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If you ever needed a sign that Hollywood is out of ideas and they know it, it's right here:

And don't get me wrong, ScarJo looks amazing in this role but come on:

An immediate reboot but keeping the Jurassic World name?

What is it that quote? "Dead things should stay dead?" Yeah. Big time.

Hollywood has always been in it for the money but at least there was some creativity, some originality. Even with the reboots at times. Now, their greed and lack of creativity is just beyond blatant and I don't think any of them give any fucks anymore while thinking the average consumer is beyond stupid. That they could serve up this garbage and we'll glad grab utensils and chow down on it while slipping them money for it. They are literally running on empty as they fast track towards the dollar signs and they refuse to care.

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And there it is.

Couch.

Baking.

Baked goods offered up that were made in spite of calling Tommy.

Eddie enjoying said baked goods.

Buck coming over to use whatever Eddie has to keep on baking. "But I'm not a guest."

"Let me get you a cup of coffee."

Yahtzee. We are now officially on the Buddie track.

Get your Bingo cards ready, Buddie fans. 8B is going to be fun.

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So this season so far we got Eddie Pornstasche:

And Growing-It-Out Buckley:

I could be wrong but to me, Eddie is mirroring Gerrard, even if it's only subconsciously by having the 'stasche which the latter makes sure to remark on.

And then by the end of 8x03, we have:

Where Gerrard is grateful that Buck saved his life and says he's taking him under his wing.

And then of course:

Matching red hats, Eddie blows a red party horn, and Christopher's birthday sign in red (which Buck strung together himself). Eddie handing Tommy the hats with the red one on top which he then offers to Buck who takes the red one, remarking when Tommy smiles at him, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want the red one?" And Tommy's response is instead complimentary to him and has nothing to do with which hat he may have wanted.

So all of this symbolism and usage of props has me wondering: if not eventual Buddie, then why?

These past 3 episodes have made it clear that Buck and Eddie's friendship is still going strong, they still work well together, and they're both living their lives as best they can. Buck seems happy in his relationship with Tommy, and though work has not been great due to Gerrard, that seems about to change (possibly) now that he has Gerrard taking him under his "wing".

But so far, the usual story arc parallels these two share each season aren't present (or don't appear to be at this point anyway). Instead, from the little we've seen, outside of the 118, Eddie is still struggling with Christopher's choice to move to Texas. Buck is struggling more with what is happening at the 118 and with Gerrard.

So why the purposeful linking (and making sure to point it out to the audience with Buck's line of "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want the red one?" when Eddie is wearing the exact same color/shade but Tommy's is a completely different color) in the shots with the props in the one scene we see Tommy so far? Why is Tommy the one blowing up balloons while Buck is the one to string up the sign with Christopher's name? Why when Buck pops up behind Eddie is he the one closest to that part of the sign? Why is Buck's hat tilted while Tommy's and Eddie's is in the same position? Why is Tommy the one Eddie handed the hats to with the red on top which Tommy immediately offers to Buck?

And better yet, why are Athena and Eddie the one to deal with the bees directly? The bees cause the mid-air collision and Athena can be seen swatting them in the cockpit. Eddie is the one chosen to attract the bees at the party scene and they are all over his suit. And then we see Buck being the one to go grab Bobby when Athena and the plane are in trouble, helping him to clear the freeway for the emergency landing. And with each incident, we see an "expert" being brought in to help: flight instructor/beekeeper "to the stars" (space/air).

I'll be curious to see how the rest of the season goes as far as Eddie's arc and Buck's arc, separate as they may be, but I still have to ask the million dollar question: if not eventual Buddie, then why all of this above?

If they're truly planning on starting to define the Buck and Eddie relationship and putting it further into context as just a friendship/partnership/found family, then why the continued linking/paralleling? I don't think these are the things the GA would naturally pick up on so what is the point? And why point one of them out with a line from Buck so it catches the audience's attention?

...I think we all know why.

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unity ↳ i care for him, too

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The season finale of House of the Dragon season 2 proving that Daenerys Targaryen will always be the best of House Targaryen (tyranny and massacres not withstanding).

Y'know I was pissed at D&D for the rushed ending of GoT but I will take their worst writing anyday over this crap.

