#2x02 We Are Both

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

What did Sauron meant by “Not All of It” in 2x08?

Did Sauron deceive Galadriel all along, when he was pretending to be “just Halbrand”? Was he even pretending, to begin with? Did he seduced her on purpose and to manipulate her? Which part was true? And what was the deception?

To find the answer, we need to look at the visual clues, more specifically the color code of Sauron in “Rings of Power”:

Red

Red is a color that, in “Rings of Power”, has appeared in association with Sauron’s deceptions and treachery, over and over again.

On the negative side, the color red is, symbolically associated with danger, aggression, dominance, power and betrayal. In some cultures, red is associated with evil and death.

2x01: Sauron demands the Orcs’ allegiance (and he’s accused of straight-out lying, in this scene).

1x05: Galadriel’s vision on Palantír has a red stripe to foreshadow the “fall of Númenor” plot (triggered by Sauron).

1x05 and 1x06: Bits of red on Halbrand’s Númenórean armor = King of the Southlands’ deception.

1x07: Halbrand injury on the blast of Mount Doom, and creation of Mordor.

2x01: Adar and his tale of Sauron giving him red wine on *that* peak.

2x02: Celebrimbor falling prey to Sauron’s deception (he’s wearing red + red wine).

2x02: The background of Galadriel’s vision about Celebrimbor.

2x03: Ar-Pharazôn wears red to Míriel’s coronation to foreshadow the “fall of Númenor” plot (triggered by Sauron).

2x07: The missing ruby on Fëanor’s hammer (Sauron’s illusion on Celebrimbor).

2x07: Sauron displays the red blood on his wound (to instigate the guards to confine Celebrimbor in the forge tower for him to finish the Nine).

2x08: The arrows that Sauron shots at Celebrimbor (the ultimate betrayal).

Green

Then we have green, the complementary color to red (meaning they are in opposite sides of the color wheel). In Design, there is an unspoken rule that “red and green should not be seen together”. Hence its safe to admit that green, in Sauron’s color code in “Rings of Power”, also serves the opposite purpose of red.

Green is the color of health (healing), and is symbolically associated with hope, growth, rebirth, balance, fertility and prosperity.

1x02: Sauron first meets Galadriel (a new beginning, full of hope and potential).

1x02: The stone on Halbrand’s pouch (King of the Southlands heraldry) is green (the “new life” and “some place better” that Diarmid promises him in 2x01);

1x04: Halbrand garments on Númenor.

2x01: When Sauron “rebirths” as Halbrand form.

2x06: Celebrimbor starts to wear green once he begins to suspect Annatar’s intentions (the deception begins to crack).

In Season 2, this color becomes highly associated with Galadriel herself, as we see her wearing green dresses. This color is also used by Mirdania, at Eregion, a character that reminds Sauron of Galadriel (and he says so, himself), and the possibility of redemption he was denied.

To further solidify the idea of the colors green/red having opposite purposes/meaning in Sauron’s color code in “Rings of Power”; in 2x02, we see Celebrimbor wearing red, at Eregion; and Galadriel wearing green, in Lindon. This is meant to show to the audience that these two characters have different places in Sauron’s character arc.

It’s also worth mentioning that, in Season 2, both Mirdania and Celebrimbor were wearing green when Sauron killed them, symbolically marking the end of his redemption arc.

Blue

Halbrand/Sauron wears blue in 1x08, the episode where Halbrand is revealed to be Sauron. Blue is considered the ultimate “color of truth” and intuition.

Blue is symbolically associated with wisdom, imagination, loyalty, order and creation. In some cultures, blue is also associated with freedom, inspiration, sincerity and faith.

In 1x07, Halbrand/Sauron wears a blue cloak when he travels to Eregion with Galadriel, to be healed by the Elves. Throughout History, blue has been associated with royalty, yes, but this is a odd color for Sauron to wear, nonetheless.

In 1x08, while at Eregion, Halbrand/Sauron is also wearing blue, after his healing and while working at the forge (and “nerding out” with Celebrimbor).

Based on Tolkien lore, I would say that blue, in “Rings of Power”, is associated with Mairon (not Sauron), since it symbolizes the qualities he was designed to embody by Eru himself, before Morgoth’s corruption: goodness, trustworthy, creation, and order.

This could provide an explanation as to why Sauron didn’t “soiled” the Three Elven rings of power with evil, when he spent so much time at Eregion with Celebrimbor in 1x08, handling the mithril and testing different alloys, and the “eye of Sauron” even appears as the metals combine to make the Three.

What we, the audience, saw in 1x08 was a glimpse of the original Mairon (blue), after his healing process (redemption) was triggered by Galadriel’s light (green). At the beginning, Mairon was one of the most powerful Maiar, and the purest one, too. And these were the qualities that transferred onto the Three, in contrast with the cruelty, malice and deception of the Seven and Nine. More; this can also explain the healing properties of the Three (because Mairon, himself, was healing).

When Mairon is tortured by Waldreg and the Orcs, at Adar’s orders, in 2x01, he’s also wearing blue. This is a callback to the unspeakable tortures he endured under Morgoth, to bind him to darkness, and to power. Hence, the repentant Mairon begins to disappear, making way to Sauron.

What all of this means?

Red (the color associated with Sauron’s deception) only appeared on Halbrand/Sauron and Galadriel interactions, back on Season 1, on two occasions:

When he accepts to be “King of the Southlands”;

His injury due to eruption of Mount Doom (to bring him into Elven territory).

The use of the colors green and blue on Sauron’s arc in Season 1, can confirm that Sauron was, indeed, on his “repentant era”.

“Halbrand” was the original Mairon, and we see a lot of his primordial personality traits (before Morgoth’s corruption) on Halbrand’s character: good, loyal, generous, creative and highly intelligent. Charismatic but a bit withdrawn (he only opens up with Galadriel). Not outright antisocial but usually on the background, a follower and not a leader (the Maia in service of a Vala). And of course, his love and talent for smithing and craftsmanship (Maia of Aulë).

The “Halbrand” that Galadriel fell in love with, was, in fact, “Mairon the Admirable” seeking redemption.

Halbrand/Mairon wears green because he’s seeking redemption and a new beginning (rebirth);

Galadriel starts to be visually associated with this color because she’s the embodiment of the redemption Marion seeks;

Halbrand wears blue in 1x07 and 1x08 because “redeemed Mairon” is starting to come through.

Why was Halbrand/Mairon shamelessly flirting with Galadriel, then?

Because repentant Mairon was attracted to her, on a physical and spiritual level (they are both immortal spirits).

I’ll quote myself, here:

Mairon was created by Eru as a Maia of Aulë, the Vala (God) of smithing and handiwork, yes. He was among the most powerful Maiar. Eru created him to be good and trustworthy, but also to love several things: crafting, creation, beauty, order and perfection, and to dislike wastefulness.

And who better embodies the qualities of “beauty” and “perfection” than Galadriel herself? Her beauty is the stuff of legends, and everyone is at awe when they first meet her. Her very gold/silver hair inspired the most legendary jewels in existence: the Silmarils. The light of the Two Trees of Valinor shine on her hair and eyes. How could Sauron/Mairon not love her? That’s the question. She’s the materialization, the physical form, of everything he was designed to love.

The color code on Sauron’s arc in “Rings of Power” tells us, the audience, that the mutual attraction and connection Halbrand/Mairon and Galadriel shared was real. It wasn’t a deception on his part, nor did it had any hidden motive.

Mairon flirted with Galadriel because, like they say, he really wanted to “tap that”, “shake the sheets (or the forge table)”, “Netflix and chill” all night long, whatever you prefer. And she wanted the same, as confirmed by Charlotte Brändström.

In both 1x05 and 1x06, when Halbrand/Mairon shares intimate moments with Galadriel, the bits of red (deception) of his armor are hidden, either by a cloak, or by camera work (focus on his face). This artistic choice means there was no deception there. It was real.

And both Sauron’s deceptions with Galadriel, back in Season 1, had the purpose of keeping her close to him:

Accepting the “King of the Southland” role: Galadriel was leaving for Middle-earth, leaving him behind in Númenor;

Bringing him into Elven territory: Mairon didn’t know Galadriel would take him to Eregion to meet Celebrimbor (in show canon, she lives in Lindon, not Eregion).

Why? Because Mairon craved her light, and, like it has been established by the color code, Galadriel embodies the redemption he desperately seeks. Hence, he wants to be around her, and keeping her close. Galadriel represents his chance of redeeming himself after everything he has done under Morgoth.

And, in 1x08, when Galadriel denies his offer, it symbolizes the denial of his redemption:

Galadriel: You are a friend of Morgoth’s.

Sauron: When Morgoth was defeated, it was as if a great, clenched fist had released its grasp from my neck. And in the stillness of that first sunrise, at last, I felt the light of The One again. And I knew if ever I was to be forgiven… That I had to heal everything that I had helped ruin.

Galadriel: No penance could ever erase the evil you have done.

Mairon, then realizes, there will be no redemption for him. Redemption and Galadriel’s light have been denied to him. And, so, he falls back into his old ways under Morgoth, back into evil.

They say that Morgoth found the Silmarils so beautiful that after he’d stolen them, for weeks he could do nothing but stare into their depths. It was only after one of his tears fell upon the jewels and he was faced with the evil of his own reflection that the reverie was finally broken. From that moment, he looked upon their light no more. Fëanor's work nearly turned the heart of the Great Foe himself…”

Celebrimbor to Elrond, 1x01

It's not strength that overcomes darkness but light. For in its presence, all darkness must flee.

Celebrimbor to Galadriel, 2x07

In the vision Mairon shows Galadriel in 1x08, there is no red (deception), only blue and light. The spikes of his crown are, also, fading away, meant to symbolize his redemption, with Galadriel at his side. A lot of fans assume this is a vision of Dark!Galadriel, but they are wrong.

