the back of the wanted posters. it's giving "girlfriend whose boyfriend acts like a massive asshole to her in front of her friends but she tells them he's actually soooo sweet when it's just the two of them together"

-"well, we can't turn up with any old ship. we need to look good" stede you literally haven't touched clean water in who knows how long, i think pulling up to the revenge in a dope af whip might need to be a little lower on your priority list babe

-the way ed gently strokes that cake topper before stuffing it in his jacket right above his heart like he used to do with the red silk bc stede's entire being eclipsed the silk when he became ed's whole heart. cinema

-i said it before and i'll say it again: izzy looks like a sad clown with his rudy giulliani lookin ass hair dye dripping down his face and the black panda rings around his eyes as a sad excuse for war paint

-when watching the first ep for the first time, i found myself becoming extremely uncomfortable and even anxious at times watching ed doing drugs and having a very public spiral that he takes out on the crew. massive props to taika and the writers for being able to make me genuinely a little terrified of Blackbeard in those scenes

-conathan o'neill. words cannot describe how enrapturing every single second of screentime you get is. every pixel of your performance is pure perfection. every tear that glimmers in your eye but refuses to fall is gloriously gut-wrenching. every laugh out of izzy's mouth is uniquely, ineffably uncomfortable in ways that should be futilely studied by science. also u look really hot when you're leaning on the rigging in the storm

-the swede shaking his head "no" at stede trying to warn him not to talk back to jackie when she steals their savings. he was trying to help his friends :(

-"i know that guy, we had breakfast together :D" "you'll be having a lot of breakfasts together" "oh okay :))" the swede my beloved

-buttons opening his mouth when it starts raining. buttons my beloved

-"im afraid your...your life is better without me" is SUCH an amazing line read from rhys, the way stede's voice hitches and you can hear the tears in his throat as he tries to voice his deepest fears is so incredibly moving which is why i got both the ick and medically diagnosed whiplash when he busts out that extraordinarily cringe ed voice to RESPOND TO HIMSELF. idk what's wrong with that man but it's not in ye olde DSM-5

-the fact that, once again, in stede's own imagination ed is not refuting stede's fears but is rather confirming them in the case of him talking to ed's wanted poster about how he's worried ed's life is better without stede in it and stede responding "could be...could be mate" in "ed's" voice is actually really desperately tragic and heartbreaking when you think about it ! :)

-"i know everything about you" i truly hate to say it but SOME of us, and im not saying who (me), are unfortunately extremely ricky-coded. it's giving "hi kevin" in spongebob

-"i, too, am a child of wealth" STOOOOPPPPPPPP I WAS ABSOLUTELY HOWLING AT THIS LINE IDK WHAT THE WRITERS ARE GETTING PAID BUT IT NEEDS TO BE ON PAR WITH WHATEVER RICHES RICKY WAS CLEARLY STRUGGLING WITH AS A CHILD VICTIM OF TOO MUCH MONEY

-someone smarter than me should do an analysis on how quickly stede's attitude towards ricky flipped once ricky told stede he was his hero and the gentleman pirate saved his life and how stede maybe saw a lot of his past self in ricky and is intimately aware of how the mundanity of living a life that's been prescribed to you from birth with expectations you could never live up to can drive you to the edge unless you choose to do something drastic to change your situation and how stede already feels like such a failure because of both the situation with his family/old life AND with ed/his new life that he took the opportunity to be the kind of gentle guide he could've used when he was starting out in the same situation ricky is before stede met ed and started to learn the ropes more. so if ur reading this please get on that thx <3

"my time with jackie has been the happiest of my life. her love has helped me locate parts of myself i didn't even know existed" (his prostate) "and reclaim others that i had long missed" (his teeth and nails)

-"but...i owe you a life debt and i am bound to honor it" something something mary telling stede "we made a contract in front of god and i am bound to honor that" something something stede being told by multiple people he cares about that the only reason they're dealing with him is because of societal convention

