#why yes i am indeed on 3x14

[widowkills]

if I had a penny for every time arrow used man lashing out due to his own insecurities as a valid strategy to “call laurel out” I’d have way too fucking many to count

[zalrb]

you say stefan is intense as a good thing but damon is intense two and you do not bring that up because it is threatening to you because you know that he is a better intense. how is stefan being intense any better than damon? this is bias

this ask is exactly what i needed to take a break so thank you for that, let’s unpack this ask shall we?

1. damon is intense two and you do not bring that up because it is threatening to you

i mean, damon’s attempt at romantic and sexual “intensity” does indeed threaten my soul and doesn’t sit right with my spirit but that’s just because homeboy only has three modes and all three give me negative reactions.

1) he’s trying too hard and i get annoyed because he’s supposed to be this charismatic, sexual god of a man and he’s looking at women like

2) it’s creepy, he looks like he’s legit going to murder you

which I’ve mentioned quite a bit

3) he’s actually just dead in the face a lot of the time

like this is supposed to be blazing concern, a burning sincerity and that’s not being communicated, Ian’s eyes are just blue and he widens them to the gods

like, why is this intense? his eyebrows are just furrowed but there’s no energy coming from here

because you know that he is a better intense. how is stefan being intense any better than damon?

stefan is looking deeply into elena’s eyes and expressing something with his gaze, there is a legit smoulder happening

damon tries the smoulder in 1x19, for instance, and it’s all eyebrows, it looks like he’s more concerned with looking like he’s intense

whereas the 3x14 dance for instance, sure, stefan has the furrowed brow, but his attention is all on elena and he’s reacting to her

even his emotional scenes that you guys love so much

it’s never convincing that he’s feeling this deeply within himself whereas the sadness of not being with elena or trying to stay from elena looks like it’s weighing on stefan in 1x10

stefan has a conviction

that damon simply does not have because damon is trying for urgency and it just feels forced, it looks like he just wants to baby shake elena here so she gets the point

stefan communicates this is how i feel truly and i’m expressing that from deep within me

and he has shades of intensity, he’s soft here but you see in his eyes that he sincerely wants to make elena feel better and that sincerity is intense

this is like the best you got

and stefan/paul exceeds that regularly

yet conversely, when he needs to be intense as a badass vampire, it’s performative and strained and looks like “grrr i’m a scary vampire” and is in fact very corny

Ian just doesn’t have the gravitas someone like Damon is supposed to have especially in comparison to Paul because Paul has intensity

so something like this is supposed to be threatening

but it’s really only made threatening because Damon comes into the show murdering people, that’s his introduction before we actually see him but if it comes to exuding alone, how am I supposed to take this seriously when a few moments before, Stefan is like a legit statue because he is so angry

you do not bring that up 

and i bring up both of these points quite a lot-- the rest of the above italicized text is here:

https://zalrb.tumblr.com/post/619576101703974912/hisabsolutely-obsessed-with-your-blog-i-just

plus all of my stelena/delena comparison posts in .......... that’s right, the master list.

this is bias 

yes, bias, i’m biased towards good content, tf.

back to adulting.

[darkpoisonouslove]

I'm offering you an empty salt shaker - asks 2, 5, 6, 15 (go ahead, I know you have something XD), 16, 20, 25 (about Bloom searching for her parents storyline)

Starting this again because guess who accidentally hit the key combination for undo and lost half an answered ask! This bitch right here.

I answered 2 here.

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?*

Not that I can think of. It’s usually the source material that ruins things and fandom is tasked with fixing them later.

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?*

I didn’t hate it but Bloom x Icy was incomprehensible to me. Fics helped a lot and so did other posts from here and there and I can see it now. Also, I totally couldn’t see Griffin x Codatorta but that changed, too. Though, that was less fandom and more trashcankitty12 with an ask that made me think about it a little more in-depth so it was pretty much me roping up myself into yet another ship. But ooh, I also don’t think I had considered Palladium x Avalon before fandom but, yes, indeed, it is right there in canon. And I was so puzzled over the Riven x Nabu content I was seeing but after watching seasons 3 and 4, I can totally see where this is coming from. The people are right. That is a bromance right there.

15. Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?

I have no idea what is popular and what isn’t (but you’re right that I have something aka A LOT) so I’ll just list my strong opinionsTM, okay? I will try not to dump on Bloom too much also because it is not a secret that I don’t like her so there is no need for me to go in too much detail.

4kids is the superior dub. That is probably the most controversial opinion I hold. But don’t worry, I’ll try to top it and up the ante. XD

I love Enchantix but it has so many flaws as a concept and even more as an execution and the thing that is really pissing me off is how obviously centered around Bloom’s arc it is. It was clearly created for the advancement of her character and the other girls’ stories came as an afterthought which is why Tecna’s Enchantix was total bullshit. And for having a transformation that is specifically created around Bloom, hers was bullshit as well. I think they should have let her reearn it in order for her to be able to use all of its functions like miniaturizing. Also also, at so many points it totally sounds like Bloom is not upset about the fact that Domino and all of its people were destroyed but about the fact that that means she won’t get her Enchantix. Which btw was a hasty conclusion because at the time Enchantix became a thing, she was still on a mission to find her parents which would have definitely been a way to earn her Enchantix and she had a sign that they were alive. So her angsting over not getting an Enchantix because of what happened on Domino was bad form on the writers’ part.

That spell for good decisions in 1x05 was one of the show’s lowest and most ridiculous moments. It was only included to flaunt in your face how naturally being a leader comes to Bloom because “See? See!!!!!! She can make a good decision without using magic to help her!” So can the majority of the population (note that we are talking about ONE good decision, not an unbreakable sequence of such). She ain’t all that special. Plus, Tecna was written wildly OOC there in order to boost Bloom’s stats so to speak. I’m sorry but Tecna would’ve known that three against four doesn’t give them advantage since they are freshmen and the Trix were seniors at the time. God, that scene was stupid.

Flora is the most boring character in seasons 1-3, fight me about it.

The writers totally had no idea what they were doing with the witches throughout most of season 1 which is why Griffin’s characterization in that season is so inconsistent. Also, wtf was that in 1x06? She straight up tried to kill a bunch of 15-year-old girls. Take a chill pill! I’m glad they figured out a much better balance with her later on.

Not using the fact that Cloud Tower is a living organism more was a fucking wasted opportunity. Especially in season 3 when Valtor took over it. That could have made everything so much better. Also, the witches should have been used more. They were interesting but deserved so much better in terms of development.

Sky should have just fucking died in 2x10. What were these resurrections and Bloom getting healing powers out of nowhere for a total of 5 seconds? You know, that could have been a good setup for a Bloom x Diaspro romance. It would have been so much better if they’d gotten together right after 1x17 and dumped Sky’s sorry ass. Also, Diaspro deserved better.

Riven is the best Specialist but he is especially better than Sky. Remember 1x22 when he was trying to escape CT? He was trapped deep in enemy territory with monsters everywhere and so high above the ground, yet he found his way out. Sky would’ve fucking died out in the open at Magix against one single monster if Bloom hadn’t shown up to rescue him. And the show has the gall to imply that Sky is a better Specialist than Riven is? Please!

The teachers should be fined and sued for emotional and physical damage they haven’t protected their students from. Especially the Alfea teachers who in 1x02 practically admitted that the witches might maim a fairy and they still won’t do shit about it. Nice one!