This means that Galadriel, indeed, could have helped Mairon achieve the redemption he was seeking.

We foresaw that if Galadriel’s search should have continued, she might have inadvertently kept alive the very evil she sought to defeat. For the same wind that seeks to blow out a fire may also cause its spread.

Gil-galad to Elrond, 1x01

The true meaning of this quote is: Galadriel didn’t f*cked up because she found Halbrand/Sauron and brought him back to Middle-earth. She screwed up because she denied Mairon his chance at redemption: not only by rejecting him, but, mostly, because she exposed him at Eregion and cause him to flee.

It was Galadriel’s pride that caused her to confront and expose Halbrand as Sauron. The pride that every single character has been warning her about, and the reason why she’s banished from Valinor, in the first place. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to tell Celebrimbor and Elrond about Halbrand’s true identity because, yes, of her wounded pride. And she allows the Three rings of power to be made.

In “Rings of Power”, it was Galadriel’s pride that condemned Middle-earth to Sauron’s tyranny, and I hope the show explores this further.

In Season 2, Sauron still believes that he, truly, wants to heal Middle-earth. But this isn’t the case anymore, because his redemption was cut short. This is confirmed by Celebrimbor in 2x07, when he says to Sauron/Annatar: “you truly are the Great Deceiver. You can even deceive yourself.”

But that boat has sailed. There is no more redemption’s arc for Mairon. That was Season 1. In Season 2, he’s now embracing his arc as “shadow of Morgoth”. And so, green and blue won’t be present on his color code anymore, as red takes the spotlight, alongside black to embody his role as the new Dark Lord.

What now?

Sauron and Galadriel are now bound together, since he forced their bloods to unite using Morgoth’s crown, in 2x08. They now have a open line to each other’s soul, mind and everything else. And this will come into play in Season 3.

One of Galadriel’s inner conflicts in Season 2 was the idea that “Halbrand” was nothing more than one of Sauron’s illusions and that he deceived her, all along. In Season 3 and through being bound together with Sauron, she’ll probably realize this isn’t the case, and that Halbrand was very much real, and, in fact, Mairon in seek of redemption. How will this play out, I have no idea. But there’s a lot of potential here.

And in Season 2 we were told that Elven memories don’t dim. Meaning; the memory of Halbrand/Mairon and their love for each other and “what could have been”, will haunt Galadriel forever (yes, even after Celeborn returns).

[thatsveryood]

i know we all want trapped dads but i'm just thinking about this scene in 2x02 where Hen calls Karen and thinking thoughts

Like Hen and Eddie get trapped somewhere and they can't hear their team and maybe they don't even know if their team knows where they are, and it's getting bad and so Hen makes a voice note to Karen and Denny again, and looks at Eddie, knowing he's gonna wanna call Chris. And maybe Chris still isn't home, they're talking again but he's not home yet, and so Eddie calls Chris... and then he calls Buck. And the space they're trapped in isn't huge, there's no real privacy, they try to squeeze into corners to give each other the illusion of privacy during these goodbye calls, but Hen can hear as Eddie finishes his voice message for Chris, struggles to steady his breath, and shakily starts another voice note.

"...Hey, Buck..."

And Hen knew but she also didn't know. The parallels are paralleling to the most obvious extent, it's undeniable in this moment. They both choose to call their partner and their kid in what is potentially their last moments. She tries to give him the privacy he gave her when she left her note for Karen, but when Eddie is done, he looks at her with this broken expression and she knows that he only just figured this out, just now. And neither of them are going to make it home to their families.

Idk, give me that over trapped dads imo!!

[raayllum]

Moon Arcanum Callum + Sun Arcanum Claudia in S7?

Callum getting the Moon arcanum has been a fandom... not theory, but shall we say, prospect, since even before S4. Some of this was because of the seeming set up in previous seasons, such as:

Callum having a hunch that the cube wasn't glowing due to the Moon, and being our first hint at illusions on the Cursed Caldera (1x09)

Lujanne explaining the secret of the arcanum (as she understands it) to him in 2x02

Callum doing moon arcanum spells (3x08, Through the Moon) much the way he did Sky spells before unlocking that arcanum

Callum employing aspects of the Moon arcanum in his plans (3x01 with tricking Sol Regem, creating the illusion pearl in 6x01)

His growing relationship and understanding with Rayla, and potential involvement with her family/village

But especially:

This is of course already reflected in spades in his arc as a mage. Everyone, Lujanne included, believes that humans can't do magic. She treats this as absolute fact and destiny, but Callum perceives it as subjective truth; why can't he just make his own connection and do magic anyway? And in doing so, he changes the world. He creates a radically new, better reality.

With season seven's synopsis on sacrifice and life and death, both things we see tied heavily to Moonshadow culture and the Moon itself, I could see Callum connecting to the Moon arcanum next season for a few reasons (and potentially Claudia with the Sun arcanum, which I'll get to after). So let's get into it.

Precursor

Previously, if Callum was going to connect to the Moon arcanum, I'd speculated it'd mostly be around ideas of the consistency of Love (light or dark, the moon is always the moon) and his love for Rayla being his light in the darkness / the one constant truth of his life. I don't think this anymore, obviously, because we got all those things through the Star truth light ritual beat for beat and we're not going to be repeating, but I did think it'd be worthwhile then to revisit what a Moon arcanum could mean for Callum under new context / emotional epiphanies. I've also always thought either Earth or Sun would suit Claudia, but leaned more towards the latter, so we're gonna talk about that, too.

Truth and Lies and Aaravos

As Lujanne explains in 2x02, the Moon arcanum is understanding the true nature of the relationship between appearances and reality, and we can only understand the appearance itself. This feels like a very fitting idea to come back to with Aaravos, who ostensibly never lies but routinely withholds or presents not entirely correct information. "How may I serve you?" when you're just going to be a pawn. Not telling a mourning Claudia that he was indeed the one who killed Viren so that she'll continue to do his bidding, with Claudia asserting that Aaravos "didn't lie" about the ritual in 6x01, and he didn't. We also see him wield the truth as a weapon with people like Khessa ("would you like to know the truth of her fate before you meet yours?") and Sol Regem (more on that here.)

Everything that he says is truth to him, and then he lifts it up as being objectively true (i.e. you're destined to play into my hands) even when it isn't necessarily true. We can also see Callum veering into mindsets that Claudia and Viren have had, where he believes he's past the point of saving ("I'm ruined, it's too late for me" "Promise me you'll kill me") or removing his own agency by admission ("Finnegrin was going to kill you, I didn't have a choice" / "Every step forward is a choice").

Callum understanding Aaravos' or others' actual truths versus their lies and the ones he's believing could be very fitting in S6, especially if he might be learning more about the existence of the Cosmic Council and who made their world the way it is. I think his existence may help lead to that "slow spiral of chaos" but that it won't be just or even Bad at all the way they'd feared, etc.

Claudia is also linked to lies and truth. She lies to others, but Aaravos notes that "If you tell the truth you will lose her," and she goes looking for her own deep truth in S6, but doesn't seem to fully find it. Terry asks her "What do you need to find your one deep truth?" and Claudia says that she needs her dad, but she and her mother have also made it clear that she "needed to stay with Soren" and her family (vs Viren telling her to pick the egg over Soren). With Viren gone and Aaravos manipulating her, Soren could easily be one of her guiding lights next season or in future seasons.

The Pearl

The moon is analogous, framing/appearance wise, to the prison. This is alluded to in 5x09 through framing, and then made even more direct in 6x09: Aaravos escapes his prison thanks to Claudia and (unbeknownst to her) she has become the prisoner, much like how Callum may physically free himself from chains in 5x08 but magically/emotionally chains himself further to Aaravos, or Viren shouting while in chains that he's finally free of the dark puppetmaster.

Basically, when Callum says in 6x01 that he's inside the pearl, I don't think (as of S6 / probably first half of S7 at least) that he's ever gotten out of it. Aaravos uses him even after his nightmare, and we know thanks to the pawn intro that Aaravos' final machinations for Callum also haven't yet come to play. I've been wondering if the Aaravos intro is going to change in S7, since he's out of his prison — and it still may — but if we look at it from the angle of Callum and Claudia both being stuck within the moon/pearl rather than just Aaravos himself, maybe it could stay.

And if Callum is stuck inside the moon-pearl, shattering it by understanding the arcanum ("the whole world is like a giant primal stone, and we're inside of it, and it's also in us") and/or with Claudia moving to the opposite of the moon could be useful, especially since Karim is a corrupted sun in his own way. Speaking of which let's talk about

Light and Dark

We know thanks to Claudia that black and white, or light and dark, are not always clear cut. Her hair thanks to her dark magic use changes like phases of the moon, with the light being bad and the dark being good. Conversely, her path is a dark one with the path of truth and light being withheld from her. In a similar manner, we see Callum's light (Rayla) being what led him into dark magic use and what led him out of it, and will likely see this pattern play out again. Aaravos is a representation of a path of darkness, but we also see the cube flashing a bright light in the pawn intro, tying light and darkness together for him as well.

Callum's understanding of himself that he gained through the Ocean arcanum can not simply become untrue or disappear, so I think recognizing that darkness isn't all he is ("I'm ruined" / "your heart's not full of darkness" "Neither is yours") even if there are dark parts of him and of his life would be fitting. It also seems that could be helpful with Claudia as well, and even characters like Ezran, who will have to wrestle with darker parts of his emotions/personality next season as well with Runaan. They've all got light and dark inside them, and learning how to walk in that balance and still break away from the Cycle / Aaravos is useful. As Ezran said in 4x03:

I just want to yell stop. But that’s not enough. It won’t work. I think about a positive vision, a faith we can all share, that we might build a future together in hope. A future where we can be safe with each other.  But… It’s not that easy or simple. Because people are still hurting and they are still angry. We can’t ignore that, or pretend it will go away. Somehow, we have to hold it all in our hearts at the same time. We have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss, but open up our eyes and allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again. We have to give today’s children a chance to inherit a future filled with peace. To give them that, we have to hold pain and love in our hearts at the same time.

