#you gotta set up the stage and make me feel like something cray about to happen to make me satisified and THISSSSSSSSSS

[storge]

Ruin her hand and make me believe that you are still on my side. We've been father and son for 20 years. You and I can still take over the capital and share the glory and wealth. Prove it to me, your loyalty.

Story of Kunning Palace (2023) 1.35

[paperclipninja]

Younger post-ep ramble 6x02

You know how sometimes an episode of television feels like really good value? This week’s Younger episode, “Flushed with Love” felt like that to me. There was a LOT going on but it felt like it flowed really well, there was clear set up for the season and I gotta say, the first 7 mins of this ep gave me so many laughs, the writing was on point from the get go. The 23 min (though hello extra 2 mins, I see you) format is tricky at this stage of a series, especially one that has developed characters and relationships the way Younger has, because in order to keep the story moving forward attention needs to be paid to all those elements that have been established. So it will be interesting to see the pacing for the rest of the season, this ep was fast paced but didn’t feel too rushed, though I do hope that every now and then we get to sit in scenes of the upcoming episodes a little longer.

I love a morning in the loft with Liza and Maggie opening scene, there’s something so comforting about it and this ep served us up a good ‘un. Maggie paying out Liza’s outfit (she’s not wrong though), talking about her hook up with Clare’s mum as missionary work (first actual lol) and Maggie’s spidey senses tingling about Clare and her trustworthiness (though Liza is back in the Clare camp for now). It was brief, yet a nice reminder that these two roomies really have a relationship unlike any other on this show (I heart it very hard).

We waste no time getting to Aunt Liza’s first call of duty and that is, of course, baby goods shopping with Josh. This scene was utterly delightful and again, actual lols to be had. One of the many things I love about Younger is that it can venture into the silly or absurd to suit any given situation or character and even when it’s wrapped around something realistic and serious, it just works. This is one of my favourite scenes between Josh and Liza in recent memory, I felt like I saw what their friendship could/would look like (when someone finally puts this limping triangle out of its misery). I cackled at Josh’s, ‘I don’t understand why it comes out before it’s completely assembled’ and seeing him chug that gripe water after dry retching about the umbilical cord stump was pure slapsticky goodness. Of course it would not be a Liza/Josh scene without the reminder of Josh’s heart eyes for Liza, which featured in his lingering gaze as Liza advised against getting mobile as it gets in the way when you lean in for a kiss.  

You know what I have heart eyes for? The 4 mins of this episode that starts at Lexington research centre and ends with Quinn asking Kelsey, ‘ARE YOU CRYING?’. The whole sequence is comedic gold. Seeing Diana, Kelsey and Liza sitting at the table together made my heart so happy, but not as happy as Diana taking Kelsey’s ‘since I’m the publisher’ from the start of the scene and using it to wish her luck telling Quinn her book sucks at the end. D. Trout is here to support you Big K but not put up with your ‘tude. This is also the first scene where we begin to see the experience vs. youth idea surface, as Diana tells Kelsey and Liza that it’s nice they think they have a choice about debuting with Quinn’s book. While Kelsey’s inexperience is easy enough to spot, Liza’s ‘I think this is so smart’ comment, just as the focus group feedback starts to roll, is the first reminder that Liza may be a fine editor with great ideas and her life experience sets her in good stead a lot of the time, but she is pretty much as green as they come in the business world. The Claw reader response reel, sweet lawd, I have watched this so many times and LAUGHED (yes, capital letters laughed) because the selection of responses, working their way to Suzzane’s shingles flaring up and Vicky begging to unread the book, are just too funny for words (”strong reactions”).

Thankfully we don’t have to wait long for Kelsey to deliver the news to Quinn because the nightmare continues over lunch aka. hilarity ensues. In case we needed some more convincing that Quinn does what Quinn wants, she immediately railroads the conversation by giving Kelsey and Liza gold business cards holders (that ‘poor Charles’ comment re: a quick exit, this woman just cannot help herself, Claw could not be a more apropos book title *meow*). Seeing Kelsey trying to find her feet in her new role is really interesting in this ep and the contrast between the first meeting and the later one when she makes Quinn sign a napkin contract to leave if the book bombs (boss move on Kelsey’s part, I rate that whole exchange a lot higher than Maggie’s current Uber rating...you’re welcome), demonstrates that Kelsey has the capacity to be a great publisher, but obvs there will be loads of DRAH-MAH to get there this season. But I tell you, if that drama includes being forced to chant in a restaurant full of strangers with a billionaire who may or may not have peaked in high school (Liza’s ‘what is happening’, the birth of ‘Big K’, Quinn sort of shrieking ‘are you crying?’, I just cannot with it all) then I am HERE FOR IT. I love the whole ridiculous scenario so much and once again, it’s flat out absurd but it somehow works and I’m 100% looking forward to Quinn’s next hit, coming this season: Fifty Shades of Cray.

