#911 WISHES they could make another season finale as good as season three (or four) but they just can't :// sucks for them ://

[flimsy-spine]

my favorite madney scenes: [29/?] ⇢ What's Next?, 3.18

[himbo-buckley]

INTIMACY, SEX AND BUDDIE (BETTER KNOWN AS I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT THIS SHOW, SOME OF WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE BEFORE MENTIONED TOPICS) - Part 3

Well, hello there (again)!


I got to say, this was both my favourite and least favourite part to write because by now all my theories are (hopefully) explained enough that I can just ramble about the characters and connections and ya’ll will forgive me if I stray away from what’s actually happening in this episode. Which I will do. A lot actually.

On the other hand side I have so many thoughts about what’s happening and this is gonna be long af as I started writing on part three at the same time as I wrote part 1 and 2 and I barely found things to cut, which means we are clocking in at a casual 7700 words. So maybe get that drink now, cause it’ll be a ride!

Also the links to part one and part two

And look, by now you probably know the drill but I’m just gonna give you my preface again:

This meta was supposed to be a lot shorter and only talk about how both Buck and Eddie use sex to distract their respective partners from whatever topic they actually wanted to talk about but since I decided to rewatch the show to make sure I don’t miss any such scenes, it has exploded a bit and taken on more topics

I should also mention that I am a Buddie shipper and while I tried, you will find several references and arguments for the ship in this Meta, not all of which necessarily call for a romantic pairing but just: These two are deeply connected and you cannot look at one without discussing the other and they are each other’s strongest emotional connection.

I should also preface this by saying that the whole of the 118 has some obvious intimacy / commitment issues except Bobby (which is sort of surprising) but *John Mulaney voice* we don’t have time to unpack all of that!

On another note I cuss a little in this Meta because my parents let me listen to TicTacToe as a small child and after that it never stuck that cussing is wrong so, uhm, parental supervision is advised or something

This Meta will so far have FOUR parts now. The original plan was to do three, one for each Season and is organised by episode so you could technically follow along, but due to personal reasons, also known as *feelings*, Season 3 has already exploded disproportionately and for readability reasons I have split it in two (this is part three, the cut will happen after Christmas, it works storyline-wise)

And now, for our next instalment of I read too much into things: Season 3A (also called: „Eddie Diaz, stop being such a boy scout (Wait, no, not like that!)“)

Episode 3.01:

911 as a show has a fairly interesting way of storytelling where it sometimes feels a little like they cut together snapshots of lives in regards to certain topics. And because of that you only ever see a small part of the lives of the characters. That being said: I hate hate hate how 5 months passed between the Season 2 final and the first episode of Season 3 and aside from a few offhand remarks we get virtually nothing. Also it’s very unrealistic that Bobby and Athena didn’t have any parties for 5 months, like nope, I don’t believe you show!

That being said, I appreciate how much time it took Buck to heal because it’s realistic! And also most importantly gets Oliver Stark a chance to truly shine!

I wanna take this chance real quick, to thank the producers and writer both for writing Evan Buckley the way they write him and for casting Oliver Stark to play him because omg, it works so well! Look, Oliver Stark is attractive. He is buff and handsome, but he is not perfect. He is Tinder-buff, not MCU-I haven’t seen a drop of water in a month-buff, he’s the kind of fit that will fill the whole screen one minute and make you say „Wait, I thought he was wider than this!“ the next (you know how everyone always talks about the hips to shoulder ration of Chris Evans? Yeah, the opposite of that) . And he has a really pretty face but his nose is a little too cocked and he has scars and there’s the „adorable facemark“ and he seems so damn dorky which is exactly why Evan „Buck“ Buckley works, why he is hot. And he gets to be emotional and sensitive and caring on top of that and yeah, I don’t know if I wanna be him or date him anymore either. Like he singlehandedly made me rethink my view on dating, just because I am hoping for someone like him.

Anyways, that’s probably something none of you wanted to read about in a META so we’ll get to the juicy stuff now, alright?

One thing that I realised as I watched season 3 for the third time just now is how often it repeats itself. It feels a bit stagnant at times, the way the characters make two steps forward and one step back all the time, most notably in Bobby.

I wanna talk about Bobby for once because you can not look at Buck in Season 3 without looking at Bobby as well. These two characters are connected the same way Buck is connected to Eddie. Most things Buck does character wise in Season 3 are caused by Bobby’s actions, in the same way most of Eddie’s are caused by Buck.

And the thing that 3.01 tells us from the get go? Bobby thinks of Buck as somewhat of a son (which we knew already) and Bobby sees himself in Buck, which is why he does what he probably hoped someone would have done for him the 10 or something years ago when he hurt is back and holds him back. There is also the fact that he tries to teach Buck to have a life outside the firehouse, though that is something he probably should at some point in the near future actually voice to Buck, because Buck on his own can not draw these conclusions from Bobby’s actions. Buck on his own thinks it’s about him not being good enough and so he works himself to the bone to try and proof otherwise. (Someone please just finally tell him what a good boy he is? Yeah?)

As for the scene during the party, you could actually see how much Buck had to force himself to be that open and that vulnerable with Bobby (and not just because he is *literally* having an embolism) and that hurts because to this day Buck has not realised that Bobby will always be there to catch him. Buck still thinks he needs to proof himself to Bobby because of his firing in Season 1. And would you believe I actually cried a little typing these words?

And now I’m gonna talk about my agenda, also known as Buddie real quick, and point you toward the fact that while we have seen Eddie be vulnerable with Buck and Buck be vulnerable with everyone else we have not seen Buck be audibly vulnerable with Eddie and I do not think this is a coincident at all.

Look, Eddie is a guarded guy, right? He has a hard time being vulnerable, a hard time asking for help, a hard time giving up control. But he does all these things with Buck and he does them willingly and with barely an outside push, which is different to say with Bobby. Eddie let’s himself fall with Buck and by doing so raises Buck’s self worth and gives him the feeling of being in control Buck craves so much (while Eddie sort of despises it because he feels like he always has to be the one in control), but it also means that Buck is afraid to let himself fall with Eddie because it might mean Eddie won’t trust him again. Buck generally is a very emotional guy and he doesn’t seem afraid to voice his weaknesses, in fact he is probably too aware of them and too willing to let others poke at them, except with Eddie. With Eddie Buck always tries for strong, because he knows Eddie needs him to be and because he thinks, if he’s not, Eddie will see what everyone else saw and leave him. On Eddie’s side I do think by now he is more than willing to catch Buck and still let himself be caught in return. At least at this point.

(also, if we do ever get Buddie I could see a reverse of the Shannon-Eddie situation happening where Eddie is the one being open and Buck has a hard time being emotionally vulnerable, afraid it’ll scare Eddie off and he’ll leave like everyone else.)

But then, one could also point out that Eddie probably knows all the things going on with Buck anyways because I truly think they know each other inside out and are two feathers of the same bird and same recognises same and all that - it’s just that Buck is someone who needs to actually voice his feelings to deal with them, so unless he voices his vulnerabilities to Eddie, for him, the other guy doesn’t know them. (Except Eddie does know.) (and man, I wish the rest of the 911 would finally figure out that with Buck you always - always - have to say things! You can’t just imply. You can’t think your actions speak loud enough. You need to actually use your words and do so in a way that leaves no doubt because that boy thinks so little of himself and he will make himself doubt every nice thing that ever happens to him.)

Now, moving back to what’s actually happening in the episode and why all of this is important:

We have the very important talk in the Station were text points out some of the things I just said and Eddie realises that he needs to do better, so he pulls a Buck and steamrolls him. (also do we truly believe that Carla was out of the country? Do we? Do we not think Eddie spent the whole ride over coaching his son on lying to his best friend because Eddie is just like that?)

Also I love how before this Maddie is talking to Josh and she says something along the lines of wether she should push Buck or coddle him and it cuts to Eddie trying the first.

On Eddie’s side of this meta we somewhat learn where Eddie’s issues stem from and it’s of course Daddy issues because this show loves them very much. (Seriously, out of 5 firefighters 3 have confirmed absent fathers causing issues and one has it heavily implied. Tim Minear, do you wanna talk?)

Also, Ramon Diaz probably threw in a „real men don’t cry“ with his macho speech about just brushing shit off and thereby emotionally crippling his child further, because he seems cliche like that.

Sidenote: The Buck and Christopher relationship is so beautiful and important and „Some cool outfits, too.“ is one of my favourite lines, though I do have to say - as someone who works professionally with kids - that this is what really shows how much Eddie truly thinks of Buck and how much he trusts him because it’s safe to assume that Buck has never been alone with Christopher or any child for longer and has never had to take care of one by himself and yet Eddie just trusts him to take care of his son for what is probably a 24h shift. Truly magnificent. An unparalleled relationship. So meaningful.

Episode 3.02:

No actual relevance but I do wanna point out that the thing about the mom being the love of boat guys life but her son being her’s? Yeah, that’s Eddie (and Buck).

Also, Buck’s just a natural at being a dad (not because of the fun stuff but the stuff when he knew exactly how to distract Christopher when those bodies floated by) and at some point I need Eddie to point this out to him and I need him to voice his jealousy about it, because Eddie? Not a natural dad.

(I actually think that is something that is true about a lot of things for these two. I mean yes, Buck is a hard worker but I think only in areas he is already naturally gifted (remember that whole thing with the Seals? “You just have to be badass, which I am?”) and he generally doesn’t try if things don’t come naturally because Buck hates failure because Buck already feels like a failure. Meanwhile Eddie seems like the kind of guy who has this huge capacity for learning, so even if something doesn’t come naturally to him (like fatherhood) he has the determination and willingness to try and try again until he finally gets it right and is perfect because Eddie, too, hates failure.) (And now I wanna see more about their childhoods because I could actually see Buck be somewhat of a gifted child in his youth who never learned how to actually apply himself and because of that has always been told he had so much wasted potential while Eddie was either an overarchiver or a slacker, I’m sorry I don’t make the rules. Or maybe I am projecting.)

Episode 3.03:

I read somewhere on tumblr that Ryan Guzman and his wife thought Eddie and Lena would be a thing and where actually on board and I was like? No?

I mean I do love the way she takes one look at him and decides he needs his ego checked (and also Eddie is like: ui, me like-y! (maybe because he misses another person that used to be an asshole to him right off the bat?)).

Also love all the references to Eddie being in the army („The 118 is huffing it“-scene comes to mind). Again, kudos to Ryan Guzman for always acting with all his body, because you can always feel the army training in his posture like the way he usually stands just a little bit straighter than everyone else (well, at least that’s what it looks like to me, someone who has not been in the Army and knows only like two people that got drafted and no one who went willingly, because my country generally doesn’t do that these days ).

