OK! THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVOURITE FLUFFYNIGHTKILLER HEADCANNON I'VE COME UP WITH.
My people, I love this and I hope you do. Its a long one, but I promise its worth it.
So ever since I read this head cannon from @yuriyuruandyuraart I've had one nagging thought.
Polygamous marriage is illegal.
So as much as I loved this story of them getting engaged, they couldn't ever get married, but I didn't wanna rain on everyone's parade so I kept it to myself. Until now!
While talking with @jann-the-bean I came up with this and Jan loved it! So I hope you guys do to.
So imagine that the 3 of them are going around telling their friends and family about their engagement, in the classic happy kind of way. It's all well and good, Dream is thrilled to find out his brother is so happy. However, then he realises the law and Dream pulls his brother aside.
Dream "Uhh Night...Can I talk to you?"
Nightmare "yeah?"
Dream "I'm so happy that you got engaged brother.."
Nightmare "........."
Nightmare "but?"
Dream "but..... But isn't Polygamous marriage illegal?"
Nightmare "......."
And that was the glass shattering moment. Dream wasn't trying to be cruel or anything like that. He was just generally concerned that Nightmare hadn't thought of that.
So later that night, Nightmare brought it up to his partners and of course both of them where upset when they remembered that law. So began a long talk about what they could do. In the end Ccino mostly just said that it didn't matter to him if they were married, so long as they were together. Since he's still just a small city boy, he didn't really see that there was to much they could do, he was content to just maybe have a ceremony where they promise to be life partners, but not marry.
Nightmare and Killer on the other hand were not satisfied with that.
That Night, when Ccino was asleep the two got to talking. I like to think that over the years that Nightmare and Killer have become icons for the poly community, much like Elton Jon is one for the gay community. The two of them decided that they were going to use this to fight for the right to marry each other.
It started small. Posts on social media, comments in interviews. They started speaking out that they should be allowed to be wed. Because they loved each other and the law shouldn't stop them. There where online polls and campaigns as their fan base who had been a huge fan of the throuple started to back them up.
This is when Ccino became alerted to what they were doing. He was scared that they could damage their reputations and careers over this. He told them that he wasn't worth everything they were risking. That if they really wanted to get married, the two of them could and he'd just keep being their boyfriend.
They told him no and then lovingly told him to shut up and they would take care of it.
So began the start of a long legal battle, which all together spanned about 2 years. From when they first started talking about it online, to when the find judgment was made. They were denied.
In the end the court ruled that if polygamy was legalised, it would cause alot of issues. Its a taboo for a reason, and some people would just abuse it for their own gain.
Both Killer and Nightmare were heart broken. Ccino told them that he was so proud of them for trying and that he loved them more then ever. But Killer and Nightmare were still really upset.
This upset Ccino, because he'd seen how hard they had worked and as he thought over everything, he realised that he was actually irritated himself. In fact, he was a little angry. So now it was his turn to say No.
Ccino "you know what? No!"
Killer "what?"
Ccino "they said they couldn't legalise it because people would abuse the system"
Nightmare "yeah?"
Ccino "well I say No! That doesn't apply to us. You aren't some guy who wants a bunch of wives. We are 3 people who all love each other equally. We should have the right to marry"
Killer and nightmare "........"
Killer "we thought you said that you were ok with it"
Ccino "I'm not. Of course I'm not! I want to marry you both! "
So this prompted them to start a new campaign. If Polygamy couldn't be legalised for everyone, then they was campaign for the court to give the 3 of them legal right to marry. If a man could get the rights to marry himself (true story) and a women could be granted the right to marry a building (again, true story) then the 3 of them should be granted permission to marry.
So they took it back to court and this time Ccino took a more active roll in it, though Nightmare and Killer were more dominant. Ccino appeared with Nightmare and Killer in some interviews, but even if his mental health was much better at this point, he still couldn't fully handle all the pressure. But he put in a lot of work behind the scenes to help his partners in the case.
They Luckily still had the support of the public. They argued that they didn't want to abuse the system, they didn't want to have the bunch or wives or a bunch of husbands. They were 3 people who all loved each other deeply and just wanted to be married to each other.
Imagine the judge in court asking them why they wanted to make it legal to marry Ccino and why they couldn't just date him. And Killer just stands up like.
"dude have you seen him!? Who wouldn't want to make that fluffy marshmallow their husband?"
Then as Jan said this leaves poor Ccino (who is sat next to him) just a blushing mess and he says “Killer, don’t be so loud it’s embarrassing..”
Meanwhile, nightmare staring the judge dead in the eyes.
