#( reference to 5x10 maybe? )

[romidoes]

“i love you"

"what the hell does that even mean?"

"it means we take care of each other. it means thick and thin, good times, bad, sickness, health. all that shit"

[frangipanilove]

The Love Apple and Agape

More On The Apple Symbolism in TWDU

@wdway shared something really interesting with me after my post on apple symbolism yesterday. In my post, I talked primarily about the apple symbolism around TWD 10x13 and TOWL, which of course were all Richonne-centered episodes. But as we know, there's plenty of apple references on the show, some are heavily tied up with TD/Bethyl stuff and thangs.

I just wanted to share @wdway's discovery because there were connections there that I hadn't been aware of, and maybe others will find it interesting as well.

@wdway has been talking about how the French sometimes refer to the tomato as a "love apple", "pomme d'amour" for years, and she suggested that just as the Apple iPhone is synonymous with the apple symbolism in some cases, one could say that in other cases, tomatoes could also be synonymous with apple symbolism.

And for TD, this is particularly interesting in light of episodes 4x12 Still and 4x13 Alone, where we saw cans of tomato sause several times:

As we know, Beth and Daryl's time in the funeral home was paralleled with Sasha and Bob's budding romance, and they had the same type of tomato sauce can-on-strings symbolism around them.

One thing that was completely new to me was that the number "26", seen here feature prominently on the front porch of the funeral home, has some really intriguing connotations to it:

@wdway had discovered years ago that the number "26" corresponds with the word "agape" in the Bible:

Strong's concordance refers to an index over words in the original Greek and Hebrew languages in the Bible, and word number 26 is "agape", which means "love"...

Do with that what you will...

...but I'm inclined to side-eye that HEAVILY! Beth and Daryl's shelter, literally marked with a number that means "love"...?

Keep in mind that while Daryl is arranging the can-on-string alarm system with the cans of tomato sauce, or should I say "love apple-sauce"...

...he gets a visit from the one-eyed dog, the "celestial being", the "heavenly beast with a star in its eye, as poet Robert Frost would have said:

I've talked about how Sirius symbolism is resurrection symbolism in many posts, how it tells a story of reunion, resurrection and rebirth, and in yesterday's post I elaborated on how apple symbolism ties into the same themes of reunion, resurrection and rebirth. Keep that in mind as I remind you that the French call tomatoes "love apples".

So, we have cans of "love apple-sause", directly underneath a large number "26", which means "love" on Beth and Daryl's shelter for the night , and we have a Sirius dog that heralds reunion, resurrection and rebirth.

And, speaking of tomato sauce as "love apple-sauce"...

As @danaredbeard commented on my apple post from yesterday, Aaron actually brought apple sause when trying to recruit TF in 5x10 Them. We saw that in the episode after, when Rick forced him to eat it to prove it wasn't poisoned:

Aaron wasn't personally a fan of apple sauce, but he "argeed" (under some pressure, but still...) to eat a spoon-full to demonstrate that it was safe for human consumption.

Aaron ultimately came with an offer of a new start for TF in Alexandria, a "rebirth"...

...and it came at a time when they needed it the most...

Aaron came with "good news", as though he was spreading the literal Gospel:

And as every TD'er ever will remember, what happend next was a "resurrection” of sorts:

The broken music box responded to Aaron's "good news" by spontaniously resurrecting...

There's actually one more thing, and interestingly, it ties into themes of "good news" and "Gospel":

Yes, it turns out that the number "26" also represents the Hebrew word for God, "Yahweh".

I didn't know any of this, so thanks @wdway for sharing. Hopefully someone else will also find it interesting.

@wdway also has thoughts on how the apple symbolism relates to the story about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and a certain apple there that caused quite a stir. We did see symbolism relating to that in TWDDD:

That's probably a post for a different day, but I did touch on in in this post from last year.

Finally, I thought I'd add a little tidbit of my own, something I discovered some time ago, which actually does relate to all the canned tomato/love-apple sauce stuff.

Take a look at the can of tomato sauce/love apple-sause in this shot, right next to the wine bottle (cough *ethanol* cough):

I'd say thats a number 10 can:

Could it be that these cans we see all the time in TWDU are convoluted references to the number 10?

Everyone who's been in TD for any length of time know how we obsess over the 10:10 Slabtown clock seen behind Beth and Dr. Edwards here:

There are plenty of theories on what those numbers on that clock means, here's a recent theory of mine that touches on the subject (X).

Anybody's guess is as good as mine, but some obvious interpretations include 10 as in Roman Numeral X, which obviously is a cross, which obviously is resurrection symbolism. An "X" is also obviously an iteration of a cross such as the one found on the back of the Grady cars, which again ties the symbolism around crosses/X’s directly to Beth.

I also personally love the "X" as in the branding mark Daryl and Michonne suffered in season 9:

Interestingly, in Daryl's case the X seen next to his already existing scars, forms Roman Numerals X II, which could be a foreshadow of episode 10x11 Morningstar. I've explained why that is interesting here, and I also touched on it here. Long story short, "Morningstar", among other things, refers to Revelation 22.16, in which Christ is called the Morning Star. So again, there's resurrection symbolism all over the place.

And while we're on the subject of Morning Stars, I have to mention the Sirius symbolism and the Venus symbolism we keep seeing, as Venus and Sirius are both referred to as Morningstars.

Also, the kind of branding Michonne and Daryl experienced, is technically a form of cauterization, which I discussed here.

Read more about the cauterization and the symbolism around fire and how it relates to a "cure" here, here and here.

And for anyone looking forward to TWDDD season 2, it's reassuring to see that the apple symbolism is alive and well over in France as well:

[princeescaluswords]

From Battlefield (2x11):

Stiles: Scott, the other night seeing my dad get hit over the head by Matt, you know, while I'm just lying there and I can't even move, it just - I want to help, you know, but I can't do the things that you can do. I can't - Scott: It's okay.

From Silverfinger (3x17):

Scott: I don't want to sound like I'm trying to tell you that you're wrong. But I don't think you're trying to kill people either.

From Letharia Vulpina (3x19):

Stiles: Okay, I know what you guys are thinking, but it's me. I swear to God, it's me. Ethan and Aiden go to attack Stiles. Scott: Wait, stop! I said, stop!

or later that same episode:

Stiles: I could have killed him. I could have killed him, right? What if it was his head or his throat? Scott: But it wasn't. And he's going to be all right.

Well, obviously, the OP is referring to Lies of Omission (5x09), right?

Theo: I saw Donovan go down. Stiles hit him with the wrench, and then, he just, he just kept hitting him. Uh, maybe it was because he... He threatened to kill his dad. Or maybe Stiles thought he had to keep going to defend himself, but he just... He kept hitting him. Scott: That's not possible.

What I suspect @perfectionightmare means is that Scott didn't do as he was told. At least I have to guess, since the OP never actually bothered to say when Scott "so easily threw Stiles under the bus."

I mean, it's hard for me to figure out when that happened, since it's not like Scott mocked Stiles in front of Stiles's enemies (like Stiles mocked Scott to Peter in Code Breaker (1x12)). It's not like Scott stood there and let someone lie to Scott, like Stiles let Theo lie to Scott in Strange Frequencies (5x07). It's not like Scott made a deal with someone he knew was planning to kill Stiles in order to protect someone else Scott loves, like Stiles did in Status Asthmaticus (5x10).

I know, we're supposed to let the OP have their casually racist opinions because it's about fictional characters and it was so long ago. We can literally watch Stiles lie and abandon Scott on the screen, but we're supposed to let them say that Scott is a cheap friend, because Stiles is such a poor boy, he had no other choice but to do it, while we literally watch Scott's love of Stiles was so powerful he literally fought the Wild Hunt for him, but hey, it's all good.

No. I'm not going to be quiet. Stiles and Scott were both in terrible 'supernatural' situations but that excuse is only good for one of them for some particular reason.

BUT IT'S NOT RACISM.

I hate how easily Scott throws Stiles under the bus and never gives him the benefit of the doubt. Ik it’s all supernatural but I’ve had so many friends like that where you’ve known them for so long yet they never defend you the moment anyone dislikes you

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Not sure if you've already mentioned it, but do you think that the black and white theme is supposed to be a representation of Daryl and Beth?

Daryl has been wearing black and dark clothing (apart from when we've seen him in white body armour) and his relationship with Beth could definitely be described as a yin/yang situation. They both compliment each other despite being opposites in many ways.

The white cross on the car that took her to Grady and the white church they wanted to bury her at seem significant due to both of them being symbolism for faith.

It adds another layer to the Snow White comparison too. Apart from the "skin white as snow" thing, in the story the Evil Queen doesn't actually kill Snow White with the poison apple, but instead puts her into a comatose state that will make her appear dead and therefore be buried alive. I find that kind of interesting.

Thoughts?

Yeah for sure. Because of Beth's black and white shoe laces at Grady, followed by Daryl wearing black and white ties on his legs in 5x10, people picked up on the yin yang theme right away, and I definitely think it's a thing. I have quite a few theories that either address or touch on this. You can find them here: https://twdmusicboxmystery.tumblr.com/post/165662005859/td-theories-symbols-of-beth-colors-and-color

Agree on the Snow White thing, too. Beth wasn't dead in S5. She was just sleeping. And only Daryl (her prince) can awaken her. I think they'll do some sort of play on this in the show. Like, maybe he won't literally wake her up, but if she has any memory loss, or needs help to remember who she once was with TF, Daryl will be the one to bring her back to herself. So, her "awakening" will be symbolic.

We have SO much symbolic imagery that suggests this. Her eyes fluttering open at Grady. Daryl being the one to "fix" the music box. I could go on and on. But the Snow White template alone, the way her arm fell and now all these apple references this season, suggests this is where they're going with it.

Can't wait to see how it plays out. Thanks Nonny! Xoxo! 🎃💞

[canonicallyobserving911]

Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-Reference #13

Is it possible the CANON references to Eddie’s heart started before season 4? Heart Reference #13

There were many references to Eddie’s heart included at the end of season 4 and they continued throughout season 5.  But what if the references began during season 2 and continued through season 5? Let’s review the thirteenth reference to Eddie’s heart which included him trying to give Christopher the perfect Christmas, him trying to tell Buck that he needed him and his departure from the 118.

5x10 “Wrapped in Red”

Christopher wanted to have the perfect Christmas for himself and Eddie so he was being very strict about how the Christmas decorations were being displayed inside of their home.  Christopher expected for the Christmas tree to be facing a specific direction and he wanted all the lights and other tree ornaments to be placed in a specific layout.  He even told Eddie there should be a five piece of popcorn to one cranberry ratio on the popcorn string that was going to be hung around the Christmas tree.  Eddie indulged him and tried to complete all the tasks the way Christopher wanted them.  He told Christopher, “That’s enough decorating for tonight. Why don’t you go get ready for bed and I’ll finish up. You can critique my work in the morning”.  Christopher said, “I just want everything to be perfect” and Eddie replied, “It will bud”.  Before Christopher went to bed, he told Eddie good night and after he left the room, Eddie asked himself out loud. “Do we even have tinsel?”

After Carla arrived the next day, Eddie explained to her that Christopher felt like something was wrong with their Christmas tree.  She looked at it and asked him, “What’s wrong with the tree?” and Eddie replied, “Everything apparently. It’s facing the wrong way.  He didn’t like the way I was stringing the lights and I was putting the ornaments in the wrong places. I felt like I was being judged by Martha Stewart, pre–Snoop Dog”.  She laughed at him and explained how Christopher was growing up along with how he was starting to form his own opinions about things.  While they were talking Christopher started screaming and they ran to his room to see what was going on.  Eddie asked him if he was ok and Christopher said he was fine.  Eddie then asked him, “Did you have a bad dream? Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes talking about it makes it less scary” then Christopher replied, “It was about mom”.

Buck asked Eddie what the doctor said and Eddie replied, “That one nightmare isn’t a reason for concern. It could be an isolated incident but…” and Buck asked, “What?”  Then Eddie replied, “I don’t think it’s an isolated anything.  He’s been obsessed with the holidays this year. How everything has to be perfect. Now he’s waking up screaming dreaming of his mother”.  Eddie looked at Buck and then Buck said, “Shannon came back at Christmas, right? Do you think that’s what triggered it?”  Eddie explained how the holidays were always their thing and how they handled all the decorations.  Eddie then said, “Maybe I’m not doing it right.”   Buck told Eddie that Christopher was missing his mother and that it wasn’t Eddie’s fault.  Eddie glanced at Buck while he said, “So much for the most wonderful time of the year”.  He walked away and Buck said, “Yeah, it’s a real pressure cooker”.

Christopher was building a gingerbread house but Eddie accidentally destroyed it when he brought him some hot chocolate to celebrate Christopher finishing it. The gingerbread house was destroyed and Christopher became upset and pushed it on to the floor.  Eddie asked him what was going on and why he was stressing so much about Christmas and Christopher said, “I wanted everything to be perfect”.  Eddie said, “You, me, presents and stockings. That sounds pretty good to me, right?” Christopher didn’t respond and when Eddie told him they could make a bigger gingerbread house next year, Christopher said, “You could be dead next year”. His statement concerned and worried Eddie even more.

Eddie talked with Carla about Christopher’s blow up and he told her that he promised Christopher he wasn’t going anywhere.  She said, “But?” and that’s when Eddie told her the first thing they teach firefighters in the academy is to not make promises.  She tried to convince him that he was helping his son especially since he had already lost one parent but Eddie wasn’t convinced.  He told her that bullets don’t bounce off him and she asked if he was still thinking about The Shooting.  He said sometimes and how being held hostage didn’t help.  He told her since neither him nor Buck had been hurt during The Hostage Situation that he didn’t see a point in telling her or Christopher about it.  He then told her that being a firefighter has risks and she tried to reassure him that his job was important to him but Eddie had already convinced himself that for Christopher to feel safe, he would have to leave the 118.

The 118 was dispatched to an apartment complex where a father hit a structural pole that caused the building to partially collapse.  The man’s son was upset and when Eddie saw him, he started thinking about Christopher and what he said about how Eddie could die.  They had to condemn the building and the families had to stay at a motel.

Bobby and Athena took their annual Christmas party to the motel where the families were staying so that they could still celebrate the holiday.  Buck and Hen saw Eddie talking to Bobby and they became concerned.  Eddie asked Hen, Buck and Ravi if he could speak with them for a few minutes.  He apologized for pulling them away from the party and Buck asked him what was going on. Eddie explained how Christopher was worried about him.  Then he said, “I’m leaving the 118” and looked at Buck.  Buck stared at him and then looked at Hen.