-i was gonna start this post off with "sorry" but i actually will not be apologizing for the unabated foaming-at-the-mouth level of hedonistic intoxication i experience every time i look at ed in his warpaint. if you have any issues with this that's between u and god buddy

-"i have...love for you, edward" actually made me gasp so hard i choked

-"i heard that you think the vibe here on the ship is poisonous" ed said VIBE CHECK and then took izzy's leg

-fang whimpering is actually illegal

-ed asking blackbeard about the vibes on the ship was such an incredibly well done performance from taika because i was genuinely so uncomfortable watching that go down i almost had to look away

-frenchie shaking his head "no" at izzy after izzy yells at ed to stop with his insane blackbeard monologue about the vibes on the ship is such a tiny moment but speaks VOLUMES about how trauma-bonded that crew has become under the kraken's rule. frenchie doesn't want to see izzy get even more hurt than he already does on a daily basis but i think he also knows it's already too late

-god the way ed just casually turns away and shoots izzy the second he hears the first "st" syllable of stede's name is so chilling

>>>side note: does ed look away because he can't watch himself actually hurt izzy THAT badly? he later turns his back to izzy in the hopes izzy will shoot him and when he doesn't, ed leaves before izzy shoots himself

-izzy's resigned inhale and small smile before starting to say "your feelings for stede bonnet" is so unbelievably heartbreaking because he knows. he knows he's about to get majorly fucked up for what he's about to say but he's tired of everyone walking on delicate shards of glass around ed

-the fucking joke of "how are you so good at this" because he's literally doing the swedish massage. credit goes to my friend shane for realizing this right away when it would've taken me 20 rewatches to come close to getting it

-"I can't believe how well this is going" black pete my beloved

-"this is where you went wrong with the whole gentleman pirate thing. details like this are important to build a brand" she's an influencer

-"i cant believe you guys robbed jackie. wow. so bad" the swede my beloved

-wee john covering his nose as jackie says she's about to get more noses for her nose jar

-"aint you that soup bitch" "im the money bitch" well im gay and i want them both to step on me

-"it's okay sexy dutchman"

-ed crying on the bow of the ship is sooooooooooo insane to me like i keep getting reminded of the fact that he's literally been crying every single night for MONTHS over stede

-"never going back to land. we're gonna sail, rob, and raise hell forever and ever without end" "sounds like a plan" frenchie's face as he realizes he's probably gonna spend the rest of his life on that ship may have actually caused heart damage

-HI THE TRANSITION FROM ED SAYING "FUCK YOU STEDE BONNET" AND LOOKING AT THE MOON TO STEDE LOOKING AT THE SAME MOON AND SAYING "GOODNIGHT ED TEACH" SHOULD EITHER BE GIVEN AN OSCAR OR CODIFIED AS A VIOLATION OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION I JUST DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE YET

[hersheymallow]

What episodes of BSD would you consider to be your favorites? Are there any specific scenes in them that you really like? :D

Ahh this is gonna be long so I'll just kinda slide in here and answer now- I've seen every English and Japanese release out as of now, as well as most episodes in Spanish and Russian. Can confirm they have picked perfect voice actors no matter which language you watch <3

Season One

Ep. 01 Fortune Is Unpredictable and Mutable

I gotta admit, I knew about BSD long before I started this episode, so this was hardly my introduction to the anime (Looking at pictures of Dazai Osamu online, more like. |D) But most likely like most BSD fans, I've seen this episode hundreds of times. Obsessively. I love the sunset and the moonlight. I hate I mean love Dazai's dumb ass hoppin around with his hands in his pockets like copying Chuuya. (But that gets revealed much later----) and just. This episode reminds me of finally seeing Mr. Suicide moving around for the first time. He was enchantingly stupid. When I watch this episode now, I notice always that it's amateur nature is blaringly loud. It's not even a little bit daunting. It's exactly how it was when I left it and I cry OMG itrdersergsergesrgsergg

Ep. 02 A Certain Bomb

I'm.... gonna be here for a while.