Kelsey’s insecurity kicks into overdrive straight after lunch and this is undoubtedly going to be a recurring theme, as evidenced in the later exchange between Kelsey and Liza when Liza passes on the advice Charles offered in relation to publishing Claw as the first Millennial title under the new regime.  Kelsey chastising Liza for discussing the book with Charles was the first sign that the pressure is getting to her and the immediate accusation that Liza was running her ideas past Charles (as opposed to just talking about her day, you know, as you do with someone you’re in a relationship with) mirrored Kelsey’s reaction to finding out Liza and Charles were together in season 5, when she leapt to the conclusion that Liza was trying to undermine her decision not to publish the Krieger book. 

Kelsey assuming the worst of Liza is something I really struggle with, especially considering Liza has proven time and time again that she has Kelsey’s back. I am still scratching my head at how the whole exchange resulted in Liza feeling the need to give a peace offering to Kelsey at the gender reveal party later, but I will park that for now. Ultimately, I felt sorry for Kelsey as we saw her presume that Liza thinks she’s out of her depth and misconstrue Liza saying she wasn’t strong enough with Quinn regarding the edits to mean that Liza doesn’t think Kelsey is strong enough herself. There has to be a point when Kelsey realises that Liza and co. all want her to succeed and turns to them for the support each can offer (at least I hope there comes a point) so it will certainly be interesting to see that play out.

Even at the fancy clothes event (this is what I have been referring to it as since seeing everyone dressed up in promos etc so I’ll stick with it) Kelsey is feeling like she does not belong (can we just talk about Kelsey’s portrait wedged in between all the unremarkable white-haired white men on the event poster? I want to print that whole display as postcards to send to people for no reason). Zane’s, ‘You’re standing in front of a bar, you’ve never belonged anywhere more in your life’, was both accurate and also a sweet attempt to reassure Kelsey. I’m finding Kelsey’s willingness to show vulnerability to Zane this season quite a contrast to their previous dynamic; last episode she was talking about finding her job harder than expected and this week, she reveals her struggle with impostor syndrome. I’m neither offended or excited by the Zelsey situation so that will be what it is and for those who are into it, I feel like there might be some great moments coming up in that relationship now that they appear to be on again *shrug emoji* Are they? Not sure. I am curious to see whether their relationship allows Kelsey to continue to open up more and give the audience a glimpse into her struggles and fears and I feel like I say this a lot, but I would like to get to continue to get to know Zane.

It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that my excitement for Liza and Charles being dressed up and out together as an actual couple was through the roof going into this episode. Their entrance, with Charles’ smitten gaze firmly on Liza, followed quickly by the effortless literary exchange that reveals Liza is feeling a little out of her depth at such an event herself = le sigh. What I did not expect though was a) how much I was going love Lauren in this scene, I mean I really do love every time she is on my screen, but her conversation with Diana and Enzo, I could just transcribe it word for word (or you should just watch it again) because the whole thing, including Enzo’s delight and Diana’s horror (just a modern-day Juliet but with poop in her ear), was glorious; and b) Charles telling Liza that she’s taking bullets meant for him and he needs to fix it and the entire apology to Diana that followed. Zane and Charles’ little nods and Charles’ obvious diversion from Liza asking what that was about is duly noted, clearly the mystery around the newest Millennial/40-something team abounds and will no doubt come to a head soon. 

So it may have been a convenient distraction, but Charles cutting through the awkwardness to tell Diana they both know he owes her an apology, only for her to lay it all out as only Diana could, encapsulated the dynamic we’ve seen for the past five season between these two characters perfectly. Even though it’s only been two episodes, I miss their incidental interactions in the office, even if they’re often only fleeting. Obviously I blacked out momentarily when Charles told Diana that he can’t apologise for falling in love with Liza, but I thankfully regained consciousness in time to hear Diana twist Charles’ words and be happy to leave it as her hearing that she would be running Millennial had it been up to Charles. 

I love that Liza continues to confront Charles and challenge him if she disagrees with him and hearing that Charles’ belief in Kelsey is genuine was lovely and I am so pleased that he has been confirmed as an ally and backer of hers. The reality is, we knew that Empirical was in financial trouble last season, Charles was open about that, but his advice around how to handle Quinn’s book was sound, I love that he also acknowledged that maybe Kelsey’s plan will work and I feel like the ‘experience means something’ idea may resurface in a surprising way down the track. Liza’s cogs were clearly turning and the challenge for her is going to be whether she is strong enough to call Kelsey out or stand up to her at times. 

I am glad to see Charles respect that Liza is in a difficult position and his understanding when she asked that they not discuss Millennial was admirable. I adore how dry Charles is when he and Liza are alone, his humour in the way he talks about branching out to other cuisines and of course, the fabulous dead pan agreement that he will not tell Liza about the movie other than a few tidbits and ‘that’s all you get’ *swoon*. Cue Liza once again being unabashedly suggestive and helping herself to dessert. I really appreciate that Younger shows the way characters are different in these private romantic relationships, it’s realistic and reflects the way we show different sides of ourselves when we’re with someone we love and are comfortable with. Of course Liza’s request to keep work talk out of the relationship will no doubt prove problematic as Charles and Zane’s machinations unfold, however it also means that if Charles is not forthcoming in revealing their plans, he may arguably be respecting her wishes. I still hold out hope that whatever drama that needs to play out does so, but that Kelsey, Liza, Charles and Zane ultimately team up again to work together, along with Diana and Lauren. I mean, talk about the A team.

