#the fact that the whole season and finale revolved around sam and none of the og mains got any personal development and now it's over..

[echofades]

NCIS: HAWAI'I | 3.10: Divided We Conquer

[verobatto]

Destiel Chronicles

Vol. LXV

It was a love story from the very beginning.

You are the one in my heart (Part I)

(11x11/11x12)

Hello my friends! Here we go again with another meta about season 11!

This time I'm gonna talk about the way this season makes us see that Dean is in love with Castiel and the angel being the only one in his heart. To talk more thoroughly about this, I divided the topic into two parts.

I want to say thank you to @destielle for beta reading this for all of you! Thank you girl! 💕

Get it out of my head!

Just a little thought about this quote that was repeated several times by several characters in episode 11x11 'Into The Mystic'. Of course they referred to the Banshee, but it was clearly a mirrored description of what was going on with Castiel, at that time possessed by Lucifer.

Cas left when Lucifer occupied his vessel, but while Sam openly worries about him, Dean confronts Sam and us with his trust in Cas and him disappearing… 'Cas is always fine!' 

He was so embedded into his drama with Amara that he had no time for additional worries. And Cas was always fine... Right?

This momentum is important because of the drastic change we will see in Dean’s stance on this after he discovers that Castiel is possessed by Lucifer. From then on he won’t rest until he is able to rescue him. His priorities will change and Amara will drop lower, behind Cas, on the list. But we will talk about this in the upcoming metas.

Oak Park and Broken Hearts

I need to talk about the two songs in the beginning of the episode: they're extremely romantic, talking about two lovers and how they meet again. So… these may be just little hints of Castiel coming back to Dean after being possessed. 

But let's jump to The Residence Oak Park. We meet Mildred, I know, but there's another interesting character, named Arthur. Arthur is the man in charge of the residence, but the reason why he sleeps at this place is because he separated from his wife. He starts talking about it with Dean, and it’s obvious he got his heart broken. He says this sentence to Dean…

ARTHUR: I should have sent the heart. I can be so stupid.

The meaning behind this? He regrets how they broke up over phone, but even more that he didn’t do more to keep her by his side. And these regrets are exactly the same Dean will be struggling with after discovering that Cas was in fact Lucifer the whole time. Maybe he should've paid more attention to what was going on with Cas, acting so weird… but because Cas is always okay, as he claimed... and with Amara on his mind, worrying him a lot, he just couldn't see it.

When Arthur is killed by the Banshee, we encounter through Mildred that he had a heart condition (valves issues), so we, as the audience, connect that bit to the symbolism of the broken heart. This also applies to Mildred herself when she says she has Atrial Fibrillation, another cardiac pathology.

So… why wanted the Banshee to kill Dean? What made Dean vulnerable? Also his heart! It was broken by his encounter with Castiel (Casifer) in the bunker!

Don't use me as bait

Before jumping to Casifer’s and Dean's scene, I want to point out how blatantly the writers helped us seeing the subtext.

First of all they made the Winchesters talk about broken hearts. Because they needed us to see that case revolving around that topic.

Secondly, after Dean and Casifer had their moment, Dean was very offended by the thought of Sam wanting to use Mildred as bait. Why? 

Because writers wanted us to see that what Cas inquired to Dean was to make him act as the bait to catch Amara. And that was the cause of Dean's vulnerability and broken heart… he thought Cas was asking him to play the bait, thus putting him recklessly in danger. His Cas, who always had been loyal to him and who would never hurt him, always took care of him even. It broke Dean’s heart, because he thought Castiel didn't love him the way he did. Again, the shadow of the unrequited love…

And that’s said scene:

Dean enters the bunker and finds Casifer searching for something, looking disheveled with rolled-up sleeves and no overcoat, especially without his trenchcoat. It’s an odd sight of the angel. And rightfully so, because it’s not the real Cas…

After this they start talking about Amara…

DEAN: Yeah, I know. Saying you're gonna kill is one thing, but... Actually doing it's something totally different.

LUCIFER/CAS: What do you mean?

DEAN: I've had two shots at Amara. I struck out both times.

LUCIFER/CAS: What are you talking about?

DEAN: I don't even know where to start.

LUCIFER/CAS: Dean... Tell me everything.

Lucifer found something that sparked his interest: why isn’t Dean Winchester able to kill or harm Amara? So he plays the concerned friend right here to gather more information from Dean.

DEAN: I tried to kill her.

LUCIFER/CAS: Well, the two of you are connected somehow by the Mark.

DEAN: Yeah, no, it's, uh... It's more than that.

LUCIFER/CAS: Attraction? Oh, Dean.

Gif set credit @starlightcastiel

DEAN: I know. I know. Okay? Whatever it is, a... Attraction, connection... I got to tell you, man, it scares me. I don't know that I can stop it. I don't know that I can resist it.

Dean defines his issue with Amara with the word ATTRACTION, but he doesn't know exactly what it is, because he can't control it. Because it’s a dark force that drags him to her. So he doesn't know what it is, but he knows what it’s not (I will talk about this in the next meta). So, Dean is terrified… he doesn't like it. 

Lucifer is lucky because he can use this against Amara, but he tries anyways to act like a comprehensive friend… but he fails… his first mistake is to place his hand on Dean's right shoulder (and that's when Dean looks at him suspiciously) because that's not Castiel's shoulder (profound bond shoulder).

And after this Lucifer says those unlucky words that will break Dean's heart, proning him to become a Banshee's victim.

Gif set credit @starlightcastiel

LUCIFER/CAS: Hey, it scares me, too. But we will find out what this is, I promise. In the end, it may help draw her out. This could be a good thing.

Dean looks at him hurt and confused. Why does Cas want to use him as bait? Doesn't he care about him? 

Dean is pining for Castiel

Gif credit @demondetoxmanual

Mildred was introduced in this particular episode as a wise character, with Dean she talks about watching sunsets and FOLLOWING YOUR HEART. Dean listens to her, and really reflects on those words as we will see in the final episodes of this season, when he follows his heart trying to rescue Castiel from Lucifer despite the main plan. It will be a war decision, more accurate in the circumstances, revealing he never changed his mind and will and has always put Castiel first, because Castiel comes first in Dean’s heart.

Another interesting and wise observation Mildred made about Dean, and writers were very specific to make us see it, is the following…

MILDRED: Darlin'... If there's one thing I've learned in all my years on the road, it's when somebody's pining for somebody else.

[Dean smirks]!!!!! Oh, don't try and hide it now. Follow your heart. Remember? I don't know who the lucky lady is, but I am damn sure jealous.

Mildred saw it, just like the banshee, Dean is pining for someone. The lucky one that has his heart however is not Amara, we know that Dean is afraid of her and he knows it’s not love that he feels for her. But Dean smiles nonetheless… he smiles, because Mildred found out. Yes. He is in love. Yes, he is pining for someone. And it’s a very hot, blue eyed and winged man. 

A little Destiel mirror

Just a couple of words about episode 11x12, we have Alex here with a boyfriend that turned out to be a vampire ( a monster) which she didn't know about before.

Pay attention to this dialogue after Alex finds out her boyfriend is a monster.

ALEX: (To Henry) Nothing? None of it was real?

HENRY: Seriously Al? You were a complete freak! I mean, you were an angry loner, creeping around the school like some kind of trench coat mafia?

CLAIRE: You're gonna burn in hell, you sociopath.

HENRY: (Still looking at Alex) I could never date someone like you.

It’s a switched mirror, Alex represents Castiel now, and the disappointment of being rejected will come at the end of the season when Dean calls Cas their Brother. Oh yes, the car scene… and the coward We/Us speech… my heart.

To Conclude:

Mildred served as a channel to show us Dean is pining for Castiel, delivering an advise Dean will follow once he finds out Cas is in danger.

Dean had his heart broken because of Cas (Casifer), drowning again in the idea that his love is unrequited.

Alex/Henry relationship was a switched Destiel mirror and a premonition of the "rejection" Castiel will feel when Dean calls him a BROTHER later on.

I hope you enjoyed this meta, see you in the next one!

Tagging @metafest @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weirddorkylittlediana @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @foxyroxe-art @authorsararayne @anonymoustitans @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @wildligia @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-is--endgame @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @tenshilover20 @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@imjustkipping @destielle @agusvedder @spnsmile @shippsblog

If you want to be added or removed from this list, just let me know.

If you want to read the previous metas From s11, here you have the links Vol. LXII, LXIII, LIV.

Buenos Aires, June 9th 2020 3:17 PM

[letterstothemidnightsociety]

It’s 2020 and my anxiety level is so high, I grind my teeth while I’m asleep and awake!  But let’s ignore all that and instead focus on critically analyzing America’s premiere soap opera for monster hunting! It’s Supernatural! 

