#where steve is fake dating someone else and eddie doesn't know

[morganski-19]

Eddie falling for Steve even though he’s in a relationship.

Eddie hating himself for feeling this way for someone who’s taken.

Eddie going through heartbreak every time he sees Steve with his partner because he wants to be them.

Eddie secretly wishing that Steve would break up with them just to be with him.

Eddie killing himself because he wants Steve so much and can’t have him.

Steve trying to tell Eddie he’s been in a fake relationship for weeks but can’t seem to do it right.

[puppy-steve]

i keep thinking about that one bachelor au post so here's my take on it (i've never watched the bachelor or bachelorette so bear with me)

the bachelor au where steve's the bachelor and eddie is a contestant, but not because he actually wants to be, he's just in it for the paycheck. robin is also a contestant but only because her parents sent in her application without her knowing and she isn't out to them yet.

they both think that steve is overrated and definitely over hyped. typical rich kid with enough money to buy people's love, yada yada.

until they both start going on dates with him and then realize that it isn't exactly true. yes, he's rich, but he's also kind and funny and actually genuine once you get past the mask he puts on for everybody. eventually, eddie and robin find themselves looking forward to their dates.

only robin doesn't want to date him. he's slowly moving his way up the ranks to becoming her best friend, sure, but this is still tv. she's still expected to kiss him and confess her feelings for him. and when the time comes for her to do that, she can't.

they're in venice. steve is leaning in and robin is very aware of the cameras filming them. the back of her neck goes cold and her stomach churns and suddenly she's running in the opposite direction. her italian is passable so she ends up getting a taxi back to the hotel production put them in.

she locks herself in her en suite and presses her forehead against the cold porcelain. she doesn't know how long she sits there until her phone buzzes and she checks the notification. the nausea rises up her throat again. she forgot she gave steve her number.

there's a knock on her room door and another text.

r u ok? can i come in?

robin debates it but figures she owes him and explanation. she lets him in and they sit on the bathroom floor. robin tells him why she's on the show in the first place, about how she didn't know her parents signed her up until she got the phone call from the casting director. tells him that even if she gets kicked off, she can still use the money for her student loans.

she stares at the water in the toilet bowl when she comes out to him.

steve is quiet, processing, before he laughs. he's not laughing at her, he promises, but "robin. you're on a show with more than a handful of other queers, you know that, right? i'm bisexual."

and yeah, robin knew that, but it's different when you're not into the guy you're supposed to be romancing at all.

steve reassures her that it's okay, and that he still hopes they can be friends and keep in touch after the show ends.

robin would like that.

she apologizes to the production crew the next day and they're understanding and steve and robin get a re-do of their date. it's much more genuine this time, filled with laughs and digs as they eat gelato along the river and people watch and gossip.

it's the best robin's ever been on.

eddie, on the other hand. he's absolutely head over heels for steve, which is surprising even for him. he's trailer park trash, he's got absolutely nothing on steve harrington. not the name, not the money.

hell, the very first day, he insulted the guy's food choices right to his face without knowing it.

eddie wants the earth to give way underneath him and swallow him whole.

he plays it up on their first date, all fake niceties and empty smiles, until steve tells him point blank, "the guy that said the buffet was shit that first night? i want to get to know him."

eddie's flabbergasted.

steve opens up about all the fake people in his life, the ones who just take advantage of them and use him for their own gains. the ones who don't even bother to get to know the real him. the one that likes to play guitar and hang out with the gaggle of teenagers that follow him around all the time for some unknown reason.

he tells eddie about what he wants to do with his life, not what someone else has planned for him and eddie falls deeper and deeper.

this time, when steve leans in for a kiss, eddie doesn't shy away. their lips press together and it's the best goddamn kiss either one of them have ever had.

the show has a deadline, of course, and steve can't just spend all his time with eddie and robin. there are other contestants. robin knows her rose is strictly platonic and steve has already called her multiple times freaking out about his growing crush on eddie. she knows eddie has this in the bag.

the final night comes and the contestants have dwindled. there's only a small group of them left: eddie, robin, and another guy and girl they didn't bother learning the names of.

when steve chooses eddie after a moment of dramatic silence that kind of puts his own dm dramatics to shame, eddie doesn't hesitate to jump in steve's arms, wrap his legs around his waist, and plant a sloppy one on him right in front of the cameras.

