#Dutch Marvin

[aarons-corner]

OG Cobras Headcanons!!

- Johnny was the one who dyed Dutch’s hair. Dutch talked about wanting to go blonde for a bit so Johnny helped him.

- Bobby is the oldest, Jimmy is the second oldest, Johnny is the middle, Dutch is the second youngest, and Tommy is the youngest.

- They each have very different personalities.

- Johnny is sweet, sarcastic in a good way, and also a little bit shy in certain situations.

- Bobby is compassionate and literally THE therapist friend.

- Dutch is antisocial and aggressive, but less of that around his friends.

- Tommy is the class clown that’s actually funny and SUPER sarcastic.

- Jimmy is shy and standoffish, but is also one of the funniest people you’ll ever meet when he does talk.

- Johnny is a huge over-thinker, so is Jimmy.

- Tommy had a cigarette mom.

- Dutch’s mom kicked him out when he was 15, so Johnny and Bobby pulled money together to get him an apartment.

- Jimmy is the only thing stopping the other cobras from losing their minds to Cobra Kai, since he’s such a damn sweetheart.

- They are all amazing cooks and bakers and learned in different ways. Johnny learned from cooking classes Sid forced him to take, but actually enjoyed it. Bobby learned willingly from his mother and really loved it. Dutch had to learn to cook for himself because his mom abandoned him and his dad died in the Vietnam war. Tommy would always cook for his mom ever since he was little. Jimmy was like 4 and he saw his favorite movie character cooking and decided to try it when his mom and dad weren’t home and made a mess of the kitchen. After that his dad taught him how to cook and bake properly.

- Tommy has ADHD.

- Jimmy has social anxiety and went through depression.

- Dutch has PTSD and responds to it with violent and illegal behavior.

- Bobby has problems with overworking himself and gets stressed very easily.

- Johnny has intrusive thoughts and always jumps to conclusions.

- Jimmy comes from the most wealthy family in The Valley, and Johnny’s family is second to them. Therefore Sid doesn’t like Jimmy that much.

- Sid doesn’t like any of Johnny’s friends really but most the time Johnny just says fuck you and hangs out with them anyways.

- Jimmy has HUGE mood swings.

- They all act different when drunk.

- Johnny mind dumps and talks about the most random bullshit ever.

- Bobby can become angry because of bottling his emotions up, but he also rarely gets drunk since he’s the designated driver.

- Dutch gets all giggly and soft.

- Tommy starts becoming a stand up comedian and makes the whole bar laugh.

- Jimmy becomes emotional and cries.

Love languages

Johnny

• Johnny is so protective. He doesn’t have much, he only had Cobra Kai, his friends, and Ali. And then he lost Ali.

• Johnny is huge on physical affection, gift giving, and quality time. He will constantly get his s/o gifts, even if they say no.

• If he doesn’t get constant cuddles, hand holding, or any form of touching from his s/o he will become a nervous wreck and overthink a lot.

• He loves cuddling with his s/o and whispering sweet nothings in their ear.

• Needs constant attention or else he will have a panic attack.

• He gets SO jealous it’s not even funny.

• His favorite names to call his s/o are: Babe, Darling, and Love.

• Claims to be a top, but is actually a huge switch.

Bobby

• Bobby is more laid back. He’ll be a good partner, but also his s/o best friend.

• His love language is physical affection, lots of attention, and acts of service.

• He doesn’t get jealous. No matter what.

• He will always do things for his s/o, like their homework or make them meals.

• Bobby loves it when his s/o brushes his hair, so he usually keeps it a little long and shaggy.

• His favorite names for his s/o: Sweetheart, Hon, and Cutie

• Surprisingly a switch.

Dutch

• Dutch is overprotective and possessive as hell. He constantly needs to know where his s/o is, who they are with, etc.

• His love language is physical affection and acts of service.

• He’ll steal stuff for his s/o since he’s literally a criminal.

• If someone is flirting with his s/o, he will put his arm around his s/o and straight up make out with them right in front of whoever is flirting with them. (That sentence made no sense help)

• He will fight anyone for his s/o. It doesn’t matter if it’s a guy twice his size or someone half his size, he won’t stop until he wins.

• Takes his s/o to parties and they get drunk together.

• He’s not big on nicknames, but he’ll occasionally call his s/o babe.

• Literally the only top in his friendgroup.

Tommy

• Tommy’s love language is acts of service and LOTS of quality time.

• He’ll make his s/o laugh SO MUCH. Bro is the funniest person on earth when he’s around them.

• Cuddling and watching a movie so him.

• He takes his s/o on motorcycle Just so they will cling to him, even though he isn’t big on physical affection.

• Can talk to his s/o about anything for hours. Everyday is a mind dump.

• Plays with his s/o hands before holding them.

• Also a switch, but mostly top.

• Loves the nickname prince/princess for his s/o.

Jimmy

• He talks about his s/o to his stuffed animals or his friends for hours if he isn’t talking to his s/o for hours.

• His love language is quality time and words of affirmation.

• He would try gift giving but his s/o said he didn’t have to do that so he respected what his s/o wanted.

• But he gives amazing gifts on holidays cause his family is rich rich.

• He is legit so shy it’s so cute. (He is bbg. Idc if he’s a male, he is my girlfriend, my bbg, my queen, my princess, my goddess.)

• He has so many hyperfixiations and loves sharing them with his s/o.

• He treats his s/o like a damn god/goddess.

• Too freaking nervous to use nicknames so he’ll just use a shortened version of his s/o name.

• Totally a soft switch. He’ll take either position and be adorable doing it.

Should I do another one of these??

[yuespropagandablog]

Hello esteemed mutual. If you are reading this, then that means my propaganda is working. But you might still have questions, so I am here to answer them.

What is Falsettos?

A damn good musical.

But time to get serious. It's a sung-through musical written by William Finn and James Lapine, with Lapine also writing the music and lyrics. Falsettos is a two-act musical, like many, but it's important here because Falsettos is actually two musicals in one. The first act is March of the Falsettos, and the second act is Falsettoland. These are the last two installments of the Marvin Trilogy. The first part, In Trousers, flopped on off-Broadway and is also not part of Falsettos. Are you following?