As you may have already guessed, I watch a lot of TV. And in the Year of Our Troubles, 2020, when I’m encouraged to stay home and indulge in my favorite pastime for the health of the nation, I watch a hell of a lot of TV. When you watch that much TV, you start to notice the rhythm and the flow of how seasons of television progress. You probably notice it too, even if you don’t think about it as much as I do. 

Like, you know that episode that happens right near the end of the season where all the characters are happy? They’ve overcome a whole bunch of obstacles and they’re finally winning and they can see that light at the end of the long tunnel? You know the one I’m talking about. That’s the moment that you, as an audience member, know things are about to go downhill very quickly

Like when Poldark smiles over something and you’re just like, ah yes, I’ll prepare for the funeral. 

Season 1 of Supernatural is like a case study of the rhythm that makes a network show work. There’s this wave effect throughout the season, building the tension up for a few episodes and then sliding through the next handful. Look at the first five episodes: they’re all about holding our breath, we’re gasping at every new turn - death and ghosts and monsters and Family Drama and Bloody Mary and PREMONITIONS AND THEN we let it out over the next three. 

Aaaaaaand exhale!

This first season especially, but I’d argue the first three definitely, you can see this pattern repeated over and over again - building the tension, ramping the horror, bringing it to a major Mythos or Series Arc Moment and then releasing all that tension with a cool-down filler/self-contained episode. 

And that’s where I am in the show now. We just had a major series arc episode with “Shadow” - John finally reunites with his sons, the villain is revealed (Meg and also the demon that killed their mom), and the endgame (for this season at least) is in sight. BUT! We’re a network show with 22 episodes to fill, and we can’t just head straight into the Finale Fight now, we’re only on episode 17! I mentioned in my last post that getting the team together again for all of 6 minutes and 44 seconds (yes, I did go back and count) felt like a slap in the face. I assumed it would have something to do with Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s shooting schedule, but looking at it again, it probably had more to do with the fact that it was too soon to bring John Winchester back as a major player.

So our next episode, our breather episode after all this High Drama, should feel a little disappointing to anyone caught up in the arc of the season. But. BUT. But. The next episode is “Hell House."

Yes, this is a filler, but this is filler done RIGHT. I mean maybe it’s just cuz it’s 2020 and I’m very tired and sad and scared all the time, but I was SO HAPPY to see Ed and Harry again, guys you don’t even know. Guys, the GHOSTFACERS ARE HERE!

And man, I am SO glad that this is a recurring side team that shows up throughout the series. Pease no one tell me that they die in a later season, I’ll find out eventually, I just can’t handle it now. 

They are the anti-Sam and Dean. They have no idea what they’re getting into, they have no idea how to hunt anything, but they’re here to get famous and that’s just...it’s beautiful guys. Just beautiful. 

Plus, you have this soft b-story line where Sam and Dean get to be Real Brothers for a hot second and prank the shit out of each other the whole episode. It’s like even Sam and Dean are saying, yeah, we need a break from all the feelings, let’s put itching powder in each other’s boxer briefs. I want to say that I was really annoyed the first time I watched this and did not care for these shenanigans, but this time around, it was a REAL JOY. 

I’m also not mad about this.

And this breather feeling sort of carries over into the next few episodes. Sort of.  

“Something Wicked” is another feelings-heavy episode. Backstory! Child-eating Monster! Tiny!Dean! I think Dean maybe cries again? Or just does that thing where he stares into the middle distance, all pain and torment and chiseled jaw line and I’m doing it again, I’msorrynotsorry. 

You know. THIS face.

All of these things lead to an episode that has a lot of character development and strengthens the bond between Sam and Dean. Sam literally validates Dean’s whole existence by apologizing for fighting him on this job and then saying “I know I’ve given you a lotta crap for following Dad’s orders, but I know why you do it.” It’s a lot. It’s a big moment from Sam, who hasn’t really reconciled with John yet and who’s still hoping for a future that isn’t all about killing every evil sonuvabitch they can find. It’s a big moment for Dean, too, since his main motivation is protecting his family and (from his limited point of view) that family keeps trying to leave him. And while we do get some insight into the f-ed up childhood that was forced upon our eponymous heroes, there’s nothing really driving the season’s plot forward in this episode. 

Same goes for “Provenance”. This episode is another good horror episode. I mean, even if that painting wasn’t possessed by a murder orphan, it is deeply haunted and I hope props burned it when the production wrapped. And what is it about ghost children particularly that’s upsetting? Is it the size? Is it the fact that their eyes are too big for their heads at that age? I mean, it probably has something to do with perverted innocence and goodness blah blah blah, but also their hands are tiny and so all the knives look bigger.

Same, Sam.

Aside from that, Sam gets another nice growth moment where he gets to imagine a world after Jessica. He’s been so fixated on finding Jessica’s killer - I’d argue more so than his mother’s killer albeit they are the same entity. That’s not a judgement against him, mind. He knew and loved Jessica, he did not know his mother, so I’m not mad about that character decision. But the show is really wrapping up the Jessica plot line because that won’t have legs in a season 2. And that’s harsh, so I’ll temper it with the fact that Sam, as a human being, is getting to the final stages of processing his grief and starting to move on with his life. Plus, I think that Dean wingmanning his brother is adorable and I love it. Good Brothering, Show! 

But nothing in this episode has anything to do with the killer Sam’s been fixating on, so there’s no progression for the season’s main arc. 

Last but certainly not least on this disc of my season 1 box set is “Dead Man’s Blood.” My notes on this episode include the key phrases “I’m pretty sure this episode is...dumb?”, “ I...do not care for vampires,” and then like, two lines later, “Nope. Still don’t care for these vampires.” They’re just making up some random-ass lore and their fashion sense is SO 2006 and I just...I just hate them. 

I hate them SO MUCH.

BUT! That’s not the point of this episode. The point of this episode is to point us towards the season finale. FIRST, we start to see a little bit more of the world that the Winchesters inhabit. We actually meet another hunter, Daniel Elkins. He dies immediately, but that’s a cold open for ya. And when Sam and Dean go to investigate Elkin’s death, John comes back, this time for good (haha, lol). We get a real taste of the family dynamics in this episode - John and Sam fight and come together and fight and come together and Dean’s standing there kinda like, SPONGEBOB! 

You know, Plankton! Krabs! Dean Winchester! Right? Anybody?

All sides have good arguments, and I appreciate that none of the conflict between the the three of them feels forced, or at least, it doesn’t feel forced this watch. The fights all come from deep character places that have been established through the whole season. They’re natural progressions of what we’ve come to expect of these characters. 

And finally, most importantly, John knows how to defeat the demon that killed their mother. Enter Deus Ex Colt Revolver. 

Colt Revolver Ex Machina?

CAN I just take a break for a second to say that BOTH Elkin AND John were ready to WASTE PRECIOUS COLT BULLETS on VAMPIRES, who can be killed IN OTHER WAYS?? Listen, you make a magic gun that only works with these  like, 5 BULLETS, and then you just THROW AWAY A BUNCH OF SHOTS, GUYS??? ALSO, what the HELL does Haley’s Comet and The Alamo have to do with this STUPID GUN??? I JUST- you know what, we don’t have time for all that. 

Attaining the Colt is the brick they drop on the gas pedal to drive us into the season finale of season 1. 

Wasting a some PRECIOUS F*CKIN’ BULLETS, GUYS.

When you look at the season’s pacing at the outset, it seems like it shouldn’t work. I was that person who felt disappointed in each episode where it became clear we were definitely on a side quest, not the main quest.  Watching it now, though, I think that pacing is important. Yeah, the Monster-of-the-Week episodes are a little hit and miss, but sometimes you have to think of a TV season like a marathon and not a sprint. There will be times when you pick up the pace, yes, but it’s a long race and you’re gonna need some periods of recovery if you’re gonna make it to the finish line. And frankly, a lot of those side quest episodes ended up being my favorite episodes of the entire series. 

NOW. I doubt you would see this sort of structuring in a show today, specifically in shows that don’t get a 22 - 24 episode order. You MAY get, MAY, a Ghostfacers-type episode thrown in after a major emotional climax for that breather effect. MAY. But if Supernatural was made today - probably for an online streaming site, probably with only 10 - 13 season order - I don’t think you’d see episodes like “Something Wicked” or “Provenance” or “Faith”. The nice thing about short seasons is that you can keep the storytelling focused and tight, but I also think that can be a weakness as much as it is a strength. What do those three episodes all have in common? They’re strong on character and relationship development. We, the audience, get a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Winchesters and how they work and grow as a unit in these episodes. So if we’ve watched this far, through bugs and ghost trucks, through all their little victories and major setbacks, we’re well and truly invested in how the season is going to end. 

I’m not saying you can’t have big character moments in a shorter season. And I’m not saying that a show more focused on plot, on the What Happens rather than the Who It Happens To, is a bad thing. But watching this season over again in comparison to present day television seasons, it’s highlighted what Supernatural did right. On this side of the series, it’s easy to see why the show went on for another 14 years.

