#sassy crockett

[ashandalder]

Miami Vice / Season 4 Episode 7 👽 "Missing Hours" 👽

[callmebrycelee]

9-1-1 REACTION

Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today to discuss the latest episode of 9-1-1. This reaction is for the season 7, sixth episode “There Goes the Groom” which originally aired May 2, 2024. The episode was written by Tim Minear and Nicole Barraza Kiem and directed by John J. Gray. Just a word of warning, this reaction will contain spoilers. You have been warned …

“He’s Tubbs, I’m Tubbs and this isn’t my puke, I don’t think.” – Eddie Diaz to Maddie Buckley

We start things off at a gorgeous venue where Maddie and Chimney’s wedding is to take place. We see Bobby and Athena looking restless and John and Anne Lee sitting with Jee-Yun. We then see Maddie freaking out because the boys (Chimney, Buck, and Eddie) are 30 minutes late. Phillip Buckley (played by Gregory Harrison) tries calling Buck’s phone but keeps getting his voicemail. Hen rushes in to tell Maddie that Buck’s car has arrived. When Maddie asks if Chimney is in his tux, Hen tells her she didn’t get a good look. Buck and Eddie arrive looking like they’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards. Eddie’s covered in someone else’s puke (gross!!!) and inexplicably missing his shirt. This season is all about giving us what we need and what we need is Ryan Guzman shirtless. Maddie asks them about Chimney. Buck tells her that it’s complicated. 

Cue title card.

We get a flashback to the bachelor party Buck organized for Chimney. It should be pointed out that Chimney doesn’t want a bachelor party, something he’s intimated to Buck numerous times. I must say, the venue Buck chose to host the festivities was really cool-looking. There were all these neon signs on the walls and twinkly lights galore. It reminded me of a space where you’d play laser tag. Buck and Eddie are dressed in matching pastel Miami Vice-esque suits and Buck is being very fussy about everything. Tommy (played by Lou Ferrigno Jr.) arrives dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans and Buck nags him about not sticking to the 80’s theme. I’m gonna assume that Tommy is in his late-30’s and therefore Buck should be lucky he even came in the first place because the thought of leaving my house on a weeknight to go to a bachelor party does not sound the least bit appealing. Eddie offers Tommy a drink and he tells him he’s on standby which for all you kiddies out there who don’t know how jobs work, standby means that you’re technically not scheduled for the shift, but you have to be ready in case you get called in to work.  

“You put that back, right now.” – Evan “Buck” Buckley to Ravi Panikkar

Tommy does give us a hint about Chimney’s nickname when he reminds Eddie that he knew Chimney before he was Chimney. I love the whole mythos surrounding the name and I hope by the end of the series we finally get an explanation. I also like how sassy Tommy is in this scene. Hen, Karen, and Ravi arrive but our guest of honor is missing. While Buck calls Chimney’s cell, everyone else looks bored out of their mind. Buck asks Hen to call Chimney since he’s more likely to answer her call, but she declines. She reminds Buck that Chimney told him he didn’t want a bachelor party, but Buck tells her he didn’t. We then get a small scene where Chimney doesn’t mince words when he tells Buck he does not want a bachelor party. It should be noted that Eddie is present for the exchange and yet he is the one to suggest to Buck that they dress as Crockett and Tubbs from Miami Vice. Now, this is my one pet peeve about Eddie. He always indulges Buck and then kind of absolves himself of responsibility when things go awry. 

Back in the not-so-distant future, people start to leave. Buck begs Hen and Karen to stay but they tell him they have to get home to Denny and Mara. Ravi is the next to leave followed by Tommy who gets a text to report to work. Buck is so disappointed to see him go, and I love how he tells Tommy to be safe before he leaves. Eddie is the only one left and when a group of young women wander into their party space, they decide to salvage the rest of the night by turning up with a bunch of strangers. Now, prior to the episode airing, Tim Minear announced that a previously advertised scene involving Buck and Eddie singing karaoke was cut due to the episode being too long. This led to more than a few irate fans, mostly Buddie shippers, sending a barrage of tweets and comments to the series co-creator voicing their frustration with the decision to remove the scene. Some even accused the writers of queer baiting which is really dumb when you consider that one of the characters is actually queer so what baiting is even involved. I get being upset because your favorite pairing on the show is not being featured as prominently as you would like but I find it absurd that someone would then go to Beyonce’s internet to harass the writers and the cast about said decision. I find it disgusting and I wish a certain ship would realize that certain writers would take them more seriously if they weren’t acting like a bunch of coked up baboons. But I digress.

Buck and Eddie wake up the next morning in a completely trashed hotel room. The place is wrecked. Seriously, who is going to pay for all the damages? I’m honestly surprised by both of their behavior. Especially Eddie’s. He’s usually the more level-headed of the two but it’s odd to see him exhibiting such frat boy behavior. Perhaps he needed to blow of some steam. Anywho, they go to check on Chimney but only find his tux. Oh dear!

Buck and Eddie wake up the morning in a completely trashed hotel room. Seriously, who is going to have to pay for all the damages? I’m extremely surprised by Eddie’s behavior. 

“I am 9-1-1.” – Maddie Buckley to Margaret Buckley

Back in the present, Maddie tries calling Chimney herself. When he doesn’t pick up, Hen asks if she has him on Find My Friend, a feature that will send current or last location to anyone you choose to share it with. She sees that Chimney is on Century Park East but wonders why he’s there.

We next see a guy named Jeff (played by Khorri Ellis) knocking on the driver’s side window of Chimney’s vehicle. Chimney is inside looking a little worse for wear. He’s sweaty and bleary-eyed. He looks like he has the flu. He also seems out of it. Chimney rolls down the window and Jeff asks him if he’s okay. He tells Jeff that he feels like he should be somewhere. Jeff asks him his name and Chimney says his name is Howard. Chimney says he needs to leave but Jeff, rightfully, tells him he is no condition to be driving. He offers to drive Chimney where he needs to go and when Chimney steps outside the vehicle, Jeff gets in, chucks Chimney’s cell out the window, and drives off leaving Chimney stranded. 

FOUR DAYS AGO

“I promise to never put her in a position where she feels she needs to stab me to death.” – Howard “Chimney” Han to John and Anne Lee

We see Chimney with John and Anne Lee (played by Kelvin Han Yee and Freda Foh Shen) practicing Jesa, a Korean ceremony in which one pays tribute to a loved one on the anniversary of their death. I love any time we get to see Chimney with the Lees because while he has been able to make amends with his father, John and Anne Lee are his real parents and Kevin Lee, their son, is his brother. Chimney and the Lees have dinner together and Anne asks Chimney if he is excited about the wedding. When Chimney goes to respond, his hand starts shaking and he drops his food. John jokingly asks if he’s nervous, but Chimney assures him that he doesn’t have the jitters. He is, however, feeling jittery and tells them he has a headache he can’t seem to shake. Anne offers him aspirin, but Chimney tells her that he will be fine after he says, “I do”. 

John asks him about what happened to him and Maddie’s plan to have a simple ceremony at their home. Chimney tells him that the plan has changed. Phillip and Maddie Buckley are flying out for the wedding and have offered to foot the bill for the venue since they were not at Maddie’s first wedding. Anne says they waited to attend the right wedding. Chimney makes a dark joke about Maddie having to kill her first husband Doug and the Lees laugh. Chimney says he looking forward to having a traditional wedding; however, there is one tradition he is not looking forward to and that’s having a bachelor party. 

Back in the present, Chimney sees his phone lying in the middle of a busy road. We see him walk into traffic to retrieve it and he almost gets hit by a bus. The driver opens the door and Chimney boards the bus. When she pulls off, the wheels of the bus crush Chimney’s phone. 

We head over to the wedding venue where everyone except for Chimney is gathered. It was so fun seeing all of the main and secondary cast in the same scene together in their formal wear. Athena gets a call from Officer Williams (played by Chris Wu) who has located Chimney’s phone but neither Chimney nor his car is with it. Athena asks him to put out a BOLO for Chimney and his car. Maddie asks Officer Williams if there are any traffic cameras nearby and he says there are a few. 

Maddie, Hen, and Josh go to the dispatch center. Maddie says she will check the Century Park East traffic cam footage to see if she can find Chimney and Josh will check the call logs to see if there have been any calls from that vicinity in the last 12 hours.  Sue sees them and asks if this is a runaway bride situation. Hen tells her they are looking for a runaway groom. 

Back on the bus, Chimney is clearly not in his right mind because he is hallucinating Doug Kendall (played by Brian Hallisay). Doug sits next to him, and Chimney asks if he knows him. Doug says that Chimney may forget everything else, but he could never forget him. Doug is wearing a Santa hat and has a gift he says is from the both of them to Maddie. He opens the bag and pulls out of knife which he uses to stab Chimney in the side. Even though I knew that Doug wasn’t real, that didn’t make this scene any less troubling to watch. Doug twists the blade and disappears leaving a confused Chimney alone on the bus. 

“Maybe I got too caught up in the dream wedding. I was so excited about marrying him.” – Maddie Buckley to Hen Wilson

Meanwhile, reviews the camera footage and sees Chimney walking into traffic. She sees him almost get hit by a bus and then board said bus. Josh says the bus is a metro bus and asks if there’s any way they can see the bus ID number. Maddie writes down the number and gives it to Sue who tells her she will call the MTA. We then see Chimney get dropped off in an unfamiliar part of town. We switch back to dispatch where Maddie and Hen are reviewing the footage from inside the bus. I love seeing these two work together because out of all of our characters, these two love Chimney the most. Maddie notices that Chimney’s talking to himself, and Hen thinks he may be hallucinating. Maddie wonders if this is some sort of delayed reaction to his brain injury from back in season one or if he’s having some sort of breakdown. Hen reminds Maddie that when Chimney gets stressed, he deflects. Maddie wonders if Chimney marrying her is the thing that’s stressing him out, but Hen quickly lets her know that marrying her is the one thing he wasn’t stressed about. She tells Maddie that the only thing she’s sure of at the moment is that Chimney can’t wait to marry her. 

Josh returns and tells them that he talked to the bus driver who says that Chimney seemed a little out of it but otherwise normal. The bus driver also said that Chimney kept talking about being late for work. Hen points out that the bus Chimney was on wouldn’t go anywhere near the firehouse and wonders where he could have been dropped off at. Speaking of Chimney, we see him standing out in front of a building. He talks to a man named Carl (played by Exie Booker) and asks him about Skinny Bob’s K-Town Karaoke. For those of you who recall the episode “Chimney Begins” that is the name of the bar where Chimney used to work prior to joining the 118. Carl tells Chimney the bar burned down which we saw in the very same episode. Chimney has flashes of the night the bar burned down but he can’t quite piece together the memory. The make matters worse, he starts to see Doug again only this time his future wife’s dead husband is covered in blood. Chimney freaks out and runs away.

