#2x10 spoilers sort of

[writefullyrobin]

No spoilers past 2x10 if possible folks!

2x01 – Under Pressure thoughts

OK. Wow. New season and there seems to be loads to unpack with just the first episode!

Let’s start with the two new characters!

Firstly Maddie – her intro was downright hilarious! Buck expecting Abby and finding his sister in the shower instead was not on my bingo card. I have a younger sibling myself and the idea of not being in contact with them for years just makes my heart ache. She’s definitely running from her ex-husband who even with just one phone call I would happily throw him off a cliff. He sounds like a real monster and I bet he looks attractive and unassuming because the worst monsters can always hide in plain sight. I’m super glad she’s here. And played by Jennifer Love Hewitt!! I love JLH so much. Ghost Whisperer was one of my favourite shows back in the day. Buck having some family around this season could be fun. He felt very adrift compared to the other’s last season and I just put it down to him being in his mid-twenties and having bounced around a bit as some people do at that age.

I love that Maddie is going to work at dispatch! I had wondered how they were going to deal with Abby’s absence because I loved seeing the dispatch side of things last season, so I’m really happy we’re not losing that. I also absolutely loved that she called attention to the fact that Abby’s tour of Europe definitely involves her banging other guys. Sorry Buck.

Secondly Eddie - *side eyes* did they seriously play “Whatta Man” for his introduction? I agree with Chim, he a very beautiful man and I appreciated the shirtless scene. And the slow mo… this scene gave off such “new love interest has arrived” vibes (the man was shirtless, if they didn’t want to emphasise how attractive he is, they wouldn’t have done that). And it ain’t for Bobby or Hen. Our two single boys are Chim and Buck, and Chim didn’t have any weird jealousy vibes going nor did he do a turn with a heavy camera focus on his rection to seeing said new guy which leaves… Buck?!

Who was so jealous of Eddie’s place in the team he genuinely didn’t seem to know what to do with himself. And I get it. Buck worked hard through season 1 to earn his place (and earn it he did) and to have someone who has just graduated from the academy be so competent must have been a little frustrating.

Their first big rescue together though… wow. All you could see flashing through Bobby’s mind was “oh my god, there’s two of them”. It was a speedrun to a brilliant partnership. (“we might end up real close” – is that foreshadowing rearing its head?)

I’m leaning towards the idea that Abby’s role in Buck’s life has been split between Maddie and Eddie – Maddie for the professional job and Eddie for the love interest. Time will tell if my guess is right but Buck was so prevalent in both their intros it would make sense.  

Also, what sort of historical expert doesn’t know the difference between live and practice rounds?!

The big leftover plot from the end of season 1 is Bobby and Athena and I might’ve squealed when she kissed him against the fire truck! I was so happy to see they’ve kept that going and they seem to be going strength to strength! Athena has some fears, which is justified. It’s scary moving forward and being together outside that cosy bubble they’ve built up. I loved Michael’s little pep talk for her. I’m relieved their friendship is still good.

I adore Chim and Hen’s friendship and hope we see more of it this season now Buck might’ve found his own partner and Chim no longer has a rebar through his brain(!). Her submitting a proper photo of Chim that showed him as the hero he really is was just so sweet. I’m really happy he got picked for the calendar.

And what was that ending?! Oh yeah, earthquake everyone! Oops sorry, it’s the end episode! Cruel!

[siobhom]

Succession 4x03 thoughts *Spoilers*

Thinking about how it will haunt Shiv that if she hadn’t declined Tom’s calls she would’ve gotten a chance to say goodbye to her dad

Thinking about Roman having that last voicemail haunt him

Thinking about Kendall having his last positive interaction with his father being Logan asking Kendall to be the sacrifice for cruises in 2x10.

Thinking about how it will haunt all of them that their last conversation was Logan apologising and them rebuffing that apology.

Screaming. Crying. Throwing up.

Connor being left out, as Connor is always left out, was done so organically. It could easily have played cold, but was done perfectly; it’s clear in that scene that Kendall and Roman are focussed on Logan and not able to think about anyone else- the only reason they were able to shift their thoughts to getting Shiv was due to Tom insisting on it several times.

It’s interesting that Tom didn’t even try to mention Connor. I wonder if he would have done the same if it had been Kendall or Roman who weren’t present. I did get serious villain vibes from Tom this episode, he’s the only one talking about deleting stuff and the way he tells Greg his uncle is dead is just cold. Though it does also feel like, out of the people who work at Waystar Tom is more moved, so it may in part be a grief reaction.

It’s intriguing to think about where Tom’s mind must be at, he was so close to the top- especially with Cyd and Gerri about to be fired, and then to be left with nothing. Especially after he gave up his marriage for this.

Also wonder what this will mean for TomShiv, can see it bringing them back together as Shiv leans on Tom and Tom likes being needed. I do think it will be a genuine love thing for both of them, but there is also the aspect that Tom now needs someone else in his corner.

And there’s also the matter of the will. What if the siblings are cut out? What if everything goes to Connor? Is he going to be CEO? What if everything goes to Kerry? What if everything goes to Tom? With the promo suggesting Tom is nothing now, it would be the sort of twist which could be coming.

[plotting-against-you]

Sibling Bonding

The Umbrella Academy

Characters: Diego Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves

Warnings: Very slight reference to thoughts of suicide, but nothing shown or shown.

SPOILERS FOR 2X10****

Swallowing down the water Sissy had offered them, Diego stared out the window overlooking the farm. The bodies of all the dead or unconscious Commission assassins were still strewn about the vast field, and it made him feel at least a little bit better knowing they were, at least for a little while, on good terms with them now.

Looking down at the empty glass in his hand, his thoughts switched to Lila. He’d fallen for her way before he even knew he could, but of course, life had to ruin everything again. He wasn’t sure how he felt knowing there were more than just the seven of them out there, especially as he had slept with her. Did this make her his sister? She was gone before he could really find out, and his heart hurt more than he’d like to admit when thinking about it.

The thoughts made his head hurt slightly, so he pushed them away. As he moved his hair out of his face, a silhouette sitting on the front porch caught his attention.

Vanya.

He knew they’d all had a rough day, even a rough few years for some of them, but he felt guilty when he thought of everything she’d been through. Setting the glass on the counter, he slowly pushed the door open and walked onto the porch. She paused as he sat down next to her, but a moment later, she laid her head on his shoulder.

Looking down at her, he sighed and laid his head on top of hers. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He could feel her body trembling.

“They’re not coming with us.”

Though he had figured that was the case, he still felt bad for her. She’d finally found people who actually loved her back in the way she deserved—even knowing Peabody was dead, he still wanted to make him suffer—and now she was losing them.

“I’m sorry.” He said sincerely. “Are you okay?”

She was silent, which wasn’t weird for her, but he unnerved him all the same. He let her sit quietly for a few minutes before trying again.

“Vanya.” His voice was firm, but concerned.

“No.” Her voice was small. “None of this is okay.”

“You’re right. It’s not.”

Lifting her head, Vanya’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

He was confused. “Why is that a surprise?”

“Because you hate me.” She reminded him.

That’s right—she remembered everything now. They’d all spent most of the last decade ignoring or hating each other, and now that they were all back together again, he regretted all of that lost time.

“I don’t.” He paused. “Not anymore.”

Her eyes softened, and she sent him a small smile that quickly turned into a wince.

His brow furrowed. “You okay?”

She shrugged. “Just some pain. It’s nothing.”

His eyes narrowed. “What kind of pain?”

She studied him for a minute. “Headache. Muscle aches.”

“You sick or something?” He questioned, just realizing how she looked slightly more pale than her usual pallor.

“I mean, I am sort of nauseous.” She shook her head. “I think it’s just the after-effects of the electroshock treatment I got from the FBI.”

Diego’s blood ran cold. He’d seen her come out of the interrogation room, asking if they were okay and telling them about Ben saving her before sacrificing himself. She hadn’t given them any details, and they hadn’t asked, though the hours since then had been filled with a lot of fighting and hiding from the feds.

“They tortured you?” His voice sounded more strained than he’d intended it to, but he didn’t care.

“It’s how I got my memories back.” She said, not wanting to touch that word. “They wanted answers I couldn’t give them.”

“No wonder your powers went crazy.” He was trying to stay aloof on the outside, but inside he was pissed.

They had tortured his sister, and all he’d been focused on was saving the president. He should have found her faster or protected her in the first place.

Looking down, Vanya played with the edge of her sleeve. “Yeah…I’m just glad I didn’t cause the apocalypse again.” She smiled sadly. “I don’t know; maybe I deserved it all.”

“What?” Diego was shocked. “That’s bullshit, Vanya, and you know it.”

“Why, Diego?” Her voice was stronger now. “I destroyed the world! I killed Mom and Pogo! I…” She trailed off.

“What is it?”

“I told Ben that I don’t deserve to live.” She said quickly. “I’m still not sure.”

“Vanya…” Turning to face her, he grabbed her hand. “please don’t ever say or think that again. You’re our sister, and we love you. We’ve already lost Ben…I can’t lose you too.”

“Thanks, Diego.” Vanya sighed. “God, this day has sucked.”

He nodded. “Seriously.”

Then he looked down at her again. “You gonna be okay?”

Smiling up at him, he could tell she was finally starting to feel better. “You know what? I think so.”