Parallels

Christopher’s nightmares

Christopher is Eddie’s whole heart and he’s the most important person in his life.  He loves him and he will do anything to protect him; therefore Eddie will do whatever it takes to make sure Christopher has the things he needs so that he can grow up feeling like he was loved and appreciated by his father.  Eddie didn’t feel like he was enough for his own father since his dad wasn’t really around during his childhood.  Eddie wants things to be different for Christopher and he does everything for his own son that he wished his father had done for him.  That’s why Eddie became concerned in 3x4 and 5x10 when Christopher woke up screaming after having nightmares about his mother.  Christopher’s nightmares about Shannon only occurred when Buck and Eddie were separated and weren’t working together as Christopher’s co-parents like they normally do when all three of them are together as The Buckley-Diaz Family (read blog posts: “Buck & Eddie: The Buckley Diaz Family Part 1 of 4”; “Buck & Eddie: The Buckley Diaz Family Part 2 of 4”; “Buck & Eddie: The Buckley Diaz Family Part 3 of 4” and “Buck & Eddie: The Buckley Diaz Family Part 4 of 4”  for more information about The Buckley-Diaz Family).  In 3x4 “Triggers” Christopher started waking up screaming and crying so Eddie took him to a therapist named Dr. Lim.  Buck and Christopher survived the Tsunami in 3x1 “Kids Today” and after Christopher fell off the firetruck in 3x2 “Sink or Swim” they were separated and Buck spent all day and well into the nighttime searching for him.  In 3x3 “The Searchers” Eddie was reunited with Christopher after a woman who had been carrying and caring for Christopher all day appeared holding him in her arms.  Buck collapsed after he saw they had been reunited.  Eddie took Christopher back to Buck’s loft and told him “There’s no one in this world I trust with my son more than you” after Buck kept blaming himself for losing Christopher.  Buck quit firefighting in 3x1 but he returned to light duty and worked as the Fire Marshall in 3x4 which meant he wasn’t available anymore to take care of Christopher whenever Eddie was at work. Then Buck filed the lawsuit against Bobby and the LAFD in 3x4 and since his lawyer told him to cease all contact with the 118, he couldn’t talk to Eddie.

In 3x5 “Rage” Eddie told Buck during their argument in the grocery store “Do you know how much Christopher misses you?  How could you, you’re not around.”  Buck apologized to Eddie in 3x6 “Monsters” and he apologized for a second time in 3x9 “Fallout” for not being there for Eddie and Christopher.

Christopher’s nightmares from 3x4 parallel with the nightmare he had in 5x10 because Buck and Eddie hadn’t been spending time together like they had been before The Shooting.  Just like Buck took care of Christopher after the Tsunami, he also took care of him while Eddie was in the hospital in 4x14 “Survivors”.  In 5x10, Buck was still with Taylor and even though he was still taking Christopher to the zoo all the time, the leisure time for Buck and Eddie that happened outside of the firehouse had decreased to practically no time at all.  Buck had always been there for both Eddie and Christopher during the Christmas holidays but he wasn’t there in 5x10 because he spent his time with Taylor.  That affected both Eddie’s and Christopher’s hearts because Buck had always been there for them especially during Christmas.

Buck of Christmas past

Buck spent a lot of time with Eddie and Christopher over the past four years including the Christmas holidays. However, Eddie’s heart was full with his love for Christopher in 5x10 “Wrapped in Red” because Buck wasn’t there like he had been in the past.  The other half of Eddie’s heart that’s occupied by Buck was in need of attention because Christopher was dreaming about his mother and he hadn’t done that since the last time Buck wasn’t around to spend time with Eddie as Christopher’s co-parent. 

In 2x10 “Merry X-mas”, even though Shannon had returned, Eddie told her he didn’t know if he could trust her which caused him to be hesitant regarding if he would allow her to see Christopher. Buck was still there by Eddie’s side as Christopher’s co-parent and had been since 2x4 “Stuck”.  He went with Eddie when he took Christopher to see Santa Klaus and that’s when the elf told him, “You two have an adorable son” and Buck replied, “Thank you”.  When Eddie finally decided to allow Shannon to see Christopher, it was that Christmas morning and she died a few months after that.  But Buck was there for both Diaz boys before Eddie allowed Shannon to see Christopher and he was the one who tried to encourage Eddie to let her see him.

In 3x10 “Christmas Spirit” Buck spent time with Christopher and Denny while they were at Eddie’s house and he sat on the floor with them to build gingerbread houses. That was the year Christopher asked Buck if he could spend Christmas with him since Eddie had to work.  Eddie’s heart eyes towards Buck illustrated how both halves of his heart were there and Buck stepped in like he always did to help Eddie so that he could spend the holiday with Christopher.  Eddie’s heart was already broken since he had to work Christmas Day but it broke again when Christopher asked Buck if he could spend Christmas with him.  He knew just like Buck knew they both had to work.  When Buck looked to Eddie for reassurance, Eddie shook his head, no, so that Buck would tell Christopher that he had to work too.  To solve the problem, since A-shift had to work on Christmas Day, Buck worked with Athena to host a Christmas dinner at the firehouse so that everyone’s families could join the 118 and spend time with them during the holiday.  No one asked Buck to organize that but he did once he realized Christopher wasn’t going to be able to spend Christmas with Eddie.  The family Eddie chose was together for Christmas and his abuela was there too.  There was no Christmas episode in season 4.

Eddie tried to assure Christopher that the two of them being together would make it a great Christmas when he said, “You, me, presents and stockings. That sounds pretty good to me, right?”  But Christopher wasn’t convinced.  When he threw the gingerbread house on the floor, Eddie’s heart broke for his son because he wanted to make it special for Christopher but he didn’t know how.  Christmas was different for all three of them in 5x10 “Wrapped in Red” because Buck wasn’t going to spend the holiday with them since he was still with Taylor. Buck told Hen that he and Taylor were going to spend Christmas with each other even though he knew from Eddie’s conversation that Christopher was having a hard time with the holidays.  Buck was the only missing factor when the Christmas in 5x10 is paralleled with 2x10 and 3x10.  Buck’s absence definitely effected Christopher because he became upset when Eddie accidentally broke the gingerbread house he had been building.  While Eddie didn’t tell Buck directly that his absence was one of the reasons Christopher wanted everything to be perfect, he did try to express it to him during their conversation about Christopher’s nightmares.  Eddie should have learned during The Will Reveal in 4x14 “Survivors” that Buck doesn’t understand things unless they are explicitly explained to him. Eddie needs to learn to tell Buck what he needs instead of just assuming that he will understand.  Buck was miserable too especially since he and Taylor were having trouble deciding on what to buy each other as presents. He told Hen and Bobby that he didn’t know what to buy her but he was considering getting her a generator and Taylor asked Bobby if Buck would like a sweater she found for him online.  Buck bought her a Beacon Bracelet which further illustrated how he wasn’t dealing with his abandonment issues.  He was still spiraling after Maddie left and Chimney took Jee-Yun to go find her.  The bracelet he gave her didn’t have anything to do with Taylor but it did have everything to do with Buck and how he was trying to prevent anyone else from leaving him.

Buck and Eddie were both still struggling with the thought of losing each other. Eddie being shot in front of Buck was a pivotal moment for them because they were faced with the reality that their forever could abruptly end.   Eddie thought he had time to tell Buck how he really felt about him after Carla told him to follow his heart in 4x13 “Suspicion” but The Shooting changed all of that.  After Eddie had been shot by a sniper, the way they both internalized their feelings was very different. Eddie kept Christopher as his number one priority and ignored anything that would make him happy.  After he broke up with Ana, he started to isolate himself and he wouldn’t approach the subject of being shot with Buck even when Buck tried to discuss it with him.  Buck was vulnerable after The Shooting and when Taylor told him she was ready to be with him, he started clinging to her especially after Maddie, Chimney and Jee-Yun left.  He didn’t want to think about the possibility of losing Eddie again and he demonstrated that in 5x6 “Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1” when he thought Eddie had been shot again.  He ran towards the gun fire while everyone else ran away from it.  Eddie and Buck have avoided talking about it for so long that it has continued to widen the emotional distance between them.

Promises

Buck made Christopher a promise in 4x8 “Breaking Point” after Christopher took Eddie’s phone, ordered an Uber and ran away to Buck’s loft.  He told Buck about how he had been missing everyone since the pandemic started including his grandmother, family members, Carla and his friends from school and Buck said, “You’re going to see them all again” and Christopher asked him, “Do you promise?” and Buck said, “I do. And until that happens you still got me cause I’m not going anywhere”.  Their conversation parallels with Eddie telling Carla that he made Christopher the same promise in 5x10 after Christopher said, “You could be dead next year” which prompted him to promise and reassure Christopher that he wasn’t going anywhere (read blog post: “Buck & Eddie: Christopher Diaz has 2 dads” for more information on how Eddie and Buck parent Christopher identically).

Eddie was already struggling before he quit

Eddie was already showing signs that he was struggling with moving forward after The Shooting and those signs manifested in his actions long before he told Bobby he wanted to quit the 118. He started having panic attacks in 5x1 “Panic” but he blamed them on the idea of Ana being thought of as Christopher’s mother (read blog posts: “Eddie doesn’t panic. OK!”  and “Buck & Eddie: Eddie panics about losing Buck” for more information on the real reason Eddie was having panic attacks). She wasn’t present for two of his attacks and the fourth one happened months after they broke up.  In 5x6, he didn’t show any fear while he sat in the ambulance with Mitchell during The Hostage Situation and he even told Mitchell to “Shut up” while Mitchell held him at gunpoint.  He acted completely unaffected by Mitchell and Dom’s antics and they were both escaped convicts.  Since Eddie was able to relate to Mitchell, he realized that they were not that different (read blog post: “Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-References #4, 10 & 12” to learn more about how Eddie and Mitchell were similar).  Being held hostage by an escaped convict took a toll on him but he simply added it to the box inside of his mind with all the other bad things he didn’t want to think about. He had another panic attack in 5x8 “Defend in Place” when he thought Parker and his sister Sophia died in the hospital fire (read blog post: “Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-Reference #11” for more information on Eddie’s fourth panic attack).  Eddie’s appearance started to change not long after Buck said Taylor wasn’t breaking up with him in 5x9 “Past is Prologue”.  Eddie’s hair has always been fabulous, (except for 3A when he buzzed it but it grew back.  He was still sexy and beautiful even with his short hair.) but it was pushed off his forehead and it caused him to look different.  He looked like he was already losing sleep but he was hiding it.

The signs that he was headed for a breakdown were there but Buck missed them because he was too caught up in whatever he had going on with Taylor.  Is Buck Eddie’s keeper, NO but he was always the one pressuring Eddie to tell him what was going on whenever he noticed Eddie acting weird.  In 3x6 “Monsters” Buck saw the bruises on Eddie’s arm right away and asked him about them.  Eddie tried to deflect but eventually Buck got him to tell him about his fighting.

In 5x1 “Panic”, Dr. Salazar recognized Eddie and Buck wouldn’t stop pestering him about that interaction with her until Eddie told him to drop it.  Buck still didn’t give up and he persisted to ask Eddie about it until he learned the truth.

In 5x2 “Desperate Times” after Buck noticed Eddie had been acting weird while Ana and Christopher were at the firehouse, he confronted Eddie and made him tell him what was going on. But in 5x10 Buck didn’t fully comprehend how Eddie was trying to ask him for help without Eddie actually saying the words.

Eddie tried several times to tell Buck that he needed him (read blog post: “Buck & Eddie: Buck said, “Look man, you need to tell me if something is wrong.” or 6 times Eddie tried to tell Buck “I need you!” for more information on the times Eddie tried to tell Buck that he needed him).  He tried during The Will Reveal in 4x14 “Survivors”.  He tried again in 5x2 “Desperate Times” during their conversation about how Eddie should break up with Ana since he wasn’t all in with her.  The conversation they had in 5x4 “Home and Away” about Maddie and Chimney was another one of those times he tried but like all the other times it ended up being a failure to communicate between the two of them because as usual Buck misunderstood.  He tried again and again but Buck was too lost in his own whatever he had going on with Taylor to notice. Eddie tried one last time in 5x10 when he said, “So much for the most wonderful time of the year”, when he gave Buck a quick glance like he did in 5x6 “Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1”, stood up and then walked away.  While Buck was still taking Christopher to the zoo, he completely missed all the signs that Eddie had been struggling until he went to Eddie’s house for dinner in 5x11 “Outside Looking In”.  Buck told Eddie that he didn’t have to pretend with him but it was too late then.  Eddie has never been able to ask anyone for help so it makes sense that he didn’t outright ask Buck for help when he felt like he needed it.  In the past Buck has anticipated the things Eddie needed but since they were so emotionally distant from each other, they weren’t able to communicate in the same that they had in the past.

All of the blame for Eddie’s decision can’t be placed on Buck because Eddie has to learn how to say what he means and mean what he says.  He should know by now that Buck needs to hear exactly what is being said to him otherwise, he will misunderstand it.  Eddie didn’t talk to anyone except for Carla about his decision to quit and he was still making decisions for everyone, including Buck and Christopher, the two other people in the family he chose, just like Shannon told him he always did.  She told him he makes decisions that he believes are best for everyone without talking to them and several years after she died, Eddie still hadn’t learned that lesson.  His leaving the 118 was going to affect Buck but he didn’t talk to him about it.  That same decision was going to affect Christopher too but he didn’t talk to Christopher about quitting either because he thought that’s what he wanted but Christopher told him in 5x11 “Outside Looking In” that he never said for Eddie to quit.  The reason he didn’t talk to Buck about it was because Buck hadn’t been there for him like he had been in the past.  Since Buck was already spiraling about Maddie and Chimney being gone, Eddie probably thought he wouldn’t be able to handle anyone else leaving him especially when he tried to transfer out of the 118 in 5x5 “Peer Pressure”.   But that wasn’t Eddie’s decision to make, so he should have talked to Buck about leaving and maybe he could have helped Eddie with a solution since he likes to fix things.  That’s why Eddie’s decision to just tell Buck with Hen and Ravi wasn’t a good one.

When Buck stepped into Eddie’s life and started helping him co-parent Christopher in 2x4 “Stuck”, Eddie didn’t have to ask Buck to do it, he just did. That caused Eddie to assume Buck would always just know what was happening with him.  Yes, they were very in tuned to each other but people have to communicate so that everyone is on the same page.  Eddie should have learned that Buck needs to hear descriptive words to understand what Eddie needs especially after their argument in the grocery store in 3x5. When Eddie said, “Do you know how much Christopher misses you? How could you because you’re not around”, Buck responded with, “I didn’t realize that. Maybe I can come and see Christopher. The lawsuit doesn’t prevent that”.  It was clear that Buck didn’t realize how his actions would affect others so Eddie should have learned that lesson about him then.

Buck apologized to Eddie in 3x9 “Fallout” and told him that he was sorry he hadn’t been there for him and Christopher and he alluded to the fact that he wouldn’t make that same mistake again.  Eddie said in 3x9 “This is my kind of therapy” while he, Buck and Christopher played video games so maybe all he needed to feel a little bit better at Christmas time was to have the family he chose back together again.  Eddie’s actions clearly illustrated how he always wants to spend time with the family he chose because that’s when his heart is filled with love for the two most important people in his life, Christopher and Buck.

