#1990*91 Season

[comradecowplant]

Geordie i love you and am not judging you holistically for the 2 episodes where the showrunners decided you should be a little creep about leah brahms but you have GOT to stop being a little creep!!!

[nbatrades]

Philadelphia 76ers Deepen Frontcourt Rotation With Manute Bol Trade

On August 1st, 1990, the Golden State Warriors traded center Manute Bol to the Philadelphia 76ers for a 1991 first round draft pick (Chris Gatling).

In the 1980s, acquiring a seven-footer was a necessity. Having a mountain of a human ready to protect the basket could transform a defense. 

That was the Golden State Warriors’ thought when they acquired center Manute Bol. He joined the club in the 1988 offseason after a trade with the Washington Bullets for Dave Feitl and a second round pick.

The tallest player in the NBA at 7-foot-7, Bol instantly added a shot-blocking presence to a Warriors team devoid of it. The season prior to Bol’s arrival, the Warriors were 23rd in the league in blocks. After Bol joined, the Warriors shot up to first in the NBA with a 127% rise in the category year-over-year.

Golden State was built around forward and sharp shooter Chris Mullin with incoming fifth pick Mitch Richmond adding a vital second option. That duo and a fast-paced offense propelled the Warriors to a surprise start.

Golden State went 31-21 in its first 52 games. In fourth place after 76 games (43-33), the Warriors lost their final six games to fall to 43-39 and seventh place in the West. Bol was a defensive weapon for the Warriors as the big man led the NBA in blocks per game (4.3) for the second time in his career. He also contributed 3.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG in 80 contests and 22.1 MPG.

The Warriors faced the 51-31 Utah Jazz in the first round of the 1989 postseason. In the series opener, the Warriors led for much of the game. They built a double digit lead in the fourth and held off a late Jazz rally to take the first game 123-119. Mullin led the way with 41 points while Bol had seven blocks in the win.

Game Two was tight through the first three quarters. In the final frame, Warriors reserve Terry Teagle scored 14 of his 20 total points and the Warriors outscored the Jazz 28-17 in a 99-91 win.

After stunning the Jazz twice on the road, Mullin (35 points) and Richmond (26) led the way in a 120-106 Warriors victory in Oakland, completing a 3-0 series sweep. During the sweep, Bol was a defensive force, averaging six blocks a game along with 4.3 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 20.7 MPG.

The Warriors went on to the second round where they faced the tough task of trying to take down the Phoenix Suns. Like the Warriors, the Suns were a high octane offense, but the 55-win team had a deep squad led by Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson.

In the first game, four different Phoenix players recorded at least 19 points in a 130-103 Suns rout. Mullin (37 points, nine rebounds) and Terry Teagle (29 points) helped Golden State make Game Two competitive throughout. The Warriors went on a 11-2 run over the final 3:24 of game action to take the game 127-122.

In the third game, the Suns led for much of the action. Chambers scored 12 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter as Phoenix held on for a 113-104 victory. The fourth game was a 135-99 beatdown in favor of Phoenix. The Suns got 34 points from super-sub Eddie Johnson and 27 points from Chambers, and the Warriors shot 0-for-9 from three in the loss.

Mullin and Richmond combined for 45 points back in Phoenix, but a 24-point, nine-rebound, 11-assist game from Kevin Johnson guided the Suns to a 116-104 win and a 4-1 series outcome.

During the five-game series, Bol was relatively quiet, shooting just 2-18 (11.1%) from the field and averaging 1.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 2.2 BPG in 17.2 MPG.

The Warriors looked to build on their playoff appearance, adding former sixth round draft pick Šarūnas Marčiulionis from the Soviet Union and drafting point guard Tim Hardaway 14th in the 1989 NBA Draft.

Golden State’s hopes of a playoff appearance faded early as the team lost 14 of its first 18 games. Thanks to a defense that fell all the way to a rank of 26th (out of 27 teams), the Warriors struggled to find consistency. Golden State would rebound and reach .500 on a few occasions.

At the 74-game mark, Golden State was 35-39 and just two games out of the eighth seed. They went 2-6 in their final eight games to fall to 37-45 and out of the playoffs for the 1989-90 season. 

Bol’s impact on the defensive end waned in his second season with the club. The seven-footer played in 75 games (20 starts) and compiled 1.9 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.5 APG and 3.2 BPG in 17.5 MPG.

After the Warriors’ disappointing season, the team decided to shift its focus away from relying on Bol to swat everything to more balanced defensive principles. The team traded the big man away to the Philadelphia 76ers for a future first round pick in the 1991 NBA Draft.

Bol ended his two-year stint with the Warriors with 3.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 3.8 BPG in 155 games. He shot 36% from the field, 21% fromm the three-point line and 56% fromm the free-throw line.

Desperate to add a defensive presence to a team on the fringes of title contention, the Philadelphia 76ers saw Bol as a rim protector off the bench.

The 76ers finished the previous season 53-29 and lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the second round 4-1. 

The 1990-91 season would see a ton of changes happen for the club. Early on, starting point guard Johnny Dawkins tore the ACL in his right knee. Philadelphia looked like a contender early in the year, recording the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 19-8. 

A 6-16 stretch in the next 22 games led to the team falling to 25-24. Injuries to star Charles Barkley and inconsistent play led to the down period. Trying to add some life to the roster, the Sixers made an in-season trade, dealing center Mike Gminski to the Charlotte Hornets for scoring forward Armen Gilliam and backup center Dave Hoppen.

Luckily for the Sixers, the bottom half of the East was largely unspectacular, with the eighth-seed Indiana Pacers four and a half games back of Philly. The Sixers would continue to play uneven basketball. The team finished 44-38, good for fifth-best in the East.

Bol played in all 82 games in his first season in Philadelphia. The seven-footer posted 1.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 3.0 BPG in 18.6 MPG.

Philadelphia went on to the postseason where the franchise matched up with the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Hersey Hawkins had 25 points in a 99-90 series opening Sixers win. 

The second game was tight and went to overtime after a three-pointer from guard Jay Humphries tied the game at the buzzer of regulation. In overtime, Mahorn made a layup that broke a tie with 19 seconds and Ron Anderson made two free-throws to seal up a 116-112 victory.

Video via YouTube

In the third game, Barkley had 30 points and 12 rebounds as the 76ers routed Milwaukee 121-100 and swept the three-game set. Bol played in all three games of the first-round sweep, recording 2.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG and 2.7 BPG in 12.0 MPG.

In the Conference Semifinals Sixers battled the Chicago Bulls for the second consecutive year in the second round. Chicago led by as much as 23 points in a 105-92 Game One victory.

Game Two was tighter. All five Bulls starters scored in double figures in a 112-100 Bulls win. Michael Jordan scored 46 points but missed two key free-throws over the final two minutes in Game Three. Late in the game, Charles Barkley passed to Hersey Hawkins in the corner and Hawkins converted on a three-pointer with 10.3 seconds left, giving the Sixers a 98-97 lead.

Scottie Pippen missed a jumper and Armen Gilliam split a pair of free-throws with 1.5 seconds left. Chicago was unable to get a shot off as Philadelphia held on for a 99-97 win.

In the fourth game, the Bulls led by double digits early. Horace Grant dominated with 22 points and 11 rebounds (7 on the offensive end) as Chicago. won 101-85. Philadelphia tried to stay in the series in Game Five. Barkley had 30 points but Jordan and Pippen combined for 66 points to take Game Five 100-95 and the series 4-1.

Chicago won the board game, out-rebounding the 76ers 210-178. Bol was quiet during the series, posting 3.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG and 0.8 BPG in 14.6 MPG.

After Philadelphia’s loss to the eventual 1991 NBA champions, the Sixers kept much of the same roster together. The team traded Rick Mahorn to the Minnesota Timberwolves and signed center Charles Shackleford as a backup big.

The Sixers began the 1991-92 season 5-2 but the losses would start to pile up. As Barkley started to voice his frustrations with the team, the Sixers hovered around .500 for much of the year. After 60 games, the team was seventh in the East with a 29-31 record. Philadelphia went 6-16 over the final 22 games to finish 35-47 and out of the playoffs for the first time in four years.

Bol appeared in 72 games (two starts) and recorded 1.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG and 2.9 BPG (sixth in the NBA) in 17.8 MPG.

Barkley’s unhappiness would reach its boiling point as the Sixers dealt the perennial MVP candidate to the Phoenix Suns for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang. The team also drafted undersized forward Clarence Weatherspoon with its first round selection. Head coach Jim Lynam departed and moved into the front office. He hired Doug Moe to replace him as head coach.

The Moe-era got off to a rough start as Philadelphia lost 11 of its first 14 games. The 76ers were 19-37 when they decided to fire Moe. Assistant Fred Carter replaced him and the Sixers went 7-19 over the final 26 games, finishing with a 26-56 mark. Bol saw action in 58 contests (23 starts) and produced 2.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 2.1 BPG in 14.7 MPG.

The Sixers ended up with the second pick in the 1993 NBA Draft after the season and ended up selecting 7-foot-6 BYU center Shawn Bradley.

With Bradley expected to sign a significant deal, Philadelphia had to reorganize its finances for its roster. As the Sixers were signing Bradley, Bol was one of six players to have their options renounced by the 76ers, making him a free agent.

He later signed a one-year free agent deal believed to be worth $700,000 with the Miami Heat.

Bol ended his three-year stint in Philly with a stat line of 1.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 2.7 BPG in 211 appearances. The Sudanese swatter shot 40% from the field and 56% from the foul line in that time.

The 1991 first rounder Golden State acquired for Bol ended up in the 16th spot of the draft. The Warriors selected Old Dominion forward Chris Gatling. A two-time Sun Belt Conference player of the year, Gatling was impressive in three college seasons, averaging 21.3 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 2.3 BPG and 1.7 SPG in 85 career games.

Gatling’s selection was a part of the Warriors’ effort to beef up its suspect front line. Though the team built a high octane offense around players like Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway, the five position had always remained a question the team had to answer if it wanted to reach contender status.

In addition to the 6-foot-9 Gatling, the Warriors also drafted Victor Alexander (17th overall, 6-foot-9) and Shaun Vandiver (26th overall, 6-foot-10) in the same draft.

After the draft, Gatling played with the Warriors’ 1991 Southern California Summer Pro League squad in Los Angeles. He averaged 19.1 PPG and 8.6 RPG in seven games. Gatling also played the Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City, recording 9.4 PPG and 6.3 RPG in eight games.

Soon after, he signed a five-year deal reported to be worth about $5.6 million, including $4.75 million guaranteed.

The 1991-92 regular season saw the Warriors start off by dealing Mitch Richmond to the Sacramento Kings for rookie Billy Owens.

The Warriors build a successful team thanks to an elite offense. Golden State began the year 9-3. The team continued its winning ways, taking 14 of 17 games from the middle of December to January. The Warriors finished 55-27, the third best record in the Western Conference and the franchise’s best mark in 17 years. 

Gatling saw limited time on the floor early in his rookie year due to injury and coach’s decision. He became a part of the rotation late in the season thanks to “spectacular lob-jamming and shot-blocking.” The forward played in 54 games (one start) and posted 5.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.6 SPG and 0.7 BPG in 11.3 MPG.

By the postseason, Gatling had gained coach Don Nelson’s trust as a key reserve. Golden State battled the Seattle Supersonics in the 1992 playoffs’ first round. 

The Sonics became the first team in the 1992 postseason to win a road game, taking the series opener 117-109. Shawn Kemp and Ricky Pierce both tallied 28 points in the win.

Warriors reserve Mario Elie had 12 points in the third quarter of Game Two and the Warriors outscored Seattle 61-41 in the second half to win 115-101 and even the series 1-1.

As the series scene shifted to Seattle, Game Three was very close.  Owens converted on a layup with 7.5 seconds left to give the Warriors a 128-127 lead. Kemp was fouled on a drive and made two free-throws with 6.1 seconds left to give the Sonics a one-point edge. Sarunas Marciulionis air-balled a jumper at the buzzer to give Seattle the 2-1 series lead.

Game Four was tight as well. The Warriors held a 113-112 lead with 40 seconds left, but Rickey Pierce converted on a layup and Gary Payton knocked down three of four free-throws to help Seattle outscore Golden State 7-3 in the final moments of a 119-116 victory. The win ended the first round matchup in Seattle’s favor 3-1.

For the series, Gatling was a vital piece of the Warriors lineup, posting 12.5 PPG on 62% from the field, 6.3 RPG and 2.5 BPG in 20.3 MPG. Though he played well, Gatling’s one moment from the series that sticks out is when he was dunked on by Shawn Kemp in Game Four and dapped up Kemp after the jam.

In the 1992 offseason, the Warriors added guard Latrell Sprewell through the draft, but kept most of the roster the same. Injuries would be the story of the 1992-93 season. Owens missed 45 games, Mullin was out for 36 games, Sarunas Marciulionis missed 52 games, and Tim Hardaway sat out 16.

Golden State was a mild 20-21 through its first 41 games. The second half of the season was a tailspin as the Warriors went 14-27 over the final 41 games, finishing with a 34-48 record. 

Gatling had a more consistent role in his second season, seeing action in 70 games and compiling 9.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.8 BPG in 17.8 MPG.

Golden State took the third pick in the NBA Draft lottery. The franchise drafted guard Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and subsequently dealt his rights and three first round picks to the Orlando Magic for the number one overall pick in the draft, Chris Webber.

Injuries would take center stage of Golden State’s 1993-94 season. Star Tim Hardaway tore his left ACL in a practice before the start of the season. Marčiulionis was also lost for the season due to a knee injury.

Thanks to the rise of Sprewell and the emergence of Webber, the Warriors were a good team that year. Despite a 3-6 start, the Warriors rebounded, winning eight of its next 10 games. Thanks to a top-ten offense the Warriors continued to win, finishing sixth in the West with a 50-32 record. 

Gatling started 23 of his last 29 games played during the season. He appeared in all 82 games. In 15.8 MPG, the left-hander amassed 8.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.5 SPG and 0.8 BPG.

Golden State went on to the 1994 postseason where it battled the 56-26 Phoenix Suns and superstar Charles Barkley. The series opener saw Phoenix jump out to a 38-23 lead after the first quarter. Golden State would make a comeback, taking a brief lead n the fourth quarter before Phoenix regained the lead.