Speaking of A teams, Diana and Enzo (#Dianzo I think we settled on??). Never have I shushed at a character quite like I did Diana as she careened towards the point of no return during her post-event walk with Enzo. It was like watching some kind of horrifying game of insult Jenga, where instead of wooden pieces, every time Diana kept trying to clarify that actually, she just meant she thought she’d be with someone cultured, sophisticated etc, we could see the pieces of Enzo’s heart being slowly extracted before the whole thing broke completely (along with mine). I actually yelled ‘stop talking’ at one point and it was a reminder that Diana’s tendency to be self absorbed and inconsiderate is still well and truly in tact. It did allow for yet another splendid Lauren/Diana interaction the next morning at work, Lauren’s sympathy evident as she referred to Diana by her actual name instead of Diva, and I just love how obsessed Lauren is with Diana. I need to see more of them together and yes please out at a bar. 

Of course the real pay off and Dianzo resolution came towards the end of the episode when we discovered that Diana had written and published their love story herself. Side note: I want Miriam Shor to narrate all my books. Diana and Enzo’s simple yet emotional reunion was so moving, in part because of the accompanying narration but also because Diana’s walls are finally down with Enzo, she’s allowing herself to be in love with him because that’s what she wants and needs. I just love the character development of Diana over the series and I cannot wait to see the Diana and Enzo story unfold over the rest of the season. 

The fastest moving part of this episode was undoubtedly the gender reveal to birth of baby which occurred in the space of about four minutes. When Liza arrived at the party I really got the impression that as she looked over at Josh and Clare, she was simply happy for them. And poor Liza being tasked with holding the balloon for the big reveal only to let it go, that whole situation was so relatable and would definitely be me if I was given that responsibility. Clare did a fantastic job of moving from first contraction to crowning baby in the back of an Uber in mere minutes. I cannot even tell you how ecstatic I am that Maggie was the character put into the back of that car, that scene was so bonkers but the dialogue, from Maggie asking why she was in the splash zone and ‘it’s coming for me’ and telling Josh the breathing’s not working, to Clare’s ‘you and I are the only two women who’ve been inside my mother, we’re bonded’ and of course ‘no baby in my Uber!’, it has to have been one of the most hectic moments ever on this show but jeez was it funny.

The entire outro of this episode, with Diana’s narration tying together all the fragments, was sublime and obviously credit to Don Roos for the stellar writing. I have said it before, but having a young guy so openly yearn to be a father is really refreshing and seeing Josh with his baby was beautiful. This character just desperately wants to love and be loved and I really believe that his daughter will give that to him in a way he deserves. For Liza, seeing Josh with the baby would undoubtedly dredge up all kinds of feelings. I am not naive enough to believe that the writers won’t continue to stoke the ‘Team’ debate, however for now I am going to put my faith in the fact that actually, the story that’s playing out is one that is real and multifaceted. To see an ex, whom you loved, with a baby that you were very clear you did not want, I don’t doubt that there would be a moment of, ‘what would my life have looked like if that had been me?’. It doesn’t mean Liza wants that now, but I do believe that coupled with the words Diana is reading, it is a time of letting go and reflection for Liza.

When Liza returns to the brownstone (ok, two things quickly, umm how does she get in to the house? I would NOT put it past C. Brooks to have given her a key already but I need confirmation asap. Also, turns out casual Charles is a barefoot guy, which I am struggling with a little because it is Winter and he is sitting reading, surely there’d at least be socks but apparently not), I will admit that I found the exchange between her and Charles a little odd, I can’t really explain why. I really liked Charles’ reaction to the news of a baby girl, his understanding of what it’s like to become a parent felt really evident in his response. I could (most likely am) be completely over-thinking it, but I wonder if Charles asking Liza if she’s happy is because he knows this would be hard for Liza? 

I feel like the fact she needs a hug is a dead give away that she’s needing some TLC and time to process. I truly love a hug, I find them to be more intimate sometimes than a kiss, like a real proper hug and I feel like we don’t get many on TV and the way Liza pulls Charles to her and he holds her does things to my heart. The look on Liza’s face at the end, it is obviously to serve the purpose of stirring up the Josh/Charles debate but you know what? I just want to engage in the narrative as it is written and I do believe that Liza is happy with Charles and is grieving the ‘what could have been’ with Josh in that moment and to me, that’s ok. It will be how these characters and the story move forward from this point that I’m really keen to see.

All in all, I really enjoyed episode 2, it was an episode of extremes in many ways because the funny was oh so funny and the emotional really up and got me at the end there.

Be sure to have your fire blankets ready for next week’s ep, if you’ve seen the sneak peek you know why and if you haven’t just trust me, it will be necessary.