“I agree he’s to adorable not to marry, I mean if we don’t marry him someone else may try to steal him. And I refuse to let that happen”
(thanks for these ideas Jan)
After another 2 years or so of fighting for it. After all the public backing and the long process. Killer, Nightmare and Ccino are finally granted the right to marry.
Just imagine Nightmare trying to keep composed in court, though his having a little party in his head, and Killer on the other hand just stand on his table in court like.
"yes! Ha!"
Then he points at Ccino "guess what fluffy buns! We are marrying you!"
Ccino is so shocked, but he's also so happy. He truly never would have dreamt of this happening.
The moment that Nightmare, Killer are handed over the legal documents, they don't waste a moment, they grab Ccino and jump straight into their car. Then they drive straight to Las Vegas to elope not stopping to change or pack any clothes or anything, because they don't want to wait a second longer.
Of course Ccino gets super flustered at their suggestion to elope.
Ccino "get m-married right now!? But don't you want to wait? And have some big celebrity wedding? You mentioned it before"
Nightmare "nope"
Killer "we've been engaged for over 4 years, we want to put a ring on it right now!"
Nightmare "we don't need a big wedding, or all that stuff. We just need you to say I do"
Nightmare and Killer "so... Will you?"
Ccino "......"
Ccino "YES!"
(though maybe they stopped to pick up dream on the way. Nightmare probably knows that Dream would kill him if he missed his wedding.)
So the 3 were married in a small Chapel. Nothing fancy, but for them it was perfect. They all agreed that they would probably host a proper reception and ceremony for their friends and family to attend later. But for now, they didn't need that, they just needed to be married. It was a very small simple thing.
They probably stayed in a Vegas hotel that night. Probably had some time to celebrate. I just imagine Killer waking the two of them up the next morning with breakfast he'd ordered like:
"Good morning Husbands"
And he just can't keep the smile off his face.
About a year later they have a more formal ceremony. Which of course is super fun. But for them it doesn't change that fact that their actual wedding was truly perfect.
And dam I just love those 3. Jan was the one who wanted me to share this with you guys and I really hope you like it as much as me.
Dam it Dream XD
BTW, I know this most likely isn't fully realistic to what the legal system is like, but give me a break. I’m not a lawyer, I’m a shipper. Its fiction, just let me have it.
studio verse by @zu-is-here
original nightmare by jokublog
original killer by rahafwabas
original ccino by black-nyanko
Oh and @kotikaleo I'm sorry I forgot to tag you! You always as to be tagged in this stuff. Sorry idk if you saw it
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This is part two of a hella big post. Check out part one here. These are all a lot more recent, so I'm gonna try to be less spoilery, but there are gonna be some.
A not-so-brief history of Hawkeye in Comics Part Two (spoilers below the cut)
A note on events, dying and doubling down on Hawkeyes
Comics love doing big events, and I'm not covering them in here. Partly because they are huge and complex and to just focus on Hawkeye would be an injustice to the stories, but also because the amount of stuff I would need to spoil would be way beyond just a little Hawkeye. Clint was involved in Secret Wars (1984), which was one of the first crossover events of its kind. Another notable era is 2004-2009, where there is an incredible amount of superhero politics driving big narratives. If you're new to comics, you might not know that characters dying is common and rarely permanent. This is relevant because while I said that I wouldn't talk about events, I think it would be pretty uncool to not mention that Hawkeye dies and is brought back to life (Avengers Disassembled, House of M, New Avengers #26). It's around here that Clint picks up the Ronin mantle.
This is also when Dark Reign/Dark Avengers is going on. For anyone who'd like some Clint whump from this era, there's a top notch naked torture scene in New Avengers Annual (2009). Clint is involved in several other big events and crossovers over later years, but that's definitely a seperate list.
In the time where Clint is dead, Captain America is hanging out with a group of newly formed Young Avengers, including archery badass Kate Bishop. Cap suggests to her that she take up the Hawkeye mantle and gives her Clint's old bow. After Clint returns, he becomes initially her mentor, before they form a very close friendship. Clint is initially doing Ronin things, but even when he lays down ninja robes, they decide to be very Hawkeye about the whole thing and both keep calling themselves Hawkeye, despite the obvious confusion this causes.
Hawkeye's ears: Hawkeye vs. Deadpool #0-4 (2014)
This is a fun little miniseries that you could treat as a Halloween special if you so desired. It's set in the time after Fraction's run and there are a few callbacks, but nothing major if you've not read that. Clint is a little short-tempered and hypermasculine in this run for my personal taste, but it's got lots of grumpy Clint Vs sassy Wade while they vaguely attempt to team up. The thing this run does really well is Clint's deafness, despite the lack of visible hearing aids. There are comments around lip-reading, wearing aids when wearing other headgear, there's some sign language, and this is the run where Deadpool pulls his mask up so Clint can lipread and see his face while he signs (facial expressions are really key in sign language). It's lovely. Otherwise the run gives you a Kate cameo, some Deadpool and Hawkeye disaster/shenanigans, and perhaps most importantly, the return of the skycycle.
