#6x02 costume meta | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

stagefoureddiediaz · 2 years ago

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6x02 Costume Meta

of Sorry this took me longer to get out than I’d intended - I got a bad migraine on Tuesday evening that put me back a day so here we are a day later than I’d hoped!!

There are some really interesting over-arching themes at play this week when it comes to the use of colour in the costumes - in particular the use of black, green and of course - yellow and blue is still making its presence known - especially in relation to Buck.

No Maddie this week as we only saw her at dispatch! I’m going to start with Athena’s costumes and you can read more under the cut!

Athena

Athena is wearing a lot of what I like to call neutral shades this week - these are all colours that tend to be muted in tone - beiges, greys, whites creams etc all fall into this category and they are colours that can be overlooked if paired with brighter shades. combined though they also tell their own story!

Athena arrives in Florida wearing a white tee, a khaki olive green cardigan (which I’m going to start referring to as army green to make my life easier!!) and washed out green slim fit jeans. All of these are neutral shades of their respective colours and the army green is the most prominent colour here. Athena wears a lot of this shade of green - she always has done, but its prevalence in her wardrobe has been steadily decreasing as each season passes. the times we see Athena in this green tend to correspond with times when she feels like she’s going into battle, especially in her personal life - hence the abundance of it in season 1 - when Michael and Athena were essentially at war with each other and Athena was fighting to save the life she had made for herself.

Here though we have an Athena who is wearing white - the colour of open-mindedness and reflection. it is a colour that reflects rather than absorbs and a colour that wants to support others and make them feel good.

Athena in white suggests all of this - but the army green cardigan shows she is also prepared to go into battle. the other thing to note about this shade of green - because of its connection with the military it has connotations of being judgemental - again this is something we see some of from Athena in the scene inside the house.

She also has a new pendant on her necklace this season, but I haven’t been able to get a good enough still to see what exactly it is but from the still below it looks like it might be some sort of compass. If it is a compass then thats a really interesting direction (no pun intended) for them to take her necklaces in.

Athena has always worn the Gorgoneion necklace - a symbol of the goddess Athena and supposed to be a type of apotropaic shield (protective magic) said to protect the wearer from harm and imbue them with wisdom - in relation to work (esp when working in plain clothes) but she also wears it outside of work when she is in situations that require her to go into battle and be especially wise.

Then there is the Anchor pendant necklace - this on is very directly connected to her family - the suggestion being that family is her anchor - it is where she draws her stability, support and keeps her from going adrift in the sea of life.

Now in season 6 we have yet to see the anchor pendant necklace, but we have seen the gorgons head pendant and we have this new possible compass pendant. The implication here is very much connected into the fact that Harry and May have/are both leaving Athena - she has an empty nest and can no longer draw on the stability and support from her home life in the same way. it is suggestive of her searching for a new direction now she his essentially an empty nester - we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out, but I’m pretty sure we’ll see Athena searching for something in her personal life this season.

The very bright lime green collared knit top is a new colour on Athena, but the story at this point is loudly about all the things green means - the colour of renewal. Renewal of an old friendship, the plans to renew the destroyed room, but also the renewal of the battle with Beatrice over Samuels situation.

Back into neutral tones and this ecru/silvery blue sleeveless top. the silvery blue tones are suggestive of enlightening the mind, of reflection, healing and restoration. and the ecru (a shade of greyish yellow), because the word ecru means unbleached, wearing the colour is suggestive of honesty - that it is a colour that suggests the laying bare of ones self. this is what we see here with Athena in this scene - she is being reflective and honest in her recollections of her childhood with her parents - especially with her father.

the last outfit we she Athena in is this beige long sleeve sweater and the arm green trousers. Beige is a colour which draws opinions on both ends of the spectrum - it is equally loved and loathed. It is considered a colour of tranquility and convention. To me seeing Athena in this colour for this scene suggests her desire to make peace with her mother - to not intrude on her mothers grief. it becomes a moment of bonding and understanding for them. the other thing to note about Athena wearing this colour for this scene is actually what is going on elsewhere. Athena is in a tranquil bubble - bonding with her mother - meanwhile Bobby is back at the house and dealing with a police investigation after finding a body with Jr. The blue and red of the police cars bounce off the beige Athena is wearing in a way that they wouldn’t do if she was in any other colour. It also makes her stand out in that scene - everyone else is in dark colours except her - it pulls her into the centre of focus and works with the voice over which is lifted from 2x07 to ensure we as a viewer are connecting the dots along with Athena about who that body under the floor belongs to.

Bobby

Bobby spends pretty much all of the episode in black - with the exception of one scene. The black has multiple meanings in this context. Black is an absorbing colour - hiding vulnerabilities, but it is also a colour of authority and strength as well as being able to blend into when needed (due to its proliference in clothing in general- its not a colour that stands out from the crowd unless you are the only one in black in the crowd). These are all things we see Bobby being in this episode - he is there as a support to Athena, he stands up for her and becomes authoritative when needed, but also semi blends into the background. It is a mark of Bobby knowing when to step in and when to hold back that we see come into play throughout the episode. there is also the underlying tone - which has been there in both episodes this season and was there at the end of 5b that Bobby is hiding his own vulnerabilities.

we do get a little break from the black though - in the form of a burgundy shirt. We’ve seen Bobby in this colour many times over the seasons. Burgundy is a colour of compassion but also intense focus. In this scene it is being used to show Bobby as having compassion for Athena and her history, but also imploring us the viewer to pay attention - to focus on what is being said - because there are clues to be had in that conversation.

Hen

boy oh boy did we go through a whirlwind of costumes for Hen this week!! the main over arching take away from her costumes is to take note of the use of patterning. I know I don’t talk much about the trousers they wear - this is mostly because when you’re costume designing you very often don’t know if legs will be seen on screen - it depends on what angles they chose to film from. this doesn’t mean you don’t worry about the trousers, skirts or whatever a character happens to be wearing on their lower half, but it does mean if you’re trying to get information across through the costumes you are better off focusing your energy on the top half. there is also that trousers etc tend to have less variety available - especially if you’re dressing a male character, so it is much harder to make use of colour theory in the same way. that doesn’t mean we never see it in the lower half of a costume - and Hen is here to show us how it can be done!.

to start we have this green satin bowling shirt with beige, red and white detailing, worn over a black vest and with beige plaid trousers with grey plaid stripe down side. I really love this look on Hen - such a great colour on her, and also a great use of texture. the satin with its sheen is generally a more dressy fabric - used for evening gowns etc. the darker green is, as I’ve said before, the colour of growth renewal and nature - it is the type of green you see at the height of summer - when everything is growing well and foliage is at its most lush.

then there are the tweed trousers - on their own not all that interesting - except they have a contrasting grey tweed/plaid stripe down the side of them - the two different patterns are fairly busy and hint at the scrambling of Hens mind that is to come. (Side note Luis is wearing stripes - this fits into my stripe theory if we consider the idea that Hen may be taking a different career path to Luis going forward!)

then we have the red blue and black sweater that looks like a Rorschach test. it also looks a bit like the MRI brain scans - espcially with the choice of colours. We see a lot of this sweater and it heavily hints at Hens mind becoming overwhelmed with her workload - at the confusion to come - that will lead to her failing her neurology test - interesting considering that both the Rorschach test (a part of the process of diagnosing schizophrenia) and MRI’s tend to focus on brain patterns - neurology!!