A late Barkley tip-in on a missed Kevin Johnson free-throw would seal up Phoenix’s 111-104 Game One win. In the second game, the Warriors built an early lead but Johnson scored 17 of his game-high 38 points in the third quarter to wrestle control of the game. The Suns managed to build a 12-point lead in the final quarter before holding on for a 117-111 outcome.

In Oakland, the third game was a high scoring affair with both teams registering 42 points in the opening quarter. With the Warriors choosing not to double-team Barkley, the former MVP went to work, scoring 38 points in the first half and a career-high 56 overall. The Warriors stayed close, but ended up losing 140-133 and suffered in a 3-0 series sweep.

Gatling started the series opener but was replaced by Byron Houston in the starting lineup for Games Two and Three. He averaged 8.7 PPG on 61.5% from the field, 5.7 RPG and 1.3 APG in 18.0 MPG.

In the 1994 offseason, Golden State made a trade, dealing Houston and Marčiulionis to the Seattle SuperSonics for super scorer Ricky Pierce, 1994 first round draft pick Carlos Rogers and two future second round picks.

The beginning of the 1994-95 season was chaotic for the Warriors. Webber was unhappy with the thought of playing center for the Warriors and was displeased with Nelson. He was a contract holdout after becoming a restricted free agent. To appease Webber, the Warriors dealt Billy Owens to the Miami Heat for center Rony Seikaly two days before the start of the season.

Hoping Seikaly’s presence at the pivot would make Webber happy as a power forward, it didn’t work and the Warriors eventually traded Webber to the Washington Bullets for Tom Gugliotta and three future first round picks. Gugliotta wasn’t long for the Warriors as he was dealt three months after to the Minnesota Timberwolves for rookie Donyell Marshall.

With all of the calamity, the Warriors struggled. The team was 14-31 when it moved on from Nelson and replaced him with assistant Bob Lanier on an interim basis. Under the former Hall of Fame center Lanier, Golden State continued to languish, finishing a disappointing 26-56.

Gatling appeared in 58 contests (22 starts) and recorded 13.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.9 BPG in 25.3 MPG. The forward led the NBA in field goal percentage (63.3%).

After Golden State’s season, the team hired Rick Adelman as head coach. The Warriors won the lottery and earned the first pick in the 1995 NBA Draft where they took Maryland forward Joe Smith. The team also made a move, dealing Carlos Rogers, Victor Alexander and three players picked in the second round of the 1995 draft to the Toronto Raptors for point guard B.J. Armstrong.

With Joe Smith ensconced in the starting power forward role alongside Seikaly at center, Gatling was limited to a backup center who also saw minutes at power forward.

Golden State began the year just 3-8. Though the team was just 9-14 after 23 games, it was still just two games behind in the loss column from the eighth seed. 

After 19 games, All-Star Tim Hardaway was moved to the bench in favor of Armstrong. Hardaway’s conflicts with fellow All-Star and backcourt mate Latrell Sprewell and coach Adelman began to bubble to the surface. Soon after the demotion, the guard requested a trade. With Hardaway’s name circling the NBA trade rumor circuit, it was only a matter of when he would dealt.

Eventually, the Warriors settled on a deal with the Miami Heat built around Hardaway heading to Miami for veteran big man Kevin Willis and guard Bimbo Coles. Initially, the Warriors wanted to offer second year player Clifford Rozier but Miami insisted on Gatling being in the deal which the Warriors eventually relented on. 

The team was 25-27 when the trade happened. Gatling appeared in 47 games with the Warriors during the 1995-96 season and managed 9.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.6 APG and 0.6 BPG in 18.3 MPG.

The power forward ended his four and a half year tenure in Golden State with a stat line of 9.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.7 BPG in 311 career games. He shot 58% from the field and 64% from the free-throw line.

Manute Bol on why he liked the trade (via Oakland Tribune):

“I was really happy. Not because I don’t like Golden State. I don’t want to play against Charles Barkley again.”

How he thinks Philadelphia won’t be losing to Michael Jordan and the Bulls again:

“I don’t think that's gonna happen again, anyway. Chicago might not beat us anymore. We might beat everybody.”

How he won’t be taking as many three-pointers in Philly:

“I think on this team, the offensive guys like Charles and other guys, they have to do their job.”

Golden State Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations and head coach Don Nelson on how the trade was the perfect moment for the Warriors to make a trade (via UPI):

“Timing is everything. With the structure of [Bol’s] contract and with the salary cap, we may not have been able to trade him later. It gives us a second first-round pick in the 1991 draft. It’s [the draft] we consider a good draft and a lot of centers could be available. 

“We are trying to stockpile some choices to be able to maneuver to get an all-around center. If we get a good center, we think we are really going to take off. Manute also was the only marketable big man we had. He was the only one other teams wanted.”

On trading Manute Bol:

“Manute understands these things happen. There are no hard feelings. We talked before the draft about things that could or might happen. What it means is he’s making his living in the NBA and this is what happens in the NBA.”

How the Warriors can’t rely on Bol’s shot-blocking presence:

“Our team is maturing. We can’t rely on Manute's expertise (blocking shots) at the end of the game. We can’t rely so much on the the zone trap. The physical nature of the game is changing. The bulkier players seems to be playing a bigger factor. If you can’t beat them you have to join them.”

How it became harder to play Bol with teams scheming to attack him on defense:

“Manute is still a big factor, but as teams get used to playing against him, it becomes more difficult to trick them. Most teams that played us had a Manute team. They came in and attacked him with a pick-and-roll that made it very difficult for him.”

How the trade helps Philadelphia (via The Philadelphia Inquirer):

“I think it’s a real good move for Philadelphia. I think he’ll win some games for them. They’re thinking of winning a title. The extra wins will help them.”

How Bol wasn’t as helpful to the rebuilding Warriors (via The San Francisco Examiner):

“His skills an very attractive to some teams. We’re still building, trying to get to where we’re decent. He’s not quite as valuable to us.”

Philadelphia 76ers general manager Gene Shue (via The Philadelphia Inquirer):

“I consider Manute Bol to be the best shot-blocker that we've ever had in this game. I played in the era with Bill Russell. I’d always said there was nobody better.”

76ers owner Harold Katz on acquiring Manute Bol (via LA Times/AP):

“Manute Bol is the premier shot-blocker in the NBA today. It is obvious to us that our biggest need last year was clogging the middle. We feel there is nobody in the game today that can do it better.”

How defense is a focus for the 76ers (via Philadelphia Daily News):

“You win in this league with defense. That's one thing this team lacked.”

76ers head coach Jim Lynam on Bol (via The Philadelphia Inquirer):

“You make an adjustment when Manute is in the game. When he is playing at the top of his defensive game, offense takes care of itself because most of it is open floor.”

On adding a rim protector like Bol (via Oakland Tribune):

“We’ve taken, no pun intended, a big step in that direction with the acquisition of Manute. You’re talking about an area where we were most deficient teams coming to the basket and us not being able to do a great deal about it in terms of serious intimidation or shot blocking. We’ve added the guy that’s the best shot-blocker in the league.”

76ers assistant coach Fred Carter on Bol (via Philadelphia Daily News):

“He’s legitimate, like a relief pitcher, a field-goal kicker. He comes in, has a direct impact on the game. He doesn’t have to get in the flow, he just does what he does. He comes in, you see the mindset of the opponent change. Their coaches, their players, their first thoughts are to change, to somehow circumvent his presence. I say going to the basket against Manute is like carrying water up a hill in a sieve. You get up the hill, the bucket is empty. And. in his case, he hasn’t jumped yet.

“I look at him, and I know this team is a lot different than Washington or the team he was with in Golden State. We have the offensive players, the defensive rebounders he hasn’t had around him. With this team, he’s the guy who controls the middle, one of the many parts you need to succeed.

“And like those other teams, we’re not jockeying to get in the playoffs, we’re right at the mountaintop trying to win a title and we’ve got a guy who already can look over the mountaintop and see it all. I can smell it I’m not saying we’re going to win the title, but I can smell his potential.”

On if teams figured out Bol:

“Teams didn’t figure anything out. They just didn’t go to the basket against him. Look it up, teams shoot about 47, 48 percent as an average. If he plays 20 minutes, the shots become harder, the percentages go down.”

76ers forward Derek Smith on Bol (via UPI):

“When I studied our team’s weaknesses this summer, it was clear we got beat at the point of the basket. Our Achilles heel was that we didn’t block any shots. To add a guy with that characteristic has to help our defense. And we were already a very good defensive team.”

Image Credit:

Manute Bol via Joe Patronite/Getty Images

Chris Gatling via Focus on Sport/Getty Images

[ebaylee422]

Landside

Billy X GF!Reader

Authors Note: We want a scared Dad Billy? Yeah we’re gonna get one.

AU Summary - This is if Billy didn’t ‘actually' die during Season 3. He’s been with the group for a year, even aiding them against Vecna Season 4. Everyone who fell victim to Vecna was trapped in the Upside Down, including but not limited to Barb, Billy (ofc), Bob, Chrissy, Eddie, Jason, etc You get the idea. They all still bear the weight of what happened to all of them. It’s like they were raised from the dead if you will. This fic takes place maybe five years later? So 1990-91 ish

Warnings/Tags: Smut, Unplanned pregnancy, family trauma, name-calling between friends. Fixing everything and any death post season 4, lots of Steddie and Ronance, Talk of body issues, pregnancy fears, fear of not being good enough, Physical violence in the form of threats or thrown objects.

Word Count: 7.8k

I come up from doing a few laps in the pool, stepping up the stairs. Billy walked towards me with a towel in hand.

“Looking good out there Ms. Y/L/N.” I smirk, taking the towel from his hands, dabbing at the water on my face and hairline.

“Thank you,”

“Perfect form, and that suit is marvelous.” he winks.

“Well your form is marvelous,” I say making him blush, “I mean, you are a great teacher, teaching lessons to the kids-”

“You know, I could uh. I could teach you if you like?”

“Oh?”

“Yes, well, I know all the styles.” he looked me up and down, opening a piece of gum. Setting his free hand to follow the strap of the bikini dangerously close to cupping my breast. “Free style, um Butterfly, and Breast stroke.” I watch him breach his soft lips slipping the gum into his mouth, accidentally dropping the towel in my hands.

“Oops.” I bend over, picking up the towel slowly. So he can see the arch of my back and the space between my bathing suit and breasts. “I didn’t know you offered adult lessons.”

“Well you know, I offer advanced lessons to a select clientele. Come to think of it, there's a good pool out at uh, Motel 6 on Cornwallis. Very quiet, you know, very private. Should we say tonight, 8 o’clock.”

“Wouldn’t this be the 4th time this week Mr. Hargrove? I don’t think there’s anything left to teach me.” I brush my hands on his chest toying with the whistle around his neck.

“Oh you see that’s where you're wrong I think there are plenty of things left to do. I just don’t think I’ve pushed you hard enough.” leaning into the tease, brushing up my arm leaving goosebumps even in the damp heat of summer.

“Well I need to-”

“It will be the workout of your life.” he cut me off,

“I will need your help deciding what to wear, you have such impeccable taste.” I ran my hand down my side over the hem of the swim bottoms, knowing it drove him crazy looking at the light trail of hair disappearing into my swim bottoms along my pelvis.

“A tease you are,” he pulls my waist to him, kissing me deeply for everyone at the pool to see how taken we are with each other. My fingertips dip into his waistband, distracting him while my tongue dips into his mouth, snatching the gum and pulling back quickly. "Oh a thief too, I see your game." I blow a bubble, smacking the gum and twisting out of his arms to hold his hands.

“Gotta hit the showers, California, perhaps a rain check? I’ll find you before I leave!” winking and popping the gum one last time, skipping to cool off from the hot sun in the women's locker room. 

Grabbing a fresh towel and some soap from my locker I pull the curtain taut. Letting the water run over my suit, unsticking it with all the chlorine and sunscreen. Hanging it on the hook, tying my hair up and washing my body. Just when there’s suds' coating my eyes I hear someone pull the curtain open,

“This one’s taken!” I hide my body against the wall, trying to wash out the soap when the curtain closes again. Getting frustrated I vigorously put water in my eyes, hearing wet steps. A hand covers my mouth so I can’t scream, turning me around quickly to the haughty chuckle. Billy stands smiling wildly, “What do you think you're doing!” I smack at his chest, he shushes my protest, kissing down my throat creating a bee-line to my chest. Instinctively I hook my arms around his neck, looking down to see he’s also completely naked. “You're supposed to be working, go away.” I hum as he kisses the tops of my breasts.

“But your breasts are so amazing and all soapy. God, have they gotten bigger? My girls, all pretty and sensitive.” he whines on my neck, “and I know you didn’t just buy a suit I wanted, tease me with it. Not wanting me to fuck you, oh not my doll! What have you done with her?!” I laugh as he shakes me, hands on the middle of my spine.

“Okay well then it worked better than I thought, I guess actions speak louder-” he was hammering the spot on my neck that gives my stomach butterflies, “Billy-” I whine.

“Yes? Anything for you.” he looked up, with those gorgeous blue eyes pupils of black onyx swallowing the ocean with lust.

“B, I don’t feel too good...” I pout,

“Well then, let me make you feel so much better, huh? Let Billy take care of you. I'll make you feel better, and damn you smell so good, Indiana.” He doesn’t push my limits by forcing himself on me, just showering me with love in his way of physical contact.

"Billy-..."

"What hurts baby?"

"My back, and I'm nauseous." I hold onto him, playing with his St. Christopher’s necklace under the cool water.

"Well I could blow your back out for ya and buy you dinner afterwards. A nice corn dog and push pop from concessions?"

"You're not helping. You corn dog."

"Correction, it's horn dog." He blows a raspberry along my neck, correcting me.

“Billy! Someone will hear us!” I laugh, running my hand through his wet locks.

“Nope paid that one kid five bucks to scare anyone off, think his name is Ben. Maybe Benson?”

“There’s a teenager outside the woman’s shower room scaring people away so you can fuck me?”

“No, I locked the door and put one of the shower chairs under the handle!”

“Hmm, might take me a little more convincing.” I tease, pushing his shoulders down for him to kneel in front of me. He winks holding onto the backs of my thighs.

“God damn, doll.” He nuzzles his nose along the seam of my cunt, lifting one of my legs to hook over his shoulder. “So fucking wet f’ me, huh?”