Key background: All New Hawkeye #1-6 (2015)
This run is often overlooked, but the art in the flashbacks is beautiful. We get some key information around Clint and Barney's abusive home situation - with their dad who drank and beat them, and how they ended up in care after their parents died, and subsequently their early days in the circus. There is a definite shift in how Barney is characterized as a bad influence compared to the 2003 run. It parallels with the rest of the arc which focuses on Clint and Kate Bishop working together to get some kids out of a very bad situation. The rest of Lemires run is a little weird and has no major repurcussions for anyone except Barney (which I won't elaborate on because it's relevant to the Fraction run).
Back to your roots: Tales of Suspense #100-104 (2017)
Seeing Clint cycle back and return to Tales of Suspense is really lovely. This comic is one of my all time favourites. It's incredibly tight story-telling with a great plot and really fun dynamic. The premise is Clint and Bucky teaming up to figure out the body trail being left after Black Widow's death. Clint is obnoxious and a delightful mess, Bucky is sporting a permanent scowl and is hilariously level-headed. It's a lot of fun and it's a lovely build on the tension and teamwork between these two idiots (who I, as an avid Winterhawk shipper, am completely gone for, but even without that, this is a great comic.) It also has some killer covers, and the facial expressions are absolutely hilarious.
Hawkeyes together: Hawkeye #13-16 (2017) and West Coast Avengers #1-10 (2018)
The Hawkeye run is Kate Bishops run and it has a larger continuing storyline that runs from the beginning of her Hawkeye and way into WCA, but I've listed the issues that you'll want for Kate and Clint shenanigans, and you should be able to catch up without the rest if you don't want it. These comics are ridiculously fun, especially West Coast Avengers, which has Kate leading the team this time. There's loads of jokes, and it strikes a nice balance between Hawkeyes being disasters and being hyper competent. Truthfully, this is Kate's show, and Clint takes a backseat, but their dynamic is killer here so I think is deserves a mention. There are also plenty of Clint related wardrobe malfunctions and Lucky the Pizza Dog is around.
Our most recent boy: Hawkeye freefall #1-6 (2020)
I haven't read this one yet, but it's been extremely well received by the fandom. As a result, good news: no spoilers! It's a short run, which may have had something to do with it being published during 2020, and specifically around a time when Marvel were experiencing some major distribution issues (which would have led to digital release only and as a result lower sales), but that's all guesswork because I haven't actually researched it. This run has someone dressing as Ronin and letting Clint take the blame for their nefarious deeds (oh no!). Clint makes some classic Clint (read: dumpster fire) decisions, and the art looks fun and vibrant. Can't really give you more without reading it myself 😅 If you need more Clint still, he's also rumoured to be knocking around in the 2020 Black Widow run, but I've not had the money to get my mitts on that yet either.
Notable AUs:
Marvel is a big fan of throwing a well known cast into an alternative universes, so there are a few other places to look for him.
The Ultimates universe was largely speaking a bit of a shitshow, but they did give us a very dark and gritty Clint, so if that's your jam, ultimate hawkeye is the place to be. Old Man Hawkeye appears alongside Old Man Logan, and they are both, you guessed it, old. It's not the only time we get Clint as a wrinkly dude (the second half Lemire's run also has some timey-wimey stuff happening), but this is a version of Clint who is going blind (granted we've seen that before too, but this is a darker vibe than Blindspot). Wanna know who the greatest marksman is without his sight - old man Hawkeye for you! Finally there's the Zombie 'verse: zombie Clint is a little confused, but he's got the spirit. Clint got zombiefied and then left in some rubble as only a head for 40 years before getting picked up, so he's a little worse for wear. If you need that in your life then Marvel Zombies is your universe. For a full rundown of all the universes including animated and MCU, click here.
Notable aliases:
Clint's been a few other people than Hawkeye in the 616 universe (the main Marvel Comics universe). He used one of Hank Pyms growth serums and became a giant strongman in Avengers #63 (1969) and stuck around in his Goliath form for more than a few issues. After Cap had died, Clint returned from the dead and tried on Captain America for all of one issue in Fallen Son #3 (2007). He decided (with a little help from Kate) that it wasn't right to wear the uniform, which in turn led to some interesting tension between him and Bucky Barnes when Buck did become the new Captain America. Finally, there's his most well-known alternate persona: Ronin. Clint becomes Ronin after returning from the dead, wanting a break from his Hawkeye persona and an opportunity to become Ronin arises in New Avengers #27 (2007). Clint is not the only person to have used these aliases. Additionally, Hawkeye has been used not only by Clint and Kate Bishop, but also by Bullseye during the Dark Reign.
