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assaily · 3 years

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I finally got around to watching the Q&A livestream from last week. I have thoughts and speculation on their character arcs and what we might see in season 3, but I have so much I want to say about Five that I’m sort of melting out my ears about it still.

Buckle in guys, this is long. I expect a lot of this will be well established but its nice to organize my thoughts on it.

1. Luther: He went from Number One to blase-fair-i-don’t-care and I think he will regret that just as much as he did his actions in season 1. Season 3 may see him struggling to find his real position within the team dynamic. His role should be heavy hitter style protector, or the Big Guy. Not the leader, but he still needs to show up.

2. Diego has always been a soft boy. Season 1 Diego was hard up to show that because he’d been taught by his father that soft was weak, and his family wasn’t huge on validating weakness so we have this pretend tough guy Diego. His softness was validated and rewarded by Lila, and she obvious regarded him as competent, even though she often made fun of him for his idiocy. Lila did a lot of work for Diego and I hope to see her have development for herself in season 3 or beyond.

As for Diego, I think he will be the de-facto leader of the sibs by the end (at least working on it, he has ways to go before he can lead them), with Five being his lancer, because he has the leader instinct but he’s got compulsion issues. His hero complex very much extends to his family, but they never wanted him saving them. I’m hoping to see him attempt to push some of that protective tendency back toward his family (something he and Luther will have in common) again and have them accept it to a better degree than they have in the past.

3. I want Allison to stop being afraid of her powers by realizing she needs to stop using them for her own gains and use them selflessly. We see this dynamic already in season 2, she starts using her power to help Ray, then she demonstrated it to him by getting him some spiffy outfits. It falls apart when she gives in to her vindictive streak and burns the man who burned her.

4. Klaus is terrified of being alone. He had drugs, and he had Ben. Then he traded his drugs for a cult of worshipers and kept Ben. Going in to season 3, he has no cult, no drugs, and no Ben. Something’s going to give, or Klaus is gonna latch onto to someone. It’s gonna be really interesting watching him tackle this, and I hope to see the most character development from him this season. My personal desire is for the lonely bitches to stick together and have Vanya and Klaus be a team, or finally get some more Five and Klaus team ups because they were fantastic together in season 1 and got no time together hardly in season 2.

5. I have thoughts. He deals with his trauma. He has to get used to his family around again. He has to deal with both at the same while the world is still falling around his ears. There is a lot I can say but I’m writing a story about that so, mostly what Aiden said just validated several months of writing and I am pleased.

6. Ben gets no character development because he’s dead. I think his arc was about desiring to live, and getting one last taste before having to say good bye. Feeling stagnant and wanting to change but being unable to. Feeling stuck and finally letting go. Getting to say goodbye to one of the people that didn’t get to the first time. His stuff is very much in the air, as we don’t know anything about the Sparrow Ben.

7. Vanya my darling, will be dealing with her guilt and shame. She’ll be walking on eggshells and feeling like she can’t ask for anything. I want to think she will attempt to take on the role of caregiver, and try to be there for everyone, trying to show her gratitude for them, and her guilt for causing the end. I also think she’s had a moment of release, and she’s had someone who loved her for her, no holds barred. She will have to be shown by her family that they love her unconditionally as well, and that will help her move past her guilt and come to terms with what was and wasn’t her fault.

#tua #the umbrella academy #tua speculation #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #tua cast

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pagetgram · 4 years

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Getting To Know The Cast Of Criminal Minds

As Criminal Minds rolls out its 15th and final season, the beloved cast gathers to discuss serial killers (what else?), special guest stars, and their millions of phenomenal fans in this exclusive interview. (x,x)

By David Hochman

The scene is quintessential Hollywood: a train station at dusk. Steam billowing up from the tracks. Loved ones bracing for their emotional farewells. What could be more fitting for the cast of Criminal Minds?

Chugging into its 15th and final season after more than 300 episodes, the police procedural is among the 10 longest-running dramas of all time, and in the top 20 for longest-running scripted television shows. "This is Gunsmoke and Guinness Book territory," says Matthew Gray Gubler, who has played quirky FBI brainiac Dr. Spencer Reid since episode 1.

To honor the landmark occasion, all eight series regulars are gathered at a railway museum in L.A.'s Griffith Park for photos, poignant reflections, and a few behind-the-scenes confessions (mostly involving a tradition called "hot tub wine machine"—stay tuned).

On TV, the tenacious profilers of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit—or simply "BAU" to fans—are a hard-bitten bunch, tracking down serial killers and other vicious "unsubs." But in person, clearly good friends across the board and decked out today in their spiffiest finery, the cast can scarcely hold back tears as they get candid about their extended journey together and what it means to come to the end—sniff, sniff—of Criminal Minds.

Originally published in Watch! Magazine, July-August 2019.

Judging from the misty eyes and group hugs, it looks like the series wrap-up is generating "all the feels," as they say. Are you able to get through scenes this season without a tissue break?

Joe Mantegna (Senior Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi, Seasons 3-present): This is my 50th year in show business, and next to voicing on The Simpsons, Rossi is my longest-running role. I came in with dark hair and now it's gray. I arrived without much of a game plan, and the show and character are now a deep part of who I am. This cast is a true family for me. So every episode this year has an added bittersweet layer. When the director announces, "This is the last profile scene" or "This is our last scene on the jet," you look around with a real sense of passing. It's monumental.

Kirsten Vangsness (BAU Technical Analyst and Media Liaison Penelope Garcia, Seasons 1-present): The term that keeps coming up is "ambiguous loss"—that feeling of losing something you love, and that everything's about to change. In this case it's not a person, thank goodness. But still, in the middle of a scene, it hits you. But you can't cry; you have all this makeup on. Plus, what are you crying for? It's been such an incredible experience. I will have done every single episode except episode 5, every episode of the first spinoff, and two episodes of the second spinoff. I love these people. No, sir. I'm not crying. You're crying. [Editor's note: She's crying.]

Paget Brewster (Supervisory Special Agent and BAU Unit Chief Emily Prentiss, Seasons 2-7, 9, 11-present): Um, I'm in complete denial, so I'll break down into tears the week after we end, but not before. I'm pretending this show's never, ever going to end.

Without spoiling anything, what can you say about Season 15?

A.J. Cook (Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Seasons 1-present): Well, I can tell you that we will find out what happens now that JJ has expressed her true feelings for Dr. Reid.

Matthew Gray Gubler (Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid, Seasons 1-present): Don't you mean "Jeid?" That's what the internet is calling us. Hey, I'm not spoiling anything. I mean, don't rule out, uh, "Jemily" or "Jarcia" this season, either!

Adam Rodriguez (Supervisory Special Agent Luke Alvez, Seasons 12-present): And we do have guest stars. We love guest stars! [Editor's note: Among others, watch for Jane Lynch to return as Reid's schizophrenic mother, and for Rachael Leigh Cook as a potential new love interest for Reid.]

Daniel Henney (Supervisory Special Agent Matt Simmons, Seasons 10, 12-present): Overall, I'd say 15 has more of an arc through the episodes than previous seasons. Our unsub, Chameleon, is played by Michael Mosley, and he's definitely into some gruesome, creepy stuff.

Brewster: Like, we have a scene where a bunch of body parts are hanging from a tree. Our prop guy, who's a professional fisherman in real life, was on top of a 15-foot ladder with a foot and an ear hanging off his fishing pole.