Doing it for Christopher

Eddie makes Christopher his number one priority and that’s great because he’s his father but Eddie never makes himself a priority. He rarely considers the things that will make him happy so he just ignores them.  He tries his best to do things the way he believes they should be done to keep himself from feeling like a failure but he should consider things that make him happy too. He told Shannon that being a father to Christopher taught him more about being a man than the military ever could have and she told him he was a good dad.  Buck told Maddie in 2x4 “Stuck”, “He’s a really great dad” and Ana told Eddie in 5x3 “Desperate Measures” during their breakup that he was an amazing father. There were others who’ve told him similar things about how great a father he is like Bobby but Eddie never focuses on the things he needs.  He does everything for Christopher’s sake and while that’s an amazing, great and good thing to do, every person still has to make sure they are happy in the process of trying to make someone else happy (read blog post: “Eddie Diaz: He is a great dad” for more information on how great a dad Eddie is to Christopher).  

Eddie said he quit the 118 because Christopher was worried about him and while that’s true, another part of Eddie’s decision to quit was because he was scared.  He tried to put everything that was bothering him inside the box that occupies his mind to keep moving forward but the box was starting to overflow. He won’t learn how bad it is until he goes back to therapy in 5x13 “Fear-O-Phobia” and Frank explains it to him.  Eddie has been hiding and running from his past for a long time and he had to face a lot of those things after The Shooting.  He did his best to stay occupied so that he wouldn’t have to face the real reason why he changed his will after The Well and listed Buck to be Christopher’s legal guardian.  In addition to that he had to face the meaning of that decision which is one of the main things he’s been hiding over the years.  Eddie is in love with Buck but he’s had a hard time trying to articulate that to him.  He doesn’t want to be rejected and he doesn’t want Buck to break his heart.  He thought telling Buck about his will would do it but Buck didn’t understand that Eddie was giving him his heart when he gave him the most important person in his life which is his son.  Eddie will also need to face the time he spent in the Army along with all the things he saw and experienced while he was there so that he can start to heal.  He will have to face Shannon’s death and all the trauma that was associated with their relationship including the fact that they got married young before they knew each other well enough and include the drama he allowed his parents to inflict on them.  He also has to face making a decision about the life he wants instead of the life he believes everyone wants him to have.  

Before Eddie can move forward, he has to go backwards and look in the mirror so that he can face all the things he’s been avoiding.  He’s been using Christopher as a shield for years but now he has to face Edmundo, himself and all the things he wasn’t allowed to deal with when he was a child.   He can’t continue to hide behind Christopher to supply himself with happiness (read blog post: “Eddie saves Edmundo (himself)” for more on how Eddie has been trying to save himself for years) because he won’t be truly happy until he learns how to accept who he is and allow himself the opportunity to enjoy the rest of his life.  

Will Eddie be ready to unpack his firefighting related traumas during season 6? Will he and Christopher have family therapy sessions together so they can start to heal since they’re both still mourning Shannon’s death?  Has Eddie considered the things that will make him happy so that he can go after them or will he continue to put all his focus on Christopher and continue to ignore the things that could make him happy?  Only the showrunners, writers and producers know the answers to those questions.

Additional references for Eddie’s heart will be posted daily.

Links to “Heart References” posts

“Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-Reference #1”

“Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-References #2 & 3” 

“Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-References #4, 10 & 16” 

“Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-Reference #5” 

“Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-Reference #6” 

“Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-Reference #7” 

“Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-Reference #8” 

“Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-Reference #9” 

“Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-Reference #11” 

“Buck & Eddie: Eddie’s Heart-Reference #12” 

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Someone on twitter mentioned Lena and Lucy's names meaning light and for some reason I thought it was about their last names and I googled that. Turns out both Bozko and Donato mean god-given (according to name-doctor at least). And now I'm thinking deus ex machina 🤣

Hey Nonnie

Yes both surnames also mean gift from god or god-given so both Lena and Lucy are the gift of light from god - as in there to illuminate things, so yes sort of Deus ex machina I say sort of because we've twigged them so its not really a surprise any more😂

We know 911 likes to use religious imagery - the Buck carrying Christopher in the tsunami parallels to st Christopher carrying Jesus across the water and this is another way of them doing just that - subtly using religious motifs to tell the story.

I mean I'm pretty convinced that they're also using Moses and the 10 plagues as a narrative device across the series so far - we've had/ are about to have, by my reconning 8/9 of the 10 plagues.  I have had this half written post in my drafts which i’ve been adding to and editing since 5x10 aired so I’ll paste it below and you can see what you think (maybe I've completely lost the plot - I wouldn't be surprised at this point in time!!) Thanks for popping up in my inbox, I love hearing from you 💜💜💜

Thinking about Buck being a saviour baby and the use of light as a reference to Jesus (’I am the light of the world’ etc etc) in religious narrative... and light and Buck being connected and Buck and St. Christopher and the parallels in the show between the two, which moved me into thinking about other religious motifs in the show and then my brain went to thinking about wrapped in red and from there decided to jump to Moses parting the Red Sea which literally wrapped the pursuing Egyptians in ‘red’ water and from there my brain went what if it is all connected to the idea of freedom from oppressors and that’s what Eddie is trying to do for Christopher in a metaphorical mental health sense because mental illness can be a form of oppression born out of repression. He also need to free himself from the oppression/repression of heteronormativity

I then went, hang on - God sent 10 plagues before the crossing of the Red Sea so I looked them up because the only ones I could remember were the locusts, boils and the frogs and man oh man is it interesting

1. Turning water into blood - tsunami? Dam break? 

2. Frogs - dosed reptiles on lose? Metaphorical- people jumping - skydiving rescue, suicides? etc...

3. bugs - several bug calls - bot fly, eye worms, mosquito epidemic - mentioned in both dosed and Haunted and we’re about to get a plague of spiders in 5x13...

4. Wild animals - animals lose on Hollywood boulevard, tiger at zoo!

5. Pestilence - pandemic...

6. Boils - under pressure - episode about people reaching boiling point...

7. Thunderstorm of hail and fire - chemical fires, meteor...

8. Locusts - dosed call to the eating contest...

9. Darkness for 3 days - blackout...

10. Death of firstborn - Bobby lost his children. Daniel...

[stypidwthluv]

I’m finally posting about 5x10 and I. Have. Words.

First of all, to the writers…

Fuck you.

In the nicest possible way. Like this episode didn’t just pull at my heartstrings, it yanked them out and stomped on them. I loved it tho.

Anyway, my point about this episode is that first, it pissed me the fuck off. It felt like one step forward and two steps back. We got Chris and Eddie admitting that everything is not okay with them, but it feels a whole hell of a lot like Buck and Taylor are still pretending their fine.

The episode CLEARLY demonstrated that BT don’t know each other very well. From the beginning of the episode to the end we got them scrambling to find something that the other would like and both of them settled for “it’s the thought that counts.”

They’re cute but so deep in denial. But I’ve already been down that road.

Next, obviously the whole thing with Chris and Eddie was huge and impactful. My only point that hasn’t already been made in depth is Chris’ reaction to Eddie quitting.

We know that Chris adores his Dad and looks up to him a lot for many reasons but also because of his job.

Not to mention, Chris is the fuckin best and a true national treasure. So to me it stands to reason that despite being terrified for Eddie’s safety, Chris would feel horrible if he knew that his dad quit a job he loved with a family he adored for him.

I don’t know about you but that’s what it feels like Chris’ reaction is gonna be to me. And that may be a huge factor in 5B with Eddie’s recovery arc.

Finally, I want to talk about the title of the episode “Wrapped in Red.” While a lot of people have talked about how the episode had a lot of symbolism with presents and how they symbolize someone’s knowledge of another, I don’t think that’s what the title is referring to.

I tried to find a picture of the building they had to WRAP in all the RED tape but I could not.

Nonetheless, the building that nearly collapsed and wasn’t up to code was quite literally wrapped in red. I think that that is what the title of the episode is referring to.

And the reason that the building had to be wrapped in red was because it was unstable and about to fall apart.

With the rest of this episode, Chris and Eddie, Buck and Taylor, and everything else. Everything kind of is unstable and about to fall apart, but much like the landlord for the building, everyone seems to want to put it on the back burner. Right up until the point where something gets lodged loose and your world starts to crumble around you. In this case, you can make one of two choices, either leave the building before it crushes you and find a way to put everything back together, or you can ignore the crumbling and let it crush you.

We saw both of those choices, although in different situations in 5x10. Eddie left the building and is trying to put everything back together,

(Even if we don’t think it’s the right choice) and Buck and Taylor are choosing to ignore all of the warning signs.

That being said, maybe I’m reading way too far into this and I’ve lost it.

Nonetheless, I can’t wait for 5B and I’m hoping that the months in between may give us a better chance of getting Jennifer Love Hewitt back before season six. Fingers Crossed.

That is all. You may return to you regularly scheduling scrolling.

[raymondebidochonlifechoices]

Dr StrangeVale or: How I learned to stop worrying and love Hiram’s bomb

Oh, Rivervale, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

1. Archie’s dead

2. There are two Jugheads

3. General wackiness

4. Archie’s dead

5. No s5 misery

6. Obligatory midseason Bughead make-out.

7. Did I mention that Archie’s dead?

8. (Somewhat failed) Attempt at a better plotted mini-arc

9. Meta references (with various degrees of success)

10. Laughing my head off at Rivervale’s 6x5 ‘big bad’ (see #9).

My enjoyment of s6a has been inversely proportional to the wretchedness that was s5. That is to say, if s5 hadn’t been such a miserable miserable thing, maybe I’d be less happy with Riverdale’s 5ep-event. But s5 was what it was, so here we are!

#1, 4 & 7: Listen, it’s exhausting to watch the writers continuously lauding Archie’s most problematic behaviour as the best and purest thing that has ever happened this side of Sweetwater, in an effort to counterbalance how unimportant his storylines are in the bigger narrative of each episode. It’s also hilarious how they are completely aware of the fact and yet not interested in changing it because of how well the A plot mystery/Bughead combo works. (Plus it allows them to put Archie in more inconsequential shirtless/fighting scenes). It has been such a delight not to have Archie on my screen for so long!

#2: Does this really need an explanation? Forsythe Pendleton Jones III is half the reason I watch Riverdale.  In Rivervale he’s double the reason!

#3 & 5: The best Riverdale is the craziest Riverdale. Did anyone say The Great Blooper Birthday Party / Chickles Wedding Extravaganza, complete with Archie and Kevin (and his trusty machete) fighting convicts in atmospheric lighting during Parents Night at RHS while Jughead’s tripping maple mushroom balls in the Bunker in 5x10? Yes, please! These writers have not the range to write serious dialogue or keep pace. They’re so much better when everything is over the top. Which, yes, is a conscious decision on their part but also a convenient one: mistakes and weaknesses can be better hidden in a fast-paced piece for a big orchestra than in a slow duet. And the Allegro is always more fun than the Lento.

#6: Is there anyone left watching for the plot? Did s5 even have one?! If anything, s6a exists solely on the premise of no overall narrative: each episode is more or less self-contained and the event’s “arc” starts and begins with ep5. In spite of the writers insisting that everything is in canon [sic] i.e. in continuity, it really isn’t, as we’re about to go back to 5x19, as expected by everyone in the fandom. 5x19 aired on Oct. 6th 2021. That plot will continue in 6x6, which will air on March 6th 2022. And only then, will the viewers know how to interpret what happened from 5x14 onwards (or whether to completely discard those storylines, because things simply changed/moved on).

The show currently survives because of the ships. The couples (new and old) have been the focus of every teaser for s5 and s6.

Case in point: the obligatory midseason Bughead make-out scene: first in s5 (a hallucination) then in s6 (a parallel universe). If it’s not real, what’s the purpose? The writers know very well what attracts an audience. It’s the ships. Specific ships.

#8: The format of s6a (5-ep event, a separate universe, mostly self-contained episodes, knowledge of when exactly the hiatus will happen) is more concise.

The writers don’t have to worry about arcs and overall narratives. In fact, there aren’t any.

That culmination of the battle between evil and good (apparently moved to 6b?)? Nothing has pointed towards it so far (that triple explicit reference in 6x3 bore no consequences for that episode’s plot or the next one’s).

The Jughead multiverse thing that supposedly explains the whole 5ep-event? It’s not a real arc: it hasn’t happened yet. It begins and ends in 6x5. The previous episodes can stand on their own in their little Rivervale world without it.

(At the same time, because there are limits to the Riverdale writers’ abilities, this format has led to a much slower pace. The need for a new narrative premise for each episode combined with the writers’ preference for exposition means that not a lot happens in s6a. The action is minimal compared to other seasons.)

#9 & 10: The meta references are hilarious. Making things literal (Archie’s heart) or symbolical (Jughead’s typewriter/closed-in room of ships and bottles) but in that Riverdale in-your-face fashion is actually entertaining. Archie’s motivation in 6x5 is the meta-est thing these writers have ever done! Embracing s6’s format in order to play out as many scenarios as possible without consequences is objectively smart and would have pleased the fans more, had Riverdale not already made it its m.o. to drop plots left and right.

Everything is already meaningless in Riverdale: Hiram is used for comedic relief but then he’s a super villain again. Pop Tate’s retirement is such an important event that it brings the core four together but then he’s back and working. Betty stresses so much over Jughead not getting into college that she cheats on him but later on becomes fwb with the high-school drop-out …

At least in Rivervale, it’s justified!

[alaffy]

This is just a few thoughts I have in my head.  I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind in not watching the episode, because nobody should be pressured to watch something they don’t feel like watching.  And, hey, if things turn out differently then what we expect in the next couple of episodes, there’s always the CW app.

So, Betty and Jughead won’t interact much during the musical.  I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but at the same time....well, the thing is, if they had sung Hey together, it would have had to have a lot of explanation behind it. I mean, even if we didn’t have Betty’s trauma to deal with and the things they still need to talk about, Betty’s sister just died and Alice is loosing it.  It would be a very weird time to try to restart anything.  But add the other things back into the mix...at best, it would have to be framed in such a way that it’s the two coming to an understanding that they still have feelings for each other, but making it clear that this is not them getting back together (because, again, really not the time).  And, at the moment, I don’t think either one thinks the other one does would want to get back together.

I am surprised that there isn’t more interaction between Betty and the other characters, but maybe this is the moment (kind of like last episode between Hiram and Veronica), where things finally come to a head between Alice and Betty.  And if that’s the case, well, something as complex as that would take up Betty’s time in the episode (it actually could be just the episode).  I’ve also read that Polly’s death does impact all storylines, so I am interested to see how.  

And, yes, it does sound like they may be setting up Jughead and Tabitha.  As I said before, it also good to consider that the story might go where you don’t want it to.  That being said, we know that they will be singing a several duets together and they will be fake dating.  Now, it is possible they could be singing “Hey,” but it in order for it to work, they would have to cut out good portions of that song.  But, we don’t even know what songs are being used in the musical.  We just assumed hey would be in there.  