The things we haven't talked about
Like I said at the very beginning, there is a lot of Clint Barton knocking around in comics and even with all this there's a lot of content I haven't focused on. For instance, I've not talked a lot about his relationships, beyond his marriage to mockingbird (and really I only scratched the surface with that), and honestly once you start getting into interpersonal relationships we're starting to move on from what can be done in a Tumblr thread.
There are also some topic specific threads floating around, which you might like to look at too.
@vaguelyrotten has done a run down of some great dumpster fire Clint Barton comics (some of which I haven't listed) and you can see that here.
@bobbimorses did a great summary of Clint's historical deafness for instance which you can find here.
There's also this little bit all about Clint and Bucky in canon (thanks to @nightwideopen ) and how Winterhawk became a thing (thanks to @1000-directions )
This is slight sidenote, but @clintscoffeepot did a really great comprehensive of Fraction Clint's apartment which is just a really useful writing resource and you can get that here.
There is also this website which I stumbled across fairly far into writing this post which does actually look like it might be comprehensive.
If I've missed anything major, or listed something incorrectly or you just have some Clint related opinions that I need to know about, do hit me up.
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RNM 2x13 - Mr. Jones
EPISODE SUMMARY:
SEASON FINALE — Having realized that a deadly threat has infiltrated CrashCon, the busiest event of the year, Liz (Jeanine Mason) realizes that she can’t save everyone she loves — and with Max (Nathan Dean) facing immediate danger, she and Isobel must make a heart-wrenching choice. Meanwhile, Michael (Michael Vlamis) finds himself caught up in the conflict between Jesse (Trevor St. John) and Alex (Tyler Blackburn) once again, even as Maria’s (Heather Hemmens) life hangs in the balance elsewhere, and Kyle (Michael Trevino) faces a moral dilemma when the enemy requires medical attention. Jeffrey Hunt directed the episode written by Christopher Hollier & Carina Adly MacKenzie (#213). Original airdate 6/15/2020.
DETAILS:
The episode opens with Isobel trying to hold back the fire. They don't actually show Rosa convincing Liz to go stop the explosion. But she runs up to Isobel and explains her science:
"I have to activate the ingredients first, but once I introduce my solution to the system it should kill the cellular matrix."
Liz literally squirts the console with her "solution".
Rosa is doing CPR on Max and praying. Max wakes up just as Kyle runs up. Immediately Max directs Kyle to Flint instead of himself. It's interesting. When Max previously killed with his hand, in 1x06, he instantly knew that he killed the drifter. This time he wasn't sure (and he didn't. We eventually learn). Rosa and Kyle take Flint to the hospital.
Meanwhile Helena is saving Charlie's life.
"Jesse Manes was the only one supposed to get hurt."
Which is...not what happened. Jesse, Flint, Max, Maria...even Liz got hurt. She burned her hand on the console.
Maria is being rolled into the hospital. She got there really really fast. Cam is by her side.
Liz is still squirting her solution onto the console. It turns red. Liz asks Isobel to get people away but Isobel refuses to leave Liz alone.
Jesse, Greg, Michael, and Alex are still mid-standoff.
"Gregory, listen. You and I have had our differences in the past, but you should stand with me now."
"You're not well, Dad."
Jesse hits Gregory with the atomizer and appears to knock him out. He tries to shoot Michael, but Alex tackles him.
"Guerin, get the atomizer! Get it away from my brother!"
"Alex, I can't."
Jesse gets the upper hand in the fistfight with Alex and steals Alex's gun. Turns to shoot Michael again.
Liz makes more solution and squirts more of it on the console. This time it starts to crack. Isobel pulls Liz to safety and the console shrivels and dies.
The dying console just doesn't work as well in still form, so @maxortecho giffed it for me! Thank you!! 😘
Max runs up to them.
"You disabled it. You saved everyone."
"Is Flint dead? Did you kill him?"
He looks at Liz with some heavy heart eyes for her being the hero. She looks at him with fear.
Back to the Maneses and Michael. Jesse has a gun on Michael. Michael has the atomizer.
"Drop it, Guerin. Drop it!"
There's a gunshot. Jesse Manes falls and Michael has blood on his face. Gregory shot Jesse from behind.
"I should have defended you from him a long time ago."
"There are no more Manes men left."
Jesse dies.
Indeterminant time jump. Liz is late for work.
"Sorry, Javi. I just...I haven't really been sleeping."