[mittensmorgul]

watching 8.07 now, and just feeling how HORRIFICALLY PAINFUL s15 is with all this context fresh in mind.

Dean and Cas’s suffering in silence, while sacrificing everything for one another (and Cas not knowing yet that he was being mind-controlled the entire time, and by extension DEAN not understanding that, either, and so both of them feeling hurt and confused by the other’s apparent choices and actions), Dean feeling guilty over believing that Cas thought that Dean abandoned him in Purgatory, and unable to deal with the thought that Cas had actually abandoned HIM. And just... round and round the angst goes, like Crowley’s stupid pinwheel.

and the whole season revolves around yet another fragment of God’s Word carved into a stone tablet, interfering directly in their lives and leading them to make terrible choices, while all believing they’re doing their best. It’s just... *screams into a pillow*

Cas is “not all the way back.” His powers are limited and he’s unable to understand himself and the circumstances. And yet... he’s being actively prevented from understanding, and actively prevented from sharing his concerns with Dean (like Dean will be prevented by Gadreel’s possession of Sam from sharing his concerns with Sam in s9... something about Carver Era was always affecting each of these characters’ ability to even make choices for themselves, even as none of them were fully able to see it for themselves from inside the construct of the story, and it will take 14.20 to fully pull the wool off all their eyes, and s15 will be the rebuilding of their respective relationships with reality itself in the wake of that revelation, and I AM LIVING AND ALSO DYING BECAUSE OF IT).

also, please just leave me on the floor to suffer through the ongoing reminders of the Interrupting Moose, Naomi’s secret conversations with Cas and using him to get information on the Winchesters, and everything that prevents Dean and Cas from having an Actual Conversation throughout pretty much all of Carver Era. Especially in light of the fact that Dabb Era has declared this one of the Main Overarching Issues that must be addressed before the end. And isn’t that just earth-shattering?

This is what s15 is finally pulling back all the layers of and exposing the flaw at the center of that narrative pinwheel, which has always been Chuck and his damnable words.

[mostlyjustpicsofcats]

God Was on Their Side

*SPOILERS SEASONS 1-14 (ESPECIALLY THE FINALE)*

Chuck is a narcissist. He’s a horrible father. He doesn’t care about his prophets. But in Seasons 5-11, he was on the side of Team Free Will. It wasn’t until Season 14 that he turned.

I completely agree that Chuck wasn’t on Sam and Dean’s side in Seasons 1-4. Chuck prophesied the apocalypse to the archangels, launching all the lead-up to Season 5. Sam and Dean’s story begins with Azazel feeding Sam demon blood and killing Mary under Lucifer’s instructions. Dean gets dragged to Hell and later rescued because of Lucifer and Michael’s plans. Dean and Sam’s lives in 1-4 revolve around the fact that they’re destined to be the vessels of Michael and Lucifer. 

Chuck shows up in Season 4 to watch the story he’s written play out. He wanted the apocalypse, starring Dean as Michael and Sam as Lucifer. He introduces himself in The Monster at the End of This Book to get a better viewing experience, and shows them that their fate is prewritten—his prophecy will come to pass. It’s only in Lucifer Rising that Chuck changes his mind about everything. He’s clearly surprised when Dean and Cas show up in his house, exclaiming, “I didn’t write this! . . . You guys aren’t supposed to be there. You’re not in this story.” Yet Dean and Cas managed to act against the prophecy, exercising their free will, and Chuck was impressed, particularly by Cas’s decision to die protecting humanity. The way he looks at Cas, and puts his hand on Cas’s shoulder, it’s such a proud dad moment. Cas was following Chuck’s most important instruction: protect humanity. So Chuck lets Cas send Dean to stop Sam from breaking the final seal, and fundamentally changes his strategy. His actions in Sympathy for the Devil clearly demonstrate that he is on their side. Dean couldn’t stop Sam, but Chuck saves them anyway, giving them a second chance to stop the apocalypse. Then Chuck resurrects Cas to serve as Sam and Dean’s protector. At this point, there’s no arguing that Chuck is on their side.

Season 5 is a clear thematic shift from Season 4. Season 4 was the culmination of Seasons 1-3, revealing to Sam and Dean that they’d been the pawns of angels their entire lives. Season 5 sees them take back their autonomy and forge their own destiny in a celebration of free will. Chuck wrote Swan Song as a triumphant ending to Sam and Dean’s story, chronicling how they rose above the forces trying to control their story, and told it their own way. “They made their own choice. They chose family. And, well, isn’t that the whole point?” Bringing Cas back again after Lucifer snapped him into soup was one last action from Chuck in support of free will.

Between Season 5 and Season 11, Chuck avoids the spotlight. His presence is felt in Season 7 when he resurrects Cas (yet again) and when Kevin is chosen to be a prophet. Neither action contradicts the contention that he’s on humanity’s side, and the appearance of the tablets further confirms it. The tablets were meant for humans so they could fight back against the most powerful creatures that could harm them. Even though Chuck intended the apocalypse, humans were still his favorites. His eventual appearance in Fan Fiction is both a gross display of his ego and a lead-in to Season 11, cluing in the audience that he wasn’t a prophet after all. 

Season 11 is when Supernatural really jumps the shark. The season villain is God’s sister? Uh, okay. But Season 11 does wonders for Chuck’s character development (as well as Lucifer’s and Metatron’s, but that’s a post for another day). Disappointed, Chuck was ready to abandon everything, but just as he was swayed in Season 4 by Dean and Cas, again his mind is changed. Metatron convinces him that humanity is worth saving. Indeed, Season 11 is when Chuck shows his best face—he reveals to Metatron that he plans to sacrifice himself in exchange for the safety of his creation. Of course that doesn’t happen, but it was his intention for a little while, and that shines a positive light on his character. Another service Season 11 does for Chuck is show his relationship with those closest to him. He’s able to mend fences with Amara and Lucifer, and express his love for them. He leaves Season 11 on good terms with Sam and Dean, maybe even indebted to Dean. Season 14 is a true departure. While Chuck is at his best in Season 11, he is at his ugliest in Season 14. 

Michael from Apocalypse World gives the audience the first sign of Chuck’s eventual turn. He contends that Chuck created an infinite number of universes, attempting to get one exactly right. His own universe is one that Chuck discarded along the way. Moriah sees Michael vindicated in that Chuck attempts to again finish Sam and Dean’s story, apparently tired of it. Except this time he eschews the New Testament for the Old. “This is Abraham and Isaac! This is epic!” 

Getting into the weeds for a second here, it’s unclear what would have happened if Dean had shot Jack. Case one, the storyline reflects Genesis 22:1-19. There’s a good chance it would have, given that the episode is titled Moriah, and “the land of Moriah” is where Abraham was supposed to sacrifice Isaac. In that case, Jack should live because Dean followed God’s command and it was just a test. Case two, the storyline reflects the past. The situation is strikingly similar to All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2, the second half of the Season 2 finale. Dean is holding a special gun on the thing with glowing yellowy eyes that killed his mother. If Chuck intended to end the story with a callback to twelve years ago, Jack has no chance of survival. We may never know for sure would have happened had Dean pulled the trigger. Jack’s chances of survival don’t look good either way, given Chuck’s eventual smiting of him. Looks like being a Nephilim in the presence of God is bad luck. There was always the question with Jack of whether Chuck would see him as a grandson by his favorite son, or an unholy abomination. Now there’s no question.

Back to the point, it’s a change for Chuck to try to shoehorn Sam and Dean into their roles in his story. From Lucifer Rising-onward, Chuck respected, even championed their free will. The whole point of Season 5 was that while the angels tried to control them, Sam and Dean chose their own destiny, and God was with them. Moriah feels more like an attempt to up the ante as high as it can go with God as the villain than an honest effort to tell a story that makes sense for Chuck’s character. He is a storyteller, but he lets his characters come alive. As he says in All in the Family, “I needed to step away and let my baby find its way.” He’s a non-interventionist to the extreme, showing up for barely anything. Moriah connects with Seasons 13 and 14, but none of the others. God may not be on Sam and Dean’s side anymore, but it’s not as if he never was. 

[starnatural0667]

Um so wrote a thing....at 5 in the morning...please read?

So, I have this problem with Dean’s NOT farewell tour. Maybe other people do too, so maybe this can give you a reason as to explain. I should mention this has some destiel exposing? Questioning? Perhaps, answering? In it. For starters, let me draw your attention back to season 11, specifically the season finale: Alpha and Omega. We all know the basis of the plot for that episode being Dean sacrificing himself to save the world from Amara. We also saw the whole farewell tour Dean did in the cemetery. Bearing this in mind, this is what I will be using to compare with Season 14, and more specifically, episodes 11 and 12.