“Then come on,” he stood and reached for her hand, pulling her to a standing position. “I think it’s time we got back to 2019 and find out what we left behind.”

“Yeah.” She agreed. “Let’s go home.”

[alittlehurtwithyourcomfort]

Cobra Kai Whumplist

Characters: Miguel Diaz (played by Xolo Maridueña), Robby Keene (played by Tanner Buchanan)

Age Rating: TV-14

Show available on Netflix

(The styling of this whumplist is inspired by @love-me-a-lotta-whump​ who has an amazing blog, go check them out!)

Genre: Action, Drama, High-School, Ensemble, Found Family

Synopsis: Two former high-school karate rivals start their own dojos, each taking in teens who are social outcasts. 

Note: This show is a sequel of sorts to the Karate Kid movies, and even has the same actors (all grown-up, of course). It’s packed full of references, but there are enough flashbacks to the movies where general knowledge will get you through it. The characters, old and new, are compelling and the action is fun. Also SO MUCH FOUND FAMILY <3 

TW’s: severe bullying, child abuse, child neglect, blood, violence, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, mental health issues/trauma

List Key:

bold = most whump, best whump, or favorite whump scenes

~~ = scene break

THIS LIST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES!

_____________________________________________________________

Character: Miguel Diaz (played by Xolo Maridueña)

1x01: bullied, humiliated, kicked, shoved

1x02: thrown to the ground (comedic), groaning, using an inhaler (comedic) 

1x03: bruised knuckles ~~ zip-tied, tossed in a swimming pool (comedic) ~~ fought, beaten ~~ found, barely conscious 

1x04: carried, bloody face, in pain ~~ bruised face, band-aid on his forehead, ice pack on ribs, sore ~~ bullied

1x05: sparred, hit in the ear by a baseball (comedic), bruised ear ~~ sparred ~~ fought

1x06: shoved to the ground (comedic)

1x07: none

1x08: upset

1x09: drunk, angry

1x10: sparred

2x01: upset

2x02-2x03: none

2x04: sparred ~~ worried 

2x05-2x08: none

2x09: uncomfortable, concerned

2x10: very rough fight, bruised + bloody face ~~ rough fight, kicked off of a balcony, broken spine, unconscious ~~ in a coma, neck brace, oxygen cannula, concern for him 

3x01: in a coma, dreaming, concern for him 

3x02: still in the hospital, in pain, weak voice ~~ paralyzed, worried, teary-eyed ~~ “The doctor told my mom I might not walk again”, argued, choked-up voice, teary-eyed, crying/sobbing

3x03: still in the hospital, tired

3x04: still in the hospital, frustrated, upset ~~ frustrated, trying to walk, falls on the ground

3x05: physical therapy ~~ in a wheelchair, trying to get up, falls, groaning, helped back into wheelchair, frustrated 

3x06: trying to stand, falls ~~ falls, helped back up, argued, teary-eyed, emotional, hugged

3x07: on crutches, training himself to walk again, emotional ~~ frustrated

3x08: falls, frustrated ~~ argued, yelling, teary-eyed

3x09: frustrated

3x10: very rough fight, bloody/bruised face, heavy breathing

4x01: bruised face 

4x02: none

4x03: shoved into cold water (comedic), embarrassed 

4x04-4x06: none

4x07: emotional, crying 

4x08: fought, thrown into a pool, argued, upset ~~ emotional, crying, upset

4x09: upset ~~ sparred, pulled muscle, in pain, collapsed, concern for him

4x10: medical exam, scar on his back ~~ emotional

5x01: fought, upset 

5x02: threatened ~~ nervous, upset, crying, hugged

5x03: crying

5x04: argued, emotional 

5x05: argued, upset ~~ fought, emotional, hugged

5x06-5x07: none 

5x08: worried 

5x09: worried 

5x10: fought 

_______________________________________________________________

Character: Robby Keene (played by Tanner Buchanan)

1x01-1x03: none

1x04: upset ~~ argued 

1x05: upset ~~ angry

1x06: sparred ~~ rough fight, out of breath

1x07-1x08: none

1x09: upset, yelled at, scared 

1x10: dislocated shoulder, collapsed, angry ~~ shoulder set into place, in pain

2x01: sling on his arm ~~ argued

2x02: worried ~~ upset ~~ concern for him 

2x03: worried

2x04: upset ~~ threatened, hit in the head, knocked to the ground ~~ holding his head in pain, choked, at knife-point, shoved to the ground ~~ sore

2x05: fought 

2x06: fought

2x07: none 

2x08: upset, rough fight

2x09: bloodshot eye, upset ~~ concerned 

2x10: worried, upset ~~ rough fight, bloody face, concerned

3x01: no appearance

3x02: upset, teary-eyed, restrained, handcuffed, arrested 

3x03: in prison, stressed ~~ very rough fight, bruised face, kicked in the ribs, breathing heavily/wheezing, in pain ~~ bruised face, teary-eyed ~~ upset

3x04: bruised face ~~ bullied

3x05: frustrated ~~ rough fight ~~ bloody/bruised face

3x06-3x07: none 

3x08: angry

3x09: none

3x10: fought, argued, knocked out, concern for him ~~ bruised/bloody face

4x01: sparred

4x02: sparred

4x03: none

4x04: sparred, heavy breathing ~~ frustrated, argued 

4x05-4x06: none

4x07: sparred

4x08: fought

4x09: sparred

4x10: angry, sparred ~~ emotional, crying, choked-up voice, hugged

5x01: fought

5x02: fought 

5x03: none

5x04: frustrated, argued

5x05: argued ~~ fought, bloody nose, emotional, hugged

5x06-5x09: none

5x10: rough fight, gasping for air, half-collapsed ~~ emotional

[greatgatsbyhateblog]

Hi sorry I have been quiet on if I’ve watched any more disco episodes and stuff (I have btw), it’s just that one very specific scene has taken up every bit of brain power I have to attempt to break down or comprehend, and I have been thinking about it for an entire 24 hours now, and will continue to think about it for at least another week or so.

since I can’t talk with my mom or brother about it (no thank you vague homophobia), and none of my friends watch Star Trek, I have been internalizing every goddamn thought or hal-thought I have, and it is going to drive me insane.

I cannot begin to explain my emotions on this scene, but I think this doodle best describes the general gist:

or, like, very high-pitched and very confused-sounding laughter, intermingled with spluttered “wh..what? What the?? Huh?? Wait did.. did I imagine that???”s and the like.

i have, by no means, collected my thoughts at all into proper, clear sentences, but I must inflict this all upon y’all, so at least I am not suffering alone :)

SPOILERS FOR DISCOVERY EPISODE 2x10 “The Red Angel”

First off, the paragraph on this scene in the memory alpha recap only sort of does this scene justice.

second, AAAAAAAAWHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK IM LOSING MY MIND WHAT THE F U CK WAS THAT??????????????????????????

ok and with that out of the way (for now), I’m talking/thinking/losing my mind over the scene in engineering (I think that’s where it was) where Stamets, Tilly, and Georgiou are talking about how to trap the Red Angel or smthn and then Georgiou calls Stamets “neurotic“, which I had to look up, and I am mad (/hj) about that bc he’s just adhd leave him alone ok!! And then Culber walks in and, yknow, things get awkward bc he and Stamets are currently.. at odds.. :| and Georgiou is like “male tension ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)” which is weird and vaguely uncomfortable but not at ALL the weirdest or most uncomfortable thing that is said in this scene. And then she (Georgiou) is trying to come onto Paul or somethin, and then she is DEFINITELY coming onto him, AND HUGH IS STANDING RIGHT THERE THIS WHOLE TIME PLEASE SAY SOMETHING????? And then thank god he fucking does, but that only makes things worse bc he’s like “hes gay,, stop??” and she’s like “actually no I don’t think I will because fun fact he’s pansexual in my universe and we fucked big time, all the time, and you joined us too, and it was great and I’d love to do it again if you know what I mean ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)” HI WHAT THE FUCK? and Stamets and Culber are both like “can you please not?? I’m gay, he’s gay, we’re both very gay. We don’t want to join your polycule thing, even if it (polycules) is a staple part of Star Trek. I’m begging you, please stop talking about this” (FUCKING UH YEAH UNDERSTANDABLY???????) and then Georgiou is like “glad we all agree :)” AND JUST,, FUCKIN L E A V E S??????????????????? HI WHAT???? And Tilly, who, poor soul, has been standing there for this entire thing, is like “w h a t w a s t h a t ??????”

AND THEN ITS OVER SND HAS YET TO BE MENTIONED SINCE??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? HELP PLEASE I FEEL LIKE I IMAGINED IT BUT NOPE ITS RIGHT THERE IN MEMORY ALPHA???????? I NEED A FUCKING THERAPIST I CANT DEAL WITH WHATEVER THE FUCK THAT JUST WAS!!

oH YEAH AND AT SOME POINT GEORGIOU CALLS CULBER “Papi”???????? IM CRYING WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HELP HRLP HELP HELP PLEASE GEORGIOU I WAS STARTING TO THINK U WERE KINDA COOL BUT NO THANKS ANYMORE I THINK I SM GOOD PLEASE I CANNOT STOP THINKING SBOUT THIS IT HAS BEEN OVER 24 HOURS NOW HELP ME

HERE HAVE THIS SHITTY COMIC(?) I MADE BECAUSE I HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO BEGIN TO COMPREHEND THIS SCENE:

*continues screaming*

[twiilys]

twilys' fanfiction masterlist

all my works are posted on my AO3, and i will sometimes post WIPs here (my writing tag is #twilys writes, fics tags are #fic: name of the fic). pls ask me for playlist/songs recommendation to go with the fics, i'm dying to share them!

works are completed unless stated otherwise.