[xoruffitup]

Harry Potter & the Cursed Child Show Report 18/1/17

I haven’t formally done one of these before, but today was my last time seeing the show before I move from London and I don’t want to lose the details so HERE WE GO! :D WIZZO!

Highlights - For the tl;dr people 2 Points! (It’s always 2 points with her, isn’t it?) First point: The big goof of the night happened when Harry transfigures into Voldemort... Harry sinks down into a trap door or something under the stage and when Voldemort’s supposed to rise up through Harry’s robes, his shoulder got caught on the robes and he FELL OVER and all the cast on stage immediately scrambled to help him up! And after Ron exclaims “Bloody hell,” Harry/Voldemort is supposed to say “It worked then?” but instead tonight he said “IT NEARLY WORKED” and omg it was literally the equivalent of the awkward Draco hug scene in DH2 when you can no longer take Voldemort seriously at all. Second point, more significant POINT: Bscly, Scorbus are in love and this entire cast are legendary talents. More detail to follow but just gotta put all the analysis and recap that follows under that general umbrella!

Also, my unexpected personal highlight: ANDY HURLEY FROM FALL OUT BOY WAS THERE TODAY I SAW HIM TWICE BUT DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER HIM BUT AAAH ANDY

Okay so let’s get into the scene-by-scene deets! (And I’ll put it out there right now that my heart unabashedly belongs to Scorpius Malfoy, so many things that stick with me are Scorpius-centric.)

(All original cast were on, except Annabel Baldwin played Delphi)

Act 1, Scene 5 (Ministry of Magic, Harry’s Office) Harry was more whimsical and relaxed in this scene than I’ve ever seen him. He actually had his feet up on the desk and was leaning back completely relaxed in his chair when first talking with Hermione! When I watch Jamie, his defining trait usually seems to be the helpless anger constantly bubbling under his exterior, waiting to burst forth when he’s unduly provoked or feels particularly helpless. But today he was genuinely laughing and joking with Hermione about not being on top of his paperwork and “no longer chaotic!” Then, he switched incredibly quickly to frustration with “It was me who heard the remours about the Time-Turner and me who acted upon it. You really don’t need to tell me off.” Here was the first little step down Harry’s looong, oh-so-difficult emotional hurdles during the play, but it was nice really seeing him start from a place where he did actually seem comfortable and at-ease - even if for a few brief moments.

Act 1, Scene 7 (The Potters’ House) Today had some of the most intense Albus/Harry argument scenes I’ve ever seen. Even when we saw Sam going into the theater beforehand, we thought he looked particularly prickly angry and boyyy did Albus channel that today. I think today was the BEST performance I’ve ever seen from Sam. In this scene, the way he egged on, antagonized, and provoked Harry was truly painful to watch. He wasn’t overtly yelling, just mocking in a tone that really conveyed so much frustration and resentment. When the inevitable, painful retaliation came with Harry saying that terrible line, Albus didn’t look immediately crushed like he normally does, instead it looked like he swallowed it, like a hard, painful stone that landed heavy and sour within him. It would only grow much uglier as the play went on. I’ll talk more about this, but seriously, Sam was so, so great today.

Act 1, Scene 10 (The Hogwarts Express) Truly, the things Anthony can do with his voice are incredible. In a previous show report @ohscorbus described the noises he makes after the “I mean nice bread, good bread!!” line as ‘excitable noises in a French accent’ and this is literally so accurate! Today it was like ‘om nom nom’ sounds of eating something really delicious but with this hilarious French accent and I cannot even with this boy.

Act 1, Scene 14 (St. Oswald’s Home For Old Witches And Wizards) So I had a restricted view seat at the end of the fourth row in the stalls, and I actually couldn’t see Amos, Delphi, or Albus at all in this scene... so instead I spent it enjoying a very close-up view of Anthony. :’) (Big hardship, right?) Scorpius remains silent for most of the exchange while Albus tries to convince Amos to let them help him, but he’s incredibly expressive as he just watches Albus speaking. Once Albus launches into “I know what it is to be the spare...” you see so much change in Scorpius’s face, as it sets in on him how important this is to Albus. Before, Scorpius’s face radiates skepticism, like he’s just there going along with and humoring Albus’s crazy whim for the time being. But as he watches Albus speaking here, he realizes his best friend has some truly deep emotions and determination bound up in this, and that’s what finally draws Scorpius in to this mission as well. Despite his always-hilarious “Do we?!” and “Are we?!” you can tell by the changing way he watches Albus in this scene, and of course the way he immediately throws himself between Albus and Amos when Amos draws his wand - that this boy would do anything to protect and help his best friend when it comes to the things that really matter to him.