Dean’s plan to avoid Michael taking over and burning the world is to build a special box and sink to the bottom of the ocean, never to be seen again. However, its Dean choice not to go on a farewell tour that…bothers me. As viewers know, and as I’ve just resurfaced, Dean sacrificing himself on previous occasions actually does include a farewell tour; See Seasons 5 and 11. So why would Dean have such a problem with doing it now? This is where my issues begin to involve. You might be saying “Oh, maybe he’s just tired of saying goodbye to the people he cares about.” Trust me, I hear you. I definitely believe Dean doesn’t want to have to say goodbye anymore, evident from him stating in 14x12 that he’s “not good with the whole big goodbyes.” However, isn’t saying goodbye to your family a hell of a lot bigger than saying goodbye to your best friend and “son”? Hopefully, you now understand my problem with the whole no farewell tour. Dean is a very complex character. He hides most of his emotions nearly all the time, but the ones he always, always hides are his feelings and his neglection to being vulnerable. Prophet and Loss was an episode full of emotional rollercoasters, many being seen from Dean. You can tell by watching the episode that he is, quite rightly, scared to carry out his plan and emotional about leaving his family. We have the whole reminiscing about he and Sam when they were younger and specifically Dean apologizing to Sam for not always being there. Now riddle me this, if Dean can have this emotional talk with Sam where they’re both almost reduced to tears by the end, why can’t he say goodbye to Cass and Jack? “Because Sam’s his brother!”, and “Sam’s the only other person apart from Mary that he told his plan to!” This reaffirms my point about how honestly ridiculous Dean’s no farewell tour situation is! If there is anyone in Dean Winchester’s entire life who could convince him not to do something, it would be Sam (See end of 14x12). So, the fact that Dean trusts Sam with his plan and expects him not to be convinced otherwise shows that he absolutely will not change his mind. It shows that Dean believes that Sam cannot change his mind.

Now, to fully understand the weight of my problem, we have to look at reasons as to why Dean didn’t mention his plan or say goodbye to Cass and Jack. I’ll begin with Jack first. I am going to mainly focus on the beginning of season 14, or when Jack gets sick. He and Dean go on road trip so Jack can “experience the life.” This episode also gives us a heartfelt moment between Dean and Jack which provides reason that they each think of the other as family and love one another. Skip back to Dean’s NOT farewell tour, where he doesn’t tell Jack or say goodbye. Why? Why would Dean not say goodbye to Jack? He was prepared to help Jack accept his growing sickness and eventual death…so why didn’t he plan on saying goodbye?

Now here comes the really fun part! Getting to investigate why Dean wouldn’t tell or say goodbye to Castiel. Dean’s known Cass a while now…10 years to be exact. They’ve had their ups and downs as all characters on a Tv show do. Cass in widely regarded as Dean’s best friend and don’t forget that profound bond! My point is, Castiel is family to Dean.

Remember that season 11 parallel I mentioned? Let’s expand…Dean says his farewells to everyone in the cemetery, before going to his presumed death. Dean’s farewell to Cass is sad but beautiful, and one of many peoples favourite destiel scenes. After a hug, Cass says he could go with Dean which Dean answers no, but instead asks Cass to take of Sam because he will be broken up. The point I truly want to get across here is that Dean can say goodbye to Cass. Yes, he’s emotional about it and we have a “thank you, for everything” line the kills me every time but…he still says goodbye. Fast forward to Prophet and Loss and…you get nothing. Dean doesn’t mention his plan to Cass or say goodbye, not even a phone call. Instead, we thankfully have Sam relaying information to Cass. Bless your soul Sam. Why can’t Dean say goodbye? It’s not like Cass can magically transport to Dean and try and stop him. There would be absolutely nothing Cass could do…other than talk Dean out of it. But hey! I’ve already said that the only person that could ever make Dean change his mind is Sam…right? To us viewers, most of us know that Sam just has that ability to stop Dean from doing something stupid, and for a while I think Dean knew that too. However, I believe the most recent episode showed us that Dean doesn’t think Sam can stop him. No matter how much trust Dean has in Sam and no matter how much they love each other, Dean doesn’t think Sam can change his mind.

This is now where I turn into a “DelUsioNAl destiel shipper who reads into things waaaay too much;)” Perhaps the reason Dean didn’t tell Castiel was because he thought that Cass could talk him out of it. Maybe the reason Dean thought this is because he realizes that something has changed between them. Maybe Dean didn’t want to say goodbye because of all the times he’d done it, this could have been the one where he’d actually say what he felt; what he now realizes concerning his feelings which would make it even harder to carry out his plan. You may remember back in season 5 when Dean was planning on saying yes to Michael, Cass was having none of it! We all saw how Castiel, Angel of the Lord, beat Dean Winchester up because he was going to give into Heaven’s orders. We all know the lines Castiel spoke in that ally, on that rainy night. But still, Dean planned on saying yes to Michael. Not until the capture of Adam (who?) did Dean detour from his plans. Looking back on this, the parallels between seasons 5 and 14 are quite strong, but it appears the meaning has changed. There is plenty of evidence in the most recent seasons to show how Dean and Cass’s relationship has evolved. There’s enough to suggest that Dean himself has noticed that change, even if he doesn’t admit it. We all know that for almost the entirety of Cass’s decisions made on the show, they heavily revolve around one thing; Dean Winchester. I think all destiel shippers know that the first acknowledgement of anything truly foundational in Dean and Castiel’s relationship, was because of choices Cass has made. Plus, we have proper evidence to suggest that Castiel truly loves Dean from way back in the 80s of the show. You can say we have evidence for Dean as well, however, I personally feel that that evidence didn’t present itself until the later seasons of the show; ergo, seasons 10-14. To sum it up, the only reason there would be a difference between Dean’s goodbye to Cass in season 11 and his goodbye in season 14 is if something had changed in their relationship. Something that Dean see’s and understands which would affect his choices regarding his plan. Which is why I choose this to be the reason for Dean not saying goodbye.

In conclusion, I still don’t really understand the reason for Dean not telling Cass…and Jack about his plan or saying goodbye, however as you know, I have come up with some great reasons as to explain this bizarre phenomenon. I guess realistically I should just blame the writing…or maybe thank it.

Alas…my rambling is over.

[blueberrymamba-blog]

SPN 14x18 “Absence” spoilers ahead. 

I mean before actually watching 14x17 I knew Mary will die this season, because her story run it’s full circle and there was just no any purpose of having her anymore. It was crystal clear after 14x13. I just didn’t actually expect it to happen in 14x17 and not off-screen, I thought Jack zipped her somewhere and that she would eventually die at the end of the season as a result of more much more complicated Jack vs Heaven vs Empty issues - which eventually would be the setting of S15, old SPN style.

What I din’t expect was her clumsy redemption arc regarding her lack of parenting. I was never a Mary Winchester stan but I think these cheesy noir good bye memories of her are a disgrace to her character. They showed her as a woman who couldn’t find herself in the new world and I think she always missed Heaven and actually didn’t want to be back alive, which is where her lack of interest for the boys came from. It was too much for her to handle so she was always running away from them and turned to hunting, which she despised, but which was the only thing she knew and thus could control. 

I never liked the way she always spoke about being there for them if they needed her, where she in fact NEVER were there for them, but that was the purpose of her character - the dichotomy between being a mother and a hunter, a domestic family person vs a lone wolf, the perfect Mother Mary vs Flawed Mary. I didn’t like it, but that’s the way it was, they chose to show us Mary tipping to the lone hunter wolf side, because of her missing 30 years of her life. I mean, you chose to portray her that way (whether I liked it or not, that’s a fact) and you can’t just suddenly squash an image of her as a domestic loving mother, who always were by their side, when she really wasn’t, because her whole story arc in seasons 12-14 revolved around not being able to live with her boys knowing they were grown ass men. If you wanted to show us that she really was by their side when they needed her, you should have done this when she was still alive and a part of the story, ffs. I hate rushed redemption arcs, it flattens out the whole character, because what WAS the purpose of her running away then? What was the purpose of Sam and Dean being hurt because she didn’t want to be around them, if you now show me glimpses of their cute domestic shenanigans? Sure, they wanted to show a flawed female character, to destroy the image of Saint Mary and show us that she makes mistakes too, fine, but then WHY redeem her like this, in the very last minute, when they you SO MUCH screen time on useless fucking Nick? Maybe I’m missing something, I’m open for discussion (no hate), but it just doesn’t make any sense to me. 

HOWEVER, as much as I hate rushed redemption arcs, these scenes brought us some real gold and I’m happy they showed them to us, I would just prefer they showed it in a different setting. Anyway, we now know that: 

Mary knew Cas was always there for them and she said that out aloud,

Dean is a cuddler and he loves people cuddling to him, 

Dean is also a pedant (I feel you Dean, I too would lose my shit seeing this floor) 

She felt Sam’s struggle and helped him through it 

Still, I just wished they would put more of THAT previously, along with everything else she’s done. It would fit her character more, especially her struggle with loving the boys but not being able to let go of her “old” life. 