I just love Atsushi in this episode so much. I guess a lot of people have an issue with his character here being too afraidy to be the protagonist, but you know that if he was all Asta strong and brave immediately after being out of the abusive orphanage for the first time ever, that would have been stupid as shit. LOL Also, he threw himself over what he thought was an active bomb. lol Soooooooo (Also I love Junichiro's performance, seeing that soft boi being so harsh and cruel for just a moment- he did great <3 If I could stand Naomi I'd congratulate her, too LOLLLLL)

Ep. 03 Yokohama Gangster Paradise

Ah yes Akutagawa (<- That's all LMAOOO)

Ep. 04 The Tragedy of the Fatalist

This is such a good episode.,,, Atsushi finally is allowed to be alive somewhere, but it threatens the lives of the people who ARE allowing his life to exist. Full Atsushi style he tries to run away. To me, this is neither brave nor cowardly of him. He has such a complex thought process but to me he wasn't "running away from the problem" OR "protecting the Armed Detective Agency". He honestly didn't know what he was doing. And he was hesitant because he was throwing himself in harms way. Idk I just love Complexsushi. XD This is such a cool episode so yeeeeeea (This is also the introduction of the strange ongoing occurrence of Dazai's disappearance whenever something horrible happens, which is for obvious reasons but ye, they never address it)

I'm gonna just list the other S1 episodes I like without giving a list bc my asker hasn't finished S1 yet. brb just gonna bold the best of the best, and add some for the best out of those! <3

S1 E5 · Murder on D Street

S1 E6 · The Azure Messenger

S1 E7 · Love for the Disease Called Ideals

S1 E8 · Teaching Them to Kill; Then to Die

S1 E10 · Rashomon and the Tiger (!!!!!!!!! BIG BIG BIG FAV)

S1 E12 · Borne Back Ceaselessly Into the Past (!!!!!!!!! BIG BIG BIG FAV)

Obviously, two of those favorites are there because they introduce two of the best characters ever made <3

Season two

S2 E1 · The Dark Age (!!!!!!!!! BIG BIG BIG FAV)

S2 E2 · Nowhere to Return

S2 E3 · A Room Where We Can Someday See the Ocean

S2 E4 · Bungo Stray Dogs

S2 E5 · Three Companies Conflict

S2 E6 · The Strategy of Conflict

S2 E8 · Though the Mind May Be Wrong

S2 E9 · Double Black (!!!!!!!!! BIG BIG BIG FAV)

S2 E10 · "Poe and Rampo" and "Moby Dick, Swimming in the Sky"

S2 E11 · Rashoumon, the Tiger, and the Last Emperor

S2 E12 · If I May Shed Away My Burden Now

Season three

S3 E1 · Dazai, Chuuya, Fifteen Years Old (!!!!!!!!! BIG BIG BIG FAV)

S3 E2 · God of Fire (!!!!!!!!! BIG BIG BIG FAV)

S3 E3 · Only a Diamond Can Polish a Diamond (!!!!!!!!! BIG BIG BIG FAV)

S3 E4 · My Ill Deeds Are the Work of God

S3 E7 · Fitzgerald Rising (!!!!!!!!! BIG BIG BIG FAV)

OK BUT NO HOMO (FULL HOMO) THIS IS MY FAVORITE BUNGO STRAY DOGS Episode EVER!!!!!!!! MY BOY FRANCIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE WHAT THE FUCK it's SO cute seeing his be adorable AND totally silly after having him as the main villain until the end of season two. I would marry this episode. <3

S3 E9 · Cannibalism (Part One)

S3 E10 · Cannibalism (Part Two)

S3 E11 · Cannibalism (Part Three)

Season four

S4 E1 · The Lone Swordsman and the Famous Detective

S4 E2 · The Day Is a Dream, The Night Is Real

S4 E3 · The Secret Founding of the Detective Agency

S4 E4 · A Perfect Murder and Murderer (Part 1)