We also don’t know the context of any of the duets.  For instance, how many are being sung when they’re pretending to be a couple?  It wouldn’t surprise me if, during their fake dating, one or both of them start questioning where this is headed.  And, yes, they could decided to start dating at the end, but (if Drew was not referring to what happened in 5x10 when he said it ended badly for them) it could be they both decide that it wouldn’t work, or Jughead could reaffirm what he said in 5x10, he has things he still needs to deal with.  I mean, I’m not going to be shocked if they start dating in this episode.  But, with this show and how they promote things, I don’t believe anything is a guarantee until they show it on screen.  

I mean, for me, the reason why I have a problem with Jughead and Tabitha together is not because I can’t see them together, it’s because things haven’t been resolved with Betty yet.  Jughead was in another relationship, but was still focused on Betty. Jughead is literally manifesting visions of Betty to save himself in situations (one of which ended with them in a bed together), he’s not moving on.  And it isn’t Tabitha’s job to help him move on, it’s up to him to make that decision.  And, yes, if he were to make that decision because he wants something more with Tabitha, that would be fine.  But, again, I don’t see him in that place yet.   I guess what I’m trying to say is, I like Tabitha.  And if they were 100% done with Bughead, well I’d still want Bughead, but I would accept Jughead and Tabitha.  But they’re not done with Bughead.  If they were done with Bughead, they could have easily ended it in 5x05, when they walked together after Pop’s.  But they instead we had phone messages, the book, Jughead literally dreaming of Betty saving him,...Basically, I like the character of Tabitha enough that I don’t like the idea of Jughead, who has already been in a relationship with one woman while still fixated on Betty, I don’t like the idea of him doing that to Tabitha.  Tabitha has been a good friend to Jughead and if he’s not ready to commit to her 100% (which again, I don’t think he will ever be because I do think he will end up back with Betty), then I would rather he just be honest about that.

 Personally, I do plan on watching this episode because I want to see how they’re handling these situations.  But, again, I can understand those who’ve decided not to watch.

[dailybucktaylor]

So it’s safe to assume all day yesterday people have been speculating over the 5x11 summary that was released yesterday. For those who haven’t seen it, here is what the article states: 

“Athena (Angela Bassett), Bobby (Peter Krause) and the 118 ‘speed’ to the rescue to save a family whose pick-up truck has been rigged with a pipe bomb which will detonate if the vehicle slows under 55 miles an hour,” the network teases. “Meanwhile, Eddie has a rough transition into his new job, Buck (Oliver Stark) makes an impulsive relationship decision and the 118 welcome two new members to the team.”

This has caused quite a bit of speculation, the most common being that something happens and Buck will propose on a whim to Taylor and she’ll say no - causing a wrench in their relationship. Or even Taylor saying yes, and then Buck realizing later he shouldn’t have proposed. 

After a discussion with @taylorkbuckley, she brought up a good point: We’re assuming the impulsive decision is related to the ‘wrench’.

The ‘wrench’ referring to Oliver Stark’s interview with HELLO! in December. Everyone has kept tight hold of the word ‘wrench’ but the article says:

"The finale showed him and Taylor ending on a positive note," Oliver told HELLO!, adding: "But by the end of the first episode [of the spring premiere] they will find themselves in a widely different situation with a huge wrench thrown into their plans for happiness."

When we last see Buck and Taylor in 5x10, they were happy and in a good place, relationship wise. However, as @taylorkbuckley mentioned to me, what plans do they have? We haven’t seen them MAKE any plans for their future yet. They are just going about their relationship right now.

So, what plans, exactly, have the wrench thrown into them? Maybe whatever Buck’s impulsive decision is will make those plans, and then there’s a wrench. 

There’s been a lot of assuming that it’ll spell bad news for Buck and Taylor or at least a denied proposal.

BUT.

What if this impulsive relationship decision is a good thing? Something that both Buck and Taylor want?

Later on in the HELLO! interview, OIiver Stark says:

"Buck has been very bogged down by a lot [recently] and one thing I am finding reading new scripts is we are getting fun Buck back, which I really enjoy.”

So that kind of says it’s not gonna be much of a downer, if one at all, to me. 

But, what could the wrench be that interrupts their plans? 

My favorite theory, at this time, is that the wrench is Taylor’s dad. After all, we aren’t told whether he got parole or not, right? And why bring up that storyline if it won’t be revisited?

There’s a lot of possibilities for what these two articles could mean, and as I reread them, I’m fairly confident that will be good news for Buck and Taylor at the end of the day. 

What are your thoughts?

[jerepars]

Back again lol. Even though the writing just hasn’t been the best this season, I’m not really that mad about the way they’ve portrayed Jeresa. Just looking at this logically, I feel that they gave us 5x02 as our Jeresa episode early on and there really was a lot of sweet moments. Now, inevitably we had to have angst in between. But it’s been constantly cemented that James is in love with Teresa, and strongly implied that she loves him too. They can’t just build that up and leave it unresolved. Plus, with TV shows in general, a couple being together early on in the series just leaves it open for unnecessary conflict and the ship just loses its intrigue. If they give us the Jeresa ending we’re hoping for then it makes sense to have not got them together any episode earlier than the final 2. And despite everything, I think the writers have been a hell of a lot better than others in keeping their ship alive and not causing a irredeemable issue between them. I probably shouldn’t defend them before seeing the next two episodes, but I am hopeful. All that being said, there most definitely should have been more scenes and dialogue between them. We should’ve had a Tony moment between them (I’m so mad about this, especially since the writers acted like it was such a pivotal part of the season and then only showed Pote’s ‘grief’). I’m very sorry for rambling, just wanted to hear your take.

Oh, yes hello, back again, I see. Your ask made me sigh because I think it opens me up to be honest and critical of this season’s writing, and that kind of opinion may not always be favored around here, and also because it requires a response of essay length. But I’ll do it for you, anon, I will. Okay. So you want my take on the portrayal of Jeresa in season 5. Here we go. After the jump:

Let me preempt this by saying the show isn’t too serious (try and tell me this is still a serious show after the kerfuffle that season 5 has been), so you shouldn’t take this too seriously either. I have an opinion but I’m just…me. I encourage everyone to stick to their guns about what they feel about QOTS; what you like about it, what you love about it, what gets you excited, what you think has been done well, what is worthy of praise, etc. etc. etc. I go in pretty hard on the show in the next several (LOL, yes, really) paragraphs. But I am in no way the ultimate authority on all things QOTS.

I don’t think Jeresa would have unnecessary conflict and I don’t think the good ship Jeresa would lose its intrigue. In lieu of conflict, we’ve gotten…*crickets* nothing. No conversations of real value, no meaningful exchange of ideas, no arguments, nothing. If anything, the conflict between Teresa and James that is necessary had been absent. In seasons 1-3, there were always disagreements between Teresa and James. There was never a point reached where it created too much conflict, or unnecessary conflict. It created tension, which is like the very essence of Jeresa, and it showed the dynamic they have that made so many of us fall hard for Jeresa as our ship, as our OTP. I don’t think making them a couple or having them together early on in the season would create unnecessary conflict. I think it could’ve created different conflict than what we’ve seen before, and wouldn’t that be a beautiful thing, to have seen them evolve and deal with each other in ways we haven’t seen before?

So, related to what I said about different conflict, as far as intrigue goes…I don’t think presenting Jeresa as a couple or in a relationship would ever make them flat or boring. When I think back to season 3, when we got Jeresa in 3x05 and 3x09, I wish we’d been offered the chance to see them succeed and see what happened with them if they tried. Like I said, it’d be a different kind of conflict, a different kind of challenge for them to face and have to face together. That sounds so opposite of lacking intrigue to me, anon. That’s a side of Jeresa I would have loved to see.

You’ve pointed out that, in general, on TV shows, getting a couple together too early usually means doom and gloom and failure for them. One of my favorite shows ever was Veronica Mars, the first two seasons especially. When the showrunner, Rob Thomas, has talked about the first kiss Logan and Veronica have, he refers to it as being earned. For QOTS, and for Jeresa, I really felt that when they shared their first kiss in 3x05. It took so much and they went through so much to get to that moment. It was earned. So, with that idea—of the earned kiss, of the earned get together, of the earned relationship—in mind, to me, there is no point in season 5 that would have been too early for Jeresa.

Talking about TV shows and how they usually go in general leads me to my next point: as a viewer, is that what I want and is that what I should expect, to be given more of what’s typical? Maybe the writers and critics and people much smarter than me will tell me it’s my fault, I’m the fool, for wanting to critically engage in media that’s not meant to be consumed that way. Maybe I’m just supposed to accept and enjoy and be happy with what I’m given. No one claimed this wasn’t going to be typical. So okay. It’s on me. It’s my bad. But here’s the thing. If I’m supposed to accept and enjoy and love this as it is…well, give me something to love. I’m not asking for a revolution or anything life-changing here, just something I can appreciate (and this season, in my opinion, has really lacked things that I can hold on to and appreciate). So as for typical TV…I’m not down with merely accepting that because things usually go a certain way, that’s how they always have to go.

Why do Jeresa have to fail if they got together earlier in the season? Why is it so out of the realm of possibility that they might succeed together? Are they so emotionally stunted, do they lack so much compassion and understanding of each other that it would be impossible for them to listen and move forward together? What if they could discuss their issues, tell each other how they feel, stop hiding, and try? Who says there wouldn’t be angst and tension between them as they try to work through their issues? What if they’re actually supposed to be together and it would make them stronger—individually and as a couple?

Now, forget everything I just said. LOL. Let’s say we have to go by TV in general and typical TV rules. Let’s assume if Jeresa got together early on, then we’d see them struggle and fall apart and break up. Fine. Okay.

Here’s how Jeresa could have played out after the first two episodes:

5x03 banging honeymoon phase, probably

5x04 arguments and frustration with each other as T embraces being the white queen

5x05 J finds out about T’s coke usage and has to walk away from the relationship because he can’t stand to be complicit and stand idly by while she destroys herself

5x06 classic Jeresa angst and tension

5x07 KG’s death leads to T’s breaking point and J is there to support her

5x08 honesty hour, where it’s made clear that these two mean so much to one another and they’re running out of time to let each other know that, so they tell each other

5x09 one last united mission + they hatch the plan to get out and be free + a farewell with the promise and intent to see each other in another life

5x10 reunion in another life

Are these all headcanons? Of course they’re headcanons. Of course I would never expect the show to go exactly how I thought it would or with my own ideas. My point is that if they would’ve gotten together early on and we’d been given a glimpse of what that would be like, even if they failed, it doesn’t mean it would’ve been impossible for them to ever find themselves together again before season’s end.

“There’s not enough time,” the writers said. “It’s an action packed season,” the writers said. Okay. Why? There was enough time to spend on backstory of minor insignificant characters. There was enough time to introduce characters, tell us a bit about them, only to see them dead by the end of the episode. There was enough time to focus on Kote’s story, over multiple episodes, with not just a baby plot but a kidnapping one as well. So why? Why was there no time for Jeresa? Forget about them getting together and kissing and sex. If that was what it was (and it was) they wanted us to not have, then fine. Some of my favorite Jeresa moments were in the first two seasons, when Jeresa getting together was very much not a thing, when tension was high. So if it was just the portrayal of them not being together, if we still got the scenes of tension and them having no choice but to communicate, that would be completely fine. Like I said, I know I’m never going to get exactly what I want, my headcanons are mine, so that’s okay. Oh. But…no. Oh no. There was not even enough time for Jeresa to have more than short, throwaway, blink-and-you’ll-miss it conversations? Well. It’s the writers’ decision. They wanted it that way.

“It’s a Teresa-centric season,” Dailyn claimed. Like I’ve said before, James is a big part of Teresa’s journey and story. If you’re going to have a Teresa-centric season, it’s hard to accomplish that without shedding more light on James and Jeresa. This isn’t a Teresa-centric season. This has become the Kote show. Teresa is the main character but her journey has been pushed aside, diminished, and downplayed in order to make way for Kote ultrasounds and Pote grunting and Kelly Anne thinking “positive” and hopeful that Marcel will come to a party at the safe house. Instead of getting conversations that would offer insight into Teresa’s relationships with those in her family, we got an extended deep dive into the most chemistry-lacking relationship we’ve ever seen on the show. Well. It’s the writers’ decision. They wanted it that way.

“It’s Queen of the South, not Jeresa of the South,” the writers will insist. If by that they mean it’s Kote of the South. Imagine for a second that it actually was a Teresa-centric season but they were adamant about keeping James in this minor capacity. Okay. It would still be different than it is now because we’d be in tune with Teresa. We would’ve gotten a glimpse into her thought process. Was this not, at some point, meant to be a story about a strong woman? I can even extend that question to Kelly Anne. Was this not, at some point, meant to be a story about strong women? Then why do we keep seeing them make asinine decisions? Why are their most extreme actions in reaction to what the men have done?

Moreover, if this show is about the people in the cartel, in Teresa’s inner circle, rather than just the Kote side plot becoming the main plot, there’s no way this is the James we would be getting. James, our beloved reluctant assassin…who we know nothing about. He can’t even get a backstory on a show on which he is supposedly one of the main characters. Five minutes—five seconds—couldn’t even be spared on James and how he came to be who he is, how he got where he is. But Isidro Navarro? By all means, I need to hear his life story. Who’s Isidro Navarro, you ask? Right. Exactly. Apparently we don’t deserve backstory and explanation and conversation and introspection from our protagonists. But a character who is there for ten minutes or less on a single episode and will never be heard from again in any significant manner? Of course he needs his screen time. Well. It’s the writers’ decision. They wanted it that way.

“This is not a romance show,” the makers of season 5 said. Honestly? Fuck that noise. Fuck that sentiment. Fuck that ignorance. When has Jeresa ever been about romance? Where do the people who make this show get off saying something like that as if we are so stupid we don’t know that? A romance story and a love story are not the same thing. Jeresa is love. God forbid Jeresa ever experience love within a successful relationship. God forbid Teresa and James ever become mature enough to use love as strength rather than weakness. But pile on all the Kote. Focus on them and emphasize how Teresa and James can barely even look at each other. Well. It’s the writers’ decision. They wanted it that way.

So now here we are, on the cusp of 5x09. We got a spoiler in the last promo trailer. We know, after 7 episodes since their last conversation that actually meant something, after the writers missed the mark and didn’t have Jeresa interact in a way that was significant and necessary over the course of the season, that there is at least one kiss. They might even have a conversation. They might even share more than one kiss that leads to more (but also, don’t be surprised if we get a mere few seconds of a kiss and nothing more before fade to black). This is going to make us so happy because finally, finally, they’re giving us what we wanted. And then what? What does it mean if those things are true? Is everything forgiven? Is the instant gratification of seeing our ship sail for a scene or two enough? Does it make up for the character assassination of the characters we love? If we somehow get the ending we want, or at least one close to it, is it even believable anymore? Is what has been broken all season so easily fixed?