Anyway, moving on. 

SAM WINCHESTER I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER. 

You saw through your own bullshit, you saw through Dean’s bullshit. You knew all three of you are responsible of Jack going crazy, you knew that every three of you saw it coming and none of you did anything to stop it and called Dean out, because you knew Dean’s anger directed at Cas was unfair. 

I mean I know Dean is emotional and that’s the way he deals with grief - he also told Sam he should be the one burning on the pyre instead of Charlie, but we all know he never actually meant that. It’s just what Dean does when emotions take over him, he lets anger take the lead and doesn’t THINK about what he says. We know that. 

But even though it happens a lot, no one ever called him out on that and make him realize that he can’t blame someone if it’s everybody’s (or nobody’s) fault. For once Sam took the “adult” role instead of dumping it all on Dean.  

He knew Jack going to the dark side hurt Cas just as much as it hurt him and he knew how much losing Mary will hurt Dean, because it hurt Sam just as much. He took the mediator role between the two of them, knew that Cas wanted to console Dean at Mary’s funeral, but stopped him because he knew Dean needed time. 

I mean this scene was so beautiful because there was a very visible tension between Dean and Cas, the fighting married couple vibe was hanging HEAVILY in the air and Sam stood between them like a marriage counselor, BUT even though there are issues between them they’ll heal and they’ll stay strong as long as they’re together, all three of them.

Also the way they let Mary go in the end? How they understood she’s happy and at peace now and they don’t need to bring her back solely because of their own emotions? Because even though it hurts them right now, bringing Mary back again would hurt her even more for much longer. They finally learned that. I’m so proud of them. 

And finally, Deancas. I watched the ep an hour ago and I still feel the tension. I deadass thought Dean will anger kiss Cas at some point, because it was just so unbearable, especially after Sam called Dean out on blaming Cas for not telling them. You could see Cas feeling guilty and wanting to apologize, wanting to be close to Dean and try to explain (like ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE, WE’RE SO CLOSE GUYS) and Dean still being angry at Cas, but it just didn’t feel like his usual anger. It wasn’t “you’re actually dead to me”, it felt more like “I’m really really pissed at you for not telling me but I still love you though, just gimme a minute”. 

I don’t know how to put that in words, but it felt like Dean was pissed at Cas and still wanted him around despite his “don’t talk to me ever again” vibe. It’s like he wanted to say sorry for lashing out, but at the same time he didn’t, which maybe is the reason I felt he would slam Cas against a wall and angry kiss him. Because he was pissed and hurt but also still not pissed and hurt enough to actually mean that Cas was dead to him. 

Anyway it seems like they’re going to “have a break” in their relationship until shit goes down in the next two episodes and one of them will fear they’ve lost the other one and they’ll make out talk it out after reuniting again. I LIVE FOR THAT. 

Btw I refuse to talk about Nick and Hallucifer. Maybe if we pretend we don’t see him they’ll stop bringing him back. 

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Titles Meta, Part 2

Good morning! I wanted to get the second part of my titles meta posted today before I post my thoughts about the MSF, because I think what I say in this post will help shed some light on my thoughts about the MSF.

Check out Part 1 of the Titles Meta HERE.

Remember that @thegloriouscollectorlady and I collaborated on these titles metas. While Part 1 was mostly my thoughts with a few of hers sprinkled in, this post is the opposite: mostly her thoughts with a few of mine sprinkled in.  

Today I want to focus on specific groupings of titles, including titles that begin with a similar letter.

In Part 1, I say that we always see a pattern of three or more episodes grouped in the middle of the season, which deal with something different than the first episodes dealt with, and often the back half of the season is about dealing with the fallout of these three episodes in the center. 

So, for example, in S4, we had episodes 6-8, which were all about the Governor, and culminated in the downfall of the prison. Those three episodes were very different than episodes in the first part of the season, that dealt with the virus. Then, the back half of the season (4b) dealt with the fallout of the prison's loss. We've seen this pattern at least loosely in all the seasons since S4.

C-Titles:

I mentioned in Part 1 that in season 5, we have three C-Titles right around the MSF where Beth was shot: Consumed, Crossed, and Coda. And remember that Crossed was originally called Straight, but was changed for unknown reasons. I'm sure it was because they were trying to brand those three episodes around Beth's "death."

So while talking about this, we tried to figure out what the C stood for. My first thought was that it was "Christianity" because Beth is the Christ figure. I also considered the title Conquer, which was the final of S5, and the last time we saw the music box. So I thought maybe the C could stand for "conquer" or "victory, " because if Beth is alive, there's some kind of victory in each of those episodes.

Then after hearing @katkhaos's theory about Morgan being the coda, we realized we'd missed the most obvious meaning of C: Coda.  

So our working theory is that every episode that begins with C is directly related to or about the coda structure of the story. Of course there are other things going on in those episodes as well, but the episode is most focused, through symbolism, character development, and/or plot on the coda aspects.

So in S4, we have Claimed. In this episode, Rick escapes from the house where the Claimers come in. It's one of the biggest foreshadows of Grady we had in S4. He's imprisoned, has to go through a window, does so with scissors in his hand, then reunites "up the road" with his family (Carl and Michonne). There are also foreshadows of the wolves and the Alaska theme, which I'll talk more about next week.  

Then in S5, we have Consumed, Crossed, and Coda, which are obviously all related to Beth's arc and the coda. Conquer was interesting because it's specifically the episode where Morgan reunites with TF. I'll talk about Morgan more tomorrow, but he was kind of the "first" coda. The first character to disappear, first in S1 and then return in S3. But obviously his story wasn't over then. We were really left hanging in that episode. Now he's returned again. And when/if ever he dies, I'm sure it will be in a way that closes his arc entirely, just as they did with Sasha. Remember, everything gets a return. So if Morgan reuniting with TF in 5x16 is a template for Beth, obviously that has everything to do with the coda structure. We also saw wolves stuff in that episode, and hints at the Sasha/Tyreese stuff from the missing 17 days, all of which revolves around Beth.

The only other episode we may be able to relate to this is The Cell in season 7. That was obviously all about Daryl, but had major callbacks to Beth, especially through the music (X), and major development (in a negative way) for Daryl. Obviously that could be related to the whole coda structure.

Let's move on to A, I, and F titles.

First, though, check out this line that jumped out at me while re-watching 7x13 this summer:  

After Benjamin is shot, Gavin yells at Ezekiel saying that from now on he will deliver his offerings to the saviors on time and it will all be there, or else. He says, "It's As or Fs, no Is." I'm assuming that means letter grades. A would be the highest or top of the class. F would be failing. Is would be "incompletes" which the saviors won't accept. Just keep this in mind while we talk.

I-Titles:

All I titles without exception come from S4. Infected, Isolation, Indifference, Internment, and Inmates. There have been no other I titles since S4. At one point in 4a, Rick says to Hershel, "was that indifference?" When talking about how he'd stepped down from leadership and been a farmer. So I've always thought the I-titles meant having some kind of negative attitude toward the situation at hand. But based on Gavin's line in S7, maybe the I-titles represent something being incomplete. That's interesting because there are a lot of things from S4 that have never been explained.  

A-Titles:

Before we get started, check out this info @katkhaos found:

1. Atlanta used to be called Terminus.

2. There’s a phoenix statue in Atlanta.

3. Origin of the name, Slab Town (from wiki):

I didn't know most of this. I knew that Atlanta was originally called Terminus, as that was highly circulated back when S4 aired. But I didn't know the other details, especially about Slabtown. How many times have I said that Slabtown is a weird title? Obviously it was put in purposefully and with intent that makes sense, given what was going on at Grady.  

So we've gone over a lot of things we think the A in the titles might represent. A has been a big visual symbol in the show throughout the seasons, as well as a frequent letter for starting titles. 

We've talked about it meaning trials and death, because A block was where those sick with the virus were put. It was "death row." And every time we've seen As it's been in conjunction with major trials, such as the train car at Terminus, the A on FG's church, which was when Bob died and the Termites attacked. We saw it at Alexandria around Sam, who later died, and Carol saw it specifically after the wolf attack in 6x02. Then there's the A on the back of Daryl's shirt at the Sanctuary.  

We've also discussed it meaning "first" bc it's the first letter of the alphabet. So TF = the first family of the apocalypse. (Hey, it could just mean Apocalypse, right? ;D) I've also thought it might mean reunion, because in 4x16, the A train car WAS a reunion for most of TF. Beth wasn't there, but nearly everyone else was. And many of the As we've seen have been right after the group as a whole or specific characters came back together.

But given the info above, perhaps A means Atlanta. Perhaps all episodes that start with A point back toward Atlanta in some way.