Griffin and Valtor is canonical subtext and I have nothing more to say about this. It is all there.

Valtor up until 3x18 and Valtor from 3x19 to 3x26 are two different people and the prior is superior in every way. The show ruined him in the last third of the season because there was no other way for Winx to defeat him.

Speaking about Valtor, his whole thing with the Trix is despicable and I hate it so much. It is extremely cringy on their part and extremely underhanded on his and I can’t stand it. Not to mention that it is wildly OOC for the Trix because they are obviously better than that.

I cannot understand saying that Bloom x Valtor is love-hate. I see only hate.

It is ridiculous how easily the Trix beat Griffin in season 6 and how they nearly take control over CT in season 2. And it is also ridiculous that she had to wait for Winx to unspell CT in season 3. She is a teacher, the headmistress of the most prestigious school for witches, a veteran and has been Valtor’s partner (and he himself admitted that together they were unstoppable which means that she has to be pretty powerful and even somewhere close to his level of power). Can the show stop acting like she is defenseless?

The teachers should have been used more. It would’ve been so much better if they were there to at least help Winx if not lead their battles. And it would have made much more sense. Also, how come Ediltrude and Zarathustra literally disappear when it’s convenient and then reappear again (like they did in season 1 when the witches went to Alfea)? That’s just bad writing.

Sky is adopted. He doesn’t resemble Erendor or Samara neither in appearance, nor in character and I hate them enough to headcanon that he was adopted but nobody knows because they don’t want to have claims that he is not an “official” heir of the throne because he isn’t part of the bloodline.

Mike and Vanessa are much more parents to Bloom than Marion and Oritel are, especially when the latter were first released from Obsidian, and the fact that Bloom starts calling them Mike and Vanessa instead of mom and dad after she learns she has other parents is abysmal. Also, they are literally the best parents ever and I love them to death. (I also like Marion and Oritel but Mike and Vanessa are definitely the superior pair of parents if we’re ranking them. I like the idea that the two couples are actually super close and love each other like relatives, in fact.)

What the fuck is up with the magic in this show? There is literally, like, NO FUCKING CONSISTENCY WHATSOEVER! You can’t blink without the rules of it changing in some way. But what am I saying? That would imply that there are any rules which is just not true. Also, there is no clear distinction of how powerful anyone is after season 1. The balance of powers especially between Winx and the Trix is pretty much whatever works for the episode. Same for Winx vs Valtor. The fuckery on that account is unreal. Plus, some of Bloom’s major power explosions happen due to her getting angry. According to the official Wiki - “While practicing or harnessing positive magic, one must keep a compassionate heart, primarily by keeping their thoughts and feelings clear of all negativity, making them capable of attracting positive energy more easily. Thus, if one is plagued with negative thoughts or feelings such as sadness, anger or fear, then their magic will grow   weaker until they may even be left incapable of casting magic until said feelings pass.“ Read that and then read it again, let it sink in. According to the rules of the Winx universe, during some of Bloom’s most powerful moments she was actually using dark magic, not light such because it was fueled by rage. Way to keep it fucking consistent. And that is not just Bloom! FLORA out of all people attacks the Trix in rage in 3x12 when they hurt her sister aka she was also using dark magic at that situation (and then you have Wizgiz scolding Mirta for it in SotLK like it is a sin to use dark magic, smh). In some instances I would argue that it was more of determination to protect rather than anger which I would say would still result in light magic. But The Flora thing, Bloom vs Stormy in 1x09 (Bloom even says she got so angry so that was not a case of protectiveness), Bloom vs Icy in 1x26 and Bloom vs Valtor in 3x14 were definitely rage aka dark magic. And then Bloom is all “fairies don’t have any demons”. Guess again, bitch! Also, writers, you need a dictionary to start comprehending the words you are actually writing?

Now that I think of it, the whole arc in the Resort Realm was bullshit. If it is a magic-free realm, nobody should have any magic in it, period! What is this bullshit that you can use Charmix and Gloomix there because they have higher magical energy? That absolutely doesn’t matter! If there isn’t any magic in the entire realm, having a higher amount of magic in you will not matter because you still can’t use it... because there isn’t any in the realm!!!!!! What the hell! Honestly, the writers can’t comprehend what words mean and that is not the only instance in which it shows.

Someone told me that SotLK is better than Magical Adventure and I don’t mean to offend but that is simply not true. Magical Adventure is leagues above SotLK even if it has some structural problems. Like, literally everything is better. Bloom and Sky are even likable and communicate!!!!!!!! Literally when have you ever seen a better moment for their relationship than in Magical Adventure? If it had been all like that, I would have liked them as a couple.

I think I got everything that comes to mind rn out. Might think of more at some point. I was done and then came back to rage some more because I remembered I had more material.

16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change?

I would have them make smart decisions because 99% of the shit they pull is so stupid it is unreal. I literally cannot tell how they are still alive. Oh, no wait! Plot armor. Yep, that’s it.

But if I had to pick something specific? Bring Nabu back. I sure as hell wouldn’t have killed him. That was an asshole move and I have no idea what the hell the writers were thinking when they wrote that.

And my second choice is - implement a magical system into the series because there isn’t one. Magic always works the way the writers need it to work to pull off their bullshit plot even if it contradicts everything that we’ve seen before. Please, for the love of god! Consistency is already dead; stop stabbing its corpse!!!!

20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?

Purest ship? Lmao, asking me this question is underhanded. XD If you mean no drama, then Flora and Helia Mike and Vanessa. But I think my actual answer would be Griffin x Faragonda because they have been through so much that we know of or we can deduce and they still stuck together. Sure, they had their ups and downs but it is obviously a love for life that has lasted through so many obstacles and keeps lasting. The reason why I can’t say the same for Mike and Vanessa is because we don’t really know that much about their relationship with each other. But anyway I love both these ships so much.

If you’re talking about a canon ship, though, then Brandon and Stella (I do not recognize the stupid relationship drama in season 4 as canon). He did lie to her about his identity in season 1 but it was for his friendship with Sky (alternatively, for his job and duty as Sky’s squire). I just love how obviously in love Brandon is with Stella and how much Stella doesn’t care about anything but him. She didn’t care that he was a “commoner” and - one of my fave moments - in 1x08 she only cared about his well-being rather than the competition. It was adorable and they are adorable and I love them so much. Pure serotonin, right there!

25. How would you end the Bloom searching for her parents storyline/Would you change the ending?

I would certainly change the logistics of the whole thing because, boy, did it make no sense at all. As for the actual ending, I’d argue that physically finding them is not the end of that storyline and she needs to “find” them emotionally as well which would definitely take more time than SotLK cared to address. Like, she got them out of Obsidian and boom, everything’s fine! She literally doesn’t know them! Those are her parents and she doesn’t know anything about them! Their touch and their voices are unfamiliar to her even and they have missed on so much that they will never be able to get back and you’re saying that everything is fine? Yeah, right.