“Yes...” I moan when he licks a trail from my entrance to my clit sucking the button into his mouth to roll it over his tongue. He looks up at me as two of his fingers split my folds curling them inside me.

“Shit Billy, ‘M close.” I pant holding the back of his head as he licks my cunt like his favorite ice cream flavor. He pulls off suddenly standing, retreating his fingers from my cunt to circle my clit.

“Want to feel you cum on my cock, doll. Get me there.” He commands, thrusting his swollen and leaky cock against my thigh. I grasp him, rolling in matching circles with my thumb along the tip.

My head thumps the tile wall and we giggle at the noise.

“You okay?” He holds me cheek in his free hand then threading his fingers into my soaked hair.

“Yeah, want you.” I whisper, kissing his lips with bruising passion. He takes himself from my hand lining up with my entrance. Holding my other leg against his hip now so I’m spread open for him. He puts my hand between our bodies above my clit,

“Rub your clit for me, not gonna last long in your pretty pussy.” I whimper at the thought, he kisses me deeply as he pushes inside. My walls have to re-stretch around his girth every time. My free hand accidentally scratches along his back as he pounds into me. He pants into my mouth as he picks up speed, I squeeze around him cumming with a soft cry of his name. That sends him over the edge. I can feel the first wave of his hot load as he pushes himself deeper inside. 

Billy drops my leg, rubbing at my hip and holding me upright as we come down from our high. He kisses along my collarbone as he reaches for my body wash. We spend a few minutes in peaceful post orgasm, treasuring each other’s bodies before he speaks.

“Feel better, doll?” Billy whispers like an unspoken confession.

“A little, thank you honey.” I turn off the water after we clean ourselves off, he dries off by shaking out his hair like a dog. Pelting me with water droplets in the process.

“What?” He acts innocent as I dry my arms and legs, “I’m going back to the pool anyway.” He hands me a towel allowing me to dress moderately dry. Giving up his water after his guided workout, I take one sip before being hauled over his shoulder.

“Billy!” I yell as he grabs my bag from the hook, moving the chair from the door.

“What? I promised my girl some dinner!” He smacks my ass when he walks down the hall to concessions.

“Billy put me down, I’m too heavy!” I groan, getting nauseous from the pressure on my abdomen. He sets me down on the counter cutting the line completely, getting one of his close friends Heather’s attention in the process. 

“Horseshit, you’re fucking light if anything and beautiful no matter what. You could turn green and I’d still do ya.” Heather and I audibly cringe at him.

“Regular for both of you?” she asks leaning over the counter

“Yeah, three corn dogs and a large coke with-”

“With mustard I know!” She goes to the single fryer, dropping them in.

“Have you tipped her today?” I ask him, pinching his waist.

“Ow, hey we both work here. I might as well give her some of my paycheck with the amount of food we trade.”

“Trade?” I raise my eyebrow in disbelief “Billy it is your responsibility as the straight white man to empower the women in your life. Be better.”

“Yeah ass-wipe, be a good civil servant and pay me.” Heather leans over handing me a paper cup of Coke with a straw.

“Stuff it dyke.” I gasp smacking him in the chest, “Ow!”

“Bite me lunkhead.” She fires back at him, they flip each other off like children.

“You two are terrible to each other.” I groan, sliding off the counter when she sets the bag down next to us.

“Hey Y/N, are you coming to the tailgate tonight with everyone?” She asks, tearing a twister with her teeth.

“Um, I don’t know yet. We’ll call you tonight if we can’t make it. Right Bills?” I look at him looking for a way out of it.

“No babe we gotta. We’re hosting the after party at our place with everyone. So I can keep an eye on Max.”

“Don’t go all psycho big brother on her, she’s in high school Billy.” They start to argue about what they were exposed to at young ages and with Max’s condition Billy argues she could be taken advantage of. I feel dizzy as they argue, leaning onto Billy’s shoulder for support.

“You can’t say shit because you are an only child, huh?” Billy pulls me closer by my waist, trying to have me side with him. “Doll, you okay?”

“Huh? Just got really sleepy, I think I should nap and pick up the apartment before we have a bunch of our friends and family over.” I kiss his cheek, “I’ll see you at home?”

“Yeah of course, you want me to walk you to the car?” Billy asks worriedly, pressing a kiss to my temple and hugging me tightly goodbye.

“No it’s okay, have a good shift guys. I’ll see you tonight!” I wave leaving the food and cola with Billy. I drive home quickly and pass out on the couch immediately blaming it on the Hawkins heatwave.

I woke up a couple hours later to dishes clanking together and whispered song lyrics. Stretching my aching muscles, I stand seeing a blanket thrown over my lap. Smiling, I walk into our kitchenette to see Billy with his Walkman on full blast, before he can see me. My stomach gurgles and I race to the bathroom, throwing up an empty stomach of Water and Cola. I sit on the floor for a moment dizzy, dry heaving a few times. Noticing I’d knocked over a box of tampons that were unopened. My heart drops as I try to piece together when I’d had my last period.

“Shit...” I scramble off the bathroom floor going into the bedroom with my purse with my planner and address book. By the book it could’ve been anywhere from 7 to 9 weeks ago. It’s not like Billy and I’s sex life isn’t consistent, and birth control wasn’t something I could feel good about. We agreed to use condoms and suffer any consequences if that happened. Last time this happened was in Highschool, Billy took me to the clinic and they gave me something called Danazol or something like that. Everything turned out okay then, but we were older now this really had consequences now if I was truly pregnant.

“Y/N? Where are you at doll?” Billy yells down the hallway, dragging his feet and hitting his hip on the hall table like always. I look at myself in my vanity mirror and quickly wipe my eyes clean. Running into the closet before he steps inside the room. 

“Picking out my outfit for tonight!” I answer back, clearing my throat.

“Oh yeah?” Billy comes around the corner, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Does that mean my girl is gonna give me a little show?” He chuckles.

“Unless you wanna be late to the tailgate? Not again, hot stuff.” I turn out of his arms, looking in our shared dresser for pants.

“Ooo you should wear those black Levi’s your butt looks good in.” He thinks, always having the more trendy style out of the two of us.

“Okay what shirt? I don't want to get too hot.” I add taking the high waisted Levi’s out, with a tired huff.

“I’d say none because you’re already smoking-” Billy teases

“Billy please, you are the one who got me into this mess. Please help me.”

“Okay, I’m sorry for finding you the best thing in my life so violently attractive.” He pleads and pouts “Forgive me, and definitely that solid red crop you wear to the bars.”

“I wear that to show off my boobs and get us free drinks.”

“Exactly, you look great in it.” I scoff, grabbing the clothes and some fresh under clothes.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked him from the bathroom, happy he didn’t look too closely at my facial expressions. Billy has a way with prying things out of people, part of the endless Casanova charm.

“Hell yeah got and eight pack and Munson and that other tall dude are bringing the dobie. We are all set.” He goes on about the plans tonight as I get ready in the bathroom. Looking under the sink after I change my clothes I look for a spare test. Always having some cheap ones lying around for myself or friends. Hitting a particular box with my hand I take it out and go to pee. Setting it on the counter while adding a hint of makeup and volume to my hair.

“Almost ready, Bills.” I call out, waiting longer than three minutes. I close my eyes and flip over the test on the counter. Taking a deep steadying breath in through my nose and out through my mouth. My neck sweats as I slowly open my eyes, looking down. I gasp, loud enough it worries Billy.

“Babe?”

“Sorry accidentally stabbed my eye with the mascara wand!” I say the first thing that comes to mind, cringing as I hold my hand over my mouth.

“Okay we let's get going Indiana, we can’t keep my fans waiting.” He laughs, starting to open the bathroom door. I scramble throwing the test into the medicine cabinet and shutting the mirror.

“Yeah, let’s go!” Billy dips in for a kiss,

“You look beautiful.”

“I look like a sl-”

“No, do you like it?” He asks honestly, I nod my head. He’s matched with cut offs and a Def Leppard muscle tee. “Then you're perfect. Grab your purse doll. I’ll go start the car.”

I smile sighing in relief, wrapping the test in toilet paper and burying it in the trash. Locking the door behind us, Billy already has his new muscle car running. A 1985 Camaro IROC-Z in his signature blue color. The drive to the large run down lot where Star Court had burned down. Gives you shivers thinking about when I lost him for nearly a whole year. He has a hand on my thigh as he pulls up next to Steve’s burgundy BMW. Robin and Nancy immediately separate us, taking me away to get each of us a drink.

“Girls, Jesus hang on a second!” I laugh barely able to get my seat belt off before I’m dragged to Argyle’s Van. 

“Hey there pretty ladies Johnny boy has the drinkies in the front seats.” He says as him and Jonathan’s head hang off the side of the out back doors. They are already toasted.

“Got any Coke?” I ask

“Which kind?” I hear a scruffy voice behind me, turning to see Eddie. I hug him tightly,

“Eddie!” I shriek, swallowing down tears in my eyes as Steve stands awkwardly next to him. I pull him into my next hug “Stevie! When did you morons get home?”

“Couple hours ago, Eddie just sold a few songs to a up and coming band in Texas?”

“Yeah, Pantera? Plus another to Warrant again, they should release their new album sometime this fall.” Eddie confirms a little smug,

“Wow good for you, babes.” I smack Eddie’s bare shoulder, feeling someone’s hands wrap around my waist and sniff my hair obnoxiously. “Billy...” I squirm feeling cold beverages in his hands.

“Hello gentlemen, see you’ve reunited with my lover.” His breath reeks of cheap beer already making my stomach turn upside-down.

“Sure have, wanna bum me a smoke like old times?” Eddie shakes Billy’s hand, Steve and Billy share a nod, still not fully healing their relationship quite yet.

“Go hang out with the guys, the girls and I are gonna mingle with some distant friends.” I encourage him, he gives me the ice cold coke he got for me before heading off with them.

“Okay Y/N,” Robin slurs a little, holding onto Nancy’s hand “now I wouldn’t say I’m an expert on breasts more a connoisseur.”

“Because you like judging people” Nancy laughs,

“Shush, baby. We’re all friends here but babes what are you doing differently? You look so hot, right now!” Robin holds her hands out like she’s trying to convince Nancy and I.

“Just a-” I freeze watching Nancy’s eyes narrow, like she does when she is trying to solve a puzzle. Damn Nancy Drew acting Wheeler.

“Just... What?” Robin asks a little loud, we both shush her.

“I’m late.”

“Late?” Robin looks at her girlfriend quizzically,

“How late?” Nancy’s eyes nearly burst out of her skull, Robin nods along with her eyes squinted.

“The positive kind.” You try to hint to both of them, Robin now bobbing along to the music as she drinks from her solo cup.

“Shit, does Billy know?”

“I took the test before we left, I don’t know what to do.”

“Does he want kids?”

“Yes, no? Shit maybe? We’re just in a really good place right now so I’m nervous.” I shrug, and Nancy hugs me. Robin turns around randomly and then runs towards Steve as he goes to get another beer.

“Everything will be okay, we’re here for you.” She takes my arm and we walk around mingling and chasing Robin away from the trunks with beer pong set up on them after she talks to Steve. 

He walks back over to the guys, Billy is catching up with Heather when Steve whispers something into Eddie’s ear.

“Yeah right, I’m gonna school your ass when we get to my place.” Billy yells at Heather as she walks towards you and the other girls. 

Steve clears his throat, Eddie looks at him oddly. Steve nods towards Billy, Eddie’s brows furrow as he sighs.

“Hey, Billy you're okay with Y/N dressing like that?” Eddie lowly wolf whistles, at the sight of her. Steve knocks on his head with his beer bottle.

“Um hello? I’m right here.” Steve rolls his eyes, Eddie knocks his shoulder, spilling his beer a little on his shirt. Billy laughs when Steve glares back, taking a long drag of his smoke and blowing it in the opposite direction of his friends.

“I picked out her outfit, I know how to fight. Y/N can wear whatever she wants.” Billy says, simply through his exhale.

“Okay man but... Stevie over here did win in ‘84. Just saying.” Eddie says critically, through his teeth, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Hey fuck off Scarface.” Billy scoffs as Steve interjects, wrapping an arm around his very not sober boyfriend's waist.

“Look Hargrove, Eds is just saying Y/N/N has filled out a bit this summer and is getting a little unwarranted attention.” Steve points the neck of his beer bottle to the ex-basketball team, all a bunch of high school rejects still living in their parents basement as they get fatter and older.

“Oh come on, they’re too scared of me to mess with my girl. I came back from the dead remember?” Billy wiggles his spare fingers while oooing and ahhing like a ghost. Eddie laughs at that, knocking their beers together while Steve’s headaches at the idiocracy.

The sun sets and a majority of the adults who have to work in the morning leave. While a majority of the high schoolers stay together drinking the now warm beer, most of our group also sticking close together about starting college or jobs in the fall. Billy and I reunited shortly after to head over to the apartment first, Lucas and Max sat in the back seat of the car as I drove, being the only sober one.

“I totally could’ve driven, I only had a few beers.”

“And smoked a joint with the guys.” I add turning down the music,

“What can't I bond with my little sister's boyfriend?”

“I had one puff, I doubt I’ll even feel anything.”

“One puff was enough, you already drank tonight Lucas.” Max says kindly, 

“Pfft you girls worry too much, right Sinclair?” Billy holds out his fist for Lucas to bump it. He laughs a little too hard when Billy tries to yank him forward.

“Don’t gang up on the only two women that enjoy your company.” Max scoffs at her brother.

“Whatever, you're up for some ball tomorrow Sinclair?”

“He can’t-” She’s cut off my Lucas explaining their plans

“Sorry Billy, it’s Max and I’s anniversary. We’re staying in Indianapolis for the night.”

“Aw how cute, please take pictures.” You fawn over them, you know exactly what Lucas has been through. That pain of losing your first love, knowing at a young age it was your last. Taking this second chance for all it’s worth every moment no matter how insignificant it is to others, is precious.  

“Better wear protection Sinclair, or I’ll have to kick your ass for knocking up my sister.”

“Billy!” Max punches him hard in the shoulder.