Act 1, Scene 16 (Whitehall) Scorpius’s lines about the potion tasting like fish were just HYSTERICAL today. He interrupted the “Fish doesn’t agree with me” line with these hilarious grossed-out, tongue-sticking-out noises, shaking his head around madly like the prospect of drinking a potion that tastes of fish is really just the most terrible thing he could possibly imagine. When he puts Harry’s glasses on, his “We’re doing this...~togethahh~!” line is truly the cutest and most hilarious thing, when he gets this guileless grin and gestures in a roundabout way to his own face like “Look! We’re having an adventure and I get to be Harry Potter haha neat!! Wizzo!!” The Polyjuice transformation scene is really just amazingly out of control. Scorpius makes literal seal noises and Albus twitches and yells so much his face turns bright cherry red. Once they’ve transformed, Jamie’s delivery of the “Go to your room. You’ve been an incredibly awful and bad son” line with his accompanying dramatic robe flip is, I dare say, even better and more Scorpius than even Anthony could do. The way Jamie nails Scorpius’s mannerisms and twitchy energy is literally 100% PERFECT - the man’s a legend, truly. He embodies Anthony’s Scorpius to a perfect T. Oh, and the last 2 times I’ve seen the show, Albus/Ron has accompanied the “Uncle Ron’s got a bit of a gut growing” line with belly-bumping Scorpius/Harry and it’s GOLDEN. 

Act 1, Scene 19 (Ministry of Magic, Hermione’s Office) Continuing the Jamie’s-a-legend track, he let out this incredibly hilarious high-pitched scream at one point when one of the books grabbed him. And he got adorabley bouncey excited at one of the forbidden book titles he found on the shelf - Jumping up and down a little bit and flapping his hands with “That’s not even allowed at Hogwarts!” I also always love when Scorpius turns back into himself and solves the last riddle, and delivers the gleefully-geeky “We beat the library!!!” line sprawled over the top of the bookcase and grinning, brandishing the final book over his head like it’s the best trophy ever.

Act 2, Scene 7 (Triwizard Tournamend, Edge of the Forbidden Forest) As always, the boys’ GO GO CRAZY KRUM dance was hilarious and over-the-top and thoroughly enjoyable. And following Albus’s line to Hermione “He’s got you mixed up with someone else,” Scorpius’s “YeeEEssSSSS!” in a cray Russian-type accent while holding his hands up like he’s delivering the weirdest Shakespeare line ever, was equally enjoyable, plus hilariously weird moments like these are where I can’t even’t believe Scorpius exists and what did we do to deserve this level of unbelievableamazingawkwardlovable Malfoy :’’)  But mvp best-moment award in this scene went to Tom Mackley - While messing around in the crowd, at one point he started horse playing with the student next to him and pretended to try pushing the other kid into the arena where the dragons were. He mimed grabbing the kid and throwing him in until a Professor gave him a thoroughly disapproving look, and he stepped back looking appropriately chided and disappointed (but still adorable and fluffy, as always :3)

Act 2, Scene 11 (Hogwarts, Defence Against the Dark Arts Class) This is probably the best scene to talk generally about Noma’s performance. Today was the most raw and visibly emotional I’ve ever seen Hermione. I’ll give more specific examples in later scenes, but even while she remained as fierce and stoic as Hermione usually is, it was accompanied by the most overt moments of pain, vulnerability, and sensitivity that I’ve ever seen from her. Today, it really seemed as if teaching this class was a truly arduous, incredibly difficult thing for her. It took a long time for her to get out the lines “It is a gift of light ... You can protect yourself against the world. Which, in some of our cases, seems like a necessity sooner rather than later.” There was more desperation and longing in these words than I’ve ever heard.

Act 2, Scene 12 (Hogwarts, Staircases) Aaah, the staircase ballet scene. Always a favorite, and always shreds my heart into little pieces every time :’’) It still strikes me how beautifully the scene is composed - between the music and the choreography of both the moving staircases and the boys traveling up and down the staircases, together then parting from each other. The moment when the staircases glide together and Albus and Scorpius meet at the top is still painful to watch. Scorpius thinks, tries desperately to say something friendly, something to break the ice and close the chasm of distance that’s opened between them. Albus looks deeply frustrated and so, so lost. He looks angry at the situation, not knowing what he can do to get back to Scorpius, and that bubble of anger around him leaves him insusceptible to Scorpius’s hopeful attempted advances. By the end of the scene, Scorpius’s hopes have receded, just as the staircases finally recede off stage. I always watch Scorpius just before he’s wheeled off stage. When he slowly, dejectedly walks down those final steps, the hopeless, lost look on his face - the way his posture suddenly slumps as if his shoulders can’t hold the weight of the world anymore... UGH THIS IS REAL ROMANCE MOVIE SHIT HERE, PEOPLE. How can ANYONE watch this scene and not realize the pining literally happening before your eyes?! 