So in S4, we have After, Alone, and A. Obviously the group was still just outside Atlanta at that point, but obviously Alone and A are very Beth-heavy. Alone: obviously. A because we had the sheriff's hate flashback in it. After is less obvious but we do have a lot of Beth/Carl parallels in that episode, including scissors and bats, and the fact that Carl goes off on his own and survives. So they do all point to stuff that happened in or around Atlanta, both literally and symbolically. 

The only other A title we have is in S6, Always Accountable. And that has SO much Beth symbolism in it, including the Cherokee Rose, so it's really interesting if this episode is meant to point us back to Atlanta.  

F-Titles:

I wanted to touch briefly on these bc of Gavin's line. If F = fail, then maybe all the F-Titles (and there aren't many) have something to do with a failure on TF's part. There are none in S4. In S5, we have Four Walls and a Roof. They conquered the Termites, but with a great deal of brutality. Plus Bob died in this episode. So where TF's humanity is concerned, it might be considered an epic fail.

In 5b, we have Forget. The fails are much smaller here, but I’m thinking of both Daryl and Sasha. They are two of the three characters from Them who were very lost at this point in the story. Daryl tried to go in to the dinner party, but couldn't bring himself to do so. Sasha went, but had a bit of a meltdown while there. So the Fs may stand for when TF or particular characters try to do things, but fail. (There's also the "try/trying" theme to consider, though we don't see that in the titles.)

In S6, we have First Time Again. I think that title is mostly about the beginning of the retellings, but we do have Operation Lead the Walkers Away to consider. Overall it was not a success. Half the herd broke off and went toward Alexandria, so you could call that an epic fail too.

There really aren't any other titles that start with F. There is "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life," but that actually begins with "the" and I'm going to talk about "the" titles in a minute, so I'll come back to that one.

S-Titles:

We have quite a few S-titles. @thegloriouscollectorlady noticed that, specifically in S7, the S Titles seemed to revolve around TF searching for guns for the war. So we have Service, where the guns were taken from Alexandria by Negan. Swear, where Tara finds Oceanside, which is where TF will eventually take a bunch of guns for the war. In Sing Me a Song, while Carl is at the Sanctuary, Rick and Aaron are out searching for supplies (to give the Saviors) and Michonne is on a mission of her own, searching for the Sanctuary. In Say Yes, Richonne is specifically looking for guns. In Something They Need, TF goes to Oceanside and filches all their guns.  

So while in S7, most of these revolved around guns, I'm going to make the assumption a little broader and say that S-Titles are about searching for something. Something they need. (S = search.) The reason is that there are other things besides guns they search for. And then let's look back at other S Titles:

S4: Still. Wow. I could really go down the rabbit hole with this one. I could go on and on about Daryl and Beth were emotionally searching for a lot of things. For each other. Freedom from their negative pasts. A way through their grief. A way to let go of the tragedy at the prison and move forward. In terms of plot, they spent a lot of the episode searching for supplies, and for booze.  

And @boltthrutheheart and I have had extensive convos about how interesting it is symbolically that the moonshine is a much stronger drink than the peach schnapps Of course Daryl was totally looking down his nose as the fruity drink, but even in terms of alcoholic percentage, moonshine has a MUCH higher proof than the schnapps did. And that's interesting because of Beth's, "I am strong." She COULD have drank the schnapps of course, but she needed to be stronger than that. And was. So moonshine was much more her drink symbolically. She held her liquor very well. Almost unrealistically well given that it was her first drink.  

Okay I'll stop. But definitely things being searched for in Still.  

In S5 we had Strangers, Slabtown, Self-Help, and Spend. In Strangers, TF looks for food at the food bank, you could argue FG is looking for redemption. But most important is Daryl looking for Beth. This is the episode where he and Carol take off for Atlanta (A). 

Slabtown was Beth's episode, so I doubt I have to explain it. In terms of searching, she's searching for a way out, searching for her own emotional strength, and searching for her family, though she doesn't get to do so very actively bc she's imprisoned at the hospital. 

In Self-Help, they're looking for D.C. in order to figure out the cure, which doesn't work so well. (You could also argue that in all of these S-Titled episodes, they hit major walls while searching for things.) 

Finally, there's Spend. Plot-wise, in Spend, they're looking for micro-converters for the power grid (Lamp Theory). And of course Noah dies, so we get a lot of phoenix symbolism from this episode.  

In S6, we have Start to Finish. Tons of Beth symbolism in Sam's room at the beginning. I almost need to re-watch this to figure out what's being searched for here. Sam's searching for his courage, which he never really finds. They're searching for a way out because they're surrounded by walkers. And I know Deanna talks to Michonne about figuring out what she wants out of life. (2 episodes later, Richonne happens, which is really NOT a coincidence.) 

I already went over S7 S-Titles. In S8, we have Some Guy, the most recent episode. In it, they are still trying to get a hold of the weapons/guns. Carol almost got them but let them go to save Ezekiel. In the end, it seems Rick and Daryl finally got them by running the jeep off the road.  

"The" Titles: 

We've noticed that any time a title starts with "the" it tends to focus on the development of one character. It's not always a bottle episode, but at some point it focuses on one character's reaction to things. 

So in S4, we had The Grove, which was obviously all about Carol's arc. Ty was there too, of course, but the focus was on Carol, and it affected her the most moving forward. 

In S5, The Distance. Again, most of the characters are in this, but it focused on Rick's eyes and what he heard before going into Alexandria. So it focused most on his development and whether he could accept this new community. 

In S6, there's The Next World and The Same Boat. Both of these, imo, focus on two characters. TNW was really about both Rick and Daryl, with slightly more emphasis on Daryl. But I think it was about both of them because in this episode, we saw a reversal. In 6x01, Daryl was advocating finding more people to bring in and Rick didn't want to. Here, we see Daryl saying Rick was right and Rick saying Daryl was right. But it also focused on Daryl staring forlornly out the window, so this was one episode where they showed us his sadness. 

Similarly, in The Same Boat, I think the episode was about both Maggie and Carol, but with more emphasis on Carol of the two. Also interesting to note that both episodes had a lot of Beth parallels.  

In S7, we have The Well (Carol episode) and The Cell (Daryl episode), and The Other Side. TOS focused on both Sasha and Rosita, with perhaps more emphasis on Rosita of the two. But it also led directly to Sasha's death, which included about a billion Beth parallels. Just saying.  

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life is harder to pin down. It's a "the" title, but I'm not sure who it focuses on in particular. Possibly Maggie because she got the final speech. Possibly Sasha because it was her death episode. It's kinda on it's own because it's so long. So many words. Much longer than just, "the well."  

So far in S8, we have The Damned. Again, hard to say who the focus was on in this episode until we see how the rest of these arcs play out. Overall, I'd say Daryl both because of the handcuffs and also because of the brutality we saw from him in this episode. Rick's reaction to his brutality put emphasis on it. But you could also argue the emphasis was on Rick because of Morales. Again, we'll just have to wait and see where it goes. 

There are other, smaller patterns in the titles. For one thing, the titles Last Day on Earth, The Day Will Come When You Won't Be, and First Day of the Rest of Your Life are all related. And all of them, I think have to do with the end of Glenn's arc. The beginning of the end, his death, and then a final homage to him in 7x16.

I'm sure there are others as well, but these are the major trends we are seeing. I'd love to hear if anyone else has picked up any other title patterns!  

[gamerszone2019-blog]

Hearthstone Pros on the Improvements Coming to Grandmasters

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/hearthstone-pros-on-the-improvements-coming-to-grandmasters/

Hearthstone Pros on the Improvements Coming to Grandmasters

I caught up with a number of Hearthstone

Grandmasters during Masters Tour Seoul over the weekend, and quizzed them about how they liked season one of the Grandmasters program and what they think about moving away from the Specialist format and into a modified version of Conquest for season two. I’ve compiled their responses below, but bear in mind I spoke to Orange on his own, Viper and Tyler together, and then had a group chat with Feno, justsaiyan, FroStee and Fr0zen, so that’s why there’s some back in forth in some sections but not others.I also asked the guys which cards they think are problematic, and will publish their thoughts on Saviors of Uldum shortly too. And for an update on Hearthstone esports from the team at Blizzard, check out my interview with Sam Braithwaite and Alex Charsky.

IGN: How did you enjoy season one of Grandmasters? What did you like, what didn’t you like? How do you feel about the program so far?

Orange: Season one of Grandmasters was great… I play this game because I want to compete against the best of the best, and now I get to do that weekly. It’s kind of surreal and perfect for me.

I had a ton of fun, I thought it was challenging and actually, quite stressful, because you played every weekend and you had to submit decks by Wednesday, then you play your matches Friday through Sunday, you had to prepare for those matches, then as soon as the match is done on a Sunday, you’ve got to prepare for the next week – what decks and you practice the match-ups for the next of the days. So my whole life just revolved around Grandmasters while it was on, but it was a ton of fun and I can’t wait for the next season.

