#what do you MEAN they're dead by s2 and we don't even know it until Legacy. what the fuck

[coulson-is-an-avenger]

god. GOD the Ezra transmission at the end of season 1 still makes me fuckigng sick to think about, especially with the context of Mira and Ephraim hearing it. To think that for eight years his parents had been ripped away from their son all for the crime of speaking out for hope, never knowing what became of their Ezra, of that tiny seven year old left on the streets scared and crying and alone, to spend days and months and years in that awful place with all of that emptiness and then, and then and then and then.

And then they hear their boy's voice again, and they know him immediately, even without name, because of course they do, that's their son, that's their Ezra, and he's speaking out for hope just as they did, and they've been apart from him longer than they ever had him, but his voice is here, his hope is here, and he talks about how they inspired him, how he's carrying on their legacy of courage and community hope, how he has a new family - thank God he has a family, he is safe and he is loved, even if they will never know who has loved him so much as to earn the title of family - and that hope will one day prevail, just as they taught him it would.

They hear his voice, by god they hear his voice, and it's one of the last sounds they ever hear.

[love-byers]

Hi! Not gonna lie I was a bit disappointed that you believe the birthday gate stuff... The Duffers wouldn't have admitted to have made a mistake if that were the case. And most of all, it would've come up in volume 2! Now if something happens in S5 it would just feel like they came up with it during the 3 years between S4 and S5. They can say it was planned all they want, people would call bullshit, and rightfully so. I'm sorry I can not believe how anyone can think birthday gate could be a real thing. Not to mention it doesn't even make any sense. Please bylers let's just accept the Duffers made a mistake!!

i disagree with everything you said

1. "the duffers wouldn't have admitted to have made a mistake if that were the case"

they lied.

the duffers are sneaky snakes who want us to analyze and always be looking for little details. they have literally said there are no coincidences in the show.

so yes, i completely believe that they would go out of their way to lie in order to save the surprise for s5. i mean actually think about it, if it really was just a mistake, why would they not just fix it?? they have the full power to just do a little voiceover edit and boom, problem solved. they explained exactly how they'd do it. but they didn't. 2 years have passed and they still haven't changed it when that little tweak would literally solve all their problems if it really was a mistake.

they lied. they're liars.

2. "it would've come up in vol 2"

since when does every single problem have to be solved in one season?? do you know what show you're watching??

there are hints and foreshadowing all over the seasons. vecna is foreshadowed in s1 ep1 when will's door was opened with telekinesis, and we had no idea he existed until 6 years and 3 seasons later.

in s1 they don't fully explain how will was communicating with joyce. but after s4 everything clicks into place.

they show us that will can clearly hear her and is finding a way to make the lights light up. then in ep 8 they show joyce and hopper making the christmas lights light up as they walk through the byers upside down house. jonathan sees this and asks if it's joyce, and joyce hears him.

that isn't addressed AT ALL in s2 or s3. it is fully explained and explored in s4, when nancy steve eddie and robin are stuck in the upside down. they fully show us how it works and acknowledge that it was how will communicated with joyce.

the creators knew exactly how the light upside down stuff worked the entire show. but it wasn't time for it to be explained just yet. it was meant to come up later on. it's a masterful way to write a story with longevity.

stranger things teaches you to never just write something off. everything is important. don't let it go just because it hasn't been fully explained. there will be payoff.

3. "now if it comes up in s5 it would just feel like they came up with it the 3 years between s4 and s5. people would call bullshit."

respectfully i think you're projecting a bit.

the average viewer who does not spend their time on forums is not going to think that whatsoever. the average viewer is going to think "wait what?!", go back and watch s4 ep 2, and think "holy shit it was planned all along that's so cool!"

like that's such a dumb way of thinking. you have to be a master level hater to see a well written plot twist and think "they just did that to cover their asses" like that's some next level hating

and i guarantee you once s5 comes out the duffers will be like "yeah of course we had to lie you guys were too close to figuring it out!"

david harbour has talked about how hard it was for him to flat out lie to people about hopper being dead. it's really not that crazy to think they lied

4. "it doesn't even make any sense"

....it does.

i don't know how you could think it doesn't make sense

rink o mania day was march 22nd. will's birthday. they have not changed his birthday. his official canonical birthday is still march 22nd.

but no one mentions it. even will doesn't seem to know it's his birthday.

s4 is all about memories and trauma and feeling isolated from others. we also literally learn there is a powerful monster man who can read minds and enter other people's memories, just like el can. so i don't see how it's so outlandish to think there's some memory fuckery going on.

of course we can't explain exactly why or how, because it hasn't been adressed yet. you have to wait for the pay off.

5. "just accept the duffers made a mistake"

i would accept that they made a mistake if they actually fixed the mistake LIKE THEY SAID THEY WOULD. they said "we are going to edit the episode and change it to say may 22nd" and then DIDNT. EVER.

and not only that, they wished him happy birthday on march 22nd 2 years in a row. noah schnapp posted a bts photo on march 22nd 2024 with the caption "Do you know what March 22nd is? It's your birthday. - Joyce Byers"

they are saying "yes it's still his birthday so get hyped for s5 where it'll be addressed" every way they can without spelling it out for you.

i really don't know what more you need

[vidavalor]

Do you have anything about all the birds in Good Omens? I'm particularly interested in the fact that Maggie has parrots on her cardigan, and they're known to mimic people... But all birds would be welcome too

Hiya @havemyheartaziraphale! How's it going, dear? Thanks for the ask. 💕 Skinny lattes and eccles cakes are available to go with your Maggie-related post. One meta about what I think Maggie and parrots have to do with Job, crows, pearls, toxic self-talk, and Nina Simone beneath the cut.

In order to talk about the parrots on Maggie's sweater, I think we first have to talk about the crows in the Job minisode and what the deal with the many birds on GO is in general. In S1, we are given a scene in which we learn that Crowley has changed his name from "Crawley" to "Crowley" and that doing so is a rejection of the "bit too squirming-at-your-feet-ish" snake-like name he had. We can see that he now appears to have swapped out snakes for that of a crow but we don't really know why. We know that this means something to Aziraphale when he learns of it in S1 but it's not until S2 that we get the Job minisode telling us the story. After, we can see more layers to the symbolism of birds in GO. When Crowley is tasked with killing the goats, he wants to save them, instead. The way he does so is to change their outward appearance to that of crows-- because the crows are not endangered by Heaven and Hell... because they're crows. Because they're birds.

Ironically, the same living things that angels and demons are like are the living things that, on Earth, are not usually seen as possessions of any one person because they live wild and free. Crowley can save the goats by turning them into crows because even Heaven doesn't see crows as possessions of Job.

In the eyes of Heaven, all of these things belonged to Job-- he owned them. They were his possessions, the way that the coffee cup I'm sipping from while typing this is my possession. Aziraphale correctly objected to Job's children listed alongside his farm and his animals-- and I'm sure he didn't view them as Job's possessions-- but his objection to Heaven was over a sense not wanting to murder children. While that is obviously a good thing, at no point is Aziraphale arguing the point that none of the living creatures on this list actually belong to Job in the first place. To argue this to Heaven would have been a bit fruitless at the time but I'm just pointing out the differences in approach here to this problem between Aziraphale and Crowley.

Crowley-- through unfortunate personal experience-- knows what it's like to be a living being whom another views as a possession and so it's him who finds the loophole. He can save the goats if the goats don't look like goats or anything else that anyone considers Job's possessions. What can't be killed because they don't belong to Job? Birds. The crows that belong to the sky. They fly free. In the end, Crowley takes Job's house (which can be rebuilt and is inanimate) and he drinks Job's wine (the Earth produces more) and the already-dead ox was Aziraphale's dinner (and the inspiration to save Job's kids the next day via the ox ribs). That's it.

The moment that Aziraphale learned how Crowley saved the goats by masking them as crows is also the beginning of the two of them developing a hidden way of communicating with one another-- a coded birdsong that they make reference to in connection with another kind of bird... nightingales. Demons are traditionally aligned with goats so Crowley changing his name and telling Aziraphale that he's taken on this name that only the two of them understand is showing that Crowley sees this metaphor himself very clearly and that he views himself as a free-flying crow, even if he has to pretend to be a demonic goat of Satan. He belongs to himself but he chooses to share that self with Aziraphale, who is the only other person who knows what his name truly means and who he really is.

The ironic thing about all of this is that angels and demons are basically already bird-humans in how they present, right? They can shapeshift to whatever they wish to be but when we see them, they are, by and large, in a human-like form and/or with wings and the ability to fly. So there's an irony to birds then representing freedom because, as we have seen, the angels and demons are as trapped as their human parallels can be at times-- in toxic relationships, with themselves and/or with others, and looking for the same peace found in kindness and love.

Maggie and Nina are both blended parallels of Crowley and Aziraphale. They each represent different aspects of Crowley and Aziraphale's stories. Their costumes blend colors and symbolic stuff related to both characters at once and it's not just the parrots worth a look in Maggie's first outfit in S2:

While Maggie resembles Aziraphale a bit and wears his blue and white colors, she also has a red head wrap on that bumps up in the middle (and she has an orange one that does the same thing in her scenes with Aziraphale early on, when she's also in a Crowley-and-Aziraphale-blended orange tartan shirt). It's a nod to Crowley's red hair and perpetual pompadour. Her blouse also ties in a ribbon that hangs down and matches in color and shape to the snakes on her sweater, echoing serpent Crowley and his ties.