We then get this jacket with large and busy print in black, aqua blue, green and burgundy - further emphasising the way hens mind is becoming increasingly scrambled by trying to fit all of the various pulls on her time in.

baby pink tee with embroidered logos on front. This is an unusual one for Hen - its not a colour we’ve really seen her in before - I can only assume they were trying to tie the colour in to the scene - a moment when Karen was going to persuade Hen into not neglecting her sexual and romantic needs - using the pink to show romance rather than the passion of red.

The indigo hoodie is an interesting colour choice - indigo is the colour of integrity, knowledge and intuition and here we see Hen in the exam - not trusting her knowledge and intuition - the rubbing out of answers implies this. the use of camouflage trousers in combination with the indigo hoodie to me is suggesting the idea of Hen masking or hiding in plain sight - hiding her stress and the fact she is struggling to keep up with everything in her life - the camo essentially reverses (not really reverses as Hen knows all this stuff - but it kind of hints that there is a block to her using her knowledge) the indigo - she wore it to portray that she is knowledgeable but underneath she isn’t feeling that way (hence the camo being under the table - a bit like a swan - graceful on the surface but legs paddling frantically underneath)

cream longline v neck cardigan - cream is a colour of honesty and sincerity - but is also a colour about giving 100% - which Hen is definitely doing! This cardigan for me at least is also about subterfuge - its Hen putting up this front/mask - trying to pretend everything is ok - when she knows it really isn’t - they do say we are best at fooling ourselves an thats wht this cardigan is - its much more feminine and softer than anything else we’ve seen her in in the episode and that speaks volumes.

Finally we have the black hoodie with gold ears of wheat around bottom - there are so many things going on with this hoodie - its an epic choice from the costume team. If anyone fancies owning their own you can buy it here but as to the many layers of meaning embodied in this hoodie - well I hope you’re sitting comfortably as it might get long!

Lets start with the black - the colour of power, sophistication, but also a colour of concealing. here we have Hen in a position of authority (as she is captain) who Buck is asking for advice - Buck would also have asked these same questions to Bobby f he’d been there, but he would also have asked Hen as his friend away from the captaincy - here it is just a double whammy - and Hen isn’t really in the mental space to actually give Buck the full level of support he needs - but she tries to conceal that by giving him some form of answer - it is almost the same type of answer that Buck gave to Eddie during the hospital fire.

Then there is all the ears of wheat making themselves very loud around the bottom of the hoodie. there are so many things tied into wheat and especially into wheat used as a symbol on clothing. Wheat is a symbol of fertility, bounty and resurrection, it is also a symbol of the cycle of life - of the seasons passing (and if we want to get really into colour choices then when the 4 of them are stood in a line at their lockers they are dressed in colours associated with the seasons - spring - Buck - Summer - Chim - Autumn - Eddie - Winter - Hen!). When it comes to the use of wheat in clothing - there is an interesting little piece of information. the use of wheat motif was commonly used on clothing in the 1880’s and 90’s (it is also seen earlier than this but this period is particularly intense in its use) in connection with anxiety around the industrial revolution - the move from a society centred around agriculture to one centred around industry. I think this is an interesting concept to connect with Hen - the idea that she is going through change herself - from one career to another. the 1880’s and 90’s use of wheat was in essence a protest or a questioning of if moving from farming to industry was the right thing, in the same way Hen is now starting to question if moving from firefighting and being a paramedic, to being a doctor is the right thing (especially if you consider that in general terms paramedics are considered less advanced than being a doctor).

The colour of straw and wheat - moving through the season - the golden period is when it is cut down - when it has reached the point of turning - essentially the end of its lifecycle - it can only be useful (to humans) if it is cut down or it will rot away. its an interesting connotation - the idea that Hen’s growing period is at an end - this is further backed up by her conversation with Karen - when Karen tells her she needs to make choice - doctor or paramedic - she cannot be both - hen has reached a point in her growth where she needs to be cut down in order to grow again - because by cutting down the wheat you get the seeds to grow more next year - this also applies to Buck - the death of lev has cut him down - at a point where he is already searching for answers - Hen cannot provide them for him because she is at the point where she has nothing left to give.

I have been having lots of thoughts about harvest and reaping what you sow and the straw that broke the camels back because all of these idioms apply to Hen here - taking on the captains role in Bobbys absence proves to be the straw that breaks Hen’s back, and the insane schedule she set for herself to try and do it all means she spread herself too thin and is reaping what she sowed - if you spread your wheat seeds to thinly you get a lesser crop.

Then there is the Demeter connection as the Goddess of the harvest. For those who don’t know Demeter’s daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades (her Uncle) and taken to the underworld with the approval of Zeus (her father). Demeter tried to get her back, by preventing all plants from growing but because Persephone had eaten some of the food from the underworld she could no longer return to the world above full time - it was agreed that she would spend half the year in the underworld with Hades and half the year in the world above - thus we get the seasons. The Demeter connection also plays in to the idea of time (yes more time metaphors!) being split in half - that Hen has been essentially dedicating half her time to study and half to work, but also being separated/distant from her family - all while trying to maintain that part of her life as well. The idea the Demeter created the seasons in response to being separated from Persephone for half the year - separated from her family is such a fascinating concept in connection to Hen and her story arc for this season - does she remain studying to become a doctor; which will separate her further from her family (both the firefam and Karen and Denny) or does she remain with the fire department and pursue moving up the career ladder - whatever that path looks like!

The other aspect I've been thinking about is the fact that those ears of wheat are embroidered - these were probably done by a machine, but in general the process of embroidery is a time consuming one - much like the growing of wheat, it takes time for the picture to appear when you are creating an embroidery - playing on the concept that both hen and Buck are in the middle of something and therefore cannot see the full picture yet - that it will all come together once all the various threads are in place - but until then it is hard to see what you are creating - even when you know what the end piece should look like!

The embroidery also has a potential connection to the fairy tale of Rumplestiltskin and the weaving of golden thread from straw - the connection being the idea of Hen trying to achieve the seemingly impossible - and in the process 'bartering' with her child (forgetting Denny's robotics club meet) but ultimately finding a way to overcome her issue and keep her child (something is going to have to give and when that time comes - Hen will put her family first).

Chimney and Eddie

We actually need to talk about this scene as a whole because there is something interesting going on. Buck is the odd one out from the other three. remember what I said above about Hen’s jumper representing harvest and fertility and growth - well Eddie and Chim also represent this in this scene. We only get a brief glimpse of Chim and Eddie out of uniform in this episode and what both of them are wearing compliment each other and Hen’s jumper - they work in tandem to highlight what they are both trying to do in this scene. Eddie in brown - stability and reliability, it is the colour of earth and therefore ties into the idea of growth. while Chimney is in grey and green - grey again a colour of stability while green is growth and renewal. The check theory also comes into play here - Chimney physically touches Buck - almost as if passing on who the theory is going to involve. But Chim was also wearing check in the last scene we saw him in in episode 1 so it is also possible that the check is intensifying - that whatever id going to befall Chim will be big - we know he’s in the car (likely kidnapped) that (almost) hits Buck and we know that there is possibly a scene where Maddie can’t find him and thinks he’s the one running this time - we also know that Chimney will be going to therapy (couples at the ver least) this all leads to the implication that while Chim seems fine right now, he isn’t going to be for long - that his breakdown is going ot be a swift one.