S4 E5 · A Perfect Murderer and Murderer (Part 2)

S4 E6 · Tragic Sunday

S4 E11 · Jailbreak

S4 E12 · Bungo Hound Dogs

S4 E13 · Skyfall

Season five

S5 E1 · The Strongest Man

S5 E2 · The Answer to Everything

S5 E3 · Hero vs Criminal

S5 E4 · Hero War, Gang War

S5 E5 · At the Port in the Sky (Part 1)

That's everything that's aired right now~ <3

Et. Cetera stuff!

Walking Alone OVA

Dead Apple film

BEAST live action film

Welcome to the Hot Springs (Armed Detective Agency) Drama CD

...And whichever future feature shows Fukuchi Ouchi's eventual death. That one was good too. UwU

Bungo Reservoir Dogs Abridged series (It's gone now, though.)

Stormbringer stage play

Obv all manga and light novels <3 HIGH recommend you read the manga on this one, it's far superior to the anime. <3

WAN!

S1 E2 · Let's Go Flower Gazing!; To the Baths!

S1 E3 · Operation Errand Run; Finders Kyouka's; Rampo-san's Day Well Spent

S1 E7 · Bungo Stray Dogs Preschool

S1 E8 · Hang in There, Higuchi-san!; And the Tracks Go On and On; Operation Body Double Nom Nom

S1 E10 · Oden with the White Tiger; Elevator Panic; The Armed Detective Agency Beats the Heat

S1 E11 · The Dark Era

OMG I feel like I attacked you with Bungo Stray Dogs episodes gomen gomen

[fleabaged]

thoughts on the first 2 episodes?

overall, I had tons of fun watching both of them. it had an insane amount of energy, hit the ground running type way. dropped us right into action and insanity.

it brought back so much of what I love. It was sexual, depraved, mad horny shit that was the heartbeat of the first two seasons and I felt they brought it back to focus while completely making it their own.

It also brought back Villaneve as central focus and I could feel them missing and thinking about each other. needing each other fr.

I never had s1/s2 expectations for season 4, but I’m actually tickled and delighted not because I think it’s like the first two seasons but because it’s decided to be it’s own batshit version of itself and also so far seems to still value the heartbeat of the show.

I know people are upset that the bridge scene was completely ignored but I blacked out all of s3 so idk idc ig as of right now in terms of just 2 eps being out. It would be cool one little line “bih I turned around and u were already pulling up the map app to the nearest church now I’m angy at u”. Like that would be enough for me.

Not to mention villaneve scenes in ep 1 and confirmed ep 3 fucking hallelujah.

I mean drag Jesus, finger sucking, women making out, woman making out with herself, I couldn’t have dreamed up this chaos but it’s hittin me reeeeealllll good I’m giddy

[inmyarmswrappedin]

Posting this almost at the last possible moment, but I want to put my predictions for the next three mains somewhere. Specifically so I can be held down to them lmao.

Now, I don't pretend to be all-knowing or anything. I've had a couple predictions be right, like I predicted that Beanie Boy would be Druck's Even (I was so sure about this that tumblr even screenshot my tweets at the time as like an extra guarantee lol), that Dani and Amira N wouldn't be endgame, and that Druck's wlw season wouldn't be s5 but s6. But then I also predicted that Nora G's season would have more than 9 episodes, and that Kasim would be Amira N's love interest. So you know, I haven't won 'em all. 🤡

So what I'm going to predict is whether Mailin, Anais and Elia will be queer in their seasons.

SKAM ITALIA

Prediction: Elia won't be queer. He'll be straight.

Odds: 99 to 1 I'm right.