(We aren't focusing on her outfits in this meta b/c you asked about Maggie but look at Nina in the same scene in the above gif-- her cardigan is yellow, brown, red, pink and black. Nina's sweaters all season long are if you threw all the Ineffable Husbands' colors onto the same garment.)

If you notice, the parrots on Maggie's sweater are upside down and their tails are actually right-side-up hissing snakes. Overlaid between them and connecting them are daisies, which is actually an wordplay thing related to the etymology of Maggie's name. Maggie comes from Margaret, which means "pearl", as it comes from the Latin word for what we today refer to as "pearl", which is margarita. The daisy's formal name is "F. Marguerite" and is named as such because of daisies being seen as "the pearls of flowers."

Almost all of the possible nicknames or variants for Margaret/Marguerite/Margarita are also featured in Good Omens at different times to date, with the exception so far of "Rita." [Though they have cast Harry Potter's Rita Skeeter lol but that doesn't count.] Maggie uses the most common one as her first name. "Daisy" is also sometimes a nickname for Margaret, in keeping with the etymology I mentioned above. Fraulein Greta Kleinschmidt's first name is a nickname for Margareta; the French restaurant on Whickber Street is named Marguerite's. Aziraphale's magic words, one level of which is with relation to his and Crowley's relationship, also has a sly use of another, common nickname for Margaret, with an oyster-ish connotation, among other things:

"Bananafish, gorilla, shoelace, with a dash of nutmeg."

A pearl is a gem produced by the combination of outside matter mixing into the nacre within a closed shell of a mollusk or other bivalve, especially that of the oyster. Oysters, of course, have relevance to Crowley and Aziraphale's relationship, as they are the focal point of their conversation in Rome, which is pretty heavily suggested (in that scene and others) to be when they started sleeping together.

Maggie is also seen wearing her namesake pearls during The Ball and into the Final 15, when Aziraphale puts her in what appears to be a pearl-buttoned (and maybe pearl-trimmed) blouse. She is memorably wearing that when some other visual wordplay comes into being-- when she becomes a bird (in the sense of slang for English woman) who gives Shax "the bird":

Maggie's other sweater, worn after the parrot/daisy/snakes and during her Crowley-arranged kinda-Vavoom, is mustard in color and features two women and music notes in the same, dual positions of the parrot/daisy/snakes on her first sweater. It draws a comparison between being a bird in the human sense-- a woman, a person-- and being a bird and a snake and a daisy and a pearl... it's a nod, imo, to GO's comparison of other living things that exist in nature to the experiences of the human and human-like characters in a way that a certain Nina Simone song does to beautiful effect, as we'll look at in a second.

Parrots are among the world's most caged birds, though. They're fascinating and kind of eerie because, as you pointed out in your Ask, they have the ability to mimic people. (So can some crows, btw.) Parrots are unique among birds because they actually lack the ability to distinguish between birds and other living creatures. Most birds know the bird songs of their kinds and sing them to one another. Parrots, crows, mynah birds and a couple of others are capable of learning to imitate it and the reason why they do is as a survival imperative.

In the wild, birds like parrots flock together and trade off responsibilities. Sometimes, they're looking for food; sometimes, they're safe-guarding the flock. It's impossible for one parrot to survive on their own so they use their vocal skills to fit in with the flock. This is why parrots are chatty and why they'll try to imitate the words of people in a household (and just any sounds around them) if they're kept as a pet-- they're trying to fit in to survive. They just don't see any difference between other parrots and other beings, including humans-- it's just all the same flock.

Sound like a certain lovely record shop owner we know?

One of S2's biggest surprises is that when the events of The Meeting Ball reveal to Maggie and Nina that Crowley and Aziraphale are not technically human, Maggie takes it surprisingly well. (Nina, out of fucks to give about anything and deciding to throw her lot in with Maggie, is also game once she decides to stay and join this weird af family.) The reason why Maggie doesn't care what species, exactly, Aziraphale is is because she already knows what's in his heart.

He's always been good to her. He's like her family. He's a kind person and her friend and he's in trouble. Maggie does for Aziraphale what he's always done for her-- try to make him feel like he's not alone. Whoever the people are at the door are, Maggie is willing to help and, for the first time in the series-- because of Maggie-- we have the supernatural and the human beings teaming up. It's her and Nina and Gabriel that are protecting the upstairs private residence of the bookshop and keeping the demons from getting in there. They stand up for Aziraphale and they do so because of Maggie's decision that they should. She parrots the kindness that Aziraphale taught her and accepts him and his partner and his weird angel brother lol as all part of the same flock with no second thought because she's lovely like that.

Parrots, though, are some of the most caged and tormented birds in the world. Maggie's negative self-talk and her unfortunate circumstances at the start of S2 are leading her down a dark path when we first meet her. She says she didn't go to parties-- she wasn't "that kind of teenager"-- implying that she had a hard time growing up and a probable history of being bullied. We never meet any other family that she may have or have had and she goes to Aziraphale for personal advice, implying that she might have a difficult family situation as well. Her business was struggling and she was depressed when we met her. When Shax begins to, well, parrot Maggie's inner thoughts aloud during The Meeting Ball, though, it's pretty horrifying. Maggie thinks herself "unloved and unlovable." She's so cruel to herself.

The self-image we're presented with that Maggie has for herself doesn't match at all what we've seen. The Maggie we've met is kind, gentle, honest and funny. She runs an insanely cute record shop. She's artsy and has a lot of style and great taste in old films and music. She's smart and she has a lot of love to give. Maggie isn't perfect. She's a little judgy (let Nina drink her wine in peace lol) and she gets in her own way when it comes to trying to connect with others sometimes. No one is flawless, though, and if those are someone's worst traits, then they're a really good person.

Maggie is a trapped parrot, though, at the start of the season. She is boxed into her life. The debt forgiveness from Aziraphale helps to set her free a bit and we can see the life she would like. Everyday, she looks across at freedom for her-- a romance with the owner of the American-themed coffee shop across the street. Symbolically, Maggie wants love and freedom-- from her own negative self-image and from what's keeping her feeling down about herself. Crowley and Aziraphale do actually help her with that-- they free her from debt and help her connect with Nina. (They might have actually overshot the mark a bit because she's so confident by 2.06 that she can't wait to give love life advice to *checks notes* a millenniums-old Cupid but that's another meta lol.)

Maggie brings Nina a Nina Simone record because they share a name but that's not entirely why. It's really because Nina Simone sings in "Feeling Good" of the whole world being a bold world and a new life of feeling good that Maggie desperately wants.

Like in "Feeling Good", Good Omens uses the other living things on Earth as metaphors for human experience-- which is also what the supernatural characters are. Birds can be caged but learn to-- and are meant to-- fly free and birds can be the humans or the supernatural creatures because, really, Maggie is correct-- they're all the same flock. Birds flyin' high/You know how I feel... fish in the sea/you know how I feel...

These creatures exist free in nature and know no emotional turmoil, just peace. They are free from inner turmoil and can just live and love and be in the moment-- what we're all searching for, really. Peaceful, precious, fragile existence, as Crowley put his life with Aziraphale, even if much got in the way of it in S2. S3 will hopefully see some of the fragility of it fall away for them. For Maggie, it's already begun to.

Sleep in peace when day is done/That's what I mean/And this whole world is a new world/Is a bold world/for me...

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s2 episode 12 thoughts

oh, from the very beginning of this episode, from reading the little plot summary when you click on it, i was seated. and then i was even more seated through all of its twists and turns. a thoroughly enjoyable episode, if outlandish, but that's what we come here for!

so here we are. in a town called aubrey. there's a dog at a police station and the officers are talking about a murder.

we see this guy that looks like j jonah jameson- introduced as brian tillman- and a woman who works there is sad he didn't come home for dinner last night. BUT we also had a very conspicuous pan over his desk to see that there is a photo of his wife, who is NOT the woman he is talking to. affair....???

oh shoot, she's writing something. "i'm pregnant" the note says while he's on the phone with a coroner. AFFAIR BABY!

she's going to meet him at a motel but she can't see straight and is like. moaning in pain. now chat, i don't know much about pregnancy, but to me this is seeming... unusual. so i was confused until she started having a vision, and then she goes to that place where the vision was set, and starts digging up bones. notably, they are bones, so the murder is an old one.

title sequence. back to our agents, who are staring at xrays of teeth. very thoughtfully, mulder announces "i brush after every meal" thank you king of dental hygiene

so this woman- her name is B.J.- is a detective and found remains that match those of an FBI agent that went missing over 50 years ago. that's juicy. but mulder's like, why the hell was she in a field at night? she's lying and we need to go down there.

and also, "i've always been intrigued by women named B.J." <- mulder have you ever tried shutting the fuck up? it could be good for you.

ugh. a man. disgusting. you should be groveling.

so they're at the scene of the exhumation, which i had honestly forgotten the word for, and i almost typed "the bone unboxing", but it came to me in the nick of time. and it's clear she's lying about how she came across this whole thing.

the affair parner to B.J.- brian- is getting really protective while mulder asks if she's a psychic. he should have been a bit more protective a while ago but that's a different story.

autopsy date!!! what if i looked at some bones while you read me the poetic writings on the nature of evil from a long dead FBI agent... well that is what we see scully and mulder doing at this very moment!

scully puts on her glasses as she tries to figure out if the marks on the rib bones have any meaning, and shares this wisdom:

"it's obvious B.J. and tillman are having an affair"

mulder is GAGGED by this revelation. she read the situation for filth. good for her. "a woman knows these things" okaaayyy please use your intuition at parties and figure out everyone's complicated love situations scully it'll be soooo fun!!!