Buck

Bucks light blue collared knit tee is telling several stories all at once here. There is the obvious connection to Lev, who is wearing the same colour of shirt - the meaning is obvious - we are meant to connect Lev’s story and search for happiness with Bucks own journey - this is less about what a viewers subconscious mind is doing, and more about what the active mind is doing - even the most casual of viewers will pick up on the matching colour choice. we should also connect this to Frankie - because he is also wearing the same shade of blue - his shorts! There is obviously the fact that Lev sacrificed his life so that Frankie could be saved, but there is also a subtle connection to chairs - chairs being what brought the walkway down. That Buck has decided to go for a single armchair rather than getting a new sofa - and the next episode we see single seater chairs being the thing that makes the existing cracks reach their breaking point - well lets just say the foreshadowing is clear - Bucks choice to go it alone will only widen the cracks rather than helping him close them! I’m just quickly going to point out the continued use of blue and yellow in this episode in stories surrounding Buck or Eddie - Frankie is in yellow and blue - and Lev is too - he could have been given any coloured lanyard for this scene, but they chose the yellow one!!

Then there is the other less obvious connections we can draw, because we’ve seen Buck in a pale blue exactly two other times in 80 episodes.

The second one is a more similar in shade of blue and it is the more recent one - the connection might seem obvious - the Buck we saw in x18 is mentally in a similar place - maybe slightly more at ease because he ended his failing relationship on his own terms, but he isn’t ‘happy’ that suit represents the beginning of Buck not replacing his couch - the beginning of a spiral about not wanting to get things wrong again. But in actual fact this isn’t the only connection and the bigger one connects all three tops. If you look at them all together you can see that the shade of blue is getting increasingly stronger - we go from the very powdery blue of the hoodie to the darker blue - with a hint of grey to it from the wedding, to this much brighter blue from 6x02. This to me at least (with colour theory in mind) is saying to me - these are connected - they are showing a journey - a progression - and I think we might continue to see this tone of blue on Buck going forward - perhaps lightening or darkening in shade depending on where he is in his journey.

I could go on further on several of these costumes, but as this has taken me longer to get done than normal andits already a long post - i’m ending here!

I hope you enjoyed and thank you as always for reading and for your likes, comments and reblogs - it means the world to me that you all enjoy reading about costumes and colour theory!

Tagged people below!

@mistmarauder @theladyyavilee @loveyourownsmiilee @leothil @girldadbuddie @kitkatpancakestack @bucksintheroom @lemotmo @trashendence @elishareads @clipboardsandstethoscopes @comfortbuddie @fiona-fififi @name-code-black-widow @prettyboyandthekid @callanee @calyssmarviss @alwaysme @pbandjeremiah @batgrldes @piningpettyeddie @bi-moonlight @spotsandsocks @projectabc @livingwherethesidewalkends @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @idontshitpostbuttheolympicpark @diazboysbuckley @sweettsubaki @jordxnhennessy @shortsighted-owl @sherlocking-out-loud @ekstasisandangst-main @favouritealias @hearteyesdiaz @gossamerglob @ktinastrikesback @adamrparrrish @princesschez75 @bucksbuddie @oneawkwardcookie @leatherat @moniquekatie @wanderingwomanwondering @trickster-archangel @outrunningthedark @asharadaine @ajunerose @wolfybuckley @neon-d0rk

#kym costume meta #911 costume meta #911 costumes #kym colour theory #911 colour theory #911 spoilers #911 on fox #911fox #911onfox #costume meta #911 6x02 #6x02 #6x02 costume meta

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stagefoureddiediaz · 2 years ago

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Costume Meta 6x04

Sorry this has taken me a bit longer than normal to get out but oh boy do I have a lot to get through this week - so much costume goodness and its full of interesting things, so pull up a chair and settle in with a beverage of your choice because this is a long meta!!! I even managed to somehow get round the 30 image limit and get 34 pictures into this post - I told you I was going to make full use of the increased limit 😂

I also have a question for you all -are you interested in me sharing with you where you can buy the clothes worn and how much they cost?? because I can do a separate post if you’re interested? I can’t always find everything, but I can usually find a good chunk of the costumes (especially the women’s clothes!) and I’m happy to share it if you’re interested! anyway let me know and let’s get to talking about the costumes in Animal instincts!

No Chimney this week as we didn’t see him out of uniform! 😭

below the cut as its very long!!

Bobby

Bobby has reverted to the green and brown colour palette we tend to see him in most often after blue and the choice is perfect for this episode - we start off with this /brown polo shirt which has a slightly greenish tone to it.

before we get the light green (almost army green) tee while he’s alone at the Grant-Nash house

before we finally end up on this forest green button up shirt

it’s an interesting pattern of colour for Bobby and the sleeve lengths are also telling. If we start with the brown polo, I’ve spoken before about how brown is stable and reliable, but what I haven’t spoken about is how brown is also seen as the colour of dependable friendships and good counsel and how it offers support and protection - in my opinion all perfect things to describe the scene Bobby has with Hen - him being a good friend to her and giving her some sound advice. the greenish tint to the polo also hints at the idea of renewal - in this case Bobby returning to the firehouse (and seemingly rejuvenated despite the circumstances from the previous episode) and in great spirits.

The green tee - which is almost an army green - similar to the ones we’ve seen Eddie in - hints at the battle against loneliness in an empty house. its a pretty neutral choice and continues to show a relaxed Bobby who seems to be fairly at peace with himself - but the choice of green here could also be hinting at the internal battles bobby faces - against his addiction - because an empty house could be a dangerous place to be. It doesn’t mean anything here in the context of this scene, but it could very well be planting seeds for the future!

And then there is the forest green button up shirt - with its sleeves rolled down one turn further that Bobby usually wears them - a sign that he is hiding something - in this case its obvious - Bobby is hiding Hoover the dog. the renewal and growth symbolism of green is very much pertinent here - Bobby and Athena find themselves empty nesting and Bobbys solution is to steal get a pet (once Hoover wind Athena over of course!!) which grows their household a bit!

Athena

Two Athena costumes to talk about this week and they are fairly contrasting, we have the blue knit top with the white collar and a plum ribbed top with a bronze longline belted cardigan.

We can’t talk about the blue top and not compare it to the one Buck wears n 6x02 - because they are remarkably similar. Athenas is a slightly brighter and darker shade of blue, but its hard not to draw a parallel between them and its yet another example of Bathena being paralleled with Buddie (because Eddie and Bobby are semi paralleling each other as well but I’ll talk more about that when I get to Eddie!).

Like Bucks struggle to understand the secret to happiness in 6x02, Athena is struggling to be fully happy now she finds herself with an empty nest - it’s yet another connection to lev and the idea of life passing you by if you don’t appreciate the moment. Athena has made her family and especially her children such a massive part of her life, that now she’s faced with the next stage, she’s struggling to understand where to find her happiness. this isn’t to say Athena is unhappy, just that she’s in the next stage of her life and having to grapple with what that looks like. It’s such a clear connection to Buck - who, now free of Taylor is grappling with where he goes next and how he finds what he’s looking for. I love the wardrobe department for making this parallel between Buck and Athena- because although they are at different stages of their respective lives, the answer is in the same for them both - its in their partners.

then we have this plum and bronze combination - which looks incredible on Angela - this woman would look good in a bin bag!!!!