Claudia's love for her family led her to ruin, but it can also save her through Soren. Callum's love for Rayla led him to ruin, but it has also saved him (and again, we'll likely repeat this pattern). Ezran's love for his father will lead him to anger but also pull him out of it, just as Viren's love for his son caused him to begin his journey of terrible things, but also guided him to do one final, truly right thing by the end.

Love is light and dark. Claudia, who's been walking in shadow, needs the full light - the sun, in the form of her brother. She needs to accept and see the truth of what's happening and step fully into the light. Callum, who has been routinely worried of the dark within him, needs to the reminder that he's not all he is, that he has light of his own inside. In doing so, he can break Aaravos' control over him and give hope to any other dark mages / humans in general that no level of corruption is too late to come back from, and that there is always light amid the darkness.

Life and Death

The stakes have never been higher as Aaravos and Claudia are on the warpath, determined to destroy the Cosmic Order and invert life and death. With the world’s fate on the line, our heroes must be ready to sacrifice everything to save it.

In Bloodmoon Huntress, we get a very different peek into how the secret of the Moon arcanum can be thought of through Runaan, who is peak Moonshadow-sacrifice elf man:

Moonshadow form is only achieved when we understand the balance of life against death. Balance is weight against weight, and to understand the weight of death you must feel the weight and value of another's life. Think of those you love, of who you hold most dear. Now think of the souls who have touched your life. Understand that each time your weapon meets its target, each time we fulfil our duty, the potential for that soul to change a life—to love another—is gone. We may remove hate, but we remove the potential for love as well. Moonshadow form is only achieved when we reconcile this balance between life and death.

While Claudia with her hair and dark mage-assassin parallels could unlock the Moon arcanum—especially if her perspectives continue to change—I think Callum as the Protagonist is better placed at this time to be the one to understand the balance between life and death in a season where the antagonists are trying to invert/destroy it. Him therefore understanding appearances and changes, how to control his own and see through others', understanding that balance between life and death, feels very fitting.

Callum's fear of Aaravos and dark magic comes from the fear that he's changing—"I hope you're careful, cause [magic] can change people" / "the corruption takes innocent creatures and changed them"—and that death would be better for him than life if he goes too far. Learning these things aren't the case and that he can get back to the middle (and indeed, "real trust is about accepting even the dark parts we will never know" could be about Rayla accepting he may not entirely swear off dark magic again, the same way Viren kept that door open to do Good) would be useful.

It would also mean the two mage characters most drawn into Aaravos' darkness get the Moon and Sun—the arcanums most associated with light—to banish said darkness as well. Claudia finally being an uncorrupted light and chasing life, not death, and Callum, learning how to be balanced and that he can maintain his identity / use Aaravos' book and key without fearing that he'll lose control.

The fact that Claudia's eclipse imagery only started the same episode she lost her brother, and that her Laurelion dragon-scale necklace is very Sunfire-y looking...

Conclusion

TDP for Callum and Claudia has always felt like a parallel coming-of-age mage story between the two of them, leading to the amount of similarities and diverging plot beats the two have, down to doing the same spell at the same time but in different locations in S6. The Sun arcanum is associated with truth, light, and healing, whereas the Moon arcanum is associated with change, life + death, and secrets/love. All of these things could be nicely brought to a head with Callum and Claudia each unlocking an arcanum of Moon and Sun respectively, showcasing their differences, their continued room to grow, and light amid the darkness.

While I could see alternatives like Sun for Callum and Moon for Claudia, Stars for Callum or no arcanum for either of them, I think these are the ones that fit best at this time / Stars will likely get saved for arc 3 given that arc 3 will probably focus more on rewriting destinies and the Cosmic Order as antagonists.

As always hope you enjoy and Dragons out!

[bylerween]

Announcing the daily themes for Bylerween!

Each day has three themes: one horror theme, one in-show theme, and one fluff theme. Feel free to use inspiration from just one, two, or all three themes for each day!

Day 1, October 26:

Ghosts & Hauntings

Trapped in the Upside Down

Haunted House

Day 2, October 27:

Slashers, Gore & Body Horror

Demogorgon & Flesh Monster

Halloween Party

Day 3, October 28:

Demons, Devils & Exorcisms

Will’s S2 Possession

Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard

Day 4, October 29:

Psychological Horror

Attacked by Vecna

Sweater Weather

Day 5, October 30:

Came Back Wrong

Flayed!Mike/Flayed!Will

Carnival Night

Day 6, October 31:

Supernatural Creatures

Trick or Treat, Freak (2x02)

Trick or Treating

Day 7, November 1:

Witches, Wizards & Necromancers

D&D

Renaissance Festival

***

Rules and guidelines for posting can be found in our intro post here.

Extra prompts and ideas for these themes are under the Read More cut! Also, look below to see which themes are Double Date Night themes. For Double Date Nights themes, we encourage other ships to be featured along with Byler (but it's not required)!

amazing art by @light-lanterne!!

Here are some additional ideas that you can use as inspiration for each day's themes! You don't need to follow these prompts at all, but feel free to jump off of these ideas.

Day 1 - Ghosts & Hauntings, Trapped in the UD, Haunted House:

Ghosts & Hauntings - Mike and Will move into their first home together... but it's haunted. Ghost!Will haunts Mike, or Ghost!Mike haunts Will. Ghost movie AU. Young Mike and Will hide from a scary ghost in the closet or under the bed. A midnight stroll through a graveyard goes wrong.

Trapped in the UD - “It’s like home, but it’s so dark. It’s so dark and empty. And it’s cold!” Mike, Will, or both are trapped in the Upside Down this Halloween.

Haunted House - Creaking floors, spiderwebs, skeletons, and spiders! Mike and Will break into the scary, abandoned house down the street, only to run away when there's a creepy noise coming from the attic. Did Mike and Will get part time jobs as monster actors at the Hawkins Haunted House this October, or are they just going to the Haunted House as guests? Double Date Night: we encourage you to feature other ships with this theme!

Day 2 - Slashers, Gore & Body Horror, Demogorgon & the Flesh Monster, Halloween Party

Slashers, Gore & Body Horror - Slasher movie AU’s. Serial killer Byler, cannibalism Byler, or Frankenstein Byler.

Demogorgon & Flesh Monster - Looking back at our S1 and S3 monsters! The demogorgon or flesh monster are on the prowl and looking for victims this Halloween.

Halloween Party - What costumes are Mike and Will wearing to the party? Who has a few drinks, gets a little extra silly, and starts some drama? What feelings bubble up at the party? Loud music and dancing, spilled drinks, drunken confessions, and kissing in the dark corner of the room. Double Date Night: we encourage you to feature other ships with this theme!

Day 3 - Demons, Devils & Exorcisms, Will’s S2 Possession, Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard

Demons, Devils & Exorcism - Will and Mike make a deal with the devil. Demon x Exorcist enemies to lovers AU. Exorcism movie AU.

Will’s S2 Possession - Looking back the scenes of Will saying ominous things, not remembering the names of his loved ones, Mike sitting by Will’s bedside in the hospital, and the shed scene. What if Mike had been possessed instead of Will? What if Mike and Will were already dating in S2 when Will was possessed?

Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard - Picking out the biggest pumpkin at the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins, baking pumpkin treats, and wearing ugly pumpkin sweaters. Getting lost in the apple orchard, climbing trees together, picking apples, drinking apple cider. Riding the hay bale and sneaking kisses.

Day 4 - Psychological Horror, Attacked by Vecna, Sweater Weather

Psychological Horror - Ramp up the horror, terror, paranoia, and fear! Psychological horror movie AU.

Attacked by Venca - Looking back at our S4 villain, and the horror filled visions he uses to attack his prey. Vecna returns on Halloween this year.

Sweater Weather - Everyone wants to cuddle up once the weather gets colder! Mike and Will start wearing their cozy sweaters and flannels. Falling leaves, hot cocoa, bonfire nights, smores, and camping.

Day 5 - Came Back Wrong, Flayed!Mike & Flayed!Will, Carnival Night

Came Back Wrong - Resurrecting your beloved childhood friend and sweetheart from death comes with a price... they're not the same now as they were before. A call back to good ol' Phineas Gage.

Flayed!Mike & Flayed!Will - Rethinking S3 if Mike or Will were flayed. Suspicions are raised and fear mounts: Mike or Will aren't quite acting like themselves and it's a fight to rescue them from their gruesome fate!

Carnival Night - Will and Mike play carnival games and go on rides. Bobbing for apples, getting lost in the corn maze, face painting, and feasting on carnival food. Double Date Night: we encourage you to feature other ships with this theme!

Day 6 - Supernatural Creatures, Trick or Treat, Freak (2x02), Trick or Treating

Supernatural Creatures - Vampires, and werewolves, and monsters, oh my! Mike and Will encounter a supernatural creature this Halloween, but is it friend or foe? Will as a werewolf, Mike as a vampire, Will as a goblin, Mike as a centaur? The options are endless! Monster x Monster Hunter AU.

Trick or Treat, Freak (2x02) - A look back on our beloved Halloween episode. Mike is complaining about Max, Will sees the Mind Flayer looming in the sky, and Mike takes Will home. Crazy together, right?

Trick or Treating - Mike and Will take Holly out trick or treating. Adult Mike and Will hand out candy. The early years of Mike and Will trick or treating with the party, TP-ing a bully’s house, and swapping candy afterward at home.

Day 7 - Witches, Wizards & Necromancy, D&D, Renaissance Festival

Witches, Wizards & Necromancy - Witch covens, a trickster wizard, or a necromancer raising zombies from the dead! A witch hunter falls in love with a witch, or Zombie Boy comes back to life.