B.J. walks in and starts experiencing visions. typical! she leaves and says she doesn't feel good and scully sighs and follows her. she knows her duty.

allow me to copy verbatim from my notes here, because i was losing my mind:

"OH NO, SCULLY STARTS TALKING ABOUT HAVING FEELINGS FOR PEOPLE SHE'S WORKED WITH.... i'm not unpacking that right now but this B.J. CHARACTER MUST BE MORTIFIED. SCULLY'S DOING HER BEST STOOOOOOP. "you're pregnant aren't you" OH SCULLY PSYCHIC REVEAL?"

now. i was experiencing about a million emotions in a second at this scene, one for scully reading the situation and immediately jumping in to try and comfort B.J., two on the confession that she's had feelings for someone she worked with before, but i skipped all over that to focus on three, B.J. must be sooooo embarrassed she was so easy to read.

but now that i know what happens in the rest of the episode... scully, tell us more about having feelings for someone you are working with. how recently would you say this affliction has plagued you? please feel free to elaborate. i'm imagining like a silly summer job where she's 16 and navigating a crush and at the same time i'm imagining straight up pining over mulder. don't be shy. please share more. no? you just wanted to try and make a stranger in an uncomfortable situation feel better by relating to your personal experience, because you are a deeply empathetic individual? okay that's Fine.

by this point i was cackling, because damn. again. she just got straight to the point about the whole thing. B.J. is like "he'd kill me if anyone knew" and scully proceeds to IMMEDIATELY walk back into the room with mulder and spill the tea. and my laughter increased tenfold at this point. he looked shocked!!!!! she does not give a fuck she is going to tell him the drama!!! and i get it!!!!

anyway poor B.J. seems to know that the markings on the bones spell out "brother" and somehow that's true

this brian tillman fellow seems awful. he's picking up the evidence our agents brought with them from the 1940's crime scene and yelling at B.J. asking why she has sealed evidence from 3 days ago with her. this is because he cannot read that the files are literally from 1942 and that this seems to be some sort of copycat killing.

so our agents meet B.J. at a nice little secret picnic table rendezvous, where mulder drops the line "i've often felt that dreams are answers to questions we haven't figured out how to ask" okayyyy poet!!!

she draws a picture of what she sees in her dreams, and mulder immediately identifies it from a postcard in NYC, and announces it is the symbol of the 1939 world's fair... "NERD", i proclaimed to the screen, because it was so strong i needed to verbalize that feeling

brian tillman is back to being the worst, pressuring B.J. to "go through with the appointment", saying that it's not HER choice, it's OUR choice, which it famously isn't. reproductive coercion is NOT gonna slide you hillbilly spiderman hater looking freak.

she's looking at a bunch of criminals from 1940 to try and see if the murderer from her dreams is in there... and she identifies him... it's a man who looks kinda like elvis... elvis from SHEIN... his name is cokely, and he carved "sister" into somebody's chest in 1942... why was he not serving in the war at this time...

so mulder thinks the dude is their number one suspect for the new sister carving murders even though he's 77 now, and his reasoning is that "george foreman won the heavyweight crown at 45". which is so funny. mulder is such a walking encyclopedia but also the writers need to make him seem sort of cool so he just spits out sports facts and it doesn't make him any cooler.

scully's like, well her dad was a cop, maybe he knew about the case and she heard about it as a kid, and the copycat cases are bringing repressed memories back. which gives us this lovely exchange:

"i seem to recall you having some pretty extreme hunches" "i have NEVER!" (mutual smiling)

awwwww.

anyway. to the old man murderer's house.

he has an oxygen tank and he is smoking which i thought wasn't allowed but he probably doesn't care tbh. and he kinda talks like SHEIN elvis as well. he keeps calling scully "little sister" which is sus as hell because the victim carved brother or sister into all the people... but he denies and denies

at this point in my notes i imagined myself in the shoes of B.J.: "imagine if having an affair baby made you the conduit for solving 50 year old murders... girl i'd lose my damn mind"

she wakes up COVERED IN BLOOD with "sister" CARVED INTO HER CHEST and at first it was so horrific- and also, how could someone sleep through such a thing- that i thought it was another hallucination. but no, it is in fact real, and she doesn't worry about the blood, instead running to someone's house and lifting up the floorboards that she saw in another vision. and when brian comes to escort her to the hospital, our intrepid duo lifts up the boards to reveal some bones.

it would really suck to live in a house for a long time and then find some bones, wouldn't it?

scully further solidifies her stance as a real one by bringing what i think is some clothes in a paper bag to B.J., who insists that it was cokely the old murder man/elvis dupe who attacked her... but she insists she saw him as a young man, and he is now, of course, 77, so that's weird

but the blood found at the scene matches some of the genetic markers of cokely's blood, so they go visit his other victim who survived. and oooHHHH mulder sees that symbol from the world's fair on the wall!

mulder knows the victim, now an elderly woman, left the hospital the night of the attack, and returned 9 months later... she says it was complications but he goes for the jugular and asks "what happened to the child?"

now the roles are reversed, and it is scully who is gagged by a pregnancy reveal! the woman says that the child was evil, and he was sent to an adoption agency

new theory time: mulder says what if it was cokely's GRANDSON that did all this? it could explain the resemblance in her report AND that it was a younger suspect AND the blood types

! MULDER LORE REVEAL ! he used to wake up in the middle of the night from terrible nightmares where he was the only person left in the world, until he heard his father cracking sunflowers seeds in his study and realized he wasn't alone

we can and will analyze that. the boy who lost his sister being terrified everyone else in the world will leave too, and it'll be just him left behind, trying to find answers. the man who almost lost scully feeling even more alone than he knew was possible, pulling at any sort of thread to bring her back.

and this is deeply touching, but they frame it as a genetic debate on if he was predisposed to liking sunflower seeds, and then it turns into a nature vs nurture argument with scully, and they're interrupted from discussing the finer points of the theory of genetic memory when they have to call the adoption agency

ULTIMATE GAG REVEAL: the son of cokely is... B.J.'S FATHER!!! SO is SHE DOING THE MURDERS? mulder seems certain, and that she even carved her own chest. scully is like wtf. and i'm like, i don't know if grandpa being a murderer makes you one too, but i don't know anything about genetics

NOOOO. we see the old lady we have previously visited- cokely's victim, now revealed to be B.J.'S grandmother- with an unwelcome visitor in the house!!! AND IT IS A DERANGED B.J.! i was shocked at this point because i did not think she was going to be the killer. but we see her closing in on her, and poor old lady says "you're my grandchild", and then a knife, and then yelling....

she's looking for someone to blame, just like her grandfather did all those years ago....

so she's in cokely's house, doing some slashing, when mulder rolls up, and the score is going sicko mode. the composers were popping off.

she SMACKS mulder in the head (yowch!) and has him pinned down, with the razor to his throat, and he's begging for his life. and scully BURSTS in, her finger about to pull the trigger on B.J., when....

BRIAN bursts in??? affair baby father has entered the chat. he's like "B.J. what is going ON" and he gets her to stop attacking

and then mulder is still laying on the floor, so scully comes over, and CRADLES HIS HEAD. yes you heard me she GENTLY holds his head, looks for any marks, and we fade to the case report

scully's theory is that pregnancy activated the dormant serial killer urges/genetic memories in B.J. and all i'm saying it it's a wild place out there.... if y'all are gonna have affairs, please be safe, perhaps this was a cautionary tale....

this episode was WILDDDD. twist and turn and twist and turn and i was seated! they definitely turned the concept of "someone receiving information on unsolved crimes from beyond the grave" on its head, and i certainly did not see poor B.J. as the killer. was it realistic? NO! but did i enjoy it! YES!

various highlights: scully being kind enough to confess to having feelings for a coworker to make someone she just met feel better, scully clocking the affair and pregnancy, scully immediately spilling the tea to mulder, who looked shocked, mulder nightmare reveal, scully also bringing B.J. clothes in the hospital because she is too good for this world even if she is a little gossipy with the bestie, and mulder nerd evidence- why do you know about the world's fair anyway?

[differentfandomsandthings]

(Tbb s2 e11 spoilers down below)

Oh! Nice intro! Love the creepy alien, dead space vibe!

A commando❤!!!!

Wow ok, we're back on Daro. Wasn't expecting that until the season finale, interesting. They just transferred a new scientist to Mt Tantiss.