The first acts centers on a Jewish man named Marvin (the main character of the Marvin Trilogy, who would've thought) and his homosexual relation with Whizzer, and how that impacts the family. He's left his wife Trina and son Jason to be with Whizzer, but Marvin is also Marvin, and loves to have a tight-knit family that includes all of them, but fails to see how his wish impacts the others. The second act takes place two years after the first and it's all about Jason's bar mitzvah, but oh, oh no, it's a homosexual story set in the 80s. Yeah folks, I am going to be upfront: this musical does not have a happy ending. Spoiler. I know. But I just want people to know what they're getting themselves into.

The show has a lot to say about gay life in the 70s and 80s, gender roles and masculinity, traditional family, illness, and Judaism. Yes, you cannot separate the Judaism from this show, no matter how hard a Spanish production tries.

Where can I watch it?

The original Falsettos debuted in 1992 on Broadway. I know it from its 2016 Broadway revival. There are, uh, slime tutorials for both (and also for In Trousers if you're interested), and the 2016 version also got a proshot that was aired on PBS, so they did have to censor some language. RIP "You save lives and I save chicken fat, I can't fucking deal with that", you will forever be missed. This link totally definitely does not lead to a YouTube upload of that proshot, what do you mean?

There are also a bunch of other productions, sometimes with footage, sometimes not. I actually saw the Dutch version in 2021 in Amsterdam (probably while I had COVID, but in my defense, I tested negative before I boarded my train!)

Is there a trailer or something?

Yes, here's a trailer for the proshot.

Here is their Tony performance, which is also my favourite song of the show:

(They did take out the "Lighbulb up the ass" and "I can't fucking deal with that", because America is America. But at least we got Andrew Rannell's boner in return?)

And for funsies, here's the Tony Awards performance of the OBC:

(They did censor the words "homosexuals" and "lesbians", unless that was the original lyrics. I dunno. I am not very familiar with the original one.)

You implied AIDS. Are there other content warnings?

Yes. AIDS will be the main theme of the second act. You can ignore it by just turning off the show after the song What More Can I Say, but that is obviously not the full show. There's also some period-typical homophobia, as in in act one, Jason is afraid that his father's homosexuality is a fatal hereditary disease. There are also a lot of dysfunctional relationship dynamics in act one, including one instance of physical abuse. Act two has the AIDS of it all and because of that, the major character death warning.

But is there also fun to be had?

Yes, definitely! One thing that makes Falsettos a good show is the tonal whipslash. Both act one and act two start out as the funniest shit you've ever seen and then BAM, drama. It is kind of impressive how the show does that. It has stellar comedic songs like Four Jews in a Room Bitching, My Father's A Homo/Everyone Tells Jason to See a Psychiatrist, I'm Breaking Down, Jason's Therapy, Year of the Child, Miracle of Judaism, The Baseball Game, A Day in Falsettoland, Everybody Hates His Parents and whatever the fuck March of the Falsettos (the song) is.

The first half of both acts you can't stop laughing and the second half of both acts you can't stop crying. That's Falsettos, baby!

Does the music slap?

Oh yeah. It is a fully sung-through musical. If that's not your jam, then you're better off skipping it. It also has a more "traditional" musical theatre sound, whatever that might mean. As you saw in the previous section, it has a lot of great comedic songs, with stellar lyrics like "Look, look, look, look, look, it's a lesbian from next door!/Followed by her lover who's a lesbian from next door too!", "Hepa-hepa-hepatitis-hepatitis?", "We're watching Jewish boys who cannot play baseball play baseball", "You have paintings of dicks!/Don't talk to me about taste!", "Lightbulbs in the ass!", the entire "You are going to kill your mother" section, "Homosexuals!!!!!" and of course the opening line of the entire show "Four Jews in a room bitching". And many more. But don't be fooled, because this song also has some emotional bangers (mostly in the second part of the acts due to the aforementioned tonal shift).

Are there German characters in this musical?

Mendel's last name Weisenbachfeld sounds German. Is that close enough?

[vinyl-artwork]

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Give A Little Love (Dutch release - 1967)

Artiste pochette non crédité.

[thatsrightice]

Aug 16, 1943 - Most of the day filled with alarms and excursions regarding the mission projected for tomorrow - general impression is both Zebra and Sunflower will be attacked tomorrow. Base on full alert, late in the day. Crew warned to prepare canteens, extra rations, arms, shelter halves, iron rations and other ominous articles. Afraid it is real.

Aug 17, 1943 (Regensburg) - Hunch was correct. The Group took off, maximum strength at 0730 hours on the long awaited shuttle trip to North Africa. Twenty-one (21) aircraft took off - Major Kidd leading, Major Egan second in command, Major Cleven and Major Veal led their Squadrons. A good many eggs in one basket. The Bombardier and Navigator had been studying the target for week, but did not know its name or location until the briefing. Objective was characterized in the annex to the Field Order as "The most important ever bombed anywhere." Entire station is sweating this one out - Doris Flesson back on the field with Walter Logan of UP to interview the crews when they return - expected in three days.

Aug 18, 1943 - No new directly from our Combat Crews. Bomber Command has word from Colonel Curtis LeMay, who led mission, that the target was destroyed - we know that the boys got to the target and LeMay's plane at least reached North Africa. Rumor that about 115 Fortresses were safely on the ground, seven in the Mediterranean Sea and two on Switzerland. Today our seven remaining crews took off to raid Dutch airports. Interrogation was interrupted to show crews photos, just received, of what the boys did at Regensburg - it was blasted to Hell and Gone. ME assembly plant in shambles - about a square mile of ruins. Photos show the Red Cross Hospital on the edge of the target area untouched - testifying to the accuracy of our bombing. The 100th MPI (Mean Point of Impact) obliterated. If our crews return safely it will have been a great mission for us any case will go down as one of the great air exploits of the war.

Aug 20, 1943 - Still sweating out our Combat Crews - no hint as to when they will return. Operations hasn't heard a word, although higher headquarters may have. Not a hint as to individual Group losses.

Aug 21, 1943 - Terrific rainstorm during the night - a regular Texas dew. Still overcast and raining this morning, so boys will probably won't get home today. Note: Officers mess profited indirectly by this mission. Combat Crew mess was unable to refrigerate their consignment of eggs - lowly Paddlefeet at eggs like gentlemen.