Aisha Tyler (Special Agent Dr. Tara Lewis and forensic psychologist, Seasons 11-present): And people wonder why my house in L.A. is like a fortress and I'm armed! I'd say it's a direct result of Criminal Minds. This show is definitely dark. I'm not going around profiling sociopaths and serial killers, but, yeah, being on Criminal Minds, you become more perceptive about people's bad behavior.

Anybody else find it hard letting go in real life after chasing serial killers at work all day?

Cook: I'm blessed with a good shut-off switch. Once the day's done, I can block everything out. But as soon as I became a mom, something shifted where the naive girl from Canada got the boot and mama bear arrived. We saw that happen with JJ on the show, too. When she became a mom, it was suddenly like, "Whoa, watch out for that guy in the park!"

Henney: I'll tell you a story. About two months ago, I'm at home sleeping and a burglar alarm goes off, and I literally switched into Simmons mode. All the training I'd done with the FBI guys and our tech advisers instantly came into play. I threw on black sweatpants. I was creeping around the perimeter of my house, FBI-style. I clocked all my points of ingress and egress. When you do so many episodes, basic instincts kick in.

Did you identify the unsub?

Henney: Nobody was there! It was a stupid, faulty window sensor.

Brewster: The show definitely sharpens your reactions to your surroundings. When you start the show, you have access to the FBI training manual, which, frankly, no civilian should ever see because the photographs are so grisly. You end up going through a period of hypervigilance where you can't go into a sandwich shop or airport without thinking, Uh-oh! I think that couple's going to end up in a domestic dispute tonight.

Group question: What's your standout memory from these many seasons?

Rodriguez: I jumped onto this flying carpet 12 seasons in, and my first scene was out in the middle of the desert, and we shot all night long. There was an old car that was supposed to be in the scene, but it broke down and they ended up rolling it into the shot, which was funny. But more than that, I remember how welcoming people were. I was the new guy, but I felt immediately at home.

Brewster: We watched your family grow, too, Adam. You had a kid. A.J. had two kids. I met my husband on set. We've been lucky enough to live our lives and develop together as people.

Cook: For me, having both my boys appear in the show was an absolute treasure. Mekhai, who's 10, has been doing it way longer than Phoenix, who's 4, and he loves it, though I can't tell if it's the acting or that everybody's giving him cookies and ice cream all the time.

Henney: I was really proud to play Simmons because, as an Asian American actor, you don't often get the chance to play the quintessential American guy's guy. He's married to a Caucasian woman and has mixed-race children—which is true with me, too [Henney is also of mixed descent]—and I loved representing that on television. To have a kissing scene with Kelly, my wife on the show—you weren't seeing that 10 years ago.

Tyler: Directing a couple episodes was an incredible opportunity. But for me, just the experience of seeing this through to the end is so rewarding. I was only supposed to do six episodes. Everything's been gravy since then.

Mantegna: Hands down, my highlight was being able to work in my passion for law enforcement and the military by making my FBI character a former Marine. That allowed me to bring in Meshach Taylor, one of my dearest, oldest friends, as my commanding officer in Vietnam, and directing two of the three episodes that involved him as a character.

That included the episode where his character died, because Meshach had died. To actually bury him on camera as my dear friend—I'm the godfather of his kids, and he's the godfather of mine—it was everything. If I do nothing else on television, doing that for Meshach to me means the top of the ladder.

TV shows come and go. How do you explain the enduring success of Criminal Minds?

Tyler: Well, I'd say it's not about prurient interest in the macabre. I think the reason people like the show is because we want to know that there's a smart, dedicated team of professionals out there working very hard to make sure that the rest of us stay safe. Even if we don't know who they are and we can't see them, it's comforting that people are sacrificing their personal lives and their relationships so that they can put evil people away.

Rodriguez: I meet young people all the time, teenagers, who love the show and say they love the game of it all—figuring out how these processes work and the skills that go into solving crimes. I think we've probably inspired a generation of people to go into this important work—on the good-guy side, not on the bad.

Cook: So many people have struggled in their lives, and they can relate to what they see on the show. Hardworking moms, people that have been abused, people who've experienced loss.

Vangsness: I think it comes down to a show with some of the greatest characters on television. Garcia is just a bundle of positive energy, and that resonated. Her desk is a living piece of art to how she's connected with the audience. I've got a papier-mâché heart pen a fan from France gave me. There's a little rabbit from a fan in Japan. A German woman knitted a Penelope doll that's sitting there. Oh, and Richard Simmons gave me a necklace one time because he loved the show!

Criminal Minds fans are a devoted bunch.

Henney: I once checked into a ski lodge in Switzerland and my television wasn't working, so I went to the front desk. The two desk guys started staring at me like zombies and pointed to their TV, where Criminal Minds was on, with me on the screen.

Brewster: It takes you by surprise in the weirdest places. You'll be in a bathroom at a movie theater and girls are outside whispering, That's Emily Prentiss, and they wait for you to finish so you can wash your hands and hug them.

What are you going to miss most about the show?

Cook: Um, everything. The scenes in the jet are my favorites because it's such a tight space that we forget we're on a TV show and just enjoy hanging out together. This show, for me, was a coming of age. You can look online and find me in the beginning of season 1 wearing this ridiculous pink pinstriped blazer that will haunt me forever. I look like I'm 12. But I've grown up along with JJ. [Tearing up.] I'll miss it all so much.

Gubler: Likewise, I really look up to Spencer Reid, and I feel so honored to have played him for so long. I will miss his long, you know, three-page monologues of technical jargon about protons or whatever. I'll miss the way he holds his hands like an ostrich foot when he's solving a problem. He's definitely way smarter than I'll ever be, but I like to think that some Dr. Reid qualities have imbued themselves into my own personality a little bit. If nothing else, I've adopted his ever-changing hairstyles.

Tyler: I'll miss being an FBI badass. I'd love to take the FBI jacket, but it's absolutely illegal to walk around wearing it.

Vangsness: I can tell you what I won't miss. Garcia's glasses—because I have them all already. I've bought every pair she's ever worn, so I have a collection of around 65 at home. They remind me to be confident like her, to see life through her eyes. Garcia is my Sasha Fierce.

Brewster: I will miss the hot tub wine machine.

Hot tub wine machine?

Vangsness: You heard that right, mister. It's an epic hot tub party at my house that the women on the show have turned into a standing gig—or more like a floating gig.

Brewster: It's basically a therapy and gossip and splashing-around session fueled by chardonnay and rosé.

Tyler: And it's ladies only because it gets kinda frisky.

Rodriguez: This is a sore subject for me even as a very securely and happily married man.

Mantegna: They do send us pictures on group text, which is thoughtful of them.

Vangsness: I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to tell you that this fine tradition makes it into our last episode. I co-wrote the finale, and we tried to cram in as many little Easter eggs and satisfying plot tie-ups as we could, both for fans and for each other. So within the episode, you'll see the BAU version of hot tub time machine. We worked really hard solving these super-intense crimes over what will be 325 episodes. After all these years, don't you think we deserve a little spa time?

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sillyfudgemonkeys · 4 years

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uhhh isn't the whole 'slapping some sense into them' thing from Makoto's confidant a pretty common trope though? like there's Mitsuru and Yukari, Yu and Yosuke in their 10 rank, Louis and Legosi's fight in Beastars, various shounen series, etc. Are those examples different or do ya just not like the trope itself?

Bad trope, but specifically handled bad in P3/5′s case. Makoto and Mitsuru/Yukari event are bad examples of it. Yu/Yosuke....it’s not really a “good” example but it’s not bad. Louis and Legosi/shounen in general....(I’m assuming we’re just talking first season) it’s a bit....yeah....different....Former two bad (and the trope I dislike the most), latter two “good” (not as problematic, usually)....cause they are different tbh......probably cause they are diff tropes.