D&D - Paladin Mike and Will the Wise celebrate the spooky season! Redecorate the Will the Wise costume with some Halloween vibes, or alter Will's S4 painting of the party to give it a spooky twist.

Renaissance Festival - Dressing up as knights, fairies, wizards, and more! The knights are jousting, everyone is eating a turkey leg, and Mike and Will are playing ax throwing games. Entertainers are juggling swords, fire eating, and putting on raunchy comedy skits. Are Mike and Will attending as guests, or working at the Renaissance Festival this fall? Double Date Night: we encourage you to feature other ships with this theme!

[thoughtfulchaos773]

I wonder if this is a thoughtful foreshadowing technique that the writers created, but the episode numbers are a callback to some episodes of the first season.

1x02 Hands and 2x02 Pasta

We get a better look at Carmy's living space in both episodes 1x01 and 1x02.

1x03 Brigade 2x03 Sundae

In episodes 1x03 and 2x03 of the show, there is the beginning of confrontation between Carmy and Sydney. However, in the second season, their conflict remains unresolved, Carmy does not follow Sydney with an effort to show he wants to resolve it and Sydney ends up going to the alley alone. Both episodes also have a focus on the relationship between Sydney and Carmy, with Carmy at some point abandoning Sydney

Hopefully, 3x09 we get another "table moment." Maybe 3x06 will be a flashback for the Berzattos

Standalone episodes callback

-we see the let is rip note in 1x08 and 2x08.

-1x06 and 2x06 there's a flashback of Mikey.

There's more I thought about but forgot to write it down. If you remember something, feel free to reblog. If it's intentional, I think it's a cool way to foreshadow.

[hermit-frog]

has anyone made a // between 1x05 and 2x02?

Daniel disrespects and aggressively violates Louis' boundaries. He mocks Louis' memories and his will to protect them. Understandably, Louis lashes back. Both times, Armand interferes (because he saves Louis from himself). This time Louis even haunts Daniel with a 70s flashback, because as we know, it was a very traumatic moment of Daniel's life. And the fact that he doesn't remember it, makes it even more frightening and upsetting.

I don't think it was about devil's minion, or Alice. Just the most pain inducing moments of Daniel's life. These two keep digging fingers into each other's wounds, almost like s- *gunshot*

[brokenwinebox]

“Mold Is The Death Knell.”

After doing research and documenting it on Twitter, I decided to transfer it all here. We’re going to be talking about (2x02)’s script.

We (kinda?) got confirmation on the parallels between Donna and Claire in the script. There’s many metas I’ve most likely missed but here are the ones I remember:

Jamie’s instagram post on Claire/Donna by @espumado

Jamie Lee Curtis: A sydcarmy truther? by @thoughtfulchaos773

Scene lighting, blocking, & dialogue callbacks between Claire and The Berzattos by @currymanganese

There’s also my metas on Claire/Donna:

Claire: Ominous Or Naive

Glass Table & Glass Fish Tank

What Did You Get Out Of These ClairexCarmy Flashbacks Scenes?

If there’s metas I’ve missed, please feel free to reblog with the links!

Before seeing Claire again, Carmy was enjoying the orange sunset during magic hour while walking on Clark St.

Since I saw the words ‘orange sunset’, I automatically assumed that it was golden hour when this scene had occurred.

Blue hour is apart of magic hour as well. I read a bit about it in this article, “Mastering Golden Hour, Blue Hour (Magic Hours) and Twilights | Natural Light Photography.”

Magic hours are a more diffuse concept than twilights because there is no mathematical definition. In fact, both the golden hour and blue hour, also known as the magic hours, overlap with civil twilight.

I’m wondering if they tried to capture golden and blue hour at the grocery store with artificial lighting instead of natural lighting to insinuate a fakeness to their reunion/relationship.

I also happened to stumble upon another potential meaning to golden hour. A person’s golden hour is the first hour after a severe internal injury.

Granted, being cut by sharp objects like glass is an external injury. But, in the dialogue, Claire talks about how the girl was bleeding and they couldn’t figure out what the source was. Wouldn’t you be able to tell where the bleeding stemmed from if it was just external? It could mean there was internal damage as well.

Mold is the death knell which is a sounding of a bell to mark someone’s death or used to refer to the imminent destruction or failure of something.

(A bell to mark the death of Mikey and the failure of The Bear?)

There was a discussion of mold pertaining to Claire and the potential meaning of it in @moodyeucalyptus’s meta on Claire being a bad doctor with @vacationship’s reblog about how penicillin is an antibiotic coming from green and blue mold while fennel is a natural antibiotic.

All of this to say mold is the death knell, golden hour is also a term used in the medical field for trauma patients, and that girl that Claire told Carmy about was a trauma patient that was given penicillin while having an allergy to it by Claire reading her chart wrong.

There’s so many interesting details in the network draft/script! If I’m wrong about any of this, let me know of course. As always, thank you so much for reading! If I haven’t replied to your comments or reblogs lately, I was shadowbanned briefly before getting my account back so yay! If you tagged me, I didn’t see them unfortunately :(

[outmakingmoonshine]

I wrote this in the tags on this post by @sydcarmyfan pointing out that Carmy has touched all of Syd’s tattoos and they asked me to make a post about it, it's kinda long so I've put it under a cut.

Like the above post mentions the placement of Carmy's hands on Syd's back in 2x03 puts them directly over the broken wishbone, the three of swords tattoos and the anchovies

If the hand placement is deliberate then it specifically places his hands directly over the tattoos that relate to him/their love story the most. The broken wishbone, he’s fulfilling her wish/dream by making her his partner in The Bear and kinda breaking it by being “shitty”, there's something in there about "wishing on a star" too... and the three of swords which the SydCarmy meta writers have written about much better than I can. (And also the anchovies tattoo but I have no idea what that's related to yet, although Carmy does have a fish tattoo so that's how it relates until I know more lol.) This touch on these two specific tattoos happens in a scene which is arguably the start of him breaking her heart and her wish…it's the first time she sees him after he ditched her at Kasama and after he tried to avoid Claire but caved to her hounding him on the phone so whether Syd's aware of Claire yet or not, the wall has already been torn down and the ball's already in motion. It’s also when he starts to ditch working with her on their joint wish/dream, kinda breaking her "wish" of working on it with him.

It's worth noting that the point of a wishbone is to break it so this might not have a negative connotation and could just relate to him being so focused on getting that wish for her while...on the other hand..literally..he’s breaking her heart while trying.

@sydcarmyfan pointed out when Carmy placed his hand on Syd's back in 2x02 he also touched her other two tattoos, which was during a scene/montage when they were both more comfortable and relaxed around each other, being more open about their personal lives, history, family etc, and those other two tattoos seem more related to Syd’s family life/history. The car with mom on the license plate and the c’est pas grave tattoos. So the themes of the tattoos he touched in each scene also relate to the themes of their dynamic within that scene.

The car is obviously about her mum and maybe something to do with driving to Sheridan Road? Idk yet but my theory on the c’est pas grave tattoo (which translates to “it’s not serious/it doesn’t matter/nevermind”) is it relates to whatever reason Syd feels like she needs to hide or ignore her feelings like they “don’t matter” or they’re “not serious” to anyone else but her…or maybe she doesn’t even allow herself to take them seriously and that’s why she just swallows her disappointment and internalizes and suppresses her feelings all the time.

I don’t think Syd’s ever really been emotionally nurtured because the version we see now of Emmanuel as the devoted father telling stories of her mother lovingly doesn’t really add up. If he was that loving devoted father making her smile and laugh so animatedly while she was growing up why is she so emotionally avoidant now? There’s a weird distance in their relationship like she has a huge wall up when she's around him, even more than around when she's around Carmy or Marcus tbh. He obviously knows her better, he raised her so he can see through her and confront her about more things but she still never really lets him in and he never seems willing to push enough. I get the feeling he wasn’t really there for her as a kid and he learnt to be a decent father too late. I also get a vibe from him like he feels kinda guilty about something / has regrets / kinda feels like he failed her. Idk he seems to walk on eggshells around her imo like he's very careful what he says to her and how he words things with her. He definitely feels the distance between them and it bothers him more than it bothers her. You can tell he tries to connect with her, but she’s always the one who’s resistant.

My theory is the distance is because he became an alcoholic after her mom died because he couldn't cope with losing her. Maybe Syd spent most of her childhood feeling neglected and alone, like no one cared about her and what she wanted or needed so she learnt to suppress her emotions and now she just keeps following that pattern because she doesn’t know any different. By the time Emmanuel got sober it was too late, she'd already learned this toxic way to cope with all the feelings of loneliness and rejection. And she's still so wounded by his neglect that she only gives him a surface level relationship now.

She’s also lowkey disrespectful to him in some ways or she just lacks the respect you would expect her character to have for a father who is clearly trying and we know Syd isn’t a disrespectful person. Definitely not to be disrespecting her only living parent and kinda dismissing him the way she does for no reason. So I think there’s something important we don’t know about their dynamic.

I also think this could be why she cut Carmy off from asking about her dad in 2x02 because he already said something like “at least he was there for you” and I don't think she wanted to explain that maybe he actually wasn’t.

There’s a reason that the main point of Emmanuel's only scene and dialogue inside the restaurant in 2x10 was to reveal that he doesn't drink and I don't think it was just to highlight the contrast between him and Donna because it would've made more sense to have donna show up as a drunken mess outside The Bear if they wanted that contrast so badly but she seemed sober when talking to Pete.

(Here's where I insert my headcanon that Emmanuel & Donna have already met at al-anon meetings and he’s been integral in her recovery so far, probably not even realizing they are future in-laws.)