[scoops-stevie-archive]

i keep thinking about that one bachelor au post so here's my take on it (i've never watched the bachelor or bachelorette so bear with me)

the bachelor au where steve's the bachelor and eddie is a contestant, but not because he actually wants to be, he's just in it for the paycheck. robin is also a contestant but only because her parents sent in her application without her knowing and she isn't out to them yet.

they both think that steve is overrated and definitely over hyped. typical rich kid with enough money to buy people's love, yada yada.

until they both start going on dates with them and then realize that it isn't exactly true. yes, he's rich, but he's also kind and funny and actually genuine once you get past the mask he puts on for everybody. eventually, eddie and robin find themselves looking forward to their dates.

only robin doesn't want to date him. he's slowly moving his way up the ranks to becoming her best friend, sure, but this is still tv. she's still expected to kiss him and confess her feelings for him. and when the time comes for her to do that, she can't.

they're in venice. steve is leaning in and robin is very aware of the cameras filming them. the back of her neck goes cold and her stomach churns and suddenly she's running in the opposite direction. her italian is passable so she ends up getting a taxi back to the hotel production put them in.

she locks herself in her en suite and presses her forehead against the cold porcelain. she doesn't know how long she sits there until her phone buzzes and she checks the notification. the nausea rises up her throat again. she forgot she gave steve her number.

there's a knock on her room door and another text.

r u ok? can i come in?

robin debates it but figures she owes him and explanation. she lets him in and they sit on the bathroom floor. robin tells him why she's on the show in the first place, about how she didn't know her parents signed her up until she got the phone call from the casting director. tells him that even if she gets kicked off, she can still use the money for her student loans.

she stares at the water in the toilet bowl when she comes out to him.

steve is quiet, processing, before he laughs. he's not laughing at her, he promises, but "robin. you're on a show with more than a handful of other queers, you know that, right? i'm bisexual."

and yeah, robin knew that, but it's different when you're not into the guy you're supposed to be romancing at all.

steve reassures her that it's okay, and that he still hopes they can be friends and keep in touch after the show ends.

robin would like that.

she apologizes to the production crew the next day and they're understanding and steve and robin get a re-do of their date. it's much more genuine this time, filled with laughs and digs as they eat gelato along the river and people watch and gossip.

it's the best robin's ever been on.

eddie, on the other hand. he's absolutely head over heels for steve, which is surprising even for him. he's trailer park trash, he's got absolutely nothing on steve harrington. not the name, not the money.

hell, the very first day, he insulted the guy's food choices right to his face without knowing it.

eddie wants the earth to give way underneath him and swallow him whole.

he plays it up on their first date, all fake niceties and empty smiles, until steve tells him point blank, "the guy that said the buffet was shit that first night? i want to get to know him."

eddie's flabbergasted.

steve opens up about all the fake people in his life, the ones who just take advantage of them and use him for their own gains. the ones who don't even bother to get to know the real him. the one that likes to play guitar and hang out with the gaggle of teenagers that follow him around all the time for some unknown reason.

he tells eddie about what he wants to do with his life, not what someone else has planned for him and eddie falls deeper and deeper.

this time, when steve leans in for a kiss, eddie doesn't shy away. their lips press together and it's the best goddamn kiss either one of them have ever had.

the show has a deadline, of course, and steve can't just spend all his time with eddie and robin. there are other contestants. robin knows her rose is strictly platonic and steve has already called her multiple times freaking out about his growing crush on eddie. she knows eddie has this in the bag.

the final night comes and the contestants have dwindled. there's only a small group of them left: eddie, robin, and another guy and girl they didn't bother learning the names of.

when steve chooses eddie after a moment of dramatic silence that kind of puts his own dm dramatics to shame, eddie doesn't hesitate to jump in steve's arms, wrap his legs around his waist, and plant a sloppy one on him right in front of the cameras.

[epicsteddieficrecs]

Epic Steddie Fic Rec (March 6th-March 19th 2023)

Hey y'all! Here's what I've read in the past two weeks. I hope you enjoy! :)

Complete

🖤 the pre-show ritual by helix_stomper (PWP, Glory Hole | 12K | Explicit): Steve wasn’t really all that surprised to find himself here. He had never seen a gloryhole before. He’d chalked them up to a horny teenager’s pot at the end of the rainbow. Fantasy, and nothing else. But here it was, a small circular hole cut into the side of two adjacent stalls, as real and as terrifying as it could be. What surprised Steve about tonight was that he wasn't sticking his dick through the hole. Instead, he found himself sitting on his heels in front of it, hands wringing anxiously in his lap as he licked his lips and waited for someone to shuffle into the other stall. (Part 1 of boots & budweiser’s miraculous misadventures)

