#I thought THE kiss will be between him and Mary in episode 3

[mann-walter]

Thomas Cromwell’s Lack of Wife Problem

I just finished episodes 2 and 3 and was going back and forth on whether to make the reviews joint or not. Eventually, I opted to not combine the reviews because I wanted to focus on different things. Matter of fact, I think I will not be writing strictly about the whole of each episode, but rather zooming in on things I find interesting in each. For example, the aftermath of Cromwell’s wife's, Liz, death in episode two.

I will say without shame that to me, episode 2 is entirely about two things: the increasing hopelessness of Wolsey’s case and Cromwell’s lack of a wife. The latter took so much room it felt funny at times. This was of course where we get first glimpses of Jane Seymour and that one grey velvet stroking scene with Mary Boleyn, but also that funny conversation he had with Alice who just asked bluntly why he doesn’t remarry, and with Gardiner about the latter’s love-life.

I see now what y’all have been saying about their chemistry. Sometimes it’s so… comically tense.

But of course, this is also the episode where we get the Cromwell-Johanne arc. There had been hints of it in episode 1 but the tension was much heightened here. Whenever they are together there’s always an air of “would they, won’t they”. It’s sweet, it’s sad, and to an extent, it’s awkward (‘cause, you know, she’s his sister-in-law). That is why, and also because the episode does a good job making us empathetic toward Cromwell—his frustration, his discomfort, his sadness—that the kiss was glorious.

I do not kid when I write I nearly did a victory slide in my room when that came up (I ended up only pausing the episode and blasted “Samba de Janeiro”). It has now entered my book of “Most Glorious and Best Anticipated Kiss Scenes”, standing a little bit lower than that kiss scene at the end of The Rise of Skywalker—I mean, by quality, it should be ranked equally if not higher, but hey, I waited for that damn kiss scene for four years.

A theory though. I think it wasn’t simply put at the end of the episode just to conclude the romantic crescendo. I think it parallels Henry’s dream about his dead brother. Henry was afraid he had done wrong marrying Catherine and being king, he felt like taking what was supposed to be his brother’s. Cromwell later calmed him down and convinced him that Arthur was there to strengthen him in his rule, not convict him. I think that interpretation also works at Cromwell’s home afterward.

There are a couple of things I noticed about this relationship. Both of them obviously had had feelings for one another for some time, Johanne more open about it than Thomas with her halfway kiss on the cheek. But, that one line about her feeling insecure about their wealth (she fears that the prosperous life now will be taken suddenly away, that there will be a “reckoning”), she said “…the things we have now”, made me feel they already had a thing for some time. Maybe I misread it, maybe it was just her depicting how her family’s life is now much better in general and not a specific sense of joint entitlement to wealth and property as in a marriage.

Another thing I’ve noticed about the relationship is how Thomas seems to refer to his sister-in-law as “Liz” later in episode 3 where they’ve kind of settled. Maybe I misheard, it was a very brief moment after all. I doubt people on the production made a mistake. I haven’t read the books so maybe it means something or makes sense because of something, but to me, watching the show, it was kind of strange. Maybe it was to say Thomas hasn’t been over his wife’s death (obviously) and has now picked up this weird coping mechanism.

[insufferableprotagonistpoll]

Round 2

Propaganda why Marinette Dupain-Cheng is insufferable:

She easily gets away with bad, stalkerish behavior, it always feels like she can ‘do no wrong’ unless the show wants us to pity her, and the show writers want us to think she is a quirky and socially awkward girl when throughout the series we see her be friends with basically everyone in Paris with many connections to high up places.

I get she has social anxiety but the way she goes about stalking Adrien is kind of the worst like she even has creep shots of him hanging in her room? That’s weird. I think Adrien’s going through enough without having to deal with the main character being his stalker lol. I know they’re (spoilers) at this point but in the beginning it was so sus

In the newest season, Marinette hides the fact that Hawkmoth was Adrien’s dad. This leads to the bastard getting a statue and honored as a hero after his death. Adrien now never gets to know the fact that his abusive and neglectful father was the one trying to kill him and is instead proud of him.

Her crush on Adrien is like a black hole for her character. Things she’s done because of it:

1) stolen property

2) ruined dates

3) humiliated other characters

4) has a chart of Adrien’s daily schedule for the next year in her room (this is stalking)

5) broke into his room and sniffed his pillow (also a crime)

6) sniffed, took the hair from, and tried to kiss what she thought was a wax statue of Adrien

7) convinced her parents to let her go to China. Why? Not because she wants to connect with her mother’s heritage, not even because she’s a budding fashion designer and Shanghai is considered a fashion hotspot. It’s because Adrien was there.