Oh!! They have Nala Se locked up?!😳 I wasn't expecting that. I thought she'd already be in a lab somewhere working😲 I guess it makes sense though. She ain't happy the empire destroyed her civilization. Why would she help them.

Loving all these Commandos 🥰

New scientist is named Dr. Hemlock. It seems him and Nala Se go way back.

Oh Crap! Lama Su ain't dead! He's on Coruscant in jail!

Ok I have a prediction. Lama Su is going to tell them about clone force 99, more specifically Omega. They are going to capture her somehow not only because she's probably the key to what Palpatine needs for his cloning operation but because it will make Nala Se cooperate. Maybe🤔

Ohhh! The batch are pissed at Cid! Even Omega. Cid offered a new job and they're like "we ain't doing it for no 30% give us 50%👏"

Hunter to Cid: What makes you think we'd come back at all?..Yes! They are thinking about leaving her. Maybe this will be the last fetch quest. I'm glad they kept this thinking, I was worried the writers were going to let the batch brush off what Cid did.

Tech suggests not to burn bridges with her considering all she knows about them. Let this be the final job. Which makes sense.

Omega: there's a village here. I get the feeling we're going to see that scene from the trailer of the commandos rounding up people.

Lol Tech remembered to lock the ship. I'm sure it's triple locked after what happened 😆

Tech: something bad happened here

Hunter: whatever did this isn't human

Tech: let's split up🤓

Omega: are you serious?

Tech: don't worry sis I'll be fine

😑

Omega recognizes Kaminoan medical and cloning technology but its a little different.

Definitely getting alien vibes! What the heck is that!! It seems to feed off electricity. That's always good😟

Nice creepy music

Yep electricity makes it bigger and stronger

And now it's lose headed for the village of course

Hunter: we let it lose, we have to kill it

Tech: considering it probably ate the crew I doubt it's hungry

Omega: IT ATE THE CREW!😨 goes to Wrecker to feel safe.

Wrecker: comforts Omega, "how is that helpful Tech😑😑"

Omega : it ate the crew😨

It's a Zilo Beast!!!!! Yesss! I'm glad they finally came back to that! It seems the Kaminoans were helping Palpatine clone it. Makes sense.

Here comes the empire! I guess this is where we get that Hunter flying the Marauder scene...yep😃

Ok, why is the empire shooting at the Marauder and not THE GIANT ZILO BEAST!?

Ahhh! We got the Tech saving Omega from the explosion scene!!!

So glad they made it out but now I think the Empire knows the batch are alive. Or maybe not, they only saw the ship not the crew. Idk😬

Yep, we got the scene of the commandos rounding up people. The empire's probably going to kill all the innocent villagers 😔

They are going to send the data of the zilo beast to Echo and Rex!! Does that mean next episode might be about them looking into it!! Are we going to get a Rex and Echo mission episode!!??👀

Oh my gosh is that Scorch?! If it is he totally snitched on the batch saying a ship got away😨 he has been ordered to find out who it was😬😬

Oh man the batch are in trouble now..all because of a salvage mission...that they didn't complete btw

Lama Su you snitch!!!! I knew it!!! I freaking knew he was going to snitch to save his own skin! He's telling them to get Omega!! To make Nala Sa cooperate!!

Oh my gosh!! This episode was so good!! So much happened. Clone commandos, Nala Se, Lama Su, Zilo Beast, the batch probably leaving Cid, Scorch being ordered to hunt down the batch, and the empire hunting down Omega!!! I'm so worried now!! What's going to happen next?! Please don't kill anyone!😬

I think all the scenes from the trailer has been show now. So from this point on its all new.

Also, with the empire hunting the batch now, I wonder if Cid is going to betray them? They've kinda been hinting at it but she could surprise us and prove her loyalty this one time...I'm not holding my breath though 😒

This episode gave me more than I expected and I'm loving it! Excited to see what next weeks "The Outpost" episode is all about. Please be Echo and Rex mission please be Echo and Rex mission😣

Well off to look at The Mandalorian now :D We eating good today!

[kitkatt0430]

Time for the last episode. How are they going to fit four past speedsters into the Eddie-gone-evil show in a satisfactory manner? I... have no idea, but let's find out.

I've missed the episode starting voiceover + that specific music. Nostalgia points right there, with Barry asking "i need you to believe in the impossible" :D

So I like the implication that the N!SF took Zolomon from the Black Flash and restored him to being human again. Godspeed showing up and immediately starts posturing. And Zolomon starts posturing. Like evil speedster peacocks. Flirting a little too. Oh, there's Eobard. Coming downstairs because they're in Joe's house? For some reason?

I dunno, I mean, I assume Eobard was going through Barry's childhood room and making fun of his science fair projects. This place seems built from Eobard's hatred of Barry.

Godspeed - Any last words? Eobard - *actual line* Never wear white after labor day.

I also appreciate Eobard calling out Zolomon on copying his playbook and then calling him a V9 junkie. I mean, my Eobard survives because of Flashback series is gonna have Eo giving Zolomon shit about that too. (Not that Eobard has a leg to stand on given what the N!SF has been doing to him, but when has Eobard cared about being a hypocrite???)

Godspeed - I'm the one true god of speed. Savitar's armor - *appears* No, bitch, that's me.

Eddie - Welcome to the dead man convention. We're gonna have a Flash killing party. Who's with me? Eobard - I... don't have any faith in you, sorry. Eddie - What if I have a snazzy new suit and a scary voice? Eobard - I'm listening.

Iris is still having a baby. I don't think it usually takes this many episodes for one baby to be born.

HEY! THE BLUE FLOWERS. They're a bouquet that Eddie has brought for Iris. While she's in labor. So he can try to... steal her from Barry?

So after all the blue motif up until now and Eddie's lightning is still red. Disappointed.

Always do enjoy a good speedster battle. And hey! Nora again :D She's being born and she's showing up for the good fight. Double duty, that one.

Mark's tit's out again. Please dude. Shirt. Wear one.

(It's late and I'm getting sleepy. I think this is showing in my writing a bit.)

there's something a bit different about Zolomon's suit here - it's just... less creepy than S2? maybe they were doing something different with it in that season, but it's just slightly off looking now

Barry - Execute delta maneuvers. *actual line* Me - What the... is this Star Trek all of a sudden?

Admittedly... Barry is a Star Trek nerd. I'll give it to him.

I like how Nora beats Savitar. He almost kills her the way he intended to kill Iris, but because she's a speedster she can just... vibrate so that the sharpy pointy thing phases through her. And then she just stabs Savitar. Are we finally, finally allowed to kill the bad guys on this show???

Yes!

Cecile getting to be badass again. I don't think she actually killed hers, though.

Eobard showing up to annoy Chester. Eobard hates him just for being Team Flash. Very Emperor torturing Luke vibes. And Allegra one-hit-KOs him anyway. Honestly, Eobard just seemed annoyed, not personal, about dealing with Chester. I do think it would have worked a lot better if it had been Eobard vs Cisco again.

So... how does Hunter know that Khione is a goddess? Or even not Caitlin. Would have definitely preferred he mistook her for Caitlin and she got to correct him.

Hunter - I am the darkness. *shows off* Khione - *glances at Blaine, rolls her eyes*

Khione basically one hit KOs Zoom with his own lightning and Mark just stands there thinking he looks pretty.

Oh, Eobard isn't out yet, he's gonna do some more villain ranting.

I think maybe Eobard should have just run off to a motel somewhere with Savitar. That would have been hilarious. And less embarrassing for him than Allegra taking him out a second time in one fight. He, uh, probably should not have brought up Nash.

So I assume that while Allegra and Chester are kissing, Eobard slinks away to safety and calls it a strategic retreat.

Jay shows up and... steals Eddie's speed? A trick he picked up from his E90 doppleganger? (I really do need to finish watching that show...) Powers as the plot demands, I guess.

Oh, no slinking away for Eobard, he's been absorbed. By Eddie stealing the speed from all the other bad guys.

Barry - Let Eddie die? No. In fact, more importantly, fuck no.

(Westhallen can still win... not letting that go...)

Khione - So it sounds like a cycle of violence. You gotta break out of it, but my advice on how to do so is kinda crappy and nonspecific. Sorry. Barry - I am so tired of watching the people I love suffer and die. Khione - Coexistence! RaRaRa. Barry - *sigh*

It's really red inside the Negative Speed Force. Where the heck is that blue theme???

Barry just hug Eddie again. Hug it out, guys. Just hug it out.

They're really trashing the set, huh?

Barry - Don't you see you sound just like the guy you died to stop? Eddie - Oh shit. You're right.

I mean, it was out of character for Eddie to agree to be the bad guy anyway.

So Eddie destroys the blue crystal which, uh, turns the N!SF blue? I'm so confuzzled. But I guess Eddie was destroying the source of all the hatred in the N!SF? Yeah. Let's go with that.

Barry gets back to the hospital just in time for Nora to be born. :D

So Chester still has some cosmic energy and maybe powers. And that's only coming out now??? *sigh*

Nora hanging out for her birthday as in, sticking around to hang out with Team Flash while she's being born. Like normal Speedster do. (Where is Bart???)