🖤 service and devotion by helix_stomper (PWP, Glory Hole | 22K | Explicit): Steve and Eddie meet up regularly for anonymous sex, and Eddie gives Steve his first (official) experience as a sub. Steve fell first. Eddie falls harder. (Part 2 of boots & budweiser’s miraculous misadventures)

The Killing Moon by Oddree13 (Canon divergent, A/B/O, PWP | 3K | Explicit): “Hey, hey, cmon. Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours. Cause something is obviously bothering you.” “You don’t touch me.” “What are you talking about? I’m touching you right now.” “And that is where it ends Eddie! It’s been what, two months, and we haven’t done more than make out and grind on each other! It’s like I went back on birth control for nothing!” (Part 3 of Six Kids and a Winnebago)

Make Me an Offer (I Cannot Refuse You) by Beachfckerblake (PWP | 7K | Explicit): Steve just needs weed for this party and Tommy sends him instead. When Eddie tries to overcharge him for it, he figures the can work something out but he ends up getting a bit more than he bargained for when he makes too much of an open ended offer

i've been having a horrible time pulling myself together by deadratz (Post S4 | 74K | Explicit): The last thing Eddie thinks as he draws his final breath is that Henderson is gonna need a shit ton of therapy. But then, Eddie wakes up, gasping for air, and miraculously, he's being rescued. Now he has to figure out how to live.

WIP

In Just Seven Days by Oddree13 (Modern AU, Fake Relationship | 1/7 | 1,6K | Mature): Steve doesn't exactly care about relationships anymore. Not after Nancy broke his heart and Billy broke his face. He's bored and just going through the motions the first time it happens. Noelle asks him on Monday if he's busy that coming Friday and Steve figures why not? He takes her to the movies on Friday, takes her to bed on Saturday, and on Sunday he lets her down gently. She takes it in stride, and the next Monday it's Jocelyn at his locker. Then Ginny. Then Cami. Soon a rumor starts that Steve Harrington will accept anyone who asks him out at the beginning of the week and end their relationship after seven days of dating. Eddie doesn't believe the rumors. After all, to say Steve Harrington would ignore the glaring asterisk of heteronormativity is just insane. But when he catches the King being tardy on a Monday he puts his theory to the test. Suddenly Eddie has a boyfriend for the next seven days. Now he just has to not fall in love.

🖤 Steve Harrington’s Radical Fun Time Babysitting Serviceby Humanities_Handbag/ @humanityinahandbag, Invader_Sam (No Upside Down AU, 90’s | 24/? | 93K | Mature): Alternatively: Steve accidentally starts a babysitting service, falls in love, panics [in bisexual], and gets himself a boyfriend. (Part 1 of 90’s Music Store AU)

no me without you by cydonic (Post S4, Kas Eddie | 1/10 | 1,7K | Mature): Eddie Munson dies, the world is still ending, and Steve Harrington doesn't know how he's supposed to keep going. That is, until he comes face to familiar face with the creature killing people in Hawkins.

🖤 Reboot by plutosrose/ @plutosrose (Modern AU, Actor Steve & Eddie | 4/10 | 14K | Explicit): In 2012, Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson film a scene in the teen drama Normal Stuff that launches a popular ship on ao3. By early 2013, they aren’t speaking anymore. In 2024, Robin calls Steve with an offer to reprise his role as Andy Hartley in a reboot of their old show, with one important update–his character gets together with Eddie’s.

🖤 better by you, better than me by palmviolet/ @palmviolet (Canon Divergent, Season 1-2 | 23/? | 120K | Mature | Warning: Violence): November 1983. Between unpaid bills, the supposedly straight jock he’s seeing, and letters from his convict dad, seventeen year old Eddie Munson’s got enough to worry about. But when Will Byers goes missing, it sparks a chain of events that will show there are more depths to Hawkins — and to certain people in it, like infamous Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington — than he realizes. / or, the excessively long slow-burn in which Eddie is involved in the Upside Down from the very beginning.

Burning Love by FluffyChicken/ @tshireisonfire (Modern AU, Firefighter Steve | 10/12 | 42K | Explicit): Firefighter Steve Harrington meets one Eddie Munson and their lives change forever.

~

If you know anyone I haven't tagged, please tag them in the comments!

[thegoblinboy]

I hate the fact that nothing is stopping me from writing a crossbred between the Proposal and Pretty Woman. Like god the power that story has is unstoppable.