“”We’re gonna find him, Maddie.” – Athena Grant to Maddie Buckley

Athena checks in with Maddie and Hen and tells them she talked to Carl who says that Chimney looked agitated and feverish. Carl also told Athena that Chimney thought that the bakery where Carl works was a karaoke bar. Athena tells them that she has some officers searching the area and she and Bobby plan to stick around just in case Chimney comes back. She assures Maddie that they will find Chimney. Josh reminds them that Chimney’s bachelor party was at a bachelor party; however, Maddie points out that the bachelor party was the night before. Sue asks if it is possible Chimney doesn’t know what day it is. Hen chimes in and says she’s not sure if he even knows what year it is. She pulls up an article from 2005 on her phone which shows that Chimney saved a lot of people by getting them out of the karaoke bar when it caught on fire. Maddie wonders if he’s forgotten 20 years of his life and Hen says he might not be the only one.

TWO WEEKS AGO

“You don’t have to worry about this. It’s all taken care of.” – Evan Buckley to Maddie Buckley

We get another flashback scene, this one involving the 118 responding to an emergency where Thom DeSalvo (played by Brandon Bales) is trapped inside an air duct. Buck broaches the topic of Chimney’s bachelor party and the latter volunteers himself to go into the air duct while the rest go inside the room directly beneath where Thom is trapped. Chimney locates Thom and checks his vitals. Thom tells him that his heart is racing, and he has chest pains. He then sneezes directly into Chimney’s face. Chimney tells Thom to relax but he says he cannot relax because he just saw his fiancée having sex with another man. I kind of felt bad for Thom because he is truly heartbroken although if I were his friend, I wouldn’t have advised that he go spy on them. Meanwhile, Bobby, Hen, Eddie, and Buck are able to knock out a portion of the ceiling and lower Thom down. As he is loaded into an ambulance, Hen talks to the woman Thom said was his fiancée and discovers that she is, in fact, not his fiancée. She says that Thom is her ex-husband and that they’ve been divorced for 17 months. 

Back in the present, Buck brings Maddie a change of clothes and Eddie brings food. Buck notices that Hen is on the phone, and he asks Maddie who she is speaking with. Maddie tells him that Hen is checking on the patient Thom from their emergency two weeks ago.  Eddie is surprised the guy is still in the hospital since he wasn’t even hurt. Maddie tells them that Hen thinks that Chimney is exhibiting the same behaviors as Thom. Hen announces that Thom had viral encephalitis that he picked up while in Central America. Buck points out that Chimney was in close quarters with Thom. Eddie suggests they all get checked to see if they have it. Hen points out that Chimney was the only one who had direct exposure to Thom. Josh asks her what the prognosis is and Hen says that if Chimney were in a hospital it would be good but every minute that passes without treatment, the swelling in his brain gets worse. If Chimney does not get medical attention ASAP, he is going to suffer permanent brain damage and most likely die. Maddie asks her about Thom Desalvo’s status and Hen tells her that he died earlier that morning.

“He may not remember who he is but he is who he is.” – Athena Grant to Bobby Nash, Evan “Buck” Buckley, and Eddie Diaz

We see Chimney wandering the streets of Koreatown in a state of delirium. He nearly gets hit by a car and the driver, who is either under the influence or experiencing a medical emergency, plows into a farmers’ market, hurting a lot of people in the process. The paramedic switch is flipped in Chimney, and he springs into action. He tells a woman to call 9-1-1 and tends to the driver who is having a seizure. It’s amazing that Chimney is able to stay focused to help everyone, even while in the midst of his own medical emergency. This scene reminds me of when Mateo on Lone Star jumped into action during the dust storm back in season two.

Athena, Bobby, Buck, and Eddie arrive on the scene of the accident and Bobby reports that a man fitting Chimney’s description was on the scene triaging the area. Eddie thinks this means that Chimney knows who he is but Bobby quickly adds that Chimney told one of the witnesses he works at a karaoke bar. Athena sees this as a good sign regardless because Chimney is tapping into something that is so natural to him which is helping others. Bobby says that Chimney was last seen 30 minutes ago so he suggests that they canvass the area to look for him. Athena says she will get the police involved in the search as well. 

Buck strikes off on his own to look for Chimney and he does end up at the spot where Chimney is at; unfortunately, Chimney is passed out, so he does not hear Buck calling for him. Chimney receives another visit from Doug who tries to convince him that Maddie left him. Chimney remembers the video Maddie left him before she left for Boston. Doug tells Chimney he is sick in the head and that he screwed around with a married woman. Chimney then sees himself lying on the ground after he got stabbed by Doug back in season two. Doug tells him to stop fighting and to go to sleep. Chimney eventually passes out and sees a white light.

“Howie, you got to get up, man.” – Kevin Lee to Howard “Chimney” Han

Now this is the part where I started to tear up in the episode. A man dressed in turnout gear steps out of the light and Chimney sees that it’s Kevin Lee (played by James Chen). It is in this moment I realized that we never saw Chimney grieve his fallen brother. Chimney starts to cry upon seeing Kevin. Kevin tells him to get up and Chimney says he is so tired and that his head is hurting. He wants to rest but Kevin says he cannot. He tells Chimney he is sick and needs medical attention. Chimney touches Kevin’s face and tells him he misses him and that he’s glad he’s okay. Kevin tells Chimney that he will be okay, but he needs to get up. He drags Chimney to his feet and tells him that Doug was never there. Chimney says that Kevin is there, and Kevin says that Chimney invited him. Kevin tells him all he needs to do is get home. 

“We always find our way back to each other somehow.” – Maddie Buckley to Howard “Chimney” Han

Chimney ends up at the Lees house asking for Kevin Lee. Anne tells him that Kevin is dead. Chimney starts crying again and finally collapses onto the floor. He wakes up in the hospital where Maddie is at his bedside. She asks him if he knows where he is at and he shakes his head. She asks him if he knows who he is and he apologizes for missing their wedding. Maddie starts crying and now I’m crying, too. Maddie is happy he remembers. Jee-Yun runs into the room with Phillip Buckley close on her heels. Chimney tells Maddie he was trying to get back to her and Jee-Yun the whole time. Chimney asks Maddie if she will marry him, and she says she will the minute they get out of the hospital. He asks her when that will be, and she says the doctors say it will be three weeks. Chimney tells her he doesn’t want to wait that long. He doesn’t want to wait another minute.

We next see Maddie back in her wedding dress. I must say, the viewers give Phillip and Margaret Buckley a hard time based on their previous relationships with Maddie and Buck, but I have to say it was so nice seeing the Buckley family together and on the same page. Back in Chimney’s room, John and Anne Lee are helping him into get into his tuxedo jacket. John tells Chimney that Kevin is smiling right now, and Chimney agrees. Okay, cue more tears. While Jennifer Love Hewitt sings a cover of “Islands in the Stream” which is the song Maddie and Chimney sang karaoke to, we see Maddie being walked down the hospital corridor by Phillip while flower girl Jee-Yun walks ahead of them. Phillip leads Maddie into Chimney’s room and Bobby officiates their wedding which feels so appropriate. They exchange vows and rings and finally kiss in front of their family and friends. I loved the moment when Bobby is talking about the significance of the rings, and he looks over at Athena. It’s just a reminder of how perfect the couples on this show are.

“Thanks, Tommy. It looks like you were … busy.” – Howard “Chimney” Han to Tommy Kinard

Buck gets a text and leaves the room while everyone is applauding Chimney and Maddie’s union. He makes it to the emergency room just in time to see Tommy walk through the sliding doors. Tommy is covered in soot and ash and immediately apologizes for being late. He tells Buck that the fire he just fought was a beast. Buck calls him a beast and kisses him. Now this kiss was an upgrade from the kiss two episodes ago which is already a great kiss. It was a great first kiss. With this kiss, the passion was turned all the way up to an 11. Seriously, these two have such amazing chemistry and I love how things are gradually escalating. I do love that Buck is the one who initiates the kiss because it shows that he is all in on their romance. 

Buck and Tommy head back to Chimney’s room aka the wedding and Tommy immediately apologizes for missing the wedding. He congratulates Chimney and Maddie and Chimney thanks him. There’s this amazing moment when Chimney puts two and two together and realizes that Buck and Tommy are together. He is immediately accepting as I knew he would be and Hen whispers to Karen that it’s about damn time and of course Hen already knew because Hen is very perceptive. We get other reactions as well. Eddie looks both proud and happy for his best friend and Margaret gives her husband Phillip a look that says, does that mean what I think it means and Phillip looks content. As I mentioned before, the Buckleys get a bad rep by the fans but I am choosing to see this as a good sign of things to come. 

We end the episode with Maddie and Chimney. She asks him how he is feeling, and he tells her he is feeling right at home. She jokes and asks if that’s because every significant moment of their lives happens in a hospital. He tells her that he feels at home because they are together. He looks around the room and says it’s not the most romantic place for their honeymoon. Maddie says there’s worst and at the same time they say upside down cruise ships. Ha! Maddie looks at her ring and says she can’t believe they are married. She says it’s the wedding of her dreams and Chimney says it’s a day he’ll never forget. Chimney asks Maddie if Buck and Tommy were a thing before his amnesia and she says yes. He says that means his memory is back. In the last moment of the episode. Chimney asks Maddie about the meaning behind his name and then it fades to black. I guess we will have to wait to find out how Chimney got his infamous nickname.

So, that’s our episode and what an amazing episode it was. Looking back at the promo for “There Goes the Groom”, Tim Minear and Company really had me convinced that we were getting an homage to The Hangover. I was not expecting this episode to be as heartbreaking and heartwarming as it was. Shout out to Kenneth Choi who deserves his flowers. He not only delivered some of the most powerful moments of the episode, looking back, Kenneth has been constantly delivering since season one. The scene where he talks to Kevin shattered my heart into pieces only to superglue it back. Chimney is usually the comic relief of the show and it’s often been said that comedians are some of the most unhappy people on the planet. Who knew he was holding onto so much grief. In many ways this episode reminds me of last season’s “In Another Life” where Buck learns just how valuable he is to those around him. Chimney has a similar journey in this episode and thankfully he’s walking away from this horrific ordeal knowing just how loved he is by his family, his friends, and most importantly his wife. 