“What Billy means is we want you to be smart about your choices, but we can’t tell you what to do anymore-” 

“Just want what’s best for you, you’re good kids. We don’t need more children running around right now, we’re all still kids.” Billy cuts you off, 

“Um, Y/N are you on birth control?” Lucas asks politely, We’d agreed when Lucas and Max got serious their junior year they could ask me and Billy anything. I didn’t want them to feel odd for their feelings or idiots for the things that aren’t taught.

“I didn't enjoy it, I use a diaphragm sometimes which is like a cup that prevents the sperm from going up into the cervix. Yet we mainly use condoms because the latter makes us both uncomfortable.” I put simply, shrugging. I look in the back mirror. Lucas is leaning his head on Max’s shoulder as she plays with his shirt cuff.

“It feels like your jamming your penis into plastic Tupperware surrounded by warm-”

“EW! Ew stop Billy.” Max covers her ears and starts singing to the radio. I turn it up for her, we pull up to our assigned parking. Others start filling up the parking lot shortly after making a b-line straight to Billy and I’s apartment. 

“No, we had to pull off to the side of the road because we were lost, and exhausted!” Billy exasperates, 

“If Billy didn’t finally just pull over, I probably would've strangled him over the armrest.” I add to the story of Billy’s and I’s recent across-country road trip to California.

“So what happened after you figured out where you were?” Will asks

“Not exactly we-”

“We were in the backseat when a Sheriff drove by. We couldn’t even get our pants you all the way before he knocked on the window.” Billy laughs, Eddie and Argyle join him.

“I pulled down my dress while Billy collected himself enough to ask the man, old enough to be my grandfather for directions.” I rolled my eyes, leaning against Billy. He wrapped his arm around me as he finished the story.

“He handed me a handkerchief and slapped me on the back because her lipstick was smeared on my neck.” He pointed right under his jaw,

“Yeah I’m the slut and he was the stud.” I scoff,

“It’s okay baby. He probably keeled over jerking it to the image of you in that sundress when he got home that night.”

“Ew.” I cringe, “Want another babe?” I ask taking his empty beer can away.

“No, I'm good doll.”

“Hey did you hear Carol Perkins and Tommy H. are expecting?” Steve nods, sharing to Billy and I, I stiffen in Billy’s arms thankfully his too tipsy to notice.

“Yeah no shit, I never really gave a shit about them after graduation. They were the kind of people you know in school and then end it. Figures they are one of the firsts to get knocked up.” Billy continues to blabber about how he doesn’t think anyone should have kids until they’re married or at least financially stable among other things. In front of all our friends, who Buckley has told everyone closest to Billy and I. 

My stomach turns as I make eye contact with Steve. Him and Billy did work things out, my friendship with Steve and Steve’s serious partnership with Billy’s closet friend Eddie made a huge difference.  

“I’ll be back..” I walk down the hallway past my spare bedroom where Robin is passed out as Elle and Max read a Cosmo next to her. I go into the bathroom and sit on the toilet trying to collect myself. There’s a knock and a call of my name. “Almost done.” I call out,

“It’s just me doll, are you okay?” Billy talks quietly, I open the door and he swoops me into his arms, “What’s going on? You’ve been weird all night.”

“I’m sorry.” I mumble in his shoulder

“Don’t apologize, I know you haven’t been feeling good lately. Maybe we should make an appointment or something?”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” He kisses me once, then twice.

“Do you want kids?”

“Is that why your acting strange, because of the pressure of having babies outta high school?”

“You didn’t answer my question...” I whisper looking at the ground trying to will tears out of my eyes

“No, I don’t think I do. My Dad was a shitty father to say the least, he thought having me would save his marriage but the abuse he gave to my mom only got worse afterwards. That’s too much responsibility.” He answers so assured and honest it breaks my heart. 

Maybe a dog, someday but fuck kids. We’d be great Aunt ‘n Uncle to Max’s kids and anyone else who decides to baby-make.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Why do you ask?” Billy asks nervous

“I heard about Carol at the grocery store and wasn’t sure how’d you react.”

“Oh Y/N I don’t give a crap about them. Not when I have you guys.”

“Hey, I think I’m going to say goodnight to everyone and lay down early.”

“Yeah? I can end the party if you need.”

“No, no. I can sleep through anything.”

“Okay doll, whatever you need.”

I go back out into the living room and slowly say goodnight to everyone, Steve, my best friend next to Billy, hugs me a little longer and a little tighter. 

“Good night, honey. We’re here for you.”

“Yeah, always Y/N.”

“Thanks guys, love you.” I blow Eddie and Steve a kiss, Eddie dramatically falls backwards and Steve catches it to place over his heart.

Everyone else bids me goodnight as well, I run into Nancy and she’s waking a very grumpy very sleepy Robin.

“You leaving?” I ask her, Robin is practically curled around Nancy’s small frame leaning on her for support.

“Yeah Robs doesn’t feel good obviously.” Nancy shakes her head, placing a kiss on her partner's cheek.

“I’m never drinking again...” Robin groans

“Get home safe girls, call the house when you get there?” I hug both of them,

“Mike is driving us home since he’s sober, we’ll be okay.” She assures me, small towns were definitely non-conforming but we’d heard of other violence acts committed on same-sex couples in the bigger cities. No one ever deserved that.

Call me, if you need anything. We’re here for you too.” Nancy adds, saying goodbye to everyone as her, Robin and Mike leave.

I go into my bedroom and close the door, putting on my pajamas and removing my makeup. My stomach turns but I go to sleep anyway, a couple hours later I feel the bed dip and a warm arm wrap around my waist. It disappears a few hours later as Billy gets ready for work. Like always, I slowly wake up before he leaves, giving him a goodbye kiss. When he’s out the door, I race to the bathroom and puke my guts out. It’s like that enough of the morning I call out of work. Laying sadly in bed most of the day, until just before Billy gets home around 6. I wash my face and take another test, once again it’s overwhelmingly showing positive. I took this one and the other I hid in the trash last night and put them in my pocket. I conjured a plan on how to tell him, Billy Hargrove. My Billy, he comes home as I’m finishing the only dinner that sounded and smelled appetizing.

“Hey Indiana! I’m home.”

“Hi California.” I call back from the kitchen, plating the chicken and pesto for two. Well three...

How was work?” He kisses me on the cheek, smelling of coconut sunscreen and chlorine.

“It was okay, I had lots of lessons today. The boss is having me take a course on training babies how to swim. Guess it’s in high demand, and extremely important. Almost 45% if not more babies from birth to age four.” He tells me wide eyed, helping me bring the plates to the table as I grab him and beer and the ginger ale I’d been nursing for a couple of hours.

“That’s horrible.”

“Yeah but it means they’re moving me to nearly full-time since those lessons are more important than just the summer. I start working at the Hawkins Rec Center in a few weeks.” He says with a smile hidden by pesto

“Wait, you got a promotion?!”

“Yep, don’t have to go back to the shop this year. I can just teach lessons and couch at the high school.”

“Billy, that's amazing!” I reach out and take his hand,

“I can’t wait, but I’m a little nervous about teaching kiddos so young.”

“You're great with kids Billy.”

“I wasn’t-”

“You’ve changed, you and Max had a lot of unresolved issues. Things have gotten a lot better the past couple years. For christ’s sake she is here for dinner at least once a week if not more. Not even Susan can say she sees her daughter as much.”

“Thanks, how was your day?” He kisses the top of my hand all suave and romantic,

“Haven’t been feeling to good but I think I’ll get better in a couple months...”

“You go to the doctor?”

“No, I took a test yesterday and today.” I swallow the bile rising in my stomach

“If you didn’t go to the doctors-” I cut Billy off, running to the bathroom and clutching the toilet bowl. He follows, then helps by holding my hair and rubbing my back. “We should go to the ER, you didn’t even drink yesterday.”

“It’s okay-”

“No the hell it’s not Y/N! You’re throwing you guts up and you’ve-”

“Billy...” I hold out my hand for him to help me up, flushing the toilet before washing my hands. Tears fall down my cheeks,

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell...”

“It’s not that.” I strain to find the two words, hiding my face in my hands.

“What’s going on?”

“Promise we can talk about this?” I turn to him dizzy, I take his hand in mine and go to sit down on our bed.

“We can talk about anything, Y/N.” He pushes my hair out of my face. I reach into my sweatshirt pocket and turn over the pregnancy tests. Tears continue to cascade down my cheeks as Billy freezes his expression is unreadable. He swallows hard taking the tests.

“I’m pregnant.” I tell him wetly, wiping away tears so I can see him better. He stands, throwing the tests down the hall with a clatter. Hard enough I jump at the sudden action. Hands running through his hair, irritation now bursting through the seams.

“What?” He scoffs

“I’m pregnant, Billy.”

“Fuck, Y/N.” He paces the foot of the bed, working himself up “How long? How long did you keep this shit from me?”

“I-I found out last night.” I explained standing close to him.

“Yeah? Is that why you’ve been all weird and shit around me? You were hiding this?”

“Nooo, no Billy. Please.” I try and reach for him,

“Don’t ‘No, Billy’ me. Is this why you don’t want to go on birth control? Just trying to trap me?” His voice gets elevated as the questions continue, he pushes off my hand like he’s been scolded with hot water.

“No, I love you.” I cry, holding onto myself

“Do you? You know I don’t want kids, Y/N!” He gets in my face words booming through the house and my ears and I gasp. “What the fuck?” He storms out the room, hearing him knock into the table in the hall with a groan before there’s a crash and bang. I run out, he’s thrown it across the hallway creating a dent in the drywall and breaking the legs of anything that was on top flung or stepped on.

“Please don’t push me away!” I raise my voice, trying to walk over the mess in my bare feet.

“Did you even think, to consider how I felt?”

“I am trying to understand but you're yelling and throwing things around. Are you blaming me for this?”

“You’ve got some nerve, it takes two Y/N. You won’t make me do shit, now move.” I find him in the living room collecting his wallet and keys.

“Billy, please-” I beg him standing in front of the door, he moves me aside with a strong hand.

“No, I’m leaving. I can’t do this, this is the one thing.”  He spits at me, fire exploding behind his eyes. 

“If you leave, I’ll never forgive you!” I call to him, my voice raw and overwhelmed with emotion.

My mind begging and pleading for him to shut the door and engulf me in his arms. Tell me everything will be okay, that he loves me and we’ll get through this.

“It’s too much.” He fums, the door slams shut behind him, shaking a picture off the wall. 

I hobble over to it, defeated, it’s one from the California trip. Billy had given the camera he borrowed from Jonathan to an older surfer to take a photo of us at the beach in our wetsuits. My hair is tied back, smiling at the camera with a teeth filled grin. While Billy looks at me and smiles, eyes dopey with exhaustion but something he hadn’t felt in a long time. Joy. The glass from the frame has shattered and scratched it, splitting the two of us by our hands. I hold it close as I dial the only people I can trust,

“Yello, Munsington household or Harrinuson if you like that better.” Eddie answers the phone, with his infectious bravoto.

“Hi Eds.” I sob out in relief.

“Y/N, honey. What’s-” His voice deepens immediately in concern,

“I-I told him, he left. He left me.” I weep into the receiver, trying to collect my thoughts.

“Okay, hey do me a favor unlock the door and turn on the TV? Distract yourself while Steve and I get there.” Eddie tells me calmly, ‘What’s going on?’ I hear Steve interrupts.

“Okay. I’ll try, I’m so sick Eddie.”

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Eddie asks, ‘Is that Y/N/N?’ Steve interrogates still faint on the line.

“No, I’m just puking.”

“Is there blood or anything strange about it?”

“No...” I cry louder

“Hey-hey,” Eddie gets my attention again, “that’s good. Remember what I said, Steve and I are getting in the car right after I hang up.”

“Okay Eds.”

“We’ll be there soon, Sweet Girl.” Steve takes the phone from Eddie who barks ‘Steve where are my keys?!’ 

Hang tight, I’ll be right there. Everything's gonna be fine.” Steve assures both of us.

“Yeah...”

“We’re on our way.” Steve hangs up the phone, staring at his metal head boyfriend with a single shoe on untied and the other in his hands as he tears up the entire living room looking for his keys.

“Eds?” Steve stands by the landline hands on his hips.

“Hold on Steve, I gotta find my keys!” Eddie holds out his shoe pointing it at his boyfriend as he moves to the kitchen table.

“Eddie.” He scolds in a boisterous manner enough to make Eddie look at him

“What?!” Eddie yells, looking at his boyfriend to find him jiggling Eddie’s car keys in his hand,

“Get in the van-.” He motions him to the door,

“Why’d you let me tear up the apartment?”

“It was kinda funny, give me a reason to make you help me clean it when we get home.” Steve throws the keys to Eddie going to the passenger side.

“I haven’t even put my shoes on.”

“I doubt your shoes will have any impact on us kicking Billy’s ass.”

I hear a single knock at the door before a flurry of dark curls and onyx eyes enters the apartment, behind him a tanned honey colored pompadour with equally syrup eyes enters. I suck in a breath, watching them look around. Steve goes to where I’m crouched in the living room, cleaning up the glass from the picture frame. He immediately engulfs me in his arms, not saying a word as I squeeze him a little too tight.

“Hey, shhh. I’m here, Sweet Girl. I got you.” He holds me tight, his caress of my hair like an affirmation he’s molding to my skin with each rub.

“Shit Steve where is she, he tore up the hallway-” Eddie walks with untied shoes to Steve practically hoisting me in his lap as I cry, he holds one of the positive tests.

Hey, Y/N...” Eddie accidentally steps in the pile of glass swept together, he finishes the job with a broom and dustpan. My breathing steadies a bit more with them here, I’m not alone.

“I'm sorry, I don’t have anyone else to call.” 

“Hey now, none of that. Don’t apologize, you’d do the same thing if Eddie knocked me up.” I chuckle at Steve pinching his bicep, feeling relieved by the minute.

“You’d make a great mom.” I breathe deep trying to make the joke back,

“So are you.” Steve kisses my temple, swaying us in the living room. His words sink deep as I hide my wet cheeks and snotty-nose into his shoulder. 

“Um, I don't know if you want your pee stick but I found it in the entryway.” Eddie sits criss-crossed in front of us, setting the test down like an offering in front of me. Taking a minute to finally tie his shoes, as if he hasn't tripped a billion times since leaving the apartment.

“Gross Eddie, it’s just called a pregnancy test.” Steve chortles straightening out his leg to kick the other in the thigh.