I would have had her spend a year on Domino with them before season 4. The school year that started in SotLK? She spends that with them. Possibly even the one that starts in Magical Adventure as well. She learns everything she can about them and the family history. She also learns how to be a proper royal because she is the Crown Princess now and she has no idea what the fuck she is doing. I would have made seasons 4 and possibly 5 about that and added more politics in it. Layla and Stella are also princesses who will run their kingdoms one day so we could have had adventures in political relations with Winx Club. They are pretty famous so I am sure there would be rulers of other lands that see them as threats and don’t like them. There could have been tension about that and the whole thing with Domino being the planet of the Dragon Fire could have been addressed. Who would dare oppose them when they are the most powerful force? Are they the most powerful force after the 17 years the planet spent as an ice block? Are there old alliances to be reforged? What is the political climate in the Magic Dimension? All absolutely fascinating questions that would have helped the worldbuilding and made place for Marion and Oritel in Bloom’s life and in the show. We could’ve gone back to the feel of season 1 when they also had other things going on besides the big baddie of the season and it could have been a little more episodical with a loose theme to connect the season and the overarching story of Bloom finding her parents and her place in the world she was born in. That could have been positively epic... And a great way to retain the cast because the Company of Light were allegedly friends so we could have seen Marion and Oritel reconnecting with Griffin, Faragonda, Saladin and Hagen. There could have been resurfacing debates left over from the war. Kingdoms angry at Domino for something that happened back then in order to include flashbacks with the events. AND that would work out with the fact that the Ancestral Witches were still around and could have led to another epic battle that wouldn’t end with the destruction of a whole planet. Like I said, there were amazing possibilities... and they were all wasted.

Well, this was long... and just what I needed. I hope some (civilized) discussion will spark out of that because I am tired of screaming in a void and I want people to talk to me.

[misssophiachase]

Prompt! 3x14 au ish. Caroline gets wasted at the ball and they bond over having being tortured by their fathers

Love this! If only it had happened… For Klaroline Rewind

Drunk in Love

9 February 2024, New Orleans LA

“Happy 5th Anniversary!” They toasted, clinking champagne glasses around the expansive dining table in the courtyard of the compound. 

“I still can’t believe Mr ‘I’m Never Getting Married’ actually did it,” Rebekah teased, winking at her husband Enzo. 

“I still can’t believe she said yes,” Kol joked, earning a dirty look from his older brother. 

“She is the cat’s mother, Kol,” Elijah corrected as per usual. 

“You know what I can’t believe?” The brunette by his side asked. “That we’re all sitting around the same table, it seems like only yesterday you were trying to kill me, Klaus.” 

“If it weren’t for Elijah, I probably would have by now, Katherine.”

“You know what I can believe?” Bonnie murmured, putting her glass down and regarding them, including her husband, seriously. “This topic of conversation at the dinner table.”

“Well, Klaus is just lucky that I agreed to marry him,” Caroline shared, “it was touch-and-go there for a bit.” 

“Oh please,” he drawled. “You fell in love with me the night of the Mikaelson ball.”

“No, I merely realised just what a lightweight you were in the drinking department.”

“Says the girl who thought she was imagining things and insisted on getting married on that particular date, just saying.”

9 February 2012 - Mystic Falls VA

“Woah, either I’ve had too many champagnes or there is an actual horse over there,” Caroline said, opening and closing her eyes a few times to double-check. 

It seemed as if the Mikaelson mansion, in all of its grandeur, had the whole town within its walls. The sound of clinking glasses and lively chatter could still be heard from outside in the front garden. 

Caroline needed a break from boring holes into Rebekah Mikaelson with her eyes and watching the constant merry-go-round of Elena Gilbert and which of the Salvatore brothers she would eventually pick.  

“Of all creatures here tonight, why in the world would it be so unusual to see a horse?”

“I know you come from the horse and buggy era but these days a car is your best and fastest bet to get places.”

“How economical and entirely unromantic of you, love,” he drawled, drinking her in as she took a seat on the white garden furniture next to him, noticing a bottle of champagne and two accompanying glasses on the table. It was as if he was expecting her.

“You are not pulling that whole romantic crap on me, Mikaelson,” before he could interject she continued. “Just because I wore the dress you got me doesn’t mean you’re romantic, it just means I had no time to shop.”

“I believe we covered this already during our waltz but the reason behind wearing the bracelet still remains a mystery.”

“I needed something to match the gown, you know the one I had to wear because there was no time…”

“To shop, yeah I get it,” he interrupted and by his tone, she could tell he didn’t believe her. Truth be told, she didn’t even believe herself. “It must be exhausting.”

“What must be exhausting?” 

“Always putting up a front,” he sighed. “It is alright just to say you like it, I won’t propose to you or anything.”

“Well, with you who knows?”

“In all my time roaming this earth I’ve never been married and have no desire to start now, sweetheart.” 

“Someone break your heart?” Caroline had no intention of ever getting into a deep and meaningful with the evil hybrid that terrorised her friends and basically scared her boyfriend away but here she was doing just that. 

He paused momentarily. It was an excruciatingly long wait as he popped the cork and poured the golden liquid into the champagne flutes. Caroline didn’t think she could care more about what he was going to say next. She was fairly certain she needed to analyse that but she’d do that later in the privacy of her bedroom.

“I’m going to need more of this if we’re going to continue down this route,” he murmured, lifting the glass to those sinful, crimson lips and taking a long sip. Caroline wasn’t sure what she’d gotten herself into and decided to blame the alcohol. She took a big gulp herself. What were a few more glasses anyway? “It wasn’t a woman per se.”

“Oh, I shouldn’t have assumed,” she babbled, not expecting that.

“I’m not gay, love,” he smirked, those dimples she knew all too well making an appearance. “I just wanted to clear that up because you seemed a little upset at the prospect.”

“Enough with the ego, Mikaelson,” she shot back. “So?”

“It was my father,” he shared. “He was such a tyrant, took every opportunity to berate me and my siblings and bully my mother. I could never imagine getting married because of what I had witnessed. It just stuck with me I suppose.”

“It was safer not to,” Caroline offered as he nodded in agreement. “I never understood why my parents got married in the first place, they were so different. And I honestly felt like I was more of a burden to my father, he missed everything that was important to me. I was the lead in the school play and he apparently had a work emergency and couldn’t make it, I’ll never forget how painful it was to see that empty seat next to my mother in the audience.”

“Well, my father killed my favourite horse, severed its neck.”

“Wow. Are you really trying to make this an emotional scar off? Because even though no animals were harmed in my family my father was still an ass.” 

“I was merely stating a fact,” he argued. “But just so you know, love, I would have never missed your performance.”

“I was so good too.”

“I’m sure you were,” he concurred. “My father never thought I was good enough, I never understood it until I found out my true paternity.”

“He was missing out,” she uttered. “Now who’s the most powerful creature on earth?”

“Oh, so you’re admitting I am, huh?” Caroline had no intention of stroking that overbearing ego but again decided to blame it on the champagne.

“I’m going through a mourning period and you are plying me with alcohol,” she insisted. “I’ll never forget the look in my father’s eyes when he realised I was a vampire.”

“One of the strongest vampires I’ve ever known, and there have been many,” he grinned. “He was the one missing out on seeing just what a force of nature you are. But I know you loved him and I truly am sorry to hear about his passing, Caroline,” he reiterated. 

“I think we need more alcohol,” she motioned towards the bottle, thinking just how wonderful Klaus ‘the terrible’ Mikaelson could be and it frightened the hell out of her. 

“Indeed we do, love.” 

A/N The term an ‘emotional scar-off’ came from my fave Dynasty couple Falliam, which seemed fitting for Klaroline and this drabble. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

Families, biological and chosen, both central to the series.  