The Madney wedding wasn’t what I was expecting but it was better than anything I could’ve ever imagined. One thing I think the writers did well with this wedding that I wished they did with TK and Carlos’ wedding over on Lone Star is the joy aspect. Everyone in that hospital room was filled with love and happiness despite everything that had transpired. I love how once a season we get these moments where the cast is all together, celebrating, and it’s the rare occasion we get to see the actors come through their characters. This is a cast that loves each other and it’s so apparent. It’s one of the many reasons I love this show. But, I digress. Maddie and Chimney’s wedding was absolutely beautiful and had we not gone through all the drama and tragedy, we would’ve missed out on Bobby being the officiant. It makes total sense that our fearless leader would be the one to marry Chimney and Maddie. I look forward to what happens next for Chimney and Maddie. These two have endured so much trauma and heartache and I pray the writers leave them alone for awhile. 

Lastly, I have to talk about the moment that has set both Twitter and Tumblr ablaze albeit for different reasons. Many have doubted and still doubt the legitimacy of Buck and Tommy’s burgeoning relationship, but I think this episode made it abundantly clear these two are here to stay at least for the rest of this season. I don’t know what plans Tim Minear has for these two characters but I love the slow burn of it all. Sometimes I’ll be sitting, doing nothing, and it’ll dawn on me that Evan “Buck” Buckley is bisexual, and he is dating a kind, patient, and extremely hot firefighter named Tommy Kinard. And maybe it’s my imagination but this is the happiest Buck has ever looked. The smile he gives after he comes back to Chimney’s room with Tommy is something I will rewatch this episode over and over again just to see again. Oliver and Lou’s chemistry is off the charts and that shouldn’t suggest that there’s anything wrong with Oliver and Ryan’s chemistry. I think Oliver has chemistry with everyone he appears on screen with. And, as the mostly one-sided war rages on between Buddie shippers and BuckTommy/Tevan/Kinley shippers, I think at the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is that Buck is bisexual, he is (mostly) out, and he is happy. We have seen this man endure emotional and physical turmoil since episode one. I’m happy that he gets to be happy and that’s what matters. I cannot wait to see what happens next. Until next time …

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Miami Vice: The Prodigal Son (Glaser, 1985)

The series was a game changer in presenting violence on network television, and this episode certainly ups the action quotient. I do think it's worth picking apart the action direction. To be honest, the construction of the shootouts is maybe a little pedestrian, alternating between shots of belligerents firing at each other with a certain perfunctory rhythm. Where I think the show regularly excels is in evoking the sense of movement, of the speed with which characters bolt down streets with guns blazing or trying not to get blown away, of sportscars racing down streets, of speedboats zipping towards confrontations. Often these scenes make use of the geography of the street settings, like the weapons deal gone wrong that opens "No Exit", with Coati Mundi firing an M60 from the back of a truck as it races away. The best action scene here is a foot chase through a crowded street, the bad guys blasting away to make their escape and the good guys in hot pursuit.

The street settings in the first season were often somewhat underpopulated, but the one here is bustling. In this episode, the TV movie opening to the second season, the action has moved to New York, and the overall vibe has gotten maybe a touch more claustrophobic. Tubbs looks very much at home, his flashy suits blending into the milieu like a Wall Street big shot. (The way he spells his name on the phone is one of the episode's highlights. “Tough, unique, bad, bold and sassy.”) Crockett, despite the relaxed cut of his outfit, looks anything but, the rumpling of his linen jacket seemingly manifesting a certain inner tension. The New York setting means that you lose a bunch of the regulars, meaning there's no Gina and Trudy, no Switek and Zito, and, most unfortunately, no Castillo.

But their absence is alleviated by the unusually large cadre of guest stars. There's Gene Simmons, epitomizing sleaze. Penn Jillette as a cautious drug distributor. Notable Greendale alumnus Luis Guzman. Anthony Heald as the kind of dipshit bureaucrat that he plays so well. Paul Calderon, in one of multiple appearances in the series. And Pam Grier, reprising her role from "Rites of Passage" as an old friend and flame of Tubbs'. I think the series often struggles with romantic subplots as the runtime of the episodes gives them little room to breathe (there's a less gripping one here where Crockett, for the millionth time, learns the importance of putting bros before hos), but the ones that do work, like this one, do so because they play off the characters' existing history together. Now, there's only so much you can show on network TV, but the way the sex scene between them (seemingly the billionth such instance) gets around it would make Quentin Tarantino proud.

This episode also provides some unintentional laughs if, like me, you psyched yourself up to dive into the series by watching the music video on repeat, as much of the footage is taken from this episode. Let's just say the bloodbath the heroes walk in on early in the episode is a lot less frightening when you know that former member of Mahavishnu Orchestra and synth pioneer Jan Hammer is the culprit and has just fled the scene. But without giving too much away, let's just say that Hammer is a bit luckier than some of the bad guys here.

[bullet-prooflove]

Prompt #1 from the last list: "don't be a bitch"

With sub!crockett

I feel like it would be funny since he's quite sassy 🤣

Hi Nonny,

Sorry I just don't see him saying that in any context, not even anger.

[detectiverickitubbs]

From here X

Rico Tubbs & Sonny Crockett Miami Vice

Episode Shadow in the Dark

[aesopsharpmybeloved]

See You Very Soon

Panic arises between Father Paul and you once you learn the dioceses could transfer him elsewhere. Established relationship. This might be one of most (if not the most) angstiest pieces I’ve ever written (if you can even call it that). A happy ending and lots of comfort is a must. Enjoy <3

See You Very Soon - 4K

tw: slight angst, crying, suggestive themes (mentioned)

Father Paul Hill was usually able to keep his cool where other people would lose their minds. This was important in his line of work as a priest. He needed to be calm, patient, compassionate and always kind. And to everyone on Crockett Island he was just that. However, now there was a storm of emotions swelling within him, like a hurricane they shook him and made his carefully built up calmness crack and crumble. His palms were sweating and a slight dizziness began setting in his head. He knocked upon the wood of your front door and waited.

Having a secret relationship with the local priest was just that - very much a secret. There was some thrill to it, quiet kisses stolen on the beach or in the woods, tender soft words spoken in the silence of Saint Patrick's, lustful moments spent wherever you wouldn't get caught - and occasionally somewhere where getting caught was a real danger. The secrecy of it wasn't that hard to bear, because two people actually did know; your best friend Erin and, to some extent, Riley Flynn. Erin hadn't told him, you knew as much, one day Father Paul casually mentioned that Riley knew. And that he was particularly sassy about it during one of the meetings Joe didn't attend, poking fun at the priest, yet promising to keep the secret. All in all, the relationship was mature, filled with mutual love and respect and built upon a strong base of trust, honesty, understanding and friendship. You were absolutely able to imagine yourself spending the rest of your life by this man's side, helping to guide him and let him guide you. Even though it meant that you would forever need to remain a secret. No wedding, no sound of little feet running around. But you held no regrets - all you needed was the priest and his love.

It was a sunny afternoon and your windows were left open to let the crisp sea air in. You smiled when your gaze fell upon your beloved through the window, your heart filling with delight immediately. Your joy was short-lived though. Even at such a distance you could see Father Paul had a worried line between his expressive eyebrows and a sense of urgency about him. You were standing by the door before he reached it and opened it in the blink of an eye after his last knock. He walked past you quickly, deep in thought, apparently, chewing the inside of his cheek as he often did. He still wouldn't look at you and you grew more and more worried by the second. He had that effect, his emotions so deep and overwhelming you found yourself experiencing them with him. You came forward slowly, as if approaching a frightened animal. "Paul?" your hands slowly touched his forearms and moved up until settling on his shoulders, "what's wrong, my love?" The priest finally looked at you, his eyes unreadable. "I-I um..." he finally spoke, voice uncertain, "I received a call from the dioceses. The nursing home where Monsignor Pruitt currently resides finally sent them his full examination and final conclusion, which confirms that the Monsignor is no longer able to carry out his duty as a priest."

You listened to him intently, not quite grasping why would that upset him so: "Well, and what does that exactly mean? For you, that is?" Father Paul took a deep breath and seemed to wilt before your very eyes. His eyes lifted again to meet yours: "It means that he's no longer the parish priest of Saint Patrick's. The church will need a new priest... And I was put here as Monsignor Pruitt's substitute while he was recovering. Now, since he's been relieved of his duties, it could mean..." Paul's lip shook and his eyes glistened. You didn't say anything. You couldn't if you tried, really, the implications were strong but unthinkable. "I don't automatically become this parish's priest just because I currently serve here. They have the right to find someone else entirely for the post here. They could make me... leave." Hearing these words made you feel like you were a tower hit by a trebuchet fired stone. You trembled, your hands on his shoulders subconsciously squeezing him so hard your knuckles went white and your eyes spilled. However, you refused to give up. There had to be something you could do! "And..." you swallowed hard, "you don't have a say in it? You can't, I don't know, volunteer?" Paul was now holding you around your waist, hanging onto you like a thread saving him from falling down into the abyss. "O-of course I can apply for the position, but if they really need me someplace else, or they find someone better suited... there is nothing I can do about it." "But there's nobody better suited!" you called out desperately, startling the man, "the people here trust you, they adore you! And they need you! You're their spiritual leader, not some seasonal job hired help!"

You were getting more and more upset, tears streaming down your flushed face like salty rivers and your voice broke with sobs. Paul now embraced you fully and made soft shushing noises in an attempt to calm you down. And after the longest while, during which you cried silently into his strong chest, he succeeded. "W-when... when w-will you be m-meeting them?" you asked, your voice hoarse and shaking. He pressed his face into the crook of your neck, his cheeks cold and wet from his own tears, yet he spoke steadily, almost monotonically: "Tomorrow. I'm catching the Breeze in the morning. Bev, of course, knows and mass will be cancelled." "I'll come with you," you sniffled meekly, your fingers grabbing at his shirt desperately. "No." he said firmly, startling you a little. He pulled away to look into your eyes, his own were red and puffy. "No," he said again, softer this time, "it's going to be nerve wracking enough... I don't want to put you through it too. Stay here and try not to think about it. If there's anything I truly hate, it's knowing that you're sad." He wiped a single tear off your cheek with his thumb.

You lifted your face and held his own in your hands. You tried to tell him everything you felt for him with your eyes and he seemed to understand, for his lips suddenly captured yours in a hungry kiss. The kiss said what words  could never properly formulate, the deepest, most basic and carnal feelings that bound you two together. You made love the entire night, desperate in your movements, as if it was to be the last time, as if trying to take absolutely everything the other had to offer.

When you woke up in the morning, he was gone and his side of the bed was cold. Your eyes still stung from crying, which you did all throughout your lovemaking, sorrowful tears mixed with heavenly pleasure and burning love. It was only 7 o'clock. You sat up in your bed and fisted the sheets in frustration. Finally, you got up and quickly began dressing yourself, determined to make it to the harbour before Sea Breeze sailed towards the mainland. The morning was rather cold and you foregone putting a jacket on in your hurry, but no chill could reach you. You ran as fast as your own feet would take you, the gravel crackling underneath with each step. Finally you saw the piers, the various fishing boats, big and small and in the centre of them was Breeze, its engine rumbling and with people climbing aboard. One of them was a tall man with jet black hair and he was currently talking to Sturge in front of the ferry. "Paul!" you called , voice still hoarse. His head snapped to you and you could see him gesticulating at the bearded man before he swiftly ran to where you stood. Instinctively, you ducked behind some tall crates and waited for him.