Aug 22, 1943 - Today is black, though memorable day for the 100th. Colonel Harding flew to Prestwick, where Major Egan and crew of Scott’s and Wolff’s planes were flown by ATC from North Africa. The 100th Bomb Group lost nine (9) planes in what may turn out to be the greatest aerial battle of the war. We lost Hollenbeck, Claytor, Hummel, Braley all of the 350th: Van Noy and Shotland of the 349th, Oakes of the 351st and Knox and Biddick of the 418th. Fighting lasted from Antwerp to the target – 2 hours and 10 minutes – with every type of fighter the Jerries could get up…

— entry’s from the diary of Marvin “Red” Bowman, Group Intelligence Officer of the 100th BG

[jasonfender]

Empty

Anyway here’s me with Dutch Marvin Falsettos

[paradlselost]

⠀ ⠀ ˙ . ꒷ 𝓕ANDOMS . 𖦹˙

TASK FORCE 141 — john price , simon ‘ghost’ riley , john ‘soap’ mactavish , gary ‘roach’ sanderson , kyle ‘gaz’ garrack , nikolai , ++ alex keller , farah karin , alejandro vargas , rodolfo ‘rudy’ parra .

KORTAC — könig , nikto , kim ‘horangi’ hong-jin , sebastian kruger ++ valeria garza , philip graves + the shadows , vladimir makarov .

TWO — arthur morgan , john marston , dutch van der linde , hosea matthews ( platonic only ) , abigail marston , mary beth gaskill , karen jones , tilly jackson , javier escuella , sean mcguire , charles smith , lenny summers , josiah trewlany , sadie adler , molly o’shea , kieran duffy , albert mason , charles châtenay , eagle flies , proetus + acrisius .

ONE + REVOLVER — jack marston ( teen + adult only ) ++ red harlow .

NEW VEGAS — arcade gannon ( mlm only ) , benny gecko , craig boone , fantastic , jason bright , joshua graham ‘ the burned man ’ , robert house , sunny smiles , viktor , yes - man .

FOUR — nate / nora , ada , cait , curie , paladin danse , deacon , desdemona , glory , john hancock , nick valentine , piper wright , porter gage , preston garvey , robert maccready , x6 - 88 .

SHOW — lucy maclean , norm maclean , the ghoul - cooper howard , maximus , lee moldaver , thaddeus .

VOUGHT — homelander , a-train , black noir , black noir II , queen maeve , lamplighter , translucent , firecracker , sister sage , the deep , ashley barrett , soldier boy , crimson countess , stan edgar .

THE BOYS — billy butcher , hughie campbell , annie january , sergei ‘frenchie’ , kimiko , marvin milk .

OTHERS — victoria nueman , luke riordan , andre anderson , cate dunlap , marie moreau , jordan li , emma meyer , sam riordan , maverick , popclaw , webweaver .

SLASHERS — jason vorhees : friday the thirteenth , michael myers : halloween og + rz , billy loomis : scream , stu macher : scream , brahms heelshire : the boy , harry warden : my bloody valentine , billy lenz : black christmas , bo sinclair , vincent sinclair , lester sinclair : house of wax , bubba sawyer : texas chainsaw massacre , thomas hewitt : texas chainsaw massacre reboot + beginning .

FAR CRY — john seed , joseph seed , jacob seed , faith seed , sharky boshaw , jess black , hurk drubman jr , adelaide drubman , grace armstrong , jerome jeffries , eli palmer , joey hudson , staci pratt , earl whitehorse . pagan min , ajay ghale . vaas montenegro , jason brody .

BALDURS GATE 3 — orgin dark urge , gale dekarios , astarion ancunín , shadowheart , lae’zel , wyll ravengard , karlach , halsin , jaheira , minsc , minthara , dame aylin , isobel thorm , omeluum , the emperor , rolan , dammon , ketherick thorm , enver gortash , orin , kar’niss , nym , sorn , raphael .

SUPERNATURAL — dean winchester , sam winchester , castiel , gabriel , adam winchester , lucifer , michael , anna milton , charlie bradbury ( wlw only ) .

OTHER — connor : detroit become human , joe goldberg : you , eddie gluskin : outlast whistleblower , father paul hill / john pruitt : midnight mass , riley flynn : midnight mass , sheriff hassan shabazz : midnight mass , kurt wagner : x - men , remy lebeau : x - men , peter maximoff : x - men , adrian chase : peacemaker , abner krill : suicide squad , edward nashton : batman .

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 04/05/2024 (Taylor Swift, Tommy Richman, Kendrick Lamar's "euphoria")

Just a week after her album’s impact, Taylor’s been dethroned by… Sabrina Carpenter! She grabs her first #1 on the UK Singles Chart with the smash hit “Espresso” and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, Yeat praise

Rundown

As always, let’s start with the notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 - that’s what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. Now this week, we bid adieu to: “The Tortured Poets Department” by Taylor Swift (it got three-song-ruled and dropped out from #3, more on that later), “act II: date @ 8” by 4batz featuring a remix by Drake (not his best week, more on that later), “Von dutch” by Charli XCX, “Kitchen Stove” by Pozer, “Whatever” by Kygo and Ava Max, “Murder on the Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and FINALLY, “Lovin’ on Me” by Jack Harlow.

As for our gains, we see healthy boosts for “Pedro” by Jaxomy, Agatino Romero and the late Raffaella Carrá at #60, “Outside of Love” by Becky Hill at #54, “Evergreen” by Richy Mitch & the Coal Miners at #46, “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed at #42 (yeesh), “These Words” by Badger and Natasha Bedingfield at #22, “I Don’t Wanna Wait” by David Guetta and OneRepublic at #20 - I guess obvious covers and remixes have a good week - then finally, a song hitting the top 10 I’m personally very happy with: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey at #6. #1 incoming? Please?