As for what is happening in the episode, I think it’s a reference to Shannon that Eddie dealt with that couple that, despite loving each other a lot and getting along fairly well, decided to get divorced. Which is what 911 should have done with Shannon. (Me being salty about Shannon? It’s more likely than you think.)

I also think it’s a nice parallel the way both Lena and Buck are so desperate to search for their missing loved one with no regard for their own safety and I’m assuming Eddie saw Buck in Lena’s actions as well, which is why he trusts her so fast. (Because Eddie just like Buck is looking for connection and intimacy but Eddie is even worse at creating it than Buck, so he just tries to recreate the one working bond he truly has.) (Something actually proven in text by Eddie: becoming a firefighter because he misses the army.)

And I know everyone and their mother has already pointed out how Eddie was not worried about Chris at all because his son was with Buck and he knows Buck would never let anything bad happen to his son ever.

Which is why *that* scene is even more heartbreaking, because Eddie has so much trust in his Buck and kudos to Ryan Guzman because man, the way you see Eddie steel himself for what Buck is saying? The way you can feel him pulling himself together because Buck needs him to hear this. (Look, the scene is about a father learning from the person he trusts most in the world that his son might be dead and they could have easily forshadowed Eddie’s fighting ark by having him react negatively and violently here but instead he stays calm because it’s Buck and Buck for once needs him to be the one in control - also, on a less ship-y note because Eddie’s world is falling apart right there and he needs to keep in control because if he doesn’t, he will probably never be again.)

Which brings us to that scene in the loft, and listen, I know I said at the end of part 2 Eddie barely had any character development in the two seasons since we met him, but uhm, this scene? Proves he had some development, because right then right there he is so fucking vulnerable with Buck. It is of course part of him being a protector because just like with Shannon in 2.04 he realises that this is was Buck needs him to be right now, so vulnerable it is.

I do think however that it’s beautiful how Eddie apparently took the time during a fucking natural disaster to figure out that Evan Buckley needs him to use his actual words, so use his actual words he does.

And I do wanna point out that this is something he never had with Shannon, Eddie was never able to figure out what is wife of what? 7-8 years needed of him but he does know what his best friends needs. And wether that is just Buddie or just plain old character development, remains to be seen.

(Though we should mention that it wasn’t a permanent thing, Eddie does fail Buck a few times in Season 3 (but he also doesn’t a few other times) but we’ll get to that when we get to that!)

Also, honourable mention to Maddie Buckley-Kendall for getting that phone call and probably nearly dying of a heart attack and then having to race to the VA thinking the worst and probably imagining her very selfless brother either being already gone by the time she gets there or close to dead - only to probably arrive there and see Christopher in a bed with Eddie sitting next to him and Buck sitting vigil a few feet away because he doesn’t think he deserves to be with the Diaz’s anymore but he also can’t bear to part from them!

And another mention to the poor stranger who probably never got their phone back.

Also a teeny bit mad they forgot to give Oliver scars on his legs.

Episode 3.04

First of all I gotta say Eddie is such a boy scout goody two shoes with his whole „Well, it’s mandated!“ (also he’s been probably hanging out with Buck a buncha times in whatever many weeks passed since the Tsunami and  therefore knew how hard his best friend worked on this and he’s gonna be supportive, kay?)

That being said, remember when I talked about two steps forward, one step back? Yeah, that.

As for the lawsuit, look, we could argue all day on wether it was justified or not, but I personally do think Buck had a basis. But he was also acting rash and hadn’t thought all the implications through and should have used his words instead, but quick reminder: Buck has severe abandonment issues and he has problems with emotional intimacy - so the whole talking about it? Not that easy.

Also, imagine working for months to come back to work, the one thing you think you’re good at and thinking you have everyone’s support only to find out the person you love like a father has betrayed you, probably with the knowledge of everyone else. Yeah, you’d lash out too!

Even though, I have to point out it’s not his normal MO (which is why we see him regret it almost immediately in the next episode).

As for Eddie in this episode, he has not one, not two, not three, but four whole conversations about feelings! You go buddy-boy. Embrace that character development! Don’t take a step back! … or, nevermind, we all know what happens next.

That being said I think it’s interesting that while Chimney clearly confides in him, Eddie does not confide in him in return but rather talks to female!Buck. I mean, talking about his struggles with his son and his family worked with him and Buck so why not with him and Lena (cause Lena isn’t Buck).

I do think Eddie and Chimney are close, but Eddie just doesn’t feel the same connection to him as he feels to Buck.

As for Eddie being so beautifully open and vulnerable with his son and saying like the exact opposite of what he had been taught: Eddie loves his son. He loves his son more than anything in the world. And if Eddie can’t let himself be vulnerable with him, who can he be vulnerable with? Especially when it helps Christopher.

(Also, Eddie by now recognises what is wrong with him, he just doesn’t think he can change it but he can prevent it from happening to his child.)

Episode 3.05:

This episode has a lot of shit happening and I have a lot of thoughts, most of which are relevant to the episode. But we’re gonna start slow, ease you in:

Boy do I love overprotective Dad!Eddie! How long do you think did it took Carla and Christopher to convince Eddie to let Chris sleep over at his friends? A month?

In other news Buck is just the picture of regret during the deposition and yeah, he should be. The whole thing is harsh. Never sue your friends, no matter how justified, if you want them to stay your friends! But it’s so obvious Buck didn’t know it was gonna go down this way because he did not think this through at all.

First off: Remember how in part 2 I said Buck and Eddie’s storylines were connected and how earlier I said Buck was the catalyst for Eddie like Bobby was for Buck?

Yeah, that’s the episode for all of this.

It’s not as obvious as in Season 2 because usually it happens over two episodes but it’s no coincident that after last episode Bobby triggered that shift in Buck, Eddie is now suddenly careering out of control as well - it’s because Buck is his catalyst, his *trigger*.

Please watch 3.04 and 3.05 back to back and tell me Eddie doesn’t make a 180 between those episodes. He goes from worried about his son to punching people in parking lots. What changed? Well, he could no longer talk to Buck. And Buck is his anker and his catalyst, the one person he doesn’t have to be in control with (which he really could use considering what he is going through with Christopher). And when you take that away he spirals. (Also there is the deposition where his best friend betrays him by talking about his dead for less than a year - wife, a topic Eddie has been avoiding in regards to his feelings since … well, the day it happened, probably.)

And I’m not saying the whole street fighting thing wouldn’t have happened if Eddie wasn’t such a boy scout and said, screw the chain of command and just called Buck to bail him out, but that’s what I’m implieing.

Also the scene between Eddie and Lena, I mean, I’ve already talked about it somewhere else but I do wanna point you to the way it is phrased: Eddie „wasn’t allowed“ to call Buck. Meaning he wanted to. But you know: Boy Scout.

Now, let’s talk about the grocery store fight because I have so many thoughts!

And what I love about these two episodes, as well as the next one, is that they show both the connection Buddie has as well as the contrasts between them:

One of the biggest differences in Buddie is how they deal with fear and obstacles and it is visible throughout all their lives and specifically these three episodes.

Evan Buckley is a force of nature, he is a fighter, he sets a goal and he reaches this goal with a single minded focus, steamrolling through everything in his way until he reaches said goal. Just look at the lawsuit and remember how his original plan was to get everyone to sign a letter of support for him.

When something frightens him, Buck doesn’t run away he runs right into it, tries to destroy it or be destroyed. He fights. And if that doesn’t work, he finds a way around the problem, but always going head to head with the thing because Evan Buckley is very determined and very self destructive.

Just look at the way he held onto Abby for nearly a year after she had left: Instead of dealing with his feelings of abandonment and the fact that the woman he loved left him, that boy dug his heel in and fought tooth and nail to keep what little he had left of her, of them. Refused to acknowledge being left for months. And when he finally leaves he literally compares himself to a ghost, because you know, he is just an empty shell at this point.

It’s also why he falls so hard for Ali because he is just desperately looking for something to cling to and so he transfers all those un-dealt feelings onto her and then he get’s hurt and his problems become bigger and different and Ali can’t deal - not surprising considering they had barely a foundation. They just went from 0 to 100 in 2 seconds and that just never works out, unless you’re in a very expensive sports car.

I also truly think at times Buck hides behind the loud mouthed, dumb adrenaline junkie persona he got going on as it keeps people from looking deeper, because Buck is very scared they won‘t find anything deeper - or worse, decide they don’t like what they see (and hey, he even got that confirmed by Ali leaving! and Abby! AND MOST IMPORTANTLY MADDIE!).

(Which, to push an agenda real quick, is why I ship Buddie so hard? Because they do have a foundation, they have been emotionally intimate with each other, they’ve seen the worst of each other and still went: I’m gonna have your back. And they have pulled a lot of shit on each other in the two years since meeting! Like, I’m sorry 911, I love you, but please never try and tell me they will have a deeper connection with anyone but each other because it’ll be a damn lie and you know it! If you don’t wanna do Buddie, let those boys get emotionally healthy and THEN give them an endgame but don’t try and replace Buddie with Loveinterests. I’m serious. I might stop watching!)

Eddie meanwhile is much more open with his feelings in the sense that he is less open in general so it’s far more noticeable when something is bothering him *because* he is subtle about it. Because Buck is so loud and so open and all about what you see is what you get, you don‘t assume he is hiding anything because you already see everything, right? (Always hide the real shit in plain sight, you guys, that‘s where no one remembers to look!) But Eddie, Eddie keeps his cards close. Sure he is funny and nice but he is also fucking reserved! And when something bothers him he draws into himself even more and that’s something that shows, that people will take notice of.

Eddies reaction to bad things (also known as *feelings*, because that boy is fucking repressed) happening is running away. And I am not saying he is a coward, I am saying he probably thinks he is and I am saying he runs away from his problems - that’s what 3.15 was about for Eddie: embracing his family (his vulnerabilities) and from what I‘ve seen in the last few days floating around in spoiler *now* Eddie has to learn to face his problems and not run away.

Which will be hard because Eddie deflects a lot.

It‘s funny (in a way that is not funny) that Buck, the fighter, is like the least aggressive guy around while Eddie, Mr quiet and reserved, who is all about running away from his problems, is so physically aggressive - except it is not and makes a lot of sense.

Season 3 truly shows how they deal with problems and I love it, I love them and this show so much!

Because Buck deals with the bombing by working tirelessly to come back to work, he deals with losing Christopher by nearly killing himself trying to find him and he deals with his fear of being replaced by filing the lawsuit to get his job back - which is also why I have to agree with Eddie: Buck truly has a one track mind. He sees the problem and nothing else. That makes him an amazing firefighter but an exhausting guy to be around because he does not give up.