“Ow! You’ve hurt me deeply Stevie, I twas trying to lighten the mood. Also that pasta is the freaking bomb.” He swats Steve’s foot away when he nudges him again. Noticing a change in mood again, instead of sadness it’s anger.

“It made me sick, that’s how the conversation started...” I mumble against Steve,

“Wait am I going to get sick from eating some?” Eddie asks alarmed

“No stupid she’s having morning sickness, keep up.” He squints at his boyfriend as if to say ‘read the room’.

“Are you PMS-ing babe? You’ve been awfully mean-” The metal head pouts,

“Shush this is about Y/N.” The King with no crown points his finger angry,

“No, I love it when you two bicker like you’ve been married for 50 years.” 

“One day with this one is a whole year’s worth of irritation.” Steve sticks out his tongue playfully at Eddie shaking his head.

“I wonder what 5 minutes of pleasure with me is then.” Eddie blows a kiss and wiggles his eyebrows.

“Ew stop being in love in front of my unborn child.” the silence is a pregnant as you are.

“So Robin wasn’t just drunk blabbering last night?” Steve rubs his warm hand along my back,

“Nope.” I pop the ‘p’, the silence overwhelms all of us until Eddie gets uncomfortable enough to speak.

“You don’t have to right this second but, you wanna tell us what’s going on?” He fumblingly asks with a concerned smile. I relay all of what happened tonight along with a few more tidbits.

“Billy hasn’t ever explicitly told me he didn’t want kids. So I wasn't expecting him to be excited and have everything figured out but he just left me.”

“Jesus Christ, you talk to anyone else?” Eddie wipes a hand over his forehead, I shake my head. Steve has been tense since I started talking about what Billy said.

“He say where he went?” Steve asks with deathly calm, I shake my head twirling the test in my hands.

“I know where he is, and I’m gonna kill ‘im.” Eddie stands up, taking out his car keys.

“No Eddie!” I whine,

“Munson, where the hell are you going?” Steve stands beside me,

“To talk some sense into this asshole, I love you I’ll be back-” He kisses Steve before running out of the complex.

“Don’t get arrested!” Steve yells out, turning back around to me. “How about you get cleaned up? I’ll clean up out here and we can watch a movie together on the couch like old times.” He offers, holding my arms and massaging my biceps to encourage laughter.

“What about the drywall? And the kitchen-”

“Y/N/N. I’ll call Wayne in the morning, I’m sure he’s got the tools from patching up the trailer. And I’ll clean the kitchen so you don’t get sick again because of the food aversion.”

“You’re stubborn...” I pout, moving over the broken pieces of wall and furniture in the hallway. 

“Nah just enough to not take shit from you and Henderson.” He laughs, picking up the trashed things in the hall as I enter the bathroom. 

Turning on the shower to warm up a few seconds allows the room to fill with steam. The first thing I see in the mirror is me, hazy and weak. Too weak to handle side effects a a little blue pill, to weak to stick up for myself and yell back, too weak to fix things. The mirror fills with steam as quickly as I fill with dread. I start undressing only able to see my body from a upper preview. For weeks I thought I was bloated, stressed out from my job and not working out. The normal protective pudge of my stomach has a small softball size curve that doesn’t move like the rest of me. It’s hard to suck in, and more prominent when I full relax. I don’t feel scared for myself, but scared of what I can offer. Alone, I’m barely able to remember to drink water but always remember to do the dishes before bed to make breakfast easier to have.

Lamenting through my own thoughts, I shake them away. There’s doctors to talk about this kind of thing, that’s what they’re there for. Support groups for mothers who don’t know what to do. The kids have taught me a lot but none of them except Erica were even under ten when we’d first met. When it’s your own child, it’s a whole different ball game. There will still be a team surrounding me even as the opponents team boo’s and hollers. Now it’s a waiting game to see if my pitcher is with me. 

I like to think Billy is a good man, not by any means by himself. Repaired as many relationships as he could, hate who he was before. He thinks before acting but I’d seen that look before, anger is normally a response to a much deeper and complex feeling. Fear, frustration, sadness. He’s been taught his whole life that the answer is to push those other things away, make room for hate, bigotry and self preservation. While I grew up in a different way, in a different world. Built for me to fail, built for me to resent motherhood as the only outcome for my life. The only thing a woman is good at, but doesn’t receive the credit for only the blame and the hard work it takes. To be loved by the things you can create but not the person you are. Billy is just as scared as I am, but I will not be the one to fix this. I will not be alone.

Masterlist

[sergeifyodorov]

33 days until Maple Leafs hockey | Al Iafrate wore #33 for the Leafs from the 1984-85 season until the 1990-91 season.

[scotianostra]

On October 2nd 1947 the paddle steamer Waverley was launched from A. & J. Inglis’s yard on the Clyde.

The Waverley is the last sea-going passenger paddle steamer anywhere in the world. She was named after the debut novel of Sir Walter Scott, but wasn’t the first paddle steamer to bear the name. The previous Waverley, built in 1899, had been requisitioned as a minesweeper during World War II and sank during the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.

Materials were so scarce in post-war Britain that the new Waverley had to wait more than three months after her launch to have the boiler and engines installed. She finally entered service in June 1947, sailing a scenic route up Loch Long to Arrochar.

Ownership of the Waverley passed to the Caledonian Steam Packet Company in 1948. Between 1949 and 1964 she had a variety of winter duties, often replacing another ship that was being overhauled, or she was the spare vessel ready to cover for others in an emergency. In the main season, her routes were extended to include the Isle of Arran in 1953 and from 1958 onwards, there was also a cruise up the Clyde to Glasgow. By 1970, she was the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world. By 1971, Waverley was one of only two large excursion vessels left on the Clyde and was based at Gourock. In 1973, CSP became part of Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd

Waverley was sold on 8 August 1974 to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society and refitted for the Waverley Steam Navigation Company. In 1975, she re-entered service on the Clyde, sailing at weekends from Glasgow and in mid-week from Ayr. In 1977, she spent a week on excurisions from Liverpool and the success of this led to over a month being spent on the South Coast in the following year. In 1981, she was fitted with a new boiler and embarked on her first full season of Round Britain cruising, with the peak summer weeks spent back on the Clyde.

In her 1990/91 winter refit, the paddle wheels were replaced and a major £7m two-stage rebuild was undertaken in early 2000 and winter 2002/03 in Great Yarmouth with the support of the National Heritage Lottery Fund. Waverley continues to be maintained in excellent condition and is the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world, fully restored and painted in her original LNER colours. She now runs cruises and charter days out around the British Isles and in 2015 celebrated 40 years of service under her current owner.

I had the pleasure of going on the Waverley last year, boarding at Oban and spending a whole day crusing up the west coast to Knoydart where wehad a short time before heading back to Oban.

[neonfretra]

why cant i have useful hobbies gork what the hell is identifying the red wings jacket in the cooler than me music video

its a 97 sergei fedorov jacket for anyone curious. dont talk about image quality this is a music video from 2010

honestly heres all the screencaps i really needed to figure it out:

less useful info under the cut

a nicer look at the patch:

(source: vintage detroit)

cant find the jacket but im not familiar with the production of nhl merch so i cant tell you why. so no clearer shots of the jacket, sorry </3 i think its cute

i started with way more useless because of how hard it was to get a clear shot, saw the patch and went to years of red wings winning the cup + years with players with numbers in the 90s that had an a (i was scrubbing the video for clearer shots of the shoulder for a while LOL)

(i actually didnt knock out gordie howe, #9 at first because i couldnt tell how many digits were on the shoulder. could only find pictures of him with a c though. did you know he had a 23 year long career)

started with sergei fedorov (because he had the first number in the 90s LOL) who played from 91-03 (narrows the scope to 3 years: 97, 98, 02)

at this point i got my clear shot of the shoulder number, could definitely see the 1990s number on the stanley cup patch so it did knock my list down to the years 96-97 and 97-98. its a very blurry video

he had the a by the 95-96 season and was stripped of it by the 97-98 season

which confirmed it was a 97 or 98 year but didnt eliminate anything further. had to scrub for a shot of the last number HAHAHA <- you cant tell anything from the screenshot above EXCEPT the 7 LMAO

[batmannotes]

Coming to Blu-ray on June 14th from the Warner Archive Collection!

New 2024 1080p HD masters from 4K scans of the original camera negatives.

THE FLASH (1990-91)

6 BD-50 Disc Set

1088 Minutes

COLOR

16x9 1.33:1 with side mattes

DTS-HD MA 2.0 STEREO

English SDH

Cast: John Wesley Shipp, Amanda Pays, Alex Desert

Who-o-o-o-osh! The origins and exploits of the crimefighting DC Comics superhero come your way in this 22-episode live-action series, from the 1990-91 television season. John Wesley Shipp portrays Barry Allen, a police crime technologist endowed with sudden talents after a fluke lab accident. He pledges to use his new powers for good, powers that include ultra-speed reflexes and the ability to vibrate his molecules so rapidly he can pass through solid walls. Amanda Pays is medical researcher Tina McGee, who monitors Allen’s accelerated metabolism and guards his secret identity. The Tricksters, Captain Cold, the Ghost, mad inventors: Central City is rife with criminals. Now there’s a hero to keep pace with them. He’s called The Flash. And in our era of instant communications, he’s more in step with the times than ever.

[icedbatik]

Penguins to retire Jaromir Jagr’s No. 68 during pre-game ceremony on Feb. 18

By Pittsburgh Penguins

November 10, 2023

The Pittsburgh Penguins will raise two-time Stanley Cup Champion Jaromir Jagr’s no. 68 jersey to the rafters at PPG Paints Arena on February 18 versus the Los Angeles Kings as part of a pre-game celebration, it was announced today by the club.

As part of the ‘Celebrate 68’ festivities, all fans in attendance that night will receive a replica Jagr No. 68 banner. In addition, a commemorative Jagr bobblehead has been added as a giveaway to all fans in attendance on Thursday, March 14 versus the San Jose Sharks.

Jagr, whose NHL career spanned over two decades, is one of the most accomplished players in NHL history and a member of the league’s ‘100 Greatest Players.’ In 1,733 career regular-season games, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound winger scored 766 goals, 1,155 assists and 1,921 points. He ranks fourth all-time in games played and goals, fifth in assists, and only Wayne Gretzky (2,857) has recorded more points than him. No player in NHL history has more game-winning goals than Jagr’s 135.

Drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round (5th overall) of the 1990 NHL Draft, Jagr spent the first 11 seasons of his 24-year NHL career with the Penguins, appearing in 806 regular-season games notching 439 goals, 640 assists, 1,079 points, 78 game-winning goals and was plus-208. He is in the top-5 in franchise history in games played (5th), goals (4th), assists (4th), points (4th), plus/minus (2nd) and game-winning goals (4th). He was one of 13 captains in team history, serving in the role from 1998-01. 

Jagr was an instrumental piece of Pittsburgh’s back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships in 1991 and ’92 – his first two seasons in the NHL. In that two-year span, Jagr suited up for 45 postseason contests, notching 37 points (14G-23A), which was sixth in the NHL over that stretch. Jagr shined during the 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs, recording a playoff career-high 24 points (11G-13A) in 21 games. In total, Jagr has dressed in 208 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, accumulating 201 points (78G-123A). He is one of just six players in NHL history with 200 or more playoff points. 

The 10-time NHL All-Star has won a plethora of awards over the course of his NHL career. He is a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner (NHL Scoring Leader – 1995, ’98, ’99, ‘00, ’01), three-time Ted Lindsay Award winner (Most Outstanding Player – 1999, ’00, ’06), and was the recipient of the Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) in 1998-99 and Bill Masterton Trophy (Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication to Ice Hockey) in 2015-16. Jagr was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team seven times (1995, ’96, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’06), the Second All-Star Team in 1996-97 and was a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1990-91.

Throughout NHL history, only Chris Chelios (26), Gordie Howe (26) and Mark Messier (25) have played more seasons in the NHL than Jagr’s 24. Of his 24 seasons, he notched 20-plus goals 19 times and 30-plus goals 15 times, which both rank third in league history. He’s also hit the 100-point plateau five times, and was the sixth-oldest player in NHL history to accomplish that feat during the 2005-06 season at 34 years and 31 days old.

The native of Kladno, Czechia has multiple accolades on the international stage. He’s won a gold medal (1998) and bronze medal (2006) at the Olympic Games, two gold medals (2005, ’10) and two bronze medals (1990, 2011) at the IIHF World Championship and a bronze medal at the 1990 IIHF World Junior Championship. Jagr is one of just 30 players in history to join the Triple Gold Club, which includes winning a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal and an IIHF World Championship gold medal. He and Jiri Slegr are the only two players of Czech descent to accomplish this feat. 

Jagr currently owns Rytiri Kladno of the Czech Extraliga and has been majority owner of the team since 2011-12.

[steddie-fanfic-recs]

don't you hear me howling, babe?

by occasional_loverboy

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationship: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington's Mother Additional Tags: Post-Season/Series 04, 1990s, Vampire Eddie Munson, Monster Eddie Munson, Hurt/Comfort, Amnesia, Animal Death, Blood Drinking, Minor Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Driving while stoned, but its fine, Getting Together, Getting Better Together, Emotional Recovery, Injury Recovery, Explicit Sexual Content, Implied comphet Words: 50,269 Chapters: 5/5

Summary

In the fall of '91 Steve comes home - and the past finally catches up to him.

[starqueen87]

Anna Maria Horsford (born March 6, 1948) is an American actress best known for her roles in the film Friday(1995), as Craig Jones' mother Betty, Thelma Frye on the NBC sitcom Amen (1986–91), and as Dee Baxter on the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. (1995–99).

She had dramatic roles on the FX crime drama The Shield playing A.D.A. Beth Encardi, and CBS daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful as Vivienne Avant, for which she was nominated for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series in 2016 and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2017.

Horsford appeared in a number of movies, most notable as Craig Jones' mother Betty in 1995 comedy film Friday and its sequel Friday After Next (2002). Her other film credits include Times Square (1980), The Fan (1981), Presumed Innocent (1990), Set It Off (1996), Along Came a Spider (2001), Our Family Wedding (2010), and A Madea Christmas (2013).