Ryan, why tf are you letting Sara Hess aka Cole's #1 fangirl write the finale? That's your job as showrunner, pal. Good God. Like I love the show and the cast, don't get me wrong but her writing is subpar and clearly biased. And 2 seasons of buildup? TWO??? With 2 less episodes than last season???? That Tyland sequence should have been episodes ago!

God, do I miss GoT. Say what you will about D&D but they knew how to keep people coming back and do appropriate cliffhangers. At this point, I'll just read Fire and Blood, thanks.

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if you want your female characters to both have agency in the story and be complex human individuals then sometimes bad things have to be their fault

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Being a fan of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon on here is a real challenge at times. Simply because an alarming number of people don't understand what the word adaptation means.

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me and the mutuals discussing themes and motifs

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10x14 (in a barn):

Dean: "You know last week when I said I'd go down swinging when the time came? I meant it. I was at peace with that. I just didn't realize the time would come so soon. Like right now. I'm scared, Sam."

15x20 (in a barn):

Dean: "Oh man, well I did not think this would be the day, but it is. It is and that's okay. I need you to promise me. I need you to tell me that it's okay. I need you to tell me that it's okay. Look at me. I need--I need-- I need you to tell me that it's okay. You tell me--tell me it's okay."

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So, I finally caught up on the past two cons for the most part.

As a writer, Dean's death will never not be tragic to me, in the worst way.

We can talk about bad messaging. We can talk about the ridiculous way it happened (rusty nail, anyone?). We can talk about COVID and how that impacted everything they decided to do behind the scenes.

But ultimately, it was not the right way for Dean to go out. I respect Jensen's opinion, feelings, and eventual acceptance on the matter (obviously) but there's some things that are missing here that aren't being talked about. By him, anyone else involved with the show, or even the fandom.

Dean didn't die a hero's death or a warrior's death as Jensen called it. A hero's death is when there is some form of self-sacrifice involved. There was none of that happening in that scene. Had Dean pushed one of the kids out of the way and then was impaled, or pushed Sam out of the way even, then it could be considered a hero's death. Even if there was no one to push out of the way, had Dean gone up against the Big Bad, dying in the process, again -- sacrifice. But that didn't happen either. No, instead, he is sacrificed in the story line (to set up Sam's endgame), sent to drive around Heaven for 40 years, and his agency is taken away from him. Had he truly been a side character all along, then obviously this wouldn't even be an issue. But he wasn't; he's been a main character since at least season 4 of the show or even earlier. The show may have started out with Sam as the sole protagonist but it had evolved by the time season 4 rolled around and Dean had been made one as well.

Dean only regains agency in that one scene in The Winchesters (1x13) when his primary motivation (Sam) is given back to him through the exposition he does in the scene with The Winchesters' characters, Bobby, and Jack.

Your hero (like I said, this includes Sam as well) is not supposed to lose their agency. That's the whole point. They're always given a choice even when their circumstances might not be of their own choosing. Think Jon Snow. Think Aragorn and Frodo. Think Iron Man. Even Buffy Summers or the Halliwell sisters. Maverick in the second Top Gun movie, sacrificing himself to save Rooster and then (not to spoil for those who may have not seen the movie yet) we see what happens. But the point is, he made that choice. Rooster made his choice. The two main characters of the film. The hero is always given the choice.

If this had happened when facing off with Chuck, even then it still might have been better. Chuck was the final Big Bad; you don't get higher than God in this fictional world, right? Again, that would have been a warrior's death.

And that doesn't even begin to address that this was not where Dean and Sam's stories were leading in the narrative. I know we've all talked about the "two finales" that 15x19 and 15x20 were respectively, but I do wish they had left it open-ended like they did in 15x19. That not only would have made more sense for their arcs over the past ten plus years but it also would have allowed (again, narratively) for a proper reboot/continuation/revival down the road. I am interested to see how the idea Jared talked about would come about and I'm sure they'll make it work, but seriously (and I mean no disrespect to Jensen, Jared, or the crew who worked hard on the episode) that whole ending was a disaster that just didn't need to happen. Both boys died to keep the parallel going but them being alive and on the open road would have kept that parallel between them going as well.