Plum is a shade of purple with black undertones. it is a rich colour and is associated with royalty, wisdom and compassion. While Bronze is both a colour of strength and support, warmth and comfort. they are rich jewel like tones and we continue to see more and more of Athena in these colours this season which I am loving - yes the black is still ever present and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of her in army greens as the season progresses, but we are witnessing a shift in Athena which began in season 4, but is really gaining pace now and is being shown through her costumes - I might be getting my hopes up, but it really is all pointing towards an Athena who is increasingly less about work and her position as a police officer and more about who she is as a person without that. I might have to do some adding up and compare the screen time of her in uniform compared with her out of uniform if I get the chance because I think it will back up my thoughts!

Maddie

Green blazer and tee with ‘we are the new hippies’ logo (available from Saks fifth avenue if you’re interested and have a couple hundred dollars to spend on a t-shirt!!

we continue to see Maddie in tees with blazers - not a leather jacket in sight - it really shows how far she has come. I spoke about it in my 6x01 meta - blazers mean Maddie in a good place based on her wearing them in previous seasons. the emerald green one is a great colour on Jen, but more importantly green means growth and renewal - the renewal of her relationship with Chimney and family life and the growth associated with that.

The orange dip dye tee with a white zip front hoodie and a blue double breasted blazer with brass buttons and a peak lapel is an amazing choice. we have the navy (military not colour) undertones of the coat with the double breasted brass buttons and its navy colour. The use of a military style suggests an element of protection, but it also suggests the idea of ‘ship shape’ - and by the book - which is something we witness Maddie doing in this scene - she learnt from the Tara situation and has gone about providing help in the right way this time.

Then we have the orange tee. Orange is a colour of enthusiasm, warmth and joy - it is also a colour of emotional strength, so to have Maddie in orange at the end of an arc which will have hit very close to home for her and to have her showing such emotional strength really does relay just how far she has come.

Hen

Hen’s first costume is this army camo jacket with a black tee and a green pair of trousers - which we see again later on when she goes to see her neurology professor to ask for a second chance. I found it really interesting and clever to have her in the same costume at the start and the end of the episode - just with a change of jacket - going from camo - something you wear when you’re in hiding or trying to go unobserved - so here we have Hen, in a scene where a large chunk of the conversation is about lying and keeping secrets. She is essentially trying to go unobserved - in the sense that we don’t know if the firefam know about her failing her neurology test

in her last scene and after her drunk conversation with Buck, Hen has decided to stop laying low and confront her failure by asking for a second chance - the use of a tiger pattern for this is wonderful to see - tiger stripes in fashion are meant to convey self confidence, courage and ambition - very much Hen in this scene! I also want to take a moment to talk about the use of a cardigan with a large Aries logo on it (fashion brand Aries) in red. Aries is of course a constellation and star sign, but did you know that in greek mythology, Aries is the ram that provided the golden fleece, which not only connects to Athena, but also to the other god of war (and courage) - Ares. Now the reason this is interesting and pertinent here is two fold - first is the fact that Athena is the one who helps Jason (and the argonauts) claim the fleece so that Jason may claim his rightful throne. The second is that Ares god of war, is the embodiment of the brutality of war, and he is often on the wrong side of battles in greek mythology - being outsmarted by his sister Athena - who uses strategy to win her battles (the trojan horse is a perfect example of this in practice in the greek myth) so putting Hen in an outfit connected to the ‘failure’ god of war is hinting that this endeavour of hers will fail (because she has picked the wrong side - pursuing being a doctor) and that it will be brutal on her in the process. This all ties in with what we know about ‘Tomorrow’ and I love hte fact that it also connects into the idea of the universe screaming at Hen - what could be more universe screaming than a constellation of stars - and when theres going to be a space lab involved!!!!

The other thing I want to point out is the colour matching of this outfit when Hen makes her bid to be given a second chance, and the outfit Buck is wearing when Connor makes his ‘second’ bid to Buck for him to be his and Kamerons sperm donor - russet - which is a reddish brown! the choice to tie those two things together through colour is so indicative of the fact that both will ultimately be the wrong choice in some way.

Then we have this fabulous D&G jumper (retails at $2,795 if you’re interested and have the budget of a major tv show!!!!) tv test card jumper. I love the fact that Hen is wearing something that resembles the tv test card, because that is what you’d see on the screen when the channel wasn’t broadcasting, or when there was an issue with the signal (this is back in the 1960′s to the 1990′s for those of you too young to know what one is!!) Hen in this scene is in waiting mode - she’s not ‘broadcasting’ without work or study to do and is at a loss as to what to do with her time and I think this is a neat bit of costuming to portray this. there is also the fact that checkerboard is synonymous with the idea of pieces moving into place and a symbol of duality and achieving balance in ones life - something Hen doesn’t currently have but is trying to figure out how to achieve!

Connor and Kameron

Ok so I don’t normally do meta for guest cast because if I did then they’d get way too long and it would take me all week, but Conor and Kameron feel too relevant and there is some interesting stuff going on.

When we meet them, Kameron is in a long dress with a pale blue chintz print on a white background I found this a really fascinating choice because this kind of print immediately makes me think of 3 things - 18th century women's fashion, wallpaper and porcelain (from the same period).

This is intriguing to me because throughout the episode she is presented as this almost non entity - I don’t mean it as a negative, because this storyline is about Buck and his growth etc and she has a very specific purpose in this narrative. This is about Conor’s inability to have children so Kameron is there for storytelling purposes and so she has been deliberately written as inoffensive. The reason I find this son fascinating is because the use of a pattern that calls back to the feminine world of the 18th century is a really clever one - it places Kameron in the same ideology as the world they occupied - a world where the expectations for women was to make a home and provide a family. We even textually get a confirmation of this concept when Conor explains that it was just expected that Kameron was the problem - that it was her who was infertile - a common assumption for women in the 18th century as well - and it shows us how little we’ve moved on from 18th century misogyny.

Her next outfit had me very 👀👀👀 and it still does if I’m honest - Pink cardigan and a white tee

because of this from 5x04 Home and Away;

and also (this ones for you @kitkatpancakestack ) because of this from 4x08 Breaking Point;

yeah - are you seeing what I’m seeing?? I know the lighting is a bit yellowy in the first shot which is making it look a slightly different colour, but we basically have her colour matching Buck at two moments where he is caught in the middle of someone else’s relationship - when he makes mistakes that prove costly (not only to him but also to those in the respective relationships).

We have Buck getting involved in Maddie and Chimneys relationship - involving a child - by keeping secrets and inadvertently doing more harm than good both to himself and others (long game foreshadowing anyone?)

And then theres Breaking point my absolute beloved - in a costume that is even closer to the one Kameron is wearing because of the white shirt Buck is wearing beneath. We have Buck having a conversation with Albert about Veronica and their relationship and the conversation is about Buck not being a third wheel in Albert and Veronicas relationship if he has dinner with them. This scene is also the set up for the end of Albert and Veronica - because she doesn’t like his friends - but also for bringing Taylor back into the equation - something that ultimately made him incredibly miserable! But the thing to take away from this scene is the comment about not being a third wheel - which is exactly what Buck is essentially going to be if he was to go through with this sperm donation - that unwanted third person in a relationship - always present but unwanted and not included (because its worth remembering that they might ask him more than once so they can grow their family - heaping more pain on him in the longer run!).

Conor is playing very nicely into both my check theory and my stripe theory and actually the combining of them both on one character within one episode has me salivating, because I can’t (off the top of my head and I don’t have the time to go check) remember any instance where we’ve seen both used in combination before.