Timeless Wells - Howdy. So, time to ascend to a higher plane. Khione - I gotta say my goodbyes first. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Iris looks very fresh and not-sweaty for having just pushed out a baby. I remember what my sister looked like post giving birth and she wasn't quite that make-up and hair done looking.

Joe singing!!!! to his grandbaby!!!!

I do still think Nora should have been a twin.

So, uh, I guess we don't get to see Timeless Wells with wany of the rest of Team Flash? That sucks.

Khione makes her goodbyes, ascends to a higher plane (in a very four elements sort of way that sadly does not result in a glowing squid like when Daniel ascended on SG-1), and she leaves a Caitlin behind... Barry sounds like he's about to cry when he hugs her. Blaine is hugged last. Almost thought she'd skip him.

Baby party! Is Nora attending her own party twice over? Yes. That dork. David Singh is there in the background, I think. Ohhh, Timeless Wells is there, okay. that's better.

Nora - oh if you think this was crazy, wait for Bart to be born. Barry & Iris - O_O

Joe proposes to Cecile which... I dunno if the baby party was the time to do it, but the way he does it is sweet. It is David! He's been hanging on to the ring for Joe. And Cecile makes him put a pillow under his bad knee before kneeling.

Really wish Cisco was here. He and Kamilla should be.

Aww, Barry's gotten the book the Runaway Dinosaur to baby Nora. :D

Barry getting to be a dad and hold his baby. Been wanting this for him since S6.

Barry choosing new speedsters! Avery Ho, Max Mercury, and Jess Chambers. (That last one makes me miss Jesse Wells though.) It's probably not gonna go anywhere since the show is done and the arrow-verse seems unlikely to get a new show (or shows) at this point. But I like the message that power like the speed force is meant to be shared and that as this chapter of Barry's story closes the Flash family is continuing to grow ever larger.

I'd love to know what Eddie's gonna do with the negative speed force in order to 'keep the balance with the regular speed force. But I guess we don't get even a hint. Personally, I say Barry and Iris date him, so we have the avatars of the two speed forces sharing the same lightning rod. That is how Westhallen can still win.

Nora gets to be Eddie's daughter after all, that way. And maybe she goes through a blonde faze that makes Eddie cringe in memory of what happened in the previous episode.

So, overall... it was not a bad end to the show. Eddie deserved better, but I knew that going in. Cobalt Blue was in name only, was pretty sure of that going in also. That first episode was a high point that the other episodes couldn't match and I can't say the final villains of previous seasons being made mini-bosses for Team Flash to take out was in any way satisfying, but it was kinda fun to see Zolomon one last time. Savitar didn't even take his helmet off but I guess they didn't want to try to do the facial scars again (or let Eddie realize he was teaming up with an evil version of the guy he was super resentful of). Godspeed i just never managed to care about to begin with (they kinda squandered his plot tbh). And Eobard - usually as EoWells - shows up practically once a season. So I never have time to miss him. And we did see the Matt!Eobard version in the first Ep.

Eddie being jealous of Barry worked, but wanting to force Iris to be in love with him or being power hungry didn't. So when it fell apart real fast, that only worked if I assumed it was just Eddie's real personality re-asserting itself because the N!SF's influence had been precarious to begin with. So basically the Cobalt Blue plot was kinda weak.

It held up better than Armageddon though. And had fewer blatantly obvious plot holes than Armageddon or Red Death. (We still. don't know. where batwoman was until she popped up to help kick Red Death's ass. this bothers me.)

I have things to say about Khione's arc, but that'll be a separate post. Tomorrow. After I've slept. It's almost 1:00am. So I guess I technically mean later today, but whatever. it is still 'Friday' until I go to sleep and wake up on Saturday if I say so. (my spelling is getting so bad, I've deleted and re-written and then re-deleted and re-written so many words now)

I'm sad the show is over, but at the same time really glad it's done. I know some of the fandom will move on, but I'll be sticking around for a long while and I know I won't be the only one. This show has been a wild ride and to those of us who will remain... the ending of a chapter does not mean the ending of the story. We will simply have to forge the next pages ourselves.

[shana-reviews-tmblr]

I have never seen a more mean spirited list where its options misunderstand the series

1- Rushed AF. look guys, S1 for most streaming services get the 8-10ep treatment because that's what gets order, unless stated, this is NOT always in control of the creators, also the series has 1 season to its name, you can label it as rushed when it's completed, otherwise, you don't know what a slow burn is.

2- Racism, WHERE TF DID YOU EVEN SEE IT IS S1?

3- Graphic Sex Scene - WHERE!? if this is in ep 4, we didn't see any dicks going around outside of seeing Val grind up on Angeldust and even then, it wasn't graphic and used to show how awful Val treats Angeldust, if it's not to your liking that's fine, but many SA victims within the fandom and some outside have at praised ep4's rep.

4-Painfully bad songs, man you must not be a musical stage show fan then and it shows.

5- "even more r4pe jokes" WHERE? you mean the scene with sir pentious at the bar called CONSENT where he emerged unharmed, clothes intact because any rationally thinking person can tell he said no, and they let him go?

6- Lute get completely forgotten. Dude SLOW BURN, Lute won't be the main antagonist this season, but we'll definitely be seeing her

7- "5 + new characters who add nothing" At this point why do you even watch the show? everyone who is introduced in this season is being set up so future seasons won't be saddled with trying to introduce them. and even then, half the cast outside the hotel staff ARE SIDE/MINOR/SUPPORITNG characters they aren't the main focus

8- Adam never gets brought up apart from jokes" - oh no the misogynist gets laughed at also kinda hard for him to be brought up when he's dead outside of flashbacks

9-"an actually good song" - you must have ignored how most of the songs in the show actually hit the top lists on spotify

10-"rushed redemptions" Pentious's redemption was shown in the season and was believable, his small acts of kindness and his willingness to put his life on the line to beat adam earned his redemption it wasn't rushed, but even if it was, again this goes back to the order Prime gave to have 8eps, until we know for certain, we can only guess it wasn't in the teams control.

11- "pentious contributes nothing" i'm beginning to think this list is biased against Pentious and is just looking for reasons to put a bingo

12- "Only 1 real Chaggie Scene" Sapphic-phobia must be blinding this person because Chaggie has moments throughout the season, they don't need a makeout session, the simple gestures, eye contact, hand holding, etc. all show they are a couple and there are couples who act this way. just say you hate sapphic couples

13-Alastor's backstory sucks" - picking something just to fill the hole

14- Ace/Arophobia - idk man this list is against sapphic couples so i'm going to go with this just being something random they wanted to put

15- Vee's get too much focus, AGAIN" Oh my god this one hurt, out of all the Vees, Val and and Vox got the most screen time and even then they're establishing ep was just that, ESTABLISHING them so they don't feel like they come out of nowhere when S2 comes since Vox is the big bad there. Val got his establishing ep in ep4 so we know what is at stake and what is Angeldust's situation, his guest spot in ep6 was to establish that Angeldust can resist Val and took a stand against his abuser, which showed he was someone who can be worthy of redemption, but oh guess an important character peiece is too much. Vel has the least screen time, but her enterance was memorable and she'll probably get more. so idk WTF this is about.

Gonna be honest i was going to do all of these, but 15 is where i got my limit because everything else after is just repetittive dribble that's insult a character who hasn't shown up yet and insulting another character who plays an important part

Antis of this show really are just Lily Orchard wannabes because they assume the worst of something just because they don't even like it.

if you are anything like this or follow this type of mindset you need to reevaluate your view points.

[dayshipper]

Jiara Theory - season 2

Ok so I literally just finished watching s2 and I absolutely have no doubt that Jiara is endgame. This is my whole take on it. Keep in mind that I've only watched it once, so these thoughts are my first impressions on what I think is going on with Jiara and where I think they're heading. I've avoided my feed like the plague until I finished this as well. It's also a long one, so buckle up!

Kie and Pope First of all, I think we need to talk about Kie and Pope. A lot happened this season. Kie and Pope were on again, off again for most of it and things just got a bit weird. In the beginning, I think that Kie's interest in Pope is all to get her mind off of everything that just happened with John B and Sarah. She thinks her friends are dead and doesn't want to dwell on it. Pope, I think, is aware of that and knows that maybe her intentions are not all that sincere and that she might just be using him to distract herself from feeling something other than grief and anger. Her asking him if he wants to hook up in the first episode kind of came out of left field and just proves how all over the place her mind is at that moment. She is being impulsive and rash. Pope can see that and admits that to her, telling her she is just high and 'overcompensating' which won't help how she feels. Her response, 'helps me', kind of solidifies that that was in fact what she was trying to do. Even after they all realise that John B and Sarah are alive, Pope and Kie's relationship is still very hot and cold. Kie has a lot on her shoulders with everything that is going on at home and has basically been threatened into exile if she doesn't stop hanging around the Pogues. I think Kie is having a tiny identity crisis of sorts. She has all the luxuries of a Kook, but all the spirit of a Pogue (so deep). Her parents' disapproval of her being with the Pogues and ending up as one weighs heavily on her. She has grown up with these boys and doesn't believe that anything has to change just because she is older. I think her behaviour with Pope and her fickle interest in him reflects her inner struggle - she's at war with herself. When she acts interested in Pope it seems like she is trying to get back at her parents in some way maybe. And he's the safest person to do it with. Kie's parents got pregnant as teens and her dad was a Pogue. Not to mention that Kiara's mum knew JJ's dad in high school (!!) so with Kie hanging out with his son I'm sure she's worried. Their fear that history will repeat itself with Kie and one of the Pogues is known to Kie and her pursuit of Pope, I think, is her acting out and resenting them for thinking that way about her.