Dean already had a beautiful death monologue in 9x23 to Sam. While Jensen and Jared gave their all in that scene and I fully acknowledge that and appreciate it, I do wish we hadn't gotten that dialogue in the barn scene. It has nothing to do with ship wars or fandom drama -- it has to do with the character development for both boys being nuked solely by the dialogue in the five minutes it took for Dean to die. It literally undid every single thing that happened since 1x01 for each brother and everything they had been through. While I'm all for the beautiful brotherly moments (and Jensen and Jared acted the crap out of that scene), this just felt so completely wrong. I don't care about the forehead touch or the hand holding or anything else. All of it was fine except for that dialogue that mentions John, Stanford, etc. Just completely nuking 15 years, all to bring it back to the pilot. But instead of it being a beautiful tribute to their beginning while also showcasing their development and their journey, they brought it right back to that moment instead, in a way that just makes you scratch your head and go "what?" It reminds me a lot of Daenerys' death scene monologue actually - completely nuked character development and conflicting messages to the audience.

Like I said, I completely respect Jensen's (and Jared's) opinion on the 15x20 death and if Jensen eventually got to a place where he's at peace with it and that's how he views the scene (a warrior's death), then I'm happy for him. But writing wise, the way the show chose to go about it didn't make sense. And that includes Sam's ending as well. Sam may have honored his brother's wishes to live his life peacefully, that's great and true of their brotherly bond and to Dean's character, but showing Sam in the party city wig breaking down crying in the Impala years down the road was not it.

Sure, he missed his brother and there's nothing wrong with showing that, but again conflicting messages in the writing. He left Dean and hunting behind in the bunker and moved on with his life (the whole significance of him sitting in Dean's room and shutting down the bunker btw), marrying and having a family. He even had Dean 2.0 as his son, a part of Dean living on and Sam honoring his memory. So why the breakdown scene?

15x20 will always be a sticky point with me when it comes to the series as a whole. Like Jensen said once upon a time, those who like it and those who have issues with it are both valid. But me, I tend to lean towards the latter camp though I don't completely hate it. It's still part of our boys' story. I just wish they had decided to go about it a different way or at the very least, make some tweaks to make it make more sense in the end while staying true to the characters and everything they had endured for 15 years.

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It always amazes me just how much Jensen's words get twisted by antis:

Here's the link they're referring to: https://www.tiktok.com/@mcuediths/video/7373416705038535968

When Jensen answered the question about clear text, he was referring to the lines of dialogue that were actually on the screen (including the "I love you"). He's not making a statement about the relationship, whether it's canon or not, or any of this nonsense you see up above. He is literally answering to the claim that it's subtext and confirming it is not. Because it is literally NOT. It is "clear text".

Now people can take that however you want to, pro-Destiel or anti-Destiel, that's your choice but to sit there and tell anyone one way or the other that they are wrong, to say so definitively what Jensen is "saying", acting as if you are an expert on the man's behaviors, speech patterns, intentions, and you alone govern his thoughts...no, YOU'RE wrong.

I am just so sick of seeing the guy's words get twisted one way or the other on any topic. I get it, he's an actor, a public figure, and that's always going to happen even if he just talks about Coca-Cola vs Pepsi or something, but come on already. And considering all of the gaslighting, harassment, and abuse I've seen enacted on fans by a very toxic fandom over one scene that actually happened in the show where it was clear text that Cas loves Dean romantically and it was clearly written and performed with that intention is just...I don't even know what the right words are to be honest. Disgusting? Gross? Oodles of negativity? Probably all of those.

Like whatever you think about Destiel or its canon status or even that scene, that's cool. But stop acting as if you are the superior expert when you weren't on that set, you don't know anyone who did work on that set, and you weren't in the writers' room when that scene was written or when it was discussed with the showrunner. You don't know what Misha was told, what Jensen was told, hell even what Jared was told (except for what they've shared publicly with us about it). Like, just. Stop.

Don't bring your gaslighting bullshit and attach it to the man's words and use it as an opportunity to weaponize them (when that's not even what the man was saying, literally) and launch them at a group of fans you don't like.

Stop with the twisting of his words to fit your personal agenda, your personal fandom narrative. Stop the bullshit.

Clear.

Text.

On the script page.

Literally.

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more Buddie confirmation right in front of our salads

More space/universe aka future:

Not to mention, Christopher has the bag, then Buck, and then Buck hands it to Ramon. Son to Buck to another father.

In the same episode that we get a dinner date (with Buck cooking) between Buck and Tommy:

Buck: "So maybe we both have Daddy issues." Tommy: "I don't." Buck: "But you think I do?" Tommy: "God, I hope so."