Act 2, Scene 14 (Hogwarts, Staircases) Usually, I’ve seen Scorpius deliver the imaginary friend “I had one of those too! Hector!” line where he says HECTOR in a really aggressive way and kind of makes claw-hands accompanying it, as if HECTOR had been super fierce. But today he kind of sing-songed HECTOOOR instead, as if actually he and Hector just skipped through flowers together before their falling out over the rules of Gobstones :’) Also in this scene, after having his bout of jealousy about Delphi and demanding “How many owls has he sent you now?!”, he immediately raced down the stairs saying “NONONOI’MSORRY” desperately when Delphi began to turn and walk away. And at the bottom of the stairs, he just collapsed inward on himself, sitting down on the bottom step and hugging himself completely helplessly. You can see physically how much it pains him to be separated from Albus. I feel like usually Scorpius remains quite hopeless-looking in this scene, but this time, once Delphi told him “Find him. You two belong together,” he actually smiled and perked up with a visibly-determined look that yes, he does belong with Albus and he’s about to make good on that.

Act 2, Scene 16 (Hogwarts, Library) Okay so this is actually my FAVORITE scene of the whole play. Yes, it hurts to see Scorbus fight and hurt each other, but to me, this scene is the real heart of their whole relationship. They fight because they care so deeply, because the emotions for each other run so strong. Both of their characters are built up so well in this scene, and we see, at the end of it all, exactly why they need and love each other so much.  Today, Albus started this scene more combative than I’ve usually seen him. He set Scorpius off with a particularly forceful “Maybe, without you holding me back, I can make a proper go of it.” As far as I can remember, I’ve always seen Scorpius deliver his entire speech from “Poor Albus Potter. With his chip on his shoulder. So sad” mostly uninterrupted, but today Albus fought back. I can’t remember him ever interrupting Scorpius here, but when Scorpius started working himself up to “People look at me because they think my dad is Voldemort...,” Albus exploded back, bursting out with “Oh, don’t you even...!” before Scorpius had to shout over him - “Can you even slightly imagine what that’s like?!” In the script, Albus does have a line here, but I can’t remember ever witnessing Albus have an audible outburst of anger in response to Scorpius’ accusations here. I looked over at @anthonyboyles in surprise, and she was taken aback by it too. This feeds into what I said earlier about Sam really having high intensity and anger today. As always, Anthony worked himself so expertly, movingly, and painfully from desperate anger to forlorn disappointment. His talent is always on full display here and I’m blown away by the force of him in this scene every damn time. The lines “I’m still the child of Voldemort, without a mother... I’m sorry if I’ve ruined your life because I tell you - you wouldn’t have a chance of ruining mine” still destroy me. And as for Albus’s reaction, by the time Scorpius finally reaches “The most terrible friend...” all Albus’s anger has just, finally, evaporated. There were heavy tears in his eyes and he stood there hugging himself. It was hard to tell what he felt more strongly - Pain on his friend’s behalf, or shame regarding his own behavior. Once McGonagall came and went, Sam delivered the most heartfelt, tender apology I’ve ever seen. It was delivered so slowly and deliberately, hugging himself the entire time - he had to fight his way through his own tears to get out each and every word, and the pain and regret on his face was so clear. The look on Albus’s face when Scorpius says sometimes he finds himself thinking the rumors are true was nothing short of horrified. And the “To the depths of your belly, tips of your fingers” was just so, so exquisitely heartfelt.  I LOVE THIS SCENE I LOVE THEM OK MOVING ON

Act 2, Scene 17 (Hogwarts, Staircases) For the first time I can remember, Hermione actually put her hand on top of Ron’s on the staircase bannister. Usually she just rests hers beside his, but Ron’s face showed as much surprise as I felt when she actually touched his hand. And then when she turned away from him afterwards, the heartbreak and longing in her face was just devastating. There was nothing subtle about this scene tonight. They were two separated soul mates.

Act 3, Scene 3 (Office of the Head of Magical Law Enforcement) Reason #2837 why I love Anthony: He always plays this scene differently and I’m always excited to see how it unfolds. Today, he was bold and accusatory and wanted justification and answers from his father. He wasn’t afraid to seek them out. He marched up to Draco’s desk rather than speaking from across the room, getting right up in his face with the lines “this is what you really are isn’t it? A murderer, a torturer!” His anger and audacity were so bold, it didn’t seem heavy-handed when Draco slammed him down on the desk. Once Scorpius recovered and moved away again, the rest of his lines weren’t delivered sounding lost or unsure as they sometimes do, but more resigned and determined. And I always look forward to his response when Draco does the Voldemort-and-Valor salute. Tonight, Scorpius was quiet for a moment, just watching his father. Then, Scorpius very deliberately returned the salute. There are only a handful of times I can remember Scorpius ever actually fully doing the salute in any shows I’ve seen. Tonight, it seemed like a sort of promise to his father that yes, he would be careful, and an acknowledgement of the new albeit tentative understanding that had just passed between them.