I think in canon we only ever see Buck give up twice, maybe three times once with Abby and once with Christopher, both times he nearly killed himself first. (And one could argue that neither of these times he actually gave up, he was just out of options and time.) Tbh the only actual time he gave up was with Ali and that was probably his one track mind just not having any capacity to deal with a girlfriend on top of everything.

Eddie meanwhile deals with his wife dying and his best friend nearly dying twice and his son being traumatised and his best friend not being allowed back to work and his best friend filing that lawsuit by ... not dealing with it. He just moves on. Runs away from his feelings and his pain by fighting. He can’t deal with - can’t fight - his actual feelings so he fights something else. He lashes out. Becomes feral. That’s literally the gist of this episodes voiceover!

So tbh as much as I like that they resolved that lawsuit within one episode I am a bit bummed that we hardly saw anything of the 118 and especially Eddie without Buck there (specifically during his fighting time) mainly because I think we would have seen Hen and Chimney with Cap and Eddie maybe with Lena but generally keeping his distance, hiding away from them. (I don’t think Eddie just brushing past Buck in 3.06 was just about Buck.)

I truly meant what I said about 2.01 and Eddie taking one look at Buck being an asshole and deciding this one is gonna be his friend. Because while Hen and Chimney have been nice and friendly with him from the get go, they never give him shit the same way they give each other or Cap or Buck, and Eddie needs that. He needs someone who isn’t afraid to call him out and push back, both to get Eddie out of his own head and to make him feel comfortable enough to do the same. Which is why he bonded so fast with Buck and Lena (also, would he have bonded with her like that if Buck had been there? Probably not. Eddie is like the definition of „I only have the emotional capacity to care about three people at a time and two of them are my son“), because both held him accountable for his shit, which no one else on the show does, specifically not Hen and Chimney who treat Eddie as the guy who is good at most things so they just overlook the shitty stuff. And Cap does the same, because Eddie has a lot on his plate and Cap understands his issues better than anyone else’s. 

Ya‘ll just need to watch the supermarket scene! It‘s all there!

Buck is in the store trying to create a moment so he can talk to all of them (meaning he is pushing, leaning into the problem until it gives), tries to make the problem go away by apologising (remember what I said about trying another way? Working hard didn’t work. Accepting his predicament didn‘t work. The lawsuit didn’t work. So now he tries talking it out - which he should have done to begin with, but hey, I’m not his therapist (sadly)) (It’s too bad it only worked to a certain level as we saw in the next episode but oh well, that’s actually realistic.)

Meanwhile Eddie has none of it because Eddie is currently running away from his problems so he can’t have his problem stand in front of him buying cat laxatives. So Eddie goes feral, and makes it all about Buck and his mistakes and then throws Christopher under the bus because that man is fighting for his life and he has nothing left to loose!!! I truly love this scene so much, you guys. It’s so revealing about these characters.

(I also shouldn’t have to point out that most of the stuff Eddie said to Buck was about Shannon, right? He was saying the things he was feeling about Shannon and he was throwing them at Buck because Buck was the one who brought it up, but also … look, it’s just ship-y from here all right?)

As for what I said about Hen, Bobby and Chimney in regards to Eddie? I know Chimney made some remarks but come on! Had it been any of them or Buck who yelled at someone like that they would have all interrupted and tried to diffuse the situation. But because it’s Eddie they sort of let it happen. (Also tbh because it’s Eddie and Buck and everyone is a little mad at Buck but they are something different to each other.)

Also, not to push my agenda, can we just talk about how comfortable  Eddie has to be with the 118 but especially Buck, how much he has to care, to scream at him like that? Because he is reserved and he always tries to let go of his feelings and he hides so much. And I know part of it is that Eddie is coiled too tight already and about to burst but it’s also about Buck and the fact that Eddie expected better from him because Eddie has such a high opinion of him. Like sure he gives him shit sometimes but I think it’s because Eddie always expects the most of Buck (and Buck rarely lets him down). (And now I did go all ship-y)

Just compare this with his relationship with Shannon: with Shannon Eddie always is the one to make decisions, in part because he believes that’s what a man should do but also in part because he doesn’t trust her - and that was even before she left. Eddie trusts no one but himself for the most part but he does trust Buck, because to Eddie Buck can hardly do wrong. Which is why the whole law suit probably hit him so hard cause he expects everyone to let him down all the time but Evan Buckley? The guy he trust with his son more than anyone else? That guy? He expected better off! And that my friends is beautiful.

As for the voiceover it does poise one very central question for Eddie’s character: If he gives up control, will he be able to regain it? Because that is Eddie’s biggest fear and why he always holds everything so tight: he thinks if he lets the floodgates open once, he’ll never be able to close them.

In other news: Ryan took his shirt off.

Episode 3.06:

Before I write another 2400 words about our boys, I wanna remind you of that scene of Bobby, Chimney and Eddie wearing sun glasses, with Hen wearing her normal glasses, standing round, looking like an album cover! *plays „Clique“ by Kanye West, Jay-Z, Big Sean*

Do you think Athena and Hen talked about Bobby and how he would / does handle Buck? They did, didn’t they?

Also love how Hen and Chimney are super welcoming because one, they know what it’s like to be the odd one out and two, they love Buck and actually see his point of view. I believe. Now if only someone would remember to tell him.

Like, come on, they probably sit in the ambulance gossiping all the time!

I really love that we saw some bonding between Buck and Hen and Buck and Chimney in this episode because as much as I love Buddie we do not see enough of those combos (we don’t see enough of Buddie either).

Also the whole two steps forward, one step back? That is Bobby in this episode.

Now, we have to talk about the apology scene because this is Buck, expressing himself, being vulnerable. I love this episode a lot especially in regards to this Meta because here we see all the things I explained for the last episode: Buck is expressing, trying his best to make the problem go away while Eddie avoids it.

Also, you know, there is the whole illegal fighting thing that is visible on Eddie and look, if you did something like that would you willingly spent time with the one person who will call you out on it or will you avoid him like the plague? Especially if the last time you saw him you were screaming bloody murder at him in the middle of a grocery store! And the next time you see him he calls you out for your bruising. Yeah, guys, that’s just realistic.

Also bit of a reach, but the reason this is part of my discussion of 3.06 and not 3.05, which is Eddie’s relationship to Buck. Remember how 3.03 ended? That beautiful moment that made Oliver Stark cry on Instagram live? Remember how Eddie said „It’s his turn to save you now.“? Yeah, what happened to that?

Okay, Eddie is not an expressive guy. He is bad with feelings. He hates having them. And here comes Evan „Buck“ Buckley and he is just the polar opposite. Sure, he’d rather not talk about his feelings either but he has a lot of them and he *likes* having all of them and he wallows in them and that is probably a lot for a guy like Eddie to deal with. Especially when I do think Eddie understands somewhat where Buck came from and he probably feels guilty af about making Buck feel like he was being replaced. About not seeing the pain Buck was in. About not being there for him - which is why he lashes out, because guilt can make the healthiest people do horrible shit and Eddie is far from any definition of healthy at that point.

But I do have to say I am reaching with this and if I ever meet Tim Minear I will have him explain the fight scene and the apology scene to me word for word because it has to be deeper, right?

It can’t just be Eddie lashing out, and saying exactly the things he knows will hurt Buck because he is mad mad mad? Yeah, I know, whatever.

(Because even if that is the case? This is still the scene where a guy uses his best friend as a substitute to get his anger for his dead wife out in a somewhat healthy manner.)

Which is why I love both these scenes immensely, because it shows exactly how differently Eddie and Buck deal with things, because Eddie avoids them or gets mad and screams at them while Buck, actually does something fairly healthy and try to talk it out - but like only as his last option. He tries anything but talking before that, except with Eddie because they are connected and he finally *finally* lets himself be emotionally vulnerable with Eddie.

Which is also why the apology scene is so important to me, despite thinking while a bit rash, Buck wasn’t exactly wrong in his actions. I would have hated if they just brushed the grocery store over or made it about Eddie and the issues he had at the time. Instead they gave us this beautiful scene where Buck finally - FINALLY - gets to explain himself to someone, especially Eddie, the guy who he hurt the most because Buck is his anchor, and Eddie actually listens and then he gets it and he is like, oh, I wasn’t wrong! He really deserves all my trust!

So you know, that’s just beautiful, wether it’s platonic or romantic.

Episode 3.07: no relevance

Episode 3.08:

I wanna say something right of the bat that is probably controversial as hell:

Eddie did not want to share with Bobby. Eddie likes Bobby, he trusts Bobby, but he wasn’t really feeling like sharing with Bobby.

The reason Eddie talked with Bobby about all of this? Well, first of all it was bound to happen, sometimes things need to be said and then it doesn’t really matter who you’re talking to.

Also Eddie? Boy Scout. Army man. Chain of Command. If your superior officer tells you to share - you share! There. I said it. (This is not a Bobby Nash - stan account)

Also: „A friend of mine told me I needed an outlet - think I found it.“ - no, you didn’t Buddy boy, it’s why I’m currently 10.000 words into an episode by episode analysis of your character! (can you tell I am slowly going off the rails with this?)

But I do love how we finally got to see sassy!Eddie again. I missed you, babe!

As for the kitchen scene and the look, yes, I know, Maddie was looking at them like that because she just called them out about gossiping and they turned around and gossiped, buuuut … ya’ll also realise that Chimney was apparently *not* aware that anything was wrong with Eddie when Eddie had been acting weird way longer then Hen. He nearly punched Buck in a grocery store, he comes in with new bruises like 3 times a week but sure mate, he is all normal! (Or you know, Buck is just hyperfocused on Eddie)

One thing that freaks me out every time I watch this episode is how completely fucking nonchalant Eddie seems by the fact that he nearly fucking killed a guy. To quote Lena Bosko, professional plot pusher: „What the hell, Eddie?“

And then of course 3.15 happened and we saw Eddie shoot multiple people, so he probably learned how to compartmentalise and I guess I need to remember this is a TV show and no one actually died. But wow, I really need this addressed more because I have such mixed feelings about this.

And with regards to this I wanna say something even more controversial: Eddie got off easy. Yes, the guy willingly went into that ring but Eddie nearly killed him and all Bobby wanted to talk about was why Eddie was fighting? Again: What the hell?

Another thing this episode firmly proofs is that Lena is really just a poor substitute for Buck because Eddie doesn’t actually know anything about her, he just uses her as a sounding board because, well, Buck wasn’t there and he was lonely?

As for the actual conversation happening, yes, there we have it, in plain sight, Eddie needs to be in control because he thinks this is what Christopher needs him to be and as I’ve said before Eddie will always do anything for Christopher, even if he hurts himself in the process.