Listen, I already know the counter argument. I’m going to be told I’m crazy, that Teresa has to be on her own, that it wouldn’t be interesting, that it would diminish the payoff for Teresa and Jeresa in the end. I get it. Typical TV rules, right? We have to go with what people know, what they’re used to. But what have we gotten, really, to preserve these ‘rules’ for TV in general? Teresa has been dumbed down and is now lacking a lot of the intuition and street smarts she had before. She makes bad decision after bad decision and she doesn’t see what’s coming. The actions she takes are in reaction to those bad decisions. James hates so much of what he’s been made to do but for some reason he keeps going along and carrying out Teresa’s orders; he’ll just stew over it quietly in a corner without saying anything. Teresa and James don’t talk to each other, at least not about anything important, and when they do talk, they give each other heart eyes but never scratch the surface—how could they when they talk for like 10 seconds at a time? So. Has this been a good portrayal of Jeresa? You tell me. If it’s fine with everyone else, then I guess it’s fine. I’m probably the wrong person to ask.

[ftstorm]

My take on 5x10

Welp, that was a big one!

You know, before going into this episode I reminded myself this was the first episode of a new era, the first episode completely made by the new team.

So with that in mind my expectations were "Okay, let's see what they've got."

And oh boy did they surprise me.

DISCLAIMER: this text post is long af, not kidding.

1. THE INTRO SCENE.

You guys have no idea how glad I am that we got Mac doing a usual MacGyvering in his house. It's been ages since they implemented this format of showing his dynamics outside Phoenix and around his house.

I wasn't worried about the proposal thing at all. Guys, you have to accept that MacRiley was always going to happen after that 4x04 episode.

There was also the fact that this was the intro scene (usually the most important plot issues happen in the outro scene), Bozer's weird reaction and the melancholic audio cue.

If that proposal was happening, they would've made it more uplifting.

(I gotta say that watching Monica Marcer and the official MacGyver account making damage control in Twitter 3mins into the episode was a funny experience)

So my initial questions about Mac wanting to propose were: "what are his motivations?" and "how is this not going to work out by the end of the episode?"

The second question we got the answer later on. The first question remains unanswered. If we take on Mac's words, he says:

Mac: Unexpected, I know, I know. But that's why I like about it. You know ever since I lost my dad and Jack I've been thinking about the bigger picture. A commitment to make things work it's exactly what Desi and I need. A grand romantic gesture. *cue melancholic music*

Here we're presented with a bunch of things worth analysing, in my opinion.

He's trying to see the "bigger picture" which, for me, it means he's trying to tackle down different issues from his life with one specific, efficient action [the proposal]. Those issues being:

> his current romantic relationship: make is aware they have an inconsistent relationship > his performance at work: he needs balance between his personal affairs and his work, which is based on saving the world in a daily basis and for that he needs to be focused. > dealing with his past losses: to my understanding, saying "ever isn I lost my dad and Jac I've been thinking about the bigger picture" means that he doesn't want hopelessness to take over him, he wants to keep on moving and being proactive about his life.

So... you have to understand that in some sort of way, this proposal thing is a signal that Mac is healing. In some sort of way, if you were in Mac's shoes you would see that it was a positive thing for him. A step forward.

The thing is, we [the audience] have an extended understanding of the situation and we know that an engagement would be an incredibly rushed decision.

As well as it is that Mac's trying to move forward, he obviously hasn't been able to pinpoint the true issue behind his relationship with Desi. He isn't wrong about them lacking in the commitment department, but forcing the relationship to scalate isn't the right move. He should be asking himself: "Why are we avoiding commitment?"

And that's when he'd find out that they have very deep and important trust and communication issues.

~~~~

2. Moving on. MURDOC.

Russ: I can process it more efficiently by having it all spread out ahead me, you know. I reckon see the bigger picture at once.

This is when I realized that the episode was centered on this whole "bigger picture" idea. Russ struggles to see the full picture until the very end and Mac finds out that he hasn't been seeing the full picture of his life at all by the end of the episode.

Fast forward, the team's in Mexico, Riley knows about the ring already and she has already had the talk with Bozer in which she refers to her feelings for Mac in a past tense.

Then Murdoc appears.

And as if the episode wasn't already a rollercoaster after Mac's reveal, now Murdoc shows up to put everything upside down.

First I gotta say, man Dastmalchian is SUCH A GOOD MURDOC. Excellent actor. The way he delivers his lines, his facial expressions, all of it make an original and very entertaining Murdoc.

He always gives me such a Andrew Scott's Moriarty vibes and I love it.

Secondly, his dynamic with Andrews: *cheff kiss*

I loved how Andrews was so over Murdoc's theatrics, to the point his facial expression screamed "Why did I even reclute this guy" LOL.

Back to the story.

This is something I was hoping it wouldn't happen but at the same time I don't see another way it could've happened which is the explanation behind Murdoc's escape and how Phoenix didn't know about it.

Because what they told us is that the FBI didn't let them in on Murdoc's escape, right? Does that imply that the FBI has a corrupt agent in charge? Does it imply that the order of not letting Phoenix in came from above? Maybe someone with higher clearence than Matty? A politician? Governement conspiracy?

It smells like plot hole, tbh. I feel like the Murdoc's escape is a classic "it is what it is". We'll see if they come back to this in later episodes.

~~~~

3. BIG SECRET REVEAL 1.

By now we're at the point of the rollercoaster where you're going up and up and up. Your tension building more and more as you're getting close to the drop.

Bozer and Riley's audio was the drop.

You know, during this scene I jumped from my seat, closed my eyes, cringed, squealed, my heart accelarated, forgot how to breathe...

As a person who is a little bit bipolar when it comes to romance (I can be very shy about it or very outspoken about it) that scene made me SO UNCOMFORTABLE.

Imagine having your feelings exposed not only to the person you have feelings for but also his girlfriend who happens to be your friend, your boss and the criminal that's threatening to kill hundreds of people.

I was like: "Not like this!!"

And Mac's reaction didn't help because of the lack of it. I don't know what I expected but his slightly monotone reaction broke my heart.

Thankfully, I've recovered since then and I don't mind that it happened that way.

Still, imagine how suffocating it must've been for Riley. That idea was what made me so uncomfortable and I think that's what they were going for. They wanted to make it as straightforward and awkward as possible.

But it doesn't end there. It's followed by Mac revealing the ring to Desi (and Riley). Mac's in "fuck it" mood and Desi kinda panics.

Little side note here, using GUM and a DIAMOND to break a bullet proof glass... BIG YES. That's an intrinsic MacGyverism.

~~~~

4. BIG SECRET REVEAL 2.

Then we get a breather from this drama by introducing another drama, Leanna's death.

Bozer's reaction to the news was heartbreaking for my already heartbroken heart.

I have my suspicions as to why they decided to kill her... The other episode completely made by the new team was the Quarantine one (5x06). During that episode Mac and Bozer bond over Bozer's pain. After learning about Bozer's mom, Mac chooses to share a piece of his own pain with him.

So, hear me out, I think they writers are planning to help Mac process his own grief THROUGH Bozer's grief. Keep in mind that we still have a Bozer centered episode coming up.

This is just a theory. I may be wrong, but I think it may be right too.

Back to the episode.

Once again we see a three dimensional Russ. He does something accordingly to his own judgement thinking it's the right decision [hiding Leanna's death], he realizes he screwed up, he gives Bozer a very heartfelt apology about it.

Henry's acting talent shone with this narrative. Actually, most of the actors had the chance to shine THANKS to the NARRATIVE. Murdoc, Andrews, Desi, Mac, Russ and Bozer... they all had their highlight moments (I'll talk about Riley later).

Parenthesis here... THE NARRATIVE HAS RETURNED THEIR SOULS TO OUR DEAR CHARACTERS!

WOW, they aren't brooding, angry, sad or whiny ALL THE EFFIN TIME. ABOUT TIME!

~~~~

5. LAST ACT.

For the third or fouth time in this episode my heart broke again when Mac was friendly towards Riley, after she explained herself. It really felt like he was friendzoning her.

But here's something to point out. Riley visibly relaxed when he reacted that way. What does that tell us?

> She had been so tense up until that point. Imo, she's on the defensive now. You can even see it in her wardrobe, make up and hairstyle choices. They're very contrasting to Riley's most vulnerable moments in this show (like when Audrey broke up with her).

Riley has had a year to sort out her feelings. We see in this episode that she spoke about them in a past tense. Whether she achieved it or not is unknown. We just know that she has at least tried to move on.

> She was mostly afraid of ruining her close relationship with Mac (who's her only family, along with Bozer) and her friendship (?) with Desi. We've seen it over and over again: Riley DID NOT WANT to get in the middle of them.

Keep that in mind as we go in the last scene.

It took me a while to figure out a possible thread of thought inside Mac's mind. Why did he look at the ring and decided to go to Riley's house? It really didn't make sense to me.

One moment he was thinking about his proposal and somehow that lead to him having the necessity to know if Riley still had feelings for him? Why??

My theory is that he went to her apartment for permission.

His question was a way of asking Riley for permission to propose to Desi. It was a way of reassuring himself that proposing was still the right decision.

In a way, he could also be fishing for an excuse to not do it [the proposal].

Because now he has doubts. He's confused, unsure.

Mac asks:

Mac: Hiding your emotions and letting it pass. Did it go away?

What could her answer have been? Here I wanna go back again to Riley being emotionally defensive, added her strong desire of not wanting to be in the middle of Mac and Desi's relationship.

I think she would've said "Yes, it worked."

Because it also lines up with my idea that the love triangle has changed from "Riley's a better match for Mac" to "Mac needs to win Riley's heart".

Riley's done her job. She worked out her feelings. Now it's time for Mac to sort out his humongously messed up internal self and reignite her spark. That's what I think.