"What are you doing?" asked Paul when he joined you there, "I told you I’d rather you stayed here." Having stopped running, you suddenly felt cold and crossed your arms over your chest in an attempt to preserve your body's heat: "I know and I will, but... y-you didn't even say goodbye." Paul hurriedly took off his jacket to drape it over your bare shoulders. "I couldn't," he admitted then, "the idea of saying goodbye to you considering the situation... I just couldn't." You touched his cool cheek with your hand. "Let's not say 'goodbye' then. Let's just say...'' you thought for a bit, "let's say 'see you soon'. 'See you very soon'." The priest swallowed and closed his eyes, nodding once. You returned his jacket and kissed him deeply. "Uh, Father Paul!" sounded a loud voice, making the two of you part immediately. "Father, we need to go, the ferry should have left five minutes ago!" Your lover gave you one final look, making you feel absolutely seen in every aspect of your existence. "See you very soon."

---

You walked back towards your home slowly, and despite shaking like a leaf from the cold, you took the longer route, through the wooded areas. What was to become of you if the dioceses truly decided to send Paul away. What would you do? You could follow him; but that would mean leaving this island, maybe forever. Leaving the people you grew so fond of, and leaving Erin of all people! How could you ever do that to her? And what if you did follow Paul and you turned up in some community of Bev-like fanatics with eyes everywhere. If they put two and two together, with their new pastor spending suspicious amounts of time with a newcomer young woman, it could ruin him. It could wreck his entire career as God's servant. And you couldn't do that to him either, you could never. Yes, he was breaking his celibacy vows with you, but he was otherwise made to be a priest and he fulfilled his duties masterfully. There were folks who observed themselves as broken beyond repair, doomed to forever live in despair. They weren't like that to Father Paul Hill. To him, nobody was beyond repair, nobody was doomed, and everybody deserved his help if they asked for it. He was an amazing person who went out of his way to help people, and part of the reason he was able to do that was his position as a spiritual leader. If you rid the world of that, if you rid him of that, you'd never be able to forgive yourself.

What if you stayed and he left? Would that mean your entire relationship was over? Or would you attempt to keep it long-distance? How often would you be able to visit him, once a week? A fortnight? Once a month? What if he was moved to the other end of the country? Writing paid well, but not nearly well enough for you to be able to afford tickets across the whole of the USA every week. What if - and you froze in your tracks - what if he met someone? What if he met someone... better than you? Some prettier, smarter girl who'd steal his heart... The idea made weakness rush through you and you sat down upon a nearby boulder, hugging yourself tighter. So cold. Another thought occurred to you, one that made you feel sick with yourself. Because if Paul really did leave and found someone better, you wouldn't be able to be happy for him. No, you hated yourself for it, you felt incredibly selfish, but you wouldn't be able to be happy for him, even if he was happy. At least for a while... For a long while, all you would feel would be agony and jealousy and rage.

You started crying again, sobbing into your cold hands and leaning your forehead against your knees. "Oh dear, what are you doing here, dressed like that?!" came a voice from somewhere to you left, "you're going to catch your death!" You looked for the source of the voice and found Annie. She was merely 15 metres away and walking swiftly towards you. "Oh, oh dear," she said once more, her kind voice filled with worry as she saw your tear-stained cheeks. She approached closer and got to her knee in front of you, putting her warm hands on your knees in a very motherly way: "Get up, sweetie, we need to get you someplace warm." You didn't know why you immediately obeyed, why it didn't even occur to you to protest. It was probably the feeling of maternal safety you got whenever you were in Annie's presence. You got up from the cold boulder, letting the older woman wrap an arm around your shoulders and lead you to her home.

---

"I heard your stay on Crockett Island was quite fruitful. Steady growth in attendees of daily and Sunday masses, and the Easter vigil was apparently a big success," Bishop Theodore listed, observing a few pages in front of him, "you also began an AA program, from what I'm told." "Yes," Paul replied. Ever since he parted ways with you, his legs felt unsteady and he was more nervous than he ever was before. Now especially, since the conversation reached the subject of his illness some time ago, and he had to explain that you were a dear friend of his who helped him a lot after he first came on the island. Seeing as you were very much a newcomer too. The bishop accepted this answer without another word. "Now," he put the papers back into a simple thin manilla folder, "there is a church in northern Massachusetts which recently lost their pastor to old age. It's a bigger town and I think you'd do very well there... However, I'd like to ask about your opinion as well. You seemed rather unwell ever since you stepped over the threshold." The younger priest blinked and fiddled with his hands in his lap.

"Yes, I'd... is there any chance I'd be able to remain on Crockett Island?" he asked, finally looking directly at Theodore. "Stay on Crockett?" the older man asked, surprised, "but it's such a small place, with so few people. To be quite honest, I half expected to find a priest here who would only venture there to serve Sunday mass. Why would you want to stay there? In Massachusetts, you could grow as a priest, maybe you could even become a bishop yourself, someday." Father Paul swallowed and took a deep breath: "I know. But... that's not what I want. I've grown... used to Crockett Island and I can't just leave the people. They became my neighbours and friends. They were used to having Monsignor Pruitt there everyday, not only on Sunday, he was their spiritual leader for, what, 50 years? And they got used to me too, now," he leaned forward on his chair to rest his elbows on his thighs, "I still have responsibilities to them. I have to continue leading them in Christ, I have to carry on with the AA program. I need to be available to them when they need me. It's my duty not only as a priest, but also as a good Christian."

The bishop looked at him with his baby blue bespeckled eyes, observing the young pastor curiously. "Please, Excellency," Paul looked up and held his gaze, "let me stay on Crockett Island." There was silence, disturbed only by the steady ticking of a massive grandfather clock. Paul could have screamed, and he could've begged and he'd probably give anything to be able to escape his superior's piercing gaze. But then, in a moment which engraved itself into Paul's memory forever, the older man smiled warmly at him. "Very well then," he said only, "if you really do wish to take on the full responsibility of being this parish's priest permanently, so be it. We'll have to go over a few things then, though." A mountain fell from Father Paul Hill's shoulders.

---

You sat at the Flynn family home, a warm knitted blanket resting over your shoulders and a cup of hot tea in your still cold hands. You felt incredibly stupid, but also strangely numb. Annie sat opposite of you, looking at you questioningly, but not prying. Only when she realised you wouldn't spill your beans on your own did she finally speak: "Is this about Father Paul, dear?" Your eyes widened in shock and you almost heard a record scratch in your head. "What," you said eloquently. "Oh you know, are you having problems? Did you have an argument, maybe?" You couldn't believe your own ears. Annie Flynn (whom you definitely haven't told of your relationship with the local priest) was casually asking whether the two of you had a domestic. Still, you tried to deny: "I-I don't really know what you're talking about, Annie." The woman just chuckled and rolled her eyes, as if this entire situation was just one big joke and you were being cheeky with her. "Oh, come now, sweetie!" Your cheeks took on a light shade of crimson and you suddenly felt too hot.

"Father Paul and I, we are-.... we're fond of each other." you said quietly, as if the entire Island could hear you, "and the fondness goes beyond friendship." You were terrified of looking at Annie and seeing her disappointed face, you were so afraid of what she's going to tell you. But instead of some deeply disapproving retort or maybe even an insult, a gentle hand landed under your chin instead, lifting it. There was no disappointed look on Annie's beautiful face, there was no frown, no knitted eyebrows. Instead, Annie Flynn was smiling at you, comfortingly, warmly. Your rapid heartbeat slowed down and your black thoughts started to dissolve like salt in hot water. Saint of a woman, she was. "I know," Annie said only. You still questioned her with your gaze, wanting to know how she found out. She chuckled again and stroked your cheek: "I had my suspicions for a while. I only knew for sure a week ago." You searched through your brain for any moment spent with Annie in the last week when you might've let something slip. "I went to meet Ed for lunch. He was on his own for the day, so we figured we could make it a little romantic. And then I pass this small hidden beach and what do I see? Someone's already being romantic here!"

"Oh my goodness..." you let your head fall into your hands. You knew exactly what Annie was talking about. Back then, you and Paul agreed that Sex On a Beach was a fine drink and a great thing, but not quite in broad delight, and most definitely not without at least a picnic blanket, lest you brink the Beach back home with you. And thank god for that, because it meant you and Father Paul were merely engaging in languid snogging right when Annie must have accidentally seen you. She actually laughed at your horror-stricken face. "How- how can you be so fine with this? I mean, you're basically a saint, and I... He's a priest, and h-his vows... I thought you'd be angry with me."

The older woman shook her head: "These things happen, (F/N), way more often than you'd think. When I was young there was a rumour that even Monsignor Pruitt... well, anyway, it doesn't change anything. You're both lovely people and you've got a lot in common. And even though he's a clergyman, the two of you are still very much humans. He's still a wonderful pastor who does his work dutifully, and you're still a dear friend who's always ready to offer a helping hand, and I'm not judging either of you. It's a happiness that harms no one." You listened to Annie's kind voice, feeling more and more at ease with every word. Still: "But it's a sin." "Perhaps," she admitted, "everybody sins. I too sin. So does my husband and my boys. And the entire island. If your greatest sin is love for another person, I think god might just be willing to turn a blind eye to it."

You couldn't help it, you had to grin. But as you sat with her in silence, the dark fear of losing Father Paul came back. "But I'm afraid I'll lose him," you conceded, "I'm afraid they'll send him to another parish, far away, and I won't be able to follow." "Is that why you were crying earlier, dear?" You didn't answer immediately. "It's just... I've had a few...boyfriends over the years, but I feel like what I felt for them wasn't a thousandth of what I feel for Paul. I was very fond of them, but I've never been so utterly terrified of losing them." Annie smiled but said no more.

---

You spent the entire day at the Flynn house, helping Annie with various household chores, aiding her in preparation of dinner. Warren came home from school, then disappeared for some time again, presumably with his friends. Or maybe Leeza. Ed, Riley and Erin also joined you. Right when almost everyone sat down at the dinner table, there came a knock from the door. Seeing as you were the only one still standing, you went to answer. Your eyes widened in surprise when they landed on Father Paul Hill. "Hi. How did you know where I am?" you asked softly and joined him outside, closing the door behind you. "Annie sent me a text," he explained, patting the pocket of his jacket which contained his phone. "Can we talk?" he asked and took a hold of your hand. You let him lead you by the side of the house, away from the streetlight and into the dark backyard of Annie and Ed's home. He sat down with you then, so you were facing the sea, not letting go of your hand for a single moment. "So... how did it go?" you asked, uncertain once more, but trying to make your voice sound neutral. "Bad," replied the priest in a strange voice, "horrible, really. (F/N), Angel, prepare for the worst." Your heart sank and you felt fresh tears already fighting their way out.