I think Carmy's gonna find out Syd had a very similar childhood to him but she was actually going through it all alone. While he FELT alone she really WAS alone dealing with an alcoholic parent with no siblings to understand or to just share the emotional and psychological burden with and all he's been doing is dumping pressure on her that she didn’t really ask for...but she wont tell him directly that she crumbles under pressure, she tried to tell him a story to let him know she crumbles under pressure with the Sheridan story in 1x05 and again with the pasta/Ragù story in 2x02 but he consistently keeps leaving her alone to fend for herself with a major workload when the whole reason she came to The Beef was to work WITH him and spend time WITH him. That’s what Syd values, that’s what makes her happy. Quality time and food are her love languages, these things are the way to her heart and this anxious white man is bending over backwards trying to make her happy BY AVOIDING HER TO WORK ON HIMSELF SO HE CAN BE ENOUGH TO MAKE HER HAPPY😭😭 He's trying but he's so clueless and Syd won't give him a clue!

[dykesynthezoid]

I think including the human audience in the trial is so integral bc it serves as a reminder that the depravity and cruelty of vampires are 100% human traits. Vampires have all the same negative qualities as human beings; they’ve just been given greater, more devastating tools to enact that cruelty, and an unending amount of time to do it.

And we’re able to see how the social mechanisms that allow these cruelties are functioning in both the coven and the human audience. We see how it is easier to hurt people when we’ve othered them, alienated and dehumanized them. We see that in-group vs out-group bias. We see the diffusion of responsibility. We see persecution being used to unify, to consolidate power by aligning everyone else against an imagined evil. We see the fear of social reprisal and rejection (and that fear is directly aligned by the narrative with the fear of actual violence and personal annihilation!) and how far most people will go to avoid it.

There’s a reason Santiago speaks directly into the camera in 2x02. And that’s because we, the audience beyond the theater, the one behind the digital screen, are just as culpable, just as a capable of allowing cruelty to be made manifest.

[mykingdomforablog]

When Alicent said "I'm so sorry" to Viserys in 1x07 and he dismissed her with "We will speak no more of it."

When Alicent said "I have sinned" to Otto in 2x02 and he dismissed her with "I do not wish to hear of it."

When Helaena told Alicent "I forgive you" in 2x03, before Alicent could even get past saying Helaena's name.

The men in Alicent's life do not care to hear her out. They don't care for her attempts at making amends or soothing her conscience. They shut her down and cut her off before she can get past the first sentence. But not Helaena. Where Otto and Viserys both shut down Alicent's attempts at discussing incidents where fault lies with her, Helaena forgives Alicent for something that was only incidentally her fault, but also more fatal and traumatic for everyone involved. Forgiveness only comes from Helaena, who has every right not to forgive Alicent given that her mother's preoccupation with Criston Cole at that precise moment inadvertently contributed to the brutal death of Helaena's son.

Alicent's feelings of guilt have been shut down and ignored by her father and her husband, but not by her daughter, who has every right to not forgive. But she does it anyway. And you can see how earthshattering that is for Alicent, because in every instance up to this point, her attempts at broaching these subjects never end in forgiveness (or even chastisement), but in cold dismissal.

[apoloadonisandnarcissus]

Galadriel wanted to join Sauron, freely

For the sake of not repeating myself, please read this post first, because that’s where I made the case for Galadriel wanting to join Sauron of her own free will in 2x08, and where doubts arose.

First things first: Galadriel appears to be in a “trance-like state” when she looks at Sauron post-binding via Morgoth’s crown. And it’s pretty obvious why that is: she looks “enchanted” and “bewitched” because she’s in love with that evil motherf*cker, and just had a revelation;

This is what Galadriel truly wants. This is her heart’s true desire. She wants to take his offer and to join him: she desires for Sauron’s power to become hers, and to have him, as well. I made this point perfectly clear on that post (as did the show itself). 

And Sauron can't believe it, himself: look at his face. And then, he’s so happy it’s uncanny for him. This demon has tears on his eyes because he knows Galadriel will join him, at last. And he’s already planning the wedding ceremony and the honeymoon in Mordor.

And Galadriel would, indeed, have joined him, if Nenya didn’t step in and stopped her (by compelling her to jump off the cliff). This is the moment when Nenya takes over with the cringeworthy dialogue about “healing”:

This is what Season 2 has been building to: Galadriel succumbing to Sauron. This is where the all the foreshadowing is, for Galadriel's character arc in this season.

"You cannot face him alone"

In Season 2, we had three different characters warning Galadriel that she might succumb to Sauron if she faces him alone: Gil-galad, Elrond and Adar.

Similar to Gi-galad, Elrond shares the same concern, twice: in 2x01:

And in 2x02:

And why would he think that?

In 2x06, it’s Adar who warns Galadriel she might succumb to Sauron as well, because she’s acting quite smug at being able to resist him once before (1x08). 

I resisted.

For a while, perhaps.

His eye bores a hole and the rest of him slithers in.

"I cannot let him in, again"

Galadriel is consumed with finding and destroy Sauron in Season 2; and now it’s not about the death of her brother, but because she believes Sauron deceived her, and everything she experienced with Halbrand (the connection, and the situationship) was a lie and part of Sauron’s schemes of deception.

However, in her scene with Elrond, in 2x02, she’s feeling particularly vulnerable, and agrees with him and Gil-galad: she cannot face Sauron alone because if she allows him “in” again, she will succumb to him.

However, from 2x02 until 2x08, Galadriel grows bolder and more confident, mostly aided by Nenya and the visions and the guidance the ring of power provides her with. Although, I would agree it was never her intention to face Sauron alongside Elrond & co., because she goes rogue when she gets the chance and allows herself to get captured by Adar.

"I resisted"

I swear to you, High King. I will not stop until he is destroyed and I have put this right.

Morfydd Clark herself has said that Galadriel knows she messed up really bad, and is on a desperate mission for redemption. And this is why Galadriel wants to seek out Sauron all by herself.

Galadriel and Adar parallel each other on their pursuit for Sauron, and they were both consumed and obsessed by it. While Adar sacrificed his “children” to destroy Sauron, Galadriel threw Elrond under the bus (by telling Adar he’s the one who carries Nenya) just to get a chance of finding Sauron and face him herself.

Galadriel’s pride is her main flaw of character, and usually what gets her into trouble. And pride was her downfall, here, too. She believed she would always resist Sauron, not due to what he offered her last time not being enough to tempt her (it was), but because she believed him to be a deceiver (= everything he says is a lie).

"I felt it, too"

How does Galadriel feel about Sauron? Well, she hates him, and wants to kill him, and destroy him, right? Right?

Okay, I’ll just let Morfydd Clark explain how Galadriel is feeling these days:

It would be like if you had the most intense type of synesthesia, and then you met someone else that had the same type of it, but then you find out they’re the worst person in the world. But you can’t undo that feeling of what it was to be understood and connected in that way.

Galadriel is heartbroken, and understandably so. She’s not grieving the loss of Halbrand, the man she loves: she thinks she has been played for a fool, and the connection they shared was a lie, and another one of Sauron’s deceptions, the cruel and cunning sorcerer. She’s haunted by this moment, as we’ve seen on 2x02:

Everyone who has been deceived by someone they cared about can relate to this. Yes, Galadriel is sad and depressed, but she’s also angry and probably feeling a little bit humiliated and ashamed of herself for falling for Sauron’s lies. She’s going through all seven stages of grief. And so, she wants to destroy him, and make him pay for deceiving her, and manipulating her into caring this much about him. And she’s so obsessed with finding and defeat him, it blinds her.

The realization of having been played for a fool, pains her so much, here she is, in 2x06, emphasizing with Adar and oversharing.

"Not all of it"

When she seeks Sauron in the finale, she wants to kill him. She wants to prove to herself that she is able to do it, as well. She’s both angry at him for deceiving her, and at herself, not only for falling for his “lies” but mostly for harboring these feelings for him. And she’s confident in herself, she’s prepared. She knows Sauron will bombard her with lies and visions to manipulate her. There is nothing he can tempt her with, because she’s fully aware of his manipulations.

Everything changes once Sauron forces them to bind together via Morgoth’s crown: and not only “he’s in” (literally), but Galadriel can finally see it, through their bond: their connection is real, and not a part of his schemes.

And this explains why Sauron says this, next: this is him confirming that his offer in 1x08 was honest, and he really meant it. This is him declaring his love for Galadriel. This is how Sauron proved how he “really loves her”.

And she can't say no to that. She succumbs, and she is about to join him. Of her own free will, and like Season 2 foreshadowed she would. Sauron just gave her the ultimate temptation without even trying. Her believing their connection was a lie was the only thing that was preventing her from actually joining him. And Sauron just proved to her it wasn’t. He “felt it, too”.

[shutupineedtothink]

I’m still s h o o k that people do not see exactly what’s going on with Moiraine throughout s2 and people are dragging her and dismissing her without an ounce of empathy for what she’s been through, so I’m bringing the full character analysis for y’all (and my own sanity). So this is a big ol in defense of Moiraine (and Lan) rant, so if that’s not your thing, scroll down now. Here we go.

I just… The AUDACITY some people have to look at Moiraine and be angry and pissed off at how she acts in S2. To not feel any sympathy and empathy for her and the monumental weight she’s under every goddamn day. There’s a reason we start with that bath scene in 2x01 – it shows you everything. How she’s just going through the motions. How she only lets herself cry when she’s alone in the water. How she literally curls into the fetal position and looks reproachfully devastated over her knees as she hugs them to her chest in a futile attempt at comfort. Not to mention the direct comparison/callback with the bath scene in 1x01, where she has both her power and Lan still, and now she’s lost her connection to both of them.