"You've said that every day since CrashCon. You still having nightmares? …Did you read the papers this morning."
"Oh, I've kind of been trying to avoid the papers."
"Did you hear about that veteran who died at the carnival? They're going to have a parade, build a statue. Did you know he was disabled?"
Customers at the counter are discussing CrashCon:
"The CrashCon discourse is saying aliens invaded and killed the guy."
"That should be good for tourism."
"Newspaper said it was smoke inhalation though."
"He was making sure all the kids got out safely and the smoke overwhelmed him."
"We need more people like him."
Soooo much to unpack here. And most of it is addressed by Helena and Rosa's exchange at the end of the episode. But the big question to me is… who is spreading the rumors and covering this up? Is it Flint? Is he even well enough to take the lead on that? Is it someone else with Project Shepherd that we haven't met? The mayor? I mean, Jesse was shot! There was a lot of blood! Plus, remember what happened in 1x11 and 1x12: it's a small town. People notice gunshots.
Liz goes to take a table's order and, surprise! It's Diego. Who had gone back to Denver after CrashCon. He brought Dr. Margot Meyerson to Roswell to meet Liz.
Michael is visiting Maria at the hospital:
"What are you doing?"
"Oh they cut your bracelet off during surgery. How are you? You look better."
"Liz has been dropping by every day to inject me with witch serum."
"Ooh the synthetic nucleotide excision repair genomogenate? We're lucky you're only part alien, otherwise there wouldn't have been enough left of you for her to save."
"Listen, do you think you could use your telekinesis to open this box? Mimi left it when she visited. It's a family heirloom, but she forgot the key."
"Mimi hasn't exactly been leading you in the right direction lately. Her psychic visions led you toward a bomb instead of away from it. Seeing you like that -- all sick and pale and quiet -- I started praying."
Max and Isobel are at Max's house. Isobel is studying the photos of the console and alien symbols.
"I wish I understood why Louise and Nora would spend a year building an alien weapon of mass destruction."
"I don't think it was a bomb. I think it's a communication device. It's like a remote, you know, it just happens to be combustible."
"Are you mad at me, Max? Did I do something wrong? Is it that we're not related, or are you upset about the abortion? Because I…"
"Whoa, hey, God no."
"Because you're not talking to me."
"You're not the only one. I didn't want everyone to worry, you know, 'cause I've been taking some of Liz's antidote. And things are coming back to me. Little flashes, sort of, mostly. Like vague memories."
"Michael said that you kind of zoned out when you touched that alien bomb...remote thing. Did it trigger a memory?"
"When I touched the console, I heard whispers that I could almost understand. All right, it's like the same with those symbols. I mean it's like their meaning is just beyond reach. Except for one word. I took this from Graham Green's display at CrashCon. See that? It's an aerial photo of some crop circles from Roswell in 1948. This farm belonged to a guy called Jones. Pretty sure it says savior... This is my name. Maybe that means you and Michael's parents weren't the only ones that survived the crash. Right, maybe I had a family too. You know, maybe my mom was just across town."
"Max. I really wish that you could just focus on the present. You know, I mean, as a recently deceased man, I really feel like you should be enjoying the simple pleasures in life, you know, like reading nerdy books, the smell of leather, and that feeling when you wake up before your alarm and the person you love is still asleep and they're kind of snoring a little bit. It's like the best thing that ever happened to you. Stuff like that."
"I want all those things too. But I feel like if I only know half of myself, I'm only half living. And I know you understand that, Iz, because I've watched you this year become your entire self. And it is so beautiful. Okay, I am not at all mad at you. Are you kidding me? I am so proud of you. I am so proud that you're my sister."
Michael and Alex in the shed. For all that the shed is such a key location in this show's canon this is the first time we've seen it since 1x06.
"Maria made me bring food over. I gave it to Gregory. Seems to be holding up okay."
"Everything my family touches turns to crap. My dad used to talk about how my Grandpa Harlan built this she'd with his bare hands when he was, like, seventy. For a long time it was my safest space. And the one night my dad destroyed it."
"You're right. This place sucks."
Michael and Alex start destroying the shed. In the next scene Michael breaks a floorboard revealing a skeleton. The skeleton is wearing dog tags, so Alex grabs them. In his shirt pocket Michael spots and grabs the key to Maria's box. The tags say Eugene Manes III. So this is Tripp's body. Which confirms for Alex that his grandfather killed Tripp.
Max and Liz are walking in the plaza.
"I don't understand the violence, Max. Flint could have had brain damage given how long he wasn't breathing. You risked your life to hurt him and he had already thrown the weapon away, Max, so why? I can't get that image out of my head. You trying to kill Alex's brother."