People hated on Specialist and I don’t think Specialist was great for Grandmasters, but I actually think it’s amazing for these type of events [- Masters Tour Seoul], which might be an unpopular opinion but for large scale events I think Specialist is a pretty good format, but when preparing for the two opponents it was a little bit so-so. I’m also excited about the new format coming up.

Viper: I enjoyed Grandmasters season one a lot. I mean, it was just the weekly competition thing, so going into it, it was different compared to the Tour Stops where you have like one a month or maybe two a month, so the preparation time was a lot different…

[It was] more like a championship, because you faced people you know beforehand each week, so just even here [at Seoul] for example, there’s a huge group of people, and you never really know what you’re going to face, at the beginning especially, because it’s just like, so many people, so many different ideas. And there’s always going to be, I don’t know, some guy that thinks that this generally constant bad deck is a good deck so you cannot be super, super bad against these decks, but in Grandmasters you just don’t expect that. In Grandmasters right now you could probably think of the two to three classes that are the best and would face them, so it changed the preparation… It takes away some of the match-up energy.

Tyler: First of all it’s a huge honour to play in Grandmasters. Being at the pinnacle of Hearthstone, being at the highest level, obviously that is exciting on its own. There was some critique from people who are not in it, that it’s not a fair system. It’s hard to get in. I get that. Most of us Grandmasters actually agree with that and we think it should be like some like league below it where people can get into it. Obviously season one was not the best way to present it, I see it more like a test season because like, we couldn’t even get relegated.

So in season two, that should change a lot where out of 16 players, there’s two players that will get relegated, also because of that it was not, to me, it was not that much pressure in season one. It started off very exciting – it’s this new thing, Grandmasters, but gradually for me over the weeks, I was getting less motivated. It felt like there was less at stake, so I think season two will change that. Because there will be pressure. Relegating would be the worst thing ever, no one wants that. Literally like, you have a career in Hearthstone and if you get relegated you have nothing. So, you know, it’s going to be way more exciting.

IGN: What about the stakes of trying get to BlizzCon for the finals? Because you were close, right?

Tyler: I got close, I made it to play-offs, I made it to top six. It hurt a little bit because you know that only one person makes it, so when you’re playing at that stage, you know that you literally have to win three matches… If you don’t, you get nothing, so I was a little bit sad that the rewards were so top-heavy. Second place gets nothing, third place gets nothing. So in a way I think that’s a bit of a flaw that places two to fourteen basically end up in the same spot.

“My whole life just revolved around Grandmasters while it was on, but it was a ton of fun and I can’t wait for the next season.” – Orange.

“

FroStee: I liked the amount of competition that there was. I liked the fact that it took place over seven weeks. I liked everything that was going on then. Didn’t really like the format as much, Specialist is not exactly my walk in the park. I feel like a lot of players also feel that way, but I know that some really didn’t.

justsaiyan: I like the higher level of competition. The Tour Stop system was kind of a longer way to get to the same kind of top eight, same kind of top 16… but sometimes you don’t make it and then GM, from day one to then, you need to be playing your best and it’s going to be against the best players. So the competition for us from the inside, I definitely feel is a step up compared to last year. So that’s something to be happy about.

Fenomeno: Season one of the competition was fun. You know, it’s the high level competition and I honestly didn’t hate Specialist that much. I thought it was okay because people still had no idea if it was good at the start. The format was kind of new, so no one knew how to take a good advantage out of it. And people just didn’t know what the best decks were. And it was more interesting at the beginning, to figure out what’s actually good. But once it gets to the later stages, when people actually realise what’s good, then it gets a bit worse. Also, I thought it was a better meta for Specialist. This meta, with Luna’s Pocket Galaxy, I don’t feel it’s that good. But yeah, I enjoyed it though.

IGN: What about the mind games of knowing who you’re coming up against and then guessing what they’re going to play.

Fenomeno: I actually really liked this part. I heard a lot of people-

Fr0zen: You played Mage, like, every single week.

Fenomeno: I know, because it was good. I like the fact that you know who your opponent is and you know what they’re going to play. Because, a lot of people were talking against that. They didn’t want to know their opponents or who they’re playing. But I think it makes it more interesting, because if you know your opponent, you probably know what he’s going to play, right? And you have an idea of how he thinks. For example, if I was playing against Boar[Control], my teammate, I know that he would play something to counter me and he would go out of his way to do it, you know? While if I was playing with someone like Kolento, for example, I knew that he wouldn’t care. So yeah, I like that part.

IGN: Fr0zen, how about you?

Fr0zen: Yeah, I like the mind games part as well, like predicting what people are playing. I think that’s something I did pretty well. I liked season one. I didn’t like the format, obviously. I think that best of three is bad. I think we should try to go towards best of five, in the future eventually.

I also don’t like the fact that all the matches were streamed. I think that they should stream less matches. Maybe like more of the higher scoring people who are doing well and then cut some of the other streams. Also drags on too long, and then for weekends we just sit there waiting for our match, for 8 to 10 hours. That part I didn’t like.

“I think that best of three is bad. I think we should try to go towards best of five, in the future eventually.” – Fr0zen.

“

IGN: How do you feel about moving away from Specialist? And what are your impressions of the new format and what it’ll do well and what it might struggle with?

Orange: So this format was tested by the Grandmasters before it came out. I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say, but it was actually a Grandmaster that suggested the first sketch of the format and we kind of worked with Blizzard together, to be like ‘Oh, this is what we want it to look like.’ They were like ‘Yes, sounds cool.’ And then, so in the practice tournaments we played, it seems at first glance it’s like a lot of ‘just bring the four best decks.’

And that’s a kind of solid strategy, but I think that’s just a thing now when no one is really that experienced with it. I tried some things in these practice tournaments, I do think there is a lot of depth in it and like, a bunch of things you can do. But I think that no one can really offer a super solid opinion on it because none of us has really played it that much.

But the main thing, being Grandmasters, I think I talk for us collectively when I say that we wanted a multi-deck format. Because for season one of Grandmasters, if you played one deck and your opponents played up to two different decks – if they brought difference decks that week – it’s… I won’t say pretty easy but it’s doable for people at the top level if they have a few days where we only need to grind one match up non-stop, you achieve pretty close to perfect play. Or at least so there’s not too much edge to gain.

But in a multi-deck format, when we both have four decks and any combination of these match-ups can be played, then that gets, well, straight up impossible, which means that your fundamental knowledge about Hearthstone and like, improvising and just figuring things out – something we all like – becomes way more of a thing. I think that’s what everyone wanted back of a multi-deck format so, I’m super excited.

Viper: A multi-class format always seems more interesting to me than Specialist. Because, for example, the current set is really bad for Specialist, you can’t really prepare for everything. You’re going to lose to some decks, you’re going to beat some other decks. And, I mean, the general concept of the more games you play, the better it would be, so looking at best of fives and such, but even for best of three, I don’t think a single class format is good and I’m looking forward to playing more classes too…

Tyler: I didn’t like Specialist. Playing just one deck, I think, players who are not as strong can easily just focus on practicing one deck and still do it well. With a multi-deck format weaker players will be flushed out easier. The better players will have more of an edge when they play the multi-deck format, so I’m very much looking forward to that.

“The better players will have more of an edge when they play the multi-deck format, so I’m very much looking forward to that.” – Tyler.

“

Fenomeno: We haven’t tested it that much, but I think we all like multi-class. I mean, I personally, I like it a lot, because it makes you have to play other decks. So in the last meta, for example, I only played Mage and Rogue, right? Well, normally I would play all the decks, be at least decent at them. So when a tournament comes, you know what to do, right?

But with Specialist, you just needed to play like one or two decks. And that’s the part that I didn’t like about it. And I feel with this format, it makes it way better.

Fr0zen: The problem with this format is that when there’s a protect and a ban, it ends up being the best decks no matter what. Like, every single week, you just take the highest win rate decks and there’s no other strategy. The only strategy I heard was some Chinese players try to target two, because in China the recent tournaments are already using the new format. And the target two strategy doesn’t work, because in the past, target one strategy was already really hard to pull off. But now you have to target two decks and that’s the only way. You had to build an entire line-up for that and it’s just not worth it.

IGN: So you don’t like the shield concept?

Fr0zen: No, the shield concept makes it so that you don’t have to, well, the fact that you don’t have to play every single one of your decks, is pretty rough. And then, you’re able to avoid [an] entire matchup and then it ends up working out to be, you have to play the highest win-rate decks. And then, that’s the best way to play it.

IGN: saiyan, how about you?

justsaiyan: Well, with Specialist basically you could just have a hammer, right? And you just keep playing hammer every time. But at least with bringing more decks, you have to learn your tool kit.