How is it not painfully obvious that every interaction she has after that bath scene is infused with a trauma response? Let’s tally up the devastation she’s been through. At the end of S1, she was 1. banished from the sisterhood of the white tower (they literally turned their backs on her), 2. was separated AGAIN from the love of her life fully expecting to never see her again, 3. was cut off from the other love of her life (that would be Lan, for the record) which is all the worse bc it’s her own fault for masking the bond, 4. was fully made to believe she’s been stilled from the one power aka an integral part of her being, AND 5. she’s “failed” her mission at the eye of the world – the one goal she’s had for the last 20 years, her life’s purpose – because instead of locking away the dark one she’s directly caused Rand to set Ishamael free.

You don’t think it's justified to be a little pissed off and standoffish after all of that? You don’t think the weight of that guilt, grief, pain, and loss is a reasonable cause to be distant, cold, harsh, having a little bit of a death wish? That’s TRAUMA, baby! She is absolutely wrecked, and it’s coming out in the worst way in her interactions with others (especially Lan because we’ve seen how they should be), but it’s absolutely not because she actively wants to hurt the people around her. In fact after almost every moment she lashes out at someone, we see an equally sad/grief-stricken/devastated moment from her and THAT’S the real emotion hiding underneath the anger. This woman needs therapy and understanding and patience, and does not deserve to be judged at the worst time of her life.

Ok fine, you say, but Lan IS patient and understanding with her! And she’s still an asshole to him! You’re right, Lan is absolutely trying his best and doing just about everything he can to be there for her in 2x01/2x02 (with a little help from Verin and Tomas). But 1. It’s STILL not about him, Moiraine is not obligated to respond in a certain way to her grief and pain that makes him feel better, and 2. This is Moiraine goddamn Damodred and even her trauma response is also a front to protect him, to push him away from her and what is now certainly a suicide mission to fight the dark without her powers.

This is SOOO important to really get Moiraine’s character — y’all gotta understand this: Moiraine truly loves only TWO people on the whole fucking planet: Siuan and Lan. They are also the only people who truly love her, unconditionally, with all of her flaws and imperfections. Please please ingrain that into your brain, especially for Lan, in this context. (Siuan is a whole other conversation I won’t get into at the moment.) Moiraine loves Lan, he loves her, deeply. That’s the foundation of everything they go through with each other in this season, despite what’s happening on the surface.

Once you accept that as fundamental truth, everything makes a whole lot more sense. She is a dick to him to push him away. Literally tells him he failed her to put the final nail in the coffin of driving him away, which is his worst nightmare. On the surface it seems egotistic at best, plain cruel at worst. But look underneath. Moiraine always has reasons 2, 3, 6 layers deep for everything she does.

With everyone else she’s mean to this season, namely her sister and her nephew, it’s born out of distrust (and the aforementioned trauma response). She can’t afford to trust anyone because anyone could be a dark friend. (And if they’re not a dark friend, then they become a liability and endangered.) Anything she lets slip could be used to hurt/control Rand and push them all one step closer to eternal darkness. Oh and when we see Barthanes’ true nature that turns out to be fucking justified, by the way. But I digress.

Right so why is she an asshole to Lan then? Because she doesn’t trust him? I don’t believe that for a second. These two have been on the same page, literally sharing the same headspace, for the last 20 years – she knows he’s the best person she’s ever met, the least likely to ever turn to the dark, ever. It’s an actual impossibility. So it’s not that she doesn’t trust him. She literally marvels at how courageous he must be to fight the dark with only a sword.

The true reason is: she does trust him, she does love him, and she KNOWS him. She knows that he will never leave her like this, in her darkest hour. He is both honor-bound to her (which he takes very seriously) and deeply cares for her. The problem is that now his life is in serious danger by staying with her. But there is no calmly explaining to him that he should return to the white tower for his own good and bond to another aes sedai who can actually channel, who can actually hold up her end of the partnership and protect him and heal him in return for his loyalty and sacrifice. Or better yet, find Nynaeve, who is not only ridiculously powerful and has probably the best chance of protecting him out of anyone, but who also loves him.

If Moiraine loves him and wants him safe, the ONLY option she has to protect him, the one good thing left in her life even if their bond is masked, is to drive him away. To make it so that he’ll stay far away from her of his own free will, and never come after her and her suicide mission to defeat the dark. Because she has already lost everything, she has no control over her fate anymore (if she ever had any to begin with), but the ONE thing she can still try to do is keep him safe. And hopefully, maybe he’ll be happy, one day. Her reasoning is directly confirmed for us in the last thing she says to him in 2x02 before she leaves: “Light protect you, al’Lan Mandragoran.” That was her goal all along, to protect him.

That’s the true reason she’s Like That to him. It’s all out of her love for him, and a desperate desire not to drag him down with her when she’s sure she’s destined to die on this mission. Is her strategy misguided? On the one hand yes, because she does need people to help her and she needs to trust someone, as he points out. On the other hand, she’s absolutely fucking right because look what happened with the Fade fight at the end of 2x01. Both her and Lan would have died without Verin and Tomas, and it would have been because she couldn’t channel. He is factually, logically, physically better off without her as long as she’s “stilled.”

This is why it makes sense how Lan eventually responds the way he does. He initially sees right through what she’s trying to do, he literally says he won’t let her push him away. He knows her too, better than anyone, including Siuan at this point. But he isn’t expecting her to go as far as she does, and it shakes him to his core. She tells him he failed her, has his worst fears confirmed, and then hears the words “we were never equals” and hears that she thinks she’s better than him, when she means the exact opposite. Tomas tells him to really listen but he can’t, in that moment.

But then he gets some distance, and some perspective thanks to Ihvon and Maksim, and he remembers: he loves her. He believes in her and he knows her and he knows what she’s doing to push him away (although maybe not why, when it comes to protecting him, because he doesn’t see himself as someone who needs protecting). Even better, he realizes that her situation is actually not what she thinks, that she’s shielded not stilled, and he can do something about that.

I LOVE Lan in 2x07 because he’s got Moiraine’s number now, and he will not be swayed by any further attempts (rather weak attempts at this point) to lash out at him. He just takes all the shit she throws at him, and calmly asks her what he needs to know and tells her what she needs to hear (“hopefully everything we’ve lost” and “that’s what I thought” and “you need to trust someone, Moiraine”), and is truthful with her even if she is still putting on this act with him in her fear and grief. He isn’t having any of it, he sees straight through it to the fear and pain underneath. And he literally DECIDES they are going to be okay, and then he fucking. Follows. Through.

He is not a doormat to her rage, he is not her servant, he’s not going back to her with his tail between his legs. He SHOWS UP for her in her darkest hour, when NO ONE, not even Siuan, can see what’s going on with her. That’s a true friend, a true hero, and absolute king behavior.

In conclusion, Moiraine’s behavior in s2, while not cute, is totally justified given the trauma, circumstances and everything she’s dealing with (jfc the lack of sleep alone) and makes sense in light of her ultimate goal to protect the world, which includes protecting Lan. And Lan’s response, once he figures out what to do, is the absolute correct way to handle the situation and is not weakness at all but strength in the highest order.

I’m so glad we got the payoff of all that with their conversation in 2x08 and reconnecting the bond. It was so beautiful, so earned, and reminded us of the level they’re on with each other — which is a soul connection way beyond what any of us can imagine.

[funtheysaid]

IWTV 2x02 Initial Thoughts (Stream Of Consciousness)

- ooh the title card changed! I’ve been wanting to see the Eiffel Tower as a “fang” since season two was announced. WE IN PARIS BABY!

- ayooo three-way (interview) incoming

- Daniel’s “Paris sucks” aka “Paris is where my ex-bf is from and he sucks (dick), but not mine anymore, and no, I’m not bitter abt that, his city just fucking stinks (literally)”

- not two minutes in and Devil’s Minion is already flirting bickering

- ALICE MENTION alice!armand truthers are gon love that shit i just know

- “I’ll tell you what a woman is” That’s my sapphic-coded queen!!! 🕯️ pls S2 give me claudeleine 🕯️

- “Gauche” well, yes.

- Loumand: 🥰🥰 Daniel: 🙄 he‘s so second-hand embarrassed for them I can’t

- I mean, it’s crazy. What? We finish each other’s- I WAS WITH HIM FOR LONGER THAN LESTAT WAS WITH HIM WRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOWN DANIEL PUT IT ON RECORD WEVE BEEN FUCKING FOR LIKE DOUBLE THE TIME …that’s what i…was….gonna say?

- Louis would be that faux-intellectual hipster who has his own darkroom full of overexposed and blurry, unfocused photos that are his “art” bc he took them on film (affectionate)

- Not claudia calling him out on it in the next scene “let me think I’m deeper than I am” okay honey you do you

- “She’s miserable but she doesn’t want to fuck with your too delusional left bank dilettante vibes” ahh the narrative foils are foiling, I see

- The show: Alice was pregnant, My dumb ass: OMEGAVERSE DEVILS MINION !?!?

- “joyfully joyless” MOOD.

- Claudia looking at Madeleine like “I don’t know if I want to be her or be with her” Dw babe it’s a rite of passage for all of us you’ll figure it out

- “Your French is ugly” 🥹👉👈 weally?

- “the dress for my body” LOOK I know what she meant, but I can’t help it that my mind is perverted

- LMFAO NOT GLORYHOLE PARK

- okay why Loumand playing with my heart “I will never harm you. And I never have” wtf wtf wtf

-Oh no the ole business card trick! we all know that’s Louis’ kryptonite he loves a man with credentials

- i like girls, but why is santiago kinda…

- Woah the Annika scene was really hard to watch which I think was the point but goddamn idk if I’ll be able to rewatch that part

- Estelle is my self-insert. I’m claiming her.

- “You both fucked Lestat!?!” HOW DID THEY KNOW WE WANTED HIM TO SAY THAT!?

- “He tasted of vermouth and annihilation” We both know you have no earthly idea what that man tastes like, Armand. Be so fucking fr right now.