Reasoning: In comparison to the other remakes, Skam Italia has been one of the least willing to change things up. And specifically when it comes to how male homosexuality is portrayed in media, characters who are attracted to men are quickly established as such. (I mean, there's a reason Jonas and Elias call Isak gay in s1 ep 2 even though we only get confirmation much later.) It is very rare for a male character who has only ever shown attraction to women to show attraction to men years into the run - the only example that comes to mind really is Castiel from SPN. And even in that case, he was immediately killed off. Add to that that no Skam version has had two gay dudes (or just two dudes into guys period) in the same friend group in any version, and that queering Elia at this point would necessitate a coming out sl (because general audiences see him as straight), which they've already done with s2 and... I just don't think Skam Italia is the show to do these things.

If I'm wrong: I will eat a Toast Hawaii, a gross German dish that @wodrueckts loves to torture me with.

SKAM FRANCE

Prediction: Anais will be straight.

Odds: 3 to 1 I'm right.

Reasoning: Truthfully, skamfr is so unpredictable that Anais could be revealed in her trailer to be secretly 30 and actually a secret agent going undercover in high school, or secretly have an evil twin who's been doing mean things when Anais is actually nice, or secretly be running a dog fight ring, and any other number of things, and I wouldn't even blink. The only reason I think it's unlikely that Anais will be into women is because, much to the showrunners' shock, I know Skamfr isn't the L word and won't focus on a wlw main two seasons in a row.

If I'm wrong: I think wlw Anais is slightly more likely than mlm Elia, so in this case, I will watch Robbe and Sander's shower scene changed my mind. Instead I will eat French Fries dipped in soft serve ice cream, just to make it eating challenges all around.

DRUCK

Prediction: Mailin won't be ace.

Odds: 1 to 3 I'm right.

Reasoning: I actually see a good case for Druck tackling asexuality with Mailin in s8, and I believe that if Jünglinge/Q3 had written all 4 gen 2 seasons, Mailin would've eventually come out as ace. The reason I think this new team might not do this, is because Druck got a lot more safe with s7 - no one ever said the words "non binary" in all of s7 after all. We also know Eren had to fight for some of the more overt expressions of gender non conformity, like the pronoun clip. And so, I could see the writers doing ace Mailin, but if it's not explicitly called out as such, the network could present it in such a way that it can be read by general audiences as inexperience, or low libido, or Mailin being a late bloomer. In short, I think there's a good chance that Mailin will be written as ace, and less of a good chance that this will be explicitly referred to as asexuality (via the words being uttered, or Mailin using an ace pin, or even posting the ace colors as like a row of hearts on her ig).

If I'm wrong: I recently came into possession of an imported can of Coke from the US, made with high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar. It tastes awful and I will drink all of it if Mailin explicitly comes out as ace in s8.

[yuraimi-lee-bunny]

GRAY’S CHARACTER ANALYSIS PART III. AMNESIA AND IT’S FUTURE CONSEQUENCES

Hello! Once again: sorry for the lateness 8'D. My work, some illustrations and personal matters have slowed me down again. The good thing is that there is nothing that can be intervened and this week I will be able to go faster with the writing of my analysis. Thank you very much for the continued support you have given to the previous two parts, and I hope you like this one too!

PS: My analysis will continue as normal, I will not mention anything about the recent interview with the show runner of the series. Perhaps that will be done at the end of the analysis or a separate post, by the time Gray's analysis is complete. Besides that I have already been giving my views on what Duane said about Gray. For the moment I just want my analysis to be about everything that I captured and analyzed before the interview.

Here we go!

Goodbye (for now) to Gray/Crackle, and let's say hi to Graham!

As we know, Crackle had all his VILE-related memories erased, and he’s now a happy civilian at his previous job as an electrician at the Sydney Opera House. On a mission to Australia, Carmen finds him but he doesn't recognize her.

Carmen doesn’t understand how it happened and why VILE did it, but for his sake, she prefers to get away from her, because she doesn’t want to complicate the new beginning that Gray/Graham has now in her life.