Checks being the portender of trouble and stripes being the bringer of change in direction. To combine them in this way is prophetic (IMO) that Buck won’t go through with the donation - because while the stripes being worn in the scene where buck says yes to being a donor highlights the upcoming change in direction, the check being worn twice in the prior scenes seemingly without any problems arising for Conor is suggestive that the trouble is only delayed and that the fallout will have a larger impact than a singular use of check clothing would present - because this storyline isn’t over yet and I wouldn’t be surprised if the next time we see Conor he’ll be wearing more check - especially if we see him when Buck either changes his mind and tells them he can’t do it, or if Bucks medical history intervenes.

Buck

Okay - Buck has a fair amount going on in this episode from a costume perspective - we start off with this lightweight blue sweater;

which is pretty much the same shade as the one he wears for a different conversation with Maddie...

(Again the lighting makes the colour look a bit different but it is pretty much the same colour). The fact that we have yet more colour paralleling (because Maddie is also in green in that season 2 conversation!) for conversations that are about similar things - Abby was off ‘opening herself up to possibility’ and finding herself in Europe and now we have Buck planning on doing the same thing - just while staying in LA. The fact that Abby had ended her relationship with Buck (without telling him grrrrr) before she wen’t off to ‘find herself’ and Buck has just ended a relationship himself (actually making it clear its ended) is loud - whats even louder is that we know that Abby came back from that finding herself adventure with a fiancee (and future step children) and that implies that Buck will end his ‘finding himself adventure’ in a similar position - do we need more proof that Buddie is going canon - because this right here is it - you don’t call back to a conversation both thematically and from a costume perspective unless it means something - the wardrobe team would have been told that the conversation in 6x04 was mirroring the one from 2x01 and they would’ve picked those colours intentionally!

There isn’t a lot to say about the black knit polo, other than to say that it is meant to reflect Bucks charming nature, while concealing his vulnerabilities - because we can see from the dialogue and acting choices in this scene that Buck is surprised that Connor has settled down etc - its the very thing Buck has been searching for and here it is presented in front of him - he would be feeling vulnerable about not having the same thing, but we see him concealing it - the entire conversation is about Connor and Kameron, Buck really doesn’t say much about himself in that scene at all - its all one sided.

I’ve already spoken above about the choice to have Hen and Buck in the same russet colour for their respective scenes so I won’t go on about that again here, but I will talk a bit about the colour russet - because it’s interesting, especially when combined with texture - Russet has come to mean honesty, but also seriousness and regret. the perfect choice for both Hen and bucks respective conversations.

Russet was originally a term used to describe a type of coarse cloth rather than a colour and it was cloth usually worn by the poor in the medieval period - it was even enshrined in law in England, that people working in certain trades could only wear russet cloth! We do get patterning through the weave of Bucks bowling shirt, which again, like it did in season 5 hints at Bucks confused and uncomfortable state of mind - this is a Taylor situation all over again in essentials. We also get a white tee, so sound the klaxon as it means trouble ahead for him!

hopefully you can see the patterning of the weave in the below picture!

Thing is we’ve seen Buck in this colour before - in 5 x07 Ghost Stories - and connected to a story about a guy caught up in the drama of a married couple (and a big warning sign for Buck about the fact that Taylor will go after the truth no matter what!) and someone asked to do something for each person in the marriage. This is yet another call back to a scene where Buck is involved in something pertaining to either himself or someone else being or getting involved in a relationship where they would be better off staying out of it.

The dark navy knit polo with tan and white collar, is indicative of where Bucks head is at - the darkness of the navy shows we also have the white trainers - if we needed any more proof that Buck is on a journey to discover love, then this is it - he wears the white trainers when he’s in scenes about love - both familial and romantic and those scenes provide important markers on this journey. you can read more of this theory here, but we should take note of what was said in that scene because it is important in Bucks search - can he be a ‘donor not Dad’ is the key takeaway here.

Bucks blue vertical striped short sleeve button up shirt is a doozy of a costume choice - its yet more Buck wearing blue in season 6 (we’re not totalling a ration of 2 non blue outfits to 6 blue ones!!!)

I’ve seen a few gifsets going around showing the above shirt in parallel with the below one, and it’s a very important connection to make. The gaps between the stripes is wider on the one from 4x14 and like I spent many of my s5 metas talking about, the tighter the patterning the more it represents inner turmoil and confusion. the difference between the gaps is telling - Buck was done with being the one doing the chasing when Taylor turned up on his door, but the Eddie situation was beginning to resolve itself at that point in time - he was awake and on the mend - hence the wider stripes. This new shirt shows the narrowing - there is more confusion going on and it continues the theme of Buck wearing vertical stripes in this season so far as well - we’re totalling 3 vertically striped shirts now in 4 (technically 3) episodes. there is a further connection to make with this shirt and its with Past is prologue and the most uncomfortable I love you of all time. Its the one other time we’ve seen Buck in blue with vertical stripes and i don’t believe his yes to being a sperm donor was any more genuine than his saying I love you to Taylor was - oh he’ll try hard to convince himself its true and he’s okay with it, but in the end he’s either going to turn around and say no (in the same way he said no to Taylor in 5x18 when he broke up with her) or he’s going to be unable to donate and eventually feel relief that he didn’t have to go through with it (in the same way we saw his relief when Taylor handed back her key and walked out of his life).

Eddie

Eddie is wearing a green long sleeve tee when Christophers school phones him. the green is a darker army green - indicative of the fact that Eddie is ‘at war’ with Christopher in this episode, (maybe a strong term, but thats what it feels like to Eddie!) but the fact that the colour is both brighter and darker than many of his other army coloured t-shirts shows his progress - its not truly army coloured and its not washed out like his other army tops have been. this is bolder and cleaner - it is yet more proof that Eddie is in a good place - it connects him to his past, but also shows he can grow beyond it - we no longer identify him as a solider (in fact it will be interesting to see if we see any more army tees now he’s in a better place and finding himself without the identity of soldier - I think unless he spirals backwards we might not!)

Eddie’s watch was very prominent in this episode - we get to see it in the above scene as well as in the conversation with Ramon. Both scenes are obviously connected through Christopher (as does the fact that there is yet another timepiece connecting to Christopher in the tank top scene - we see Eddies clock on the bedside table when Chris has snuck out of bed to chat with his friends online!) and, as I have theorised that watch is a representation of his st. Christopher medal, as well as connected to Buck we have an interesting pattern emerging. Although we didn’t get to see Eddie and Buck talking about whats been going on with Christopher, we did get Buck being connected to whats been going on when Eddie asked him if Chris had confided in him - Eddie tried to involve Buck in the matter, but Buck was too much in his own head to be able to contribute.

As a quick aside - I’m truly enjoying the fact that Both Eddie and Ryan have the same colour phone case 😂

The scene above has Eddie in a black trucker jacket and a tan top and boots - all very nicely colour matched with his watch strap as well and it bares a striking resemblance to this outfit from 5x18;

Not the same outfit and the jumper is lighter in the 6x04 scene, but close enough to draw a parallel - and interestingly both scenes involve conversations with parental figures - and both are conversations that encompass the concept of healing from trauma and being saved. the lightening of the brown to tan and the switch from suede to cotton are indicative of the fact that Eddie is continuing to make progress on his healing journey (because even the boots go from dark brown to tan!), in this case the black jacket is about Eddie attempting to conceal his vulnerability - while the tan top is a mixture of brown yellow and white. The meaning of brown is stability, comfort and protection, while yellow is communication, optimism and clear thinking, then there is white - balance and new beginnings.