Also, if anyone has any idea on how the song that played in that scene relates with the moment please share it with me because I don't really understand the song choice lol.

~~~~

6. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Desi. I'm not sure what's going on in her mind. She seemed stressed out by the ring, very serious about Riley, lenient with Mac... I'm really not sure.

My guess would be that she doesn't want that type of commitment but she wants to be with Mac yet she can't ignore Riley so does that mean she has to end it with Mac? That's the thought process she may have had? Idk...

I'm glad they let her be mature about it, with no overreactions, no whining, no blaming, nothing of that style that we're used to see in her.

I'm also glad about that moment when she defeats Murdoc and Andrews. THAT'S HOW YOU WRITE A TOUGH DESI. It was filmed with such a gracefulness and elegance. I liked it.

From a MacDesi point of view, she's probably being open minded and giving him space and waiting for him to come back to her... but somehow I got the vibe that she's actually... running away?

Lastly but no less important.

THE HISPANIC REPRESANTION OMG. RUSS SPEAKING SPANISH AND THAT CUMBIA MUSIC FILLED MY HEART WITH SO MUCH PRIDE!!! :')

[you-are-crazy-beautiful]

Continuation of ask:

Favourite character and why?

I think, this will probably come as no surprise that my favourite character is Miss Kieu My Vu herself. Not only in Druck, she's my favourite character in the whole skamverse!

Yeah, so you know how I said I'd probably end up writing an essay about Kieu My at some point...you probably weren't prepared for this anon, because this is legit like a thesis 😬😆

I can't tell you how much I love Kieu My, honestly, after every clip with her, I would actually say it out loud.

I had my headcanons of what I thought she was going to be like based on S5 and her activity on IG (who she follows etc.). I thought she was probably a bit insecure, a nerd, and going to be a really soft LI. When she said 'Bro, what heart', I laughed because I knew she was going to be one of the greatest LI in Skamverse, and boy is she! So one reason she is my fave is because I literally watched the character that I had written in my head, come to life in front of me! ✨

It actually really hurts me and makes me sad knowing that a minority of people in the fandom are sending DM's to the writers saying Kieu My wasn't written well and underdeveloped because they want a Kieu My S7😰😡. They did such a stunning job with her and it pains me to think they might think they didn't.

Some people are saying that her background didn't get explored, but I would argue that it definitely did, we know she has a good, supportive relationship with her parents, that she cares about her Vietnamese heritage, that she feels insecure speaking Vietnamese as she's a 3rd generation immigrant, and her parent's didn't teach her it in great detail. She feels she owes her parents for giving up their dreams and all the hard work they do to make sure she has a good life, which I really relate to because that's how I feel with my mum, even though they don't expect anything back.

Also, you never get the whole background of a LI explored🤷‍♀️ I also argue that a detailed 'background' does not = development or a character getting fleshed out. For example, Maya in SkamFr got a really detailed background, which she explained to Lola in ep 3. I love Maya, so this is not a dig at her. Yet, besides from explaining why she ghosted Lola when she found out about her addiction problem, they didn't give her much more personality than 'the sunshine' to Lola's darkness, and imo she's quite 2D. Development is loads of things, it is a personality being exposed, insecurities being addressed, change in behaviour.

Even in just episode 1, Kieu My already goes through great development. In 5x10, she is still seen as the aloof Insta and quite superficial. Then in the first clip of 6x01, you can see how awkward she is (I cannot express how good Nhungi is with the little details). The way she doesn't understand Fatou's question about what she's doing and replies straight faced that she's walking on the pavement 😂 The stuttering when she asks to use the skateboard. The first hint of her insecurity when she says she bets Fatou never fell off. Which can I just say, I love that line! Because as if Fatou would be able to use a skateboard the first time she tried. It shows Kieu My's insecurity but also how she views Fatou as this cool and collected person. Then when Fatou says she did fall off and laughs, Kieu My lets out a nervous breath to herself. Then laughter is heard, and she starts looking around self-consciously. I think it's probably a mix of thinking people may be laughing at her putting herself out there and looking like an idiot on the skateboard, along with her inner biphobia.

Then the clip in the Physics class we saw the first on screen hints at nerd Kieu My. I went nuts that day as we also got the text between Zoe and her talking about the Bio test, and how Kieu My was studying for it despite the answers being leaked. Druck said Nerd-Kieu My rights!✌ I love that Physics clip so much because as soon as the teacher finishes the question, Kieu My has her hand raised to answer, but also note she doesn't make the hand high or easy to see, showing us she doesn't draw attention to it. So, already in ep 1 you have Superficial-Kieu My -> awkward, nerd Kieu My. DEVELOPMENT!

Please don't interact with this if that's your opinion that she isn't developed. You're entitled to your opinion, but I will not read or answer it.

One of the things I was pleasantly surprised with was that although I thought she was going to be soft and insecure, I thought she would try to hide it behind the Ice queen personality more, and fight her feelings.

It was probably during the NYE clip (which is also maybe why it's my no.1 clip 🥰) that I realised they weren't going to go down the route of her holding onto the 'cool girl' image. She was so shy and could hardly keep eye contact with Fatou when she was talking about her dream of studying Mars❤

I remember there was genuinely like 2 people other than me in the Kieu My fan club when she wasn't responding, and it was strange to me because she said in ep 2 that girls scare her and she doesn't know what to do. It didn't make sense for her to ghost Fatou for any other reason, as girl had spent 11hrs talking with Fatou a week before. The moment in ep 4 when Fatou talks to her in person and she's the shook Mr Krabbe meme 😂💀

She really spent the whole week reading Fatou's texts and then f*cked it up herself by trying to get Constantin off her back. Then my girl came through texting Fatou everyday Sun-Wed, until Fatou responded on Thursday. She really grabbed the bull by the horns and straight up asked Fatou on a date in the geekiest way possible. I'm sure she suggested the table tennis bar because Fatou did, so she thought 'this must be an appropriate first date venue' 😂. The last line on Thursday when she said she can't get Fatou out of her head 🥺 The amount of vulnerability, she's so brave 🤧

Volunteering to do the project with Fatou, again showing her bravery and not caring about what anybody else thought even with the rumour going around and Constantin sitting next to her!

Turning up with the plate of Vietnamese pancakes, and doing the nervous bounce she does. Revealing to Fatou that she doesn't think she's good enough, and everybody thinks she's perfect, and the pressure she puts on herself to live up to that. Crying when she thought she had blown her chance to be with Fatou. She's too soft I can't take it! 😭Even the detail that she always tries to hold Fatou's hand for comfort 🗣🗣

Getting her girl, and then immediately setting up a date. Laying herself bare about her inner biphobia, and Fatou being the first girl she's been with, her dreams of being an astrophysicist, and nerding out about the history of the universe 🥰

I absolutely love how she's the one to initiate the first kisses and touches, she just went in with both feet and never looked back, fighting her fears to be with Fatou. She is so brave! Which makes all her gestures of love even more immense! They would be incredibly romantic gesture anyway, I mean climbing a roof in her fancy clothes *swoon*, but the fact that she is doing it, despite being terrified🗣🗣

Being a straight A student, but not caring about the presentation and just Fatou's wellbeing. I burst into tears when she asked the teacher to stop and then argued back to him.

Showing how she finds it hurtful that no one really sees her and they only care about her looks. One of the things I was constantly blown away with was how Kieu My kept being given the space to speak. There's at least 3 key scenes where she is just allowed to breathe, and talk about her fears and issues, which I think is so rare.

How she is also an absolute 🤡 Referring to Fatou as Axolotlgirl in texts, sending Fatou songs and that she can't help think about Fatou while listening to them, but not knowing why and that she is in love. When she is too scared to talk to Fatou, but got her nails cut ASAP, and was liking all of Fatou's IG posts. Telling Fatou to stay away from her because she is so hurt but then having a full on breakdown for 2 weeks, calling people at 3am, and stalking Fatou's IG, accidentally liking posts, and thinking Fatou was moving on with Ava 🤡

Being such a caring person and going to help Constantin at 11pm, no questions asked, and keeping an eye on him at the party, making sure he was drinking water. Being there for Fatou because she knows something is going on, even though she's been hurt in their last interactions. Helping her parents at the store with no complaints, but fitting in time to print old Maths workbooks to help Fatou 🥰.

Getting a gold turtle and carrying it in her pocket because she was too scared to give it to Fatou! Setting up a stargazing date in someone's bedroom in the middle of someone else's birthday party 💀

Apologising to Ava because it's the right thing to do and not because she's with Fatou.

So, as you can gather, I think Kieu My is alright 😜

Thank you to the writers and Nhungi, because you really knocked it out the park with her!❤

[florrickandassociates]

TGF Thoughts: 5x09-- And the end was violent...

It’s been a busy week, but I didn’t want to wait until after 5x10 aired to write this. This recap may be a bit rushed (read: I am going to make an effort to just skip over scenes I don’t care about; we’ll see how many of those there actually are). I didn’t love this episode overall, but I thought it was a huge improvement over 5x08’s parking ticket fiasco and wish it had immediately followed 5x07.

Bless these episodes for not being overly long

Oooh, the opening sequence is long and I have nothing to say about it! Thanks for making my life easier, writers!  

The point of this opening is to show that there are lots of problems with the official court system—inefficiencies, inconveniences like broken elevators, overcrowding in prisons (though, uh, I don’t think the actual problem there is that there’s not room to incarcerate more people)-- that might make cops open to an alternative like Wackner’s court.

I know the cop thread kind of started with last week’s parking nonsense, but surely there was a way other than the parking nonsense to bridge the gap between 5x07’s prison system and 5x09’s focus on Wackner’s court suddenly being a replacement for criminal court, too.

(Y’all, I have SO MANY questions about how Wackner can POSSIBLY judge criminal cases, but they’re all just variations on... UH, GUYS, ISN’T THIS ILLEGAL? LIKE SUPER DUPER ILLEGAL?)  

I see that there is a filming notice when the cops bring a dude into Wackner’s court, and that the notice says that by entering on the premises you consent to being on film. I do not think that this sign being displayed would hold up as evidence of anyone consenting to be sentenced to a private prison on criminal charges.

New question: How did Wackner Rules get on the air so fast? And are they just filming endless episodes in real time? They just film anyone who walks in?  

I think there is supposed to be a subplot about Marissa liking fame and attention; it is almost a little too subtle to be meaningful. I see a through line from her sleeping with that editor dude last week to her smiling at the flowers in this scene to her scenes with Carmen later this episode. Unfortunately, I need a lot more for this to work.

I don’t need Marissa to be a hero who constantly does the right thing and calls out Wackner on crossing the line, but I’m really sad that this is what they’re using Marissa for when we were due for Marissa calling Wackner out (in a meaningful, lasting way) like two episodes ago. It’s felt odd to me that she just sticks around and assists Wackner and Del when they’re doing things like putting people in private prisons and comparing the show they’re making to The Apprentice. Any subtle shift in Wackner’s decisions that has signaled to me that he’s gone too far is something that I can say with certainty would signal the same to Marissa. Marissa’s outspoken and passionate, and we have seen enough reaction shots to know she knows things are going bad, fast. Am I really meant to believe that because she likes Wackner and she likes fame, she’s not going to do anything more substantial than look upset from time to time? Not only does that feel out of character, it’s also just boring.  

And, it speaks to another problem I’m starting to have with the arc: they needed to get to the point faster. Once Wackner said “David Cord’s private prison,” this stopped being fun. It would’ve stopped being fun for Marissa and it stopped being fun for viewers (seriously though, the change in tone on Reddit between 5x07 and 5x08/5x09 is VERY noticeable). So why did we follow that up with some repetitive filler bullshit about parking spaces and then start getting back to the point in this episode? I’m sure they’re going somewhere big in 5x10, but you can’t follow an explosive reveal with more status quo.

(Also, lol, I think the parking space thing was meant to be a fun silly absurd little way of entering into themes about authority and Wackner trying to legitimize his court, but it was about an issue so relatable and illogical that I think it feels even harder to believe than the, like, whole concept of a secret court in a Copy Coop.)  

Time for Marissa to look concerned again! She’s confused about if the case is real or not, and when Wackner says it’s real, she says it’s not for their court and it’s crossing a line. She is absolutely correct. Wackner’s like, let me know if you think I’m crossing a line after I rule, and then he makes a silly flailing gesture that Marissa can use as a signal.

I actually don’t hate that scene; it is a good scene. I am only snarking on it because it feels like familiar territory and it belonged in an earlier episode.

Am I correctly understanding that these cops wanted to be filmed bringing a man against his will to a fake court with a private prison? And that they wanted this to air on television? Okay.

I will say that I believe the motivations of everyone involved except Marissa. Wackner thinks he’s doing good for the world. Del is getting good TV (I mean, I still think that Wackner Rules title sequence is shit and the show Del seems to be making is terrible, but that’s besides the point). Cord has so much money he’s untouchable and this is fun for him. The cops just don’t want to deal with bureaucracy when it comes to someone who they basically caught in the act.  

Court! Stuff! Happens!

Wackner sentences the guy to one year in “David Cord’s private prison.” Again, I know they have to say this for exposition/storytelling reasons, but I continue to find it hilarious that David Cord would want his name to be used in this way (because he like, absolutely would not want his name to be used this way).

The cops like Wackner’s verdict so they tell all their friends to also take their cases to Wackner. What could possibly go wrong!  

Like, yeah, there are problems with the criminal justice system—and some of them are even the ones these cops are mad about—but this is ABSOLUTELY not the answer!!! You cannot just take people off the streets and place them in private prisons because they were forced to enter a filming zone for a TV show what the actual fuck

Love David Lee still having candy on his desk. Some things never change.

Allegra, who was welcomed by the partners of RL last week, is interviewing for a job with David Lee. I don’t understand. Doesn’t David Lee have to approve new partners at RL?  

Please don’t mention real estate on Mars, Allegra. You’ve made me think of Jason and how bad season seven was.

Allegra is feeling a bit different from Elsbeth this episode, though she very much still has some Elsbeth energy. She is very strategic and blunt in a way Elsbeth isn’t, and she seems a little more focused and intense.  

“I notice, in a partisan world, the person in the middle controls the agenda,” Allegra says of her alliances with both Liz and Diane. This is interesting. What are Allegra’s goals here? Just to have power? Does she have a vision for RL? Is it just a good paycheck?

(My guess is it’s about power and money for her. I don’t think she is going to be the ally Madeline wants. I don’t think anyone who voluntarily signs up to be a name partner at a firm owned by corporate overlords is a natural ally for Madeline though, tbh.)

(I really hoped this arc would explore that just a tiny bit more. The longer this conflict drags on the more convinced I become that the whole question of if it’s appropriate for Diane to lead a black firm is moot. It’s an interesting and complicated question, but with some distance from the plot, it becomes pretty clear that in this particular situation, RL isn’t a black firm. It’s a subsidiary of a large multinational corporation.)

(The show seems very aware of this and keeps having plot points like Diane using David Lee to keep her job and having Madeline call out all the awful clients they have... but it needs to go somewhere.)

(This also may be why I’m more down on the end of the season—in the middle of the season, nods at the things I’ve been thinking are appreciated references. At the end, they’re more like plotholes or reminders of the questions we should actually be spending time on.)

“Are you shitting me?” David Lee storms into the room as Liz and Diane are working. “David, we are shitting you about so many things, you’re gonna have to be more specific,” Liz responds. God, funny!Liz is maybe my favorite part of season 5?  

Liz calls David out on his power, noting that he also reports to STR Laurie. So it seems like Liz and Diane can make decisions on their own, and STR Laurie can overrule them, but not stop them in advance?  

This little ad about an ice cream chain is like, 15 seconds too long.  

Carmen is back!!!! She’s helping Rivi sign a deal with an ice cream chain so that they’ll turn into a distributor of weed.  

Why do we have to watch a SECOND commercial?  

The farm wants Rivi to stop dealing other drugs if they’re going to enter into this deal.  

Allegra, another character who seemingly has no qualms about representing drug kingpins, quickly impresses Rivi.  

I understand why there is an interpreter for Rivi’s wife. I do not understand why the interpreter interprets conversations BETWEEN Rivi and his wife. And then he’s translating the sign language into Spanish? But also Rivi speaks fluent English in half of these scenes? WHAT is happening?  

Allegra is also different from Elsbeth in that with clients, you’re NEVER going to underestimate her. You might not follow her at first, but she’ll get to the point clearly and concisely and without telling you how much she likes your lipstick.