Act 3, Scene 9 (Edge of the Forbidden Forest) It always hurts, but when Scorpius faced the dementors tonight, his “I can hear my mother. She wants my help but she knows I can’t help” were particularly desperate and devastating. Then comes one of my always-favorite moments with Snape’s line “Think of Albus - You’re giving up your kingdom for Albus!” After that, Scorpius gradually took a step away from the dementor, and slowly raised his hands before him. It was as if the memory of Albus slowly filling his mind began to fill his body with the courage and composure to resist and physically ward off the influence of the dementor. Okay so the library-argument scene is my favorite emotional-substance scene, but this lake scene when Albus reappears is my favorite comedic-happy scene. The last couple times I’ve seen the play, Scorpius has always screamed for an impressively long time when Albus pops up in the water next to him. And tonight, when Albus started blabbing at him, Scorpius just watched him with this sappy, weepy, overjoyed expression, as if Albus is literally the most beautiful sight to ever grace his eyes... alsdkfjadl it’s written on Scorpius’s face so clearly here how much this boy means to him, how empty Scorpius’s entire world was without him... As always, I absolutely cracked up at Scorpius’s “Yes. AND IT’S AMAZING” shimmy-dance. And the gleeful way he says “NOoO!” to Albus asking if they changed anything. The “AAAH IT’S HARRY POTTER!” is ALWAYS one of my favorite moments, and this time it was followed by a hilarious point-and-wiggle-his-arms dance that accompanied “~and Prooofessoooor McGonagaaall.” ....Have I mentioned I freakin’ love Anthony Boyle? Boy brings so much joy into my life <3 K ANYWAY...

Act 3, Scene 11 (Slytherin Dormitory) Okay. I thought this was actually the most intense scene of the entire night. This argument is relatively brief compared to the others, but DAMN was it killer. Jamie was brooding and still building on simmering residual anger from the last scene, when they were all being chewed out by McGonagall. For the first time I can remember, Harry really looked furious at Albus while listening to McGonagall’s words. In previous shows, I always had the impression that Harry’s anger at his son’s recklessness was tempered by his relief to have Albus back and safe. Tonight, the scales were just tipped allllll the way to anger - Like McGonagall’s words about all that had been sacrificed to bring about their world hit much too close to home for Harry. So at the beginning of this scene, with Harry still wearing that anger visibly on his face and Albus still stewing the most heated resentment I can ever remember seeing in him, @anthonyboyles and I looked at each other almost nervously as this scene started because it was almost like you could feel heat coming off the stage. The both of them were blistering at each other and ready to blow. ....And oh did they. Harry seemed almost too angry to speak when he got to the point of shouting “...ALMOST DESTROYED EVERYTHING!” He absolutely growled out the words “You really scared her... and me!” And then when Albus turned around to face his father at that, it was visible in his face that he wanted to hurt his father. They continued to scream at each other through “I thought Harry Potter wasn’t afraid of anything” - “Is that how I make you feel?!” .....Whew. I’m covering my face just remembering it. Sam really buzzing with that angry energy today absolutely fed into Jamie, and the two just continued to reinforce each other to some really intense heights.

Act 3, Scene 14 (Slytherin Dormitory) After seeing Albus in so much pain, what a relief to see him relaxed and joking with Scorpius. :’) Aaah, this scene is a goldmine for great Scorpius moments. After yelling over Albus’s bed to wake him up, he did a little shuffle-dance back to his bed as he dubbed himself “~Malfoy the Unanxious~”. He’s also lately been doing something that always cracks me up - When he asks Albus “But you know, we can’t, like, try again...” he makes these like pretend fighting sounds and kind of makes boxing fists with his hands like he’s miming battling someone. When he revealed the Timeturner tonight, he delivered the “Turns out Malfoy the Unanxious is a pretty good liar!” line while laying out dramatically and hilariously over his bed. Then he proceeded to lie there spread-eagle for the next couple of lines. When he finally stood up and got to the “It’s time that Time-Turning became a thing of the past” line, he delivered it with hilarious feigned stoicism, that lasted a good couple seconds before it crumbled and gave way to his gleeful “I’ve been working on it all day!” :’ ) Scorpius Malfoy everyone, what. a. gift.

Act 3, Scene 19 (Hogwarts, Quidditch Pitch) Just want to say I really enjoyed the chance to see Annabel’s Delphi. She is really unexpectedly seditious. Her voice stays so sweet, while she obvious delights and revels in the violence and horror she commits. She isn’t at all afraid to manhandle and push the boys around, taunting them ceaselessly. After she AK’s Craig, the detachment and false-kindness she speaks with when she says “Did you not understand? You are useful to me. Your friends are not” was just chilling. She kicks Craig’s body after he dies, and you feel real fear for Scorpius when she advances on him, twisting her wand almost gleefully at him, ready to do whatever she has to do and enjoy doing it.

Act 4, Scene 3 (Godric’s Hollow) Tonight was possibly my all-time favorite delivery of the iconic “My geekness is a-quivering!” line. After doing his little flaily thing and making the squeak! noise once Bathilda Bagshot walked off stage, he delivered the Geekness line while kind of strutting in what I can only describe as a swag walk. Like yeah, my geekness is a-quiverin’... whatcha gonna do about it? This boy is too much for me.