Under the cut cause length

So let’s go over the slap thing. I might refer to each Makoto/Yukari/Mitsuru/Yosuke stuff as P5/3/4 so just a heads up.

(I will say I think if I compared the two girl slap scenes between YukaMitsu and Mako, YukaMitsu one is “better” due to it being in private and not as....big of a slap, it’s still shitty tho) I’m not a fan of Yukari and Mitsuru as friends (let alone as gfs) tbh, mostly impart of this scene. I do not think that slap was a good foundation, and I think it should’ve gone in the opposite direction. Tbh I think it should’ve made things worse. Mitsuru is at her lowest point, she’s literally had 14 goddamn days to process her father’s death ON TOP OF her student council duties, and dealing with her company (on top of stuff happening behind the scenes such as apparently being engaged). She has all these adult responsibilities thrust onto her, and she’s had 14 days to deal with it. She’s processing her grief and she’s in a “what’s the point phase.” Then Yukari comes along, a girl who’s....kinda been giving her grief up to this point, yeah Mitsuru has a right to say “what’s the point in us being friends” or even being friends in the first place, you’ve been kind of an ass to her the whole game Yukari, regardless of you apologizing (no one needs to accept an apology). You haven’t been close. So with all that context, pretend you’re the one who’s stressed, in the middle of a fresh grieving process, with someone they aren’t exactly close to, and when they question if their life has meaning.....How would you feel if someone slapped you? I’d be like “Ex-fucking-scuse me????” Like it comes off as Yukari feeling Mitsuru isn’t grieving fast enough for her, like she hasn’t had a decade to process her dad’s death (which is a fault of Yukari’s character that’s never addressed, it’s her way or the high way, she forces her emotions on other people and her being friends with Mitsuru after this feels like a reward for bad behavior). I’d be livid if I was Mitsuru, a slap is not what she needs. You can just passionately shout her speech to Mitsuru, it’s a helluva lot better than literally hitting someone while they are emotionally vulnerable. Her speech is freaking just fine without a gd slap to the face, and ruins the scene. Esp when Yukari gets to have a hissy fit earlier in the game for a similar crisis (but you know, with the context she’s already come to terms with his death for the past 10 years, while Mitsuru’s only had about 14 days), but you don’t see anyone slapping her to get a hold of herself? Even tho, she’s even more emotionally unstable at a certain part, and lashes out, but no we can’t slap her. But she feels justified in slapping someone else? Bullshit. (btw yeah she says sorry but it’s so blase I’m like “really? just a quick ‘srry’ and that’s it?”)

Then there’s Makoto just....freaking....this girl. Giant walking contradiction, will be characterized opposite of previous characterization just to fit the freaking scene. Makoto will be “hot headed who doesn’t think” for the Kane arc and Slapping eiko, but she’s like 100% chilled to the bone for the rest of the game. Which is it? Which is it P5? Can she make plans and think calmly or can she not? You can’t have both, and if it’s the latter she shouldn’t be in that position. *inhales* ANYWAY! Let’s look at this whole thing from Eiko’s perspective.

Eiko’s feels like she has nothing going for in her life but Tsukasa, she loves him, and she thinks he loves her. She has a friend in Makoto, the perfect girl who has everything Eiko wants. But now that friend wants to take away the one thing SHE has and that SHE cares about??? She keeps saying things but doesn’t show proof iirc (except when she tricked Tsukasa, but she doesn’t give Eiko enough time to digest it and it’s all happening so fast, I think she mentions the text she gets from him but she doesn’t show the texts to Eiko, regardless Mako has another avenue to explore...which I’ll get to). Of course Eiko is confused, why is the girl that is perfect want to take something from her? She’s at her lowest, yeah not the same kind of low as Mitsuru, but she’s not in a good place. So how do you think it feels, to be slapped HARD and IN PUBLIC? And this isn’t like news to Makoto, she told her all this shit in the previous rank. Makoto’s had time to mull it over, so on top of all that, Eiko also feels like “She knows how I feel yet she’s still trying to ruin the one good thing I have??? I don’t understand.” And yeah she’s starts lashing out, but Makoto isn’t exactly handling it well either. Mako’s speech is just fine withtout the gd slap, but the slap brings it down for her character (which I’ll get to after the plan) Which brings me to her plan.....

So then there’s Makoto’s plan.....she really doesn’t have a back up plan? An obvious one? One that actually doesn’t go against their MO....you know changing his heart (INB4 ‘but silly they need his yadda yadda” yeah and we’ve done mementos bosses where we need to dig up dirt, it’s not exactly that hard esp with like Ichiko and Lala and just the general area, we know where he is we just need a full/real name, we know more info about him then most targets it’s not that bad). So why do this whole public thing? Why not meet privately with the receipts? WHY EVEN BOTHER WITH THAT AT ALL WHEN YOU CAN JUST CHANGE HIS HEART! And no this isn’t “you can’t rely on heart changing all the time” the game is ass at that message to start with so why beat around the bush??? Futaba gets help 3 gd times (I’m not saying they shouldn’t have, but if it’s a personal thing I don’t think the thieves are against it). Like listen, why.....don’t we change his heart? This isn’t about “oh why do that when we can solve it another way” no we’re past that, this guy is and has been preying on girls. Why the hell are we letting him run around???? Y’all give Mika shit (and tbf I’ve seen people give Mako’s CoOp the same shit for what I’m stating now), but 1) we didn’t find out about her shitty behavior till the last min and 2) she was caught and the situation was resolved without the need of a change of heart.....Tsukasa is neither of these things, he’s 1) a main antagonist throughout the CoOp 2) while he gets away from Eiko, he’s left to his own devices to hurt other people later (except the anime apparently? but we are talking about the game). Like seriously, change his heart, you help all the girls+Eiko, you can then comfort her without you know the public embarrassment. Hell if you want to keep the freaking speech from the slap scene you can! At least she’s not slapped! Just don’t slap her! Both P3/5 can get by with these scenes without NEEDING the slap! It’s not necessary and god freaking forbid people imitate it IRL (I’ve seen it happen first hand, people are not friends after that kinda BS).

There’s also the fact she and Eiko make amends after off screen and it’s like???? I don’t believe Eiko would go back to Makoto after that sort of public humiliation tbh. I need to see this “apology” (esp since Mako was soooo great at hers the first time with ANne after you know dragging them into the Mafia.....of course I’m being sarcastic, her apology was so gaslighty and her trying to get them to drop it like??? no you are being called out for good reason) And then there’s Makoto post slap, and she’s like ‘oh man was that ok???” like no bitch it wasn’t and the fact you get POINTS FOR ENCOURAGING HER???? Like I always say a negative thing and make her know what she did was wrong. And yeah she’s like “oh geez I didn’t mean for that :(” just.....sigh....doesn’t matter what you mean, you did it.....you have to own it......*inhales*

Now for the unfortunate implications, which if I was a Yukari/Makoto fan I wouldn’t be happy with how Atlus handled them. Already talked about Yukari (her way or the high way, butting in, gets rewarded for bad behavior yadda yadda), Makoto is similar. She’s just more bossy about it (cause she’s older probably, Yukari had it reign it into going behind Mitsu’s back cause of the whole senpai/kohai thing). But the slap reinforces Makoto’s....a bit.....physically abusive with her friends..... I don’t think that was the intent, but it’s an unfortunate implication. Who does Makoto hit (that’s not a shadow)? Ryuji (twice counting Royal), and Eiko (former for “comedy~!” and the latter for drama, yes she’s joined by the other girls in one of the events but she’s still been physical more than them). She also is known for threatening violence on top of that or just being ~intimidating~ (which hits differently when you’ve develop a streak of hitting friends rather than just someone who doesn’t do that?) And yeah it’s for comedy.....but after awhile.....ergh....(esp when they do it once for drama). It doesn’t help she’s also the damsel a lot, and literally can’t fight back against people who have ill will over her (told you she’s a contradiction), or just doesn’t bother putting up a fight tbh. Which.....then sends a message she...only hits her friends cause....she can take them on? kinda thing..... it just....makes me feel gross tbh. It’s just BS that Chie gets labeled a physically abusive person cause she “hit Yosuke in the balls” when she DIDN’T, it was all a misunderstanding! But when actually Makoto does it’s ok????