Even if it’s not every week – you don’t end up playing it, some weeks you do. So you have to explore a wider range, just because there’s more decks. And on top of that, you have to look to find other counters within the meta as well, a little bit.

So it’s gonna take more of GMs. I think this should be kind of mandatory; learning the whole meta and being good all around. I mean, it makes sense as a GM status to be able to do that. So, I like that it’s at least raising expectations of us.

FroStee: One of the biggest things with the new format is, as we’ve all said here, that the multi-class format is a really big deal. Because, there’s only what, two, three classes seeing play in the current meta with Specialist and that’s huge, especially for other players to see that there are other classes, and to maybe explore some more niche decks, rather than sometimes just the best decks.

You may actually see with this format, people go out of their way to try new things and if the new things don’t work out then they can just shield it. So I’m interested to see where it goes. I do worry that as Fr0zen said, it will devolve into just people playing the best decks. But who knows what the GMs can come up with. Right?

IGN: How much more prep are you going to have to do with this format compared to Specialist?

Orange: Yeah, I mean, me and my teammate BoarControl we usually sit up for hours every day after deck lists came out and just practiced each other’s match-up against each other. And that was doable. I don’t know how we’ll do we practice this time around because now, since every match-up isn’t even played in a series. You know, you might just waste a lot of time, we’ll figure something out but you can’t practice in such a direct way. Like, [before] we could practice and be like ‘Oh, now I’m super happy with everything, like with my play in this match-up, we’re done.’ You can’t do that in this one. I’m not entirely sure how it will work, but I just like that figuring things out on the fly and things like that are going to be way more relevant again, because that stuff is really great.

Tyler: I think everyone will have to work harder. I think this is going to be a harder format, I think there’s going to be more preparation involved. And, yeah, like I said earlier, players can get exposed for being bad, so they’re going to have to practice more.

Viper: I think the same… if you mess up in multiple decks or if you mess up the general power level of whatever you play, I think that you’re going to get more punished. And figuring out the four best decks, like in order one-two-three-four is probably more difficult than figuring out, okay, is this one-two, or one or two, maybe, and I have these match-ups and my opponents probably play that so I’m going to bring this. And I think that was one of the biggest flaws of GM and Specialist as well, that in the end, you kind of just like rolled on ‘what are the decks my opponent is going to play?’ If they play Warrior, okay, I’m going to submit Book of Specters Mage, but then one of them is Warrior and one of was, I don’t know, Rogue, or Cyclone Mage and then you just go one-one. I feel like there were a lot of decks that just went one-one. But if you would have played for example, three matches a week, there were a lot of decks that would have been two-one. Like Holy Wrath Paladin or Book of Specters Mage. The more or less polarised decks. But they were always called to be good choices… I think the four-deck thing is going to defer that.

FroStee: Well, for the most part when it came to prep for Specialist, I certainly felt that it was more hands-off for me. I didn’t feel like I needed to put as much effort in… because I only had to specifically learn one deck and the ins and outs of that deck, for the most part for the week.

And coming into the new format, it means I’ve got the potential to learn four new decks, especially if I’m trying to add in a new deck into a line-up, there’s going to be the same deck seeing play possibly every single week. If we bring the best decks every week, you’re going to have to know how to play the best decks. But, I feel like as part of Hearthstone, it’s good to see different classes seeing play.

justsaiyan: I have another analogy – it’s all I can think of. But basically, at least with Specialist you could kind of cram for the test. You would see your opponent’s deck, you would see the deck that you brought and you just play that match-up, over and over again, between the time of deck list reveal and when you have to play.

But this [new format] is more or less learning the entire meta, like… you’re writing like a term paper. You’re writing the end of semester, 25 page [term paper] and it’s due, right? And you’re just kind of piecing it together, week by week, and learning the meta and making sure you know all the decks. It’s harder to cram after the deck lists are revealed. You kind of have to know what you’re doing beforehand as well.

Fenomeno: The thing I like is that it makes it more complicated, because I feel Specialist after a while it was super simple. The main deck is I don’t know, maybe you tech the main deck a bit, but other than that, like the side decks that you played were almost pretty standard every time.

And [what] I like about this, is that you get to actually have multiple decks to try to counter stuff. I don’t know if the countering thing is going to actually work, as Fr0zen said, because of the protect and the whole [idea that] you don’t have to play a deck, because this is like a self ban, right? It’s like kind of a self ban, that you don’t have to play a deck.

I think it’s just more complicated, and I think we kind of needed something more complicated. I thought Specialist was getting too simple after a while and I really didn’t feel like I needed to prep at all. I just didn’t feel the need to. But with this, I feel like you just have to do your research, you have to play, you know. Just test the format. It seems way more complicated.

“I thought Specialist was getting too simple after a while and I really didn’t feel like I needed to prep at all.” – Fenomeno.

“

FroStee: To put it in saiyan’s analogy, you’ve got to do your homework.

IGN: What does the shield phase mean for you as a player? Does it mean that you get to play the deck you want to play more often, is that the idea?

Orange: I actually have the most perfect example of why the shield phase is something that, I personally as a player want and I know that Blizzard also really wanted something that just prevented – the thing with a ban with a format was that it created a lot of depth, but people disliked that… they scrape together a line-up of like, four decks so that they can enter a tournament, they get to a tournament then their favourite deck just gets banned every time.

I had that exact thing happen to me in 2018, when Malygos Druid was [my deck]. And I faced so many people in Tour Stops that year that, I looked at their line-up and there’s no way they ban my Malygos Druid, and [yet] they just kept banning it because they were like ‘Oh, Orange, he’s pretty good at this deck’. And I’m like ‘God, I never get to play this deck in tournaments.’ Now, if we were back to that time, I’d get to show off with Malygos Druid and, I mean, it would be great, so I hope that I can find some decks pretty similar to that. And that I get to protect it… you’re not getting this from me. So I like the shield phase in that regard, that people get to play their favourite deck. The fear of it is if, like, one deck becomes ridiculously overpowered…

IGN: Thankfully we live in a world where Team 5 is really responsive, and making regular changes to keep things in line.

Orange: Exactly. This year, design-wise with the sets and everything, I think Hearthstone is just having its best year in that regard, and I’m very happy… last year there were a lot of times where it didn’t feel very fresh et cetera. And now it’s just, I never really have that downtime where I’m like ‘God, this is getting boring,’ maybe we had that for a few days before this expansion came out but like, that’s only natural.

IGN: And also, it’s not a couple of months. It’s a big difference, right?

Orange: Yes. The game is constantly fresh and fun to play, I love it. Team 5 is doing God’s work this year.

IGN: How much does having a shield phase influence building a line-up?

Tyler: We’re actually not sure yet, so me and my practice group, most of the other guys we’ve talked about it a bit. We’re actually not sure yet, but we’re just going to try and find like the four best decks, see what the best decks are and just go from there.

Viper: I think the whole shield phase thing and the change to the best of three, with still four decks available, it changes how Conquest used to work. Conquest used to work on – I think it was the best way, you could have approached Conquest – you targeted the third or fourth best deck of the opponent and then you… just ban out the worst match-up, which usually made those decks considered to be not that good. Meanwhile they had super high percentages against their third, fourth deck and that was just your game plan. Beat up the one or two things that the other guy’s weak point is.

With the new format, now you cannot always ban the deck you think you’re weak against. The other guy can recognise, “hey, my Warrior deck beats these four aggro decks.” So… you can still decide to commit and play the four aggro decks and take the loss against Warrior, but then you have to win the other two games, so it seems pretty difficult to wholly complete the line-up because of the shield phase, you have to be more the mid-way for everything, you have to just bring generally strong decks. And it’s going to be less about targeting them using weak decks.

IGN: Are there any other changes you would like to see in Grandmasters in season two and beyond?

Viper: One of the changes I would have loved to see in the first season… I would have liked to submit [deck lists] for two weeks last time… Because of the thing I just explained, where you know what somebody is going to play, so you cannot play whatever your favourite deck is, or the deck you’re known for. For example, someone like Fibonacci for Warrior, because it’s the OG example, you just play the Warrior counter against him. It could make people go one-one. I would have liked to submit for two weeks last season of Grandmasters to avoid this player targeting.

But with the new format, player targeting isn’t really a thing anymore, I feel like so far. So, I guess that’s one of the changes I would have liked to see and it kind of happened.

IGN: Any other comments on Grandmasters and season two?

justsaiyan: …there’s going to be a lot of mind games, and I don’t know if it’ll be too obvious to the viewers, but when you leave out one of the decks in your arsenal and you play the best of three, and one deck gets left out, there’s going to be a lot of mind games between, what the game two and game three queues are and things like that. So I think that at least is very interesting. I don’t know if that’s going to be a very big topic for the casters, but I hope so.

Cam Shea is Editor in Chief for IGN’s Australian content team. He’s on Twitter.

Source : IGN