Eddies Black tank top proved my theory correct - if you haven’t read it then you can by clicking here and the fact it came in a scene after the bike incident - insanity and I’m still not over it! Eddie is in an interesting place emotionally, and we get to see a little of his stress response - his authority, before he reins it back in and breaks the cycle.

Christopher

Sassy Christopher (I love his sass!!) in his navy and white stripe short sleeve rugby polo also playing into stripe theory - his life is about to change - because he has been found out - gotta admire his plan though - not sure I’d have thought of doing what he did to get a bit of freedom from my parents when I was his age!

and finally we have his blue and green pyjama top. The patterning on this top is great - its kind of like clouds passing across the sky or even the Aurora borealis, calming and balancing green the colour of growth and the blue of trust, security and support - all things we see in the way Eddie handles Christopher in this scene - all things that show how fare Eddie has come and how different his relationship with Chris is compared with his own relationship with his father when he was Christophers age. Its a beautiful to see - just like the aurora borealis!!!

I hope you enjoyed reading and thank you as always for your likes, comments and reblogs - I love reading your thoughts etc in the tags - they make my day!

As always tagged people below (and hopefully they work as they’ve been a bit temperamental!!

@mistmarauder @theladyyavilee @loveyourownsmiilee @leothil @girldadbuddie @kitkatpancakestack @bucksintheroom @lemotmo @trashendence @elishareads @clipboardsandstethoscopes @comfortbuddie @fiona-fififi @name-code-black-widow @prettyboyandthekid @callanee @calyssmarviss @alwaysme @pbandjeremiah @batgrldes @piningpettyeddie @bi-moonlight @spotsandsocks @projectabc @livingwherethesidewalkends @idontshitpostbuttheolympicpark @diazboysbuckley @sweettsubaki @jordxnhennessy @shortsighted-owl @sherlocking-out-loud @ekstasisandangst-main @favouritealias @hearteyesdiaz @gossamerglob @ktinastrikesback @adamrparrrish @princesschez75 @bucksbuddie @oneawkwardcookie @leatherat @moniquekatie @wanderingwomanwondering @trickster-archangel @outrunningthedark @asharadaine @ajunerose @wolfybuckley @neon-d0rk @boohooweewoobuckaroo @talespinner230

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stagefoureddiediaz · 2 years ago

Text

Costume meta 6x06

I love an episode with flashbacks in - its such a great opportunity to explore an established characters personality through their clothes. Is also a really interesting test of a new costume designer on a show. and Kenni, by and large did a great job. There are a couple of things I’m not convinced by, but I understand why they were done as they were - I’ll go into them in a bit more detail when we get to them.

Also did anyone spot the costume continuity error? I’ll point it out when we get to it!

There were three big colour themes in this episode - white, black and beige - I’m interested in the fact that we’ve seen this happen in all of the episodes in season 6 - Kenni, it seems is using colour theming in this way as much as more specific colour use. She is building on what ABP did before and adding her own stamp to it which I love to see and can’t wait to see if it continues and if there will be a couple of big colour themes that play out over the season - right now my money would be on blue and yellow continuing to be present as well as black and beige to be themes for the season.

I said I was going to do it and I have - I’ve split this meta into present day and flashback. There is a little overlap, but I think it will be easier to look at the flash back costumes as a separate entity, so we’ll look at them first and then move onto the present day costumes.

Flashbacks

Chimney

We’ll start with the resident matchmaker shall we 😆

Its a fairly simple thing to write about Chim’s costumes this week - we only see him in 2 colours - black and blue and only in flashback - present day Chim is only in uniform! The black is about mystery as well as confidence - the things Chim is playing into in the scenes we see in in the flashbacks - he’s confident in Hen and Karen being good for each other and together and he’s mysterious in that he sets them up without telling either of them that he has done so. There is also the fact that, because black is also the lack of colour, it can be used to blend someone into the background - we saw it with Bobby in 6x02 - the story isn’t actually about them and so they need to look neutral and in a non overpowering way, Black is the perfect colour for this (think stage hands moving the set and props around on stage - always dressed in black because its unobtrusive - you see them and know what they’re doing, but they’re not distracting.)

This first one is striped though - black on black and it plays in perfectly to stripe theory - Chim is making the change happen - by setting up Hen and Karen for their date!

The we have this blue grey polo - which Chim wears when he’s back in matchmaker mode - but using different tactics - the maturity and insightfulness of grey combined with the trustworthy and loyal nature of blue. Again a perfect colour to compliment this scene - because Chim is seeing a bigger picture and using his skills and insightfulness to continue playing matchmaker - and while he downright lies to Karen in this scene, he is being loyal to both of them to get them to where they need to be.

Hen

To start with - I adore that they pulled Hens first glasses out of the costume vault - its continuity like this that helps world build and its something the general audience will pick up on too.

Its really hard not to draw parallels between this shirt and the ones Buck wears in 4x13/14 as well as the maroon tee he wears when talking to Chris in 4x14. This is the only time we’ve seen Hen wearing a shirt like this and it is the perfect use of costume for foreshadowing - Hen is going to end up in a similar position to Buck in 4x13/14 by the end of the episode and this costume lays the groundwork for that. The textual paralleling is obvious - we’ve all been shouting about it since the episode aired because the camera angles, script etc were all pretty loud, but the costume is there joining in and re-enforcing the parallel - both in terms of Karens life threatening injury, but also in the fact that both Hen and Buck step up to care for their respective children.

You don’t do this with a costume if you don’t want to risk the audience drawing those parallels and conclusions because it’s a very loud choice and one that will be picked up on (potentially by the GA as well as fandom). The buck pinstripe shirt is one of the more memorable costumes from the show (aside from the uniforms of course) so a designer would only parallel it when they don’t want you to draw any conclusion but the parallel. Its my favourite costume of the episode for this reason and if we needed any further proof that the show is treating Buddie like the canon couples - then this is it!

It’s the first of the beige/buff coloured shirts/ tops of the episode. Beige is a combination of brown and white and so it displays both of those colours meanings - its dependable and tranquil, as well as being considered the colour of homeliness. THis shirt Hen is wearing tends toward the more yellow and brown end of the beige spectrum and so we should pull some of its meanings from those colours - so communication for the yellow as well as honesty and safety.

The first of the interesting repeat costume choices comes here - the trousers are the same ones that we see Hen in in 6x02 - heading into her class with Luis. I wrote then that they were reflective of Hens mid being scrambled - that she was going to have a choice to make and that continues to play here - Hen tells us she sat outside in her car for 20 minutes deciding if she was going to come in or not. THis is yet another moment for Hen where things change and her path takes a different direction - both the not being sure whether to come in or not as well as not being sure about Karen - being to serious. we see how things pan out, but the trousers are there helping us along with the storytelling.

this black and blue line knit cardigan - the trustworthy nature of blue is telling Karen that Hen is trustworthy, despite the story she’s telling about Eva - the fractured nature of the blue is however also suggesting that while Hen can be trusted, the story is far from over (which of course we all know as we’ve been watching the show) and that Eva will form a part of Hen and Karens own story and that it will cause fractures in their budding relationship.

i loved this offset chevron knit cardigan - in many ways it continues themes of the drunk hen tv test card jumper from 6x04 (can you continue a theme when its in a flashback?!) - we have similar colours at play, and similar themes - Hen is contemplating a big life change - in this case taking on a baby and becoming parent - which of course also continues to tie into that drunk Buck and Hen scene from 6x04 and subtly builds on the idea of becoming parent by unconventional means, but in a way that predates any sperm donations - honestly the way they’re building the parallels between Hen and Buck this season through the clothes as well as the script and direction etc is making me a bit insane - its so very loud!