Just Steve being forced to work at his dad's publishing company, where everyone there can't stand him because he's a nepo baby. He obviously only got the job because he was the huge guy's kid. So he earns a lot of shit, but he dishes it as well. But he finds someone who doesn't know who he is. He ends up paying the said person to stay and be his business partner for a week without ever giving Eddie any hint of who he is. But then when the week is up the two split and Eddie has enough money to do whatever he needed to.

Flash forward a few more years and Eddie gets hired at the same publishing company Steve works at and he falls into the same mindset that everyone else does and he genuinely can't stand the guy. ( a part of him is bitter that the other didn't stay in contact with him like he promised) So when he becomes Steves assistant he's shocked, but what shocks him more is that Steve lies to the board saying that they are getting married. (apparently, Steve isn't a natural citizen so Italian Steve?? And he will be deported and one way to stay is to get married) So Eddie ends up taking him home with him, which is the exact place Steve's money from years before was bought. It's a farm and Wayne and a bunch of others all believe they are actually in love.

Like its fake dating through and through and they discover that they don't have to really "date" Because they know enough about each other and end up getting married to commit to the bit and don't confess their love for each other until they are on their honeymoon.

[formosusiniquis]

18 + 29 + 72 for the writer asks 💕

thank you jj! 💕

18. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

If I'm lucky during, usually after, literally never before. I'm a song lyrics bitch, it's much easier to let someone else come up with a fun poetic title. If I'm lucky something I'm listening to in the car will sync up with a wip that I'm writing. But if I finish something and it doesn't have a title I'll search up songs or quotes, which is how you end up with fics about teens being teens called when you're fifteen (thanks Taylor) though sometimes I'm struck with moments of brilliance and what started as a simple fic gets a rad title and thus has to become serious (looking at you mi media naranja, I'm coming back for you one of these days).

What’s your revision or editing process like?

If I hand wrote any of it, which I usually do for longer or more serious fics. I'll do some minor revisions as I type (flow, SPAG) and then when I finish writing I'll go back and read it out loud to clean up any spots that read weird. I'm also usually working on more than one fic at any given point so I'll go back and reread what I've written from the beginning or the start of a chapter if I'm going back into a WIP that I haven't touched in a while and I'll make myself little notes of things to fix. I almost never do any major major changes to a fic in the edit or revision process cause I hate killing my darlings so I just don't.

What order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

I try to write beginning to end straight through. But sometimes a scene will come to me, or more likely dialogue and it'll be so good that I'll have to skip ahead and get it down before I forget. I usually try to go back to where I was and fill in the inbetween though. If I don't go in order I usually have a harder time finishing the fic, cause I write my favorite parts and then my motivation falters. Like with my Stobin hivemind wip or my fake dating wip I find writing the Steve and Robin and Eddie dialogue the most fun/easiest to do and then filling in the scene details feels like agony.

get to know your fic writer

[theshireisburning-so-mordoritis]

19, 20, and 8 for the fanfic asks!! <33

Hi! Thank you so much!! 💚💚

8. What project(s) are you currently working on?

There's quite a few because I have absolutely zero restraint when it comes to starting new wips lol

1. Best friends to lovers, hurt/comfort with Eddie where the reader goes back into the upside down after him and almost dies protecting him. There's an emotional reunion in the hospital and then lots of softness in the healing together that comes after along with the confessions.

2. A one bed fic with Steve where the older kids are staying at a cabin by the lake and Steve and the reader end up sharing a bed for the whole stay, getting closer and closer each night and finding it harder to ignore their feelings for the other person

3. A little fluffy drabble of Eddie taking care of his girl when she's had a bad day

4. An enemies to lovers with Steve where the reader kisses steve to avoid someone else at a party and steve can't let it go

5. Fake dating with Eddie where he asks his best friend to help him prepare for his date to the dance and things get confusing feelings wise

6. An affair fic with Steve where he visits the girl who used to be his best friend but hasn't seen in years and even though she's with someone else and engaged it doesn't stop old feelings from resurfacing

I feel like those are terrible explanations, I'm awful at describing my own fics 😂

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs.

Here's a bit of an angsty snipped from the Eddie hurt/comfort wip

The effort it took to lift your chin felt herculean, head lolling, too heavy as you tried to glance out to the treeline, past the blurring swarm to where Steve and the girls had disappeared what felt like an age ago. 

It was a delusional hope that you would see them running towards you, a hope against hope that you’d hear shouts of your name and know that everything was going to be okay, that they’d make it in time. 

But neither the bats nor the upside down itself were falling around you and that meant that Vecna hadn't fallen yet either.