"I know. I snapped. Last year Noah told me that we were energized by killing and not by healing. Even then I knew he was right. I… Obviously I can usually fight that, but I guess this time my better angels just didn't show up."
"We have to stop keeping secrets from each other, Max. There's a scientist in town. She's a supervisor at Genoryx. She has a job for me in California. She's offered to sponsor my dad's citizenship. And it could put me in a position to help Rosa too. I mean, I'd be able to do a lot of good with the grant money they're offering, and I know that all sounds too good to be true, but…"
"It sounds like someone finally realizes how valuable your mind is."
"I think that a change of scenery will be so good for us. I mean, we could get a place by the beach and you could write."
"You want me to come with you?"
"Of course I do."
"Well, I mean, I just told you I have this killer instinct, and you want me to come to California with you."
"We'll figure it out. Okay? We'll figure all of it out together. Run away with me, Max Evans?"
"Anywhere."
Max goes to see Cam at work. She picks on him for getting arrested and has his mugshot as her desktop background because friends!
Max asks about Charlie.
"Yeah she texted me from a burner phone that she was all right and then she vanished again."
Max tells her that he has a doctor's appointment and then asks her to do some undercover work for him.
Michael visiting Maria at the hospital.
"So Alex thinks Harlan found out that Tripp was an alien sympathizer all that time and he offed him."
"So Mimi must have known that you would find it. That's why she left the box. Look, I know you don't trust my mom's visions, but I was the only one who could grab that atomizer and run with it. If it had been you, you'd be dead."
Maria takes off the bracelet.
"What are you doing? Maria, that prevents brain damage."
"I'm only part alien, but it is a part of me. Even if it's dangerous I can't just turn off a piece of myself."
"So I'm supposed to sit around helpless as you fade away? Maria, I cannot watch you disappear. I love you."
"I love you too."
"So can we just let this go?"
"You have it wrong. Mimi hasn't disappeared. Yes she can be inconvenient, she can make people uncomfortable, but maybe she's supposed to be an uncomfortable inconvenience that saves lives. And now I need to be inconvenient, and I don't want to be someone that hurts you. I think that we should find out what's next, apart from each other."
"Wait, so you think that if we break up, I'm gonna be able to stop caring about you?"
"I learned so much, being with you. You sacrificed yourself without hesitation when Alex needed you."
"I would have done the same for you."
"I know. I don't doubt your capacity for love, 'cause you made me so happy this year. And I loved being someone that made you happy. I just think that we should leave it be, before I wonder if someone else could make you happier. Open the box, Guerin. Let's see what comes next.
Skip forward to the Crashdown where Michael has the box in a booth with Alex and Isobel. He opens the box and pulled out a journal, which they in turn read aloud.
I did a separate post on the journal's content and the Tripp and Nora flashbacks here:
Kyle visits Steph in the hospital
"What do you think will happen?"
"What do you mean?"
"When I die, idiot."
"You know, Socrates thought that death was a blessing, because only one of two things could happen. Either consciousness ceases, and it's like falling into a dreamless sleep. Or you go to where all who have died before you have gone. Your loved ones, people you admire. If you lived a good and just life, you will be surrounded by goodness and justice, in a place without fear. Sorry. I thought a lot about this when my dad passed, so I…"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I'm putting you through this again."
"No...I want to be here."
Liz interrupts them. She clearly wasn't expecting Kyle to be there and comments on Max's appointment. Kyle gets up to leave.
Diego and Margot are talking in the Wild Pony:
"I was very impressed with her work when we first pursued her, but when I met her today, not so much."
"Why? 'Cause she had a little ketchup on her uniform?"
Undercover!Jenna staggers up to them and spills her drink on them, tells Margot that she's beautiful, and plants a listening device.
"Anyway I think we should move on."
"Okay, wait a sec. Liz has been working on something recently, but she signed this NDA. Although I guess she can't be blamed if we took a peek, you know? Without permission."
The line that will haunt me for the next year. Kyle to Max while showing him what appears to be chest X-rays.
"You know what I'm saying here, right Max?"
Cameron calls:
"You were right. It is too good to be true. Diego just told some woman he can get her access to Liz's lab. He must have followed her there."
"Well, there's a security system."
"The way he's talking, it sounded like Diego's pretty certain he can get access. They just left here, Evans. You need to tell Liz to get anything incriminating out of there - now."
Max arrives at the lab and immediately sees that the security system was manufactured by Genoryx. He uses his powers to break the system and get into the lab. He quickly searches through all of Liz's records and then pours what appears to be gas or lighter fluid or some other flammable substance all over the place and then uses his powers to set a fire.