Yukari and Makoto have a lot in common, they get away with a lot of shit, their way or the high way a lot of the times, esp when they do things that’s....really rude and mean and shitty but hey I guess it’s ok with Atlus~! (for a game series that’s like “you are responsible for your own actions and the consequences it brings” it sure likes to let certain chars slide with their actions~! :D :/) It’s such a shame with P3 that we have Fuuka and Natsuki, while not explored a lot (such a shame) is written a lot better than YukaMitsu/MakoAnne/MakoEiko friendships. And they do it without the need for a slap, and the aggressor actually gives a legit and sincere apology??? All on their own??? All because they feel guilty and want to make amends ON THEIR OWN!!!! And actually takes responsibility too???? I’m usually neutral on them but seriously they handle this issue like fine wine compared to the other three.

Ok let’s go over Yu/Yosuke. So when I say it’s not good but not bad, I mean like....you shouldn’t do it irl cause it’s dumb....but like....the message is a lot better. P4, it’s consensual. Yosuke ASKS to be hit. See “ASKS!” And they knowingly go in for a brawl/sparring match. Because they want to. Eiko and Mitsuru didn’t ask to be slapped, this isn’t an equal footing. P4′s is. P3/5 is someone who’s emotionally vulnerable getting slapped by someone that claims to care (and the friendship is rocky at best and barely formed at worse) and then somehow coming out as friends???? P4, strong bond, very good friends, consensual.

As for Beastars.....again I’m assuming we’re talking about their fight in S1 after the one person (vague for spoilers) gets kidnapped.......here’s the thing.....they....aren’t exactly friends. I guess if I had the beat up/slap trope as a spectrum, this would be on the opposite side of P4 (with P3/5 being in the middle). You don’t want to be in the middle, I think it leads to unfortunate implications (only time I can think of it being ok is if they deal with the fact they were slapped realistically, calling the person out).

So on one end we have P4, strong friendship, it’s a consensual fight, it’s even (there’s no ....I guess the best word would be “power imbalance”). The other end is Beastars, they aren’t exactly friends, this fight is like....a brawl cause there is bad blood now, tbh it’s just a normal fight fkldsajflkjf; which like is fine, they become friends later, but in a similar sense this fight is even too (I mean not physically but like they are both like “LET’S GOOOOOOOO!”). But in the middle it’s the “we’re new or kinda friends but I’mma slap them when the person is down because I think they need a ‘wake up call’” is bullshit, it’s not even, one person gets slapped and the slapper somehow gets the friendship??? Like how does any of this work??? Only good ending to that is the person really giving a good ass apology or there not being a friendship.

The only real time I can think of slapping someone to legit have them get a hold of themselves, is if there is a life and death situation, and they are too shell shock to move, and you need to bring them back. Or if they are unconscious and you are trying to wake them up (usually cause there’s bad stuff happening around). And it stems from fearing their safety and you tried everything else and it was the last resort. None of these fit P3/5 scenes tho. P4/Beastars/Shounen is just “dumb bois brawling” (which dumb girls brawling is valid too), they’re different tropes. Slapping for slapstick is closer to P3/5′s trope than the P4/Beastars/Shounen one.....that one is a veeeeery fine line tbh (the more over the top the better, because it’s more distant from reality, the less over the top the closer it is to the drama one and the closer it is to reality and........it ironically becomes unrealistic).

but yeah there’s just a couple things......that’s wrong with the scene than just the slap, but really those slaps are so unnecessary???? Like the majority of the scene is the speech, just focus on that. I think it takes more skill to metaphorically slap someone with your words than with your literal palm.

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zoe-oneesama · 6 years

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So what are your *actual* thoughts on Chloe? They seem pretty cynical to me, and like you're just using her for the lovesquare in your AU lol. Its weird, because I can tell you are opinionated about her, but. It also puts me on edge because then again, you *are* criticizing a 14 y/o harshly rather than blaming the misogyny in her writing. What made me send this ask was your reply w/ Gabriel (really, fucking candy-cane looking grown MAN!!) and Marinette criticizing her appearance of all things.

Of fucking COURSE there’s misogyny in the writing, but Astruc made it pretty clear from Day 1 he didn’t like her (he’s tweeted she’s the dumbest character in the whole show) so I wasn’t exactly holding out hope for her anyway. She’s been a 2 dimensional Mean School Bully from the beginning and never got much deeper than that (no matter how many Tragic Backstories they tack onto her). She’s a walking cliche amped up to 11, they didn’t USE to pretend she was anything more.

And she’s 14, not a 6 year old. She knows right from wrong at this point, even if she refuses to face or admit it. The only advantage of being 14 is that she DOES still have time to change her ways, but the freaking show just won’t do it asdlkjfkalsdfjas

And I’ve talked about my feelings on canonical Chloe before, so check those out, but I never really brought up my AU in it so I’ll circle back to that. (I also wrote that when I think only Chameleon or Weredad was out, so Season 3 Chloe isn’t mentioned) but TLDR, She’s the character I loved to hate (like a Disney Villain. Like Gaston. Fun to watch, but you’re not like rooting for them.) And then Season 2 came and just ruined her by instead treating the situation like it was everyone around Chloe who had to change instead of Chloe herself, so she got to stay awful and entitled and instead of being shamed for it she was rewarded. 0/10.

If they kept her 2dimensional, if they never tried to deepen her character or convince us to feel sorry for her despite the fact she’s an asshole, I wouldn’t complain about Chloe. She’d be that savage character that by the end of the episode gets nothing because she sucks.

If they did her redemption RIGHT and had her own up to her mistakes and take attempts to make up for them, I wouldn’t complain about Chloe. Redemption Arcs, while not suitable for every character, are a very liked trope and can be so interesting and relatable! No one was perfect as a kid or teenager or even young adult, so it’s exhilarating to see these characters change to become better because it gives you hope!

But they didn’t do either of these things. They waffled. So when I saw the end of Season 2, I was fed up. And there was a cool little prompt idea that made me think of a fun idea.

What if Chloe accidentally ended up with the Ladybug Miraculous at the beginning of the series?

No Ladybug to look up to and emulate. No Ladybug to curb her worst moments and convince her to be a better person. No Ladybug to aspire to impress. Just Season 1 Chloe given even more power and prestige. And I thought it could be hilarious.

Back to season 1 Chloe that I loved to root against. Back to season 1 Chloe who was fun and didn’t insult my intelligence by trying to get me to feel sorry for her. Back to season 1 Chloe that I loved to hate.

And that’s what she’s for. She’s moving the plot forward, she’s offering up punchlines, she’s getting us and the other characters from point A to point B and making people laugh on the way. Like a character.

The LoveSquare in my AU is it’s own entity and is only being reshaped by the premise of the AU itself, Chloe isn’t pushing Chat Noir towards Marinette or Adrien towards Marigold or anything. I’m not even sure where you were aiming with that part of the comment.