We also continue to see the rise or, rather, resurgence of Amy Winehouse’s catalogue due to the biopic, with “Valerie” with Mark Ronson at #38, “Back to Black” at #39, and a re-entry for “Tears Dry on Their Own” at #49, which peaked at #16 when Ye’s “Stronger” was #1 in 2007. On that same album, he says he hates Nazis, look how far we’ve come. Anyways, “Tears Dry” contains a sample of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, made famous by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, which didn’t chart in its original form for the longest time here. It peaked at #6 in 1970 but only in the form of a cover by Diana Ross, whose version charted whilst Freda Payne’s “Band of Gold” was #1 - just shows that we don’t really remember the bigger hits of the time. The Boys Town Gang reached #46 with their cover in 1981, Whitehouse and Jocelyn Brown both charted with covers coincidentally in August of 1998 - they peaked at #60 and #35 respectively - and finally, the original first charted at #80 in 2013, amazingly still its peak, and briefly re-entered earlier this year. “Tears Dry” itself was sampled the last time Amy made the top 40 in 2023, with Skepta’s #28-peaking tribute “Can’t Play Myself”.

As for our top five this week, we start in the dregs with “i like the way you kiss me” by Artemas at #5, “Beautiful Things” by Benedict Cumberbatch at #4, “Too Sweet” by Hozier at #3, then of course Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone at #2 and “Espresso” at #1. It’s an interesting one today, folks, with a lot of unique and frankly, fantastic stuff to cover, so let’s start with… Kygo?

New Entries

#75 - “For Life” - Kygo and Zak Abel featuring Nile Rodgers

Produced by Kygo, Nile Rodgers, Ollie Green and Franklin

I’m honestly a bit surprised Kygo is still notching chart hits, especially without a big name attached this time. Sure, Nile Rodgers is a legend, but he’s doing so much dance-pop garbage in his later years that I don’t think many people check specifically for his collaborations, so there’s got to be something in this that’s unique, right? Aaaaaaand it’s a sample. It’s a nostalgia bait sample of a 2000s EDM track because of course it is. French house act Modjo debuted with “Lady - Hear Me Tonight”, which spent two weeks at #1 in 2000 and is an absolute classic I still return to today, even if Modjo were basically a one-hit wonder. “Lady” of course is built on a sample of “Soup for One” by Rodgers’ own band CHIC, which comes from a 1982 soundtrack album, never charted and kind of been eclipsed by “Lady”, largely because the original is honestly pretty bad, uninteresting and surprisingly stiff for an 80s funk track, with some of the weakest and most slap-dash implementation of synths. “Lady” really took the best parts of that song - its undeniable guitar melody, that isn’t even put to great use in the original - and constructed an entirely new, incredible song out of it. So I can’t tell if it’s pathetic and desperate for Rodgers to try and reclaim it, or something that speaks to the power of musical transformation. Oh, what am I kidding? It’s Kygo, it’s just kind of boring. It’s a rote piano house track that goes for the same tropical atmosphere Kygo has been doing for years - a lot of the same festival synths are there, it’s all full of bubbly swooshing that actively sound like pastel colours. The only real hook of the song is taken from Modjo and re-sang by Zak Abel, with slight lyric modifications taken from the “I’m Good (Blue)” department of refusing to allow for fun in your dance songs, and even that just feels desperate. What did Nile Rodgers even do here, man? Sign a legal document saying you can use the hook? It’s not even his Goddamn hook.

#69 - “Solo” - Myles Smith

Produced by Peter Fenn

Myles Smith is a singer-songwriter I hadn’t heard of until today but has been active since at least last year and is making at least some consistent buzz so I was interested to see what his first slow-burning chart hit here has to offer and… are we just, IN, 2012, 2013 now? We had festival house with the last song, the next song is heavily Yeezus-inspired, and this is a full-on Aloe Blacc stomp-rock song. It isn’t bad either - I actually had to get used to hearing his richer voice on this kind of scattered clap-stomp-holler folk track, and whilst this is nothing unique given the solemn pianos, spattering of strings and of course, that jingling indie folk rolick, that doesn’t feel particularly organic on this one, it still is far from bad. The lyrics are somewhat generic but not in an awful way, and the “so low”/”solo” double meaning is somewhat clever or at least, would be if in the context of the song, they actually meant separate things. It’s a bit annoying that it’s the main conceit because both have negative connotations for Mr. Smith here, so it just feels like he’s repeating himself rather than elaborating on his feelings or presenting a dichotomy. I imagine it’ll be a lost on a few people due to botched execution, which bothers me because it was an active attempt at clever songwriting that gets kind of lost in sonic translation. This sounds like I’m picking apart the song’s flaws but it is really just a fine little woodlands jams with a great singer, infectious hook and by the end, a damn fine melodramatic string section. I can see it growing on me, especially due to its gorgeous outro, but for right now, I’m somewhat lukewarm, not going to raise a fuss if it ends up smashing though and in a Noah Kahan world, I suppose it’s quite likely.

#64 - “If We Being Real” - Yeat

Produced by Synthetic, Radiate, Fendii, LRBG, Perdu and Dreamr

So terrible news: I like Yeat now. I’m still not granting him his silly little umaluts, and I won’t go too in-depth here, mostly because there’s another song worthy of in-depth analysis, and every piece Yeat’s put out fits into the jigsaw of the album’s narrative as a whole… it would require a lot more time and space, and frankly words, that I’m willing to give #64. No track feels unnecessary on 2093, the atmosphere is consistent across all 24 tracks, and lyrically, it’s a concept album, which I would have never expected from Yeat and he pulls it off brilliantly both sonically and thematically without straining himself to areas he probably couldn’t reach like trying to be super lyrical or stepping away from rage pads. Given the album’s experimentation and length, I wasn’t surprised by the lukewarm commercial reception, but I did at least expect maybe the songs with Future, Wayne or Drake on the deluxe, to have charted by now, when this hasn’t even happened in the US. So when the penultimate track on an album that’s over an hour in its standard issue becomes his first solo hit in the top 75, I have to assume TikTok virality is involved.