In yet another ‘lets parallel Buck and Hen outfit’, we have Hen, with a black eye, in a grey blue hoodie. The last time we saw Buck injured he had a black eye (the same eye as Hen) and he was wearing a grey blue hoodie. We saw that same grey blue hoodie when Buck was in the process of deciding to make a major change to his life and break up with Taylor. Here, Hen might not be about to break up with someone (having already have that happen), but she is about to make a massive life choice and become a parent!

This multi colour multi pattern shirt has a retro (1980′s/ early 90′s) vibe to it and the bold and erratic pattern really highlights the fact that Hen and Karen have thrown themselves into this new adventure and that they’re really not prepared for it at all. the brighter colours are positive though - denoting that this new adventure into parenthood will be the making of them.

Karen

Lots of black for flashback Karen! Its all playing into the power and authority meanings of black - Karen is a black woman in a white mans world and she’s having to work twice as hard to get half as far (probably more) and thats made her into the abrupt and standoffish persona we see in this scene, and as black is also good at concealing vulnerabilities its the perfect colour choice.

The chain patterned shirt made me cackle with glee when I saw it. it is in fact a navy blue shirt and not black like it appears because of the filter on the camera. the use of chains on a shirt in a scene where Hen is unsure about committing to a relationship and where Karen talks about being able to be fun - chefs kiss wardrobe team, chefs kiss! Chains a generally associated with being locked up and in relationship terms, partners are often described as being a ball and chain (I know I wrote about this in one of my other metas, I just can’t remember which one!) and therefore this shirt is foreshadowing the fact that Karen will be Hen’s ball and chain (and vice versa) in the future - that they will choose to chain themselves together

This champagne silk blouse is similar to beige, but champagne has a powerful personality while also being a fairly modest colour. It does carry some of those same meanings as beige - honesty and dependability and we see Karen being honest in this scene - the dependability is also there, we just dob’t see it revealed until later on in the episode - when she returns to Hen and they truly commit to one another.

The light grey suit dress that we see Karen in when she’s at the airport took me straight back to Hen in Hen begins when she’s at dinner with the sleazy doctors that it made me laugh a bit. Its not an identical outfit, but that would be weird - its close enough and the only time we see either Hen or Karen in such a business suit like outfit.

It was playing on the idea of blowing up your life but it tuning out to be the best decision - Hen blowing up her life and becoming a firefighter in Hen begins and her Karen blowing up her life and choosing to become a mother (and a wife). Both seemingly mad choices to make, but both ultimately proving to be the right choice.

This outfit is also the one with the continuity error - see the necklace in the shot below - it disappears as Karen sits down on the coffee table half way through the scene!!

Now you see it...

..now you don’t!

New mom Karen wearing burnt sienna linen dungarees and a white shirt is perfect! Burnt sienna is a colour of both excitement and security, it is a caring and devoted colour and the perfect colour for Karen. It also marks the first time we’ve seen Karen in a non neutral or black colour - it marks the change in direction for her (no longer chasing being an astronaut) and embracing this new adventure. Its actually a colour we’ve see on Karen a couple of times - most notably and importantly the first time we meet her - in a scene where Hen and Karen talk about Eva and her being in contact with Hen - its a call back/tie in that brings the story full circle and shows exactly how colour and costume can really help tell a story.

Its also worth pointing out here that all the flashback scenes have a filter on them which is giving the colours a slightly washed out look - hence why the dungarees look duller than the cardigan from 1x05 in the pictures below - the reality is that they will be pretty similar in shade without the ilter!

Present Day

Hen

Shout out to the sneakers Hen is wearing when she arrives at Karens work - they’re by off-white and they are called ‘out of office’ never was the name of pair of sneakers more appropriate!! the fact they’re also turquoise - a colour of clarity, growth and balance - this incident provides Hen with the clarity she needs to see where her future lies - it provides her with the means to grow and re-find balance in her life.

The colour blocking of the tee is giving me the same vibes as the Jumper Hen wears at the party at the end of wrapped in red. It isn’t the same in terms of colour ways (that jumper was red and white with a bit of pink) but this type of colour blocking its a style choice that we’ve seen on her at moments when the firefam isn’t whole - in 5x10 Chimney wasn’t part of the 118 and Eddie announced his departure from the 118, while here we see Hen at a moment where she’s ‘not a firefighter anymore.’ The colours are all associated with emergencies - the orange connects to fire, it is an emotional but optimistic colour and this one is bordering on red, while the navy blue ties into the firefam uniform - giving Hen that air of authority which she makes use of when given the chance and the white (interestingly and tellingly the smallest amount of colour on the polo) ties into the idea of doctors in white coats and Hen makes full use of her extended medical training when given the chance to get involved in the incident.

As you can see the check trousers I spoke about in the flashback section above are back and their purpose remains as true here as it did for both the previous times we saw them - Hen is faced with and making big decisions.

More beige for Hen here - this time with the red stitch detailing down the arm - stitch detailing that looks remarkably like sutures. Its yet more red being worn by Hen in a subtle way at a key moment in her arc this season.

Karen

I wrote a mini meta in response to an ask about Karens floral blouse - its decorated with medicinal flowers and I’m especially loving the fact that this shirt has clove on, when we’ve seen Hen in plenty of red and they used the song Crimson and clover in this episode - its the little links like this that make me love the show even more than I already do!

The indigo blue and turquoise print on white top has a similar palm frond design as Denny’s tee. White is the colour of new beginnings and clarity, while blue is trustworthy, honest, reliable and supportive and the turquoise is a colour of clarity and growth. Those little hints of turquoise tie into Hen’s trainers from earlier and help to tie the themes of the episode together.

Denny

yes there is some more beige on the go - this first zip polo we see Denny in is colour matching Hens main outfit of the episode and

I do love it when the costume team aren’t subtle with the outfits they put the kids in and this tee is no exception. climbers, mountains, rivers and signposts!! The metaphors for Hen’s journey are loud and then Denny is the final signpost that gets her to realise what is important to her and what her dream actually is.

This top is an epic choice - the palm fronds that match with Karens, the black base colour of the tee that matches with Hens tee, tiying them together as a family and then the rainbow of colours that subtly hint at gay love re-enforcing the entire modus operandi of the episode!

Athena

Only the one Athena outfit this week - this teal green rib knit collared button front top. Teal is a colour of morality, but also accepting, supportive and rational - and when you have Athena rocking up to a scene on her day off to support Hen (Denny, Karen and the firefam as well) I’d say its the perfect colour choice for Athena in this moment!

And Finally a shout out to Victor and Colton - who kept my check theory in play

I hope you enjoyed reading and thank you as always for your likes, comments and reblogs - I love reading your thoughts etc in the tags - they make my day!