Horsford was born in Harlem, New York City to Victor Horsford, an investment real estate broker originally from Barbuda and Lillian Agatha (née Richardson) Horsford, who emigrated from Antigua and Barbuda in the 1940s. She grew up in a family of five children. According to a DNA analysis, she has maternal ancestry from the Limba people of Sierra Leone.

Horsford attended Wadleigh Junior High School and the High School of Performing Arts. After high school, she got into acting through the Harlem Youth for Change program.

Her first job out of high school was with the Joe Papp’s Public Theater, a part in Coriolanus at the Delacorte in Central Park.

On October 29, 2011, Horsford was awarded the title of Ambassador of Tourism of Antigua. She is also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority.

Her first major role in television was as a producer for the PBS show Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip, which aired between 1968 and 1973. One of her first TV appearances was in 1973 on the first run syndication game show of To Tell the Truth where she was an imposter for Laura Livingston, one of the first female military police. Horsford made guest appearances on such sitcoms as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Sparks, Moesha, The Bernie Mac Show, The Shield, Girlfriends, and Everybody Hates Chris.

Horsford currently has a recurring role as Vivienne Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful. For the role, she was nominated for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series in the 43rd Daytime Emmy Awards.

She began playing a recurring role on B Positive in the show's second-season premiere. She also has appeared in the TBS sitcom The Last O.G. featuring Tracy Morgan, as a recurring character (Tray's mother).

AWARD NOMINATIONS

▪1988 Image Awards (NAACP) Outstanding Lead Actress

in a Comedy Series (Amen)

▪2005 Black Reel Award Best Actress

Network/Cable Television (Justice)

▪2016 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Special Guest Performer

in a Drama Series (The Bold and the Beautiful)

▪2017 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress

in a Drama Series (The Bold and the Beautiful)

▪2021 Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Guest Performer

in a Daytime Fiction Program (Studio City)

[sparklymentalitypanda]

Unbreakable Records in NBA Playoffs History

In today's video, we are taking a look at the NBA playoff history that we uncover some of the most unbreakable records set by basketball legends. From Bill Russell's championship dominance to Wilt Chamberlain's astonishing performances, these records have stood the test of time. Join us as we explore eight remarkable records that may never be surpassed. So, let's watch the full video and learn about unbreakable records in NBA playoffs history.

Bill Russell's 11 Titles: From 1957 to 1969, Bill Russell led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented 11 championships, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

LeBron James' Playoff Scoring: With an astonishing 8,023 points across 282 playoff games, LeBron James holds the record for the most playoff points in NBA history, showcasing his unparalleled skill, longevity, and team success.

Wilt Chamberlain's Minutes Played: In the 1961-62 season, Wilt Chamberlain played an astounding 3,882 minutes across 80 games, demonstrating his unparalleled endurance and dominance on the court.

Rasheed Wallace's Technical Fouls: Known for his fiery temper, Rasheed Wallace accumulated a record 41 technical fouls in the 2000-01 season, a feat unlikely to be matched due to subsequent rule changes and player suspensions.

Scott Skiles' Assists in a Game: Scott Skiles dished out an incredible 30 assists in a single game in December 1990, a record that still stands as a testament to his playmaking prowess. AC Green's Consecutive Games Played: AC Green played an astonishing 1,192 consecutive games from 1986 to 2001, showcasing remarkable durability and commitment to his craft.

Wilt Chamberlain's 100-Point Game: In a legendary performance in March 1962, Wilt Chamberlain scored an unprecedented 100 points in a single game, a record that remains unmatched in NBA history.

John Stockton's Single-Season Assists: John Stockton holds the record for the most assists in a single season with 1,164 in the 1990-91 season, a testament to his exceptional passing ability and consistency.

Join us as we delve into the stories behind these iconic records and celebrate the remarkable achievements of NBA legends.

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more content like this. Stay tuned for our next video!

[theharpermovieblog]

🎥THE COMPLETE 2023 MOVIE LIST🎥

(Without the Halloween and Christmas lists)

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

FILMS OF 2023

1. Banshees of Inisherin (2023)

2. The Visitor (1979)

3 The Hunt for Red October (1990)

4. The Four Seasons (1981)

5. The Burbs (1989)

6. The Blob (1958)

7. The Blob (1988)

8. Raging Bull (1980)

9. River's Edge (1986)

10. A Shot In The Dark (1964)

11. Violent Night (2022)

12. Pearl (2022)

13. It Happened One Night (1934)

14. Secretary (2002)

15. Dracula (1992)

16. Hard Target (1993)

17. Skinamarink (2022)

18. Head Of The Family (1996)

19. Rubber's Lover (1996)

20. Dr. No (1962)

21. Goldeneye (1995)

22. On The Silver Globe (1988)

23. Top Knot Detective (2016)

24. Fantastic Voyage (1966)

25. Crimes Of The Future (2022)

26. Get Carter (1971)

27. Dog Soldiers (2022)

28. Demon City Shinjuku (1988)

29. Death Line AKA: Raw Meat (1972)

30. Indian Jones and the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

31. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

32. Invaders From Mars (1953)

33. The Velvet Vampire (1971)

34. Cobra (1986)

35. Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

36. Batman Returns (1992)

37. My Dinner With Andre (1981)

38. Beyond The Darkness (1979)

39. VIY (1967)

40. Communion (1989)

41. The Cable Guy (1996)

42. In The Mouth Of Madness (1994)

43. From Beyond (1986)

44. Wings Of Desire (1987)

45. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984)

46. The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue (1974)

47. The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

48. Casablanca (1942)

49. Swamp Thing (1982)

50. The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent (2022)

51. Cronos (1993)

52. Spiral (2021)

53. Boss Level (2020)

54. Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy (1996)

55. The Menu (2022)

56. Altered States (1980)

57. The Terror (1963)

58. The Sword And The Sorcerer (1982)

59. The Verdict (1982)

60. Nothing But Trouble (1991)

61. John Wick Chapter 4 (2023)

62. Maniac Cop (1988)

63. Maniac Cop 2 (1990)

64. The Thing From Another World (1951)

65. AntiChrist (2009)

66. Dungeons And Dragons Honor Among Thieves (2023)

67. Revenge Of The Ninja (1983)

68. The Raven (1963)

69. Lost Highway (1997)

70. The Devil's Rain (1975)

71. Critters (1986)

72. Jackie Brown (1997)

73. The Night Of The Werewolf (1981)

74. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

75. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

76. Cocaine Bear (2023)

77. After Hours (1985)

78. Batman Forever (1995)

79. The Big Lebowski (1998)

80. Things (1989)

81. Onibaba (1964)

82. Commando (1985)

83. Jacob's Ladder (1990)

84. Saint Maud (2019)

85. Fright Night (1985)

86. Fright Night Part 2 (1988)

87. Joe Versus The Volcano (1990)

88. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

89. The Hobbit (1977)

90. The Lair Of The White Worm (1988)

91. Tango And Cash (1989)

92. Desperado (1995)

93. Puss And Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

94. The People Under The Stairs (1991)

95. Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)

96. Robin Redbreast (1970)

97. The Missouri Breaks (1976)

98. Pumpkinhead (1988)

99. God Told Me To (1976)

100. The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)

101. The Hateful Eight (2015)

102. Nowhere (1997)

103. Tommy (1975)

104. Last Shift (2014)

105. Multiple Maniacs (1970)

106. Bronson (2008)

107. Child Of God (2013)

108. Subspecies (1991)

109. Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm (1993)

110. The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959)

111. Blood Simple (1984)

112. Bloodstone: Subspecies 2 (1993)

113. Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970)

114. The Fly 2 (1989)

115. Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

116. Antiviral (2012)

117. Evil Dead Rise (2023)

118. Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat (1989)

119. Terrifier 2 (2022)

120. Shivers (1975)

121. The McPherson Tape (1989)

122. Moonage Daydream (2022)

123. The Saddest Music In The World (2003)

124. Masters Of Horror: Cigarette Burns (2005)

125. Lurking Fear (1994)

126. The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

127. Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

128. Fantastic Planet (1973)

129. Old Henry (2021)

130. Halloween Ends (2022)

131. The Shakiest Gun In The West (1968)

132. M3GAN (2022)

133. Smile (2022)

134. DUNE (2021)

135. High Noon (1952)

136. Hot Fuzz (2007)

137. Infinity Pool (2023)

138. Tales From The Gimli Hospital (1988)

139. Bullit (1968)

140. Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway (2019)

141. Subspecies V: Blood Rise (2023)

142. Dario Argento's Dracula (2012)

143. Barbie (2023)

144. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

145. The Dead Zone (1983)

146. The Neon Demon (2016)

147. Krull (1983)

148. Stephen King's Graveyard Shift (1990)

149. Elliot (2017)

150. Dogville (2002)

151. Eastern Promises (2007)

152. Sorcerer (1977)

153. Dagon (2001)

154. Zatoichi (1989)

155. Equinox (1970)

156. Clash Of The Titans (1981)

157. Calvaire/The Ordeal (2004)

158. Waxwork 2: Lost In Time (1992)

159. Matinee (1993)

160. Blood For Dracula (1974)

161. Murder By Decree (1979)

162. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

163. A Night To Remember (1958)

164. The Night Stalker (1972)

165. The Night Strangler (1973)

166. Don't Torture A Duckling (1972)

167. Fargo (1996)

168. Bloodsport (1988)

169. Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (1991)

170. The Terminator (1984)

171. 4D Man (1959)

172. Magic (1978)

173. Trilogy Of Terror (1975)

174. Paprika (2006)

175. The Changeling (1980)

176. The Devil's Chair (2007)

177. The Omega Man (1971)

178. A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

179. The Time Machine (1960)

180. Three Thousand Years Of Longing (2022)

181. Red Riding: 1974 (2009)

182. Red Riding: 1980 (2009)

183. Red Riding: 1983 (2009)

184. The Devil's (1971)

185. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

186. Lonesome Dove (1989)

187. The Never Ending Story (1984)

188. The Seventh Curse (1986)

189. Dreamland (2019)

190. Money Plane (2020)

191. Dune (1984)

192. Halloween 2 (1981)

193. Fool's Paradise (2023)

194. The Straight Story (1999)

195. A Serious Man (2009)

196. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

197. Misery (1990)

198. Forbidden Planet (1956)

199. Time Bandits (1981)

200. Escape From New York (1981)

201. Escape From L.A. (1996)

202. HEAD (1968)

203. Leptirica (1973)

204. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (2023)

205. The War Of The Worlds (1953)

206. Godzilla: Minus One (2023)

207. Horror Express (1972)

208. TÁR (2022)

209. Runaway (1984)

210. Shock Treatment (1981)

211. Apocalypse Now: Redux (1979)-(2001)

212. Barry Lyndon (1975)

[fatecolossal]

The Case for Considering TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN a Long-Form Film

That discourse you dislike is back in style.

“It truly is a film and anybody who would even venture to say otherwise, they’re mistaken.” – Duwayne Dunham, editor for TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN

“Categorizing TWIN PEAKS S3 as ‘a film’ sits in the same embarrassing school as labeling Ari Aster movies ‘Elevated Horror.’ People so embarrassed to adore something in a medium/genre ‘beneath’ their tastes they have to rewrite definitions to accommodate their own insecurity.” – viral tweet by A.B. Allen

With TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN being ranked #152 in the extended version of Sight and Sound's prestigious poll of "The Greatest Films of All Time" released a couple weeks ago, the old debate over whether it is ever appropriate to consider TP:TR a film, first begun after the work’s original release in 2017, surfaced for one more iteration.  Although it is a small-stakes debate, seemingly only of importance for list-making, media beat assignments, and comparative academic analyses, it has proven to stir up some spirited opinions (and jokes).  As in previous iterations of the discourse, many have expressed their difficulty at conceiving of TP:TR as anything other than a TV show.  And it is easy to understand why the thought of TP:TR as a film strikes so many as preposterous:

It aired in weekly installments, usually about an hour or so long, and many of which ended in similar fashion, with a musical performance at the Roadhouse. 

The communal experience, in the summer of 2017, of participating in weekly discussions about each new installment was quintessentially one associates with TV.

TP:TR’s length, at nearly 16.5 hours, far exceeds that of traditional feature films. 

And more generally, there is a tendency at times for some to conflate the medium of TV with the formal artistic genre of TV shows, meaning that most things released on TV will have an uphill battle being considered anything other than (or in addition to) a TV show.

Yet there are also strong reasons for considering TP:TR to be a film, reasons that its lead-creatives pointed to after the work’s initial release as examples of how very different it was from TWIN PEAKS’ two TV seasons in 1990-91, and much more similar to their previous experiences working in film.  For instance:

Notwithstanding the fact that TP:TR was broken into smaller segments for weekly airings, episodic form is of almost no importance to its structure, which was built as one long, continuous narrative.

Likewise, its production processes were focused on one single entity, the work as a whole, rather than being segmented into individual productions for each episode.

And it was entirely directed by the same person, and jointly written by the same two people, points that (along with the single production process) make it natural to attribute to it a unitary authorship more typically associated with films than episodic TV.

While it is true that TP:TR is not unique among works airing on TV (or streaming) in possessing these qualities, all this seemingly demonstrates is that other works face the same issues of category confusion; to the extent that it is determined reasonable for TP:TR to be considered a film and eligible for inclusion in film rankings like the Sight and Sound list, then these other works should likewise be eligible.  While in practice it may often regrettably be the case that the only long TV works that end up being classified as a film are those “directed by people who are already beloved in the film world” (a concern expressed by critic Emily St. James), the remedy should seemingly just be an advocacy for more long TV works to be classified as film, using a more coherent, uniformly applied concept of formal artistic genres.

Given that the respected lead-creatives of TP:TR, veterans of both TV and motion pictures, have expressed at some length the above straightforward reasons for considering the work to be a film, one might have expected their reasoning to be at least acknowledged in the long-running online conversation on the issue.  And yet, to read the back and forth over this on Twitter, one could hardly be blamed for concluding that the only real proponents of considering TP:TR a film are either snobs, trolls, or just wildly illogical—an outlook epitomized by the A.B. Allen thread quoted above, and by these other representative tweets:

(1). Snobs

(2). Trolls

(3). Wildly illogical

While I imagine that there are many reasons for this disconnect, I expect that it’s at least partly because, of the TP:TR creatives who have expressed a viewpoint on this, only David Lynch’s views seem to have been widely circulated, and people seem to be very willing either to dismiss his views as the illogical pique of a kooky individualist, or to suggest that he is driven by a snobbish view of TV (as critic Matt Zoller Seitz put it: “I think some part of him still feels that TV is a step down, no matter how much success he's had in it, and despite all he's done to expand its language”).  It’s a shame that only Lynch’s brief remarks seem to have at all been paid heed, since other TP:TR creatives besides Lynch have been much more expansive in their remarks on the issue.