“This is about the children.” - Ranko Zamani, 1x1

I was gonna do a gif set for Guillermo Rizal, but Cooper’s conversation with Liz at the end of the episode offered too much bounce back and required my added input about the scenes themselves and their dialogues. 

Forewarning - this is a lengthy post. 

Tom, Liz, and Agnes: Chosen family.  

Liz [6x20]: Before we had Agnes, I thought Tom and I were gonna adopt, that family had nothing to do with biology.

Pointing out the fact that Agnes’ foreshadow with the unicorn first came with this bit of conversation. A storyline that’s been brewing since season three.

And because it’s been brewing since then, I’d like to point out Red’s dialogues because they support an issue of paternity where Agnes is concerned. 

"We" is an ambiguous pronoun.

In 3x12, we had these dialogues.

Red: I assume Tom is the father. Liz: I haven’t told him. Uh. He’s still figuring his life out.

In 3x14, we had these dialogues.

Liz: You and Tom agree on something. Red: He wants you to keep the baby?

In 3x16, we had these dialogues.

Red: How are you feeling? Liz: We’ve decided to keep the baby. Red: We? Liz: I’ve accepted Tom’s proposal. We’re gonna get married. Red: Right.

For someone like Red, with his previous dialogues and knowledge of how adoption works, his question of "we" offers two scenarios. Either he suspected Liz was in a relationship with someone other than Tom, or suspected someone else to be the father of Agnes. To assume Tom is the father, and be told Tom wants Liz to keep the baby, it's an obvious "we." Or is it?

Back to Red’s 3x14 dialogue. 

Cooper [6x20]: The parents of Rizal’s children. No one would blame them for walking away from those kids.

The non-biological, chosen family. 

Ressler: According to the report, the two of you are not genetically related to your daughter. Ben Mitchell: What? Sara Mitchell: No. Ressler: I’m sorry, but we ran the test several times. - Liz: It isn’t just you. Neither you nor the Mitchells are biologically related to either of the girls. Mark Walker: You’re telling us what - that we got some other couple’s eggs by mistake?

Opposite parallel. Because Tom isn’t the father of Agnes. 

Liz: You and Tom agree on something. Red: He wants you to keep the baby? 

Pushing us to Red’s dialogue in 3x17.

The focus to Liz’s baby bump was purposeful. 

Red: You were wrong about him once. What makes you so sure you’re not wrong this time? Do you really want your child to pay the price for that mistake for the rest of his or her life?

Liz: I am attempting to build a life with [the father of my child.] A normal life with two parents who love one another. With everything you know about me, can’t you see that? Can’t you see how important that is to me? To my child?

The father of her child is back at the church.

The foreshadow of danger to come. 

In the context of Brimley's dialogue, he was speaking of parent and child. 

Brimley [6x20]: So much for making this a family business. Hand it over. Hood, hive, the works. You want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. Nothing hurts so bad as when a child disappoints. Like being impaled by a unicorn.

This means Agnes will be impaling Liz with a "disappointment" unicorn. 

Back to 3x17 and its dialogues. 

Liz: What am I doing? Cooper: You’re trusting Tom. Taking a leap of faith. One you know could end in disappointment. But it’s because you love him.

“So much for making this a family business.”

Liz and Red.

Tom and Scottie. 

“Family. Business.”

Back to Cooper’s conversation, which bounces back heavy. 

Challenges. 

Cooper [6x20]: Every family has challenges. God knows yours with Reddington has more than most. 

Cooper [3x17]: Now, each choice brings with it blessings as well as hardships. Choosing a partner means choosing that person’s life to become your life. Their joy becomes your joy, as do their burdens.

Walking away.

Cooper [6x20]: No one would blame you if you chose to walk away from them, but you never will. And not because you can’t. Because you don’t want to. Because in spite of his -

Tom [3x17]: But there are things that I did, and - and - and I might be done with those things, but I can’t promise you that those things are done with me. And I can’t promise you that it’s not gonna happen tomorrow or next week or - or five years from now. And I would understand, frankly, if you didn’t want to deal with any of -

Faith.  Cooper [6x20]: In spite of everything, he’s committed to you, he loves you, and he has faith in you. And I think you have the same for him.

Cooper [3x17]: You’re trusting Tom. Taking a leap of faith. One you know could end in disappointment. But it’s because you love him.

Furthered by Mr. Kaplan’s dialogue, which offers a double interpretation. 

Kate [4x18]: Please, do what your mother never had the courage to do until it was too late. Walk away from Raymond.

Again, “walking away.”

Cooper [6x20]: No one would blame you if you chose to walk away from them, but you never will.

Red is not the real Raymond Reddington, he’s Katarina Rostova. Kate’s bit of dialogue places Tom at the center despite its double interpretation. 

Please, do what your mother never had the courage to do until it was too late. Walk away from Raymond. (herself)

The danger of oneself, furthered by Kate’s dialogue in 3x23. 

Kate: I didn’t betray you. I did what I’ve always done - protected you - this time, from yourself.

Furthered even more by Red’s dialogue in 5x9.

Liz: I killed some men. Doesn’t matter that they were bad. That it was them or me. What matters is that I did it and I was good at it. And I didn’t lose any sleep over it. Red: You will. One of these nights you will. It’s just a matter of when. Liz: Maybe. Later. After I’ve crossed the abyss. But from the side I’m on now, all that matters is that I’m healed and I’m back. And I’m coming for Tom’s killers. Like I said, I couldn’t keep my promise. Can you forgive me? Red: Yes. Will you be able to forgive yourself?

The second interpretation, its very context. Raymond wasn’t Katarina’s parent, he was her lover. Again, placing Tom at the very center. I could list any number of times Red warned Liz about Tom, but I won’t. I’ll just take it back to 4x17. 

Red: As I feared would happen, elements from Katarina’s past are circling Elizabeth like a pack of wolves in the night. I put Tom Keen in her life to keep an eye on her, and he married her. Kate: This isn’t about Tom Keen. It’s about your need for control. Red: Indeed. I need to control the danger to Elizabeth. I’ve built a vast criminal network predicated on that very principal. It’s time to live up to my mission statement.

Kate will be wrong about Tom. 

Red, Liz, and Agnes: Biological family. 

Agnes’ foreshadow with the unicorn continued in Liz’s scene with Red. Her conversation with Cooper bounces back to their 4x22 motel scene. 

Liz [6x20]: Family? Is that what we are? I’m not so sure.

Liz [4x22]: But anger and fear and a certain amount of hatred are all normal in a family. And that’s what we are.

“Means” Several dialogues for this bit, I’ll just be adding two. 

Liz [6x20]: I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently, and, uh - I don’t think I know what “family” even means.

Liz [5x1]: Well, you are my father and - Oh, my God, that sentence and all that it means.

Ilya: It is a mystery, right? So, we give them the answer. Katarina: What does that mean?

Bloodlines. Again, back to 4x22. 

Liz: Before we had Agnes, I thought Tom and I were gonna adopt, that family had nothing to do with biology. Cooper: If this case taught us anything, it’s that it doesn’t. Family isn’t about bloodlines. 

Liz [4x22]: Why didn’t you just tell me who you were? Why keep it a secret? Come into my life, give up everything, go broke trying to protect me, and not tell me you’re my -

Liz [4x22]: I’m angry at you, at who I am, at the fact that I want to help you despite everything you’ve done to me and to yourself.