"Oh god, Paul!" you sighed shakily, but didn't manage to get another word out, because: "Yes, it seems you won't be getting rid of me after all, and this time it's permanent." You gasped and stared at him in utter bewilderment. You recovered quickly though: "You! Utter! Git!" you punctuated each word with a light slap to his chest. He had the absolute audacity to giggle, and while it was a beautiful sound to hear, you weren't quite ready to forgive him just yet. "Don't you dare laugh at me, I was bloody terrified!" You stopped hitting him and instead left your hands on his chest and rested your head on his shoulder. "I know, I'm sorry," he said quietly, stroking up and down your back. You breathed him in, he smelled like the sea and incense and something that was so uniquely him, and you were getting high on this scent. His hand then ventured up the back of your neck and into your hair, and he gently made you pull away. "I'll make it up to you. I promise." And then Father Paul Hill crashed his lips against yours with reckless abandon, making you moan into the kiss and open your mouth. Your teeth clashed and tongues met, and you held onto your beloved as you let your upper body lean back until it hit the ground. He could only follow and soon he was above you, not having parted from your lips for a single second.

You supposed you could forgive him.

---

"They're kissing," said Ed, covertly peeking out of the window. "Yeah," replied Warren in between bites, "they do that a lot." His family turned to face him, surprised looks on their faces. "How would you know?" asked Annie, who was surprised the only member of her family who genuinely had no idea of the relationship between the local priest and you had been her husband. "I can never take Leeza anywhere, they're always in the best spots!" This retort earned him a disapproving look from his father, but an amused chuckle from everyone else.

I hoped you enjoyed reading! As always, you can check this story and the entire series on AO3. I’m a huge sucker for reviews, they always lift my spirits <3

[study-coffee-chicago]

Season Premier Thoughts:

(And, feel free to send me asks about the eps!)

MED:

I knew it was gonna happen, BUT BREAKING MY MANSTEAD HEART IN THE FIRST TWO MINUTES????

“He was aiming at you wasn’t he?” DR. CHARLES GOING OFF ON ARCHER??? HERE FOR IT

Dr. Dylan’s interactions with the kid??? Loving him already!

THIS KID IS LIKE 8! GANG INITIATION??? WTF

I’m gonna need Jay and Will to team up for this investigation

The way Will said “Hold on” to Goodwin when talking about the investigation. I LAUGHED SO HARD

WILL’S BACK IN THE ED ❤️

Why do I feel like Will and Stevie are gonna end up dating?

God, I love Maggie

Fuck Kender with locking the charts

Fuck Archer…bc he’s a dick

SASSY WILL. I’M HERE FOR IT

These twins are creepy

SASSY DR. CHARLES TO ARCHER?? ALSO HERE FOR IT

How many times am I going to think “fuck Archer” during this ep?? Probably a lot.

THE DOCTOR NEVER TOLD THIS WOMAN ABOUT HOW TO HELP HER DAUGHTER AND IT WAS ABOUT RACE??? FIND THE DOC AND TAKE HIS LICENSE

Oooh, Lanik’s back

I thought they were making Crockett and Will friends…NOT ENEMIES

Shut up with your vascon thingy, Cooper

Wow, Dr. Stevie just going in on the hard questions with Alisha

Dr. Taylor lost her first patient 😭

Will doesn’t like lying. 😂. WILL, DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU DIDN’T LISTEN TO JAY AND WORKED WITH THE FUCKING MOB OR SOME SHIT???

THE TWINS SWITCHED PLACES??? MY JAW DROPPED

Again, loving Dylan Scott

Loving the new docs!

Stevie’s mom’s homeless 💔

Ooooh, we’re yelling at Archer next week! Here for it!

Final thoughts: Loved it! Will definitely be rewatching this ep!…probably this weekend 😂

FIRE:

It’s been less than a minute and I’m STRESSED AF

GO CASEY

OH MY GOD, CRUZ

I wonder how weird that rescue breath scene between Cruz and Casey was to film 😂

CRUZ, THANK GOD

Crockett sighting!

Stellaride and their sex drive…holy shit!

KELLY LITERALLY THROWING THE REMOTE 😂

Loving the humor when Joe came back 😂

VIOLET, I’LL BUY YOUR CANDLES! I LOVE CANDLES

Is Joe having symptoms of PTSD???

BODEN’S DEPUTY DISTRICT CHIEF

OH THANK GOD HE’S NOT LEAVING THE SHOW

THIS WOMAN IN THE ROOM WITH THE WINDOW OPEN IS CRAZY

Love how Sylvie talked the woman down ❤️

Nobody’s gonna think about it when Brettsey walk out together? Haha, bullshit

Dill popcorn is actually pretty good

I thought we were done with politics in Chicago Fire after Alderman Casey resigned

THEY SERIOUSLY HAD TO FALL THROUGH THE ROOF??? WE JUST GOT SQUAD BACK AND NOW THE WRITERS WANT TO KILL HALF OF TRUCK????

CASEY DIDN’T FALL THROUGH

THANK GOD SEVERIDE AND CRUZ GOT STELLA AND GALLO OUT

CASEY WITH THE GOOD SAVE

Boden’s speech made me tear up

“Whenever Gallo almost dies, for like two days I stop thinking I wanna kill him” VIOLET 😂

Watch the millennials start selling their beer to Hermann to sell at Molly’s

THE BABY SHOWER WAS SO CUTE

“I did not grow up in a loving, happy house.” I’M GONNA NEED SOME STELLA KIDD BACKSTORY ASAP

Final thoughts: NOBODY DIED! And, that promo for next week??? I CAN’T WAIT FOR THAT CAR ACCIDENT CALL

PD:

POOR HAILEY

Ugh, Voight

Trudy’s just like, take a step back, Adam. I don’t know how I’d get you out of this one if you punched a doctor.

Miller: what’s the update on Roy? VOIGHT KILLED HIM AND BURNED HIS BODY AT THE SILOS THAT’S THE UPDATE, SAMANTHA

Uh oh. Somebody heard gunshots at the warehouse. JAM UP VOIGHT AND NOT HAILEY, I’M BEGGING YOU. SHE WANTED TO DO IT RIGHT AND CALL IT IN

HAILEY’S HAIR TIE

“Work the scene, I need your DNA in here.” VOIGHT, LEAVE

Ugh great, now Voight and Hailey are gonna go talk to the witness

HE SAW ONE OF THEIR CARS. SHIT

Not one of their cars…SO WHOSE CAR DID THE WITNESS SEE???

POOR ADAM

VOIGHT, HOW ABOUT YOU FUCKING CONFESS

Hailey doesn’t have to accept anything…VOIGHT, YOU WERE THE ONE WHO MADE HER KILL ROY

Dad! Adam talking out his problems with Trudy and being worried about Makayla ❤️

OH SHIT, IRWIN TOOK VIDEOS

UPSTEAD CHASE SCENE

We need to put Voight in jail because I need my upstead babies to be back to normal and fluffy

I’m digging the car chase music

How does nobody see that Voight is acting weird af

WE’RE ABOUT TO GET SNIPER! JAY

SNIPER! JAY ❤️❤️❤️

Never would’ve seen Miller and Kevin going into the building coming

Jay always gets the job done

MAKAYLA PAINTING ADAM’S NAILS PINK AND HIM CALLING HER MAK. MY HEART ❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

MAKAYLA HOLDING ADAM’S HAND AND WITH THE OTHER ONE HOLDING HER PLATYPUS STUFFED ANIMAL ❤️❤️❤️

KIM’S AWAKE

Adam saying “ladies first” and then Makayla running to Kim. I love Dad! Adam!

SHE BROUGHT HER PLATYPUS FOR KIM ❤️ I have tears in my eyes now

OH FUCK, THE FEDS ARE GETTING INVOLVED NOW. SHIT

THAT UPSTEAD SCENE. THE TALK. THE PROPOSAL. JAY SAYING HE’S OLD-FASHIONED. I FELL OFF MY COUCH ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

UPSTEAD ARE GETTING MARRIED ❤️❤️❤️

Good thing Jay didn’t use Mama Halstead’ss ring because, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, pretty sure that thing is cursed

Final thoughts: THE PROPOSAL, UPSTEAD ARE GETTING MARRIED, KIM’S OKAY, DAD! ADAM! Loved it! But, I’m gonna need Voight to confess because he’s killing Hailey here and that’s just not okay. Next week looks like a lot of Burzek, so hopefully more Dad! Adam and Mom! Kim. Finally, I really want pizza right now 😂

[thebookreader12345]

Episode 7 Review

Chicago Med: A Square Peg in a Round Hole

The opening scene between Stevie and her mom was so cute! But we all know that shit's gonna go down because Stevie towed her van.

And Ethan Choi is back! I've never really liked Ethan too much, so I was surprised at how excited I was when he appeared. I guess he's been growing on me. I would also love to see some bonding moments between Ethan, Will, and Crockett because those men have been through so much together.

This whole flirting between Crockett and Blake's daughter has to stop. He literally just got out of a relationship with Natalie. Give him a break.

I have been waiting for a Dylan and Stevie team-up, and while this isn't exactly what I pictured, it fits the bill.

Sam Abrams makes an appearance! I know everyone, including myself, has wanted him back on our screens to grace us with his cockiness.

Will in a suit.....that's all that needs to be said.

Vanessa, please slow down, and stop taking the Adderall! You don't need it! You're amazing!

Dr. Cooper taking drugs? Plot twist! How is a doctor gonna do that himself when he knows the risks of cocaine? And of course, when he loses consciousness, we see Will spring into action. I would let that man do CPR on me any day.

Stevie, why would you tell your mom about her van? That was a disaster waiting to happen.

Chicago Fire: Whom Shall I Fear?

Okay, we all know that Casey can't be replaced, but Pelham seems like a good guy, so we'll see how this goes.

*Gasp* The corned beef recipe! Gallo, you better do it justice.

Not Gallo already getting pissed off at Pelham because he ended up being right about what to do at the factory. Gallo, I get Casey's not here anymore, but don't take that out on Pelham.

Violet, girl, you're totally jealous. Just admit it.

Seager, please go away. Just go and never come back. And while you're at it, stop flirting with Kelly!

Good news though, Kelly and Seager have found that the janitor is the one setting the fires, so all they've gotta do is arrest him. Case closed.

It's always a pleasure when Kevin Atwater graces our screens. The man is amazing, plus he's fun to look at.