But like at 13:44 Rivi signs something to his wife, and when she signs back the interpreter tells him what she’s saying. This is so so so clearly for the audience but I wish it had just been captions because it makes NO SENSE that the interpreter is in on this private conversation between two people who both know sign language!?  

Rivi and Isabel now LOVE Allegra. Diane and Liz are like, okay!  

Cop stuff happens.  

Credits!!! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out indiewire’s piece on the making of the credits—it's fascinating.  

Brooke directed 😀  

Marissa the celebrity is signing autographs in Wackner’s court when the cops bring in some young men affiliated with Rivi.  

NO, GOD NO, NOT THIS DEVIL’S ADVOCATE FUCKERY. The problem I have with the Devil’s Advocate, in addition to it being fucking annoying, is that it is also the exact opposite of what Wackner’s court is all about. Wackner is about facts and really hearing people out, and from what we’ve seen, Devil’s Advocate is about... stereotypes and pop sociology so bad it’s essentially just racism?  

“These young men are the victims of a system that arbitrarily declares some drugs illegal, and others, like alcohol, not. They should be released. To hold them is to perpetuate an unfair system,” Devil’s Advocate says. Good lord, a 7th grader could write a more persuasive speech than this bullshit.  

WHY IS DAVID CORD PROSECUTING THIS, WHY IS THE TRIAL ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT DRUGS HARM COMMUNITIES, WHY IS THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE SOUNDING LIKE A WHITE BOY IN AN INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY CLASS WITH HIS REFERENCES TO THE WIRE, WHY IS ANY OF THIS HAPPENING OMG MAKE IT STOP HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS IS BAD

Why is Marissa the court clerk being called upon to be defense, WHY IS THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE JUST SCREAMING “DEFUND THE POLICE” WHAT THE FUCK

I’m sorry, I am going to rant about this more, I truly cannot get over how fucking stupid the Devil’s Advocate is. He just starts screaming “defund the police”??? To what end?! Why does Wackner want this in his court?!  

I revise what I said earlier. Devil’s Advocate isn’t just sounding a white boy in an intro to sociology class. He is sounding like a white boy who showed up to an intro to sociology class absolutely hammered.

Marissa, correctly, argues that the arrestees should be taken to Cook County. Then she hears that they work for Rivi and she knows this is bad.  

Cord calling Marissa out for her firm representing Rivi: Another thing that would NEVER air on Wackner Rules.

David Lee seems surprised Liz and Diane did not get rid of Allegra. I don’t know why he is surprised, I think they made it very clear they don’t see him as an authority figure.

STR Laurie is now demanding (another) 10% in cuts to pay for Allegra. Liz says they’ll pay for her with the money that used to be for Adrian and Diane notes that Allegra has more stature than Adrian. Interesting.  

David Lee then decides to be both sexist and racist for really no reason at all. Pleasant!  

Showing Carmen as competent but not yet as strategic as Allegra is a really nice way to underline that Carmen is still a first year even if she is very very good.

Liz, Diane, and Allegra talk about cost cutting. Allegra is like, no, we need to spend more, which makes sense, both for the reasons she outlines and because when you bring on a powerful name partner, your need for lower level support does not DECREASE, it INCREASES.  

I know this scene is meant to show Allegra thinking outside the box, but I am a bit surprised that (1) Neither Liz nor Diane push back on the 10% cut and (2) When Allegra suggests hiring back all the associates and then some, Diane seems to think Allegra doesn’t understand they’re talking about cuts? Like, obviously she knows the topic of conversation, Diane.  

���We don’t run our own business. We work for a global conglomerate,” Liz notes. Yup. Right point, wrong context lol.

Diane and Liz are just too smart and strategic to have to be told ALL of this by Allegra... especially Diane, who is not only smart but also used to dealing with management.  

And worse... Liz and Diane think they made a mistake with Allegra because of this? I mean, I guess if your goal is to permanently work for a big corporation that will slowly chip away at your budget because they can and to never make any waves because that might disrupt the status quo, sure, Allegra isn’t who you want! But do Diane and Liz REALLY want the status quo?  

I hope they find a way out from under STR Laurie next year, as much as I hate the firm switching, because it’s just such a boring dead-end when Diane and Liz don’t actually have power or control.

OOOH I like Del asking Liz what SHE wants wrt the whole Diane situation. She says she wants to “stop fighting” and for Diane to “stop using her racist clients to keep her job” and for “the firm to be led in the right way by the right people.” So sounds like she wants to work with Diane, then? That last one is as vague as can be, but I think we can infer at this point that Liz is more concerned with stability and a work environment she likes than idealism.

God, Liz and Alicia would’ve gotten along so well as adults lmao.

Del tells Liz that “women at work always want to be thought of as nice. Women always want consensus. But you know what, baby, sometimes you just gotta say, ‘Fuck you, and you and you and you. Alright? This is my business and it’s my decision.’” I see where he’s coming from (even though this sounds like something my nemesis the Devil’s Advocate would say) but I am not sure I agree that’s Liz’s problem here.  

Actually, maybe I do agree with Del. I think Del’s saying to say FU to Diane, but what Liz clearly actually wants to do is say FU to Madeline lol

Liz asks him to change the topic. Where ARE they? Is this a restaurant or an incredibly nice backyard?  

Del changes the topic to how his boss wants him to come back to LA, but he wants to get Liz’s thoughts on their future. Liz asks him to start since men are better at saying what they mean (ha, love her giving him shit for that).  

He basically tells her he wants to stay and she says he should stay. Aww.  

Rivi’s house is... certainly something.  

Isabel is concerned because three of their boys have disappeared. She, naturally, suspects they’re at police blacksites.  

I’m sorry, did Marissa not elevate the Rivi case in Wackner’s court to the partners’ attention!? Rivi blames the dairy company, even though this does not... make that much sense?

This escalates into the murder of cows?? What... the fuck.

Now Marissa finds Carmen and loops her in! But only now that she knows Rivi’s looking for them and Rivi’s about to, like, kill Christian Borle’s character whose name I’ve forgotten.  

Marissa’s position on this is that Wackner will just let the boys go so Rivi shouldn’t know about any of this. Rivi would just kill Wackner. And Carmen is like, Rivi will just kill Christian Borle if we don’t tell. Fair point.  

Carmen, being an actual adult (sorry Marissa, I usually love you), is willing to admit when she’s in over her head, so she walks off to go get Liz for help. Yay!  

Rivi is not impressed with Wackner’s court or Marissa. He and Isabel want either Carmen or Allegra. Liz says Carmen will do it, I think meaning Marissa will do it but Carmen will be client facing.  

I love it when we get to see Liz just be super competent. It’s not a rare occurrence, but it’s just very, very clear in this scene how much better Liz is at handling this situation than Carmen or Marissa would’ve been and I like it when the show makes time to emphasize that even on a show full of hypercompetent people, some people are more skilled than others at handling some situations.

Liz, Diane, and David meet with STRL over Zoom. Allegra somehow pops up on the meeting but also joins as a cat because you know what the cat lawyer on Zoom needed? To be parodied on TGF. Ugh

OH MY GOD I DIDN’T PUT THIS TOGETHER SOONER BUT IT’S A CAT LAWYER YOU GUYS. This will mean NOTHING to any of you because it’s about an inside joke I have with the friend who got me into TGW, but indulge me in a little nostalgia here, ‘kay? So in like 2012, there was a trend on Tumblr where everyone would photoshop cat ears onto their favorite TV characters and my friend and I were like, why would I want to put cat ears on my favorite character, idgi. So then we started photoshopping cat ears on to the most unlikely characters and we landed on David Lee. We referred to David Lee as a cat for a really long time. Like, if we were to talk about David Lee today we would probably still call him Cat! David Lee.  

Allegra starts trying to work her magic on STRL.  Diane literally runs down the stairs to try to stop Allegra. I am not sure why Diane and Liz are so anti-Allegra during this conversation which is only happening so they can have the funds to keep her on board!  

Allegra tries to share a burrito with Diane and Liz and says she stands by her strategy. Liz finally says she’s not sure this will work. Allegra is understanding.

I respect that. Allegra may as well go all out and see if she can make this workable.  

(That said, this is pretty much the opposite of her whole staying neutral thing from earlier!)

No one is in the audience at Wackner’s court when Carmen shows up, yet the musician who I like only very slightly more than Devil’s Advocate is still on call. Just STOP.  

Overall I’ve liked the Wackner arc and I’m excited to see it wrap up tomorrow, but lemme tell you: it had better wrap up tomorrow. I am NOT open to dealing with this for another season.

The musician takes orders from Cord? The cameras are rolling? Rivi is there? WHAT?  

I know that NONE of this makes sense, but some things make exceptionally little sense and I just can’t.

Guys, remember the parking tickets?!  

Oh, excuse me, the ice cream company is actually a yogurt company.

Rivi notes that there are three boys missing. Wackner only has two.  

I am a little surprised Rivi has managed to be successful with that temper. Idk what skill set you need to be a top drug dealer, but he attacks people like three times an episode and that seems like a really good way to not build trust and to also get yourself killed?  

Liz and Del talk about what happened in Wackner’s court. Liz asks how they deal with liability. I guess she isn’t Del’s lawyer, then. Del says they have releases and people want to be on TV. Liz says what I’ve been saying, which is that Rivi doesn’t want to be on TV. Del says there are ways around that and references the show Cops as though that’s enough to make this question go completely away.  

Liz references The Apprentice, for those of us who didn’t catch the reference last week and/or for those of us (me!) who wanted to pretend that Wackner wasn’t somehow a commentary on Trump and star power. Ugh.  

(I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad point, I just am not sure that I think it is the most interesting point about the Wackner plot.)  

“Remember how we all watched and laughed and thought it was funny when they fired people?” Liz says. “We? No, no. Hmm, you... you never watched The Apprentice,” Del responds. She did not. Hahahahahaha I love this exchange. It feels very real.

Liz seems less concerned with Wackner and more concerned with Del’s eagerness to turn Wackner into a larger than life personality with a devoted following, which, yes, thank you, Liz, this is actually a much better and more interesting point!  

“That came out of nowhere,” Del says. “No, it didn’t,” Liz responds, correctly.  

Del talks about how Liz represents Wackner, along with murderers, rapists, drug dealers, and yet she wants to draw the line at reality show producer who makes people famous? He’s got a point, even if I’d argue that choosing a romantic partner is not the same as running a business.  

“Would your firm turn down [the producer of The Apprentice] if he wanted to join the roster?” Del asks. “Good point,” Liz sighs, resigned. She’s not happy he’s right, but she knows he is.  

Sigh. I already said some variation of this, but this season seems to have all the right ideas floating around, it’s just choosing the wrong ones to explore deeply and the wrong moments to mention other ones. Things like Liz worrying that someone she’s considering starting a serious relationship with might have some personality traits she doesn’t love can be done through throwaway lines that quickly come back to being about work/plot (that’s what happens in this scene, basically) and I love that. But the existence of STRL and the influence it has over whether or not RL is a black firm at some point can’t be dealt with through references. Wackner becoming increasingly off the rails can’t be turned down to a simmer after reaching boiling point. RL’s unsavory client’s can’t just come up in moments like this; they have to play into a central conflict.  

Like, what good is it to constantly remind the audience that RL represents a ton of “bad guys” if you’re not going to go anywhere with that other than making Liz and Diane occasionally be like, “hmm, good point.” when called out on their client list? This could be a really, really good piece of a larger puzzle about the culture at RL, and instead it feels like it’s a card they play whenever they need some moral complexity. Just... go somewhere with it, please. Either stop pretending that RL are the good guys or have them seriously deal with their client list.

Anyway, then Liz and Del talk about his possible LA move. It’s kinda inconclusive; they talk about work just being work.

Outside of court, Carmen doesn’t believe that Wackner only has two of Rivi’s boys.  

“I don’t know why you’ve been wasting so much time with this joke court, because it’s not gonna magically turn you into a real lawyer, Marissa,” Carmen lashes out. Oooo. Now this is interesting, can I have an extended version of this scene and also all the other Carmen/Marissa scenes that we should’ve gotten in the episodes Carmen was barely in?  

I understand Carmen’s frustration, especially since I imagine she worked pretty damn hard to get into/get through law school. And, as fun and smart as Marissa can be, she does get bored easily, try to skip over the dull moments, and moves on and still always lands on her feet. I can see how that would rub Carmen the wrong way, especially during a stressful moment.

Carmen isn’t exactly a rule follower, but I’d say she is someone who is very conscious of the rules, and, I think someone who values structure more than she lets on (I especially see this in her decision to stay at RL instead of work independently/with Lester).  

Marissa calls Jay for help!

Allegra talks to David Lee, with Liz and Diane in the background. Allegra makes her argument to  David Lee again and it goes over well. I think the writers think there’s more suspense in this plot than there is; it’s pretty obvious from the start that Allegra is correct and Diane and Liz are only correct if the goal is to avoid all conflict.

What is David Lee’s role at STRL? Is there anything else in that office besides awful HR and RL? He talks like he is more RL than STRL and that doesn’t track with what we saw of STRL last year.

Marissa spots a flyer that leads her and Jay to where the missing boy is: another fake court. This was inevitable—I think one of the very first things I said was that Wackner himself seemed fine and decent, but what happens when someone else decides they, too, want to be a judge because they said so—and I’m glad to see the writers go this direction. I actually think this would’ve been an effective build after 5x07 and would’ve kept turning up the tension, so again, most of my issues with this arc lie in 5x08’s momentum killing bullshit. It’s hard to get back into this plot when they lost me last week.

Shocker: Wackner having a reality show inspired more copy cats who take cues from the show and think Marissa is a celebrity.  

Vinetta, the judge of the second court, puts people in “time-out” (read: imprisons them in her basement) and... yeah, I don’t care how kind she is to them, this is not okay! The solution to the prison system is not for people to turn their basements into prisons!  

I don’t know that the writers are TRYING to comment on this here, but there is definitely something to be said about communities that the legal system repeatedly fails finding alternative measures of justice.  

Vinetta is nice and seems reasonable as a judge, but she also has a basement prison her judgments are influenced by her religious believes so, uh, yeah, not good!!!  

Wackner, however, thinks Vinetta’s court is GREAT! He wants to go see it, because “it’s finally happening.” What’s happening? “Justice,” he says. Uhhhhhhh, no. This is just so dangerous, even if everyone involved so far seems to mean well.  

I’m very curious to see how this little thought experiment wraps up (again: I say wraps up because I cannot deal with the thought of this being more than a one season arc).

One thing I love about the Wackner arc—my 5x08 issues aside—is its slow burn. The writers did a phenomenal job of getting me to take Wackner seriously at first, then slowly started to take all the things that seemed great and reasonable about Wackner’s court to their extremes (while still making his judgment on any individual topic* sound). It’s a very fun and entertaining thought experiment, and I think that’s why this arc has largely succeeded for me, even though it’s so far removed from reality.  

* Exceptions to this include policing, prisons, cancel culture, and, of course, parking spaces.  

[nothingunrealistic]

review roundup: billions 5x10 “liberty”

we had a terrible time this episode! let’s see if the critics agree!

New York Times: ‘Billions’ Recap, Season 5, Episode 10: You Can’t Make an Omelet …

Zooming into the office from his home, where he has been quarantined because of an infected private jet pilot, Axe announces that Axe Cap is no more. Everyone has been let go … and some, but not all, of them will be rehired by night’s end for his new venture, Axe Bank. In the case of Lauren, Mase Carbon’s investor relations guru, she’ll have to choose between joining the bank or staying put. (When she tries to do both, Taylor fires Lauren, and Lauren dumps Taylor.)

(so we’re not lingering on that plotline any longer than two sentences? no? okay then.)

Essentially, Chuck gives his estranged wife, Wendy, a choice: Cough up a lump-sum divorce settlement, or allow him to snoop around Mase Carb/Axe Cap’s books. When he ignores her FaceTime call, she contacts Ira instead. Ira gives her a view of the room and affords her a few snippets of the conversation everyone is having about bank regulation and liberty or something.

(“or something” is right.)

Axe figures that the fight between Prince and Chuck was a ruse, that cannabis is soon to get the federal green light, and that the time has come to corner the market before Prince can do so himself. What he doesn’t know (I think?) is that Taylor, who had earlier told him there was a yellow light for the weed biz, is part of Chuck and Prince’s conspiracy.

According to Taylor’s employee Rian, the light, in fact, is bright red. So has Axe fallen for a ruse, one he was meant to be ensnared by from the moment Chuck set his bait for Wendy’s call? Or has he seen through it? On this show, how can you even tell until the ax (no pun intended) inevitably falls on whoever screwed up?