Everything Red’s done to himself. Katarina “becoming Reddington.”

Liz [4x22]: What was it you said? A father who’s a career criminal [and a mother who died of weakness and shame.]

Add in their Bloodstream soundtrack for bloodlines. 

♪ Wake up and look me in the eyes again ♪ 

Windows to the soul. That’s why they often do close-ups of Red’s eyes. Why he wears special glasses to avoid the retinal scan at the airport in 3x21.  ♪ I need to feel your hand upon my face ♪

Red [1x14]: I can - I can still smell the nape of her neck, [feel her little fingers on my cheek], her whisper in my ear.

♪ And then the silence surrounds you ♪

The silence of secrets. The silence Liz found when she was seeking answers about her mother back in season two. The Sound of Silence soundtrack in 5x8 only adding to that. 

♪ Two minds and all the places they have been ♪

Two minds. Their Never Tear Us Apart soundtrack in 6x19.  “Two worlds collided.” Raymond and Katarina. 

♪ I think I might’ve inhaled you ♪

Red [3x1]: She’s as much a part of you as the air you breathe.

Furthered by Liz’s dialogue. 

Liz [6x20]: You won’t stay angry with me. I know you think you will, but you won’t. Parents don’t stay angry with their children. Or their grandchildren. And that’s who you are to us. It doesn’t matter who you were. This is who you are and who you’ll always be.

It doesn’t matter who Red was. He can change his face, but not his DNA. He’ll always be Liz’s biological parent and Agnes’ biological grandparent. 

Back to Cooper’s dialogue. 

Challenges. 

Cooper [6x20]: Every family has challenges. God knows yours with Reddington has more than most.   

Liz [4x18]: Finding out truths about who you really are is never easy.

Walking away. 

Cooper [6x20]: No one would blame you if you chose to walk away from them, but you never will. 

Liz [4x22]: Walk away? Are you serious? How can you be so smart and so clueless? Yes, I’m terrified. I’m angry. I’m angry at you, at who I am, at the fact that I want to help you despite everything you’ve done to me and to yourself. But anger and fear and a certain amount of hatred are all normal in a family. And that’s what we are. And I’m not gonna walk away from that.   Faith. 

Cooper [6x20]: And not because you can’t. Because you don’t want to. Because in spite of his - In spite of everything, he’s committed to you, he loves you, and he has faith in you. And I think you have the same for him.

Red [4x6]: I just wanted to thank you for trusting me, trusting the plan. I understand what a - a leap of faith it must have been.

“Not really, considering what was at stake.” - Liz, 4x6

Tom [5x8]: Could we just put a stake in it? You go first. Who’s in the suitcase?

Back to that danger foreshadowed. 

Liz [6x20]: I left Agnes with Scottie because I was afraid of who you were. But I’m not anymore. Scottie won’t have to train Agnes. Because Agnes won’t be with her. I’m bringing her home.

“Training” Agnes. 

Liz [5x9]: She loves Cheerios, and Thomas the Train in the morning.

Kat [6x22]: Scottie wanted me to tell you she’ll bring over the rest of her things in the morning.

Liz believing Red is Ilya. That’s the issue. 

Stranger: And she believed him? Red: She did. So much so that she’s decided it’s safe to bring her daughter home.

Ilya is of danger to Agnes.

Red: I want this done before Masha’s daughter comes home.

That’s why he wants it done before she comes home. 

Red: Your mother was not as bad as - If she were here, I’m sure she’d tell you she made so many mistakes. She was scared and uncertain and just trying to do the best she could. Bring Agnes home, Elizabeth. Liz: If there’s any risk - Red: There isn’t. Bring her home.

Katarina isn’t of danger. Ilya is. That’s why there’s no danger to Masha. Also why Red went to Paris. "Raymond” is Katarina, "Katarina” is Ilya. This falls to Tom’s side of Agnes’ family tree - while adding in the issue of paternity. This will break Liz’s second memory wipe wide open. The first tap of my Tom-Domino theory. Liz finding out Tom isn’t the father of Agnes will most certainly cause her to question who is and why she can’t remember having sex with him. I also believe this will tie in Red’s plan with Dr. Stark, as I believe he was planning to donate to Agnes. 

Agnes’ paternity issue taking us back to Kirk’s arc. 

Kirk, Liz, and Agnes: Chosen family. 

Tying in both chosen and biological with Rederina and Keenler baby.

Liz [4x7]: The test results showed something else. I’m not your daughter.

Kirk [4x8]: Mistake? It wasn’t a mistake. No. It was altered by Reddington.

He’s right. They were altered by Reddington, who is Katarina. 

Kirk: I had proof that she was my daughter. A DNA test. Red: You saw what Katarina wanted you to see.

Fabrications. 

Liz: You know, I really believed he was my father. Red: You had every reason to.

Liz had every reason to believe Kirk was her father. Memories at the Summer Palace. Kirk’s marriage to her mother. A fabricated DNA report. 

Because of Krilov, memories are just as easy to fabricate as DNA reports. That’s why Liz has every reason to believe Tom is the father of Agnes.

Silver linings. Hope in dark clouds. Because a storm is coming.

♪ And everyone thinks I dodged a bullet But I think I shot the gun ♪

The chosen family. Keenler baby.

Kirk [4x8] -

Liz: Kirk? Red: Gone. Liz: Dead? Red: Gone.

Tom [3x14] -

Liz: You and Tom agree on something. Red: He wants you to keep the baby?

Guillermo Rizal [6x20] -

Cooper: The parents of Rizal’s children. No one would blame them for walking away from those kids. 

The biological family. Rederina. 

Kirk [4x8] -

Red: Yes, Elizabeth is my daughter.

Tom [4x8 & 6x19] -

Tom: So it worked? Red: Yes.

Imposter Red: Yes. It worked.

Guillermo Rizal [6x20] -

Liz: You won’t stay angry with me. I know you think you will, but you won’t. Parents don’t stay angry with their children. Or their grandchildren. And that’s who you are to us. It doesn’t matter who you were. This is who you are and who you’ll always be.

Secret accounts.

Katarina & Raymond.

Katarina: Don’t you understand? He was my asset. I’d been siphoning intel off of him for years. You don’t think we had plans in place to destroy him if he ever found out that he was sleeping with the enemy? Ilya: Of course they did. Katarina: Money in secret accounts. Paper trails of payoffs. Passports in safety-deposit boxes - evidence that I didn’t steal his secrets, but that he shared them with me. Ilya: Alternate history.

The Travel Agency. 

Liz: After the accident, somehow, somewhere, there was a slip-up, and she picked up on it. - Eleanor: I was at the bank, trying to figure out how to keep up with the medical bills - your medical bills - when the bank manager asked me why I hadn’t dipped into your personal account. Calvin: What account? Eleanor, I don’t understand. Eleanor: That’s exactly what I said. - Liz: She stumbled onto his finances. - Eleanor: I was able to connect the dots by following the money. Your travels were like a map.

Tom & Liz. 

[Medical bills]

Liz: Do you know what Tom was talking about? When he said he figured it out? Red: Tom was a man of [many truths]. Which of those he was going to divulge, I can’t say.

Insert Dr. Krilov. 

Impalement, disappointment.

Katarina & Masha.

Red: But I let my hopes convince me that - you’d never betray me like that.

Samar & Aram.