Episodic Segmentation vs Continuous Narrative

Take Duwayne Dunham, for instance.  The editor of TP:TR, and a longtime veteran of both TV and film, Dunham stresses that its airing on TV has nothing to do with whether it should be considered a film (“television per se, it’s just the medium, Showtime”), and is adamant on one point: unlike the two seasons of TWIN PEAKS that aired in 1990-91, TP:TR was made with almost no attention to forming coherent and satisfying episodic units—a central aspect of how TV shows, as a unique art form, are often defined.  “It wasn’t constructed or wasn’t written in that way (as television), it wasn’t shot that way, and it wasn’t cut that way. It was cut to be continuous.... [I]f you cut the titles off in-between episodes and just started with Parts 1 and 2, which came out as the pilot and you put them all together, you would not miss a thing. That’s how it was constructed.”  This is, at least in part, why the show’s creators often refer to its individual segments as “Parts,” rather than the traditional “episode” nomenclature used for self-contained installments of (even serial) TV shows.  While some critics have rolled their eyes at this terminological flourish, it is nonetheless based in something concrete.  Mark Frost, co-writer of TP:TR (and co-creator of TWIN PEAKS), has confirmed that no thought was given to episodic composition during the writing process: “we just wrote as much as we felt needed to be written. We didn’t even think about it in terms of episodes.”

Although TV critics like Emily St. James have argued that each Part of TP:TR “has a rough episodic structure that helps viewers distinguish one from the other,” one of the only details I’ve seen anyone provide in support of this sort of claim is the basic fact that many of the Parts close with a band performing at The Roadhouse, thus providing evidence of intentional episodic design.  As Matt Zoller Seitz writes: “Every episode runs an hour. There's usually a musical number at the end. The thing is very structured. As a TV series.”

Granted, the fact that 11 of the 18 hour-or-so-long Parts end with a band performance at The Roadhouse does at least demonstrate that the choices about how to split TP:TR up into parts were not made exclusively by throwing darts at a dartboard.  Yet it hardly undercuts the insistence by Duwayne Dunham and Mark Frost that virtually no thought was dedicated to episodic structure or episodic content in the writing and editing of TP:TR.  In other words, all it shows is that TP:TR, despite having been created as a single continuous narrative, was cut into roughly equal hour-long parts to satisfy TV programming needs, with Roadhouse performances slapped at the end of some of the Parts.

(I should add one additional caveat to the above statement that “virtually no thought was dedicated to episodic structure” in the construction of TP:TR.  While I do not think this at all undercuts the main point, I think it fair to note that there is at least some evidence suggesting that David Lynch, in line with his long-time obsession with numerology, arranged at least a handful of narrative events in TP:TR such that they fall in specific Part numbers.  For example, in Part 3, Cooper finds himself in a strange structure, in a world with a vast purple ocean, where he is faced with two differently numbered electrical outlets: “3” and “15,” matching his Great Northern room number 315.  In Part 3 we see him enter the “3” outlet and become Dougie.  Later, in Part 15, we see him start the process of exiting his life as Dougie by sticking a fork in a household electrical outlet.  It is possible, if not most likely, that these numerical alignments are not coincidental.  It is also possible that other examples exist: for example, the Log Lady’s declaration that “Laura is the One” falls in Part 10, a number that elsewhere in TP:TR Lynch’s character Gordon Cole highlights as the key “number of completion.”  Yet these types of numerical alignments, to the extent they are intentional, can hardly be called typical of episodic TV series; instead, they are the product of a highly idiosyncratic artist.)

The Example of Part 8

Dunham points to the opening of Part 8 as something demonstrating TP:TR’s lack of concern with traditional TV-episodic form.  “I think Part 8 does open with Cooper and Ray just driving along the road forever. A very, very, very slow opening and that’s not how traditional TV would ever open.... Nobody opens like that. You usually have an active opening and a super active ending, but that’s what I’m saying. They were never constructed to be anything other than a continuous narrative.”  While I think Dunham overstates the matter (some TV series, like certain episodes of BETTER CALL SAUL, do in fact open that slowly), his general point about the odd structure of Part 8 is worth considering further.

In contrast to Dunham’s belief that the structure of Part 8 helps demonstrate why TP:TR is like a film, I’ve seen multiple instances online of people arguing that Part 8 exemplifies why TP:TR is structurally more like a traditional TV show.  For example, Matt Zoller Seitz has written: “The power of ep eight of TP:TR comes from the filmmaking, but also from the break in continuity it represents from the rest of this great series.”  And A.B. Allen, in the same viral thread quoted at the top of this post, writes: “This is so far beyond cringe inducing. THE RETURN doesn’t even behave like a movie. That widely acclaimed eighth hour is only as effective as it is *because* of how it sits within a season of TV. Ignoring that this is a series undermines the most interesting things about it.”

What I think these arguments overlook is that Part 8 *does not* merely consist of its widely acclaimed segment, the 40 minutes that begin with the Trinity nuclear test and end with the broadcast of the Woodsman’s dark poem.  If it did only consist of those 40 minutes, then perhaps one could rightly argue, as Seitz and Allen seem to, that it shows how an episodic design at a constitutive level—often considered a hallmark of TV shows—is central to the delivery of TP:TR’s themes and story, with particular episodes dedicated to particular themes and story arcs, and intended to contrast and complement other episodes in specific ways. To the contrary, though, Part 8 begins with a full 10 minutes of other material that pick up the main storyline right where Part 7 left off, with Mr. C (Cooper’s doppelganger) fresh out of prison and driving with Ray along the highway; a musical performance by NIN acts as a palate cleanser of sorts before the final 40-minute segment commences.  While one can draw a very loose connection between those first 10 minutes and the final 40 minutes—BOB and the Woodsmen make appearances in both, and both are generally dark in tone (although the Senorita Dido segment of the final 40 minutes is beautiful and hopeful)—there is no strong connection between the two segments in either theme or story, and presumably one could draw similarly loose connections between the final 40 minutes and almost any other 10 minutes of TP:TR’s narrative that might have been placed at the beginning instead.

The “break in continuity” those acclaimed 40 minutes represent, then, is not one between consciously-constructed TV episodes, but one between components of TP:TR’s long narrative.  And such breaks in narrative continuity are not uncommon in films—e.g., think of the breaks in MULHOLLAND DRIVE, BARBARIAN, PSYCHO, FIRE WALK WITH ME... others can surely come up with even better examples.  Part 8 may stand out because it contains that bravura segment, but nothing about the design or placement of the segment indicates that episodic structure, per se, is critical to the way TP:TR’s narrative plays out.  If anything, it shows the opposite: that episodic structure is mostly *unimportant* to TP:TR.

Like Dunham, Sabrina Sutherland, the Executive Producer of TP:TR, has emphasized how radically different the process for making TP:TR was from the process for making the two seasons that aired in 1990-91.  “[It] was run completely differently from the original. There was only one director. We shot this like a giant film. We shot everything before we edited everything before we mixed everything before we color-timed everything. It was a completely different process and completely different feeling. This was not TV in the usual sense.”  While she has acknowledged that some of these production aspects have been becoming more popular in TV production (“I guess in this day, cross-boarding (where multiple episodes are shot at once) and having one director for multiple episodes is not unusual”), she notes that the degree to which TP:TR used these aspects is somewhat unusual (“We just took it a step further and had all 18 hours cross-boarded”), and that it starkly contrasts with the more traditional TV-production approach that was ubiquitous when the two seasons in 1990-91 aired (“This is something quite contrary to television from years ago”).

Filming Every Page of a Novel

While Dunham and Sutherland’s remarks focus on the aspects of TP:TR that make it more like a film than a TV show as traditionally understood, David Lynch and Mark Frost, the two co-creators of TWIN PEAKS, have expressed views that seem to focus more on the blurring of traditional categories represented by TP:TR.  Frost, who originally made his name working as a writer and story editor on several seasons of the acclaimed 80s TV drama HILL STREET BLUES, has expressed that he “[doesn’t] necessarily think this is a TV show or a movie.”  Instead, given its lack of episodic structure, on the one hand (making it unlike a TV show), as well as its extreme length, on the other (making it unlike a film), he compares it to “filming every page of a novel”—an art form in which he also is well-versed, having written several novels.  (He adds that novels “have the the luxury of beginning more slowly... It is not, ‘You have to grad the audience by the throat in the first 35 seconds or you’ve lost them.’”)  While the comparison to a novel may strike TV critics as another well-worn cliché used by TV showrunners in discussing the storytelling ambitions of their show, the types of TP:TR’s departures from traditional-TV enumerated by Frost, Dunham, and Sutherland  suggest that Frost’s embrace of the “filmed-novel” moniker is actually built upon a more substantive grounding. 

Notwithstanding his practice of calling TP:TR "an 18-hour movie," Lynch, for his part, has expressed that the distinctions are somewhat meaningless to him.  "Television and cinema to me are exactly the same thing," Lynch has said. "Telling a story with motion, pictures and sound. It ended up being 18 hours."  The creative processes, to him, are very similar.  "It’s the same thing. You get ideas and you try to stay true to the idea as you translate it to cinema, and back then I saw the pilot as a film and now it’s the same thing. It’s a film. It’s just shown in parts."  Contrary to characterizations of him as an anti-TV snob, then, he’s he's not elevating "film" over "television" in these quotes; he's just equating them. In fact, if anything, his quotes in recent years have elevated TV over film: "Television is way more interesting than cinema now. It seems like the art-house has gone to cable."  (While he has expressed a preference for theatrical release over home viewing, it is clear that this stems merely from his fixation on the importance of high, immersive sound and picture quality to a viewers’ experience.)

TV, The Medium

These Lynch quotes on TV versus film are illustrative of a phenomenon that has plagued these types of discussions: they elide the differences between TV, as a medium, and TV shows, as an art form.  That not everything that airs on TV is a “TV show,” nobody seems to dispute; people seem to have little problem acknowledging (in most cases, at least) that movies do not become “TV shows” simply because their first (or primary) release occurs on television or streaming services.  Yet aside from these clear-cut instances of films on TV, there is a tendency for almost everything else that airs on television to be lumped together into an amorphous pile and labeled as a “TV show.”  Looking at the “best TV show” lists compiled by major outlets from the past several years, one finds works structured in all manner of forms; from the standalone-anthology-installments of BLACK MIRROR, to the small-sketch-based KEY & PEELE, to talk and variety shows like THE DAILY SHOW, to the short and uniformly-produced FLEABAG (whose seasons, as a whole, have shorter running times than many of the films on the Sight and Sound list), to mostly non-serialized episodic shows like THE SIMPSONS, to the now more-ubiquitous serialized episodic shows like BETTER CALL SAUL.

What do all of these works have in common, apart from airing in segments on television or streaming services?  Very little.  The mere fact that a work has been cut up into smaller units—absent anything further—does not seem as if it should be significant in itself for purposes of classifying its artistic form.  Indeed, anything can be cut up into pieces (as is often pointed out, many classic novels were originally released serially).  The important question in this regard is seemingly whether a segmented structure is important to a work’s goals, to its design, to its identity; and if so, then how so.  Yet even among TV critics, the fact of works’ original release in the medium of TV is often held to be more salient for purposes of comparative analysis than the formal artistic (sub)genres of those works airing on TV, of which there are seemingly multiple widely divergent ones, as seen above.

Indeed, the term “TV show” itself does not seem to reflect a coherent formal artistic genre, but rather merely to be an expression of a work’s existence in the medium of TV.  Part of the conflict over TP:TR’s categorization seems to stem from Sight and Sound (and possibly other film-world lists, like those of Cahiers du Cinéma) making rankings apparently based on formal artistic genre, whereas many of the TV critics’ big-tent rankings seem to be based more just on the medium of TV.  There are valid reasons for taking either approach, but we should be clear that comparisons of the two are not apples-to-apples, criteria-wise.

Unitary Authorship, or Auteurism

Apart from the issue of segmentation, and how a work utilizes it in both its structure and its production processes, one of the other main factors people seem to sometimes employ in assessing how a work like TP:TR should be categorized is the extent to which it has unitary authorship, or what we might call its degree of auteurism.  The works on the Sight and Sound list of the “greatest films” all (as far as I know) are directed & written, in their entirety, by a single person or set of people, something that distinguishes them from TV shows where each individual installment is typically written and directed by different people than the next installment.  (I realize that “auteurism” is typically used in film writing to refer specifically to the work of directors, but given the elevated status often accorded writers over directors in the world of TV shows, I use the term here to jointly refer to director(s) and writer(s) on a work, and acknowledge the problematic aspects of assigning sole authorship to one or two people out of the dozens or hundreds of artists & craftspeople who contribute on any given motion picture.)  Here, unlike the two seasons that aired in 1990-91 (and the majority of TV shows), TP:TR is more like the films on the Sight and Sound list, insofar as it is entirely directed by Lynch and entirely jointly written by Lynch & Frost.

Comparing TP:TR to something like THE SOPRANOS, one of the consensus greatest TV shows of all time, is perhaps instructive.  TP:TR differs from THE SOPRANOS on three of the major fronts we’ve been discussing: (a) unlike THE SOPRANOS, episodic form is of little importance to TP:TR’s structure; (b) likewise, its production processes were focused on one single entity, the work as a whole, rather than being segmented into individual productions for each episode; and (c) it was entirely directed by the same person, and jointly written by the same two people.  Even so, TP:TR is similar to THE SOPRANOS on two major fronts: it is much longer (at ~16.5 hours) than a typical film, and its narrative builds on earlier seasons of a TV show.

Are these two factors—length, and what might be termed narrative contingency, i.e., a story that builds on top of prior installments—sufficient to make it inappropriate to consider TP:TR a film?