He listens to the notes on Liz's recorder, which by the way has 22 minutes of recording on it. Some of what we hear:
This is my record of the dissection of specimen NB.
... immunoglobulin harvested from alien DNA can be transferred to a human recipient.
Commence dissection of the dorsal side of the spinal nerve.
I hypothesize that the female specimen's plasma…
Bracken's seminal cells indicate a pH level double that of a human counterpart.
I'm now extracting the grey matter to measure alien voxel signals.
Note that Max doesn't seem to have any chest pain this time when he uses his powers.
Right as Diego and Margot show up the lab explodes.
Max comes home to find Michael and Isobel waiting for him. He's clearly exhausted and upset after the lab.
"Can whatever this is wait until tomorrow?"
"Jones? That's the guy who grew the crop circles in the shape of my name."
"Nope. We spent the day reading Tripp Manes' journal. Caffeinate, Max... Okay, so, when I asked Sanders about this photo of Nora, he said he didn't know whose hand this was. He was all, Mr. Bernhardt, Mr. Jones, Old Man Gibbons. Could've been anybody."
"Ten points to Hufflepuff."
"So in October '48, Nora decided not to finish building the ship with Louise. She decided to go to the reservation with Tripp."
"But then little Walt convinced her to go to the fall festival, where after successfully avoiding him for a year, she finally ran into the alien stowaway who had crashed the ship. He'd been masquerading as a farmer."
"Mr. Jones."
"Tripp saw Jones approach Nora, and he recognized him from the night of the crash, but he didn't have a chance to ask Nora about it before Harlan called for a raid on the farm."
"Yeah. And after the massacre, Jones was never heard from again. Crop circles were all that was left."
"If you were in hiding, why would you grow corn in the shape of an alien symbol?"
"Maybe they just grew that way. It's the same way that this symbol just shows up everywhere, you know?"
Michael reveals his tattoo and it's the first time Max has seen it.
"Wait, when did..?"
"Oh, I got it when we weren't sure if you were coming back. It didn't feel like it was ever gonna be the same again."
"All right. There. Now can we all cowboy up and focus, please? Let's feel our feelings after we've solved the mystery of the unknown alien. After the raid on the farm, Nora was held by Project Shepherd."
Note...not actually accurate. Michael didn't get the tattoo until Max was out of surgery.
See Journal and Flashbacks post for the flashback.
Jenna and Charlie reunite. Relevant quote to remember:
Liz and Rosa find the destroyed lab. Liz sees the fractal burn that indicates that Max is the one that destroyed it.
"I fought so hard to become who I am, and I just trade her in every time I get scared? No. I don't want to be on the run anymore."
Back to Max's house:
"Whatever happened to that thing that she and Louise were building out in the desert? I mean, did she ever tell him where it was or what it was?"
"Nope. And when Tripp asked Louise about it, she was silent."
Liz walks in and interrupts.
"Why'd you do it, Max?"
They go into the bedroom to fight.
"I'd been asking you for weeks to clear out that lab, okay? I knew it wasn't safe."
"Alex installed a military-grade security system."
"A system designed by Genoryx, okay? Diego could have hacked it. He could already know everything."
"And his nefarious plan is to what? Set us up with a condo in L.A.? Give my family a second chance?"
"Okay, I have a family to protect too."
"Yes, and you could have stopped Diego without destroying a year of my work!"
"I had to act fast."
"So your first instinct was to go with the one method that would break my heart?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about your heart when I'm staring at jars with Noah's liver and his brain. I mean, what else did you harvest from us, Liz?"
"Those are just cells. I wasn't hurting anyone. I don't know what you thought love was gonna be like when we were 17, but it isn't just sunsets and horseback rides."
"You can't put this all on me. Okay you were sneaking around behind my back…"
"I apologized. I stopped. Max, you died this year. I was all alone because of a choice that you made, but still every single thing I did was for you and about you and with you. So when you were back, when I could finally touch you. When I could finally breathe. I needed to take just one moment to remember where I end and where you begin. To just be whole in who I am. I am a scientist. I am fighting for something that is bigger than me. I am trying to leave this world a better place. And I am in love with you. And right now, I hate it."
Liz leaves and Max takes another dose of the antidote.
Time jump. No idea how long or what has happened in between. Liz and Rosa on the Crashdown roof saying goodbyes.
"Dad is checking your oil and making sure you have enough chile...also you left this in our room. Mom's been texting."
"Trying to come up with a better response than, go duck yourself… You should come with me. The Ortecho sisters take California."
"I wish. But I can't. I'm going back to rehab tonight. I want to see the program through. Sorry."
"Don't be. It's the best possible thing you could have said."