Regardless, I’m glad it’s here because it’s brilliant. Sonically as a separate track, it’s one extended verse over a corrupted industrial beat that cracks in right after a mystical intro full of textured but meandering strings, that get swooshed out of existence by a cinematic, malfunctioning clunker incorporating Yeat’s inhuman ad-libs, manipulated behind vocal recognition, into infectious loops within the beat. This is one of few songs - another’s coming later - where I can understand the sheer amount of producers. Lyrically, the title refers to Yeat or more accurately, his psychopathic billionaire character, attempting to shed some of his CEO veneer and ultimately failing, adopting a lot of the violent, power-hungry rhetoric the rest of the album relies on, making it a pretty ironic and depressing title, especially when considering its place in the rest of the album, coming right before the… actually honest and heartbreaking closer, “1093”. In the backhalf of this album, Yeat’s bragging sounds increasingly monotone and routine, and him rapping in and out of distorted filters or going up and down from his traditional murmur to a choking yell, exemplifies how sick and tired he is of the lyfestyle he curated for himself. This song in particular ends with him barely on beat for a beat that doesn’t even really have a beat, becoming a factorial ambiance more so than anything coherently rhythmic. I have no idea why this song in particular is going viral - it doesn’t have a chorus or even really some of the catchier, more potent lyrics on the album, and its beat barely functions as such for the vast majority of the song - Hell, it’s not even one of the album’s integral moments like the opener, “Bought the Earth”, “ILUV”, “Shade”, “Riot & Set it off”, or really countless others, but I’m not complaining because the sound design, the care placed into thematic and narrative consistency, it’s all still here. This is a 10/10 album, and if this song gets more people to check it out, I really can’t be upset with that.

#58 - “Love Me JeJe” - Tems

Produced by Guilty Beatz and Spax

So what’s “Love Me JeJe” actually mean? Well, in Nigerian Pidgin, it means “gentle” or “tender”, and the use of a more regional term rather than the English actually contributes greatly to why I think this song works: Tems’ buttery voice has always been able to display both coldness and a sensual warmth, often at the same time, but on some of the bubbliest guitars I’ve heard over an Afrobeats rhythm since the genre started charting consistently, she’s fully in that second category. Hell, most of the lyrics are pretty basic here, especially the practically meaningless chorus, but that’s to its benefit because thinking too much about this song defeats its purpose: to be gentle. It’s a frankly adorable expression of love and care at its most optimistic extent possible. Despite the clean, tropical percussion, it still feels cute and homegrown. Hell, the second verse, after a nice back-and-forth choir vocal, even references the Nigerian electricity provider that’s apparently nationally infamous for its power outages, with the lyric comparing the love she feels with her partner to the feeling when electricity comes back on in the village and all her neighbours inform the locals. Combine that with how breezy this is, the easy-flowing bridge into an outro full of murmuring, chatter and reverb-drenched laughing, it just makes for a really cute, likeable song. Not necessarily what I expected out of a lead single from Tems, but a delightful surprise. Now to balance that with pure hatred.

#50 - “euphoria” - Kendrick Lamar

Produced by Cardo, Kyuro, Sounwave, Johnny Juliano, Yung Exclusive and Matthew “MTech” Bernard

There’s part of me that finds it quite funny that Drake gets into serious beef with an incredibly analytical and perfectionist rapper like Kendrick right after putting out his own exposé of himself. For All the Dogs is as much of a dissection of Aubrey Drake Graham, albeit perhaps unintentionally, as Kendrick or really anyone could perform, as long as you’re paying attention. It’s been like that (no pun intended) for a while, but his latest is the most obvious and desperate attempt at clinging to status and image that it places his insecurities fully on display. You could recite lyrics from that album on a jazz beat and call it a diss track, so the fact that Kendrick went back to back with damn near dissections of Drake’s paranoia - especially on the Instagram follow-up track he made that is chilling - as well as a myriad of different issues he has with Drake, simply because… well, he doesn’t fuck with Drake. One could argue that this feud is complex and storied, with so many different  beligerents… but the motives behind it are genuinely a lot simpler than most rap feuds, and the diss tracks that are made from it are way more straightforward. They just outline the reasons they dislike each other, almost systematically, it’s genuinely refreshing, or at least a lot more than what’s going on with Quavo and Chris Brown, yeesh.

This track in particular is as calculated as can be, acting as a dissertation on why K-Dot doesn’t really like Drake too much. It’s condescending, damn near academic, with its smooth jazz intro and categorical shoot down of each possible avenue you could hit Drake from. We have sextuple entendres on this thing, a total of three beats, two of which are cheap-sounding but absolutely murderous drill bangers, and Genius annotations that rival War and Peace when combined. I’m not a lyrical expert, and there’s so much in here that I didn’t get until I was pointed towards that direction by Genius annotations, Reddit, X, or, embarrassingly, YouTube Shorts. You don’t need to research or analyse for this to hit hard though, there are plenty of lines that aren’t going over anyone’s heads… until you look into the exact way the bars are constructed and suddenly they have 20 double meanings and hidden easter eggs. This is really sheer venom, filled with so many layers that I wouldn’t be surprised if he genuinely wins a GRAMMY for it - and it would be in character considering Drake doesn’t even nominate his songs anymore. It’s already having an effect too, that 4batz album came out today, and he’s not signed to OVO as rumoured. Ye’s on the record… but not the already existing and heavily-streamed Drake remix. Already, he may be losing some of that prestige.

As far as it is sonically, it’s six minutes of murder, and Kendrick’s delivery is energised, violent, damn near deranged at times, to perfectly balance how, somewhat subtly through his meta commentary about his own bars and albums, the lyrics are basically an essay. It has an introduction, a conclusion, a hypothesis, written examples, he even presents counter-arguments and weaves them into his own analysis. By the time he was going extremely in-depth about his experiences as a father, and just repeating that Drake knows nothing about that, it almost felt like overkill. My personal favourite lines and ideas presented here are the concise slow dagger of the intro verse, the “Demun”/”throwaway” scheme, the voice and character he puts on between “Cutthroat business” and “I’ll explain that phrase” - he’s like a disappointed teaching assistant, obviously the YNW Melly line and its set-up, the incredible Daft Punk line that got a cackle out of me on first listen, then followed up by a mocking interpolation of one of Drake’s most revered songs, the straightforward rant about everything he hates that references an iconic moment of DMX’s trademark honesty (rest in peace), the “record” scheme in verse three, and when he started the fake Canadian accent, I just lost it. Drake’s biggest weakness here is that when he’s funny, I’m laughing at him, but when Kendrick’s funny, I’m laughing with him, and much louder. If he does respond, unless the man tells us that Kendrick’s whole life and career has been a farce, or he brings, like, the actual former President Obama on the track or something, I can’t see how it tops this. This is one of the best diss tracks ever in terms of sheer detail, and might honestly be one of the greatest throwaway rap singles period. It’ll be tough to beat.