Ultimately, Pope's reserved nature and partiality towards rule-following also don't bode well with Kie's personality. While of course she loves him for who he is, I don't think she finds him attractive because of it. I think Pope's subdued nature kind of holds her back in a way. Kie is a fighter and defender and will, no matter what, always stick up for what is right even in the face of adversity. Pope, on the other hand, is also all of those things but goes about it in a much more controlled and almost docile way. I think Kie kind of resents that about him sometimes, like when she was spray painting 'Murderer' on Ward's wall and he was disapproving of it all and kinda killing her vibe. These things make her question his identity as a Pogue. It's almost like she is trying to make him into more of a Pogue and kind of taunts him about it as well. When she offers him a blunt on the boat and asks 'which Pope are you going to be today?' its kind of a dig. I may be reaching but its almost like she is trying to get him to act more like JJ...? I mean, he is the epitome of a Pogue so kinda makes sense..?

All in all though I think it is safe to say that we can finally put Kie and Pope to bed. Nothing romantic is ever going to come out of their relationship again from here on out. Also, I have a feeling something might brew between Pope and Cleo anyways. Also, Cleo? Amazing.

Jiara Throughout Kie and Pope's tumultuous relationship, JJ is keen to find out what the go is between them. He wants to know how serious they are and constantly probes each of them to get any details he can. While this may seem like he is just trying to tease them, I think he genuinely wants to know because he just wants to understand it. JJ might be thinking 'what about Pope appeals to Kie?' and 'what does Pope have that I don't have?' While I think that he is quietly disappointed that it's not him, I think he ultimately just wants them to be happy. He'll sidebar his feelings for the sake of his friends.

Episodes 8 and 10 were some of my favourite episodes of the season. When JJ and Kie go to the Chateau and bump into JJ's dad we get some nice Jiara moments. First of all, Kie defends JJ and calls out his dad for being a shit father. She acknowledges how special she thinks JJ is and criticises his father's unforgivable behaviour. Not too long after, JJ overhears his dad torment Kie and calls him out for it. JJ later says that everything he has his dad ruins and omg, I nearly died! This was everything!

I think a couple of meanings can be taken away from this. The first is obvious, JJ's dad has pretty much ruined his life because he just takes drugs and drinks and isn't a reliable parental figure whatsoever. And then I think it could also go a bit deeper than that where his dad's abuse has psychologically affected him in a way that makes JJ believe that he will never be worth anything or measure up to anything better than what he thinks he deserves because of how he has been treated and brought up. As a result of that, he might believe that he could never be enough for someone like Kie, who comes from a good family and has more access to opportunities than he could ever imagine. His little admission when he gets into Kie's car following the whole ambulance incident reaffirms this when he basically accepts and believes that his life is destined to end up like his dad's.

I think this season made it even more clear that JJ has some hidden feelings for Kiara. I mean, when they were in Charleston and were spending the night in the back of the truck, JJ looked shattered after Kie kissed Pope's cheek before going to sleep. Like WHATT.  That also killed me. 

And I know he addressed everyone but the way his eyes landed on her when he says 'you're it'. My heart. That cannot be a coincidence.

I feel like we still don't really know much about how Kie feels for JJ. While she thinks that he's unpredictable and a bit of a hothead, I also believe that this kinda excites her. She watches on in disbelief while also secretly admiring him. JJ is a showman. He is theatrical and is always looking for some kind of reaction. He's a go big or go home kind of person and while Kie thinks that he acts idiotically sometimes, I think that she genuinely really loves that about him. Where Pope holds back and doesn't want to step over the line, JJ completely goes for it and doesn't care about what it might mean in the long run. He lives in the moment. Much like I think Kie does. I think season 2 made it clear just how similar JJ and Kie are. They're both impulsive, passionate, carefree, fearless and unafraid of how their actions might negatively affect them. And they bicker. A lot. One such moment is when they are arguing over whose fault it was for the lost footage from the camera when they saw Ward shoot Gavin. This scene also revealed how JJ thinks that Kiara always sides with Pope and never JJ. Maybe I'm reaching (again) but this could also have a double meaning like 'why do you choose Pope and not me?' kind of thing. Nevertheless, the last episode was EPIC. I can't get over it. When Kiara asks JJ if there was room for one more on his surf trip fantasy you could tell he was a little taken aback.

They were a lot more tactile and paired up together this season. JJ and Kie get beers together for their little celebration at the Chateau, JJ and Kie go to get Kie's dad's car, JJ and Kie bring beers to Pope and John B on the boat, JJ and Kie stay in the container, the list goes on. They are setting them up to get the audience (us) comfortable with the idea of them being together. Even though I think a lot of us were already keen on the idea from the get-go... I think this season was really set up to cement their relationship as friends who share a lot of the same qualities and hopes for the future. It also solidified their crazy chemistry and strong compatibility by simultaneously showing the incompatibility of Kie and Pope's relationship.

I think Kie is a constant for JJ in a way that Pope and John B could never be. Kie is much more in tune with how others around her feel and can be there for JJ in a way that none of the others can. Also, who does JJ text when he's caught in the ambulance and the police are after him? Kie. Boom.

So, where to from here? As I mentioned before, I think Cleo is going to be a new love interest for Pope. There were a few moments in that final episode that just gave me that feeling. I also think that they already have great chemistry. Meanwhile, I don't think that Kie will be all that bothered by it if that does happen to be the case, but I think the others might ask her how she feels about it anyway and I feel like JJ would be the one to bring it up. I think it would be less likely to be Sarah since Kie told her that she's just not in love with Pope, while JJ doesn't actually know what really went down with them (as far as we know) and for all he knows they just fizzled out or are taking a step back.

I think in the next season, we'll see JJ and Kie hanging out some more and maybe being a little more flirty. Maybe the others might question what the whole surf trip plan is all about, most likely Sarah, which could then open up a can of worms. But, of course, I'm just speculating. Season 3 hasn't been confirmed yet but I'm feeling pretty confident. They need to start filming like yesterday because I can't wait another year for more. I might just pass away.

Anyways, if you made it this far then you have my full respect and gratitude. Thank you so much. I know it's all scattered and I may have missed some things but I'll be sure to post more if I think of anything else. I literally just finished the final episode so I'm still reeling. If you're interested, I also did a Jiara theory post on season 1 last year that you can take a gander at.

[tuiyla]

what do you think Quinn and Judy's relationship is like post s1? like, we know Judy wasn't the greatest mom during the pregnancy, but how do you think it progressed along the years? the popular assumption in fics seems to be that Judy becomes distant and spends more time drunk than sober, but also the slight mentions/appearances she has in the show s2 and beyond seem to imply that she and Quinn are in a good place - or, at least better than s1, but idk if that’s saying much hahah.

i also just wonder about it in terms of Quinn’s sexuality; i.e. if she ended up w a woman, i’m curious as to how Judy would react. i’m torn between her reverting back to the image-obsessed woman she was in s1 or her being supportive bc she just doesnt wanna lose her daughter again. would love to hear your thoughts, if you have any. thanks for all of these great fandom analyses!! :)

I love you Anon because a couple weeks back I misread another Quinn ask and went on and on about the Fabrays before I realized it said "what do you think of Quinn as a mom". Now's my chance! I mean I could have just posted anyway but have you guys considered that I have no will to write unless someone specifically asks me lol. Buckle up, this is gonna be a long one.

TL;DR: somewhat strained but Judy tries her best despite having so many harmful things to unlearn herself, and needing to learn how to communicate. Quinn holds resentment but they’re both terrified of losing each other. Eventually, when Quinn comes out, Judy uses it as an opportunity to get it right this time.

I've alluded to this to a few times but never actually explained it: I have a morbid fascination with the Fabrays. in the sense that I find what little of their dynamic we see to be deeply disturbing but I also want to know so much more. Russell is a whole other deal and I'll respect that you didn't ask about him haha but even if we just look at Quinn and Judy, like... how do we reconcile the events of season 1? Where to go from there? Truly Glee puts through Quinn so, so, so much in season 1 and then is it any wonder that she has several breakdowns. So this prologue to say, yes I have thoughts and I'm honoured to have been thought of. Also very happy to provide fandom analysis whenever I can!

Just a few words on how I see the Fabrays before Quinn's pregnancy to set it up. We all know they're WASPy but you guys, you need to know how much I read into the extent of that! Based on "Ballad" they might as well be living in the 60s or something. Russell isn't just traditional, he's so ultra it's really no wonder Quinn eventually had a skank phase. I can only assume Frannie had a mental breakdown or two after leaving her childhood home. Quinn even says in that episode that they don't talk about real issues, just ignore them and keep up this facade. Explains much about her, doesn't it. It's all very WASP, very patriarchal, very bad at communication. They don't deal, they pretend. Russell pretends they live in the 60s and Quinn is his perfect little girl who'll wait until marriage like the object she is. Judy pretends she hadn't known all along that her husband was cheating. There's just such a need to uphold this facade of the All-American nuclear family to an extreme that no wonder it takes Quinn several cycles to get over buying into the illusion.