(this is my understanding as well. prince and chuck have psyched axe into investing, when we know from taylor that it’s a bad idea. and the 5x11 plot point of “Axe plots to secure his deposits by poaching from Prince, a move that proves more complicated than it seems,” after axe refers to cannabis money as potential “deposits for [axe’s] bank,” supports that.)

With Lauren now out of the picture, I wonder if the professional and personal tension between Taylor and Rian — who once again nearly bounces from Mase Carb when she realizes that Taylor is misleading Bobby — will begin to blossom into something more.

(take a shot!)

During an argument over the phone, Wendy roasts Chuck: “I care not a whit, as you might say.” Direct hit, she sank his battleship, et cetera.

(lmao.)

Entertainment Weekly: Billions recap: Business takes a back seat this week as Axe and Wendy get personal

Meanwhile, Taylor is worried about Ax's potential influence over Taylor Mason Carbon after the restructure. They want to keep things completely separate, but they're obviously concerned that this new order of business could complicate things.

(considering taylor says with complete confidence that they won’t be working for a bank, i don’t think “worried” is the right word.)

There are quite a few other business-related dealings in this episode, but what's most interesting is the way so many relationships have now changed, and maybe for good. Chuck and Prince are working well together, while Taylor ends up firing Lauren for not being loyal enough, a bold move that might hurt Taylor Mason Carbon in the long run.

(i think it just might hurt taylor mason carbon in the short term, too.)

Vulture: Billions Recap: Eggs at Dawn

The Billions universe now exists in a post-COVID world, and through no fault of its own, the show is stumbling a bit. Because it’s had to adapt its pre-pandemic scripts, we’re dealing with a few square-peg-in-round-hole situations. Namely, the timeline has become a little murky: We can assume that some months have passed between “Implosion” and “Liberty” because (a) COVID has hit, (b) the Axe Cap offices closed down, and (c) Senior has recovered from his kidney transplant. However, the distribution of vaccines and a full-on return to the office (featuring masks and strategically placed hand sanitizer) would suggest a full year has gone by between last week’s episode and this one — but if that’s the case, then, what? Did the plotlines somehow enter stasis during Billions’ unspecified lockdown period?

My theory is that Axe is the kind of guy who would force everyone back into the office well before most companies did the same. He’s also the kind of guy who has the resources to vaccinate his employees behind closed doors before the trials are even complete.

(i wondered about this, too. obviously it’s been a delay of some months, but axe *would* force everyone back and get them vaccinated early; the only clear timeline cue is adam degiulio describing SCOTUS as “a conservative court,” which i imagine means amy coney barrett has been inaugurated by now.)

The triple alliance of Chuck Rhoades, Mike Prince, and Taylor Mason, established in last week’s episode, appears intact. However, Taylor’s role remains subdued, albeit critical: They put the idea of cornering the cannabis market into Axe’s head.

(they sure did! and honestly it’s kind of weird that axe doesn’t seem to suspect them when he’s been so distrustful of them this season!)

Axe mandates that Taylor’s girlfriend and investment-relations guru Lauren choose between working for Axe Bank or Mase Carb, while Chuck places Wendy’s role with Mase Carb in jeopardy in his quest to get a look at the company’s books — a.k.a. a gateway to Axe Bank’s balance sheets.

The Taylor subplot in this episode is another instance where I can’t decide if they’re getting played or if, because they’re working with Chuck and Prince, they’ve sacrificed their personal and professional relationship with Lauren for a greater good.

At the top of “Liberty,” Chuck has his attorney/BFF Ira Schirmer (Ben Shenkman) send a demand to Wendy under the guise of divorce proceedings: Pay Chuck his alimony in a lump sum of $25 million in 48 hours (as opposed to the agreed-upon payment plan), or else he’s conducting an audit of Mase Carb. This is what spurs a furious Wendy to FaceTime Ira during the Jeffersonian Dinner, where she catches wind of the whole legalizing-cannabis convo that she then passes along to Axe. Axe then conscripts Senior to attend the festivities and report back to him.

(also something i wondered about! does chuck not anticipate his probe into mase carb causing this kind of trouble for taylor, even though he anticipates it motivating wendy to call ira and pick up just enough information about the dinner for axe to listen in? i do believe taylor was genuinely betrayed by wendy here, but i have to wonder how much of this they did or didn’t see coming.)

Much to Taylor’s dismay, Lauren is considering Axe’s offer, because she has a personal history of financial instability. It’s understandable that she doesn’t want to be dependent on anyone, not even Taylor. But things deteriorate quickly when Wendy, refusing to let Chuck get his grubby hands on her company’s books, sells her shares in Mase Carb to Axe for $25 million in cash. This betrayal (or is it? Notice that Taylor wouldn’t give Wendy a loan, and they’re working with Chuck and Prince, so what gives?) pushes Taylor to insist upon an immediate decision from Lauren, which results in an acrimonious breakup and Lauren moving over to Axe Bank.

(uh, that last sentence is not correct. taylor didn’t demand a decision from lauren, they made the decision by firing lauren and telling her they’ll prevent her from working for axe.)

The slow-burn of all slow-burns that is the Wendy/Axe relationship finally culminates in the most Billions way possible: Axe admits to Wendy that he sabotaged her relationship with Tanner because he wants her, and she reciprocates those feelings. Aww, nothing says romance like stalking and destroying another man’s livelihood.

(i’ll say it again: SO TRUE VULTURE.)

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis: Billions on Showtime, Season 5 Episode 10: Liberty

When Taylor mentions cannabis money in their zoom meeting with Axe, Rian looks totally surprised because she told Taylor earlier that cannabis money was a “red light.” And when she later asks Taylor why they recommended cannabis money to Axe, she receives Taylor’s “trust me” piece.

So… is this THE plan Chuck, Prince and Taylor agreed to as they plotted to take Axe down? I have now flagged the word cannabis and follow it closely in this episode. And, yes, we hear it again later from Taylor’s new partners-in-crime: Chuck and Prince!

(again, i have to wonder how axe figured out that chuck & prince were playing him on this but hasn’t connected it to taylor yet!)

Now tell me. If you are Chuck, and you are holding this Jeffersonian dinner with the likes of the NY governor, a NY senator, the Manhattan DA, the Solicitor General and Mike Prince of all people. Would you actually like your soon-to-be-ex-wife interrupt your dinner with a Face time call?

No.

Given that Chuck certainly knows Wendy will get pissed and give him a call as soon as she receives the papers, why doesn’t he make Ira send them to Wendy tomorrow morning and have his dinner party in peace?

BECAUSE, I CLAIM, HE WANTS WENDY TO CALL. I AM CALLING IT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CHUCK WANTS WENDY TO CALL, SEE THE MEETING AND LET AXE KNOW ALL ABOUT IT. THIS IS THE TRAP HE AND PRINCE HAVE SET UP FOR AXE.

(lmaooo you got it! and yes, that bolding is in the original article.)

Wendy selling her shares to Axe is a huge blow to Taylor. Taylor has seen Wendy as their ally and now she is saying they can trust Axe?!?!

“He would not do anything that would hurt. I’m the only person in the world that’s true of.”

While Taylor may be right that whoever they trust have chosen to fuck them over, I do not think Lauren is one of them. Firing Lauren, not only from her position at TMC but also from their life together, may be Taylor’s first irrational decision. I think Lauren was just being honest with Taylor and she certainly did not deserve “IR girls are growing on trees these days” insult from Taylor. I register this as Taylor’s first slip. And I cannot help wonder if Axe knew about Lauren’s background and he put her on the spot deliberately to destroy Taylor’s alliance with her.

(AGREED. about this being an irrational move by taylor, i mean. i don’t think it’s their first such move, and i don’t see any reason to believe that axe was plotting anything by making lauren choose one job.)

You know – some fans have been waiting to hear these words for the last five years 🙂

Not me. I have always been, and still am, in the tiny minority that does not want Axe and Wendy to get into a romantic relationship.

(the WHIPLASH between these two paragraphs. wow. and we’re right there with you!!)

This is not a show for “and they lived happily every after” kind of story. So me thinks this relationship may be doomed from the get-go, courtesy of Chuck! I believe Wendy, unknowingly, may have dragged Axe into the cannabis money which may not end well for him. And now that Taylor knows about Wendy’s new relationship with Axe, their new partner-in-crime Chuck may have more room to manipulate – unless he does not drop dead because of a heart attack as he gets the news!

(agreed!!!)

Fan Fun with Damian Lewis: The Unbeatable, Unstoppable, Unparalleled MVPs from Billions Season 5 Episode 10 Liberty

Perfect Pompous Portmanteau-er – Bobby Axelrod. Even Axe can turn a pandemic into something of self-importance. He’s just referred to the CoVid-19 vaccination shot as himself from his own ship-name generator: “So those of you with your masks off, we’ve v-AXE-d (vaxxed) ya.”

(…what?? what makes you think he isn’t just saying “vaxxed�� normally??)

Stellar OMG Moment, Take 2 – Axe has a thing for Wendy, and tells her so over the phone. The Writer’s Room needs to stop fucking with my head, AGAIN. The co-creators DESPISED any time the internet trolls shipped Wendy and Axe in the early days. What the hell? This goes against everything Brian Koppelman ever said about these two characters. My guess is, it won’t happen for one reason or another, like, yanno, Wendy inadvertently taking Axe and his bank down with Chuck’s lump sum ruse in combination with Axe’s ego by trying to corner the cannabis market before Prince does. But the writer’s sure are dick-teasing us with this romance before everything comes to an end. No pun intended.

(RIGHT? they’ve said on more than one occasion that the wendy-axe relationship isn’t romantic! including a podcast episode they did about an earlier episode of season 5! what gives!)

Pettiest Move – Taylor

(🙁.)

The ‘Axe is Right About One Thing’ Award – Wendy did fuck up in her handling of Tanner. She was supposed to make him productive for Axe. Instead she started an affair with him, which is ENTIRELY unprofessional. You know for someone who started in season one so pure and so above the fray, she has been just as bad in some ways as Bobby and Chuck. In some ways worse. She took an oath as part of her job, as did Chuck. Those two have definitely desecrated those oaths over the years. Bobby took no such oath of course, except to make as much money as possible. Point being, she is far from being the white knight of this group -I don’t know who is. Sacker?

(insert my post about reporting wendy to the medical board again, this time for dating one of her clients. not sure i agree that she was ever really Pure and Above The Fray, though. and sacker, great as she is, hardly qualifies as a white knight. remember that time she fabricated evidence?)

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Maggie and Negan’s Origins Episodes

Morning Everyone! So, I’m late doing this, but today I’ll talk about both Maggie and Negan’s Origins episodes. There’s nothing huge in either, but still some things of note. Tomorrow, I’ll do an in-depth analysis of the S11 trailer. So, here goes.

Maggie’s Origins Episode:

They show and mention Beth a handful of times, but only because she intersects with Maggie’s arc or is in a shot with her. There’s very little emphasis on Beth in Maggie’s arc.

Much like with Norman’s episode, it’s clearly told from Maggie’s POV, so we get her thoughts and reactions, and they skip huge chunks of the story that she wasn’t present for. I feel like she was less in character than Norman was, but that may be because Lauren speaks in her real accent, and it’s so different from how Maggie speaks that it feels like there’s more of a disconnect.

The part that was probably the most interesting (other than the sneak peek for S11, because once again, holy TD symbols, Batman!) was when it showed the end of Coda.

So, because it’s Maggie’s POV, we see her find out from Michonne at the church that Beth is alive, and then it skips to her arriving with the others at the hospital.

(Broken record over here but this is a good example of how it’s from Maggie’s POV. If it were just Lauren telling the story, you’d think they would say something generic about what happened in the hallway of Grady; something like, “unfortunately, Beth dies before Maggie arrives” or “Rick and Daryl try to save her, but things go awry….” But they don’t say any of that. We only see what Maggie saw.)

And it shows a lot of the final scene where Daryl carries Beth out. And there is literally NO commentary from Maggie/Lauren during the entire thing. Like…silence, except for the background music from the scene.

Then it skips to the opening scene of 5x10, Them, where we see Maggie crying near the dry creek bed, and Lauren just says, “The loss of Beth is crushing.” And then they move on with how Maggie copes and to Aaron showing up.

I have to side-eye the fact that they don’t actually mention Beth’s death here. Using the phrase, “the loss of” is both ambiguous and suspicious. Why not just term it “Beth’s death” if she really is dead?

So, once again, they’re being very vague where Beth is concerned. Even with Daryl there was SOME commentary about losing Beth. He said, “unfortunately Beth dies” and “she’s just another person he can’t save.” But we didn’t even get that from Maggie.

So, on the one hand, I just think they’re still being very careful not to reveal too much. It’s just more of what we saw in S5 with Maggie not searching for Beth, etc. To me, it simply shows that Maggie’s arc where Beth is concerned is still going and they’re still keeping to that same story. So, while of course I would like to see more of Beth and this episode isn’t NEARLY as much fun as Daryl’s was, it still doesn’t bother me overly much.

S11 Sneak Peek:

Yeah, this was creepy. Corpses in body bags reanimating. And for the record, it’s hard to know exactly what they’re talking about because we’re only getting this one clip. When they talk about whether “they” were all killed during “the fall,” I’m pretty sure they mean the group they’re hunting (probably Reapers) rather than the walkers they’re looking at. Again, it’s a little confusing. And we don’t know what “the fall” refers to. But we will when we see the entire episode.

Anyway, two major symbols jumped out at me. 1) the walker Daryl killed didn’t make any noise. When they uncover it, Gabriel says its throat has been cut so deeply, it was nearly decapitated. The implication being that its vocal cords were severed and it literally couldn’t make any noise. *speak no evil*

Also, Maggie picks up a stuffed rabbit. Yeah, that’s a ridiculously potent symbol. We saw them a LOT in S4 around Beth and Daryl, and also Lizzie and Mica. I believe the rabbits represent innocence. And especially the pure and innocent being killed, just as Lizzie killed Mica, and Beth was “killed” at Grady.

So, if they’re hunting a group (the Reapers) who are taking innocent lives, it makes sense to have the rabbit symbol here.

Without more context for the episode, I can’t really interpret the rabbit symbol more deeply than that, but it’s definitely interesting.

Negan’s Origins Episode:

Overall, I must admit that I found Negan's origin story to be boring.. I like Negan's arc and they went over parts of the story I really enjoy, but it was all stuff we'd seen before and no massive smoking guns jumped out at me. Nothing like Daryl's origin story.

I will say that they used Negan's story to emphasize other characters, especially Daryl and Eugene. They specifically showed that Daryl wouldn't say he was Negan while at the Sanctuary, while Eugene immediately did. I think something about that will be important moving forward. (Not surprising, especially where Daryl is concerned; I doubt it's a coincidence that they focused on Beth's line about him being the last man standing in his origins episode and then we saw these things in Negan's.)

At the end, they talked about how Negan is doing things his way, now. Telling his own story. It feels very significant, and he's clearly going to have a major arc moving forward. And I actually am excited about that. It's just that, overall, most of this is stuff we've seen and discussed before, so I found myself yawning.

S11 Sneak Peek:

This one didn’t have tons. They’re still in the creepy subway tunnel. Wind blows through the pipes, making them groan, which is freaking everyone out. There is a “serious” mention, which I had to side-eye. Alden says it about the wind. He says, “it’s nothing serious. We’re good.”

Then Negan tries to get them to turn back, siting a water line which shows the tunnel floods during storms, but no one listens to him. That’s pretty much it. So, not much to say other than this is clearly a creepy setup and I’m looking forward to seeing the episode.

@wdway:

In Maggie's episode, there were quite a few scenes from Chupacabra which makes me wonder if they're doing a list of important episodes for each of the characters if that episode is also on Maggie's list. It would be interesting if it were.

You were right that there's not much of a at all the part about how Maggie after the prison fell was looking for Glenn and Beth that makes me laugh. I believe that's what's called backpedaling, ha-ha. This was not in the episode, but I've been meaning to mention this. In the s11 preview where Carol says something about, you don't want to go down that road. I believe she might be talking to Maggie about revenge and how you really never find peace from it. Just a guess.

You are so right about the Negan episode being a little flat. I did come away with the feeling that in trying to honor Lucille, Negan could be essential in helping Beth in the rebel fight. Maybe just wishful thinking. We'll have to wait and see, but I feel that he and Beth are in some way going to be tied together and I truly think that Beth is going to remind Negan of Lucille and he will do whatever he can to help her to ease his guilt over not being there at the end for Lucille.

I think that after we've seen all the episodes, it'll be Daryl's by far that will mean the most for TD for setting the record straight on his feelings for Beth.

I will say that I'm hopeful that there may be some good things in Carols episode next week. I'm so hoping that she makes the point that Daryl is only her BFF and that it's Ezekiel that she loves but can't handle being with him right now because of her need for revenge. A girl can hope, right?

@twdmusicboxmystery:

We can definitely hope! I, too, am looking forward to Carol’s episode, only in the hopes that it confirms or reveals some things for us.

So, this has been my fairly short analysis of these two origins episodes. I did enjoy watching both, but clearly Daryl’s episode was by far the most exciting for TD.

Thoughts? Anything we missed?