I started the show, watched one episode, and never tried again. I simply do not vibe with her.

shes annoyinng anf shes a stalker

I love fanon miraculous but by god she has got to stop obsessively stalking her crush and generally making a ton of other terrible decisions. I’d submit Adrien too but he’s more of a deuteragonist

More propaganda

Anti propaganda

Propaganda why Aelin Ashryver Galathynius is insufferable:

Your basic Mary Sue. Styled as the incredibly cool best-assassin in the land at only 18, she nevertheless is constantly snuck up upon, distracted by pretty boys, and possesses not an ounce of wit. In a competition between murderers and thieves to win a place as the King's Champion, she sees a bag of chocolates on her bed that she didn't put there and immediately starts eating it and gushing about how much she adores chocolate - nevermind that they just had a trial involving poison, which several of her competitors are adept at. She's always right, and other characters exist just to tell her how awesome and beautiful and wonderful she is. And then she turns out to be a super special magical fey princess!

I generally don't believe that a Mary Sue is a bad thing, but the only thing I remember about this book was how she had been in prison for years but was super young but was also still the most super-specialest assassin. And she kept reading when she should have been training or sleeping. Like, girl, this is not final exams where you can stay up all night and then roll into class in your pajamas and still squeak out a C. It's supposed to be life and death. Her character traits didn't make her relatable, they made her a moron

Heir to a kingdom plus turquoise eyes plus best assassin in the world plus protagonist centered morality

Anti propaganda

[meraki-yao]

Hi correct me if I’m wrong but I thought I saw you mention that the same intimacy coordinator who worked on rwrb also worked on m&g, if that’s so, why was the intimacy approached differently, it seems rwrb was really toned down and alex and henry are a very passionate couple in the books and nich and taylor can definitely deliver passion and intimacy and it was rated-r so why do you think rwrb was approached differently and rather toned down, I mean what we got was great I’m still so attached to this movie 3 months later and that doesn’t happen often unless I absolutely love the movie or show but I feel like they were holding back and it becomes the question of why, was it n&t choice or matthew and intimacy coordinator or everything was done in how they wanted to tell the story, idk to me you can’t help but notice after the release of the trailer/teaser for m&g, I know it’s a different story and it’s more a drama based on a true story but very different in how they approached intimacy and affection

Okay so this turned into an essay.

I’m gonna dissect your ask into two parts, feel free to send me another ask if I missed something

Q1: Why was the intimacy in RWRB approached differently and less intense than M&G

Q2: Why was the intimacy in RWRB toned down from the book even with an R rating and with Taylor & Nick clearly capable of delivering passion and intimacy, and who was responsible for that

Firstly, yes, Robbie Taylor Hunt was the intimacy coordinator for both RWRB and M&G

Secondly, a little bit of background for M&G to aid my explanation later: While M&G isn’t out yet, I did read George Villiers’ Wikipedia page (Thanks Henry), listen to Nick talk a bit about him from a podcast episode, and watch the trailer. To summarize quickly, King James I has a list of male lovers, Mary Villiers realized her son had potential, so she more or less moulded him into a figure that the King would immensely like. Sex with the King was all for political power: George has sex with the King, and the King enjoys the pleasure he brings and lavishes him with treasures and political power in return. Historical records seem to indicate that the King really did love George as a partner, as odd (and in our modern times, toxic and maybe even “grooming”, George was 21 and the King was 48 when they met) as their relationship was. But the truth is George gained a lot from the King: he ended up one of the highest-ranking members of the court, and the only duke who wasn’t from the royal family.

So to answer your questions:

A1:

It’s mainly because since these are two different stories, the meaning of intimacy is different in each context.

RWRB is a love story. It is about the growth of the romantic relationship between Alex and Henry. Granted, they started with a friends-with-benefits arrangement but from the moment Henry kissed Alex on New Year's they both held mutual, genuine affection towards each other which later grew into love and devotion. This affection doesn’t have an underlying hidden purpose. Their intimacy is a reflection of their genuine feelings towards each other, which is why Paris is so gentle, quiet and soft. That’s the slow comfort of falling in love. Note that in the Paris scene, while it is clear what they’re physically doing, the focus is on their faces. You don’t see much below their waist. Matthew made that choice deliberately: this was an emotional experience for them as much as it was a physical experience. The sex in RWRB shows growing love.