We all knew the arsonist was eventually gonna do something crazy, and blowing himself up is definitely in that realm.

I see you Pelham. Putting yourself in danger just to make sure Boden and that little girl was were safe was a bold move, and I liked it.

No! Sylvie's trip got cancelled. Can her and Matt just be happy for once? But at least we got that sweet moment between Sylvie and Gallo. I love the two of them, so seeing them get a few scenes together in this episode was nice.

Chicago PD: Trust Me

Who's birthday is Voight celebrating? Al's, his wife's, Justin's? We may never know.

And the fantastic duo of Atwater and Ruzek are back at it again. We love to see it! Sadly though, that moment was ruined by a crew going in and shooting up the place. At least it was good while it lasted.

Jay being sassy with Anna? Loved it! Would 10/10 want him to act that way again.

Now Anna, why would you sneak into a police sergeant's backyard? That's probably the stupidest thing you can do.

Not the truck! How could the writer's do something like that? Jay's truck is sacred. It better get fixed up or else we're rioting.

The team can 100% sense the tension between Jay and Voight cause they all just stand their awkwardly and glance at each other whenever Jay and Voight have a disagreement.

I love Hailey so much! And the moment between her and Jay in the observation room was much needed. Their relationship is slowly falling apart, and we need them to talk and resolve their issues.

Okay, but Anna has to be playing them, right? There's no way she's not.

I'm sorry, Jay and Hailey in police uniforms? Yes please. They both look so good!

Jay, don't say shit like you're gonna be leaving the unit. Don't scare us all like that. Just sort out whatever is going on between you and Voight and we'll all be good.

So it was Justin's birthday. That just brings up flashbacks we don't want or need to remember.

[franksrailsphotography]

Sassy is as sassy does. Harley Quinn is no exception. @brunabezerrav always rocks our shoots and this was no exception. Stay tuned for more! #franksrailsphotographyllc #franksrailsphotography #harleyquinn #harleyquinncosplay #photographer #cosplay #ootd #model #modelpop #cosplay #cosplayer #cosplaygirl #cosplayersofinstagram #cosplayers #cosplayphotography #cosplaygirls #cosplayphoto #cosplays #cosplaying #marvel #comics #dccomics #animecosplay #costume (at Crockett, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfF8YQ5L6na/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[newleasemusic]

Song of the Day: Fly By - KARMACODA

Song of the Day: Fly By - @KARMACODA

Comprising of Jessica Ford (vocals), Brett Crockett (aka B. on vocals and producer) and Japanese-American multi-instrumentalist Eric Matsuno (bass and other unique elements), electronic trio KARMACODA‘s single, ‘Fly By’ is what contemplative dreams are made of as we find ourselves floating along on Jessica’s sophisticated vocals. The sprinkling of sassy lyrics carried along on melodic piano notes…

[runesrule]

"Girls kick ass; says so on a t-shirt”: Feminism in James Cameron’s ‘Dark Angel’

Author’s note: goes without saying the following meta contains some spoilers, and language warning coz it’s me writing it. Now, read on. 

Recently, I have dived into a re-watch of James Cameron’s cyberpunk/biopunk scifi Dark Angel. The first time I watched Dark Angel was sometime around 2009-2010 mark, and a few things about it made a serious impact on my budding ideas of feminism. The series, which ran for two seasons from 2000-2002, is the story of Max, a genetically-engineered super-soldier (or ‘transgenic’) who escapes the top-secret government facility known as Manticore as a child. She, along with twelve of her ‘siblings’ split up in order to disappear into a ‘pseudo-post-apocalyptic police state’ AKA a United States of America where an Electromagnetic Pulse has wiped out most of the technology pre-2009. She eventually becomes entangled with Eyes Only, an idealistic hacker battling police corruption and the oppressive regime which controls Seattle, where most of the action in the series happens. Eyes Only AKA Logan Cale, is a cyberjournalist played by Michael Weatherby. 

James Cameron has said that Max is medium of bringing back the ‘tough, female warrior’ to our TV screens, and for most part, he succeeded. The character, played by Jessica Alba, poses an interesting question in regards to feminism. On one hand, Max AKA X5-452, is undoubtedly a warrior; a bad-ass, ass-kicker with a banging bod, who oozes female sexuality and doesn’t back down from a fight. However, it really isn’t Max’s downright lethal fighting skills, or her sharp, scalding wit that make her memorable to me. It’s her relationships throughout the series with other women that always attracted me to the series, and to the character herself. In the first season is Max’s roommate, the perky, blonde Kendra as well as the wonderful series regular, Original Cindy, a black, gay woman who is Max’s best friend, as well as Asha, the idealistic crusader against government corruption. Asha’s one of those characters who gets dismissed as the unwanted third point on the inevitable love triangle. She’s introduced as a further complication in Max and Logan’s heart-wrenching love story in the second season (Uh, geez, Cliffnotes version: Max gets injected with a virus that’s targeted directly for Logan’s DNA sequence, when Manticore discovers his secret identity as Eyes Only). The thing is, Asha is so much damn more than simply a love interest. She’s a fighter for the S1W, a group of activists working with Eyes Only to fight the good fight, a great friend to Logan, and a genuinely decent human being. Ultimately, despite her position as the ‘other woman’ in the narrative, she and Max not only find common ground, but on more than one occasion, the two of them actively display mutual respect for one another. As rare and uncommon as that is in the love triangle trope, it’s the fact that despite initial hostilities between them—to be fair, Max is basically hostile to everyone she doesn’t know and love—they manage to move beyond the romantic entanglements. It’s a refreshing example of women supporting women, despite the narrative having every opportunity to pit them against one another in a bikini-wearing, wet t-shirt catfight to the death. It might be my lifetime membership to the SHARON CARTER IS NOT HERE TO BE STEVE ROGERS’ GODDAMN LOVE INTEREST club, but I really, really adore Asha and Max’s relationship. Next up to the discussion booth is the one, the only, the incredible Cynthia McEachin AKA ‘Original Cindy’. Hit me up: how many black, gay women who wear their natural hair, are nurturing and kind as well as sassy and unafraid to throw a few punches are actually represented in today’s media? Right?? Anyway, Original Cindy is Max’s best friend. She’s sex-positive as hell and multi-faceted. She’s also a normal-sized human, which is a nice element to have when Jessica Alba is running around being lithe and tiny and fit as hell. I am one thousand percent here for more Original Cindy’s in popular culture. Firstly, she has an understandable what the actual fuck reaction to finding out that her best friend is a genetically engineered super-soldier on the run from shady Men In Black types who will kill and maim whoever they have to in order to get their hands on her. Then, when she’s processed, she stands by Max, unhesitatingly. At one point, she literally puts herself between Max and a sniper’s rifle while pretending to be Max’s hostage. (However, she’s also biphobic as hell, uses some fairly transphobic language at one point in Season One and the one time Cindy gets a grounded, well-rounded love interest, Diamond gets stuck in the ‘bury your gays’ plot. Horrifically.) Of course, no discussion of feminism is complete without addressing our transwomen. I guess the fact that there is actually something to discuss gives the show props? I’m cisgender, so I’m not qualified to write from any platform of authority. The facts are this: Louise is a transwoman (who, by the way, is played by a transwoman Jessica Crockett) and lesbian who dates our heroine’s hard-to-like boss Normal before realising she’s gay. I would love to hear from any transwomen who might have watched Dark Angel, and what they think of Louise. As I said, a lot of the language surrounding Louise’s split second feature in a S1 filler ep is problematic and dated. She’s kind of outed against her will when Original Cindy rifles through her purse in order to find out what kind of woman would go out with Normal at all. The thing that always stuck in my mind is that Normal doesn’t give a shit that she’s trans, and it’s only the fact that she likes women that stops him from pursuing her romantically. To continue on the ‘Your favs are problematic’ roll I’ve got going now, let’s talk about Annie. Annie is introduced in Season 2 as a love interest for Joshua, a Manticore experiment who has ‘dog in his cocktail’ resulting in some altered facial features and super senses, as well as truly abominable table manners. She’s a black, blind woman who receives a grand total of three episodes before being unceremoniously murdered by Season 2’s antagonist Ames White. Her death facilitates Joshua moving to Terminal City, where the grand finale of the series goes down. Phew, boy. It’s telling that I completely forgot about Annie’s existence until this recent re-watch. The thing that drives me completely mad is that narratively there were ways around this. Sure, there always is, but sometimes character deaths are the most straight-forward, least convulated way to move a plot forward. I’m a writer, I get that. Sometimes it sucks, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Annie’s death did not have to happen. Sure, her murder by White shocks the audience into realising that Ames is indeed a monster (There were some episodes preceeding this one where his attitude towards his Murder All The Non-Humans deal seems to be softening slightly), and forces Joshua to move to Terminal City, where they find the rest of the Manticore transgenics and stage a last stand. But… Annie’s murder takes place during a chase to find Joshua in the labryth-like setting of the sewers under the city. Another series regular, Max’s workmate and friend the dorky, lovable Sketchy, is also in the sewers, chasing the story for his beloved gossip rag. He emerges, unscathed from the battle, while Annie is left behind to die at Ames’ hands. Now, Sketchy has had a heap of close calls: he’s been kidnapped by the government goons chasing Max and released on the assumption that he’s a bumbling idiot (Spoiler alert: he’s actually not) He’s also been knocked out by Max on more than one occasion and nearly beaten to death by a bunch of ‘steel-heads’: cybernetically enhanced punks. Sketchy is comic relief. He’s the jester of the court; you want to wound our heroes and shock the audience? Take him out. This is a character we’ve been rolling our eyes and laughing at for two straight seasons, and he would have died before we saw his redemption from hating the transgenics to realising that he’s best friends with two of them in Alec and Max. How is that not just as tragic as Annie’s death? I suppose because Sketchy is a loud, skinny white boy not a gentle, helpless blind woman whom Joshua loves, because as always Man Pain™ must win out. (I mean no disrespect to Joshua; Joshua is a golden retriever human and must be protected at all costs) See, Sketchy dies in the sewers, our heroes are collectively enraged and heart-broken, and Joshua still moves to Terminal City because it could have been Annie who died, I must protect her, whine-whine, howl at the moon, love sucks. See? We get to keep Annie and her guide dog Billie alive, and the plot continues in the exact same way, Man Pain™ included. 

So I don’t mean to try and make out that ‘Dark Angel’ is a bad show. It may fall victim a little to the our strong female lead is strong because she can kill twenty grown men with her little finger while wearing booty shorts and a bikini top type of thinking, but it is genuinely a really cool, female-led scifi with a unique idea and really cool, edgy world-building. 

Max is one of those heroes that sticks around in your head, and despite the unsatisfactory finale, ‘Dark Angel’ is a show seriously worth the watch. 