Season 3 looks like we’re going back to that Chloe and it’s probably the only part of the new season that has been a little fun for me, but I also know that it’s the complete OPPOSITE of fun for Chloe stans and people hoping for her redemption, so let’s all keep on Chloe Watch to see what comes of it.

#she's my disappointing trash daughter #my feelings for Chloe are so freaking complicated #JUST LIKE HER CHARACTERIZATION BOOOOM!#ask zoe #ml salt #chloe salt

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saiangelo999 · 5 years

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2020 T.V Show Tracker

T.V. Shows

The Witcher

Started 2019 finished 2020. Click here for my thoughts.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Completed - I really enjoyed the episode with Pimento, that episode was just hilarious. I think that was one of my favourite episodes this season.

Self Made

It was very a enjoyable mini-series. Sarah's story is so fascinating and inspirational precisely because of how many hardships she had to deal with throughout her life. I enjoyed the show and learning more about Madam CJ Walker.

Interior Design Masters

This was a really fun show. I didn’t agree with everything that the judges said, but I definitely had fun watching the contestants renovate commercial and residential places. My favourite episode was when they worked on the stores (not restaurants). I really loved those transformations.

The Big Flower Fight

It was such a fun show! I really enjoyed watching how the contestants used plants to create beautiful and interesting topiaries/sculptures. I loved most of the contestants and was always looking forward to their take on each challenge!

Space Force

It was a fun show! Enjoyed watching it with my sister. :)

Hannibal

Re-visiting this show from the one or two episodes I watched back when I was in grade 12 and one of my teachers was promoting this show because her friend was an extra in it. But, I really am intrigued by the concept, the way the show is filmed is just so gorgeous for such a gory show and the plot is very fascinating. Anytime Hannibal feeds anyone I get a bit antsy. But Will Graham is just such an interesting character. I have high expectations of the show!

Update: Finished s1 and LOVED it! As I was binging s2 I started to get nightmares and also the plot started to move forward at a snail’s pace (imo) so I will put this show on hold for now.

The Umbrella Academy s2

So I really enjoyed this season of Umbrella Academy because I got to see more of Five kicking ass as a teenager, the character growth of BOTH Diego and Luther, seeing the entire family getting closer to Vanya and the general action sequences of the show. I enjoyed the new characters as well - Lila and The Swedes. I admit my memory of season 1 of this show is somewhat vague, but I found that the ending of the season (its climax to be precise in episode 10) to be somewhat lackluster considering the build-up.

I really enjoyed was seeing Klaus, Allison and Vanya deal with their respective subplots and that scene in the barbershop with the three of them bonding really was a highlight of the season. Also when (spoiler alert) Ben finally ‘died’ and went to the afterlife that scene was so well executed and emotional and has got to be one of my favorite moments of the season. It was nice to see him helping Vanya out.

The Haunting of Bly Manor

I loved this show! I grew to love these characters so much! I loved Hannah and Owen’s relationship so much.

The Haunting of Hill House

So, I read the book first and wanted to see what the hype was all about. I really enjoyed the little easter eggs to the book in the show, and that ONE SCENE with the ‘Bent-Neck lady’ gave me a nightmare... It was good, definitely an interesting take on the story.

Anime

The Disastrous Life of Saiki: Reawakened

I love how the show constantly shows us that Saiki will tolerate anyone for the sweet sweet coffee jelly. I need more of this show!! Please give me more episodes @Netflix.

Haikyuu!

I love it. I understand the hype now. I really enjoy how they show the lives of all the people in the show, the ‘extras’ on the team, the opponents and give us a glimpse into their lives and their stories. I finished season two and am looking forward to more! It’s honestly so hard to be rooting for just one person in this show and I love that. Finished 2 seasons so far. Will get back into it eventually. I’m honestly jealous that I can’t play volleyball rn.

Mob Psycho 100

This will probably take me a while to finish as I am planning to read it before watching it. It’s so so lovable. I love Mob and I would do anything to protect him. Also I really like Regen’s protectiveness and genuineness towards Shigeo. It’s just a great manga/anime. Finished season one. It is so addicting! I love Mob and Reigen so much! <3

Update: finished season two. Man watching this show makes my heart grow 5 x as big every time I watch it! It’s just so endearing, fun, comedic. I love how season two really just show’s Shigeo’s growth throughout the season. His speech to Shirazawa at the last episode and how it came full circle - loved it! I also was surprised by the red headed son (Ryu?) in the best way. I hope we see more of him in the next season. Can’t wait for more!

Fruits Basket season 2

Can’t wait for more crying. 🙃 I am really looking forward to seeing Yuki’s character development and his relationship with Machi and Kakeru developing. Also looking forward to seeing Momiji growing and more moments between Kyo and Tohru.

Update: Love seeing Yuki’s arc in the anime format. Seeing him reach out to his brother, Hatsuharu and the student council peeps and grow is so rewarding to watch. Looking forward to more and more Kyorhu. One wish is that, I wish with this season we could see Momiiji change physically a bit more but I’m holding onto hope for that near the end of the season.

March Comes in like a Lion/ 3-gatsu no Lion

It’s not my usual type of anime to watch as it is so slice-of-life, but in a weird way it really reminds me of My Roommate is a Cat except after I watch it I want to play chess or learn shogi. Of course, Rei has depression and a lot of issues he needs to work with, but the sisters are just so sweet and the moments that they show up to take care of him are so heartwarming. I love his self-proclaimed ‘best’ friend and rival - Nikaidou. I just really love how he’s drawn, his personality and when he shows up in the show it definitely perks me up. I really enjoy seeing him develop as a character and as a person. I am somewhat sympathetic to the plight of his foster sister but where I am in the show (finished s1) I absolutely loathe her. I really like seeing how many people are around Rei and watching him tackle life and grow. Looking forward to watching s2!

The animation is very interesting. One thing that I am not sure if it is deliberate or not is how the characters’ facial expressions (mostly the way the mouth is in close-ups) are drawn to me seems very ambiguous to me - I can’t quite understand what emotion is being conveyed.

Update: Started s2 and man the bullying storyline with Hina is so sad.

Teasing Master Takagi-san

DNF. Just started it randomly. It’s very cute.

The Great Pretender

I started it cuz it was short and seemed like fun. It has darker undertones than I expected going into it. On the Singapore storyline.

Wotaku

This was very short and binge-able. I liked it, it’s fun for what it is.

Dramas

Never Twice

So idk if I’ll actually keep up with this as it is a guilty pleasure atm. I just started it because I liked some of the tropes that the show had (found family, sweet male lead, baby being doted on etc.). I am enjoying the gifs of the show. The plot is very... boring and I do recognize that for the most part the female characters don’t have much intrinsic motivation or identity outside male characters...

05.2020 Update: DNF.

Crash Landing on You

I am really enjoying it so far. I really like that both the female leads are just very powerful and interesting on their own. Really like how the found family trope is being used. The romance is cute (a bit much at times imo). I still can’t get over how Captain Ri heard her suicide tape and just went ‘oh we are fated to be together’. That was... an interesting interpretation of the tape...

Also the whole thing with her being in N. Korea is hilarious and really the drama asks the viewer to really suspend disbelief to enjoy the show but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Update: Completed. Enjoyed it overall. Wasn’t the best drama I’ve ever seen but REALLY loved the female leads in the show. Seo Dan and her family are just SO adorable. Can’t believe Gu Suengjoon was killed just as his relationship with Dan became so cute. One qualm is that this show does the whole near death thing WAY too many times with the main couple for my taste.