It meant that somewhere out there your friends were still fighting and all you could do as you closed your eyes and steeled yourself was pray that they made it out okay. That they wouldn’t blame themselves when they realised you wouldn't follow.

With a breath that hurt to take, you curled yourself tighter around the boy beneath you, placing the shield where it would cover both your heads and hoped that your grip was locked tight enough that it would still hold when your consciousness faded. Sniffling as you brushed your lips to his forehead in a promise that you were still with him, an apology for refusing to leave when he told you to.

A goodbye.

You pressed your own forehead against the very place you kissed straight after, whispered a quiet, honey-soft, ‘I love you, Eddie’ as your lids grew heavy and the numbness became a blanket that settled like a comforting warmth over your cold, aching limbs. 

And when your head fell into his neck and didn’t move again, you missed the way the sky flared violently. Lightning spearing bright and jagged through the red and the ground shaking beneath where you and Eddie lay, as one by one, the bats fell. 

20. What’s a favourite title for a fic you’ve written?

I don't actually think I have one, I tend to really struggle with titles and change my mind constantly. Or maybe I have one that isn't for a fic itself but one of the chapters and that's Lay Me Bare, I'm Yours which is chapter 10 in my Oberyn Martell series. I think I just loved writing that chapter so I have a soft spot for anything to do with it

SEND ME WRITER ASKS

[h50europe]

Why the myth about Steve's PTSD doesn't add up and other inconsistencies

In the last few episodes of H50, PL tried to sell us a mentally broken Steve suffering from PTSD. Only the whole thing came a bit too late. The clip you see is from season 4 and ended up - no, not in the series - but somewhere on the floor of PL's editing room. And why? after Kurtzman and Orci departed, along with their writers, PL took the helm and started turning Steve into a super-soldier. He stylized him into something that wasn't meant to be. Instead of developing the characters, PL began to incorporate more and more hair-raising action sequences into the series and then let Steve fight on the front lines. There was no mention of Steve's mental state, and a lot was explained by PL with: it just happened "offscreen." Yeah, sure. PL can't create a decent character. He can only produce stereotypes and one-dimensional beings. Like Adam. What potential would that character have had had he been turned into Five-0's antagonist? But no. So his role remained diffuse and monotonous. Sometimes even tragicomical.

Back to Steve. When SEAL Team started on CBS, PL also lapsed into SEAL mania. If someone who writes fanfiction were to produce as much garbage as this man did, he would be chased away from every writers' platform in disgrace. PL's Super SEAL also had to rescue his team members from a blazing inferno. Not man by man, no, he flew a helicopter right into the danger zone and lifted a whole cabin out of the burning jungle. If lunacy had a name, it would be PL. While the action became more and more exaggerated and unrealistic, the same happened to the protagonists. After the departure of Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park, PL completely lost his mind. And please, don't blame the writers for the nonsense that was thrown at you. A series stands and falls with the showrunner. He dictates what he wants and passes it on to his staff.

And so, lovable Steve became a soulless robot who only showed feelings here and there. Danny diminished more and more into a sidekick. McDanno became a ship that drifted anchorless through a stormy sea and threatened to capsize again and again. From season 8, it became a reboot of the reboot. PL tried an ensemble show and failed more than miserably. Often the actors just stood around bored. At least that was the impression. The only highlight was episode 8.10. A feast for all McDanno fans. But even here, the outcome of "who shot Danny" was more than insubstantial.

Wait, there was something about SEALs... Oh, yes. Junior appeared on the scene and became Steve's lapdog. I really wondered when there was going to be an episode where he would fetch sticks for Steve. Luckily we had Eddie for that. And because he thought he was so clever, PL invented the episode speed dating. How many subplots can you squeeze into one episode at the same time? In some episodes, you couldn't even take a look at the bag of potato chips without losing the thread.

The case of the week became the yawn of the week. There were so many loose ends that PL then came up with something called retconning. That's what you do when you're no longer satisfied with what was once established in the series years ago, or it no longer fits. But PL went one step further and did the same with the characters. The more the series was dragged out, the more the characters deteriorated and became OOC. It means, often, they were not recognizable at all. And that's where we come to Steve. Because PL, in his desperation, didn't know what else he could do to Steve, and so he killed Joe White. He did it in such a cheesy way with a fake sunset that it made you sick.