[rainbowlassie-blog]

in 17 minutes from when I started writing this post, I will be 18. yeah, I got tattoos to look forward to and voting trump out of office, but what really sticks with me is in (now) 16 minutes, I would have gotten a friend request from you. counselors and campers weren't allowed to be friends on any social media until the camper was 18 and I made you promise me that the second it becomes March 2nd, 2019 you would friend request me. the worst part about this whole thing is I don't even know how you died. no one would tell me. I never got closure. You were only 31 years old. And sometimes I feel like it can't be real, you can't actually be off this earth. You're still strolling into Malachi with your snapback on and we would still steal each others hats. You would still be singing Ariana Grande. You would still be dancing on the dining table with Ceonn to announce someone's birthday. You would still be the sassy little man I met when I was 13 and I dropped my bath salts and nail polish en route from Kenyon cabin to Crockett. We were having a spa day and I tripped. You helped carry the stuff and then did spa day with us. You wore green frog boots and a pink, bedazzled jacket to the rodeo when the girls teased me for having rain boots instead of riding boots. I miss you. So much. We had so many memories left, Du'Juan. So many. In 10 minutes it will be March 2nd. And all I can do is stare at your Facebook page, tearing up at the "Remembering" above your name. Rest easy buddy. Miss you always.

[latesthollywoodnews]

Little Mix TEASE NEW Song From #LM5 & Fans Freak Out

Little Mix TEASE NEW Song From #LM5 & Fans Freak Out

Jeremy Brown - Latest News - My Hollywood News

Little Mix TEASE NEW Song From #LM5 & Fans Freak Out, Pixar News.

Latest Celebrities 2019, Hollywood Celebrities 2017, Little Mix TEASE NEW Song From #LM5 & Fans Freak Out.

A Wrinkle In Time Film New And Upcoming Celebrities Celebrities by Hollywood Celebrities Anywhere is a digital film locker for Hollywood, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars-branded films in the United States. It allows for the storage of digital Celebrity rights via purchases from providers such as iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, Microsoft, Amazon Video, and Verizon Fios. Rights to titles can also be added via redemption of Hollywood Celebrities Rewards “Magic/Action Codes” from select titles that provide either a digital HD download or digital copy. The service allows consumers to redeem films produced by Walt Hollywood Pictures, Walt Hollywood Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Hollywoodnature, and Lucasfilm, all owned by the Walt Hollywood Studios. Hollywood Celebrities Anywhere allows streaming of content over the web or mobile apps, along with access to the title through the linked accounts in participating providers. It is powered by a proprietary digital rights system called KeyChest.

Can you watch Hollywood Celebrities anywhere without Internet?

Downloading a Celebrity from the Hollywood Celebrities Anywhere app saves the video file onto your device so you can watch it without an Internet connection. You will need to be connected to the Internet to download your Celebrity. Once you have finished downloading, you can watch your downloaded Celebrities offline and on the go.

How can I watch Celebrities on my phone without using data?

Download videos to your Android device, iPhone, or iPad 1. Make sure your device is connected to Wi-Fi or your mobile network. 2. Open the Google Play Celebrities & TV app . 3. Tap Menu Library. 4. Next to the Celebrity or TV episode you’d like to download, touch the download icon.

Why was Hollywoodland created?

With limited finances, Walt had to find affordable land. It was also important that his park be located near a major highway. In August of 1953, Hollywood and his partners selected a 160-acre orange grove in Anaheim, California to be the site of Hollywoodland. The construction of Hollywoodland began during the summer of 1954.

More Celebrity News ►►

Alright Little Mixers, enough time has passed since the girls came through with their song “Only You” last month, and we think it’s time for another taste of what we can expect from their upcoming album, which has so far been dubbed “LM5.”

Well, it seems like Little Mix agrees because just yesterday they took to Instagram to tease a sassy new track, which already sounds like the girl power anthem of our dreams.

In the teaser they posted, the girls are sitting in the back of an SUV nodding along to the new song as Jesy’s part comes in, saying, QUOTE, “I don’t need a man, I put my own rock on my hand.” OKAY… we see you, ladies!!!

Of course, this teaser combined with the track they released just last month has fans itching for LM5 to drop ASAP. After watching the teaser, one fan on Twitter wrote, QUOTE, “It’s confirmed LM5 will be their best album,” with another fan adding, “IT’S COMING!!!”

As much as we wish the album were here already, it seems like we’re still going to have to wait a bit… mostly because the girls haven’t set a release date yet! However, back in February Leigh Anne did let it slip that the album WILL be released in 2018, so we doubt we’ll have to wait much longer.

Even though we’ve only gotten a small sampling of what to expect from LM5, it’s clear that the ladies are more confident than ever before. Just a couple of days ago, for example, Perrie posted a selfie that showed off her freckles in all of their glory, revealing that she no longer wants to hide them under makeup. You go girl!

Anyways, how excited are you guys about the upcoming album? Did you love the teaser as much as we did? As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the comments section below. Thanks for watching! Please Click to the right to watch another new Video and don’t forget to subscribe to our channels. I’m your host Drew Dorsey and I’ll see you next time!

For More Clevver Visit: There are 2 types of people: those who follow us on Facebook and those who are missing out

Keep up with us on Instagram: Follow us on Twitter: Website:

Add us to your circles on Google+: Tweet Me:

Latest Hollywood English Celebrities 2017 New English Films, Little Mix TEASE NEW Song From #LM5 & Fans Freak Out.

Hollywood continued to focus its talents on television throughout the 1950s. Its weekday afternoon children’s television program The Mickey Mouse Club, featuring its roster of young “Mouseketeers”, premiered in 1955 to great success, as did the Davy Crockett miniseries, starring Fess Parker and broadcast on the Hollywoodland anthology show. Hollywood Celebrities Recut Latest Story, Little Mix TEASE NEW Song From #LM5 & Fans Freak Out.

https://www.myhollywoodnews.com/little-mix-tease-new-song-from-lm5-fans-freak-out/

#LatestNews

[londontheatre]

Craig Revel Horwood (Miss Hannigan) – Photographer Credit Matt Crockett

Michael Harrison and David Ian, Producers of the West End production of Annie are delighted to announce that from 18th September to 26th November 2017, Craig Revel Horwood will join the West End Company to play the role of Miss Hannigan for 10 weeks. In addition, it is announced today that Nikolai Foster’s production will extend booking at the Piccadilly Theatre to 18th February 2018.

Best known on television as a judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and for a role he returns to this Autumn, Craig Revel Horwood received great critical acclaim in Foster’s production of Annie that toured the UK in 2015. Previously in the West End he has performed the role of Munkustrap in Cats, was Dance Captain in Miss Saigon and played the role of Harry in Crazy for You. His production of Son of a Preacher Man will open in Bromley in September before embarking on an extensive UK tour. During his 10-week run, because of his Strictly Come Dancing commitments, Craig Revel Horwood will not play the role of Miss Hannigan on Saturdays.

Craig Revel Horwood said: “I am so pleased to be returning to the West End, especially to a role I had such a brilliant time performing on tour. Miss Hannigan is evil, sassy and fab-u-lous. It will be a real challenge for me not to take her man-hungry, wicked ways to the Strictly judging panel each Saturday night – though I am sure my fellow judges will keep me in check! I can’t wait to get started.”

The Annie West End Company also includes Alex Bourne as Daddy Warbucks, Holly Dale Spencer as Grace Farrell, Jonny Fines as Rooster and Djalenga Scott as Lily. The title role of Annie is shared by Madeleine Haynes, 13-years old from Hadley Wood, Barnet, Lola Moxom, 12-years old from Rochester, Kent and Ruby Stokes, 12-years old from Hampshire. They are joined by three teams of young performers who play the girls in Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Amber, a 4-year-old Labradoodle, plays Annie’s dog Sandy. Completing the company are adult are Russell Wilcox, Bobby Delaney, Keisha Atwell, Sophie Ayers, Nic Gibney, Patrick Harper, Ben Harrold, George Ioannides, Megan Louch, Benjamin Mundy, Ben Oliver, Heather Scott-Martin, Anne Smith, Kate Somerset How and Katie Warsop. Miranda Hart will play the role of Miss Hannigan until 17th September 2017.

Set in 1930s New York during The Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery and torment at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Her luck changes when she is chosen to spend Christmas at the residence of famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Meanwhile, spiteful Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search for her true family…

Annie has book by Thomas Meehan adapted from the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. The West End production will have sets and costumes designed by Colin Richmond, choreography by Nick Winston, lighting by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Richard Brooker and orchestration and musical direction by George Dyer.

Foster’s production arrived in the West End 40 years after the original Broadway production opened in 1977 and received seven Tony awards including the Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. The last West End production of Annie opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre in 1998. In 1982, Annie was adapted for the big screen directed by John Huston with a cast including Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters and Albert Finney and in 2014 a further feature film was released, directed by Will Gluck, with a cast including Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx. The much-loved score includes the classics It’s A Hard Knock Life, Tomorrow and Easy Street.

LISTINGS INFORMATION Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman St, Soho, London W1D 7DY Booking from 23 May 2017 to 6 January 2018 Performances: Then Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7.30pm, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 3.00pm

http://ift.tt/2u7rvLN LondonTheatre1.com

[detectiverickitubbs]

Creek & Tubbs: You’ve been giving people headaches

@interpolatedxinterviewer continued threads:

What exactly won him the title of ‘kid’? The dark scruff on his chin? The bags tugging becomingly at his eyes? He had no prowess as a pugilist, so what was it then? Strictly station cliché, he resolved with an inward grin.

“Oh? You, uh, pull that one hot off the rumour mill… de-tective?” Cameron tilted his head in a show of earnest. Or interest. Earnest interest? Yes, that’s it. As far as Cam had seen, Crockett was the perfect Southern gentleman (if a bit rough-hewn).

“If I’m such a pain in his noggin– why hasn’t he said anythin’ to me?”

Ohsshit…

He hasn’t said ANYTHING to me!

“Look-” A sigh left his lips, creating a trail of vapours like that of a viper as he peered down the ball of his nose. And quite a ball it was. “I know I move a little fast for some folks but that’s not always a bad thing– izzit?” Izzit? Doddery blues seemed to reiterate the appeal almost indefinitely. And the drags he took from then on became lung-deep, and hyperactive. For a minute there, he couldn’t stop the sucking process; whether in the form of a cigarette, or the answers he was trying to bleed out of the universe in the midst of this 90-some-degree life crisis which had, perhaps unknowingly, been bestowed him.

“In the paper world they’d call it brutal efficiency…” The very idea of falling behind somewhere had him glancing at the clocks. As bad luck would have it, some cat calling himself Izzard the Wizards uckered him out of his timepiece on account of some 50-cent clues. And all in the name of trying to help James “Sonny” Crockett.