I knew fanon saw Judy as a drunk but I wasn't aware she was portrayed as distant in fics. I agree with you, what little we see of her in seasons 2 and 3 implies that she's at least trying with Quinn. Even in "Ballad" when Russell kicks her out, you see how shocked Judy is. She follows Russell out and acts like the dead-inside obedient housewife she is, but for a split moment you hope that she's gonna stand up to her husband. Because she'd been ignoring the signs that Quinn's pregnant, pretending, and that was because she knew there'd be drastic consequences but she clearly is shocked.

And then a couple months later she comes back for Quinn. It took her that long to see Russell for who he is, to stand up to him, and it sucks that it took so long but I think it must have taken tremendous willpower to reach that stage. I mean, can you imagine being her? Not to say I'm cutting the woman who stood by as her teenage pregnant daughter was disowned too much slack, but still, you know.

So Judy is always going to be the parent who ultimately chose Quinn; the one who came back. But she's also always going to be the one who left in the first place. And I think you're so right to wonder about this Anon because there's just such an interesting story there. Yes, Judy came back, but she also watched her daughter sob and beg and say "I needed my mom" and just... left. How do you live with yourself after that? Not to mention, she came back but she left Quinn to live with random boys and eventually the angel on Earth called Mercedes Jones for months.

So I think, initially, there’s lot of awkwardness but also joy. Quinn’s been through so much and she has her mom again just as she gives up her own daughter. A roller coaster to say the least but finally something resembling stability for the first time in ages. 9 months. And then... they pretend. The nights Quinn spent crying herself to sleep and wishing her mom still loved her are the elephant in the room. They’re not the same and never will be but try to go back to normality. I doubt they talk about Russell often. Maybe after Judy’s had a few drinks she curses him but Quinn keeps a tight lip about him.

The way I’d put it is maybe not they’re in a good place, as such, but Judy tries. I don’t agree with fics that portray her as distant because, while I do think she struggles to get close to Quinn and get her to open up, she tries. Remember, she left but she also came back. And I’d be surprised if she didn’t carry tremendous guilt about that so she might not always succeed, certainly not in s2 when Quinn is laser-focused on pretending the pregnancy never happened, but she tries to be a good mother.

The skank phase would be fascinating to explore. Because I think it’s once again a real tragedy where Judy would watch her daughter break down and completely unravel and just, not know what to do about it. She’d smile and ask Quinn about her day still but it’s hard to keep pretenses when you’re teenage daughter gets tattoos and dates 40-year-old skateboarders. She’d try to talk it through but Quinn would shut her out and I don’t think she’d feel it’s her right to act all strict now. For some reason, I think Judy would feel it best to let Quinn rebel. But how much would she know about freaking baby-stealing shenanigans? Nothing, I assume.

And then Quinn finds herself, her more normal self again and I’d like to imagine they finally have a good talk just as she applies to Yale. Maybe an emotional breakthrough? God, for both their sakes I hope so. But here’s the thing, try as Judy might and ignore it for as long as Quinn can, I think there’s resentment there. Because Quinn was abandoned by her parents, by her mom when she needed her the most and that’s a scar that maybe nothing can heal. So she represses, as a Fabray does until it explodes, and I guess it would during the skank timeline. Maybe after Shelby leaves and Quinn is left standing there trying to process everything.

Judy is also the parent who came back and therefore the on who’s there. So when it all comes out, Quinn can’t exactly blame Russell for all of it. I mean this is just textbook lashing out at the parent who’s there so I assume Quinn would be no different. And it’s not like Judy’s blameless so there are many harsh words thrown, most of them true to some capacity, lots of tears and a big emotional catharsis. Judy tells her she’s sorry. Quinn says she feels robbed. Of a childhood, of a sense of peace, of a family. And Judy can’t ever get back what was lost. And hey, maybe watching her own mom fall apart at that realization helps Quinn move on from the Shelby business. Not from Beth, never completely, but from feeling like she needs her to be complete. Imagine how cool it would have been to actually see Quinn deal with all her shit during and post her skank phase. Alas, the writers didn’t care.

But yes, I see Judy as trying but frankly failing throughout season 2 and then the end of the skank phase brings catharsis for both. Quinn gets back on track but with more of a sense of agency. Judy cheers her on during graduation as seen in canon. Quinn’s college attempts at the old status quo, namely screwing her professor and then Biff are really a whole other topic but I think she’d try to distance herself from Lima and her mom. They do keep in touch of course but it’s quite superficial. For her sake, I hope Judy gets her shit together for real in the meantime. That woman has a ton of harmful shit to unlearn from her marriage and she’s barely holding it together.

So now that I’ve gone on and on about all that, I do also want to talk about Quinn’s coming out because I haven’t thought of it much but you’re absolutely right that it’s an interesting topic. Maybe it’s the optimist in me who just doesn’t want to see Quinn suffer but at worst I see Judy being kind of uncomfortable at the thought but again, trying her best. She’s already lost her daughter once and in my mind, Quinn takes a while to come to terms with whatever her identity is - which is okay! Realistically, I think she’d bring a girlfriend home one day, they’d have dinner, Judy would be charmed by the GF but visibly... off. Perfectly civil, just processing. And then they have The Talk and Quinn feels like throwing up because a decade prior a “shameful secret” got her disowned.

Judy does what Judy’s been doing for a decade and tries her best. It’s a bit of a shock but then again, something she’s known for a while but pretended not to. Sound familiar? Except she’s had time to learn and grow and is determined to look at this as a second chance. She’s not about to lose her daughter again and risk it being for good this time so she’s all in. Bit overeager, even, tries to learn slang and all that. And Quinn shake her head but she also lowkey cries herself to sleep, except this time it’s because she’s not afraid anymore and learns that she can have a family after all. GF holds her through the night because GF is finally someone who truly knows and loves Quinn for all she is.

Aaand those are the thoughts, for now! Thank you for indulging me Anon, thank you for taking the time to read my silly little Glee thoughts and to ask me for more. Hope you didn’t regret it lol.

[kallypsowrites]

Ok serious question you seem like the best person to ask ( love your blog and your fics btw you got me reading GOT fics when I wanna purge that show from my mind) because you're sort of optimistic but also realistic I think. What do you think we're going to get in S2 in terms of darklina I'm bouncing like a ping pong ball between thinking on the one hand they wrote everything before seeing just how popular it is and leigh was involved and they're building the other ship so how are they gonna give us darklina at the same time but also Ben only signed on bc they promised him a lot of involvement but he spends most of the second book removed from all of them so how are they gonna do that. I need to manage my expectations so in a year or a year and a half when the show comes out I don't get depressed when they give me nothing 🤣. Thank you for your service.

Oh wow! First off, I'm glad you read some of my GoT fics despite being burned by the show (same).

Secondly, I'm definitely an optimistic realist when it comes to Darklina. So I'll break it down for you:

1. We will get a lot more Darklina moments. The show knows, at the very least, that Darklina is the most popular ship. it does numbers every time. For over a month, the last post sitting on the official twitter was a pic of the actors. Even if its not endgame, they'll continue to give them moments with each other because that is the major draw of the show. Yes they wrote the scripts before seeing but TV scripts NEVER stay at the first draft. The studio orders changes. They make edits. TV shows live by appealing to an audience. They fear constant cancelation, especially on Netflix. So even if there wasn't enough Darklina in the initial drafts...they'll stick in more in edits.

2. Past that, as you said, Ben Barnes is one of the main draws and they got him on board with the idea he'd be involved a lot. Sure, he's not there for much of the plot HOWEVER he and Alina have their convenient telepathic bond which means they can bring him in regularly and do a lot of juicy stuff with that. They'll also probably give him non book stuff to show what he's doing while he's not with our heroes which I'm tentatively excited about. Ben will do it justice.

3. Ben himself has always fought for the humanity of the character, and of all the actors, he probably has the most sway over the writing. So his nuance and the way he says the lines is gonna continue to be great.

4. I don't think they're going to kill the Darkling in season 2. People have said that BUT unless they intend to end Alina and Mal's story in two season, I don't think it will happen. Remember that once the Darkling is dead, they're out too. And since there's a six of crows spin off being developed, we know the show doesn't have to rush to get to the Six of Crows content. So I think he's got a solid three seasons ahead of them, as they all do. And then the Crows get to go off an have their own thing (avoiding the curse of the post season 3 cancelation).

Like, do I think they'll actually give us Darklina endgame? No. Not a chance. But they will keep milking Darklina until the finish. They will let Ben give the character more consistency and humanity than he was allowed in the books. And there will be lots of delicious angst. And even if the Darkling's character does go more in the evil direction...Ben is so delicious when he's evil and consider the Lovers to enemies tension???