~°~

Anne With an "E"

the colours through her eyes: Josephine/Gertrude, first meeting in 1840s Paris, pre-canon

a dream place for lost birds: Josephine & Cole with background Josephine/Gertrude, a spin on Cole's adoption (2x10) in which he gains 2 aunts instead of one

thou and i are too wise to woo peaceably: Anne/Gilbert, modern marketplace AU, strangers to lovers, the Carrots Incident

of late nights and early mornings: Anne/Gilbert, no plot/reflective piece, a look at their thoughts on mornings/evenings throughout their lives

what lies ahead: Anne/Gilbert, fix-it of sorts, the Winnie we deserved to see, fluff and angst

The Long and Winding Road: Anne/Gilbert, + Diana for the golden friendship trio, Wild West AU of sorts, rescue mission to save Minnie May, slow burn, ONGOING (#fic: the long and winding road)

the night brings wisdom: Anne/Gilbert, pining and late night discussions

~°~

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

time to learn: Jeralt & Byleth, pre-game father/daughter relationship with school shenanigans

the most painful is when you heal: Cyril/Lysithea, birthday fluff with a dash of angst that relates to Lysithea being a Victorian heroine

as you wish: Claude/Byleth, cozy day-in watching movies and stuffing themselves silly

kitchen duty: Raphael, Marianne, Lysithea & Leonie, kitchen duty that may or may not have led to catastrophe

meet me in the in-between : Cyril/Lysithea, ficlet collection for Cysithea Week 2022, UNCOMPLETED

~°~

The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom

the light dragon's tale : Hyrule folklore, light dragon, spoilers for dragon tears quest, myths and legends

~°~

Lockwood & Co.

spinning on that dizzy edge: Lucy/Lockwood, 5+1 things if you squint, no Problem AU, lakeside setting, holiday romance, not all is as it seems (#fic: spinning on that dizzy edge)

shadow play: Lucy/Lockwood, wedding fluff, first dance, light-hearted teasing

love (i just couldn't let go): Lucy/Lockwood, short make-up scene after a fight, written for the Lockwood and Co Flash Fiction challenge

come a little closer (then you'll see): Lucy/Lockwood, the Lockwood family all lived AU, Fittes!Lucy, Black Library scene, what if Lucy was Penelope Fittes' protégée and Lockwood tried to break in to recover something for his parents' research

[ober-affen-geil]

I did a post, by request, about forgiveness earlier based on two different character relationships we have seen with Alex. This is sort of related to that, but also about the small window into the Manes family dynamic that we are getting to see glimpses of. There will be spoilers for season 2 through 2x10 so heads up for that. (Also, you know, this is based ONLY on everything through 2x10 so I’m calling it like I see it now, no liability for future nonsense that may or may not joss me.)

We met Gregory in 2x10, another Manes brother, and an interesting parallel to Flint in 1x12 jumped out at me so I’d like to talk about it here. CW for discussion of child abuse, homophobia, victim blaming, and gaslighting.

What I want to highlight is than in both episodes, 1x12 with Flint and 2x10 with Greg, both brothers acknowledge the abuse Alex suffered under Jesse. But the way each of them does so and the way Alex receives the sentiment is wildly different, and I think it tells us a lot about the family dynamic of the Manes brothers that we are not otherwise able to see.

*A small disclaimer about my headcanons, we know in canon that Flint is older than Alex. Personally, the way I interpreted the body language in the scene with Alex and Gregory is that Gregory is younger than Alex so that’s where I’m coming from analytically. Also, given that we know Flint is being blackmailed by Jesse, it’s very likely that all the Manes boys were raised in an abusive environment. It does also appear, from remarks that both Flint and Gregory make, that Alex had it “worse”, so my headcanon is that Alex bore the brunt of the physical abuse.*

I’ll start with Flint, because we meet him first. Significantly, we meet him in a military setting. This is Jesse’s world. Also, as is implied later, Jesse’s sphere of influence. Flint has clearly bought into Jesse’s worldview in at least part (the aliens), and feels powerless enough against him to accept the rest as unchangeable.

We see this also in the way he talks to Alex, “Do you ever get tired being the black sheep of the family?” The phrasing of this is distinctly victim blaming in nature. As if Alex could stop being the “black sheep” if he wanted to. It’s not necessarily implying that Alex could choose not to be gay, we actually see nothing about Flint in canon that indicates he’s homophobic in the way Jesse is, but it is implying that if Alex stopped making trouble he could be accepted. Like the responsibility lies with Alex, not with Jesse.

In fact that seems to be Flint’s strategy of dealing with his father if Alex’s rebuttal (Do you ever get tired of following the flock?) is any indication. So Flint’s relationship with Alex falls along the lines of Jesse’s. Again, Flint seems to have swallowed part of it whole (Alex could prevent his abuse if he wanted to) and accepted some of it as something he can do nothing about (”I know it wasn’t easy for you, growing up with Dad” aka, Alex was, in fact, abused). 

There’s an interesting dynamic physically too. Discounting the moment in the corridor with the gun, since neither of them knew who the other person was at the time, there is a moment in the research room where Alex turns to leave and Flint grabs him

[ID: Inside the research and development room at the prison, season 1 episode 12. Alex is standing next to Flint (who is in uniform), arms folded close clutching the straps of his backpack. He turns to go and Flint grabs the top of his bag, yanking him back towards himself. Alex’s arms fling out slightly as he looses his balance.]

A couple things here. One, Flint is showing no regard for Alex’s personal space. He exerts control over Alex without hesitation; he doesn’t want Alex to leave and his first instinct is to prevent him from doing so physically. He puts his hands on him like they have a right to be there. Two, Flint yanks him in a way that puts Alex off balance. I don’t think it was necessarily deliberate, just the first thing he thought to do, but Flint knows Alex is missing part of his leg. Earlier in the scene Alex made reference to the fact that Flint is “able-bodied”, jerking Alex like that (towards his prosthetic side no less) shows complete disregard for the fact that Alex would have more trouble than most with keeping his feet. (He doesn’t fall but that’s not the point.)

The most telling thing though is Alex’s reaction to Flint. When he offers an, apparently genuine from his standpoint, expression of regret for Alex’s abuse (I tried my best to protect you from him) Alex rejects him out of hand (oh, spare me). To Alex, Flint’s olive branch has no meaning. Either because he feels it’s an empty gesture or because he believes it’s a false one. 

Gregory offers an opposing viewpoint. Like Flint, the setting in which we meet him is significant. Not only is it civilian, it’s on a Diné reservation where he apparently lives. We haven’t met Alex’s mother yet and we know almost nothing about her in canon so I can’t speak to exactly what it means that Gregory is choosing to center his life with his mother’s side of the family. But symbolically, from an overarching analysis standpoint (which is my playground), there are a few things.

Alex’s mother represents Jesse’s opposite in almost every way. In the physical, female versus male and Native versus White, but also ideologically. We know at some point that she left the Manes family, which represents a rejection of Jesse’s influence and beliefs. Gregory not only leaving the Navy when it was his time but also choosing to live in a place where the US Government has extremely limited legal jurisdiction represents a similar rejection. Something Alex acknowledges when he congratulates Gregory for “getting out”.

Gregory’s language also sets him apart from Flint, he repeatedly aligns himself with Alex’s standpoint over Jesse’s. “I don’t think I get to be free until you are, Alex” indicates that he feels it is his responsibility to carry the burden of abuse as long as Alex does. In fact, carry the burden of Alex’s abuse specifically, “Let me hate him for you” tells me he is not hating Jesse for his own reasons.

“I wish that I would have stood up for you more” and “I owe you that much” also places the responsibility for Alex’s abuse on Jesse (and himself, he feels guilty) and NOT on Alex. Flint seems to imply that it was something Alex could have avoided, or made less worse, if he had kept his head down and fallen in line. Gregory is placing the blame on the abuser, not the abused.

Physically, unlike Flint, Gregory respects Alex’s physical boundaries. They greet each other with a handshake, and when Gregory goes to say goodbye he offers his hand again. 

[ID: Alex and Gregory stand facing each other, their torsos and waists visible but their faces out of frame. Gregory takes his right hand out of his pocket and offers it towards Alex for a handshake. He makes no other move forward.]

Importantly, this is the only move he makes. He doesn’t move into Alex’s space and he doesn’t grab Alex’s hand. He’s following the lines set down by their previous interaction; he’s not asking or expecting anything more from Alex. He does not believe himself to have a right to Alex’s personal bubble. Alex is the one to initiate the hug, not Gregory. And again, Alex’s reaction is the most telling part in all of this. 

Aside from granting Gregory access to him physically (the hug), he also explicitly invites him to visit him in Roswell, granting access to his home and personal sphere. Alex is giving permission to Gregory to involve himself in Alex’s life, which is something we don’t see with Flint.