Also, remember when Lena told him he needed to show and tell his son how he felt so Christopher knows it’s okay to feel that way as well? Clearly didn’t stick of he would not feel this intense need to be in control. Which is realistic, you don’t just unlearn behaviour you had for like 30 years just because someone gives you some good advice once! (Man, my life could be so different!)

I’m also not a fan of Bobby’s „She died.“ because while yes, it wasn’t her fault that she left this time, grief isn’t rational. And even without the looming divorce Eddie has every right to be upset and to be angry at the world, and yes, even his dead wife. She’s dead. It doesn’t hurt her anymore. (Although that would be one feeling he should probably keep from Christopher.)

Not to mention Eddie feels guilty as hell. His anger? Mostly at himself. The sentence “I broke his mother”? Broke me as well.

But I also understand Eddie because while he may be grieving, his son is clearly traumatised by the whole situation, as seen in 3.04, and Eddie is trying his best and look, his outlet wasn’t the healthiest but um, at least he realised he needed one? He addressed that? That’s growth (sorta).

Amount of shirtless!Eddie scenes: 2, which feels a bit like overkill for one episode (pace yourself, Tim, this isn’t Game of Thrones)

Episode 3.09:

Frank! My main man Frank! Ui, I love him! When Tim calls me to come consult for Season 4 because clearly by now I am an expert on his characters and the way they should act, I will tell him to bring Frank back. I miss Frank. I hope he’s doing okay. He deserves the world. Also really wanna meet Rosemary.

And hey, as someone who has worked in the mental health sector and probably will again come October (if I manage to finish my degree by then, urgh, Corona, you are destroying my thesis!), I love that scene on the sofa so much! All of them openly sharing that they have been in therapy and talking about their therapists and just, uh, that scene makes me all tingly!

Before we get into all the emotional things I’m just gonna add the scene on the sofa to my list of scene I don’t fully understand. Like, what emotion exactly was Eddie supposed to be conveying because to me he sounds angry. And why should Eddie be angry about Buck sleeping with his therapist? What reason could he have?

Okay, yeah, maybe it’s a little exasperation and annoyance because apparently Evan Buckley is just coasting through life and doesn’t even take therapy seriously. Idk. I haven’t read the script.

But it does lead us to Buck giving Eddie shit, because, as I’ve said before, that’s what Buck does.

As for the therapy scene, yay, there is a mention of the nearly dead guy! Who is not dead. Yay!

I do love Eddie’s reasons for going to therapy and really trying, even though he is not clicking with Frank. He is such a good dad! (Also I’ve been debating for like 20 minutes whether Eddie would be more comfortable sharing with a woman or with a man and for some reason (his connection with Buck vs his relationship with Shannon) I think he’d be more comfortable with a man. Idk. I could be wrong. - Also Eddie is probably always uncomfortable talking about his feelings, so there is that!) His reasoning shows also yet again what I said about both Buck and Eddie before: they are protectors. They will make themselves vulnerable to help someone else. It’s a thing.

Also I pulled out my pocket edition of ICD-10 to check and while we don’t have enough information to give a full diagnosis, it’s safe to say that he is supposed to be going through a depressive episode. Because yes, sometimes depressed people aren’t sad, sometimes they are fucking angry.

Now, as for the Evan Buckley of it all and that scene: I read another Meta by someone clearly much better at this than me that stated Eddie uses Sarcasm as a way to deflect, which is exactly what is happening here because Eddie is not as fine with everything that happened as he pretends to be. I think he has just come to the sudden and horrible conclusion that his tipping point has been Buck no longer being in his life and so he decided it was easier to just move on then deal with his feelings (which is what got you into this mess in the first place, Edmundo, so please rethink,) if that means Buck back in his life.

I also think Eddie deflects here because he realises how much what he did and what he said actually hurt Buck in return and Eddie doesn’t fully know how to deal with that. And look, if they actually start discussing their issues then Eddie will have to admit his guilt and Eddie will have to say he’s sorry and right then he is still too pissed to do so, so he decides to move on.

Ah, the wonderful clash of Eddie thinking actions speak louder than words but Buck needing to hear the actual words.

Sidenote: I sent the kitchen scene to my roommate, stopped before they played the video game and asked her what she thinks happened next. And to quote „Love me <3 <3 <3. Please fuck me“ - because yes, she did take one look at them and decide the one with the puppy dog eyes was a bottom. That’s also a quote.

Episode 3.10:

Eddie really is trying so hard to be a good dad, isn’t he?

I also love the little head shake Eddie gives after Chris ask Buck about spending Christmas with him, because he clearly has already talked about the whole thing with Buck. And I’m not gonna talk about the framing. Other’s have done that before and I don’t actually know that much about it in first place.

Also it is cute as all hell that Chris asked Buck in the first place and also heartbreaking.

Other than that this episode doesn’t have that much of a relevance for this meta, because if I have to start discussing Buck’s other issues as well this will never be done.

Before I let you go, I wanna say something real quick:

In the past few days there have been several posts about content creators and liking vs commenting / reblogging on my dash and I just wanna say this is true for meta writers as well! Look, I love everyone who likes this because validation, but I’m not actually writing this meta for myself, I’m writing this because I have thoughts and I wanna share them with the rest of the class and have the class discuss it with me!

So please, reblog this and comment under or in the tags or come to my ask or my messages, even if it’s only to tell me that my punctuation is shit! 

Anyways, @angelcamael and @greyhello here’s part 3!

[tkmedia]

Alabama looks human, and the biggest takeaways from college football week 4

No. 1 Alabama beat No. 11 Florida 29-27 on Saturday, but the Crimson Tide showed something that didn’t seem possible after two weeks. The Crimson Tide might be human after all. The Gators made it a four-quarter game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and offered a blueprint for others trying to do the unthinkable and beat Alabama in 2021.Florida made that almost happen in three easy steps.Survive the first quarter: Alabama jumped out on Florida 21-3 after the first quarter, and Bryce Young hit 12 of 16 passes for 138 yards and three TDs. The Crimson Tide has outscored its opponents 45-3 in the first quarter through three games. Most teams are done at that point. Florida weathered that first punch. Young was just 10 of 19 for 102 yards for the rest of the game. The Gators’ defense didn’t give up the big play the rest of the way. MORE: Breaking down the biggest plays in Florida-Alabama thrillerRun the ball, stop the run: The Crimson Tide finished with 28 rushing attempts for 91 yards, and it’s clear at this point Najee Harris is missed. Brain Robinson managed 91 yards on 5.2 yards per carry and new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien stuck with the running game. It’s just not a game-changer through the first quarter of the season.Florida, meanwhile, had 245 rushing yards and averaged 5.8 yards per carry with a diversified attack they stuck with. The Gators scored three TDs on their first three possessions in the second half, too. That’s a credit to quarterback Emory Jones.A dual-threat quarterback: Redshirt freshman Anthony Richardson did not play because of a hamstring injury, and that would have been an interesting wrinkle. But Jones played well. He hit 18 of 28 passes for 195 yards and shook off an early interception. Jones added 19 carries for 77 yards, and Florida had a chance to tie with 3:10 remaining on a two-point conversion that was just short.MORE: Clock malfunction adds to chaos of final moments in Bama winAll that still wasn’t enough to stop the Crimson Tide from extending their FBS-best 17-game win streak, and those three keys have to go right for anybody to have a chance against Alabama.Yet, that tease of mortality is out there, now. Florida went four quarters with the Crimson Tide in a game that resembled last year’s SEC championship game. Maybe a rematch with Richardson in the fold is possible down the line. No. 2 Georgia might have a chance with that ferocious defense. No. 17 Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin could make it interesting Oct. 2. Even Jimbo at Texas A&M, Coach O at LSU and SEC West surprise Arkansas can feel a sense of hope.Dare we say, "A New Hope" against the Alabama Death Star?

More Penn State-Auburns, please

Getty Images https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/48/c3/johan-dotson-9-18-gettyjpg_1576tinhgr7ay1js8lnatsh2zo.jpg?t=-66190837&w=500&quality=80 The ABC prime-time game was fun, right?Penn State tight end Tyler Warren leapt over the pile for a goal-line touchdown. Auburn's Jarquez Hunter hurdled a Penn State defender on a break-away run. The Tigers had a chance to win on the final play, but Auburn's Bo Nix's desperation pass was broken up by Nittany Lions' safety Jaquan Brisker.The "Whiteout" between No. 10 Penn State and No. 22 Auburn was a fun-filled matchup, and the Nittany Lions won 28-20 with the help of a big-time performance from Sean Clifford, who finished 28 of 32 passing for 280 yards, two TDs and an interception.One of the casualties of the SEC vs. Alliance talk is that it theoretically could hamper more matchups like this in the future. Let's hope it's not like that. SEC-Big Ten matchups produce a lot of heat in bowl season, but the best hope to replicate Saturday's atmosphere remains the potential for on-campus games in the expanded College Football Playoff. This game felt like a CFP quarterfinal.RELATED: Is there 'mutual interest' between James Franklin, USC?The Nittany Lions will make the return trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2022. Alabama has future home-and-homes with Wisconsin (2024-25) and Ohio State (2028-29). Nebraska has a home and home with Tennessee in 2026-27, but there should be more matchups like this scheduled in the future.The Auburn-Penn State matchup was just the eighth on-campus matchup between the Big Ten and SEC since 2010. It was the first regular-season game at a home site between ranked teams from those conferences since No. 3 Alabama beat No. 23 Penn State 27-11 on Sept. 10, 2011.We should not have to wait that long between matchups.

Sooners (really) can't lose

There was beautiful nostalgia with No. 3 Oklahoma and Nebraska taking a one-score slugfest into the fourth quarter on the 50th anniversary of their fabled Game of the Century, even if it will be a Big Ten-SEC matchup next time.Oklahoma closed out the Huskers in a 23-16 victory, but left questions about the Sooners' resume after two one-score games against inferior non-conference opponents. Oklahoma needs to rediscover its blowout genes in Big 12 play.Nebraska closed Oklahoma's lead to 14-9 in the third quarter, but Isaiah Coe blocked the extra point and Pat Fields returned for a two-point conversion. Spencer Rattler hit 4 of 5 passes for 45 yards on the ensuing touchdown drive, and D.J. Graham came up with a jaw-dropping one-handed interception.   Yet the Huskers, like Tulane in the opener, still had a last-chance drive before the Sooners came up with back-to-back sacks. Rattler, a preseason Heisman favorite, averages 250.3 passing yards with seven TDs and two interceptions.The Sooners remain clean heading into a potential seventh straight conference championship run. Still, Oklahoma does not want to take a loss and fall in that one-loss conversation with Ohio State and Clemson, not with just one ranked Big 12 team left on the schedule. It's best to have the one-up on the Buckeyes and Tigers.That's something to think about with a Week 4 prime-time matchup against West Virginia. In other words, run it up Lincoln Reilly, or face those doubts.