#31 - “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” - Tommy Richman

Produced by Max Vossberg, Jonah Roy, Mannyvelli, Sparkheem and Kavi

This is the sudden breakout hit for Virginia rapper-turned-singer Tommy Richman, which actually comes in two versions on Spotify, the original and a more distorted “VHS” version. Also, this is brilliant. Sure, Richman just sounds like Brent Faiyaz, but a trend I haven’t been able to talk about on here necessarily but has been very exciting for me is the return of grittier, groovier synth funk and hyphy beats into underground hip hop and R&B, with this representing the more melodic end of that sound, which is typically restricted to Midwest and Dirty South rappers. The sound design on this one is actually even unique to that sound, starting with a bizarrely British-sounding Memphis rap vocal loop which I think isn’t a sample and is just him doing a bad impression, filtered below an infectious beat that actually took me by surprise. It even has cowbells and the type of punchy jabbing drums that I love from classic southern rap, but instead of the smooth-talking rappers you usually expect over this, we get a Brent Faiyaz impression that didn’t click with me until hearing this song. I never really got his appeal until I hear it over this and I start to realise the very distinct new jack swing element to his vocals, as he pretty seamlessly transitions from soulful double-tracked harmonies to much more rhythmic, half-rap flows. Now this ISN’T Brent Faiyaz… and I still don’t really like Brent Faiyaz, but hearing his wannabes I think helped me gather what was distinct about him, and the literal Richman North of Richmond here pitting his filtered splatter of vocal ideas and riffs over the beat in a very Devil-may-care fashion exemplifies the elements I do like about him, just with an instrumental that I personally like a lot more. Also, the VHS version is labelled as such but is really just like a bass-boosted version of the song that sounds like it was done in 10 seconds in Audacity, though the vocal mixing sounds a bit different too. I would love for someone to explain why that was the version I ended up adding to my playlist, because I couldn’t tell you.

#8 - “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” - Taylor Swift

Produced by Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift

I know I wrote my whole Taylor spiel last week, but I’m not bothered about this one at all, and I really did expect it to be a fan favourite, mostly because, as the one track I actually enjoy on the standard version, she’s having fun! The lyrics are actively vapid, which doesn’t feel like the intention when she’s singing over soppy adult contemporary but very much feeds into the almost childish character she plays here over synthpop with an actual pulse. The synths here sound like a theme park she’s taking the boy to, especially with the backing vocals and chatter samples implemented into the ambiance and classic Antonoff wonky synths - though some of this doesn’t even sound like it’s in his ballpark. Like were Marian Hill or Sofi Tukker ghost-producing this? Some of these loop choices and flashy sound effects are frankly ridiculous, in the best way of course because the song is camp and fun. Sure, some of Taylor’s lyrics still come off a bit awkward, mostly because of her choice of slower melodies sometimes clashing with the fast-paced patter of the synthscape, but that’s a nitpick. I do love this song, I think it’s fun, Hell, I think it’s funny which is something Taylor has always kind of failed to translate to me in the past, so that is something. I just don’t think we have the same sense of humour. Does she like Norm Macdonald? I don’t feel like she does. Correct me if I’m wrong, Swifties.

Conclusion

It should be incredibly obvious who gets Best of the Week, it’s Kenny, easily, with “euphoria”, and I’m sorry, Swifties, but Yeat better. “If We Being Real” takes away with the Honourable Mention pretty easily as well, though really, strong competition and strong week all around - Tems was close too. There can’t be a Dishonourable Mention in this climate so, Worst of the Week goes to Kygo and Zak Abel for “For Life” that “features” Nile Rodgers, it genuinely just is a lazy template of a song. As for what’s on the horizon, I’m not sure. Dua’ll have some impact, but outside of that, time may have to tell. For now, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy, and I’ll see you next week!

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Lazy Afternoon 2001 Soul / R&B / Jazz / Adult Contemporary

I'll have you know that I really love it when brands release these stupid-as-hell, ephemeral promo comps that try to offer you a glimpse into their product's "personality." Over the years I've gotten to know that the Czech version of Sprite loves lots of trip hop and big beat tunes, Pottery Barn's into classic soul, Levi's has something of a country-rock streak, and Mercedes-Benz digs themselves some chill European lounge grooves. And I've also been on the hunt for a while now to learn what the windshield wiper company Rain X listens to, but their promo has proven to be elusive to me thus far 😔. But we love to treat our brands like people though, don't we folks?

So, here's one of those promos from a Dutch beer company called Brand Bier that sells in the US as Royal Brand. Currently owned by Heineken, they've been brewing since the *14th century*, and have been known as Brand since the 1870s. And given that deep history, you might think that their taste in music goes way back too, but what this 2001 CD seems to suggest is that this particular beer's love for tunes actually only begins in the early 50s 🤔. And their genres of choice? Why, soul, R&B, and a little bit of jazz, of course, and almost all of it from North America too!

And unlike a bunch of other brand promo comps that I've sifted through, this one's actually pretty well-put-together. It's a bit of a cheat code since it has a bunch of enormous hits on it, like Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine," The Isley Brothers' "That Lady," Blood, Sweat & Tears' "Spinning Wheel," and Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing," but you'd probably never expect an Aretha Franklin deep cut, like her jazz-pop rendition of George & Ira Gershwin's "It Ain't Necessarily So," which appeared on her 1960 debut album, to be on a CD like this one. That song was never released as a single and it predates her rise to superstardom by about six or seven years.

So, sometimes I find that CDs like these serve better as coasters than they do as soundtracks for which to drink your beer by, but the photo used for this album's cover seems to nail the vibe pretty perfectly here. This is just a pleasant hour's-plus worth of classic tunes to sit on a floor and sip a beverage to; but stay away from the small handful of more modern adult contemporary 90s selections, though, because those tunes don't seem to have aged nearly as well as any of the ones that were recorded before them.