This kind of comes back to the forgiveness part I mentioned at the very beginning, it’s clear that Flint does not have Alex’s forgiveness or trust and that Gregory does. The thing is, neither one of them asked him for it, but the reason why dictates which one he grants it to. 

Flint didn’t ask for forgiveness because he doesn’t think he needs it from Alex. Flint is the one putting blame on Alex for how he was treated, in no way does he hold himself responsible for what happened growing up. In his own mind he did what he could and that was enough. Gregory isn’t asking for forgiveness because he doesn’t think he deserves it. It’s obvious that he is blaming himself as much as Jesse for what Alex went through, and he on some level expects Alex to do the same.

It’s a great dichotomy, and it’s a wonderful way of gaining a lot of insight into something that has only every really been off screen. I’m looking forward to finding out more of the Manes family dynamic as we go along, but picking scenes like this apart is honestly a little more fun for now.

[someoneoffthestreet]

Fruits Basket 2x10

My internet has been pretty spotty this past week, so there were issues watching this episode. Ah well.

Maybe it’s just me, but the animation seems kind of janky this episode, especially in comparison to last week’s.

Again, the more I hear about Mogeta, the more confused I become.

I have an extremely soft spot in my heart for Kyo and Momiji’s relationship, and any scene involving the two is good times in my book. But this one’s especially good, where they’re able to quietly admit things to each other so seriously, only for Momiji to leap right into teasing Kyo the instant Tohru makes herself known without missing a beat.

Also, Momiji is definitely getting taller.

I honestly flinched when Akito hit Momiji. Like, I did not remember it being that severe, like I thought it was going to a slap or something, not a flat out punch like that. And with the blood and everything? Yeah. Yikes.

So I remembered the blocking and progression of this scene much, much differently than how it played out, but checking the manga showed me that this episode got it right, not me. For some reason, I thought the reveal of Akito being God came before Akito dropped the bomb about Kyo being confined, but nope.

Oh yeah, now Tohru knows about Kyo being confined.

Ok, but- Akito scratching Tohru’s face, and then just super casually introducing Tohru to Kureno? Like that has to be on purpose, how jarring that is, to emphasize how mercurial Akito can be.

That hug between Tohru and Momiji lingered a looong while before he transformed.

...Rin, honey, have you changed clothes at all in the last few days. What are you doing..

Once again, Akito sets out to break one of our main characters, but unintentionally accomplishes the opposite. It would seem that telling Tohru about Kyo’s situation simply made her stronger. Whoops. 

Spoilers under the cut.

Tohru overhearing Momiji and Kyo just casually admitting that they love her. The funniest part is that all three of them don’t really get the subtext.

Second Ren-drop this season and I am gonna throw a freakin’ chair.

Anyway, Akito gets some sort of news about Ren, and immediately goes to find Tohru to tell her to butt out.

Beyond the shipper moment of Tohru thinking of Kyo separately from the Zodiac, Tohru keys in almost immediately to the fact that Akito is subject to the curse as well, and all which that implies.

But really, Tohru thinking about the curse being a chain that binds everyone subjected to it, and her brain immediately goes to Kyo? And how this moment irreversibly changes Tohru’s priorities in who she’s fighting and living for? Amazing, you really love to see it.

Yuki grabs a clue and realizes that Rin’s motivations aren’t necessarily for herself.

[lambourngb]

Spoilers for “American Woman”

From the writers of  1x03, 1x10 and 2x06 ... Rick Montano & Vincent Ingrao. Sigh.

I feel like every episode this pair of writers does leaves me with the same feeling- that Michael and Alex are not good for each other and that’s a serious kick in the chest because this is my ship. I only want Malex. My brain has no interest in anything else, and trust me I tried to like or be interested in the “others” because I do want them to be happy if they can’t be happy with each other.

Rick Montano & Vincent Ingrao are very talented in scripting very small moments that I like (”You stayed” for example), but the bigger picture I get isn’t rosy for me. In fact, the only thing that seems to change in my mind is who is not good for the other- because it flip-flops.

In 1x03- on first watch, before we had the context of 1x06 - I was extremely turned off by the “criminal” fight and the retreat into closeted behavior that Alex did. I don’t enjoy watching storylines where one side of a queer relationship is ashamed of the other side- either for money or internalized homophobic reasons. Obviously I came around and understood Alex’s motivations once I had the context of 1x06 and later 1x08 but first run? Not a good look and I wanted more for Michael. [Grade A for the beginning, Grade F for the ending for Malex]

In 1x10 we had some real progress in opening up about secrets between them, open communication but then the panicked retreat at the sight of plans to leave the planet- and yeah, the way i saw it was there were two traumas, revolving around abandonment, smashing into each other, and I thought, oh these two love each other but neither of them can trust the other will stick it out when things get rough. They both need some therapy to work this out instead of having metaphor cross-conversations. I was a little hopeful with 1x09 “I want to be friends” but with Michael with one foot off the planet, and Alex with one foot out the door - the misunderstanding of “he is bolting because I’m an alien” versus “I’m too messed up to make this work if there’s a clock ticking” just made me want to lay down on the floor.  [Grade A for the beginning Grade F for the ending for Malex]

2x06 ... I have already aired my grievances on that one, but this time I felt like Michael was the thing Alex needed to be away from. It was too painful for Alex to see the possibility of an almost-boyfriend relationship with Michael, so he had to let it go. shut it down and move on because it was never going to happen. All the times Michael said no in season 2 crystallized and that penny dropped for Alex, this is hopeless- I can’t tell you how much that breaks my heart. [Grade B-plus for Alex talking about Michael in the beginning Grade F for that ending ]

And now I have 2x10′s bunker conversation.

I mean, outside of the odd choice of Alex saying he wanted to believe there was still good in Jesse to Michael- a man who suffered a violent painful injury and oh yeah believes Jesse murdered his mother (that’s a big ask, Alex), what I really pulled from that conversation was Michael’s angry and bitter outlook on the world wore Alex down- he literally CAN’T LIVE seeing the worst in everyone and expecting someone to let him down. Michael’s negative world view is toxic to Alex, because Alex needs hope so he can find a reason to carry on and not explore the only way off the planet. He needs to believe that people can change. He needs to believe that there is forgiveness in this world.

Michael doesn’t believe in any of that anymore.

He doesn’t believe people are good. He believes only in a handful of people, and everyone else are “humans”.

I’ve got a friend who is like Alex, caring and looks for the best in people, and she is married to someone who believes you can’t trust someone not to betray you and the only people immune to his negative world view are his mother and his wife. It’s fucking exhausting for my friend to live with that sort of darkness.

Alex is already tired, and... Michael? As much as he loves Michael, makes Alex tired. I don’t know if Michael, going on a rampage to save Alex on June 1st, is the type of thing that changes this. I don’t feel like they are moving closer to each other on this “journey”. And that makes my only-beats-for-Malex heart break. [Grade C for the beginning- Michael praising Alex’s information gathering skills, and that tiny glance at Forrest? Grade F for that ending for Malex]

[bunnykaye]

Disclaimer: this list would be HELLA LONGER but @aosrecweek made such a comprehensive division of fics per day for the whole week that this list is mostly canon-divergent/canon fix-it/AUs 😝😝😝

Palmer's Kiss by @sunalsolove (E, 18k words) - Academy AU featuring one of my most favorite tropes -- SOULMATES! And the way two people finding out who is their soulmate is SO INTERESTING in this fic ;) P.S. There is a FANTASTIC fanart by @agentofship​ and graphic by @antoine-triplett​! ❤️

F.I.T.S. by TomatoBookworm (T, 25k words) - S1/post 1x02 AU where Jemma cooks up a plan to convince Fitz to explore a romantic relationship! OH! And also: F.I.T.S. means Fall In Twenty Steps. Haha!

Undercover by @ritalara​ (E, 39k words) - 2x22/S3 AU where Jemma DOES NOT get swallowed up by the monolith and instead goes through with her date with Fitz. The story jumps from before and after their date but don’t let that confuse you! This is a must-read!

All Through the Night by @blancasplayground/@libbyweasley​ (E, 31k words) - S2 AU where undercover Hydra!Jemma talks to Fitz through dreams. Alternating POVs between Fitz and Jemma (it gets hot *fans self*)

Model Agent by @robotgort​ (E, 13k words) - S1 AU where Fitz goes undercover as a model and Jemma is veeeery affected 😜

The Sleeping Beauty Curse by @libbyweasley​ (E, 26k words) - EEEEEEEE!!!!! S1 AU where Jemma pricks herself with an 0-8-4 and wakes up in the future. Alternate POVs between Fitz (present) and Jemma (future). GOSH you should see future husband!Fitz. *swoon*

Impossible by @sunalsolove​ (T, 22k words) - QUITE POSSIBLY MY MOST FAVORITE S1 AU FIC EVER!!! I re-read this a lot 😍 a S1 AU where Fitz and Simmons gets handed a mysterious baby and how that baby connects to them.. you’ll see! AAAAHHHHH!!!!! THIS IS ADORABLE YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!!!!

I'll See You on the Other Side by @jemmafitzsimmons​ (T, 36k words) - WHAT I WOULDN’T GIVE FOR THIS TO BE CANON, TBH. Framework AU where there is no SHIELD, Fitz isn’t head of HYDRA (he has his own corporation) BUT Jemma and Daisy is. Their lives inevitably intertwine in the FW world though, and this is an amazing take on it!