- Did Armand just casually drop that he had a threesome with a father and son? I’m sorry, sir????

- “Now I know what two blood fat cocks slapping hands feel like” When I tell you my spirit left my body

- oh shit here we go. I’m a caged animal and it’s time for my weekly enrichment. give me my loustat.

- there’s a letter !?!? Wait wait I wasn’t ready for something like this wait stop stop please

- “all my love belongs to you. you are its keeper” just take me out back and shoot me at this point

- “it is a thin veil” fucking fuck why was that so romantic??

- the blood tears welling up in Lestat’s eyes I’m-

- “Rebound of my life” and in that moment, he spoke for the people

- WHAT IS HAPPENING???? Jesus Christ, they were talking about Alice and then it cuts to FUCKING ARMAND!?! This is not a drill. Everyone to your stations, this is not a drill.

- “You sold your Dad’s playboy magazines at recess” Hmmm? You’re telling me a “straight” teenage boy sold porno mags instead of keeping them for himself??? Yeah, I call gay on that one

- “she wanted to say yes” you motherfuckers.

- Oh shit Louis is pissy tonight rawr kitty got claws

- Devils minion girlies are thriving, skin glowing, hair silky, breath minty, pillow cold, stomach full, dreams sweet, and by Jove, we fucking deserve it !!!!

- daniel’s shaky “um- gulp” …….guys this is gonna sound crazy but i think there might actually be a god

- ooh the camera/photography being like a divide or barrier between Louis and his present situation. Like he wants to capture the moments, but only as if an onlooker and not a participant… interesting!

- “Who?” will never not be funny

- “Mon ami” in the same episode as “Mon Cher” FUCK ME GENTLY WITH A CHAINSAW

- “Armand for you” nah nah nah i changed my mind, you can do like Leatherface and shove that chainsaw in rough and hard

- Close up on Louis’ conflicted face, fire blazing behind him…. That’s not foreboding in any way. I’m sure they’ll all live happily ever after from now on :D

What a ride! Until next week! 🧛‍♂️🩸

[trinityofone]

Queer cinema buffs, just wanted to point out something that leapt out to me about OFMD 2x02. The scene where Ed and Izzy talk after Izzy has had his leg amputated is framed and shot in a way that I think deliberately echoes Ben-Hur (1959).

We know Davey Jenkins is a classic cinema fan, and Taika and Con have compared Ed and Izzy to Jesus and Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar. I swear Con referenced Ben-Hur at one point too, though now I can't find a source. But it's a film with infamous gay undertones: Gore Vidal came on board and queered up the relationship between Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and his boyhood bestie/rival, Messala (Stephen Boyd) -- Boyd played them as former lovers intentionally, while Heston was, uh, not informed. (Vidal is a huge bitch about Heston in his memoir; recommended.)

Pictured: just bro stuff.

Anyway -- uh, spoilers for Ben-Hur -- in the scene in question, Messala, who has betrayed Judah and gotten him sold into slavery (it's a whole thing), then faces his rival in a chariot race, cheats, and is the source of his own downfall, getting trampled by horses. He is told he needs to have both his legs amputated or he will die, but he refuses and instead confronts his former friend (lover?) one last time.

I wish I could find better caps of this, but the way it's shot -- the dark room, the way the light plays across his face, even the angle of his head -- immediately popped into my head when I saw the parallel scene in OFMD 2x02.

(Gif by @hgedits)

Now of course, Izzy is not the cause of his own predicament to the extent that Messala is; he and Ed have both made the bed he now lies in together. Which is why Izzy gets to get up from his death bed and Messala doesn't.

Maybe, unlike Messala, he'll also be able to escape the Celluloid Closet! *manifesting Izzy Hands gay makeout scene in S2*

Anyway, Ben-Hur is a real good movie, you should watch it.

[spaceorphan18]

The Lady Whistledown Papers : 2x02 Off To The Races (Part 1)

Welcome back, Gentle Readers, to The Lady Whistledown Papers, where I’m taking an in-depth look at Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s character arcs and romance within the show Bridgerton!

For previous issues, follow tag : The Lady Whistledown Papers

Colin is back! Which means we have a lot to talk about :D

A Return Home

Before I get into the crux of this scene, I want to make a quick note about the opening Lady Whistledown narration -- which is mostly there to provide context and reiterate what happened in the first episode. But what I find most amusing is the commentary in relation to Penelope. Despite the fact she has some rather choice words to say about both Anthony and Kate, the amusing part is that she mostly doesn't seem to care all that much about it, and is just hanging out on the side of the wall with her bowl of popcorn ready to watch some drama that she has zero part in. Most likely unintentionally, it's also a nod to the fact that Penelope is even more removed from the main story than she was in Season 1.

Anyway, on to the scene at hand! We get Penelope coming to hang out with Eloise. And the first thing I want to note is that Violet is there -- and incredibly at ease with her. I believe, even though we have seen Penelope in the drawing room before, at dinner, and crossing paths with the entire Bridgerton family, this is the first time we've seen her exchange dialogue with Violet? But it's nice to see the comfort in which Violet has with Penelope. Not only does she seem like she's used to Penelope's presence, she even thinks Penelope would do some good in getting Eloise to think about things like marriage. It's a shame we don't get to see more of Penelope engaging with other Bridgertons, but at least there's some precedence to be had here.

When Penelope gets in, the first thing she does is note that Eloise is reading LW, and she's almost smugly amused by it -- especially when Eloise had claimed she was done with it. Violet then jumps in, encouraged that Eloise might be interested in finding a husband -- and I LOVE Eloise's line about how there's no other clever way to say 'no'. Claudia Jessie's delivery cracks me up every time.

So, they get into discussion about LW's slight change in writing - Eloise reiterating that she appreciates that LW stands up for women, and is somewhat less shallow than previous entries. Eloise is sure she can get LW to do more if she only had her ear, and Penelope, interestingly, states that maybe LW is content in how she writes.

Which kind of leads us to a big difference between the two. It's a continuation from the conversation they had in the previous episode. Eloise is is passionate about women's rights and independence, and her drive and desire to do more than settle down and get married. While Penelope, who does agree with Eloise that women she be allowed to do and be more, doesn't mind as much the whole getting married and (melo)drama of society.

Eloise is independent because she wants to be. Penelope is independent because she has to be. It's a subtle difference, but speaks volumes about the two women, and not only how they look at the world, but how the world has treated them, too.

I love the look on Violet's face when she jumps back into the conversation -- claiming that what Eloise really needs is happiness and that she could find that with another person - preferably a male person with whom she could marry. I love that she thinks that Penelope is going to be the one to help her convince Eloise to try.

Penelope says she could find happiness, not with LW but with someone like... Colin. Colin?! (Eloise's face when she says -- my brother -- mortified. I love it so much.)

Colin is back! Whoooo!

And of course, pointing out the obvious but not only is Penelope first to notice him walk into the room, but the first thing he does (even before that someone ridiculous push in with the camera) is notice her sitting there. It's not even a cursory glance, either, he full on stops and turns his body towards her (granted she is saying his name at that moment but still interesting to note).

(Eloise is smiling as she gets up to hug him - might be the one time she's actually happy to see him, lol. He is, after all, about to get in her way a lot more.)

So. Here's the fascinating thing about Penelope. In the previous episode - we've seen her at the top of her game, confident as LW and loving every second of it. And at the top of this episode, she's relaxed, assured, having fun coming between Violet and Eloise. And the second Colin walks into the room -- she is flustered and tongue tied and really unsure what to do with herself. This poor girl. Excited, thrilled that he's returned, especially after the correspondence they had while he was away. There's an intimacy they've shared already, that is just between the two of them, and of course, her deep feelings that have always been there. But now she's out of her element, and this is family time, and on top of the awkwardness, there's this sense that she's impeding the family space.

It makes me sad that we never really got to see what the dynamic was like when Penelope was over visiting the Bridgertons during season 1. Sure, we had the one family scene near the end of the season where she's there to spend time with Eloise. But it does make me wonder what Penelope and Colin's dynamic was like while she was at Bridgerton house -- because even here, their dynamic has shifted from what it was in Season 1. Ah well (I suppose that's what fanfic is for.)

But let's back up and talk about Colin's entrance for a moment. Because there's a lot to unpack in about a five second span.

Colin strolls in that room with a sense of confidence and positive energy. While we won't get a ton of details from the Greece/Mediterranean trip, but he's in good spirits, so we can only assume it went rather well. But Colin's first comment, noticeably, is that things haven't changed. This is somewhat directed at Penelope and Eloise still chatting away, but also that Violet is still sitting there doing her needlework, Benedict is just lounging around -- even though we are in a bright, new season, with the exception that Daphne is not there anymore, family dynamics really haven't shifted all that much -- and he has changed more than everyone else.

He's excited about his travels, and everyone is pretty much right where he left them. And there's some comfort in that -- returning home (and he has missed home) and finding that relief and comfort in everything being the same.

(It'll be an interesting contrast to when next season he returns, and everything is different.)

Also, let's talk about Colin's look for a moment. It's funny that people talk about the Season 3 changes, as if there weren't changes here, too. (I'd almost argue that Season 1 and Season 3's looks actually have more in common, and Season 2 Colin seems like an interesting detour.) The thing is Colin comes in looking much different than he had the previous year -- the hair is shorter, there's hair on his face, and doesn't look as boy-ish as he did in the first season.

(Btw - I did google Greek Fashion of the 1810s, just to see if his travels had any influence on his clothes, and my five second search didn't turn up any interesting results, so I can't talk to Colin's exact fashion here.)

The thing that interests me is the fact that (kind of like Penelope) this is that young adult stage -- that awkward (said affectionately) time between being young and looking it to looking like an actual adult. Part of it's make up, part of it's clothing, part of it is acting style (I mean, Nicola is a pro at being able to make herself appear nearly any age she wishes) - In Colin's case, in addition to all of that, we're watching Luke go from his mid-20s towards his 30s, and it kind of adds to the visual of Colin growing up.