Of course, one episode later, there had to be another gig of PL's favorite Barbie. He stuck a fake beard on poor Steve/Alex, so he couldn't even hug Danny/Scott properly. The episode also raised more questions than it answered any. And Steve? He still didn't suffer from PTSD, even though he had now lost Joe White and a fellow SEAL. Everyone is dropping like flies, except for Steve, who is standing like a rock. No matter what. He doesn't need in-depth talks with Danny, nor psychological care, nor any sleeping pills. No, he's doing great. He also opens a restaurant with Danny because apparently, the carguments are already getting on PL's nerves. Unfortunately, this plot device leads into nirvana. The idea was nice, but nobody thought it through to the end. And the merry-go-round continues. Until we get to season 10, where it gets even more absurd. Now PL is almost bombarding us with McDanno episodes, or at least it should seem that way. Oh well, he's already planning for season 11, so a new character has to come on board quickly. While in the beginning, Steve's mother, Doris, dies.

Alex was allowed to take on the subject. Of course, only under the strict eyes of PL. He then nullifies Alex's idea that Steve kills his mother. Because a good soldier and Super SEAL won't do that. Little does PL know. THAT could have been the opening of a PTSD scenario for Steve. However, apart from that, this episode would have had any potential for a multi-arc. Just imagine Steve chasing his mother across multiple episodes. Again, PL stepped in and butchered Alex's episode. You can really feel sorry for the guy. PL at his best or worse? He just can't help it. And then, on the very last meters of the series, he brings someone new, who is allowed to cruise around with Steve most of the time. Because Danny was kidnapped by Wo Fat's widow, PL also invented quite late to have some villain at his disposal. This wannabe mastermind must really have been living under a rock somewhere if she wasn't even mentioned by her husband or appeared earlier.

Because towards the end, PL obviously ran out not only of steam but also of ideas, everything culminated in a wildly illogical scenario. Steve has to live through a dramatic day with Eddie, who stands as a metaphor for Steve (as I said, PTSD was never a thing for Super SEAL), Danny bangs his brains out in a ladies' room with a complete stranger, who dies shortly after that in an accident with Danny's rental car. Apparently, there was no budget to turn the Camaro into scrap metal. Danny then also goes home alone, ignoring the incoming emergency vehicles. Everything remains open at the end of the episode. While Steve expresses his gratitude to Tani and Quinn and says, he would be just as lost as poor Eddie without the dog and all of them. The strange thing is that you never notice anything until that sentence. A few forced dialogues are supposed to make the drama visible, but they all happen way too late or are so poorly written that you miss them.

PL had decided early on to make Steve a Teflon hero. That also means he didn't need to put much substance into the character. Which you can clearly see if you compare the first three seasons to the rest of the series. But towards the end, PL wanted to turn the tide and forcefully rewrote Steve's past. There is a huge difference if you compare Steve from seasons 1 to 3 with Steve from season 10. It is only a sparse remnant of what made this character so great. This change in Steve's personality also affects his relationship with Danny. The witty, affectionate banter degenerates into a snappy, humorless bitch-fest that takes all the joy out of it.

The final two episodes could have been written for any other crime show. As mentioned, we have Cole, who even gets a book'em Cole from Steve, which can only be described as out of line. And it begs the question, was that what Lenkov originally had in mind? Danny out of the show and Cole in? Was the last episode, which mainly featured McCole, something of a test run? Did all the McDanno moments happen only to tear the two apart eventually? Was the real final scene the one where Steve and Catherine take Danny's coffin back to Jersey? Was Danny not supposed to survive? Was that the real reason Steve wanted to get out of Hawaii because he wanted to pay his respects to Danny? And would he really have returned to Hawaii later? Or would he have turned his back on Hawaii? To me, this ending is more plausible than what PL served us. Then, Steve handed over his credentials to Cole instead of Danny, his second in command. Honestly, you can't make the end of a series any more sloppy and dumber than that. And I won't even lose a word about the last 1:30 minutes because I think everything has already been said.

No PL, mission absolutely not accomplished. You created Teflon-Steve. You never wanted him to show any weakness. You turned him into a superhuman who can survive anything. Only to pull the rug out from under him on the last few meters to the finish line and spit on his legacy. How can you dismantle such a great series and its characters like you did? How much do you have to hate something to do that? In the final interviews, the showrunner didn't exactly cover himself in glory either. Everyone who grew up with the series from day one knows that its end was wrong on all the possible levels and that the showrunner is solely to blame for that. It takes a fair amount of egoism and carelessness to drive 10 years at full throttle against the wall. Not many people can do that. Whether you can be proud of that, however, I doubt.

My respect if you have made it this far. Each of you gets 10 extra brownie points for it.