Burn Down the Disco by Rozjozbrod (E, 28k words) - this is a Black Mirror AU (and techically should be in Day 7 of AoS rec week) but the PLOT TWIST at the last chapter will make sense *wink wink* THIS IS AMAZING.

It Sucks to Be You by @memorizingthedigitsofpi (M, 48k words) - another post 2x22/S3 AU where Jemma gets sucked by the monolith... AND SO DOES FITZ. 😱 And the monolith doesn’t transport a body to another galaxy but instead swaps two bodies! A hilarious fic BUT WITH LOTS OF FEELS!

I See My Future in You by forestfantail (G, 19k words) - Academy AU where Fitz gets a glimpse (or more like a play-through) of the future... BUT WITH THE WHOLE ACADEMY (AND JEMMA) TO SEE. Feels-inducing coz there is MISUNDERSTANDING involved, but oh when both of them find out what happens in the future though! 😜

While You Waited in Darkness by @the-nerdy-stjarna (G, 67k words) - S3A AU where Jemma gets transported to Maveth, meets Will but the relationship is PURELY PLATONIC. Also, something happened between Fitz and Jemma before she got transported to another galaxy 😱 YOOOO this fic made me BAWL MY EYES OUT 😭😭😭

Fake It 'Til You Make It by @kienova66 (E, 21k words) - S1 AU where FitzSimmons tricks Skye into pretending they’re doing the frickle-frackle by making sex sounds so Skye could hear 🤣 Man I love pretend relationship tropes 😍😝

Can't Take the Heat by @memorizingthedigitsofpi​ (E, 70k words) - FIRST OF ALL... *fans self* SciOps/pre-S1 AU where Fitz bunks in with Jemma’s apartment for a bit because of a busted air conditioner.. and gets their relationship sorted out waaayyyy earlier. Smutty McSmutsterson!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥 Misunderstandings by AmandaRex (E, 25k words) - post-S3A AU where Jemma leaves SHIELD but gets pulled back to SHIELD (and Fitz) coz her life is in danger. Douchecanoe Ward is involved.. but in the process Fitz and Jemma work out their misunderstanding (hence the title!)

No Time for Words by @blancasplayground​ (T, 12k words) - 2x04-2x05 AU where a still-strugglng-with-hypoxia Fitz (and without Jemma who’s undercover in Hydra) meets Deke Shaw. It’s like the relationship reset we wished for in S6 (and we had, TO A POINT! lol) but it happens in S2! The Fitz x Deke relationship in this is soooo endearing! ❤️

The Storm Inside by @agentverbivore​ (E, 116k words) - a post 2x10 AU wherein someone from the team undergoes terrigenesis..... AND IT ISN’T SKYE. (SPOILER ALERT: IT’S FITZ and he gets the quake powers 😱😜) Fitz and Simmons work out in mending their cracked friendship and also pursuing a romantic one. Features The Afterlife, Gordon and Lincoln as a magnificent wingman! (PS: this is the longest fic in this rec list!)

Ten Thousand Mile by @sunalsolove​ (E, 64k words) - a WHAT IF? scenario post 5x22 where S5 Fitz/Marauder Fitz doesn’t DIE in the battle of Chicago... BUT LIVES? And then proceeds to help rescue the other Fitz under cryostasis in space??? A two-Fitz paradox fic where Jemma gets HER TWO FITZES so *cough*LOTS OF SMUT*cough* but also LOTS OF FEELS because DOUBLE THE FITZ is DOUBLE THE ANGST lol

Detour by @agentofship (E, 8k words as of this post’s writing) - the ONLY WIP in this list, and I know it’s only 8k atm but this is 10 chapters total and it’s only on Chapter 2 BUT IT’S SO GOOD! A post 1x22/S2 AU where Fitz still gets hypoxia because of what Ward did to him. He crosses paths with Jemma, which PLOT TWIST: isn’t with SHIELD, but instead owns a coffee shop and a guest house in... YOU GUESS IT: PERTHSHIRE! 

[twdmusicboxmystery]

FTWD 5x10: Analysis

How did everyone like last night’s episode? I absolutely loved it. I have a lot of different things to say. Today, I’ll give a brief synopsis and then talk about the big TD take-aways. I’ll probably do predictions and details tomorrow.

***Warning: As always, spoilers about for this episode below. Don’t read until you’ve watched! You’ve been warned.***

Okay, so most of this episode was focused on Morgan, Grace and Dwight. They go into a mall to find a man who contacted them over the walkie-talkie. He tells them at the beginning that he's already been bitten, so he's not going to survive, and he'd like them to come get him, both so he's not alone when he dies, but also so they can put him down. He would do it himself, but he doesn't have a gun.

Once they get to the mall, Dwight goes to get the rest of the caravan to come to the mall and load up on supplies. Along the way, he meets one of Logan's men. I’ll talk about his story briefly at the end.

Let's first talk about something that me and my fellow theory theorists discussed even before the episode aired. I wanted to get a post written about this last week, but I didn't find the time. The episode is called 210 Words Per Minute.

That is super significant to us because both 2s and 10s are very big Beth numbers. Remember that episode 2x10 is 18 Miles Out, where she tried to commit suicide. I've written tons of posts about that and so has @frangipanilove. And then there's the 10:10 clock. While it reads 10:10, the hands point to 10 and 2.

@frangipanilove especially has talked lately about how she thinks either episode 10x2 or 10x10 could be very important. Like maybe Beth will show up in one of those episodes. Of course, we can't know for certain, but we've definitely seen those numbers a lot lately.

So, the fact that this episode was called that, and then in the sneak peek, we saw that bird at the beginning. 

I did some research and I think it's a Tanager bird. I didn't find any huge smoking guns about that type of bird, but it just looks like a Phoenix. And then of course we have the Beth = songbird. On top of that, while seeing the bird, we hear the man (Chuck) ask Morgan's group kill him. Sort of a suicide request. We have the 210 in the title, someone who wants to commit suicide, and a bird that looks an awful lot like a Phoenix. All that was super significant to us and we were hoping this would be a big Beth symbolism episode.

Yeah, it totally was.

I even remarked to my fellow theorists at one point during the episode that my brain just exploded. I'll explain why. Basically, the scenario in the mall was one great big Beth parallel.

So, the man, Chuck, who broadcast Morgan's group in the first place, told them he'd been bitten and that if he turned into a walker before they got there, they would know him because he was wearing a red coat. When Morgan and Grace got to the mall, they find the place where he’d been staying. This was really interesting.

First, there were tons of typical TD symbols in his room. There is an exit sign, and we saw a NO EXIT sign in Beth’s cell. I saw scissors,mustard, and a few other things. There is also a bed where he'd been sleeping. It reminded me a lot of the hidden bed Daryl saw in Dwight's rooms in 7x10 when he escaped the Sanctuary. I only bring that up because there are a lot of Beth symbols in that scene (like peanut butter) and Daryl looking at the hidden bed was never fully explained. I feel like it's symbolic, and this was a parallel of it.

Morgan and Grace also saw a chair with ropes around it that had been broken through. They surmise that Chuck probably tied himself into the chair because he knew he would turn into a walker. But once he did turn, his walker self got out of the ropes anyway. So, they figured they were looking for a walker and would have to keep an eye out for the red coat and simply put him down, as per his last wishes.

Later, we saw Grace go after walker with a red coat. She assumed it was him and tried to kill it. She did manage to kill it, though she accidentally brought the horde down on her and Morgan. She then tells Morgan that she made a mistake. There was no way that walker could be Chuck because the walker was too decomposed. Chuck would have only died a few hours before and this walker had obviously been dead for months, possibly years. So, it wasn't him.

That's when everything clicked for me and my brain just about exploded. Let me explain. It really had everything to do with that red coat.

So, of course, we had the red coat hanging in Beth’s cell in 4x01. That’s where a lot of our red symbolism theories originated. 

But what this really reminded me of was something that happened just prior to Glenn's death fake out in 6x03. He and Nicholas came upon a male walker with blonde hair, wearing a bright red coat. Nicholas had known this young man in life. They said but in what they said and that made me realize that the walker was a Beth proxy. 

In this episode, the red-coated walker was actually a distraction. A decoy, if you will. Not something that was put there purposely or anything, but Grace believed this was Chuck, who'd been turned into a walker. We've always believed that TF (especially Daryl) believes Beth was turned into a walker.

 So the big epiphany was that the red not only represents death as I've always thought, and also resurrection (see @frangipanilove’s Mary Magdalene post about how Easter eggs were originally red), but also very specifically represents the death fake out. It represents that TF thought this person was dead, but they really weren’t. The thought she'd been turned into a walker, but she hadn't. The red tricked them into thinking that, but it isn’t the truth. It’s a random, coincidental deception.

When it clicked for me, I even said to my fellow theorists in my FB group that I was willing to bet Chuck was still alive. Morgan and Grace assumed he was dead, but I bet they're going to find him alive. Of course, because he was bitten, he was going to die either way. But the important symbolism here is the red coat in the fact that this wasn't Chuck, as they thought. He was still alive somewhere else.