Colin jokes that they should put aside the latest family squabble and embrace him. And it's nice to see that Colin has retained his lighthearted nature. In fact - after the amount of drama that happened to him in Season 1, it is nice to see such a beaming Colin return.

After Eloise, Violet hugs him next - and says she's surprised to see him back so soon. Which is interesting - what is the timeline here? How long was he gone? Why did they expect him gone longer? What is the norm for any of this? i have no idea. He does say that he misses them, and I have no doubt that he does. Family is a huge component in all of the Bridgertons' lives, and as much as I'm sure they all like to leave time and again, their familial bond is a strong one.

(And on a tangent, I kind of love that they keep picking up strays along the way.)

Anyway - Benedict is up next, happy to see his brother return - but it's Benedict gives him a curious look -- noting the physical changes, but we'll get to that comment in a second.

Time to talk about this infamous moment...

Penelope first... the moment he looks back to her, she gets excited - she's so giddy like -- here is her chance to possibly, maybe sneak in some physical contact. Which does make me wonder, they have danced together, held hands, he has brushed her arm. Has he hugged her before? She isn't his sister, but as we'll get into later in the episode, he doesn't think of her on the same lines as all the other women of the ton, either.

And then, oh, the awkwardness of her outstretching her hands just a little bit as if to receive a hug, only for the little Bridgertons to come racing around the corner. And she backs off immediately, not wanting to draw attention to herself, nor wanting to put her desires on display.

I also want to mention, cause I'll be digging into it more with Colin, that this is the first time they're seeing each other since writing to each other (for however long that was). And it's implied it wasn't a small or short correspondence either. I mentioned intimacy earlier, and yes that, but that means they now share something with each other that the rest of the world hasn't gotten to see. And that's special. And whether it be romantic or not, the fact that they've opened up and shared a part of themselves that they haven't with others is really important to their story. Penelope feels that connection - she always has, in a sense, or has always wanted that connection, but she now knows there is a reality to it.

Meanwhile. Colin. Dude. This is in an intense way to look at someone. He definitely did not look at any of his siblings or his mother this way. It's almost as if - when he sees Penelope, really looks at her, he sees her in a different light (and I'll define that more in a second).

There's no doubt, based on what we saw in the first season, there was care and affection from Colin to Penelope. But there was distance there as well. Not only was he too wrapped up in Marina, she was also Eloise's bff, another girl around, one whom he enjoyed and found amusing to be around sure, but he didn't really notice her.

So they've had this written correspondence and she's is now divorced from all the other connotations she has -- childhood friend, Eloise's bff, girl next door... She is Penelope - he sees her as a person in a way that he hasn't before. And -- we all know Penelope is better in written word than in person, so I'm sure those letters were delightful (and abundant), a way to keep him connected to home more than his own family, and as he's finding, she's someone he truly does like being in contact with. She's smart and witty and clever and manages to get him (as we'll see) when a lot of other people don't.

And all of that comes into play during this one moment. Where he looks at her and it's this kind of -- yes, good, Penelope, I need to spend more time with her.

Which brings me to a conversation that may be best to kick off here. I've often seen discourse about how and when Colin actually fell in love with Penelope. And -- I think trying to pinpoint an exact moment is something we can’t do with Colin. Because it wasn't one moment that made him fall in love with her.

And, I mean, before I get more into that I need to say this -- love isn't a definitive thing. It can be on a spectrum. It can take different shapes and forms. It can be romantic and it can be platonic and it can be familial. It can be casual, it can be intense, it can be easy, it can be difficult. There isn't one type of love. And I think me hammering this point in is just that this is one reason I really love the Polin story so much. Because it isn't about bam! in romantic/sexual love. It's about growing together and changing together and discovering love that's always been there.

Colin, in this moment, loves her. I don't think he necessarily recognizes it as that. And I don't necessarily think it's a romantic love, either. What he does know - and what this look signifies, is that he's coming back from his travels knowing that this person has changed his life, and he wants her in it more. She had bared herself in those letters, but so did he. And she saw him, too - which will be important as we go on. She is special to him. So even if it isn't romantic or sexual, it doesn't matter. They're connected in a way that they aren't to anyone else in their lives, and that's the important thing.

And... we're back to reality. Hyacinth and Gregory push back to jump on him as little siblings do. Benedict and Francesca tease him about his looks. It's also very much on brand for families (and I love it!).

Penelope, of course, gets that little sneaky line of stating that he looks distinguished -- not only defending him, but taking a rare moment to comment her admiration out in the open. Not that anyone notices her (and I think she's alright with that), but again, it's funny at how much she's backed off from the confidence she was showing in the first episode.

We don't get to see Colin make any kind of acknowledgement of what she said. The little Bridgertons are too busy arguing about their height (which, again, is such a sibling thing).

And, of course, we wrap the scene with the return of the 'intrepid viscount'. Eager and ready to take us to the next portion of the plot -- which happens to be a family outing to the races. And Colin is such an after thought, it's almost funny. Yo, Colin's back, great, I have to go best a girl, everyone to the races!

Colin doesn't get a moment to breathe (or unpack) -- family outing! Now!

Changes at the Featherington House

Penelope returns home from the Bridgertons to find that they've got some new decor at home. Jack has put up his musket rack, and the women of the Featherington house seem a bit (hilariously) perplexed by it.

Penelope calls him 'cousin Jack' and Portia is off-put by that. It's too familiar for her liking. Penelope calls her on it, wondering if Jack is bothering her, but Portia claims that it's fine. (It's not.)

Penelope almost doesn't know what to do with any of it. There are a lot of guns and a lot of deer heads and, you know, nice to have a little of that Americana pop up in this hoity British story (said with love). Jack comes in - claiming that there's a lot more decorating to do. Portia wishes he'd leave it to his own room, but Jack's like - nah.

Penelope goes from somewhat disgusted to intrigued very quickly. Her asking about whether or not he's shot them all feels -- a little crude and blunt, but also kind of hilarious for the moment. Jack tells her there are a lot of adventurous stories to tell -- and we all know Penelope loves a great adventurous story. She is still all in on Jack, despite Portia being pissed about all of it.

Jack tells them to all get ready, because they, too, are off to the races! (I love that this scene is there to somewhat tell Jack's backstory, but to also give them a reason to be at the races so they can continue with plot.)

And here we stop for now, first toe dipped into an episode that I really enjoy. :)

[greenqueenhightower]

On Why I Think The Sept Scene in 2x03 Actually Worked:

I am a Fire and Blood fan and sometimes a book purist when it comes to the show adaptations, and I understand why the Rhaenicent sept scene has upset many fans, but I think it worked well in grounding the conflict between Rhaenyra and Alicent for S2 within a cinematic/television universe. For better or worse, the writers, directors, and showrunners have to establish the Alicent-Rhaenyra feud all over again in S2, because of the possible new viewers tuning in who haven't watched S1. Therefore, for storytelling purposes, it makes sense why Alicent and Rhaenyra needed a "showdown." Let me explain:

The season picks up after Lucerys' death, and it is obvious that House Targaryen has split in two. This season's promotion made it very clear that we will deal with two factions, the Greens and the Blacks, who owe their existence to two main characters and principal figures: Alicent and Rhaenyra. Now, for a clueless viewer as to what bonds and divides the two, Alicent and Rhaenyra must interact this season for the feud between the two factions and their houses to be believable. As early as 2x01, we have Rhaenicent parallels with Rhaenyra lighting a funeral pyre and Alicent lighting candles in the sept. Episode 2x02 gave us motherhood parallels and built on how Alicent and Rhaenyra deal with grief. As the season progresses, the tension between Rhaenyra and Alicent heightens.

The theme of 2x03 is inevitable tragedy, the root cause of which is lost down the centuries, and once again, Alicent and Rhaenyra mirror each other in how they view the conflict destined to destroy their families. Rhaenyra is adamant in her resolve that Alicent has usurped her throne, and Alicent is relentless in her support of her son's rights. They are both blind to their own failings and actions until these are pointed at. Having Alicent point out Rhaenyra's faults and vice versa further heightens the tension and brings two polar opposites (the heads of the Green and Black factions as the promos and banners have established) into a frontal collision.

This confrontation, although I would have preferred it to portray Alicent and Rhaenyra as more power-hungry and vengeful, was necessary for their characters to finally strip away any delusions and become even more conscious players later on in the season. Alicent must accept that she wished for Aegon to become king because that was her duty to herself and her family, and Rhaenyra must satisfy her inner justification for plundering the realm to war since she has no further qualms for claiming back what's hers.

After the sept scene, both Alicent and Rhaenyra seem ready to reach out for more power and claim it themselves, not because Viserys wished it, but because it becomes a matter of personal ambition, self-preservation, and protection of their families. At the end of the sept scene, Alicent and Rhaenyra are left to mull over the startling revelations about themselves and their own motivations. They are closer to playing the game because they want to rather than because they've found themselves in the greater scheme of things.

Seeing each other face-to-face was the last straw that defied friendship and peace. They both know the war is inescapable, and that they are powerless to prevent it. To me, at least, the scene made a compelling statement regarding the inevitability of war and maintained the tension between Rhaenyra and Alicent needed for the show to progress.

Overall, I think that the Rhaenicent sept scene is justifiable and works well for storytelling purposes. Remember that we are watching a TV show instead of reading the book, and the showrunners have already established a bond between Alicent and Rhaenyra that was non-existent in the book. Viewing the scene in its appropriate cinematic framework does justice to the showrunners' vision of Alicent and Rhaenyra being the faces of this war.

*Spoilers:*

The show seems to be building tension for the great big Rhaenicent reunion at the finale. It makes perfect sense why Alicent and Rhaenyra have to interact at least once before that.