[The Keenler-Saram/Liz-Samar parallel] 

Ressler: She’s alive, but she went a long time without oxygen. I mean, that was after she was somehow impaled. Cooper: Did they say how long she would be on a respirator? Ressler: All they said was that she can’t breathe on her own. And they don’t know if she ever will.

Red: What I really can’t get is how you used Agent Mojtabai, how you manipulated him into telling you about Samar’s condition. He told you so as to protect her, but because of you, he has to live with the fact that he betrayed her, that his words put a target on her back, that he is the reason that they will never be together again. Aram trusted you, and because of that trust, his life has been devastated.

Liz & Agnes. 

Being impaled by a unicorn. 

Liz: Anxious isn’t really the right word. It’s more like heightened. Like, I can feel every breath. I’m not used to that.

[“All they said was that she can’t breathe on her own.”]

With Ressler by her side, she’s not breathing on her own. 

Soundtrack. The Lumineers, This Must Be The Place.

The lyrics were written by David Byrne of Talking Heads.

Family & Home. 

♪ I'm just an animal looking for a home and Share the same space for a minute or two And you love me till my heart stops Love me till I'm dead ♪

For the chosen family of Tom, Liz, and Agnes.

Tom: I never knew my parents either. I think that’s what made Liz and I work. You know, it was the first time either of us felt like ... family.

Tom: Just go to the house. Meet me there, and when it’s safe, babe, I’m gonna explain everything.

For the biological family of Red, Liz, and Agnes.

Red: When I look at you, that’s what I see. I see my way home. 

Masha: When are you coming home? Katarina: It’s gonna take a while. Mama has some work to do.

[ninjagoat]

Supergirl 3x14 Speculation Post

As some of you may have heard, episode 14 of this current season of Supergirl will feature Academy Award Nominee Laurie Metcalf as Winn's mother, Mary, who abandoned him as a child after his father committed mass murder.

We know that she's been out on location with Ms. Benoist, possibly with Mr. Brooks and Mr. Wood. So far, it doesn't seem much like the kind of reunion we've seen in 3x03 with Maggie and her dad, or the "I'm dying and I want to make amends" type a la Iris and her mother we've seen on The Flash. The episode title, 'Schott The The Heart' is a play on the Bon Jovi classic 'You Give Love A Bad Name', and that would suggest heavy Mon-El or, indeed, Imra involvement.

Ms. Metcalf is great. She's been great for DECADES. And, as the ever-so-slightly angry people at the Winn end of the fandom will attest, Mr. Jordan brings it pretty much every single week (which is why he gets the Jeremy Jordan Award For Doing So Much With So Little time and time again). Their scenes together will be great.

This post is not about their scenes.

This post is about the *other* big scene: who does Winn confide in? Who does he tell his sob story to?

Because that's the actual story. 'Childish Things' is not the story of the Winslows Schott, but the story of Winn and Kara. Whoever gets told that backstory is the focal point of Winn's arc for the episode and - let's not kid ourselves here, because he's not likely to get another one - the season.

So let's look at the options.

Kara

Kara seems like an obvious choice. Not only does it rhyme with 'Childish Things', but Kara's been... distant from him recently, from him more than others. She's said some questionable things about their friendship. This would be a chance for her to reconnect with him, and by extension, with Kara Danvers.

Kara will absolutely tell him he needs to give Mary a chance. When she says compassion for all, she means it. But Winn might not go for it. After all, why should it be his job to forgive the woman who convinced him, intentionally or not, that he would only ever be his father's son?

Lena

It's not going to be Lena. But I really want it to be.

It would be my absolute dream for this show if Winn showed up at CatCo after the initial encounter with Mary, looking to talk to Kara or James, he can only find Lena; and, in one of her moments where she believes she's good with people (she is, but it's an individual, case-by-case basis thing), she takes him into James office, expecting much ado about nothing.

And Winn dumps *everything* on her. His mother, his father, his time in foster care, everything. And she realises she's totally out of her depth.

Yes, Winn and Lena have paralleling backstories. But Lena's experience happened largely in isolation, both from other people and from the consequences of her family's actions: Winn's dad kills six people, he lost everything; Lena's brother tries to nuke California, and her immense wealth and privilege carries on as normal.

Winn, on the other hand, went into foster care. He'll have met ten, maybe twenty other kids while he was there. He'll have heard their stories, or at least parts of them. He probably doesn't even consider his story to be *that bad*, compared to others.

This would cause Lena to rethink her own history, and her attitude toward it. It would also put an end to the endless "Am I Evil?" stories, because if Winn can make it... she's got no excuse.

She should probably tell Winn that he should stand his ground against whatever Mary wants; but, more likely, will tell him he really needs the advice of someone else, because she is nowhere near qualified to handle this.

J'onn

Most of Winn's scenes this season have involved J'onn. Winn is also has a significant functioning relationship with J'onn's father, M'yrnn (or Mr J). J'onn's story this year is basically built around 'fathers and sons'.

You can see where I'm going with this.

J'onn being a father to Winn in this scene would be the final link between everyone being Winn's friends and people he works for to actually being his family. Plus, J'onn having lost his own mother, and known the joy of being reunited with his father, he is in a unique position to offer advice.

Mon-El

Mon-El has been, hard as it will be for some to believe, Winn's most consistent friend. He has always respected Winn: promises to let Winn make his superhero suit (even though he had no intention of being a hero when he did - I'll get to that later); congratulates Winn when he learns about Lyra, and asks Winn for relationship advice when he needs it; supports Winn when Lyra gets kidnapped; and, my personal favorite, his aphorism "Hope for the best, have Winn Schott plan for the worst".

He *also* knows which of Winn's buttons to press to get him to do things he doesn't want to do, or rather, says he doesn't want to do. This is a quality you want in a good wingman.

And, of course there's his *own* issues with his parents, which gives he and Winn a shared perspective. The most likely advice he would give about Mary would be that which mirrored Winn's previous advice to him; i.e, listen to her, but tempered with his new found leadership skills, he could emphasise that Winn doesn't have to give her what she wants, and he should stand up for himself.

ALEX

Dipping into speculation on the Winn/Mary side of the episode for the moment:

- Winn's supposed to be moving into some sort of leadership role this season (this may have just been the cross-over, or that might be foreshadowing for this arc)

- Mr. Brooks's IG pic shows him, Ms. Benoist and Mr. Wood in kind of a golf-cart, in the middle of nowhere. This feels a lot like a corporate 'team-building' exercise.

- The pic of Ms. Metcalf with Ms. Benoist appears to be at the same location, and her hair/costume choices seem... very Alex.

So, a theory. A decision is made: in order to beat Reign, Supergirl and Guardian and Mon-El will have to work as a team - kind of like National City's very own Trinity - with Winn as... not Overwatch, exactly, but in a similar leadership role as Iris currently has on The Flash; and so, in order to get them all working together, J'onn sends them all off with Alex to DEO boot-camp, where they'll get training from a legendary instructor.

Everyone's excited, but Winn's nervous too. He's never done anything like this, and he's got a huge responsibility here.

And it only gets worse when he finds out the instructor is Mary.

Now, to me, this would be very cool - which is why it's pretty much guaranteed not to be what happens - but the thing about it is that this moves the focus away from 'will he forgive her?' to 'will he win her approval?', while still being part of the main story arc.

So how does Alex fit into this?