And as always, I don’t show you this to toot my own horn. This really has nothing to do with me being a genius or even guessing correctly. I READ THE SYMBOLISM. This is just more proof that you CAN predict events in this show if you can interpret the symbolism correctly. An TD has been right about 99% of what we’ve predicted.

Furthermore, the chair with the ropes reminded me of the blind blond Beth walker in the wheelchair in 4x06 (Gov episode). That walker was tied into the chair and couldn't get out.

I'm not sure what all this points to as far as Beth is concerned, but it sort of suggests that maybe TF tied or strapped her in somewhere—it could even be a matter of simply enclosing her in a car; something she theoretically couldn't break out of--but then she broke out of it. Because they thought her dead after the head shot in Coda, they must have assumed she broke out specifically because she’d turned. Hence, it reinforced their believe that she was dead, and that she’s a walker.

And honestly, it was a logical assumption, just as Grace's assumption here was logical. Chuck said he'd be wearing a red coat, and this walker was a male and wearing red coat. It wasn't like her belief was unfounded. The fact remains, it wasn't Chuck. It was a distraction. And Chuck was still alive. The same was true of Beth.

Near the end of the episode, they find Chuck on the roof. We could read all kinds of things into this scene. He talked about wanting to be buried under the stars, so he goes to the roof in order to look at the stars. Obviously, we can associate stars with the Sirius and North star theories. It even occurred to me that going up on the roof might be important because the helicopter pads were on the roof of Grady, and the helicopter in 4x01 it crashed into the roof of the Big Spot. Plus, Hole in the Roof Theory.

The problem is that it's a cloudy night and Chuck can’t actually see the stars. Grace ran back into the mall and found a turtle nightlight of sorts. 

The light shone out through stars carved out of the turtle’s back and projected stars onto the roof. It was a sweet way for her to help him see the stars. 

But now we’re looking at star symbolism and turtle symbolism combined. Yeah, I'd say that's important.

So, if you look at this in terms of this being one great big Beth parallel, seeing the bird, which looked like a Phoenix, at the beginning makes sense. There's the 210, which might've been called back to the suicide episode, but could also be a foreshadow of her eventual return (10×2 or 10×10).

But that is not all my friends. No, that is not all.

There is also an interesting situation with Grace. She wanted to get into an Urgent Care in the mall to use the x-ray or sonogram machine to see if she was sick. The idea was that if she already has cancer from the radiation, she’d be able to see it on one of the medical machines. They spend most of the episode trying to get into the Urgent Care for this purpose. Unfortunately, it’s locked behind one of those pull-down cages they have in malls. Finally, at the end, they'd taken down all the walkers and turned off all the alarms and have the key (Key Theory) to get into the Urgent Care.

(Let me just point out that we saw keys constantly when Rick and Daryl went into Grady to get Beth and Carol. So, there were keys opening the medical facility. Here, Grace tried to get in but couldn't and had to find the key in order to get into the medical facility. Coincidence? No, that would be part of the Key Theory.)

When she finally has the ability to get in, Grace decides she doesn't want to know whether she’s dying or not. She would rather live her life with hope and believe she still has more time, rather than always worrying about her impending death.

One could argue that the mystery of Grace’s possible death lay in that medical facility, which was literally behind a cage. Meanwhile, there was a 2:50 clock (hands at 10 and 2) on the wall of the Urgent Care behind the cage.

I’m translating that into, “the mystery of Beth’s possible death will be revealed in 10x2 or 10x10.” This symbolism has been pretty consistent lately.

So that's the biggest thing I saw in this episode. But I was especially blown away by the red coat thing. It represents something much more specific than I ever realized before. (Once again, FTWD teaches us how to read this symbolism.) And if nothing else, we saw something similar before Glenn’s fake out, and of course he survived it.

I do want to touch on Dwight’s story here for just a minute, because I think it’s relevant. Basically, Dwight knew somebody from Logan's group was following them. He purposely put out on the walkie-talkie where he would be (what road he was taking) and then pulled over on the side of the road to relieve himself, knowing the person following him would take him captive.

In short, Dwight was taken captive, but he eventually got free and took the other guy captive instead. He then took Logan’s guy to the woods, as though he might shoot him, but instead let him go.

He then referenced Daryl. Not by name, but he said someone else once gave him a second chance and he wanted to give this guy a second chance, and then he let him go. It's nice to see Dwight's transformation and him helping someone else in this way. And of course it's always nice when he references Daryl, even if it's not directly.

I was thinking about this arc and how much it's like 6x06, only Dwight and Daryl’s roles are reversed. So Dwight (from the current bad group, the Saviors) took Daryl captive. At one point, Daryl managed to get away and hold Dwight and Sherry at gunpoint. This also happened in a big way when Dwight defected from the Saviors. He became TF’s prisoner, and they held him at gunpoint perpetually, forcing him to help them defeat Negan. But then Daryl let him go in 8x16.

So, I was thinking that letting this guy go might actually backfire on Dwight at first. Because the first time Daryl let Dwight go (in 6x06) he came back and killed Denise. I'm wondering if this guy from Logan's group will come back and kill someone from Morgan’s group. But eventually, as Dwight did, he may be turned to the good side, and end up helping them.

Now, that might not seem very important except being interesting in terms of Dwight and Daryl story lines, but given that this whole episode was one great big Beth parallel, there must be some reason they included this little snippet of an arc concerning Dwight. 

I'm hoping it means that were all correct and Dwight will somehow play a role in Beth's return and bringing her back to Daryl. More specifically, maybe this man he let go will play a role, such as introducing Dwight's group to Beth or Beth’s group in some way. Just conjecture on my part, but it gives me a lot of hope.

I’m going to stop there for today. I have a lot more to say, but I’ll talk about more things tomorrow. I’ll do a predictions post, especially as concerns Morgan, and get into the little, detailed symbols we saw in the episode.

So this is giving us big hope about TWD episodes 10x2 and 10x10. And let’s not forget that for FTWD, this is episode 5x10. TWD 5x10 was Them, where the music box woke up. What did you think of the episode?

[mtvswatches]

Jane the Virgin 2x10 Chapter Thirty-Two

Spoilers disclaimer (please read before sending messages or writing comments.)

Click here for previous recaps!

Stray thoughts

1) I really love how big of a storyline Jane’s passion for writing is. When I started watching season 1, I feared this would be one of those characteristics that seem to completely define a character at the beginning of the show but then either the writers get bored with it or they don’t know how to follow through in a realistic way and then she finds she loves something entirely different. But Jane’s passion for writing is truly fundamental for this show – from the episode titles to the omniscient narrator – and it’s the only thread in Jane’s arc that I’m actually invested in.

2) I’d almost forgotten she still hasn’t had sex! I get that the word “virgin” is right there in the title, but come on!

3) OMG, Rogelio’s mom is singing the “Wake up, Rogelio” song… I guess she’s the reason he has such high self-esteem.

4) My dog this did to my computer once…

5) So, finally, Rafael acknowledged that what Michael did was actually necessary to save Mateo…

RAFAEL: Because my mother wanted the chip. The one we traded for Mateo. MICHAEL: But I gave that to Nadine to give to Rose. RAFAEL: My mother says Rose doesn't have it. MICHAEL: Oh, my God. Nadine must not have given it to her. RAFAEL: That's why I wanted to talk to you, away from your partner. 'Cause we probably broke some laws trying to get Mateo back. MICHAEL: You didn't. I did.

Am I the only one seeing a contradiction here? Just like two or three episodes ago Rafael claimed that HE PAID SOMEONE to go to the police and tell on Michael because Rafael was trying to SAVE HIS FAMILY from evil, shady Michael. Now, he admits that the very thing Michael did which had supposedly put his family in danger, is what saved Mateo…

6) Lina wants Jane to get some, and tbh, same.

7) #traumas

8) Hahaha! The profile pics that Lina used are gold!

9) I really love Rogelio’s relationship and communication with both his parents? He’s just so open and wholesome and healthy in the way he talks to them, which is so unlike the typical Latino macho and it’s so fucking refreshing and such a positive form of representation, you know? I also super love the extended dialogue in Spanish because it makes it much more realistic. I think that’s a reality for bilinguals, you know? American shows and movies are usually so afraid of having characters not speaking in English that they end up fabricating situations in which everyone magically speaks English even though that’s not their native language, and as a Latina myself, I truly appreciate this.

10) Okay, so the last one was a Michael episode, I guess it’s Rafael’s turn now…

Guh, this show does so many things right EXCEPT this. This is awful. I hate it I hate it I hate it.

11) Petra is in the hospital?!

12) I guess we’re turning the triangle into a square…

13) “Fair point, Still illegal” reminds me of “Cool motive, still murder.” Give yourself kudos if you get the reference.

14) A totally valid reason to fire someone, if you ask me.

I knew she wanted Rafael to take care of her. I also hate this, you know? Petra might be sort of evil and manipulative, but even she deserves better than Rafael.

15) I have a feeling Jane will end up kissing a rando in this episode. That’s twice that word has been thrown in.

16) And this reminded me of Rebecca Bunch…

17) Oh, of course, Petra is super scared, I had totally forgotten about their miscarriage!

18) Called it…

And tbh, I’m feeling this way more than I ever did her thing with either Rafael or Michael.

19) He has a girlfriend. Ha!