365: Repeat the Year

Interesting premise and it has Nam Jihyun who I love. Looking forward to more and hoping it will keep my attention. I can’t believe that by episode 10 that the serial killer was revealed. I mean, I’m still invested in the show but that definitely caught me off-guard.

Finished it! I am really glad that they reduced the total amount of episodes because I felt that the ending was well done - not too rushed, not too out there (for the show). It was a very good ending for the show! I recommend it to anyone interested in a sci-fi/thriller. Overall, it was a fun time! Very engaging and would appeal to anyone interested in thrillers. I do have ONE gripe about the show which is a spoiler but it did not prevent me from enjoying the show.

Love with Flaws/ People with Flaws

Finished! I started it cuz of a random compilation I saw on Youtube with the show and the gifs of it here and there and it’s decent overall. I would say that out of the many kdramas I’ve seen in this genre, it does stand slightly apart from the rest because of how each character is portrayed. I feel like there were no overt archetypes for the characters and I especially liked how they portrayed characters relationships. I liked how the siblings’ relationships were portrayed, and I really ended up loving the female lead’s eldest brother. He’s just so sweet and kind and I love how he does his best to take care of their entire family. It was definitely sad to see at points knowing that Cha In Ha committed suicide, but his character in the show was just so well done and important! Also his boyfriend is literally so pure I love him. As usual Seulgi just makes me go 😍😍.

Nobody Knows 2020

It’s really good - very dark and bizarre. The shady foundation’s motivations are a mystery to me, but that hotel owner is a very interesting character. I will get back to it when I can handle more pain.

Update few months later: The twists and the turns though. Wow. I love all the children and how (so far) they are all portrayed as victims of circumstance. They are so sweet and I appreciate how Eun Ho, Dong Ryong and Min Sung’s relationships progress throughout the show. I’m also enjoying the character development of Sun Woo (the teacher/heir to the foundation). It’s also nice to see Cha Young-Jin begin to slowly open up. I’m enjoying the show a lot so far and am very intrigued by Baek Sang Ho’s group.

Final update: FINISHED it! Really loved this drama a lot. I love how all the characters are written so lovingly with so much depth to them. I liked the way the plot unraveled, I liked how all the relationships developed in the story, I loved the way forgiveness and morality were discussed. It was a really good drama and I am missing it already!

Chicago Typewriter

A re-watch. Man I love this drama. The three leads and their relationship is just adorable.

I hope that in Shin Yul’s world/afterlife or whatever they can be happy together. <3

Oh My Baby

I started this out because I was extremely bored and saw a few gifs of the show. It seems promising. Don’t have super high expectations of the show tbh. I do like the main couple though! They are adorable, nervously awaiting how it will conclude.

Update: Skipped a couple of episodes (4?) and went to the end. It ended up alright, very open ending and somewhat realistic. I’m glad the main characters were able to put their relationship above their disappointment in being infertile.

Strangers from Hell/ Hell is Other People

I really enjoyed it!! - If I were to recommend it to anyone I would recommend they go into it as blind as possible to enjoy it to the fullest.

So... I had no clue that this show was ONLY 10 episodes long, so imagine my surprise as the events that have been put to play begin to climax, I checked and was surprised that it wasn’t a 16 episode drama. Anyways, this drama had superb writing, directing, acting and fight scene choreography. Everything came together to really make this show have such a dark, creepy atmosphere that intensified as the episodes went on. I loved how the show portrayed how Yoon Joon Yoo/O’s mentality was tested to the breaking point. Tbh I thought he was slow in the beginning of the show (episode 1-2), but turned out that he did far better than his counterparts. I think that one thing that was a shame was they didn’t really show the strength of his relationship w his girlfriend too much before, and had they had more screen time as a couple I would have been even more invested in the story.

Mystic Pop-up Bar

Loved it! This was a really enjoyable show. The pacing was good, the story was interesting and I liked watching the characters relationships develop. It was heartwarming and a fun watch! I enjoyed the focus on various people’s stories showcasing all sorts of relationships.

It’s Okay Not to be Okay/ Psycho But It’s Okay

Put it on hold for now - watched up until episode 10-12ish.

Flower of Evil

The best kdrama of 2020 so far? Possibly. Love how it mixes being a thriller with the marital relationship aspect. One potential con is that it seems that the mystery aspect of the show for now seems fairly obvious but how the situations will be handled keeps me on the edge of my seat!! Also I totally did not expect such a strong marriage to be shown in a thriller drama! Also the way that Cha Ji Won is written is just chef’s kiss. I love how complex she is, how intelligent, kind, caring and so so good at putting things together. I love Hyun So’s family and I hope it ends with them staying together.

Update: Finished it! Not sure how I feel about the very last episode... but I can say I’m glad that Do Hae Su got some crumbs in terms of character development by the end. So glad she didn’t end up with Moo Jin and started a new life abroad. The amnesia plot was unnecessary imo, I would have rather seen more cute scenes of them together than angst in the last episode. But, it was interesting to see how the trial was revealed, and the Baek’s got way better than they deserved which is unfortunately realistic.

Lie after Lie

Plot sounded way more interesting in the synopsis vs the execution. Mediocre plot which I thought was easy to see through.

Eighteen Again

sort of dnf? I made it to epi 14 or so and just finished it in my head and through gifs. It had so much potential which I think it squandered... but there were some genuinely heart warming scenes from the show which I really enjoyed. (Siwoo and his dad bonding, all the scenes showing the mc as the nicest dude).

I don’t want to be friends with you

I really enjoyed the show. I liked how it portrayed the mother-daughter relationship, the differences in how they were raised and how Li Jing Bu was able to get the love she so craved through her dream?/journey. I liked how the romance was handled, how she gained such meaningful relationships during the show and how important it was to her that her mom was happy.

The Good Detective (2020)

I really enjoyed this show! It was really cool to see a show that critiques the corrupt systems they have in place and the unexpected consequences that it can have on people. I liked how it touched on themes of guilt, remorse, forgiveness and resilience. Also, it was interesting to see a guy who has all the money in the world choose to be a workaholic detective.

Part 2

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trinuviel · 6 years

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Winterfell’s Daughter. On Sansa Stark (part 10)

This is the 10th installment in my analysis of Sansa Stark’s narrative arc in Game of Thrones (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9). In this post I’ll primarily focus on episode 9 of season 2, titled Blackwater, which was written by George R.R. Martin himself. We’ve come to the conclusion of Sansa’s season 2 arc and this episode sums up all the relationships that Sansa has with various characters during the season: Joffrey Baratheon, Cersei Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, Shae and Sandor Clegane. It is also an episode that emphasizes Sansa’s kindness and bravery.

This is a really long so the rest is under the cut.

PREPARING FOR A SIEGE

The fleet of Stannis Baratheon has almost reached King’s Landing and the Lannisters are preparing for a siege. Sansa and Shae are in the throne room on Joffrey’s orders when they encounter Tyrion.

They engage in a short conversation where Sansa proves that she has mastered to politely express exactly what she thinks about any member of House Lannister.

Tyrion: Will you?

I love this exchange because this is a good example of Sansa using her courtesy as a lady’s armour. She is polite on the surface but anyone who can detect the subtext will know that she’s meaning the opposite of what she says. Tyrion is clever enough to understand her meaning as it isn’t difficult to realize that she holds little love for Joffrey. Tyrion may have been kind to her but he’s still a Lannister and he’s now actively working to keep Joffrey on the throne - the boy who had her father killed and who has his King’s Guard physically abuse her

Joffrey arrives and calls Sansa over to him. He commands Sansa to kiss his sword and then he crows about how he’s kill Stannis and make Sansa taste his blood - because Joffrey never fails be gross like that.