"You know… Max should be your road trip buddy. You love him. You're gonna forgive him. Besides, we both know if you try to leave town without him again, he's just gonna show up with some big, grand romantic gesture to stop you."
Open mic night at the Pony. Alex and Kyle have a drink together.
"So how does it feel to have your father's murder officially avenged?."
"Feels like my dad's still dead. Flint should be okay. He'll live to become the new Jesse Manes."
"No he won't. I'm not gonna let it happen."
"After everything you still believe in redemption?"
"Well, I have a pretty good example of it right in front of me."
Alex sings his song. Michael, Isobel, Greg, and Forrest are all there listening.
Flash to Kyle going to Steph's hospital room. The bed is empty...because she's up doing her makeup, her hands steady.
"Your hands are better. Did they give you morphine?"
"I woke up this morning feeling incredible. Look at my chart. My numbers are up. It's a miracle."
"Or just really good science."
Liz is preparing to leave, her suitcase beside her in the empty Crashdown as she stands at the juke box one last time. Kyle runs in.
"What you did was reckless. And dangerous. And unethical, Liz. Thank you."
Back at the Wild Pony, Michael watches Forrest listening to Alex sing. He turns to leave. Isobel tries to stop him.
"It's a sad story, me and Alex. I have to walk away so we can start a new one someday. It's not our time right now."
"But it will be."
"I think so."
Rosa walks up to a bar. She hesitates before going in, her hands shaking.
Liz buckles into her car, ready to leave. She looks in the rearview window and waits. She's clearly expecting Max to come. But he's at home studying his alien symbols. She gives in and pulls away, leaving Roswell. Her season ends with her looking out over the ocean.
Alex finishes his song and Greg and Forrest are still there and are proud of him.
"Well, damn. How do you feel?"
"Like I just sang a song about a guy in front of a bunch of cowboys, and...I don't care."
"Oh, lucky guy, with a song like that."
"Yeah it was a long time ago…can I?"
Alex and Forrest kiss.
Rosa walks into the bar. Helena is there.
"If you came to tell me what I did wrong, your sister already texted."
"Did you get what you wanted, Mom? Is your score finally settled?"
"No. I wanted everyone to see Jesse Manes humiliated and weak. I wanted him to die knowing shame. But the papers say it was a tragedy. People like him - bad white men - they die heroes, no matter what they've done. People like us - we die villains."
"Yeah I know. I've done it. But I also got a second chance. So I get to leave a different legacy. The last time that I saw you, I said that I hated you. That's not true. I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, mija."
"I also told you to leave and I was right about that. Liz was free and it should have stayed that way. Manes is gone. There is no revenge to be had. No closure and no redemption. Don't come back, mom. Don't bother Liz again. I really hope you get better. Maybe you can have a second chance too."
Another possible time jump. Michael and Isobel pull up to where Max is out in the desert.
"How'd you guys find me?"
"Freaky twin thing. What's going on?"
"I took more of the antidote. Sorry, I should have called you guys."
"Save it. We are sick of being pissed at you for being so obnoxiously yourself. Why you look so scared?"
Pod Squad is investigating a cave. There's a door or opening covered by alien text with the alien symbol on it. It sorta looks like there's something behind it.
"Um, well, when I touched the alien console at the fair, something happened. I heard whispers that I couldn't understand...until now. I think when I touched it I unlocked something... Like a cage? The whispers led me here. I know it sounds crazy, but would you guys help me find a tunnel?"
"It's sealed up."
"I feel like we should learn more before we just busy that door open."
"Yeah, you're probably right."
There's a knocking sound and a voice calls out.
"Help! Is someone there?"
"If Max unlocked something at CrashCon, whoever that is has been down here for days without…"
"I need water. Please."
"There has to be three."
Note that we now know which symbol represents each of them.
The door shatters and they all react (Isobel's face is priceless).
We flash back to the mysterious stowaway/alien hoodie dude/Jones. Louise fighting him. Now we can see that it's Max. Nora kneeling after the crash with the hand on her shoulder. It's Max's face. He attacks/burns the military men/Hector Valenti.
The stowaway/Jones looks exactly like Max. Only with a really bad beard.
"Howdy partner."
MUSIC:
1. Hootie & The Blowfish "Time"
2. Tyler Rich "Leave Her Wild"
3. Clay Rigdon "That Kinda Kiss"
4. Marc Danziesen "See Yourself"
5. Gloria Hart and Art Kassel "Frankie And Johnny"
6. The Score "Legend"
7. Sarah May Byrom "Rhythm Of A Memory"
8. Tyler Blackburn "Would You Come Home"
9. The Well Pennies "The Echo And The Shadow"
10. Valerie Broussard "Dark Side"
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