Mary is Alex's possible future; a future where she can't balance her current life as a DEO agent with that of her desired life as a mother. Alex is going to see a woman who abandoned her child at a time when he needed her most - the kind of mother she has no interest in being - and she's going to hate her breathing guts.

And then she's going to tell Winn to kick Mary's ass at whatever challenge she's thrown at him, because that woman can go to hell. He doesn't need her approval. He can do this *his* way.

Those are the most likely candidates (and Lena). Here's my thoughts on the others:

JAMES

Please no. I can't sit through James giving his patented generic-but-somehow-uniquely-unhelpful advice on a subject he can't possibly understand (given that he never seems to go home to see his own mother at all). This is a bad idea.

(It's going to happen, isn't it?)

IMRA

An interesting idea, given that Imra's supposed to be a telepath, and particularly given the vague motions toward SaturnNerd in 3x07 and 3x09. She could put his muddled thoughts into order for him, help reconcile what he's saying with what he's thinking. But she'd need to develop a personality very quickly for that to work, because she sure doesn't have one now.

BRAINIAC 5

It'd be hilarious, but no.

CAT GRANT

There's no way. There is absolutely no way that this is happening.

BUT CAN YOU IMAGINE? :-D

So, there's my thoughts. Feel free to kick my ass/leave thoughtful comments.

[kiss-my-freckle]

Dembe and Katarina.

"You’re a good friend who takes better care of me than I deserve."

Dembe’s scene with Liz in 6x7 putting many other scenes in different context. 

Given this latest episode, I’ve decided to do a post of Dembe and Katarina. Until just recently, hadn’t noticed just how often they placed him in scenes that are specific to her.

The Major, 2x15.

Dembe: You need to tell her, Raymond. Red: Tell her what? Dembe: About Tom. You should have told her some time ago. Red: I don’t know how do that, Dembe. Dembe: Yes, you do. You tell her the truth by telling her everything. Red: I don’t think I can do that. Dembe: Maybe you should stop thinking about it and do it.

This ties into Red’s conversation with Kate in Requiem.  By telling her “Everything.” Because “Everything about me is a lie.”

Requiem, 4x17.

Telling her the truth about Tom by telling her “everything.” 

Red: As I feared would happen, elements from Katarina’s past are circling Elizabeth like a pack of wolves in the night. I put Tom Keen in her life to keep an eye on her, and he married her. Kate: This isn’t about Tom Keen. It’s about your need for control. Red: Indeed. I need to control the danger to Elizabeth. I’ve built a vast criminal network predicated on that very principal. It’s time to live up to my mission statement.

Leonard Caul, 2x19.

Red: You were right, Dembe. I should’ve told her. Dembe: I understand why you didn’t. Red: No, you don’t. The blessing of an honest man.

Dembe also oversaw the conversation Tom had with Red. 

Tom: You know, that day at the hospital, the day Sam died - I think about that day a lot. I worked for you two years - we never met. You were always this shadow, moving from place to place - talked about, but never seen. And then -there you were. To see you sitting there after I’d betrayed your trust, gone to work for Berlin - I was terrified. I sat there listening to you threaten me, threaten anyone who could hurt Liz. And all I could think, was you - you are the one who hurts Liz the most. She’s here in this right now because of you. And I know I played a part in that, and I’m not saying I didn’t, but - trying to fix that. So I told her the truth about us. I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to be confused about my part in any of this - you, Liz - all of it. I’m out. I’m done.

Quon Zhang, 2x20.

Liz: Dembe asked me to go to get the interface for the Fulcrum. Red: He needed you to get the Fulcrum. He wanted you to discover secrets. Did you discover any secrets, Lizzy?

Quon Zhang, 2x20.

The secret Dembe wanted her to find. A photo of who they used to be. 

Red: The girl is you. And the woman is your mother. Liz: What was her name? Red: I knew her as Katarina Rostova. One of her many names. She was a KGB agent. Liz: The girl - The night of the fire, they called her Masha. Red: You were born in Moscow. Your parents - Uh, father and - they were both in foreign intelligence. Liz: You said she died of weakness and shame. Red: Yeah. Liz: You were there that night. I need to know what happened. Red: You want to know. There’s a difference. Liz: Dr. Orchard told me someone blocked my memory of that night. Was it you? Red: Yes. Liz: Why? Red: I’m not going to tell you. Liz: You have a picture of my mother in your weird, little apartment. Why? Were you in love with her? Is that why my father died? You killed him because you were in love with my mother.  Tell me what happened. Please. Red: I’m not gonna tell you what happened, Lizzy. Liz: Then I’ll find out for myself.

Lady Ambrosia, 3x14. 

Liz: I found a couple to take the baby. Thinking about it is one thing, but actually doing it ... How did she do it - my mother? Red: Your parents loved each other very much. The Cold War was hard - too hard for your father. When the Soviet Union was collapsing, he took you from her. She gave up everything to follow him, to follow you. Liz: The night of the fire - that’s what they were arguing about? Red: Your mother, despite what he’d done, she wanted him back. She wanted them to be a family. As much as it pains me to say it, he was probably the only man she ever really loved. Liz: And I shot him. Red: It was an accident. Liz: Tell me. I need to know. Red: Your mother was never the same after that. The man she loved killed by the child she adored - it was just too much. Two months later, she went to Cape May and left her clothes on the beach, walked into the ocean and was never seen again. Liz: So that night, I killed both my parents. Red: You were a child. There should never have been a gun for you to grab.  Looking back, I’m not sure I shouldn’t have raised you myself. I don’t want you looking back with that kind of regret.

The Caretaker, 3x16.

Liz: Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Velov. About a year ago, I came to visit you in your restaurant. Velov: I remember. You were asking about Katarina Rostova. Liz: That’s right. I was hoping you could answer a few more questions for me. Velov: She was just a name. One of many I heard when I was with Spetsnaz. Beyond that, I know nothing. Liz: Please. She was my mother. Velov: Dear, I cannot help you. I would if I could, believe me. I, too, have daughter. The life I led, the things I had to do - she won’t talk to me. I try to explain, but there are some - some things which can never be forgiven. Liz: I’m sorry, um - why did you agree to meet with me if you can’t help me? Velov: My daughter. I don’t know where she is. I am dying. I have written her this letter. You are with FBI, no? You can find her. Give it to her. Please. It explains everything.

[Notice Velov spoke of dying. Just like Sam, offering up truth. Perhaps speaking from Red’s point of view, as if he truly understands Katarina’s choice.]

Darla: He told her nothing. Red: You’re certain? Darla: He spent most of the time talking about his own daughter. Red: Thank you, Darla. Dembe: She deserves the truth. Red: Watch the road, Dembe.

The Caretaker, 3x16.  

Liz: My mother’s alive. You lied to me. Red: Velov is the one who lied to you, Lizzy, not me. Katarina Rostova committed suicide in 1990. Liz: Velov was the agent assigned to find her. He was getting close, she knew it. That’s why she allegedly walked into the ocean. She wanted the world to believe she drowned. Red: But Velov knows differently. Liz: He tracked her to a hotel in Prague. She had just left. But in such a hurry, she missed this - A photo of her little girl. Me. Red: That could easily have been planted. Liz: You said the name Masha Rostova had been lost to history until the manhunt. Now it’s out there, and someone’s looking for me. It’s my mother. Who else would care? Who? You were right. Some things can’t be forgiven.

[Velov “knows” differently.] I believe he figured it out in conversation. 