Cincinnati passes one of its big tests

Stop questioning No. 8 Cincinnati's top-10 credentials. The Bearcats rallied from a 14-0 deficit to beat Indiana 38-24 in one of their two prove-it games against Power 5 opponents this season.When Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell took a field goal off the board after an offsides penalty and went for it on fourth-and-1 with 6:49 remaining against the Hoosiers, it was on. The Bearcats scored TDs on four of their last five possessions.The truth is Cincinnati is right where it belongs. Since 2018, Fickell has led the Bearcats to the sixth-best record in the FBS, one that compares favorably with the College Football Playoff regulars.Best FBS records since 20181. Alabama 41-3, .932 2. Clemson 41-4, .911 3. Ohio State 35-4, .897 4. Notre Dame 36-5, .878 5. Oklahoma 36-6, .857 6. Cincinnati 34-6, .850 Georgia is a half-game behind the Bearcats at 34-7. The next step is obvious. Cincinnati has a bye week to prepare for Notre Dame, a game that will have even more shine if the Irish can knock off Wisconsin at Soldier Field. This is the Bearcats' best chance to appeal to the CFP committee that they need to stay in that conversation.That game has so many coaching ties. Brian Kelly used to coach at Cincinnati. So did Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman. Fickell, of course, shot down interest in the USC job. That's because he's the ideal fit to be Notre Dame's next coach when Kelly retires.Win there, and Cincinnati will have a good look at 12-0. At that point, could it bypass a step and play in the Big 12 championship against Oklahoma?We wish we weren't kidding.

USC snaps out of it

It was a tough week in Trojan land with the Monday firing of Clay Helton following a listless loss to Stanford. Up next was the somewhat uninspiring destiation of Washington State, and USC played like it didn't want to be there for the first quarter plus.USC trailed 14-0 and lost a fumble on its own 35-yard-line early in the second quarter. Starting quarterback Kedon Slovis was already lost for the game. Things were not looking bright for interim coach Donte Williams' debut. Would this be another Trojan humbling?BENDER: Top 10 candidates to replace Clay HeltonNope. From that point forward, the Trojans outscored Wazzu 45-0 behind a brilliant outing from backup QB Jaxson Dart. The freshman was 30-for-46 for 391 yards and four touchdowns, though he did have two interceptions.Slovis is scheduled to return to practice this week, but with Dart putting up such big numbers, Williams may have to navigate an unexpected QB situation during his interim period.

Week 4 Sneak Peek

— Wisconsin-Notre Dame is an elimination game of sorts for the Badgers. Wisconsin is 5-4 in its last nine games dating back to the COVID-interrupted 2020 season. This is a big one for Paul Chyrst. Brian Kelly can become Notre Dame's all-time win leader, surpassing Knute Rockne. Soldier Field should be rocking.— Texas A&M and Arkansas is the best-guaranteed matchup between ranked unbeaten teams, and it’s fitting it will be in Jerry World. The Aggies have won nine straight meetings in this rivalry that dates back to 1903.— Tennessee coach Josh Heupel gets his first taste of the rivalry with Florida, or whatever you call a matchup when one team has won 15 of the last 16 meetings. Can the Vols catch the Gators with a hangover?

Mike Norvell done at FSU?

Getty Images https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/d8/e/mike-norvell-9-18-gettyjpg_l01j079psmt1fjh02mlygtgi.jpg?t=-65937725&w=500&quality=80 Wake Forest beat Florida State 35-14. That’s the Seminoles’ worst loss to the Demon Deacons since a 30-0 shutout on Nov. 11, 2006. Bobby Bowden coached three more seasons after that loss. Will Norvell last three more games?After what happened with Helton last week, you can’t rule anything out. Any feel-good material from the Labor Day comeback against Notre Dame has been lost since a Hail Mary loss to Jacksonville State and a three-TD loss to Wake Forest. Remember, Willie Taggart was fired two weeks after a 22-20 loss to the Demon Deacons in 2019. Florida State is 0-3 for the first time since 1976.You can see the "Fire Norvell" campaign, and it’s easy to see what comes next. The "Hire Deion" movement is building. Deion Sanders won his first two games at Jackson State as a first-time coach, and no hire would bring more excitement to the program.Would Coach Prime work in Tallahassee? The Seminoles are 14-23 since Jimbo Fisher left. Any better ideas?

Extra points

— Which top 25 Michigan team should you buy more stock in? The Wolverines improved to 3-0 and average 350.3 rushing yards per game after a 63-10 victory against Northern Illinois. The three-headed attack of Blake Corum, Hassan Haskins and now freshman Donovan Edwards is imposing. Corum (407 yards, 7 TDs) averages 10.7 yards per carry. Michigan State should join Michigan in the AP Top 25 after knocking off No. 24 Miami 31-17. Kenneth Walker III (493 yards, 5 TDs) averages 8.6  yards per carry. These uneasy brothers look like identical twins. The Spartans are a better bet to be unbeaten when they meet the Wolverines on Oct. 30. We'll buy the Wolverines if they win at Wisconsin on Oct. 2; a victory that has eluded them since 2001.— D'Eriq King hot takes are coming given he was the first quarterback to take advantage of NIL deals this offseason.   Miami QB D'Eriq King was one of the stars of the name, image and likeness rush. Miami loses to Michigan State, now 1-2, with win a 2-point victory over Appalachian State. Partners would find him hard to activate now. — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 18, 2021 King hit 38 of 59 passes for 388 yards with two TDs and two interceptions despite suffering a shoulder injury during the game. Is King worth seven-figures worth of NIL deals? That's debatable, but NIL is designed for college players to take advantage of their opportunities, especially the ones who might not go on to NFL stardom. The market will eventually correct itself. Piling on King is unnecessary.— Ohio State's defense didn't alleviate too many concerns after allowing 487 yards in a 41-20 victory against Tulsa that was a one-score game with 12:07 left in the fourth quarter. Ryan Day said defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs did not make the play calls this week, leaving them to secondary coach Matt Barnes. The good news? It won't be easy to outrun the Buckeyes when freshman TreVeyon Henderson is loose. Henderson totaled 270 yards, the third highest single-game total in Buckeyes' history. He scored on TD runs of 48, 52 and 54 yards. Henderson has 339 yards through three games, and it is not too early to peek at that Ohio State freshman rushing record. J.K. Dobbins set that with 1,403 yards in 2017, which broke the record of 1,237 yards set by Maurice Clarett in 2002. Henderson can be that kind of difference-maker.— Clemson managed to weather a one-hour, 52-minute weather delay against Georgia Tech and needed a goal-line stand with a game-saving tackle by James Skalski to stave off the Yellow Jackets in a 14-8. Clemson's defense has yet to allow a touchdown this season. Perhaps the most-surprising development for the Tigers is quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has just one TD pass through three games, and Clemson failed to get a play of more than 20 yards against Georgia Tech. The Tigers’ perception won’t be helped by the fact the ACC remains as unpredictable as ever. The ACC Coastal does not have an unbeaten team. West Virginia beat No. 15 Virginia Tech 27-21 with a help of a goal-line stand in the Black Diamond Trophy game, and Pitt lost a 44-41 shootout with Western Michigan. No. 21 North Carolina also knocked Virginia from the unbeaten ranks in a 59-39 shootout. Sam Howell passed for 307 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 112 yards as he tries to reignite his Heisman campaign.— Notre Dame's Kyren Williams busted loose with a 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that sealed a 27-13 victory against Purdue. Still, the Irish do not have the same-old dominant offensive line. Notre Dame totaled 120 rushing yards on 3.5 yards per carry, and through three games those numbers are at 317 yards on 2.9 ypc. The Irish have a curious +20 point differential through three games as a result. Their next two opponents, Wisconsin and Cincinnati, also have a bye week to prepare. Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan will be the subplot Saturday, but how that running game stacks up against the Badgers is the real story.— Other than Michigan State, here is a quick roll call of unranked 3-0 teams in the Power 5: Baylor, Boston College, Kansas State, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma State, Rutgers, Texas Tech and Wake Forest. Those teams had a combined record of 40-53 last season, and the Eagles and Cowboys were the only teams with winning records last season. — Cincinnati and No. 16 Coastal Carolina are the only ranked Group of 5 schools, but Memphis made its case to join those two after a 31-29 victory against Mississippi State. The Tigers won despite being outgained 468-246 with the help of this wacky 94-yard punt return by Calvin Austin III.SMU also improved to 3-0 with a Hail Mary from Tanner Mordecai to Jr. Roderick Roberson for a 39-37 victory against Louisiana Tech.   Read the full article

[thatfragilecapricorn30]

All Things Begin to Appear: Chapter 7

What happens when Scully starts having visions while her and Mulder are hunting a serial killer?

season 5 case file | 30k words | tw: some depictions of violence

One Two Three Four Five Six

Read on Ao3

“When it is darkest, men see the stars.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

When Scully opened her eyes, she was laying on the cool ground, looking up into the clear blue sky. Mulder was kneeling above her, jacket-less, which she could tell was pillowing her head. He looked very worried and she sensed that there was a hint of anger in his demeanor as well. Agent Callahan, on the other hand, was solicitous, offering to get her water from the car or even call an ambulance.

“No, no – don’t call 911. I’m fine, just a little tired,” she said, trying unsuccessfully to sit up. The buzzing was gone; instead she just felt very unsettled, especially when she glanced over at number 48. Did she pass out from a vision or the lack of food, she wondered to herself, not quite sure which was to blame.

Mulder placed a hand on her shoulder, steadying her, though Scully didn’t like to admit it. He was like an anchor: sometimes dragging her down with him but mostly keeping her in place.

“Agent Scully just has low blood sugar. Right, Scully? You haven’t eaten anything in a while,” he stated neutrally, though she could tell it was forced.

“Yes, that’s right,” she said, grateful for the out. She made to get up and Mulder stood first, and then gave her his hands to help her up. She felt very unsteady but took a step away from Mulder. She didn’t want his assistance anymore, especially in front of Agent Callahan. It was bad enough feeling weak but being seen as vulnerable was even worse, especially by a colleague. However, Mulder was a lot more intuitive than she gave him credit for because he was right by her side immediately, a hand hovering over her lower back.

“Okay then,” Callahan stated. “Let’s get going so you can get some rest and something to eat.”

And with that number 48 was momentarily forgotten by the two men, though Scully couldn’t help looking over at it one last time as they climbed in the car and pulled away from the block, the ominous feeling not disappearing until it was well out of view.

When they finally returned to the hotel, Mulder followed Scully into her room. At least he took the time to close the door before laying into her.