20) Well, I guess this pretty much boils down why she keeps going back and forth between Rafael and Michael…

XIOMARA: My point is, you're a relationship person. JANE: Yeah. I am. You know, and the thought of going through all this again. Trying to find the right person, going on so many terrible dates. XIOMARA: Till one isn't terrible… JANE: And then what? I have to start over again with someone? It just sounds so exhausting. I just want to skip to the end.

She’s a relationship person but she can’t be bothered to go through the whole process of getting to know someone, dating them, falling in love and all of that. Either Rafael or Michael would offer her that, the skip-to-the-end thing. But neither of those relationships seem destined to happen, at least not yet. Pre-show Jane and Michael were in a healthy relationship, or at least it seems so based on the flashbacks we’ve seen. But she hasn’t quite had a healthy relationship with either of them in a season and a half. So maybe she should really try someone else…

21) “You don’t pop in peach!” I got that reference…

22) I knew that this whole situation would help Xiomara better understand her mother-in-law. Rogelio just fired his own mom and…

23) That’s some good advice. Thank you, Alba.

24) Aw, Xiomara tried to take the blame for the firing, but Liliana had already heard the conversation between her and Rogelio and was aware that Xiomara had tried to talk Rogelio out of it. Nice to see these two burying the hatchet…

25) This is actually pretty close to my list…

26) Yep, sounds about right. #same

27) I knew there was something odd about that scene at the beach…

28) OMG I’d watch the hell out of this show!

29) Yes, he did find a good woman, and yes, he should marry her.

30) They’re choosing names…

…and bonding…

31) Is this an old flame of Alba or something?

32) She’s fantasizing, right?

I mean, who says “your brains are so hot”? (not that it wouldn’t be a total turn on, but still…)

Yep. Okay, I guess?

33)  Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi.Thanks!

[serenagaywaterford]

Why do you think Serena is going to do something terrible to June in 3x10? Are there some spoilers or something? Idk but just based on the promo she seems pretty uncomfortable about the whole thing. I don't think she would encourage it or suggest it. In fact she might even try to come up with something to stop it (ok maybe that is too much to hope for, but who knows). I believe 3x09 just cemented that Serena cares about June in some way, despite what they said in DC.

Just the promos. (Both the US and Israeli ones.)

Honestly, I just think Serena having anything to do with it is terrible in itself. Like... I can’t even deal with it tbh. After 2x10, this is the absolute worst, most nonsensical, garbage thing they could do. Especially to Serena’s character--who I’m not saying is some sort of redeemed angel, not even remotely close--but who has vaguely changed in some fundamental ways since 2x10 as has her relationship with June. And I’m not saying Serena is beyond petty revenge either, but this is a pretty fullscale sexual assault on someone, who by all means, is no threat to her at all anymore and hasn’t really done anything. I really hope they don’t frame it as “She tried to kill me so I’m gonna help this dude rape her--AGAIN.” Cos regardless, the 4 of them being in the room with June is all complicity. The framing of Serena too, standing, looming over Eleanor is not good. And without context I can’t tell what the purpose of that hand on her shoulder is. It could be comfort and sympathy, or it could easily be, “Calm down now and finish this.” 

I honestly.... based on this show and how shitty they’ve handled all the characters’ motivations this season... don’t think they’re even going to show Serena at all bothered by it. She’s gonna stand there and support her husband and go along with it all without any complaint or emotion for June. Guaranteed. Like, cos, the whole game this show plays is one episode Serena is human and feeling things for June, the next she’s a vicious monster for no reason. So, yeah, it’s just THT’s pattern. Serena showed genuine concern for June and her well-being in 3x09 and then saved June’s life (on an incredibly basic level, and probably partly selfishly), so it only follows in THT that she’s gonna do some terrible assault in the next episode that completely doesn’t follow that. Cos why not? Who cares what happened in the previous episode? The writers don’t. Character consistency and arcs are for suckas. All that matters is June suffers some more and for stupid reasons just to push the plot. It doesn’t make any sense for Serena to agree to something so atrocious (anymore) but whatevs! I hate so much about the things this show chooses to be when it could be so much better, so much deeper, so much more profound and well-crafted.

Hey, Lawrence needs a reason to join the Resistance? Oh! How about let’s hurt some women for a man’s story. Cool beans. Rape (or even attempted rape) as a means to further the MAN’s story, the MAN’s pain. Who cares about June and Eleanor as characters in themselves. We’re all about MAN PAIN. Gotta give the MAN some reason to join June’s maniacal escapade. Despite him having 100 other good enough reasons that don’t involve portraying the (planned) rape of June again.

And this isn’t even talking about the irrationality of Fred being involved or even interested in Lawrence’s household at all. Since when can an underling from some other district (cos they’re in DC now right?) tell another Commander to do something? Especially when it’s so “sacred” and private and turn it into a spectator sport rape orgy? LIKE... I just. Did Fred get promoted? AGAIN? I’m so livid at the entire premise, not even getting to Serena’s role in it. 

So, to me, unless Serena actively and directly protests, she is doing something terrible. No excuses anymore. She knows this. She learnt it in 2x10, and apparently learned her lesson for a while. But now, it’s just not convenient for her to have a memory or conscience anymore so whatever. Why don’t we just throw the entirety of S2 under the bus?

Cos honestly, at this point, I don’t know why it even happened. Other than basic plot points like “Nichole is gone”, it seems to have served no purpose to any of the characters.

[qqueenofhades]

gahh the advanced reviews are giving me anxiety that there going to have lyatt get bck togther romanticly and that all of the beautiful building of Garcy will be for nothing. Help i cant think straight and you alway have a habbit of pionting out things that make me less AHHH THE SHIP IS SINKING and more "did not think of it that way" *starts having flaskbacks to covert affairs with anne/eyal build then nothing*

Tbh, I’m getting the impression that this is in fact going to be a love square out the wazoo? And given that we figured Garcy would only be secondary subtext this season, if acknowledged at all, is ridiculous??? LIKE??? I WAS NEVER PREPARED FOR THEM TO BE ANY KIND OF THING, I’M NOT STRONG ENOUGH FOR IT, I NEED IT BUT ALSO GOD MY HEART?

Like. We already have the spoilers about Flynn about to confess something to Lucy at a tender moment, and Wyatt crashing that, and then one man walking away so the other can have the ILY moment with Lucy. Which man does that is also called the “bigger [read better] man.” And yes. That is with 98% certainty going to be Flynn walking away so Wyatt can say ILY. (Which I’m going to side eye a LOT without substantial resolution of the Jessica drama, but we’ll see.) Because of course (as @extasiswings mentioned), Garcia “what kind of husband or father can I be” Flynn is going to feel unworthy of anything with Lucy, of ever trusting that she could like him, much less love him or want to be with him. So he’s going to do what Someone has not, and walk away from her if that’s what she wants (and deadass if they pull that parallel with Flynn and Lucy both being willing to walk away from someone they have strong feelings for, because it’s more important that they be happy, that is a Choice hoo god). But that also… equivocates Wyatt and Flynn’s feelings in canon??! Straight up. People can’t really talk about “platonic” or “familial” or “non-romantic” or whatever else. (I mean, I’m sure they can and will, but anyway). That STRAIGHT UP GOES THERE with “Flynn is in love with Lucy and is willing to sacrifice his own happiness because of it.” That makes it canon that he loves her. Romantically. Which we’ve seen all along, but still.

I don’t know about y’all, but THERE’S NO WAY I’M PREPARED TO HANDLE THAT.

Also: we’ve had a lot of teases about Lucy going on a rage and grief spiral/going to dark places. That’s probably related to whatever happens with her mom etc, but Dark Lucy is all I have ever wanted, especially if Flynn’s there to see it happen and is the one to pull her back. It looks like they’re off together in at least 2x09 and probably 2x10 as well, to pave the way for a “tender moment” and impending confession (also, Wyatt still has to sort out wtf is going on with Jessica, there’s not going to be much time for him and Lucy to be together even if that was something they decided on). But if Flynn sees Lucy come unglued, the way she saw him come unglued last season, and there are more Soulmate Feelings up the ass, that is also not something I am prepared to handle.

Plus, there’s the fact that Wyatt and Lucy are with 99% probability going to be separated after the finale. Wyatt still has to have a big sacrificial moment/atone for how he’s treated her (though yes, I realize I am expecting there to be consequences for his actions here, which has a… shaky record of happening in canon). If he doesn’t walk away in the teased moment, he has to give up his spot/trust Flynn to take care of Lucy after ordering him to stay away from her in 2x07/give Lucy a chance to be happy with someone else (especially if Flynn has done that earlier in the finale). She’s done that with him and Jessica over and over. It’s only fair that he returns the favor. (Plus we have Flogan working together. He’s… gotta do it. He just gotta.) I just can’t really see Wyatt and Lucy being together when it ends, especially if you’re going for a major cliffhanger to make the fans scream? It feels like seeing if they can find each other again at all has to play into the question of what happens next.