To be honest, I don't have much to analyze in depth about Gray in these chapters where he has amnesia, even so, there are several points to highlight about him that speak more about his personality in this episode:

1.- When he taking out Carmen with her phrase "No wristband, no backstage access", I think I can safely say that he’s committed to his job, whatever it is. (as an electrician and also a VILE agent)

2.- He has great self-confidence and temperance for having invited Carmen for a coffee, a girl he barely knew but who shows that he has a slight attraction for her.

3.- Well, let's say that this confirms that he likes to be somewhat "naughty" and daring with his actions.

4.- I may be exaggerating here, but I think that with the previous points that I have said, this can also count: It seems that Gray is a punctual person. He arrived before Carmen. (He’s very punctual or he was very excited about the "date")

Ep.6 S1 served as a small introduction by Gray, or rather now Graham, of how now he has amnesia, he doesn't remember anything about VILE, or Carmen, a whole year "disappeared", as well as the decision of Carmen about being away from Gray so as not to complicate his life. Leaving a slight reminder of "you'll still see him again" for us.

Which did happen, in Ep.7 of S2. In addition to the fact that again there are some data that show about his personality, this time the episode left some clues that it was happening to him and the future that would hold him in the following seasons.

1.- It seems that he was serious that this place is his favorite coffee shop, and it seems that he likes coffee.

2.- That tranquility is to be admired. The girl he invited for coffee who looked like she had dumped him, and there wasn’t a hint of anger/resentment/indignation in him. Again, like when they first met: as if nothing had happened. I love that about him. And he continues to correct Carmen about his name. He is Graham, not Gray (not Crackle). It seems somehow that he cares about being told by his respective name, as if the subject of his "identity" is important to him. We will move on to that later.

3.- Can we look this screenshot for a moment, please? Leaving aside the “Red Crackle” feeling that can emerge at this time for many (myself included), I want to talk about the fact that there continues that communication with only the look that they have always had.

The first two chapters of the series showed you several scenes of how Carmen and Gray just by looking at each other communicated what they thought, they knew they wanted to say to each other. I mention this because to me, these glances between them were purposely done with the following objective: Yes, Gray will have had his VILE memories suppressed, but body memory is another matter, the subconscious is something that NOBODY can handle or manipulate. Gray's body responded to Carmen's glances subconsciously, the body responded because of body memory, because it already has that mechanism in the presence of Carmen.

4.- There is a theory/belief that a few weeks ago they shared which if I can believe it 50/50 because it sounds valid. In summary. Since Gray is an orphan, Carmen knew that by mentioning that she runs an international charity for abandoned children, he would not refuse. Because she knows he's an orphan, and it seems that somehow, Gray has had a mark on it. She left you the link.

5.- Again, maybe I'm exaggerating, b Gray/Graham seems to have very good manners.

6.- He likes Rock. (And before I thought it was a slight preview of Carmen's next cappers, but it was only an idea *sobbing*)

7.- 

This scene causes me a little laugh because of a personal event and because it shows an interesting side of Gray/Graham: 

- Personal event: Several friends and I were watching the episodes of the second season on the day of its premiere, when arriving at this scene, a friend said "Well of course, he will have amnesia but he isn’t stupid" I laughed uncontrollably, and in part, he had a bit of reason.

- This scene in addition to putting tension at the moment because Graham did something that wasn't in Carmen's plans, it shows how Gray/Graham is someone who needs answers/explanations when he something doesn't understand, or when he thinks they lied to him and he just goes to look for them. Because if he were too passive or behaved, he would have stayed to follow orders. Another thing he could do is just make judgments from his perspective, regardless of reality. But no, he stood up, and he couldn't wait another second for the answers. The truth is something that matters to him. And I think he's also somewhat rebellious. He makes sense because throughout the series it's noticed as if he wants/needs something, certainly does what he needs to do. I consider him too independent and confident that he can achieve it.

8.- His peculiar expression of surprise: Crikey.