Act 4, Scene 4 (Harry’s Office) THE MOST PAINFUL HARRY SCENE - I always have to have a jacket or something in my hands to hug during this one. As always, hearing the oncoming of his tears and watching his shoulders shake as he holds his head and weeps absolutely breaks you apart to watch. But this time, what really got me was the way Jamie put across his knack for acting with every inch of his body. After he begged Dumbledore “Don’t go!” he stood leaning back against his desk for support, still covering his face with one hand. It took him a long, difficult time to work himself up to saying “I loved you too,” and in those moments, I remember watching his feet. They were twisted inwards, one of them crooked so he was leaning on the outside of his ankle. When he finally spoke the words, his feet shuddered and shuffled a bit - and then the rest of him followed, as he had to gasp the words out. They had to be wrung up all the way from his toes, and work their way up through his entire body. I didn’t see Jamie at my last performance, and it made me realize just how much he carries this show. He alone is at least 50% of the show’s emotional impact - He’s the one that makes the real tears run down my face. Then, when Draco first entered tonight and saw Harry crying, he did a hilarious turn-around walk-out move for a second before thinking better of it. Crying and laughing in such quick succession hurt quite a bit. </3 I’m currently re-reading Chamber of Secrets, so it’s really incredible with that comparison to see how much Harry and Draco’s adult selves grow, and the emotional understanding they come to in this scene. When Draco opens up about Astoria, and then breaks down a bit about how much Scorpius meant to them both - it’s nothing short of incredible to see these two opening themselves up to each other so much; Showing each other their most deeply-hidden vulnerabilities, and finding commonality between their experiences and struggles. The way both these characters are developed here as adults is nothing short of masterful.

Act 4, Scene 11 (St. Gerome’s Church) Wheeeew boy, a lot of stuff happened in this scene that’s not supposed to happen! After Voldemort fell over, Albus and Ginny messed up some lines when she’s trying to comfort him that it’s not his fault. I think Sam missed a few, so their conversation didn’t even really make sense... And then Noma was trying not to laugh. But once Delphi entered, it go back on track. Oh but then - I didn’t see it myself, but @anthonyboyles said when everyone was coming out from behind the doors, Scorpius slipped and wiped out. Wow what a trip this scene was! The struggle was real not to laugh at Voldemort falling...

Act 4, Scene 13 (Inside James and Lily Potter’s House) After the total and utter emotional devastation of the previous scene... (The script direction writes “And it’s like lighting passes through Harry’s body. He’s sent to the floor, a pure mess of grief” and this is to-the-letter exactly what happens to Jamie at the moment Lily is murdered. It’s hard to watch, hard to breathe, and his scream of utter agony when he collapses haunts you) ... I always forget about this scene immediately following it - and it always hits me hard. When Hagrid lifts up the baby Harry in his blanket and says, “And I’m going to be your friend, whether you like it or not... Because you’ve had it tough, not that you know it yet, and you’re going to need friends.” I always sit there laughing and crying at the same time - Just because Hagrid is so good and so devoted, and it’s a little, much-needed touch of heartfelt love and hope for a future where happiness will be possible again - even as the fires in the Potters’ house continue to burn on stage. It’s a beautiful, understated, and powerful scene, and it always helps me take a deep breath and recover from all that was just witnessed. 

Act 4, Scene 14 (Hogwarts, Classroom) Reason #3987 why I love Anthony Boyle: He and his robes defy gravity. I know it’s his thing now to spin around and half-fall down the stairs when Rose comes in on this scene, and he’s gradually turning haphazardly falling down stairs into an art form. Today, he literally landed spread over two stairs, his legs splayed apart, and with one arm and half his robes over his head. He put on a suave expression, as if this was exactly what he had planned. I was just sitting there laughing like how did his arm and robe even get up there?! Once Rose turned to leave and he scrambled to get up, he smacked himself in the face with his robes and it was just 100% gold.  And the “New version of us I had in my head” hug was very long, and very nice. :’)  OH and Albus booped Scorpius on the nose, and Scorpius booped him back on the chest!! A SHOW WITH NOSE BOOPS IS A PERFECT SHOW, AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED (Doesn’t even matter that Voldemort fell over!!!)

Act 4, Scene 15 (A Beautiful Hill) Usually, we’re in the clear from Potter-pain once we get to this scene. NOT TONIGHT. I was completely unprepared - and it looked like Albus was too - but Harry choked up hard as he got to the lines “I thought I’d lost him - and then my scar started hurting again and I had dreams of him...” I mean, he had his handkerchief out and was dabbing his eyes, and it took him a while to get himself together again. It wasn’t until the laughs around confessing his pigeon-fear that he solidified again. When he finally got to telling Albus, “That heart is a good one,” his words were so convincing and touching - I can’t remember this scene ever being so moving. He usually just holds Albus’s shoulders here, but tonight he had this long intake of breath, and he kept shifting his hands between Albus’s shoulders and cupping his face. He cares about and loves his son so, so much - and finally, Albus is able to see and feel it. I can still see perfectly vividly that final image of Albus leaning his head into his father’s shoulder, with Harry’s arm around him and his hand just reaching to stroke Albus’s hair as they look up together into a brighter sky.