The very next scene is Eddie talking to his parents and we get:

Ramon: "Fathers are human. Sons don't always handle this news well." Eddie: "I'm not letting him run away from home because he's mad at me." Ramon: "Your son is trying to tell you what he needs. Don't wait 30 years before you listen. You'll regret it."

So in this episode we have:

Bobby's life on the line

A grandfather trying to get revenge for his grandson (after mentioning his own son/their relationship in the last episode we saw him in)

Buck talking about how Bobby is like a father to him

Tommy saying he doesn't talk to his dad; that he only had Gerrard (which was a very weird statement to me until I saw the end of the episode and went "aha!")

Christopher refuses to talk to Eddie because he's angry and hurting; he even called his grandparents to come get him so he can stay with them for a while

Ramon giving Eddie advice to let Christopher go because it's what he needs, coming from the perspective of his own regret with how he handled things with Eddie

Bobby (Buck's dad) being replaced by Gerrard (a former captain of the 118 - there's that Ramon/Eddie parallel again btw - and who Tommy "looked up" to)

Bobby not having been honest with the 118 about a decision he'd made; Eddie not having been honest with Christopher about Kim (well, I should say that Christopher found out about anyway) - both fathers/father figures

This all leads to: Fathers & Sons (as well as the theme of family)

But it's also important that this episode reaffirms Buck as Christopher's other parent (in the present). Yes, we been knew on this point already. It's been hammered home and hammered home time and time again. But it's literally confirmed in this episode right in front of our faces. Not because Eddie called Buck to talk to Christopher but because of the literal passing of the backpack which is sporting a theme that has been featured for Buddipher before (future).

From Christopher (the son):

To Buck (another son/father):

To Ramon (another father whose son's heart is breaking as he's losing his own son):

Buck doesn't hand the backpack to Helena or even Eddie (so Christopher will need to retrieve it from him/talk to him). He doesn't place it down on the ground or on thee couch (which btw he oh so conveniently sits on the arm of it earlier in the episode in the scene where Eddie begs him to intervene with Christopher). He hands it right to Ramon who then shoulders it.

So not only does this confirm that yes, Buck has daddy issues and that he can identify with Christopher (based on what he went through, his understanding now, and his own evolved relationship with his parents), but he is indeed the second parent.

In the same season we saw both the Buckley parents and the Diaz parents resurface, when Buck and Eddie are going through their own journeys of some deep inner reflection.

Guys, I don't know how else to say this but we are at that point. Looking at everything from above, we are literally this close. It's either make or break time coming up soon in the narrative. They're not even being coy or subtle about it anymore. That's not dunking on BuckTommy btw (there is a reason Buck and Tommy have graduated from the beer prop to the wine prop this episode - think Taylor/Abby/Shannon/Ana, etc.). That relationship still needs to be seen through and obviously, Eddie still has some more grief and things to work through, but they literally have Buck and Eddie's narrative circling each other. Eddie didn't ask Marisol for help on this one - he went straight to Buck. He also didn't try to shoulder it alone - he immediately called Buck. Hence Buck mentioning to him that Christopher can't keep Eddie out of his room and Eddie's response to that. If you think back to how far we've come with Eddie and his character development: learning to ask for help when he needs it, not taking on everything alone, being able to admit when he has a problem/struggle...it is phenomenal that Eddie called Buck up immediately to get him over there to help with Christopher. Not that he hasn't trusted Buck with Christopher in the past, not that he doesn't truck Buck implicitly as his best friend and shift partner, but he literally realized in 0.02 seconds that he fucked up and called the one person he not only knew could get through to Christopher (if anyone could) but also would help him in this situation. Buck may have known about Kim but now so does Marisol, and it's obvious that Marisol has a relationship with Christopher as well. She may be hurt and angry with Eddie, but if Eddie asked her to talk to Christopher, if she knew how dire this was for Christopher, I'm not sure she would have told Eddie "tough, you cheated on me, screw you".