“Scully, what is going on with you?! You haven’t been sleeping or eating and now you’re passing out too. Something is not right here!”

Scully wanted to laugh and she wanted to cry. How in the world did she get in this position? She chuckled darkly, “I keep telling you, Mulder, but you don’t believe me. I’m having visions about the case. I don’t know what more you want from me.”

He took a step closer to her. “I want you to talk to me like a rational person! You’re acting very unlike yourself! A week ago you would have told me I was crazy for suggesting that psychic visions are real.”

“I can’t explain it, Mulder, but I know they’re real! You’re the one acting strange; you refuse to believe that this case is an X-File even though all the evidence is right in front of you!” She faced him head on, arms crossed defensively in front of her.

Mulder shook his head and reached in his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. “I’m calling Skinner and sending you home. This has gone too far.”

“Excuse me?” Scully used the iciest tone she could muster. She was furious. How many times had Mulder’s wild goose chases almost gotten them killed and she never went to a higher up?

“Last time I checked, you don’t tell me what to do,” she asserted.

But Mulder was indignant. “Scully, I’m trying to help you! You’re clearly not well and you’re a danger to yourself and to me if you can’t perform your duties.”

He was making her so angry that she just blurted out the first thing that popped into her mind:

“You know what I think, Mulder? I think you’re just jealous. You wish you were the one having the visions. That way you can really become Spooky Mulder. The only thing you care about is the X-Files but only if you can control everything that’s going on!”

Mulder stared at Scully and seemed to be stunned to hear that come out of her mouth. They stared at each other for a few seconds, both agents breathing heavily.

He looked at the ceiling and then back at her.

“I do wish it was me,” Mulder finally stated quietly. “But not for the reason you think. Scully, it’s killing me seeing you like this. These visions, or whatever they are, are making you unwell and that’s why I didn’t want to believe in them. Because if they are something paranormal, what if I can’t help you?”

He looked truly sincere during his speech and all the anger that Scully had been harboring dissipated in one fell swoop. She dropped to the bed and put her hands over her eyes, suddenly feeling all at once the exhaustion that had plagued her all day. Mulder stepped closer and knelt before her.

“Scully, I’m sorry I threatened to call Skinner but I really think you should go home and get away from this place.”

She wished it was that easy. She took her hands away from her face so she could see him.

“Mulder, I’m being honest by saying that I don’t think going home will actually help. I think I’m meant to solve this case and I can’t see the visions going away until that happens,” she explained.

Mulder sighed, clearly exhausted too. He seemed like he was ready to agree with her. Finally, she thought.  Mulder stood up and then moved to sit next to Scully on the bed, both now facing a blank wall. There must be some kind of symbolism here, but Scully didn’t have the brain power to figure out what it was.

After a few silent moments, Mulder spoke again. “What did you see?” he asked.

Scully was confused at first. “See?”

“Before you passed out? Did you have another vision?”

“Oh, I didn’t actually see anything. It was more like a feeling. When I looked at that house that Mrs. Collins pointed at, there was a buzzing in my head and I felt really uneasy.”

“So what does that mean?”

Scully let out a long breath. “I don’t know, Mulder. You heard Agent Callahan: we don’t have enough evidence to pin anything on him. But if had to go with my gut, I’d put my money on that guy. Even if he’s not the killer, then he’s involved somehow.”

Mulder chuckled softly. “You sound like me.”

That made Scully smile. “I’m not sure I should take that as a compliment, Mulder.”

He bumped his shoulder against hers. “Well I am always right.”

No, he wasn’t always right, she thought to herself. Though he was right a lot more than she’d like to admit, especially when they were working on an X-File. Scully could probably stand to be a little more open-minded herself, if this case was any indication.

“Hey, Scully,” he said, pulling her out of her reverie.

“Yeah?”

“I care about more than the just the X-Files.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him look at her, but she kept staring ahead.

“I know, Mulder. I shouldn’t have said that.”

He nodded and turned back to the wall too.

“I want you to know that I am going to help you solve this case as quickly as possible. I know I wasn’t the most helpful in the beginning but now I’m ready to catch this guy and get you back to normal. But I want you to promise me something.”

He kept talking, not allowing Scully to object. “I want you to try to take care of yourself. I know it’s hard right now and these visions are upsetting the normal balance of things, but you need to make sure you’re eating, sleeping and taking it easy. I know your cancer isn’t back but you are in remission and you have to remember that.”

He turned towards her again, his face shadowed by the setting sun. “If it does get too bad, I want you to promise me that you’ll go home.”

She nodded this time, still facing forward, not looking at him. His request wasn’t unreasonable and she was starting to understand how the situation looked from his perspective. She just wished it didn’t have to be this way. He turned her face towards him so they could make eye contact.

“I promise,” Scully replied, looking into his eyes. He reached up to trace the outline of her brow, sealing the pact, as serious as if it were a blood promise.

For once, Scully slept through the night without any dreams but that wasn’t actually a good thing. The only thing she remembered from the night was seeing a foggy white haze, everything else hidden from view. She was frustrated but at least she slept through the night and as a result felt a little more rested than yesterday.

Mulder walked into Scully’s room while she was brushing her teeth and announced that they were going to breakfast before starting work that day. While this did happen occasionally, usually Scully just grabbed some fruit or yogurt she stored in the room’s mini fridge while Mulder stuck with coffee. Except recently when she’s been skipping breakfast altogether, the mornings being the time where her nausea was the worst. It was a sick way to taunt her infertility, she silently told the universe, and then tried not to think about it or she might start crying.

Scully raised her eyebrows and nodded her acceptance of this plan, but luckily for Mulder her mouth was too full of toothpaste to say what she was actually feeling. Maybe she should have agreed to go back to DC, if only to escape Mulder’s “hovering,” she thought uncharitably.

They found a small eatery on the way to the precinct and sat across each other in the diner booth, examining the menu. Normally Scully would be happy to eat eggs or waffles but ever since this case started, her appetite was non-existent. She was sure it had something to do with the visions but didn’t know what the connection would be. All the fortune tellers and seers she had seen on TV were usually a little plumper than average, meaning that they didn’t have the same problem she did.

Their waitress approached, a friendly smile on her face.

“What can I get you two?” she asked.

Before Scully could open her mouth, Mulder responded, “She will have eggs, wheat toast and a side of bacon and I’ll have the pancakes.”

Scully gave Mulder her worst glare, while she silently seethed. However, she knew she could rectify this situation.

“Instead of toast could I have a side of fruit instead,” she asked the waitress sweetly. “And skip the bacon too.”

“Sure thing,” the waitress said, clearly confused by the couple’s order.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Scully whipped around to look Mulder head on.

“What?” he asked defensively. “You haven’t been eating and I want to ensure that you are going to hold up your end of the bargain.”

All her goodwill towards Mulder from the night before went right out the window. “So you decide to order for me? You have a lot of nerve, Mulder. Just because I’m not hungry for a big breakfast doesn’t mean I’m not taking care of myself.”

Mulder didn’t look convinced. “Scully, I’m not trying to be controlling. As I stated last night, I am legitimately concerned for you. If I could see you eat something and maybe get some sleep, I would feel better about this whole situation.”

Scully sighed. Not only was she drained from all that had happened since they arrived in Cleveland but as much as she tried to hide from Mulder, she hadn’t been eating a whole lot since arriving in Ohio. And Scully really hated when Mulder was right.

Throughout the meal, they hardly spoke. Scully’s eggs and fruit looked unappealing once they appeared at the table but she was able to eat some of Mulder’s pancakes. He ate her fruit so that the both of them could just pretend it was another trip to the diner where Mulder stole food from Scully’s plate when he thought she won’t notice (she always did) and Scully ate most of Mulder’s fries.

She could feel him studying her as she pushed the remaining scrambled eggs around her plate. Scully started to feel bad. He was just trying to help and the only way she could respond was to get defensive and push him away.

“I’m sorry, Mulder. I want to eat but I’m just not hungry.” She looked up at him, hoping he could see her frustration.

“I know Scully. I’m sorry if I’m being an asshole. I shouldn’t have ordered for you. I just – I don’t like seeing you not well. It wasn’t that long ago that we were in a similar situation and that was really tough,” he said, referencing the nausea she experienced with chemo treatments.

Scully reached over the table to grasp his hand. “If you’ll listen, I’ll try to be a little more open with you – about the visions and how I’m feeling. That’s what partners are supposed to do right?” she asked, a little jokingly.

He squeezed her hand and looked her in the eye. “Well, partner, if you’re up for it, I think we have a case to solve.”

After breakfast, they headed back to the station. They’ve only been there a few days but it’s already starting to feel comfortable. Scully recognizes most of the officers and even though they’ve mostly been interacting with their liaison, Agent Callahan, their faces are friendly.

The phones were still ringing, though nothing like yesterday. The crazies got their kicks out already, Scully thought to herself, grateful that she no longer has to read anonymous tips claiming that the women were killed by Satan himself.

The agents sat in on the daily briefing (Scully wonders how this is the first one she’s attended) and they listened to both Agent Callahan and the police chief speak about the case. It turned out that the skin cells Scully found during the autopsy of Alice Whitley have the same DNA as the hair found in Jane White’s bathroom. However, since there is no match in the system, they have no way of knowing who the killer is. The only helpful thing is that when they do have a suspect in custody, this evidence will help to put him away.

After the meeting, the three agents got to work on the mysterious man who lives on 48 Constitution Street. Scully looked up who owns the house and found that an Anton Donnelly is the owner but the house is listed as a rental property.

“Alright, let’s go check out this Mr. Donnelly,” Callahan declared. Him and Mulder gathered their things and started to get up. Scully stayed put.

“Scully, aren’t you coming?” asked Mulder.

“No you two go ahead. I’m going to look through these cold cases to see if our serial killer was ever active before this spree. Plus you don’t really need three agents to interview a person of interest,” Scully said.

Mulder shrugged. “Suit yourself.” And they were off.

Normally Scully would balk at being left behind to do busy work – that was why she left the lab to become a field agent. But she was nervous about what would happen if she went out in the field again. Contrary to what she should be feeling, she almost wanted to have another vision because they give her some insight into the case. However, the thought of feeling ill or even passing out again stopped her in her tracks. She knew she couldn’t stay in the station forever, but she would take the opportunity to stay behind occasionally if possible.

An hour and half went by and Scully’s eyes were dry. She was looking through old paper files, ones that the police never bothered digitizing because the cases were unsolved and unlikely to ever be solved. It was tough to know how far back to look since they did not know the killer’s age. He could be young, in his twenties, or older, fifties or sixties. That left a lot of murders to go through. There were a few cases in which women were shot at point-blank range but they were one-offs (it was possible that the killer started small with one victim at a time but Scully was wary) or they were clearly the gang initiations that Mulder was originally convinced were the real cause of the recent murders.