Narrative Contingency

Addressing the issue of narrative contingency first: it’s not uncommon for works widely considered films to have some degree of narrative contingency as well.  Sequels exist, for one thing; to use an obvious example, THE GODFATHER PART II, #104 in the Sight and Sound ranking, has a story every bit as contingent on previous work as TP:TR.  To be fair, the Sight and Sound rankings have, over time, differed in how they have treated sequel films. Starting in 2012, a rule change was implemented that prevented ballots from counting the Godfather film series as a single choice, with an explanation provided that this was being done “since they were made as two separate films.”  Note that even prior to 2012, though, the Sight and Sound lists did not reject the Godfather works as “film”; rather, they merely considered them to be one single film, rather than multiple ones, notwithstanding their segmented nature.  (However, the choice to consider only parts I and II, specifically excluding the third installment, as a single film ranking #4 on the 2002 list, seems dubious.) 

Even some non-sequel films, such as adaptations, those based in true stories, and heavily allusive works, often build upon a preexisting knowledge base expected to be shared by viewers; and every work, to some extent, is created against an assumed backdrop of viewers’ knowledge of society, and of other works in the same genre.  Most relevantly for the purposes of classifying TP:TR, consider the film TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME: it is this work, not the two TV seasons from 1990-91, that acts as the immediate predecessor in release to TP:TR.  Notwithstanding FWWM’s relative narrative contingency on those two TV seasons (even though it is mostly a prequel, it is generally recommended to watch those two TV seasons first, given that its story draws significant resonance from its relation to those other works), it is not considered very controversial to call FWWM a film, and its #211 ranking on the Sight and Sound list has drawn little objection on that front.

Media organizations engaging in critical TV show rankings have taken conflicting approaches to classifying TP:TR’s relation to the TWIN PEAKS works from the 90s.  For example, the 2021 BBC Culture ranking of “the greatest TV series of the 21 Century,” based upon a poll of 206 “TV experts - critics, journalists, academics, and industry figures,” limited its list to series that began in or after the year 2000.  As such, THE SOPRANOS, whose first series premiered in 1999, was excluded from the list, despite the bulk of its episodes airing in or after 2000.  Curiously, however, TP:TR was allowed on the list, and ranked #13; presumably, if one views TP:TR as the third season of a single TV show rather than a standalone entity, then it should have been disqualified from the list, like THE SOPRANOS.

(By similar logic, one can argue that TP:TR should not have been permitted in the “Limited Series” categories at the 2018 Emmy Awards, as the Emmys defines a Limited Series as a “complete, non-recurring story.”  It mattered little, though, as—in slates that typify the ungainly mess that is TV categorization—Lynch’s work on the entirety of TP:TR lost the Limited Series or Movie directing Emmy to Ryan Murphy’s work on a single episode of THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY, and Lynch and Frost’s work on the entirety of TP:TR lost the Limited Series or Movie writing Emmy to Charlie Brooker and William Bridges’ work on USS CALLISTER, a 76-minute episode of BLACK MIRROR that was classified at the Emmys as a TV Movie.  Meanwhile, TP:TR failed to even get a nomination in the overall Outstanding Limited Series category for which it was submitted, being edged by GENIUS: PICASSO, GODLESS, THE ALIENIST, PATRICK MELROSE, and the winner, Murphy’s ...VERSACE....)

Like the BBC Culture ranking, the Dec. 2019 Rolling Stone list of the “50 Best TV Shows of the 2010s” treated TP:TR as a standalone work, ranking it #14; again, if it had been considered the third season of a TV series, it should have been excluded from the list, this time due to the list’s stated rules that, to qualify, the “majority of [a show’s] episodes had to have aired in this decade.”  By contrast, the 2022 Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time” grouped TP:TR in with the 1990-91 seasons of TWIN PEAKS and considered them a single, three-season show, ranking it #16.  FWWM was excluded from this grouping, a choice that also shows the disorderliness of these types of TV-based categorizations, given the fact that FWWM is at least as connected to the narrative of the 1990-91 seasons of TWIN PEAKS as TP:TR is (and arguably more so, given that its production followed sequentially the year after the second season completed).

Does Size Matter?

As to the issue of length, it’s worth noting the diversity of “film”-sizes that have appeared in the Sight and Sound rankings: not only other longer works, like OUT 1 (720 minutes, #169 in 2022) and BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ (894 minutes, #202 in 2012), but also short films like MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON (14 minutes, #16 in 2022) and UN CHIEN ANDALOU (21 minutes, #169 in 2022).  TP:TR thus fits squarely within the broad, length-insensitive definition of “film” reflected in the Sight and Sound list.

It is fair to note the ways in which a 1000 minute film offers much greater chances for character, thematic, and story development than a 100 minute film, and the ways that a 1000 minute running time also presents different challenges as to how the work might be cohesively structured than a 100 minute running time.  Similarly, though, one might equally note the myriad ways in which a 10 minute film presents very different opportunities for (and challenges to) structure and development than a 100 minute film.

Yet the appearance of the 14 minute MESHES... at #16 on the Sight and Sound list has kicked up nowhere near the fuss of the appearance of the nearly 1000 minute TP:TR at #152.  One does not see viral Twitter threads painting those who included MESHES... on their Sight and Sound ballots as “people so embarrassed to adore [short films] they have to rewrite definitions to accommodate their own insecurity.”  While one might argue that the comparison is inapposite, since “short films” are by their very name “films,” this seems mere verbal contrivance; the substantive issues remain.

Nor do I think it persuasive to argue, as many have, that the thing that separates TP:TR from true “films” (yet would not similarly distinguish short films) is that one cannot watch it in one sitting.  First of all, as a mere technical matter, this is not true.  While watching literally in one unbroken viewing is challenging (albeit doable), this is usually not the standard we hold and film or even TV shows to, given that bathroom breaks and the like are common for anything.  And, at any rate, a number of fans have discussed their marathon single-day viewing sessions of TP:TR, encouraged by things like Showtime’s occasional marathon airings of the entirety of TP:TR on one of their channels.  More importantly, “number of viewing sessions required to finish” seems like a pointless way to define a formal artistic genre, and one that rings particularly hollow given the rising prevalence of film lovers streaming movies at home in segments over the course of two or more days. (For example, after its 2019 release on Netflix many people online discussed watching THE IRISHMAN’s 3.5 hour running time over three or more viewing sessions, a breakdown that at least superficially matches MoMA’s theatrical airing of the entirety of TP:TR over the course of three segments on Fri/Sat/Sun in 2018.) Speaking from my own personal experience, the majority of films I've watched in the last three years have been at home, viewed in multiple sessions over the span of two or more days.

A TV Long-Form Film

Notwithstanding the above considerations, I do think it is fair to say, per Mark Frost’s quotes about TP:TR’s novelistic qualities, that the length of a work affects its artistic possibilities, a point reflected in the literary distinction between novels, short stories, and novellas.  It therefore seems reasonable to question the appropriateness of classifying filmed works of drastically different lengths in the same formal artistic (sub)genre.  Even if one declares TP:TR to be something other than a traditional feature film, though, the upshot is not that TP:TR should be considered a serialized TV show like THE SOPRANOS.  After all, the major distinctions between the two works, as discussed earlier, still remain.  Rather, it would seem more appropriate to create a new moniker – long-form film, perhaps, as opposed to feature films and short films.  Given their length, these long-form films will usually air first, or only, on TV or streaming; this does not thereby convert them into a serialized TV show, but it does make it fair to call them a type of TV film (referencing their use of the medium of TV).  Moreover, I think a recognition of the qualities that make it natural to think of long-form films as a formal artistic subgenre of films themselves might yield a surprising conclusion: it would actually be demeaning to and snobbish towards the medium of television for prestigious lists like Sight and Sound to NOT recognize works like TP:TR as films, merely because they air on TV.

Long-form films could possibly be defined as follows: (a) unitary authorship, i.e., their being wholly written and directed at each and every step by the same person or small set of people; (b) a non-episodic narrative (thus something like DEKALOG, with its sharply episodic, anthology-like narrative, would not qualify), where being broken into installments for the purposes of airing is not disqualifying in and of itself; and (c) a length substantially longer than a typical feature-length film – to pick a specific limit, let’s say at least 4.5 hours long, which would exclude most of the longest theatrically released feature-length films (like A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY, at 3 hours 57m).  Some may wish to loosen these criteria; it’s worth noting that of the three works Emily St. James highlighted in 2017 as having similar degrees of auteurism to TP:TR (BETTER THINGS, THE YOUNG POPE, and TOP OF THE LAKE: CHINA GIRL), none of them meet these three criteria as stated.  A more fulsome attempt to analyze the growing film-like aspects of long works airing on TV and streaming would need to grapple with these examples, as well as numerous others, such as CARLOS, TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG, RIGET, and THE KNICK. 

As boundaries continue to blur, hopefully film awards and rankings like the Oscars will, following the lead of the Sight and Sound list, open eligibility to long-form films, perhaps in their own category.  As is, the Oscars limits many awards to films released in the medium of theatrical screenings, but it permits short films to qualify by screening at a “recognized” film festival, a type of hoop-jumping that feels needlessly arbitrary in a world where anyone can watch almost anything, at any time, at home.

There is no way to get rid of the inherent messiness of any attempts at categorization.  (For example, some movies display elements of episodic structure: PULP FICTION, for example.  Curiously, PULP FICTION is the same length as FLEABAG Series 2; both are broken up episodically; and both have unitary authorship.  The prime formal differences are just that FLEABAG aired on TV, and has some narrative contingency on a previous series.  Basically, though, there is a strong case for them belonging in the same formal artistic genre.)  Lines will inevitably be blurred, works will inevitably straddle categories.  And that’s fine.  There needn’t be a binary between individual categories—it should be fair to use multiple categorical terms to apply to a single work, to the extent it exhibits such varying characteristics.

And at least one of the categories that should apply to TP:TR is that of a film.  A long-form film, airing on TV.

POSTSCRIPT: I'd like to add a note of regret concerning a tossed-off tweet of mine on this topic, which you can see below, that received a moderate amount of attention on Twitter. (1) It uses a broad brush to seemingly paint as whiny all TV critics who objected to TP:TR's classification as a film, which is neither kind nor accurate; in fact, a number of critics, including some quoted in this piece, set forth thoughtful and principled analyses which carefully considered the reasons and ambiguities of the situation. (2) It also flippantly uses a broad brush in critiquing the reception of TP:TR by TV critics, when in fact it was broadly praised and championed by numerous TV critics, including those quoted in this piece. While I do take issue with the ways some critics addressed TP:TR, I regret making such unfair, broad generalizations.

[sergeifyodorov]

It is so fortuitous for me that you are in a russian five mood just as I am finishing up the sacred book itself. imagine traveling half the world and renouncing your country because you were destined to be soul bonded to four other players in midwestern America. destiny...narrative...twinks...this story has it all

well first off i am ALWAYS in a russian five mood... and aksjdfhskjdfhskjdfhksjdfh you're reading it... YESSSSSS......

so sososo many things about that book/that narrative really get me. highlights:

the fact that car crashes both start (slava kozlov's concussion from the crash that killed kirill tarasov leading to his redwingification) and end (vladdy konstantinov :/ ) the five's time together (especially given that detroit is the motor city)

sergei's fascination with stevie.... the fact that not only did he choose 91 because he wanted to be like stevie but also the fact that the contract Keith Gave offered him as bait was the Same Contract As Stevie's.

actually the presence that stevie has as a whole within this story... i mean he's Stevie Y you can't really talk about hockey without him and ESPECIALLY not this part of hockey,,, i just love him ok he's so #girl

i have this absolutely VIVID mental image of not-yet-21 sergei in the pool in the summer of 1990 surrounded by bored housewife milfs come to stare at him. i conjure that image to sustain myself in times of need

larionov and fetisov being representatives of the iconic green unit! it is SO compelling to me that the russian five were not five young guys -- no mogilny, no bure -- but instead two-fifths of them were some of the most well-known soviet hockey vets ever. like, i have a magazine program from the 70s with slava fetisov as a member of the reserve team!!! they've been around forever!!

starting the tradition of breaking a regular season record and not winning the cup lmao

[killjoy-prince]

.

wheres that post that's like 'don't put a number in your story unless absolute necessary bc nothing makes a reader fixate more than when there's a number in a story' bc i'm losing it over how medical malpractice m.d. handles the age of the main character

like first you have an episode set in December where one of the main character's employees found out his birthday was coming up even though he didn't want anyone knowing that. Ok so his birth month is December. Cool!

Then the next season, it's stated he was born on June 11th, 1959. Ok thats a whole half year difference but okay that fine since thats the same bday as the actor playing him. So in 2007 he should be 48 right? Nope, bc his best friend says he's 45 which would make his birth year 1962.

Ok, maybe his best friend that he's known for over a decade got his age wrong. It happens. I forget how old I am sometimes. Hell in that episode where his bday was in December, the best friend is like "wait your birthday is around right now right?" so him not being on top of birthdays is a plausible thing you can draw from this (i dont buy it but its fine)

Then in season 7, his birthday changed to May 15, 1959. I'm not quite sure why they moved it back a month but okay sure! May, it is!!!!

BUT THEN

IN THE SERIES FINALE

THEY CHANGED THE YEAR

TO 1958!!!!

And this is just the main character. Don't get me started with the timeline of stuff that happens pre series bc the best friend gets back together with his first wife in 2010 and it's stated in Season 6 Episode 19 "Open and Shut" they divorced 10 years ago ("I wish we had this fight ten years ago"). Which can't be the case bc the main character and the best friend met when the best friend just finished med school and was served papers by the first wife. Which had to be around 1992 if I'm to believe the friend is 46 in 2012 and he finished med school at 26. (then again seeing how this show treats numbers it could be wrong) IDK maybe there's a chance the writers didn't realize it was 2010? Like I sometimes think the 80s was 20 years ago, not 40.

OH WAIT, reading the transcript from Season 6 Episode 17 "Lockdown", they were married from 1990-91. So main character and best friend had to have met in 1991. But then in the next episode (Knight Fall), the best friend says "...things (with the first wife) seem to be going great. But then they seemed to be going great 12 years ago." MY GUY!!! IT'S 2010!!! TWELVE YEARS AGO WAS 1998!!!!!!! YOU WERE ALREADY WORKING AT YOUR CURRENT WORKPLACE WITH YOUR BESTEST FRIEND FOREVEREST!!!!!!

I've wanted to see a timeline of all the events that happened in this show both pre series and in series but that's kinda hard to do when the show can't get their numbers right