“Why can’t it be like that for Vice? You know, so what if I’m a mult-E-tasker? How the hell’s that hurting?” God, how he didn’t wish to evoke a self-pitying image (because it was the furthest thing from the truth) but by now he was on a roll. “The way I see it, that Castillo character’s the only one whose opinion of me REALLY matters. And if he wanted me me gone, then I’d have been out on my can eons ago… Not feathering through some Rolodex like a █ █ █ █ █ █ █ secretary…” No offense to the actual sectaries or anything.

“No,” she starts softly, releasing the loaded manila envelope onto the desk beside her. With a sassy flair, she lowers herself into her seat. “I got it right from the source. Who, in his agitated state, asked me to talk to you about this ‘hot press”. Her pointer-finger slowly slips up the delicate slope of her forehead.

“He’d rather me do the talkin’, sweetheart. I’m the diplomat… he missed that gene.” Comes Tubbs’s reply. “And.. I’m afraid, Crockett, didn’t call you a pain in the head. He called you a pain in the ass who, contributes to the pains he gets in the head.” She tells herself, she is correcting him simply for clarity sake.

Then with an amused grin stretching out the length of her lower-lip Tubbs half-teasingly adds, “if you ask me, he is just jealous. He thinks you are encroaching.” If she was being dead serious or trying to be a comedian remains in question.

“That depends. Moving fast around here just might make you look like a suspect and a moving target,” Tubbs remarks honestly. There is no chiding, no bias, nor cruelty to her words. It is simply a matter of fact. One he might do well to learn from. “Well this isn’t the paper, chump.” She remarks. Ripping a page out of Crockett’s phrase book she adds, “around here, things are more relaxed.” It was something she had to learn the hard way after arriving in Miami from the bid bad Bronx.  

“Beats me, man.” She answers. A genuine smile slowly slipping across her stained lips for the first time during that encounter. “Multi-tasking isn’t the problem here. Maybe you should be less prickly in your approach. Huh? You came in here like a storm-trooper, guns a’blazing. Its the kind of thing that makes cops anxious. Anxiousness leads to frustration and headaches.” He wasn’t wrong. Lieutenant Castillo was the bossman. He had a much deeper patience than the rest of the OCB and it shows in the way he deals with people. 

With a begrudging sigh she remarks,“look. Personally, I don’t mind you nosing around here. I like the company. So long as you stay outta my way and don’t piss off too many people. Okay? And just don’t give Crockett too many reasons to chew you out. There are only so many times I’ll be able to rescue you.” 

[yasbxxgie]

Adore or despise them, GIFs are integral to the social experience of the Internet. Thanks to a range of buttons, apps, and keyboards, saying “it me” without words is easier than ever. But even a casual observer of GIFing would notice that, as with much of online culture, black people appear at the center of it all. Or images of black people, at least. The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Oprah, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, NBA players, Tiffany Pollard, Kid Fury, and many, many other known and anonymous black likenesses dominate day-to-day feeds, even outside online black communities. Similar to the idea that “Black Vine is simply Vine,” as Jeff Ihaza determined in The Awl, black reaction GIFs have become so widespread that they’ve practically become synonymous with just reaction GIFs.

If you’ve never heard of the term before, “digital blackface” is used to describe various types of minstrel performance that become available in cyberspace. Blackface minstrelsy is a theatrical tradition dating back to the early 19th century, in which performers “blacken” themselves up with costume and behaviors to act as black caricatures. The performances put society’s most racist sensibilities on display and in turn fed them back to audiences to intensify these feelings and disperse them across culture. Many of our most beloved entertainment genres owe at least part of themselves to the minstrel stage, including vaudeville, film, and cartoons. While often associated with Jim Crow–era racism, the tenets of minstrel performance remain alive today in television, movies, music and, in its most advanced iteration, on the Internet.

Unlike other physical executions of blackface (such as by Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder, Sarah Silverman on her own show, Rachel Dolezal, or the authors of AB to Jay-Z) that require physical alternations and usually a change in demeanor (like Iggy Azalea’s “blaccent”), digital blackface is in some ways a more seamless transformation. Digital blackface uses the relative anonymity of online identity to embody blackness. In the case of Mandi Harrington, a white woman who masqueraded as the fictional “LaQueeta Jones,” digital blackface became a means for her to defend musician Ani DiFranco’s decision to host a retreat at a slave plantation. Digital minstrels often operate under stolen profile pictures and butchered AAVE. Quite often it comes in the form of an excessive use of reaction GIFs with images of black people.

After all, the emotional range these GIFs cover is quite large. Reaction GIFs are generally reserved for oddly specific yet also universal situations that we all can relate to: grabbing a snack to watch some drama unfold with MJ; witnessing an awkward encounter with Hov; walking into a garbage fire with Donald Glover; walking away from one with Angela Bassett; sipping with Wendy, Prince, or Bey; or delivering the shadiest side-eye imaginable with Viola Davis, Rihanna, James Harden, Tamar, Naomi Campbell, and truly too many other folks to name. The so-called “greatest meme of 2016,” at least according to BuzzFeed, featured rapper Conceited in the now-iconic GIF where he purses his lips and turns toward the camera with a red solo cup in hand.

Outside these cherry-picked, celeb-studded examples are countless reaction images of small sensations like Tanisha from Bad Girls Club and Ms. Foxy from Beyond Scared Straight, or relative unknowns, pulled from news coverage, YouTube, and Vines. These are the kind of GIFs liable to come up with a generic search like “funny black kid gif” or “black lady gif.” For the latter search, Giphy offers several additional suggestions, such as “Sassy Black Lady,” “Angry Black Lady,” and “Black Fat Lady” to assist users in narrowing down their search. While on Giphy, for one, none of these keywords turns up exclusively black women in the results, the pairings offer a peek into user expectations. For while reaction GIFs can and do every feeling under the sun, white and nonblack users seem to especially prefer GIFs with black people when it comes to emitting their most exaggerated emotions. Extreme joy, annoyance, anger and occasions for drama and gossip are a magnet for images of black people, especially black femmes.

Now, I'm not suggesting that white and nonblack people refrain from ever circulating a black person’s image for amusement or otherwise (except maybe lynching photos, Emmett Till’s casket, and videos of cops killing us, y’all can stop cycling those, thanks). There’s no prescriptive or proscriptive step-by-step rulebook to follow, nobody’s coming to take GIFs away. But no digital behavior exists in a deracialized vacuum. We all need to be cognizant of what we share, how we share, and to what extent that sharing dramatizes preexisting racial formulas inherited from “real life.” The Internet isn’t a fantasy — it’s real life.

After all, our culture frequently associates black people with excessive behaviors, regardless of the behavior at hand. Black women will often be accused of yelling when we haven’t so much as raised our voice. Officer Darren Wilson perceived a teenage Michael Brown as a hulking “demon”and a young black girl who remained still was flipped and dragged across a classroom by deputy Ben Fields. It's an implication that points toward a strange way of thinking: When we do nothing, we’re doing something, and when we do anything, our behavior is considered "extreme." This includes displays of emotion stereotyped as excessive: so happy, so sassy, so ghetto, so loud. In television and film, our dial is on 10 all the time — rarely are black characters afforded subtle traits or feelings. Scholar Sianne Ngai uses the word “animatedness” to describe our cultural propensity see black people as walking hyperbole.

If there’s one thing the Internet thrives on, it’s hyperbole and the overrepresentation of black people in GIFing everyone���s daily crises plays up enduring perceptions and stereotypes about black expression. And when nonblack users flock to these images, they are playacting within those stereotypes in a manner reminiscent of an unsavory American tradition. Reaction GIFs are mostly frivolous and fun. But when black people are the go-to choice for nonblack users to act out their most hyperbolic emotions, do reaction GIFs become “digital blackface”?

Then comes the more sinister side of this. Similar cases happen all over the comments section virtually anywhere, with or without a photo, often prefaced with statements like “as a black man…” before proceeding to sound like anything but. In other instances, digital blackface is an orchestrated attempt by white supremacists to disrupt black organizing. Writer Shafiqah Hudsonstarted the hashtag #yourslipisshowing to document instances of digital blackface in real time, joined by other black women writers and theorists such as I’Nasah Crockett, Sydette Harry, Mikki Kendall, Trudy, and Feminista Jones. As the name of the tag suggests, online minstrels are no more believable than their in-person counterparts to anyone who knows black culture and black people, rather than a series of types. Unfortunately, digital blackface often goes unchecked unless a black person does the work to point out the discrepancies in someone’s profile.

But while these examples are particularly noteworthy for their malicious intent, digital blackface has softer counterparts, just like offline blackface. Digital blackface does not describe intent, but an act — the act of inhabiting a black persona. Employing digital technology to co-opt a perceived cache or black cool, too, involves playacting blackness in a minstrel-like tradition. This can be as elaborate as anon accounts like @ItsLaQueefa or as inadvertent as recruiting images of black queer men to throw shade at one’s enemies. No matter how brief the performance or playful the intent, summoning black images to play types means pirouetting on over 150 years of American blackface tradition.

Images of black people, more than anyone else, are primed to go viral and circulate widely online — in trauma, in death, and in memes. Reaction GIFs are an uneasy reminder of the way our presence is extra visible in life, every day, in ways that get us profiled, harassed, mocked, beaten, and killed. Long before the Internet or television, merry racist characters like pickaninnies and coons circulated the same social space as lynching postcards. Being on display has always been a precarious experience for black folks. Scholars such as Tina Campt and artists like Martine Syms consider what it means for black images to be reproduced as stock visuals in history and culture. “Representation is a sort of surveillance,” Syms recently told The New Yorker. Reaction GIFing looks less innocuous with the consideration of how overrepresented images of black people have become within the practice.

“[T]o be looped in a GIF, to be put on display as ‘animated’ at the behest of audiences,” as Monica Torres describes for Real Life, is an act with racial history and meaning. These GIFs often enact fantasies of black women as “sassy” and extravagant, allowing nonblack users to harness and inhabit these images as an extension of themselves. GIFs with transcripts become an opportunity for those not fluent in black vernacular to safely use the language, such as in the many “hell to the no,” “girl, bye,” and “bitch, please” memes passed around. Ultimately, black people and black images are thus relied upon to perform a huge amount of emotional labor online on behalf of nonblack users. We are your sass, your nonchalance, your fury, your delight, your annoyance, your happy dance, your diva, your shade, your “yaas” moments. The weight of reaction GIFing, period, rests on our shoulders. Intertwine this proliferation of our images with the other ones we’re as likely to see — death, looped over and over — and the Internet becomes an exhausting experience.

If you find yourself always reaching for a black face to release your inner sass monster, maybe consider going the extra country mile and pick this nice Taylor Swift GIF instead.