For actual Darklina endgame, fanfic is the way to go. I won't let myself hope in that. I just want them to continue lighting up that screen for long as the show lasts :)

[vyladromeave]

U talked ab the whole werewolf wedding scene and all the stuff kind of. Eh about it and like the in-between moments being....weird. How would you go ab like.....fixing how it went? Or would it be better to get rid of completely in the plot ? What aspects would u want to change? :0

ooook so first of all i would take out abby completely. i like abby a lot and the potential she holds but introducing her there just felt forced, esp to not do anything with her afterwards. I think including her in S2 is a good move as long as you do something with her. Katelyn only really starts to get more development later in the season and I feel like that would be the time to drop Abby on the party, since of everyone she would have closest ties to probably Katelyn and Aphmau.

fenrir wanting vengeance was bullshit. dont do that. yes its his dad and he can be sad over his dad being dead obviously but like. he doesn't need to seek vengeance for that. for something that was ultimately kinda their people's fault. its just.... not fun. like did you not learn your lesson. did you not remember why this started in the first place.

I almost want to remove that it was a werewolf thing entirely just because I don't like how the werewolf tribe in s2 was handled compared to boldolfs in s1... like "society developing" does not just mean turning into big castle number 273862. (although it was definitely still better compared to the second tribe we encountered in s1.)

I almost want to make it a tu'la/meifwa thing entirely since that would be a more natural introduction to tu'la for the season. like having it be a meifwa thing instead of werewolf thing. i feel like something closer to Ghibli The Cat Returns would work better honestly. Obvs not as silly as the movie but u get what i mean yknow yk.

I definitely wouldn't want to get rid of it completely bcs it is a big moment for laurance and what triggers his arc of Being A Shadowknight which was something that was sorely needed after it having not a lot of consequences in s1.

I'm a little bit torn on the consequences of the arc itself bcs in MCD we dont really... get any...... even though they're threatened? (not until s3 and they suck LMAO) like on one hand i want there to be something more lasting because that was a big fucking murder you just did there. but also on the other hand i feel like each party vehemently avoiding eachother does things to me on a thematic level. like them just leaving quietly and the queen just lowering her head and letting it happen, knowing that this violence could have been avoided and now its too late, choosing not to perpetuate the cycle.... i think leaving that specific tribe alone for the rest of the story would be nice just to give them a break honestly. but also because its a tu'la thing it maybe sets them up with a reputation with them when they start dealing with tu'la more. i feel like that works.

OH and to fix the inbetween moments themselves, 1: make it a liiiittle shorter. no offense but we dont need a lot of time developing fenrir & ylva, especially if they’re not coming back. 2: Aphmau should make a more substantial effort to escape on her own, even if it doesn’t work. 3: Katelyn being stuck in prison also doesn’t sit right with me shes literally The Fire Fist i think she could punch through those bars if you gave her enough time. So she needs to be in some different kind of peril or those bars need to be upped big time. 4: No Irene lore it did Not fit in at that moment read the room. 

and 5: I think Aphmau should also vehemently reject the wedding during the ceremony she has nothing to lose at that point. And seeing her in distress is what makes Laurance transform, not seeing her about to marry. Bcs ultimately he cares about her and her safety and I think that gets the point across better.

[sunnys-rewatch-blog]

S2, E5

"The Devil You Know"

So, "A" must've done something to preserve the body before staging the suicide. If they could tell he had been dead "at least a week" they should have been able to tell that the death was from a broken neck or a fall. Of course, I don't know how a cop would have been able to determine how long it had been with no medical equipment and nothing to examine the body on. A week after death, the body should be in the putrefacation stage, meaning this is when that awful stench kicks in and there should be bugs everywhere. I would forgive that there's not nearly enough blood for Ian to have died of a gunshot wound but there's something really odd about how officer Garrett just knew he had been dead for a week. I wish this had something to do with the mystery or how to solve it, but it doesn't.

This Ezria scene feels so fucking out of place after they just found Ian's dead body. "My family used to call me pookie-bear" I'm sorry, did this just become a different show??? Did I turn on Peppa Pig??

I really don't like how the other girls treated Emily about her still being worried in this situation.

One of my favorite things about Spencer is that she's meant to be the big brainiac character but she isn't written like a soulless machine. She still tries to do the right thing, can be very emotional, and still makes her fair share of "dumb teenage mistakes." Case in point, trying to tell Melissa about the ring when she's basically catatonic. This is not the time. What did Aria say about her having an amazing internal clock?

Wtf even is this Ezria shit right now?? Yes, let's go public with our relationship at my bff's killer's funeral. Nothing about what's going on feels like it fits with the rest of the story. Spencer is involved with the funeral, Emily is trying to figure out this "A" stuff, Hanna is trying to turn Ian's final resting place into a fashion show, and Aria is ...*checks notes* trying to figure out how to go public with her extremely inappropriate relationship. And also finding that Mike- who, until this point, has been little more than a satellite character- discovered a new hobby for breaking and entering. Why can't he just masturbate? But seriously, I think part of why I can't relate to her is that her storylines feel like they're being forced into a show where they don't belong.

This episode kind of epitomizes the frustration I have with shows where we have to deal with both kids/teens and their parents. We had, like, three or four episodes worth of this tension with the parents restricting them from seeing each other, and then it all gets dropped at once, and for the entirety of those four episodes it was nothing more than an annoyance. It got us nowhere in terms of the plot, taught us nothing about any of the characters, added no intrigue...maybe the parents learned or changed their perspective on something but they aren't involved enough for me to care. I don't see enough of their "character development" arcs to sympathize with them. It just feels like pointless drama, and like the parents are only here to be pointless drama.

I really wish we had gotten to see the other girls' solo therapy sessions. Not that it matters or that I'm super desperate to see it but considering what Melissa just went through, I think someone should at least recommend her to therapy.

I want to know what "A"'s angle is, in all this. Like, I'm pretty sure they know Alison is alive (from what I remember of The Night of the Yellow Top) but they also have an investment in keeping the secret...I would think, the inevitable end of this "game" of throwing shade on everyone in Rosewood is going to be that the Liars eventually figure out the truth- or at least they'll run out of potential suspects. But maybe "A"'s teenage brain can't conceive of that. Who knows.

[on-a-lucky-tide]

You know what i always appreciate when it shows up in jaskier fic? When the writer acknowledges that this is a guy that just. Lies. About anything that's incovenient to him. Like i didnt like any of the characterization on ep5 BUT jaskier thinking " oh geralt's dead" and immediately spinning a whole bullshit story IS in-character bc he did the same with the elves. And you can't be sure that he doesn't do it on the regular about any of the times he fucks people he shouldn't. It's a fucked up thought process and I want to know why he is this way, and also it makes me doubt everything that comes out of his mouth. It adds a layer of untrustworthiness to him that I love to see get played with.

Like. Added to the pushiness and the guilt trip attempt to get Geralt to bodyguard him. What has to happen to you to think this is a good way to treat a friend? Make them stay a friend? (And also What exactly are his good qualities as a friend that means Geralt lets him hang around for 20 years, which there must be, bc by the start of the dragon hunt he's less an annoying guy and more like a friend you have fun arguing about dumb things with?)

And by ep6 he sounds like he's been doing introspection and maturing as years pass off-screen, but it may still be too late to change geralt's impression of him as he was in his twenties without a proper apology (for this and the boundary trampling and guilt tripping)

Like, i also get why people usually dont get into this part of his character, specially with the current fandom/rl trend of cutting ties with anyone that isnt 100% perfect, and that he's just a Good Character to Project Into for a lot of reasons, and i do like to read fanon jaskier. But netflix jaskier is as much of an asshole friend as netflix geralt is, and i dont think geralt yelling at him on the mountain was entirely undeserved. How else would he ensure Jaskier respects his wish not to talk about it when Jaskier has a history of pushing and pushing until he gets his way? I think it's interesting to explore that too.

(Sorry for... the very long ask, you dont have to answer! It was meant to show support for your posts about Eskel taking Jaskier's side without talking with Geralt by pointing out that Geralt has a previous pattern of behaviour that justifies Geralt blowing up at Jaskier. You can only ask, and then snap at, someone to respect your boundaries without success for so long before you learn biting them iscthe only thing that works)

Never apologise, Anon. I like to read all takes and headcanons. And do you know what's really lovely? Most of the people I follow (and that follow me) can discuss it and be respectful to each other (even if they have different opinions). We should be able to discuss fictional characters together in this way, so... yeah. Anyway!

It's no real secret: the TV series is not my favourite canon (although I am good internet friends with plenty of Netflix canon fans). A lot of the narrative choices and characterisations make no sense to me. (At this point, the only thing I think it has going for it is the diversity of the cast... and they're bringing in Nenneke *elmo gif*). It leaves Jaskier-Geralt's friendship down to a few one-sided scenes (some of which they flipped round for no discernible reason), and maybe a bit of *winkwinknudgenudge* book knowledge? I don't know. I think there's a lot more legwork to be done to establish the TV series friendship.

I'll be interested to hear your thoughts after S2 (depending on its content, which you have to hope develops the characters and relationships a little more; at the moment, Ciri and Geralt feel like bodyguard and charge rather than father and daughter, why did they skip Brokilon?! ahhhhh).