Also, in the promo, we saw Lucy crying in Flynn’s arms. I’m pretty sure that’s to do with whatever goes down with Wyatt, and I’m also pretty sure that Lucy and Flynn end up stuck together/are physically in the same place and have to cling to each other after all the shit hits the fan. Which sets up the fact that Wyatt will have said ILY to Lucy (after not really acting like it all season), but Flynn will have shown it, and then will be the person that is there to cling to/who she has to rebuild her world with. Then yes, she and Wyatt will be reunited at some point, and he will have said ILY and there will still be feelings, but… things will have changed. She will have been recovering from the end of her world with Flynn beside her, not Wyatt (and ask me about my feelings over this trope, because they are legion). That doesn’t necessarily translate into her jumping to be with Wyatt again when they reunite. It will be complicated.

Anyway, besides, in a perfect world (DON’T YOU DARE CANCEL IT AGAIN YOU FUCKERS, JUST DON’T YOU DARE), this is not the end of the story. S3 is digging more into the journal origin, which is Lucy and Flynn’s plot. So honestly, the finale could end up with canon confirmation that Flynn is in love with Lucy/having walked away to make her happy, Flynn pulling Dark Lucy back from the brink, Flynn comforting Lucy when Wyatt does his sacrifice, Flynn and Lucy being stuck together after whatever goes down, and the implication that all they have now is each other and they are going to have to rebuild from there. Of course, all of this might not happen. But it’s also entirely possible that it does, and that gives me… a feeling.

Many feelings.

[i-just-like-commenting]

Timeless rewatch (part 4/?)

As before, spoilers all the way through season 2.

Episode 6: The Watergate Tapes

I hard forgotten that the first person Flynn divulges his entire backstory to is Wyatt, which makes sense, actually. I’ve already noted that he and Flynn are more alike then not, and given that the story involves various details of covert government ops, it figures he thinks the army man would be more likely to believe him. Also, he knows that Wyatt lost his wife as well (more on that in a moment).

Of course the person who actually would have been most likely to believe him would have been Rufus, whose family is also being threatened by Rittenhouse. Because we’ve seen this, as an audience we’re inclined to believe Flynn’s account, even if we don’t agree with his scorched-earth techniques. Rufus’ family was sight-unseen in season 2, and I hope that changes when (not if! please not if!) we get a third.

Back to Wyatt, though...well, I can’t accuse him of being out of character in season 2, now can I? I’d forgotten the circumstances behind the argument prior to her death. She’d met an old boyfriend at a bar, and Wyatt gets jealous, and his reaction is extreme enough that she gets out of a car on an empty road in the middle of the night. No woman would do that unless she felt threatened by the person she was in the car with. And after seeing how poorly Wyatt handles Lucy becoming closer to Flynn in season 2...I can believe it! Which, to me, means that he and Lucy were going to have problems regardless of whether Jessica got resurrected. Wyatt has serious issues about controlling the women he has feelings for. Those issues need to be addressed before I can ever go back to shipping them.

Speaking of Jessica, though, the Doc offers an interesting parallel to her. They’re both women raised in Rittenhouse (one by adoption, another by birth) who wind up having children with men not in Rittenhouse. Is this a sign that Jessica might also be able to break out of their hold on her? Or will the differences between them - the initial contrivance of her marriage to Wyatt, their different races and social statuses within the organization - mean that it’s more of a contrast than a foreshadowing? Because I could easily see the Doc’s blackness being a large part of why she’d want to get out of a group like Rittenhouse, even if she got the “you’re the exception” treatment that black members of right-wing groups tend to get.

Episode 7: Stranded

So I see Flynn-stans and Garcy shippers sometimes try to justify him by saying that he never actively tried to kill Lucy. And...yeah, technically that’s true, but I’ve watched enough Law & Order to know the terms “depraved indifference” and “reckless endangerment.” Flynn repeatedly puts Lucy in extremely dangerous situations, trusting that fate and time will just sort itself out to avoid any paradoxes. Even if he intended to go back in time and pick her up at some point to make sure she was around to give him the journal in the future, it demonstrates a carelessness that’s incompatible with heroism. The only concession I might make is that it seems that Flynn decided he didn’t like the task of stranding the team and thus left it to his three underlings (one of whom gets shot in this episode). My point is: don’t project what their relationship becomes (trusting, supportive) onto what it was (enmity).

Forget about Flynn, though, he’s not even in this, the character that gets to shine here is Jiya, who was a much more minor character in previous episodes. She is a major focus of the episode, although mainly through her relationship with Rufus. I love that the “nerdy message from the past” thing was repeated in 2x10. I love that Rufus used Star Wars and she used Star Trek. I love that the writers remembered that their fandom rivalry was how they met. I love that Rufus, as an anti-Trekkie, still knows Klingon and I headcanon that Jiya taught him. They are just the perfect nerd couple and there needs to be a season 3 because if there isn’t and that’s how it ends I will never forgive you NBC, just never ever how dare this happen to these two beautiful characters!

[miguel-manbemel]

Sanders Sides as Eurovision songs part 10: eps. 2x10-2x12 and SAsides ep. 1.

Yes, we’re all in the turmoil of the last episode released yesterday, but I had to finish this before going on rewatching and rewatching it. Here comes the last part of the thread where I sort each of @thatsthat24​ ‘s and @thejoanglebook ‘s Sanders Sides episode to a different Eurovision song. Here come the last three episodes of Sanders Sides (including yesterday) and the first episode of Sanders Asides. Yes, I know I said I would need time to sort the newest episode, but I just got a song that would fit it and that wouldn’t leave bad spoilers, so why not making the thread as complete as possible, even if I have to put four songs in today’s part? It’s a finale after all, so time to take it away.

Episode 2x10: Selfishness v. Selflessness. In this episode, Deceit makes a discourse where he talks about society, how it is made of lies and Thomas should learn to survive in such society. There’s a song that aligns a bit with this kind of thinking. It represented Russia in 2003, it was titled “Nje vjer, nje bojsa” (”Don’t believe, don’t fear”) and it was performed by the renowned duo t.A.T.u.

Different nights, different people Wants, doesn't want, loves, doesn't love Someone will fall behind, someone will jump off the mark Someone will be tired and stop wanting Someone will wind wire around a cleat Someone will open up new themes Someone's a psycho and someone's a maniac Someone like you, someone like me Don't light up and don't extinguish Don't believe, don't fear, don't ask And calm down, and calm down Don't believe, don't fear, don't ask Don't believe, don't fear, don't ask Don't believe, don't fear Don't believe, don't fear Don't believe, don't fear And don't ask Somewhere there are a lot of rare things But on the roads there'll be a raid Someone will take a risk and someone will fail Someone will understand it, but won't help Someone will leave, someone will return Someone will find a new sun Someone in the bushes and someone in me Someone like you, someone like me Don't light up and don't extinguish Don't believe, don't fear, don't ask And calm down, and calm down Don't believe, don't fear, don't ask Don't believe, don't fear, don't ask Don't believe, don't fear Don't believe, don't fear Don't believe, don't fear And don't ask

Don’t trust the voices... Don’t trust the voices... Don’t trust the voices... And don't ask

Don't light up and don't extinguish Don't believe, don't fear, don't ask And calm down, and calm down Don't believe, don't fear, don't ask Don't believe, don't fear, don't ask Don't believe, don't fear Don't believe, don't fear Don't believe, don't fear And don’t ask

Episode 2x11: Dealing with Intrusive Thoughts. This is the episode where Remus made his big appearance.The king of intrusive thoughts needed a queen that would match him in Eurovision. And if there’s a song that could have been performed by Remus is this one. It represented Iceland in 2006, it was titled “Congratulations” and was performed by Silvia Night. Some context beforehand. Silvia Night was a character portrayed by Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, a potty mouthed character that does whatever she wants whenever it pleases her, and she left a bombastic and over the top performance on stage that didn’t please anyone in the audience. Being an *ssh*le backstage with everything and everyone on the crew and fellow contestants, without dropping the act at any moment, with the subsequent scandals she starred in during rehearsals, didn’t help her either in gaining any kind of sympathy from voters. She was eliminated in the semi-final that year. Does she remind you of someone who also finds it hard to gain sympathy from the others if he ever does?

Sanders Asides 1x01: Are There Healthy Distractions? In this debut episode of the companion series, Sanders Asides, Thomas tries to distract himself from his problematic situation by watching Disney’s Frozen, which as you know is heavily influenced by Nordic mithos. A song that evoked the same nordic principles was expected, and I chose what perhaps is the “Let It Go” of Eurovision, a song that smashed the voting and got the record score in the old voting system used between 1975 and 2015, 387 points. The song represented Norway, it is titled “Fairytale” (And look, “Frozen” is a fairytale too, another reference) and it was performed by Alexander Rybak.

Episode 2x12: Putting Others First - Selfishness v. Selflessness Redux. Before you keep on reading, there are not excessive spoilers from the episode. Although a little bit can be revealed, it is nothing that couldn’t have been inferred earlier in the first part of “Selfishness v. Selflessness”, but still, just in case, if you haven’t watched the episode, skip it until you’ve watched it. Now, in the end of the episode, Deceit tries to make his point that he wants to take care of Thomas and he is honest about that. This matches up with the song that represented the United Kingdom in 2013. It is titled “Believe in Me” and it was performed by the legend, Bonnie Tyler.

UPDATED: This was originally the last part of the series for a long time. It has since been updated with the newer episodes released after the end of the series. You’ll find further added parts down below and a link to the updated YouTube playlist with all the songs here. As always, thanks for reading.

Part 9 -  Part 11