Karakurt, 2x21.

Velov: You’re Raymond Reddington. Red: I am. And if I’m right, you’re the same Anton Velov who once led a Spetsnaz Special Forces Unit called The Zarubin Group. Velov: I’m surprised we never met. For many years, while you were still with US Counterintelligence, I considered you the KGB’s greatest enemy.

I believe Anton Velov and the real Raymond Reddington did meet. 

The Caretaker, 3x16.

After Velov gave Liz the truth about Katarina in an envelope, Red burned his.

Red: The Caretaker’s ledger. I’d like to borrow it. Cooper: If it were up to me, I’d burn it. I’ve learned the hard way that some secrets are best kept in the dark. Red: Mine certainly is.

Red: If anything happened to me, this was to go to Elizabeth. So she would know. Now I’m not sure I ever want her to know. Dembe: Perhaps, Raymond, in this case, what you want is irrelevant. If the universe wants her to know, she will find a way.

Esteban, 4x1. 

The kidnapping of Katarina’s daughter and granddaughter. 

Kate: I was trying to help. He has to know that. Dembe: I’m not on your side here, Kate.

In The Debt Collector (4x20), Dembe and Red discuss Kate’s war. 

Dembe: You’re having doubts. Red: I am. I haven’t loved many people in my life. Kate is one of them. You know, as much as her betrayal hurt, what really hurt was - knowing what I would have to do in response. She was wrong to think Elizabeth and her child were safer without me in their lives. But in the end, she was - she did what she did out of love for the little girl she swore to protect - what seems like a lifetime ago. Dembe: It broke my heart. That day in the woods. Hearing the gunshot. Leaving her behind. Right or wrong, it was between you and her. This war she started must stop. Kate must be stopped. Red: I agree. I’m just not at all sure of the right way. And depending on the way, whether I’d be up to it. I need to look her in the face and see if I still recognize her. Dembe: Raymond, she has gone too far all to prove that you have gone too far. She can’t see what she’s become. Red: What if I’m the one who can’t see? Dembe: No, Raymond. Remember why you surrendered yourself to the FBI in the first place. Remember what all of this was about. You can’t give up now. You can’t let Kate destroy everything that gives you purpose. Our work is not yet done. I loved Kate, too, but it’s time to end this. Stop it. Stop her.

“Remember why you surrendered yourself to the FBI in the first place.”

Back to Requiem, 4x17.

Red: As I feared would happen, elements from Katarina’s past are circling Elizabeth like a pack of wolves in the night. I put Tom Keen in her life to keep an eye on her, and he married her. Kate: This isn’t about Tom Keen. It’s about your need for control. Red: Indeed. I need to control the danger to Elizabeth. I’ve built a vast criminal network predicated on that very principal. It’s time to live up to my mission statement.

Mr. Kaplan: Conclusion, 4x22.

Dembe: You didn’t deny it? Red: I didn’t. Dembe: And she thinks that’s Kate secret? Red: Yes. Dembe: So she doesn’t know about the suitcase? Red: Not yet. It is gone. Dembe: Raymond, I’m not sure Elizabeth will ever be ready to learn about what you did to Katarina. Red: We gotta find that goddamn suitcase.

The Kilgannon Corporation, 5x7.

Red: You ever wonder why Dembe stays with me - why anyone so decent would spend his days at the side of someone so indecent? Liz: You saved him. He owes you his life. He protects you because you protected him. Red: No, Elizabeth. Dembe didn’t stay with me because he saw me as his savior. He stayed with me because he saw me for the man I really was - a man surrounded by darkness. No friends who could be trusted, no faith that loyalty or love could ever truly exist. I was - Well, I was younger then. Angrier. Dembe connected his life with mine to show me that day and every day, that the world is not what I fear it to be. He is the light in the darkness. Living proof that there is another way, that life can be good, that people can be kind, that a man like me might one day dream of becoming a man like him. He pledged his life, offered it up as evidence that I was wrong about this world. Dembe guards my life because he’s determined to save my soul.

Ian Garvey, 5x8.

Dembe listening in on Red’s conversation with Tom. Red answering Tom’s questions. 

Tom: Well, that was fun. Oh, man. If you don’t trust me by now ... This whole father-in-law hates his son-in-law thing, it’s a cliché. Could we just put a stake in it? You go first. Who’s in the suitcase? Red: I was in the Andes when I heard you and Elizabeth were engaged. Agents in the Columbian government had solicited my help negotiating the release of soldiers being held by FARC rebels. At the time, I was a rare intermediary having brokered sales of arms and equipment to both sides of the conflict. I was unable to return until the day of your wedding. Seeing her that day - Tom: Wait a minute. You were at our wedding? Red: She was incandescent. I’d come out of the mountains, blinded by rage, flown 2300 miles - absolutely certain that you must die. And then - I saw Elizabeth. I’m a violent man. A terrible, powerful, violent man. But the way she looked at you, the way she loves you - I’m powerless against that. Tom: You’re not gonna tell me who’s in the suitcase. Or are you? Red: I’ll say this for you - you’ve always believed that you were acting in her best interest. Selling me out to Berlin, faking her death - you always thought you were helping her. Tom: I appreciate you saying that. I should change. Red: You make her happy.

Red: What? You’re always telling me to make peace. I made peace. Dembe: You’re still lying to him and to Elizabeth. Until you stop lying, there will be no peace.

Ian Garvey, 5x8.

Dembe: What makes you think they’re at the house? Red: He’s in trouble, he’s desperate. But he won’t leave without Elizabeth and Agnes. Dembe: You haven’t asked my opinion. Red: No, I haven’t. Dembe: Why can’t you be honest with her? Red: I don’t know. I don’t know. Dembe: Even after everything that’s happened? All that’s been lost? Red: How far until the damn house?

Ian Garvey, 5x8.

Dembe: He’s lost a lot of blood. Red: Call Harold. Tell him we’re going to the hospital. Demb: Raymond, they’re not going to make it. Red: Call him.

Comforting Red while Katarina’s daughter is getting her head drilled into. 

Alter Ego, 6x5.

Red: Ah! What a pleasant sight. Dembe: My friend. Red: Thank goodness for the prison chaplain. Dembe: He said you designated me to provide spiritual advice. Red: Oh, it had the dual benefit of getting you in here and also being true. Van Ness is dead. Without him, I don’t have the votes to prevent Androssani from cutting me off. I need you to reassure Androssani. Reason with him. And if that doesn’t work, kill him. That should scare up a vote or two. Dembe: Then what? Red: We’ll see. Dembe: And then what? Red: You do know I didn’t really ask you here to give me spiritual advice, right? Dembe: I’m going to give you some anyway. Be honest. Red: I need that vote. Dembe: Tell Elizabeth the truth. Red: Everything rests on this. Dembe: Money rests on this. Power. Not peace of mind. Red: Something has to be done. Dembe: It is. You are fighting for your freedom. Every day I pray that you get it. For now, you must leave the rest to fate. Red: I make my own fate. Dembe: Not from here. Red: I’m asking you to do this. Dembe: And I am trying to save your soul.

General Shiro, 6x7.

Liz: He said I reminded him of my mother. That’s what he said when I asked him why he gave us this case. Dembe: He’s right. You remind me of her too. Liz: You know everything. Don’t you? Everything about him. All the answers I’m looking for. Dembe: I do.