Highlights:

Bill Withers - "Who Is He (And What Is He to You?)" The Isley Brothers - "Who's That Lady" Earth, Wind & Fire - "Reasons" Blood, Sweat & Tears - "Spinning Wheel" Marvin Gaye - "Sexual Healing" The Manhattans - "Kiss and Say Goodbye" Billy Paul - "Me and Mrs. Jones" Aretha Franklin - "It Ain't Necessarily So" Louis Armstrong - "Mack the Knife" Bill Withers - "Ain't No Sunshine"

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You

The Iconic Legendary Actor, Filmmaker, Director, Husband, Father, Of 1 Of Most Iconic Hit Family Sitcom Of The 70's In TV 📺 History

Ron Howard was born on March 1, 1954, in Duncan, Oklahoma, the elder son of Jean Speegle, an actress, and Rance Howard, a director, writer, and actor. He is of German, English, Scottish, Irish, and Dutch ancestry. His father was born with the surname "Beckenholdt" and took the stage name "Howard" in 1948 for his acting career. Rance Howard was serving three years in the United States Air Force at the time of Ron's birth.

He is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six decade career, Howard has received two Academy Awards, four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2003 and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2013. Howard has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions in film and television.

Howard first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of The Twilight Zone. He gained national attention for playing young Opie Taylor, the son of Sheriff Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show from 1960 through 1968. During this time, he also appeared in the musical film The Music Man (1962), a critical and commercial success. He was credited as Ronny Howard in his film and television appearances from 1959 to 1973. Howard was cast in one of the lead roles in the influential coming-of-age film American Graffiti (1973), and became a household name for playing Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days (1974–1980). He starred alongside Lee Marvin in 1974 in “The Spikes Gang” and played the second lead in John Wayne's final film, The Shootist (1976).

PLEASE WISH THIS AMERICAN LEGEND OF ACTING, DIRECTING, PRODUCING, & SCREENWRITING , A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

YOU ALL FROM BACK IN THE EARLY DAYS SHOULD KNOW HIM & HIS WORK AS A CHILD ACTOR

YOU SEEN HIM MAKE US HAPPY 😊 WHEN DAYS WHERE WE GET SAD 😥

& HE HAS PROBABLY DIRECTED A ICONIC MOVIE OR SEVERAL THAT YOU ALL KNOW & LOVE VERY MUCH 😉

THE 1 & ONLY

MR. RONALD WILLIAM HOWARD AKA RON HOWARD

HAPPY 70TH BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 TO YOU MR. HOWARD & HERE'S TO MANY MORE YEARS TO COME

#RonHoward #TheAndyGriffithShow #HappyDays #AmericanGraffiti

[b0rateen]

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur fav color

Blue! I prefer the lighter or desaturated shades

: ̗̀➛ how long have u been on tumblr for

2 years

: ̗̀➛ wheres a place u always wanted to travel to

Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur fav clothing brand(s)

Von Dutch

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur fav singer/band(s)

Tally Hall, sElf, Cojum Dip, Will Wood and The Tapeworms

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur current phone lockscreen

sorry for the quality this is from my phone & copy-pasted to my computer

: ̗̀➛ most recent/current hyperfixation

Tally Hall

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur relationship status

Taken <33

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur dream job

Anything to do with drawing

: ̗̀➛ outside of tumblr, fav social app

TikTok (just there for T.H. videos I don't really like the communities in it)

: ̗̀➛ do u have pets

No but I'm planning on getting betta fish again in the near future

: ̗̀➛ do u prefer tea or coffee

Coffee

: ̗̀➛ whats ur fav ice cream flavor

Mint chocolate chip (Ross core)

: ̗̀➛ tag at least three other tumblr accounts

@psychesetra @marshallmess @8ster /nf :3

random questions<3

ೃ⁀➷ hiii hi here’s just a random question form ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur fav color

: ̗̀➛ how long have u been on tumblr for

: ̗̀➛ wheres a place u always wanted to travel to

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur fav clothing brand(s)

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur fav singer/band(s)

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur current phone lockscreen

: ̗̀➛ most recent/current hyperfixation

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur relationship status

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur dream job

: ̗̀➛ outside of tumblr, fav social app

: ̗̀➛ do u have pets

: ̗̀➛ if u do have pets, what kind/how many

: ̗̀➛ do u prefer tea or coffee

: ̗̀➛ whats ur fav ice cream flavor

: ̗̀➛ tag at least three other tumblr accounts

my tags: @nyoclosmom @stuckysimp @cherikdogfood @xxqueenofdragonsxx @carpentrz

anyone else ofc feel free to fill out :) ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

[elmasinthetree]

this is such a whizzvin song

[nadineselfships-archived]

“Remiel Sinclaire

Leader of the Project at Eden’s Gate. She believes a great “COLLAPSE” is coming and thinks of herself as a modern day messiah.

Says God speaks to her - told her to SAVE AS MANY SOULS AS SHE CAN. Her followers, who she calls HER CHILDREN, are willing to die for her.

She’s had three massive BUNKERS built, as to protect them all when her “PROPHECY” comes true. She’s insane.”

[beingjellybeans]

Make Way for the Golden Moment: The NEW Magnolia Gold Label Ice Cream Is Here

Not all ice creams are created equal. The creamier, the better! While some are simply lackluster in taste and creaminess, we’ve found the one that hits the spot — one that can make moments golden in every scoop. The good news? This velvety smooth and naturally rich ice cream is now within your reach. Celebrating its arrival, the country’s exceptional talents came together to celebrate The Golden…

[undr]

Top 10 2021 2/2

1. Inge Morath. Ein Lama am Times Square, USA, New York City, 1957. 2. Unknown photographer / Fox Photos. Misty Thames. London. 1931. 3 Elliott Erwitt. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. New York City, 1988. 4. Menno Huizinga. Faces of unbridled joy. Dutch Boys ride the freedom train After Liberation From Nazi Germany. 1945 5. Marvin Koner. Miles Davis. Jazz club Cafe Bohemia. New York City. 1956

[bagelboys-withcreamcheese]

Modern Things I Would Introduce To Each VDL Gang Member

~~

I had to take some people off because I couldn’t think of anything (I’m sorry please don’t come after me)

*anything you guys come up with, I’ll add to the list in red*

~~

Dutch Van Der Linde

-Science (Mister ‘I don’t believe in evolution’)

-Actual Philosophy

-Mangos

-Curling iron

-Classes in gender studies and critical race theory and he is to take them over and over again until they stick