However, this exchange also shows us Sansa attempting to manipulate Joffrey into putting himself in danger during the battle. From the incident with Ser Dontos in ep01 Sansa has learned that the key to manipulate Joffrey is appealing to his overinflated ego. She saved Ser Dontos by stroking his ego, saying that he was clever to see that Dontos was a fool and that Joffrey should make him a jester as a punishment instead of killing him. Now she tries to manipulate him by goading his ego when she asks:

Joff (ill at ease): A king doesn’t discuss battleplans with stupid girls.

Sansa: I’m sorry, Your Grace. You’re right, I’m stupid. Of course you’ll be in the vanguard. They say my brother Robb always goes where the fighting is thickest. And he’s only a pretender.

She brings up the military prowness and personal bravery of her brother, knowing full well that Joffrey cannot stand anyone else looking better than him. All the while playing the role of the stupid girl that Joffrey thinks she is. Ironically, the joke is on Joffrey as he is too stupid to realize that Sansa is trying to manipulate him into putting himself into harm’s way.

After Joffrey leaves, Shae goes to Sansa and mentions that many of the boys that now go into battle will never come back. Shae is, of course, worried about Tyrion who is her lover though Sansa doesn’t know this. However, Sansa answers thusly:

This is such a sad statement because it shows how disillusioned Sansa has become and how defeated she has come to feel. The younger and more idealistic Sansa would have believed that evil would be punished and goodness rewarded. The world doesn’t always work this way and Sansa has realized that the hard way. However, sometimes even the monsters will fall but Sansa won’t experience this for quite some time.

A TOXIC MENTOR

After the conversations in the throne room, Sansa and Shae retreats to Maegor’s Holdfast where Queen Cersei and the women of the Red Keep has sought refuge during the battle. As soon as Cersei spots Sansa, she calls her over - and just before she joins Cersei, Sansa lets her true feelings be known to Shae.

Sansa: I don’t know why she [Cersei] wants me here. She’s always saying how stupid I am. She hates me.

Sansa: I doubt it.

Shae: Maybe she’s jealous of you?

Sansa: Why would she be jealous?

The notion of Cersei being jealous of Sansa is an interesting angle - and I do think that it has some merit. But what is it about Sansa that Cersei is jealous of? Is it her youth? Her beauty? Or that Sansa will be queen? I don’t think so. Rather it may very well be Sansa’s innocence and idealism, which has been shaped by her upbringing in the bosom of a happy, stable and loving family. This could explain the way that Cersei reacts when she sees Sansa praying with a group of women.

Cersei: What are you doing?

Sansa: Praying.

Cersei: You’re just perfect, aren’t you. What are you praying for?

Sansa: For the gods to have mercy on us all.

Cersei: Oh, all of us?

Sansa: Yes, Your Grace.

Cersei: Even me?

Sansa: Of course, Your Grace.

Cersei: Even Joffrey?

Sansa (hesitates before she begins to give her rote reply): Joffrey is my…

Cersei: Oh, shut up, you little fool.

Cersei is being sarcastic when she calls Sansa “perfect” but I also think that she’s a little bit jealous, especially since she then proceeds to tell Sansa about how her father told her that the gods don’t have mercy when she prayed after her mother’s death when she was a young child, revealing just one of the many ways that makes Tywin Lannister a shitty parent. This jealous streak may also be a reason why Cersei bullies Sansa. She constantly belittles her, calling her stupid and a little fool. Even the way that Cersei presses a reluctant Sansa to drink wine is a form of bullying.

The scenes between Cersei and Sansa during the siege are highly entertaining, mainly because Lena Heady really nails a slightly drunk Cersei airing her bitterness for all to see. Cersei dominates the scenes between her and Sansa in Maegor’s – she’s the one that holds the forth on her opinions and Sansa only answers when Cersei makes it clear she wants a response. This is also underscored by the camera work since the camera is mainly on Cersei whilst it only occasionally cuts to reaction shots of Sansa.

It is a bit difficult to write about from Sansa’s perspective because she comes off as rather passive. However, it is worth noting that Sansa doesn’t really want to be there and she certainly doesn’t want to spend time with Cersei so she’s very guarded and only reacts when prodded or shocked by Cersei. A good example is when Cersei suggests that a woman’s best weapon is between her legs.

Cersei: Have I shocked you, little dove?

This is Cersei acting as a toxic mentor to Sansa, doling out what she considers “wisdom”, such as making use of a weaponized sexuality. Another example of Cersei’s toxic mentoring is when she orders disloyal servants executed as an example to others who might think to leave the keep. Cersei follows the Tywin Lannister school of political thought, i.e. ruling through fear.

Cersei: The only way to keep the small folk loyal is to make certain that they fear you more than they fear the enemy. Remember that if you ever become a queen.

This is where the show falls short of the books because Sansa is so very guarded with Cersei and, unlike the books, the audience hasn’t access to Sansa’s private thoughts. She’ll never tell the queen that she thinks differently but the books makes it clear that she rejects Cersei’s toxic “wisdom”.

"The night's first traitors," the queen said, "but not the last, I fear. Have Ser Ilyn see to them, and put their heads on pikes outside the stables as a warning." As they left, she turned to Sansa. "Another lesson you should learn, if you hope to sit beside my son. Be gentle on a night like this and you'll have treasons popping up all about you like mushrooms after a hard rain. The only way to keep your people loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy."

"I will remember, Your Grace," said Sansa, though she had always heard that love was a surer route to the people's loyalty than fear. If I am ever a queen, I'll make them love me. (ACoK, Sansa VI)

There is, however, one moment where it appears as though Sansa subtly rebukes Cersei - and that is when Cersei bitterly laments that she’s forced to be shut up in the keep with all the frightened women. Sansa responds like this:

Here Sansa reminds Cersei that she has certain responsibilities as queen during a siege - to keep the women safe and their spirits up. She cannot afford a panic. However, Cersei bitterly responds:

Cersei: It was expected of me, as it will be of you if you ever become Joffrey’s queen. If my wretched brother should somehow prevail, these hens will return to their cocks and crow of how my courage inspired them.

During the scenes in Maegor’s Holdfast, Cersei belittles Sansa and delivers her own brand of toxic “wisdom”. However, she also abuses Sansa emotionally. First when she spells out what will happen to the women if the city falls, making sure to point out that Sansa would be a particularly delectable victim for the rapers:

Cersei: Do you have any notion of what happens when a city is sacked? No, you wouldn’t, would you? If the city falls, these fine women should be in for a bit of rape. Half of them will have bastards in their bellies come the morning. You’ll be glad of your red flower then.

Cersei: When a man’s blood is up, anything with tits look good. A precious thing like you will look very, very good. A slice of cake, just waiting to be eaten.

Now Sansa drinks unprompted because she’s scared. This is Cersei being outright cruel! This scene takes place not long after the Bred Riots where Sansa came very close to being raped – she still has an wound on her cheekbone from that attack. This is no longer about Cersei doling out her toxic womanly “wisdom”, this is Cersei emotionally abusing a traumatized young girl.

Later on, Cersei gets even more specific in her torment of Sansa when she lets the girl know that Ser Ilyn Payne will kill her if the city falls to Stannis’ troops.

Cersei: When I told you about Ser Ilyn earlier, I lied. Do you want to hear the truth? You want to know why he’s really here? He’s here for us. Stannis may take the throne, but he will not take us alive.