But regardless of what Marisol would have or wouldn't have done, the point is, Buck is there as Other Dad and it's confirmed right in front of our salads. And then the partner/parent confirmation:

And if you need confirmation that props, blocking, and framing are a thing, look at the picture behind Ramon and Helena. Texas. Exactly where Christopher is going. Look at the open front door and the open door leading to the kitchen, purposely in the shot as Eddie kneels down to talk to Christopher, telling him he can always come back. Look at the fireplace (aka theme of home/hearth) Buck is standing in front of as he watches the scene unfold. Look at the way they framed Ramon and Helena vs Buck and Eddie. Ramon, Eddie's father, is on the right and Eddie, Christopher's father is on the right. They even touch in a similar manner (with less space between Ramon and Helena obviously). They even make sure to cement that connection of the two fathers in the shot of Ramon looking at Eddie, still shouldering the backpack, and closing the door. They even have Buck with his hands in his pockets and Eddie is about to do the same until Helena reaches out for Eddie's hand.

Framing.

Blocking.

Props.

Christopher is Eddie's son, his future. His future who just walked out the door with his grandparents. It's all there. I mean:

The same episode that mentions lost romantic partners: Ayanna, Emmett, and Shannon. Amir helps people. Athena has Bobby. And Eddie has...?

Amir + Ayanna = AA (he lost her in a fatal fire but she was the love of his life) Athena + Bobby = AB (they've both lost people but are now together and going strong) Eddie + ? = E?

The same episode where Maddie and Chim take in Mara temporarily until Hen and Karen can get her back to complete their family and we also see a scene between Bathena and the kids being grateful that they have each other.

The same episode where the two couples (Madney and Henren) are having a dinner together (the takeout) and so are Buck and Tommy (that Buck made).

The only person without a romantic partner this episode with this shared theme of dinner and prop of wine (for romance and family meals) was Eddie. He had no partner.

Or did he?

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I had a feeling this whole Ortiz thing was going to come back to the young girl killed in the crash. Knew it. Oh crap.

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So Bobby gives food to Buck to cook (nourishment) and gives Eddie a bill of Catholic prayers (spiritual nourishment)?

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So Bathena redoing their season 4 arc backwards, first with how things started this season with them and now Bobby wanting to walk away without talking to Athena about it.

That's the second confirmation this episode alone that season 4 arcs are being revisited.

I have a feeling that the foreshadowing of Mara and Henren is going to be the 3rd. (Though I hope I'm wrong)

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Right out of the gate

Really, 911? Could you be anymore obvious? Lol.

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🤦

"The ending of the fantasy show was met with severe controversies due to Daenerys Targaryen’s sudden turn in character." - Sudden? Did they miss the eight seasons of heavy foreshadowing that would lead her to that ending? To the decision she would need to make?

"The character goes on a rampage and massacres King’s Landing, which many consider anticlimactic." - They consider it anticlimactic because they didn't watch the same show as the people who understood that this was the climax/turning point of Daenerys' arc in the show. Had they watched it with that understanding, they wouldn't be saying that.

"Daenerys channels her inner ‘Mad King’" - how many times do I have to say it??? Daenerys was NOT mad! She was made a decision hence this whole (brilliantly acted) scene:

"However, if Tyrion Lannister, who joins her in her campaign to Westeros, had a character arc as in the books, it would have seen both of these characters feeding off of each other and Daenerys’ turn would have made more sense." - once again, I always say, I don't know anything about the books past book 2, but that doesn't matter. Game of Thrones is an adaptation. It's its own universe borrowing characters and elements from the book series with contributions from the author of said book series. A Song Of Ice and Fire is its own universe (and obviously the original starting point for this world and characters). Same thing for House of the Dragon (adaptation/its own universe) and Fire and Blood (original/its own universe/starting point). While Dark!Tyrion may have contributed to Daenerys' ending like this article points it, regardless it would not have changed her ending or made it make more sense. If anything, it would have just given a convenient scapegoat for Dany stans to point to and say "See? Dany was never meant to go bad! It's all Tyrion's fault! Poor Dany!" And what cracks me up about this article is that while they say this part, they don't say the quiet part out loud: Tyrion wasn't an influencing factor and Dany's ending still played out the same. Why? Because it was always going to go there.

I get that this is all coming back up in the "news" cycle due to season 2 of HotD premiering next month but damn. How much more can you bend over backwards to defend, deny, and imply that Daenerys' show ending was never supposed to go that way until you seriously hurt your back or fall flat on your ass? Look at the story line of the show again. From season 1 to season 8. GRRM was very involved in seasons 1-4. They drew the most from the books during that time. The foreshadowing for her ending/the decision she's going to make/who she really is was there, too. What does that tell you?