Luckily, Callahan and Mulder returned to the station at that time so Scully could take a much needed break.

“What a waste of time,” Mulder announced as he got closer to where she was sitting.

“Really?” she asked. “Did he say anything?”

Callahan chimed in. “He said he doesn’t know the renter’s name and the man pays in cash. He gave us the same description that Mrs. Collins did – said he barely even sees him because the man usually just drops off the money.”

Scully was confused. “I don’t understand. Didn’t he have to sign a rental agreement?”

Mulder snorted. “Mr. Donnelly claims he provides a ‘service’ to the neighborhood. If his renters pay in cash, he doesn’t ask questions or run background checks on them. The guy was pretty sketchy so he probably doesn’t need any kind of contract to keep his renters in line.”

“I’m going to pass his information on to the local police so they can check him out. There are definitely some shady business dealings going on there, but I’m not worried about that right now,” Callahan said.

“So that was it?” Scully questioned.

Mulder responded, “Well we decided to take a visit to the house. See if anyone was home.”

“You did?” Scully felt a lump in the back of her throat.

“No one answered. All the shades were drawn – couldn’t see a thing.”

Scully breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason she had a bad feeling at the thought of the two men visiting number 48. Though she was sure they would be back soon enough.

Scully was turning down the covers on her bed when she heard a soft knock on the adjoining door between her and Mulder’s rooms. After Mulder and Callahan had returned from their outing, the three of them continued to look at cold cases, with no luck. When Mulder and Scully returned to the hotel after a long day, the two separated and Scully used the down time to take a bath, something that she hadn’t been able to do the entire trip.

“Come in,” she called out.

“Hey, Scully,” he said, sounding a little hesitant.

“What’s up?” she inquired.

He looked around the room like he had never seen it before. “I just wanted to say good night.”

“Good night, huh?” she smiled, knowing that wasn’t all he was here for.

He rolled his eyes. “And I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier at breakfast. I know I haven’t made things easy on you and I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Scully was surprised: an apology from Mulder. She wasn’t expecting it but she wouldn’t deny that it was nice to hear.

“Thank you, Mulder, I appreciate that. And I want to say I’m sorry too for leaving you in the dark and not understanding your perspective on the situation.”

Mulder looked pleased to hear her apology. “So we’re both sorry. Should we hug it out?”

Now it was Scully’s turn to roll her eyes. Before she could respond, her nose started to itch, like she had to sneeze. She brushed her hand across her face to relieve the tickle.

"Scully," Mulder tried to get her attention. "Your nose."

She looked down at her hand, where a smear of blood has been left. She could actually feel it dripping down her face, reminding her of the more severe nosebleeds she experienced at the worst of the cancer. Scully rushed to the bathroom, feeling a little lightheaded. She grabbed another towel (they are going to have such a big hotel bill, she thought mildly) and held it to her nose. As she's doing that she loses herself to a vision. Well, she's not sure if it's a vision or a memory, because it reminds her of time the time in her life in which she was battling cancer. She recognizes that she’s in a hospital and can hear the beeping of monitors and the steady buzz of machinery. She’s definitely in the oncology ward because she can see the chemo stations up ahead. It looks a little like St. Luke’s but she can’t be sure…

There's a hand on her shoulder. "Scully."

That brought Scully back up to the bathroom, where she was still pressing a towel against her nose. She saw herself in the mirror, her hair almost the same color as the blood on the towel. Mulder was standing next to her, looking worried. It's becoming his default expression, she thought. But then, something clicked in her brain and it's as if her eyes have been opened. The fog lifted and the white haze gained color. She finally understood.

"Mulder," she breathed, getting excited. He just looked confused.

She moved the towel away from her face so she could talk. "I know! I know something about the killer. The killer, he - he has cancer!”

“What?” he asked, flabbergasted.

“He has the same type as I did! That has to be why I'm the one experiencing these visions. It all makes sense: the nosebleeds, the nausea, and the headaches. I’m not the one with cancer; he is!” she proclaims.

Mulder just stared at her; she could see him thinking. It took a minute before he responded:

“Scully, we need those patient records from St. Luke’s.”

Read Chapter Eight

[thegloober]

Ask Me Anything: which trade would shake up the NHL season?

Every NHL season has phases. Late October brings us the almost-justifiable-fan-panic phase. Teams’ sample sizes are small, but they’re just big enough that slow starts might feel like something more than slumps. Many of the (great) questions in this Ask Me Anything Mailbag, the first of the 2018-19 season, concern teams and players struggling out of the gate. Let’s do this!

Disneybound Marty (@martin_14) asks…

Is Connor Hellebuyck going to turn into a goalie who struggles with consistency?

Hey Marty. What’s fascinating about your question is…if there was one thing Hellebuyck did better than pretty much any goalie in the NHL last year, it was play consistent hockey. He posted a save percentage of .911 or better every month en route to his runner-up finish in Vezina Trophy voting. I’ve said it before: of all the players I’ve interviewed, Hellebuyck ranks right up there with the most relaxed, confident and poised. I marvel at his calm. I often say I wish I had what he had. That’s how laid back he is. With his size and mental makeup, he strikes me as a goaltender who will have a long and consistent career.

That said, he hasn’t been at his best to start 2018-19, I know. He got beat on a few stoppable shots against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Wednesday night’s big showdown. Last year, he had great protection from his defense, facing one of the league’s lowest concentrations of high-danger chances at about 15 percent in 5-on-5 play, and that trend has actually continued so far at just 19 percent. Theoretically, since the chances coming Hellebuyck’s way aren’t typically wide-open looks, he should start stopping more of them, and that SP will rise north of its current .907 mark. An eight-game sample size is too small to use as a barometer of what to expect from him this year.

Also, a 2.99 goals-against average and .907 SP don’t necessarily mean what they did even a year ago. Scoring is way up, and save percentage has plummeted with goalies wearing the streamlined chest and shoulder pads. Typically, the numbers smooth out over the course of the season, but for now, the league average of 3.09 goals is the highest in 23 years. Goalies’ average SP has also dropped to .909, the lowest in 10 years. So we should be careful judging Hellebuyck’s numbers against his own from last year. He’s been at least league-average good so far, and we should expect him to improve. He did struggle in 2016-17, for sure, but that was the anomaly in his career going back to his prospect days. He was always projected to be a high-end NHL starter, so I believe the good, consistent version of Hellebuyck is the “real” Hellebuyck.

Russell Hartman (@russellhartman1) asks…

What will be the trade that shakes everything up this season?

Hi Russell. The easiest place to look for shakeup trades is, of course, the pending 2019 UFAs, particularly those playing on teams not expected to make the playoffs. While the Ottawa Senators have started better than anyone predicted, they’re a long-shot to sustain that competency, so we’ll likely see Mark Stone and Matt Duchene dominate the trade rumor mills in the new year. Both would be high-impact additions to contender teams, Duchene for his speed and positional versatility, Stone for his hands and superb two-way play on the right wing.

We have to watch the Blue Jackets closely with pending UFAs Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, too. Sources close to the situation told me shortly before the season started that, regardless of both players’ reported interest in testing the open market, Columbus wanted to hold them all year to push for a Stanley Cup and perhaps convince them to stay. But Bobrovsky’s struggles and periodic benchings early this season certainly spike the odds of him getting moved.

Still, if we’re talking about a league-altering trade that would shock everyone and really shuffle the NHL’s deck…my pick would be a William Nylander deal. Gun to my head, I still think the Leafs get him signed, but we’re down to just five weeks now before he’s ruled ineligible to play in 2018-19. Any team landing him would significantly boost the speed and skill in its attack. The Minnesota Wild and Carolina Hurricanes stand out as teams that could use another scorer up front and have a surplus of good right-shot defensemen. A Leaf lineup with, say, Mathew Dumba or Justin Faulk added to it would look very different.

I’m not saying I believe deals like those will happen – I don’t – but if we’re talking trades that will significantly impact the league, it would be tough to top one involving the RFA Nylander, who would likely sign a long-term extension with his new team. Still, I’d bet on him wearing blue and white in the weeks to come.

Ville Pennanen (@V__pee) asks…

What’s wrong with St. Louis? First they lost Vladimir Tarasenko to scoreless limbo and now Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn. Are the Blues the graveyard for goal-scorers?

Who knew Tarasenko would long for the “run and gun days of Ken Hitchcock,” eh? The Blues are a true head-scratcher, but it seems every season yields a team like this, one predicted to bust out after a summer of flashy moves. The Dallas Stars added Alexander Radulov, Martin Hanzal and Ben Bishop last summer and still missed the playoffs, for instance. The pieces don’t always fit together exactly like they’re supposed to on paper.

Per the outstanding Blues beat writer Jeremy Rutherford, the Blues have the third-fewest points in the league, have won once in five home games and have a head coach in Mike Yeo who openly wondered if his job was in jeopardy after the Blues squandered their third 2-0 lead of the season in a Thursday loss to Columbus. Things look grim, no doubt.

It’s still October, though, so in a situation like this I always like to check first if we can rule out luck as the culprit. Tarasenko and Schwartz, both highly accurate shooters in their career, are converting at career-low rates right now – by a mile. That will obviously normalize. Also good news: both players are getting more shots per game than their career averages, so it’s not like they’re failing to put pucks on net. Theoretically, we should see a goal surge from the Blues’ two most important offensive players, while Schenn is scoring at his normal rate of accuracy and getting more pucks on the net than normal.

The Blues’ best forwards, then, are probably not the problem. It’s the supporting cast, which was supposed to be vastly improved for a team that finished 24th in offense last year. The Blues rank 26th in shot attempts generated per 60 minutes in 5-on-5 play. David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly have contributed, but Patrick Maroon and Tyler Bozak have combined for one goal in nine games. Those two and Alexander Steen have four goals total for $12.5 million of cap space.

That said, being a “graveyard for goal-scorers” isn’t even the real problem. The Blues are 14th in goals. They’re 30th in goals allowed at an even four per game. They allow about seven more shot attempts than they generate at 5-on-5 per 60 minutes. Jake Allen, who gets a million chances to prove he can be St. Louis’ No. 1 goalie, is struggling again with an .876 SP. The Blues allow the eighth-most high-danger chances per 60 minutes as well. Last year, they allowed the fourth fewest. They’ve become a far more porous defensive team. That, not the offense, is the real problem. It’s a legitimate concern.

Ralph wiggumn (@ralph_wiggumn) asks…

Is Vegas this year’s Ottawa, making Max Pacioretty Matt Duchene-West? What’s wrong with Sergei Bobrovsky in Columbus? Favorite X-Man?