9.- Another reminder that  his subconscious and unconscious have memories of what he lived in VILE.

10.- Beautiful Red Crackle scenes that in addition to adding feeling, actually matter a lot for Gray / Crackle's empathy in the future, but that will be for part 4 of the analysis.

11.- 

…Seriously Gray? EXCUSE ME Graham. SERIOUSLY? You fell, you could have hit severely or even broken something, Carmen cares about you, and instead of saying "I'm fine" do you say "It's Graham"?! ... Seriously he cares a lot about the name and identity.

As you can see, in this episode there was more about Gray and his personality, but it also hinted that there are still vestiges of memories in the back of his mind of that year in VILE and of having been Crackle. It's very curious about how Graham trusts Carmen so much, I think I know the reasons behind it, the first is because he has an attraction towards Carmen, but the most important are two: the first is because he already knows more about her, because Carmen had the confidence to ask him for help in one of his missions and to tell him in some way what she does. The second reason, again: his subconscious. As I mentioned in the previous analysis parts, Gray appreciated Carmen very much, and although before he could mistake it as "loyalty" and see her as her family, he still appreciated her very much. Her subconscious, her body, her instinct is still there, so I don't hesitate to defend her when she was in trouble with Neel. (His desire to help Carmen was greater than the "great memory and liking" he previously had for Crackle Rod.)

And well, now, let's move on to two last things before ending this episode:

1.- ACME is targeting Gray. Once again, we were told that it would not be the last time we would see him. More events awaited him.

2.-

This phrase left me so thoughtful when I watched it. It left me thinking TOO MUCH.

It left me pondering that phrase so much because I didn't understand why that mattered so much to him. We talked about how Gray/Crackle came into VILE, he agreed to be a villain, he basically agreed to be "bad guy" And now that he has amnesia, he cared about being on the right side. Which I didn't understand because Crackle's memory had been "erased". He had only "eliminated" him the whole year that he lived in VILE, just that. Doing that doesn't change his morale, because Gray had already arrived at the "Vocational School" with his morale of wanting to steal, he was already ambitious before joined to VILE. Which had me very intrigued, believing that something had happened to Graham, in that period of his "normal life" that had made him reconsider his morals and that now he wanted to do something good. I expected everything, whatever, except the change in morals. And so, wild first 5 minutes from S4 comes...

... are you telling me that EVERYTHING Gray thought, did and said in his state of amnesia... WERE LIES!?

I really couldn't believe it and that puts an absolutely huge twist on Gray's arc. Although my boyfriend and I are with a certain difference in perspective to what Maelstrom said:

When he mentioned “suppress the criminal impulse” to me he meant that VILE changed his morale, that they basically took away that “evil impulse” so that he wouldn’t be caught again by the law should it happen at some point. Ensuring that with memory removed and morale changed, VILE was safe.

My boyfriend on the other hand, interpreted it that they only took away the "desire to steal", nothing more. His morals, his beliefs, everything about him remains the same, except wanting to steal or do something criminal. Believing that in reality, Gray is a good person, since before entering VILE.

The perspective of my boyfriend is interesting to me and that is why I want to share it, to know what you think, and also mentioned it because this perspective will be taken up again in part 4 of the analysis.

And here concludes the third part! I hope you liked it. Parts 4 and 5 will be a bit long because it’s the most dense and symbolic part of Gray to analyze, but at the same time, they will come out on time faster, it may be that in the following week both parts are ready and published.  Regards!

Part. I Introdution

Part. II Empathy vs Ambition 

Part. III Amnesia and it’s Future Consequences (HERE)

Part. III.5 Graham Calloway: The Walking Enigma

Part. IV Integrity At a high (and unfair) price

Part. V The final decision and a new beginning

Plus 1. Gray and his strange habit of explaining things

Plus 2. Crossover: Sabrina And Gray: New Beginning

Plus 3. Crossover: Hawk/Eli and Crackle/Gray: Redemption