As always tagged people below

@mistmarauder @theladyyavilee @loveyourownsmiilee @leothil @girldadbuddie @kitkatpancakestack @bucksintheroom @lemotmo @trashendence @elishareads @clipboardsandstethoscopes @comfortbuddie @fiona-fififi @name-code-black-widow @prettyboyandthekid @callanee @calyssmarviss @alwaysme @pbandjeremiah @batgrldes @piningpettyeddie @bi-moonlight @spotsandsocks @projectabc @livingwherethesidewalkends @idontshitpostbuttheolympicpark @diazboysbuckley @sweettsubaki @jordxnhennessy @shortsighted-owl @sherlocking-out-loud @ekstasisandangst-main @favouritealias @hearteyesdiaz @gossamerglob @ktinastrikesback @adamrparrrish @princesschez75 @bucksbuddie @oneawkwardcookie @leatherat @moniquekatie @wanderingwomanwondering @trickster-archangel @outrunningthedark @asharadaine @ajunerose @wolfybuckley @neon-d0rk @boohooweewoobuckaroo @talespinner230 @swiftiebuckleys

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stagefoureddiediaz · 2 years ago

Note

Hi Kym!!! Hope you are well! Here with my first costume ask of the season, hehe. ::Rubs hands together:: So I saw a post earlier this week that had a picture of Maddie in What's Your Grievance, as she calls the Buckleys to express her worries about Buck being in therapy. Obviously this issue was a pretty major trigger for her, and what I found Very Interesting is that the shade of her light blue cardigan (worn over a white shirt underneath) looks to my admittedly very untrained eye to be very close to the light blue of Buck's polo in 6x02 that you discussed in your meta. Do you think there's any connection? Light blue is the color of Buckleys about to go through it, apparently, if fandom's observations and predictions about Buck's arc are accurate.

Hey Kate

I'm excited to get your first costume ask of the season - sorry its taken me a few days to get to it, life has been very busy!!

The connection to Maddie in the blue cardigan from Future tense is an interesting one. it is a similar shade of blue - not quite the same - Maddie's is more of a sky or baby blue than Bucks, but they are close enough to be considered the same shade in this context. I also don't think that fact that Buck is in therapy is the thing that connects the two scenes, not do I agree with the fandom assertion that light blue means Buckleys about to go through it and I have a couple of reasons for this, so lets look at all the times Maddie and Buck have worn light blue;

Maddie

3x01 - When Maddie an Chim discuss if they want to have children - Maddie is wearing a white tee with blue stripes and a bright blue shirt over the top

4x03 - Maddie talks to her Mom on the phone - she's wearing a white camisole and a blue longline cardigan

5x04 and 12 the video recording of Maddie telling Chimney she's left and not to come looking for her - Maddie wears a bright blue shirt with a line check pattern on.

Buck

4x05 - Maddie and Buck make peace and Maddie gives Buck the postcards he sent from his travels - Buck wears a white shirt with very pale blue pin stripes and a blue sports jacket

5x18 - Hen and Karens vow renewal - Buck wears the light blue suit

6x01 - the lasagne kitchen scene - Buck is wearing a light blue zip front denim shirt with cream pinstripes (I'm including this because although its not technically the same blue, its close enough - my previous connections about this shirt still stand, its just been cleverly woven into this other narrative by the costume team!)

6x02 - Locker room scene - Buck wears the blue collared waffle knit top

there are a few times Buck wears a very very pale blue shirt or jumper such as the hoodie he sleeps in in 4x14, but they are a different shade of blue so don't really count towards this!

As you can probably see - none of these scenes connect with a Buckley sibling 'about to go through it' - the only one that fits into that category imo is the blue shirt Maddie is wearing in the video message to Chim - and shes already in t by that point, so I'd argue it still doesn't fit that idea!

In my opinion the connection between all of these scenes is actually family - both history and finding your place and building your family - that search for Happiness (which is the thing we know Buck is actively looking for now, but its also the the thing he's been searching for all his life). We see Maddie's journey - from that first blue top centring around a conversation about children - wanting them but never feeling safe (and we obviously know it was foreshadowing the events of the end of the season and season 4), her concern over Buck being in therapy and wanting to not keep Daniel a secret anymore - the one thing that is stopping her at this point in feeling content in the family she's building for herself, and then when she fears for the safety of her family and chooses to run away - when her mental health is preventing her from being able to feel like she can have the family she has created (in its barest form - PPD has so much angles to it!)

Then there is Buck - his awakened understanding of why he's never felt like he fit with his family - but gains an important pice when he and Maddie make peace and she gives him the postcards he sent her. Then ther eis the important moment when Buck has freed himself from his relationship - an important moment for him as its the first time he's chosen something for himself - he's freed himself from the potential of an unhappy family life (and also the possibility of not actually having a family of his own - we don't know if Taylor wants children but she's so career focused its fair to assume that she may not!) with someone who doesn't fit in with his wider family - the one he's been steadily building. He is also watching a family renewing their commitment to each other - the very thing he wants for himself so the suit is a double whammy of meaning here. Then there is the lasagne shirt - again the family he has been building and a moment of happiness for Buck (he just hasn't fully connected the dots yet), before finally we get the locker room shirt - the most explicit of all of them, but also a follow on from the lasagne scene in many ways.

For me the connection between the two scenes you mentioned specifically is actually Daniel. At the time, we the audience are as in the dark as Buck is about Daniel, but we get these two lines from Maddie;

'He doesn't know anything, but maybe he should'

'How do you tell somebody that you've been lying to them for their entire life'

Daniel is the key to Bucks happiness and the key to Maddies as well - although she has now dealt with much of it - the knowing and not knowing about Daniel created a fugitive and a settler. The fugitive who knows and then runs from it (because thats essentially what her parents have been doing the whole time) because it is something too big to be reckoned with until she has no other choice. And the settler - the one who didn't know and who has found ways of coping - traumatised by something he wasn't aware of and so clung to whatever he could get. Now having taken that first step to freeing himself from clinging to something that isn't working is at a point where he has to reckon with the big trauma because it is the only way to heal - the only way to deal with the associated trauma of always hating who you are and who you have been (hence the software updates - its a way of distancing yourself from a version of you you don't like - you update and don't have to be that version anymore -its no longer a part of you and in your head if you update you can pretend that person is someone else and you don't have to face up to why you behaved a certain way or feel a certain way. Buck being in therapy first time around (with Dr Copeland) was never going to work when he didn't have all the facts and there is a reason we haven't seen or heard of him in therapy since and it all goes back to Daniel - the big thing Buck hasn't faced up to - but is going to have to if he wants to find happiness.

Sorry I don't know if this makes nay sense - I got a bit rambly (and I think I might be projecting a bit of my own experiences onto Buck 😳) Basically what I'm trying to say is that the blue we're talking about is about Daniel and (Maddie and) Bucks first trauma - and those two scenes connect the first time we see the Buckley siblings starting to reckon with that trauma - the recognition that they need to deal with it to be able to live their lives and find happiness. Maddie had bumps along the road, so expect Buck to as well - I would expect to see him in this blue again in correspondence with that!

#kym answers things #asharadaine asks #Kate asks #I loved this ask - it really got me thinking #911 costume theory #kym costume theory #the buckley siblings in blue #why do I always get long when I answer asks 😂#the buckley siblings #we hate the Buckley parents on this blog #its all about dealing with childhood trauma #911 on fox #911 fox #911 #buck #evan 'buck' buckley #maddie #911onfox #maddie buckley

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