Since this is a three-pronged question, you get more of a lightning round of quicker answers, Ralph. I absolutely worry Vegas is this year’s Ottawa, a team rendered overconfident by one year of unexpected success. The Pacioretty trade cost the Golden Knights Nick Suzuki, one of their top three prospects. More worrisome than that deal, however, are the long-term contracts GM George McPhee is tossing around like Halloween candy.

The extension for Pacioretty was one thing, as he’s at least a proven 30-goal threat, but the shiny new deals for Nate Schmidt, Alex Tuch and Shea Theodore involve a lot of projection. Each guy arguably belonged in bridge-contract territory, not lucrative extension territory. If the salary cap stays the same next year, Vegas only has $7.3 million in space with William Karlsson left to sign as an RFA. McPhee is playing a dangerous game blowing all his money for a team that may or may not be able to sustain last year’s effort. It hasn’t so far, but Vegas also does have the league’s lowest PDO, a stat that combines shooting and save percentage to approximate luck. It’s as if the hockey gods are correcting everything they did for Vegas last year.

As for Bobrovsky – there’s some reason to worry. He was bad in the playoffs last year, and he’s struggled to start this year. Like, really struggled. He lapped the field in goals-saved above average last year, whereas he’s second last this year. He probably would be last had Mike Smith not endured an all-out assault from the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday night.

There’s a decent chance Bobrovsky is a distracted man right now. Not only is he without a contract for next year – a factor that affected Ben Bishop a lot in his ugly final season with the Lightning, remember – but the Jackets are turning to Joonas Korpisalo more than normal so far, including their season opener. It almost feels like posturing, an attempt to show Bobrovsky they don’t need him, which can’t help his confidence. Coach John Tortorella said publicly this week that “Bob has not been Bob.” If he doesn’t find a rhythm soon, we could see a mid-season trade situation arise. Korpisalo’s numbers haven’t been great, but he’s won all three of his starts, indicating the team has played better in front of him than it has in front of Bobrovsky. Coincidence or not?

As for the X-Men: I’m a hairy, 5-foot-9 Canadian. I pretty much am Wolverine already. He was my Halloween costume two years ago, and I barely needed any special effects – my real hair and real beard sufficed. Heart-wrenching backstory, healing powers, general angry badassery…he has it all. Easy pick for me.

Jake Lahut (@JakeLahut) asks…

Obviously the discourse around “tanking” for picks has changed drastically over the past few years, but at what point are the Red Wings doing themselves a disservice by being this bad? Basically, just how bad are the Wings?

I actually disagree with you on this one, Jake. Red Wings fans should be absolutely ecstatic with this start to the season. I understand that seeing a stream struggle this mightily is a foreign feeling for Detroit. The Wings haven’t finished last overall since 1985-86. There are 31-year-old Detroit fans out there who have never experienced a real dark age of half-full buildings and embarrassing blowout defeats. The Wings haven’t picked first overall since tabbing Joe Murphy in 1986 and haven’t even picked in the top five since selecting Keith Primeau third overall in 1990. The current state of affairs has to feel like another planet for Hockeytown.

The 25-year playoff streak was a marvellous feat for a proud franchise, with four Stanley Cup wins baked in, but it became a curse in its later years as GM Ken Holland piled on the expensive veteran contracts for the likes of Justin Abdelkader, Frans Nielsen and Darren Helm, helping the team wheeze along on the bubble, no longer good enough to make the playoffs but not bad enough to bottom out and land some franchise-altering stars.

Well, finally, this team is bad enough. It’s as devoid of talent as any roster in the NHL. It’s weak at every position. We should expect this inept start to become an inept year. And that’s great news. The Wings nabbed arguably a top-three talent sixth overall when Filip Zadina fell to them in the 2018 draft, and they’re trending toward having a lot of lottery balls this June, putting them in the mix for a Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko. With the exception of the 2011 Boston Bruins, nine of the past 10 Stanley Cup champions were built on the backs of high first-round picks: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and so on.

When I spoke with Holland near the end of the playoff streak a couple years back, he casually mentioned that the idea of rebuilding was odd to him because he’d never had to do it before. That’s why I preached patience from the fan base. He literally had to learn how to rebuild, having never done it before. Now this team is finally set up to bomb out in the standings. Players and coaches don’t have tanking in their DNA – so the tank is always the GM’s job. He can’t control the on-ice effort, but he control the talent pool of personnel the coach has to choose from. And the pickings are slim for Jeff Blashill.

Tags: columbus blue jackets, detroit red wings, free agency, st. louis blues, toronto maple leafs, trades, vegas golden knights, winnipeg jets

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About the Author

Matt Larkin

Matt Larkin is senior content producer at The Hockey News and has been part of the team since 2011. He’s your one-stop shop for deep-dive player interviews, predictions, statistics, fantasy player rankings, player safety and hair tips. Catch him weekly as host of The Hockey News Live and The Hockey News Podcast.

Source: https://bloghyped.com/ask-me-anything-which-trade-would-shake-up-the-nhl-season/

[sociallyawkwardroleplayer]

eleanor grace

eleanor, ellie to some close friends and family, had always wanted a family. she wanted to be a married woman with a number of children. the sound of tiny feet running around the living room and seeing her children laughing while she looked out the window was a dream she had ever since she was five years old. the thought of being a house wife to a husband she truly loved was played out in a game of pretend in her room involving her stuffed bears, her barbies were her bridesmades, and obviously ken was her groom. ellie imagined everything she wanted, from the color of the house (light grey brick) right down to what she would name each child (names were categorized by hair and eye color). in her huge home of her brothers and sisters, ellie would play nurse with the younger ones and sometimes a game of soccer with the older ones. if she wasn't in her room, playing house, she would be in the kitchen with the help, learning of recipes and helping make dinner. surprisingly, ellie had a knack for cooking and she only had her favorite cook, nina, to thank for that. her parents allowed her daughter to have her pretend life until she entered highschool where they finally told her that enough was enough, stating that being a house wife was not suitable for a child of theirs. Ellie couldn't fight back, they knew best. With that, she had her old toys packed away to be donated for charity, only keeping her flower crown veil, ken doll, and an old baby doll in a box under her bed.

Throughout highschool, Eleanor automatically had top status thanks to her older siblings who were already there. She was on the swim team since she loved the water, cheerleading because it was somewhat a family requirement, and in the season between the two, she was on the equestrian team because it was something new and it was a way to take care of something that needed her. Of course, she took a bunch of advanced classes to stay at the top of her class. As a fine arts elective, she took dance. Eleanor had been taking dance since she was four years old. Her mother basically forced her to, saying a well bred girl knew how to point her toes in a perfect fashion. Oddly, she liked it a lot and even explored different types of dance despite her mother's disgust of it. The first time she felt like she truly enjoyed what she was doing was when she auditioned for a lead part in  her school's production of beauty and the beast as a dare from her friends. What surprised her was that she actually got the part even though she partially put effort into it. On that stage, dancing and singing in front of an audience, the drama teacher was intrigued at how well Eleanor performed for the crowd. Pulling her to the side, she asked if the young teen ever thought about going into broadway. After graduating, Eleanor went to Cornell to study dance and also business management.

It was no surprise that Eleanor got her degrees in business management and performing arts. Thanks to her family's ties to different organizations, she was able to get out of college and right into the broadway life. She starred in many productions, her favorite being Grease Live! At the age of twenty six, she had already been on covers of magazines, asked to audition for musicals not only in New York but in France, and won a couple of Tonys. She had helped write and direct a couple of her own musicals which went on to be nominees for a Tony. Her life was pretty fantastic despite the small empty feeling that bugged her in her heart. She still wasn't married, she still didn't have her children, or the house she wanted. An apartment in Manhattan wasn't ideal but many people would kill for the kind of view she got. But, as fate would have it, one day at rehearsals, she bumped into the newest director and writer of her newest broadway musical, Marcus Lionni. He was what most women would want in a man: tall, handsome... the emerald color of his eyes making any woman melt in sight. He became smitten with her, viewing her talents at "God sent" but she felt he was over exaggerating. After months of pursuing, Eleanor finally said yes to a coffee date. Then a date. Then to being his girlfriend. Finally, she said yes to a $3.5M diamond ring and to being his wife, of course.

Everything came to a full circle it seemed like. Eleanor was completely in love with Marcus. He was everything she wanted plus came from a well known family of wealth which her mother had approved of. Her father had given his blessing to their marriage and a date was picked. Eleanor went dress shopping with all her best friends and sisters. She felt like she was living in a dream... a dream that would soon become a nightmare. One day, after her rehearsal, she was feeling a little unwell and ran for the bathroom. Counting on her fingers, she felt scared yet excited at the same time. Her friend brought her a pregnancy test to double check her suspicion. After another run through, they went to check on the stick, it reading positive right in their face. Squealing in excitement, she ran out to the stage to let the entire crew to announce her pregnancy. Everyone applauded, even her fiance. It was truly too good to be true. When they got to Marcus' apartment, he flat out told her to get rid of it. At first, she thought he was joking but the serious look on his face made her want to run out of his flat. He didn't want kids, never wanted kids, saying they were distractions from the life they were already living and why would they want to give it up? It never occurred to Eleanor to talk about starting up a family because it was something she always wanted. Finding out that Marcus was 100% against it, well.. it felt wrong to her. She fought for her right to keep the child, but Marcus had other plans. Three months into the pregnancy, he caused Eleanor to fall the stairs. The ambulance came after a call was placed to 911, but it was too late. Eleanor had lost her child.

Her child, gone. Her part in one of the most promising broadway productions, gone. Her engagement, gone. There was no way she was going to get married to a monster. There was no point in involving the police in what he did. He had connections to get out of prison or whatever charges he would get. Eleanor packed up and moved back to the Hamptons with her parents until she got better again. Her family members pressed about the matter of her baby, but she didn't say a word. It was a wasted conversation, anyways. Slowly, she recovered with the help of a live in nurse her mother had hired for her. Her father assisted her in finding new roles on broadway, however, Eleanor refused to go back. "It was just something fun for my 20s..." she told him. When her baby died, the old Eleanor—sweet, caring, outgoing, and compassionate— had died with it. So did her take on love and settling down. Her dream died in that hospital and a new Eleanor was born. Reporters wanted to know what happened with her and her long time fiance. She could only say that it was an amicable split because they were both so busy. New Eleanor wanted to be more behind the scenes, keep her face out of public (which wasn't going to happen), so she took up a job as a manager for up and coming actresses. She wanted to be a voice of reason to the newbies coming into the cold, hard work of showbiz, something she wished she had before going into it all. Her new career took off right after her first fledgling was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress and has had her in high demand.