Cersei is directly threatening Sansa’s life here. I understand why Cersei doesn’t want to fall into enemy hands but she wants to take Sansa with her into death out of pure spite! Sansa would be an important hostage for Stannis and Cersei wants to deprive him of that. This is made particularly clear in the books:

"You heard me. So perhaps you had best pray again, Sansa, and for a different outcome. The Starks will have no joy from the fall of House Lannister, I promise you." She reached out and touched Sansa's hair, brushing it lightly away from her neck. (ACoK, Sansa VI)

Despite all this mental abuse it is Sansa that rises to the occasion when Lancel Lannister arrives to tell Cersei that the battle is lost. Cersei immediately abandons her responsibilites and leaves the women, who start to panic. This is where Sansa steps up and does what Cersei ought to have been doing: Keeping people calm! It is even more remarkable when you consider that most of these women have repeatedly stood silently by whilst they witnessed Sansa being physically abused. Sansa has no reason to care about these women and their fear – yet she steps up all the same – and remember that she has just been informed that Ser Illyn will murder her if the city falls and that is the exact news that Lancel brought. So, even when her very life is immediate danger, Sansa still takes the time to calm the fears of people that she has no reason to care about!

(She proceeds to lead them in singing the Mother’s Hymn)

Sansa, not Cersei, is the one that is acting the Queen here!

She shows herself to be both compassionate and brave since she’s probably even more afraid than anyone else in the room, knowing that she may very well lose her life at any moment because of Cersei’s orders.

“DO YOU WANT TO GO HOME?”

After having rallied the spirits of the women, Sansa leaves on the advice of Shae and locks herself into her chamber. This is also the first time that Sansa shows the strain she has been under as she leans against the door she has just bolted shut. Then she picks up the doll that Ned gave her in season 1. There’s something both beautiful and sad about her attachment to this doll. Once it was a reminder of Lady’s death, now it represents her last tangible link to her father and it has become a source of comfort to her.

However, her peace is quickly broken when she discovers that Sandor Clegane is hiding in her chambers. When she demands what he’s doing there, he answers that he’s leaving, perhaps going north. At this point everybody thinks that the battle is lost and Cersei has spent hours filling Sansa’s head with the potential threats of rape and death - and now she finds a notorious warrior hidden in her chambers. Frankly, it is amazing that Sansa isn’t a complete wreck by now.

Sandor: I can take you with me. Take you to Winterfell. I’ll keep you safe. Do you want to go home? (He walks towards her)

This exchange is so weird (she knows she isn’t safe) – because she’s just been filled with stories about getting raped and threatened with death but she doesn’t want to go with Sandor, even though we know she wants to go home. Obviously she doesn’t trust him but the show hasn’t really given us any reasons why she distrusts him (other than the fact that he’s a Lannister man). Neither has the show given any narrative motive for the Hound to show up in Sansa’s chambers (due to giving LF his dialogue in season 1. I have discussed this issue elsewhere). I honestly, think that this scene could have been completely cut without it mucking up any of the story lines.

Then Sandor suddenly lunges at her and she visibly flinches, so there’s an indication that she’s afraid of him.

Sandor: Look at me. Stannis is a killer. The Lannisters are killers. Your father was a killer. Your brother is a killer. Your sons will be killers someday. The world is built by killers. So you better get used to looking at them.

Sansa looks him in the eye, unflinchingly. All the while holding her doll, which makes her look very childlike and vulnerable.

Sansa: You won’t hurt me.

Sandor: No, little bird, I won’t hurt you. (He leaves)

IMO, this exchange is narratively superfluous since they already had the “all men are killers” conversation in ep07. I honestly don’t understand the point of this scene as it is written and I don’t know why this scene was written so differently from what it is like in the book. In the book it is clear that Sansa has cause to be afraid of the Hound since he physically assaults her:

"I could keep you safe," he rasped. "They're all afraid of me. No one would hurt you again, or I'd kill them." He yanked her closer, and for a moment she thought he meant to kiss her. He was too strong to fight. She closed her eyes, wanting it to be over, but nothing happened. "Still can't bear to look, can you?" she heard him say. He gave her arm a hard wrench, pulling her around and shoving her down onto the bed. "I'll have that song. Florian and Jonquil, you said." His dagger was out, poised at her throat. "Sing, little bird. Sing for your little life."

Her throat was dry and tight with fear, and every song she had ever known had fled from her mind. Please don't kill me, she wanted to scream, please don't. She could feel him twisting the point, pushing it into her throat, and she almost closed her eyes again, but then she remembered. It was not the song of Florian and Jonquil, but it was a song. Her voice sounded small and thin and tremulous in her ears. Gentle Mother, font of mercy... (ACoK, Sansa VII)

As said, I don’t know why this scene was written so differently from the source material and by GRRM himself no less! The showrunners are clearly not afraid of brutalizing Sansa as shown by the unnecessary and graphic near rape earlier in the season. Furthermore, a lot of viewers were confused as to why Sansa didn’t leave with the Hound since we’ve only seen him defend and rescue her in season 2. However, this scene does in fact contain a call back to a deleted scene that takes place immediately after the torturous dinner with Cersei in ep02.

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In this deleted scene Sansa is cornered by Sandor Clegane as she’s walking back to her chambers after spending an evening being emotionally tortured by Cersei. Not only does Sandor blatantly leer at her, he also talks about how she’s soon ripe for bedding and he physically intimidates her to the point of grabbing her, causing Sansa to cry out that he’s hurting her. He demands that she sings him a song and she looks at him defiantly, saying:

Sansa: You won’t hurt me.

However, Sandor doesn’t back off here. Instead, he grabs her again and shakes her, once again physically overpowering her.

It is Tyrion that finally puts a stop to Sandor’s abuse though Sansa does stand up for herself. However, she is terrified of the Hound, which comes across very clearly in the still photos from the scene.

If this scene had been included in the final cut of the episode, then the general audience might not have been as confused as to why Sansa chose not to go with Sandor. While he’d probably be able to keep her safe from others, it is very possible that Sansa would not have been safe from him.

The Lannister victory crushes Sansa’s dream of escaping her captors and putting an end to her abuse. However, Joffrey setting her aside as his betrothed in favour of Margaery Tyrell briefly lifts her spirit.

Yet Petyr Baelish immediately steps in to shatter this sense of relief and hope as he implies that Joffrey will still abuse her, both physically and sexually. Then he offers to help her get home (out of his “brotherly” feelings for her mother Catelyn).

I believe that this is the moment when Baelish starts to make his play to secure Sansa as a pawn, not only for his political ambitions but also for his personal obsession with her mother. After all, Catelyn violently rejected his advances at Renlyn’s camp and now he’s transferring his obsession with Catelyn onto her daughter. Baelish isn’t necessarily lying – Joffrey likes to torment Sansa - but he’s also deliberately scaring her, keeping her on an uneven footing all the while he’s also dangling the prospect of home in front of her. However, Sansa’s reply to him (King’s Landing is my home now) also shows that she doesn’t trust him. Interestingly, this scene is followed by a scene between Ros and Varys where it is explicitly stated that Baelish is a very dangerous man and thus the editing subtly suggests that he also represents a danger to Sansa.

Whilst Sansa and Baelish has interacted before, this is the moment when he enters Sansa’s narrative arc in truth and his character will stay entangled in her narrative for several seasons to come.

(GIFs and edits not mine)

#game of thrones #character analysis #sansa stark #winterfell's daughter #cersei lannister #shape #tyrion lannister #joffrey baratheon #sandor clegane

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