-Probably the grippy sock hospital at one point

-Animal Farm by George Orwell

-The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

Hosea Matthews

-Rocky Horror Picture Show

-Dead Poets Society

-Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

-ABBA

-Bullet proof vests

-Medication for whatever is wrong with his lungs

-Hugs from me specifically

-Planners

-Brokeback Mountain

-Gang of Youths

-That dad thing where they reach back from the front seat to ask for snacks

-Coffee shops

-Used book stores

-Mr. Rogers

-My beat up dragontology book I got for Christmas when I was 10

-Sherlock Holmes (the books, but I’d tell him there’s a show and movies)

-True Crime Podcasts

Arthur Morgan

-Affection and praise without any strings attached

-Art classes

-Digital drawing/art

-Stuffed animals (the toy kind not actual stuffed animals)

-BCG vaccine

-The candle section at any store but Target specifically

-Closed terrariums to keep his flower in

-The Beatles (I feel like they would confuse him but he’d still like it)

-Bob Ross

-Zelda: Breath of the Wild

-Paleontology

-Late night car rides

-Hozier

-Doc Martens

John Marston

-Shampoo

-Monster Energy Drinks

-My Chemical Romance

-Swim Lessons

-Dr Pepper

-Converse

Charles Smith

-Minecraft bees

-Reservation Dogs

-Wood carving and glass blowing art

-Blankets with tiger stock photos on them

Javier Escuella

-Guitar Hero

-Spotify

-Electric Guitars

-Modern clothing styles

-Music career opportunities

-Pepperoni pizza flavoured Combos

-Pineapple Fanta

Lenny Summers

-Marvin Gaye

-Buzzfeed Unsolved

-Just dance

-Mario cart

-Marvel

-Root beer

-Bullet proof vests

-Those really old, cheesy western movies to laugh at

Sean Macguire

-Buzzfeed Unsolved

-Just dance

-Mountain dew

-Mario cart

-Koolaid/capri-suns

-Helmets

-LetterKenny

Jack Marston

-Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

-The How To Train Your Dragon trilogy

-The Owl House

-Crayons

-Stickers (especially scratch and sniff)

-Diary of a Wimpy Kid

-Star constellations

-Dinosaurs

-Slushies

Mary-Beth Gaskill

-Fanfiction

-Cottagecore

-True crime podcasts

-Animal Crossing

-Cardigans

-Harry Styles

-Hozier

-Titanic

Tilly Jackson

-The Jackson 5

-Fuzzy socks/socks with patterns

-Oversized hoodies

-Lemonade

Karen Jones

-Wine

-Men that’ll last longer than 5 seconds

-Reality TV

Molly O’Shea

-Mitski

-Independence

-Healthy relationship dynamics

-Soft, comfy pajamas

-Bullet proof vests

Miss Grimshaw

-Bullet proof vests

Bill Williamson

-Basic hygiene and deodorant

-A class in gender studies and critical race theory

Kieran Duffy

-Petting zoos

-Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

-Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

-Those cheesy horse girl movies

-My Little Pony

Reverend Swanson

-An addiction support group

-Addiction treatment and recovery

-Risen by IcarusFeathers on AO3

Leopold Strauss

-Empathy

-Turtleneck sweaters

-Shark Tank

Simon Pearson

-Pirates of The Caribbean

-British Baking Show

-Hell’s Kitchen

-Betty Crocker

-Moby Dick (if he hasn’t already read it)

Josiah Trewlany

-2am Waffle House

-Harry Houdini

-Martinis

Micah Bell

-Karma :)

Everyone collectively

-Dental/basic hygiene

-Family Therapy

-Those videos they would play in school about what smoking does to your lungs

-Halloween

-RuPaul Drag Race

[theroyalmisfitmess]

Some thoughts about the newest iCarly Revival ep, i'M a USA Bae

Alright, first of all I wanna say that I liked this episode a little bit better than the last one. I think it was able to serve its feminist purpose subtlety without taking away the fun and entertainment in it. With that, let's get into it deeper.

Main plot first. I think it's nice how we see Carly get opportunities related to her work. It helps show how she earns money and what problems she has as a full-time content creator. The spoof on the American Girl dolls was spot and reminiscent to spoofs from the original series. Then you have Carly's conflict about wanting to be a good role model—it's a very good topic to dive into because iCarly was one of the blueprints of utilizing the internet for entertainment (on and off-screen) and we all know now how unnecessarily brutal online communities are now. Side note, Miranda and Josh's dynamic is really fresh but also familiar and I like how it ties in with the show; it's also a good way to show a completely platonic male friendship of Carly's and I can't help but think if Paul would get along with Spencer. I'm really loving Paul in the show and I hope he becomes a recurring character.

Side plot A. I'm kinda hating how we don't get a lot of good Harper plots. I feel like we've brushed off Dutch way too easily and I want to see her be a human being that feels feelings. So far she's been more of a gag but hopefully the remaining episodes explore her more. There's really a lot about Harper that I wish to know given she's not an OG series character.

Side plot B. Surprisingly enough, Freddie's subplot was handled pretty well, in my opinion. It still felt like a subplot but at least it was essential to his growth as a character. As much as I'd like to see adult Creddie get together, Pearl and Freddie don't seem so bad. I'm seeing that the difficult parts of their relationship is starting but it's interesting to point out that—at this point—they are taking it slow. I think it is absolutely important for Freddie to take it slow, not only because of his two divorces, but also because Freddie has a lot on his plate right now. I did notice something important, but we'll talk about it on my next point... But before I do, Spencer knowing how to talk to a monkey makes so much sense it was very Ross Gellar of him + what happened to Jericho the falcon and Marvin the ostrich?

Now, Creddie hints. Not a lot on this episode aside from two important things I've noticed: 1) how they sit next to each other and 2) Freddie's comment about taking things slow. I might dedicate a whole analysis about their sitting next to each other some other time, so for now all I can say is that it's interesting to see that despite being comfortable with each other there is a respect for boundaries. I don't find it sad that Carly doesn't sit or stand as close to Freddie like before he started dating Pearl because it shows how much she respects and wants him to be happy. Now, Freddie's comment about taking things slow... To keep it simple, it's funny how Freddie says he never takes things slow when it's quite possible that he's already playing the long game with Carly. On second thought, maybe I should create a separate analysis for this too?

Overall, the episode was alright. It was definitely better than last week but I hope we get out of the mid-season slump very soon. I'm absolutely excited for the few eps we have left!