Sex means something entirely different in M&G. To put it in a crude way, George Villiers, under his mother’s order/guidance/manipulation, fucked his way to power. Is there real affection and love between him and any or all of his partners, the King included? We honestly can’t know, because history only records what Geroge wanted to show, but it is incredibly unlikely that he did. Remember how I said there isn't an underlying hidden purpose in Alex and Henry’s affection? That’s not true for George: the hidden purpose is that he wants political power. Sex isn’t love in M&G, it’s entirely power play. And power play is violent and rough and messy, so the sex, as a reflection of that, is portrayed as such as well. Note that in the trailer, we see a lot of the body, but if you look at their faces, which isn’t the focus, he… kinda looks in pain?

A way I see it is in RWRB, Alex and Henry are both giving each other pleasure, as well as their heart. It’s slow, it’s gentle, and it’s respectful: Henry guides Alex in, Alex pays attention to each change on Henry’s face, and only moves when Henry consents, and even then, he moves slowly and the speed later builds up

Now look at the M&G trailer, it’s more like George’s partners are taking pleasure from him. It, at the very least, looks far less mutual than what Alex and Henry have. Geroge gives others pleasure, and in return, he gets political power.

TLDR: RWRB’s intimacy was less intense than that of M&G because intimacy has a different meaning/ symbolism in each story.

A2:

Part of this is because of the limitations of movie storytelling.

A book doesn’t have time limits, a movie does.

If you look at the book, at the beginning of Alex and Henry’s relationship, a lot of the sex was kind of repetitive in a way. Paris and MET for Alex’s birthday were covered in three pages. And both of those Alex compartmentalized as “friendship with benefits”. Aside from the internal monologue of him observing Henry sleeping which can’t be delivered on screen effectively, it’s mostly reiterating the same sentiment from the polo match: they use their international events as escapades to have sex with each other. But put that in the movie and it would take up the limited movie time, time that needs to be used for effective storytelling. The time used for Alex and Henry’s walk in the Paris garden could be used for a montage of all of their kinky sexual shenanigans instead, but if the polo hook-up can establish the intensity of their hooks up in the same way, then that time is better used exploring Henry’s baggage. TLDR: not enough time in regard to the number of times they have sex compared to the book.

The other part is by Matthew’s design.

I don’t remember where I saw/heard it from, either a podcast or an article, where Matthew half-jokingly said people will get bored if it’s just smut all the time. Yes, Alex and Henry are a very passionate couple, as shown by their first hook-up in the movie and the polo scene, but because gay sex in media is mostly portrayed as this wild, sexy frenzy, Matthew also wanted to show that gay sex can be emotionally vulnerable, which is why Paris was so focused on their faces, ergo, their emotions. Matthew wanted it to be something gentle and emotion-focused, so that was his priority in designing the scene.

Also there’s the fact that they’re older in the movie, thus more mature and a little less… hormonal. I think they get to the emotional connection a little earlier than their book counterparts.

A thing to note is that the movie wasn’t aiming for an R rating. In a really good podcast episode with Matthew and Tommy Didario, he even expressed disappointment in MAP for rating the movie R, saying that if it was a straight couple, it most likely wouldn’t have gotten an R rating, and even if we ignore latent homophobia, there’s are films much more violent than RWRB is sexually explicit, yet those films are PG 13.

I agree that if needed, Nick and Taylor can deliver something more intense. They’re clearly comfortable with each other, as seen from the bloopers of Paris morning and the fact that Robbie wasn’t there when they shot the lake scene, yet they were comfortable enough with touching each other and gentle kisses. They’ve also both done more explicit things: Taylor with Minx, Nick with M&G (granted that came later).

But the thing is, the RWRB movie doesn’t exactly… need more, from the storytelling perspective. I might say putting a sexy montage in between Polo and Paris might clarify the timeline a little, but that would still just be little clips of what we’ve already seen in the previous two scenes. And just from what I’ve seen, people who have read the book (myself included) would think it’s toned down, but some YouTube reaction videos from people who haven’t read the book find it really spicy. We book readers just have a comparison.

TLDR: In the movie's story, we didn't really need more sex scenes

Wow, I didn’t intend this to be so long, but I haven’t written a RWRB essay in a hot minute. This was a lot of fun, so thank you for the ask, and I hope I could answer you!

[saltbind]

Hi Will!! Same q to everyone this week: what are your top 3 wincest episodes, and why?

PLAYTHINGS PLAYTHINGS PLAYTHINGS

(ahem)

but in all seriousness, playthings for the batshit insane assuming they’re a gay couple + drunken begging + the way the twins mirror the boys right down to the arc words of ‘you kept me away so long i thought you didn’t love me anymore’ being basically the arc words of Pilot

ahbl for. selling your soul for your brother + dying in your brothers arms + getting your psychic friend to beam your location into your brothers brain + complete trust your brother will save you + that trust getting you KILLED bc you were running to him + necro implications + Not Moving The Body For Three Days

mystery spot/swan song. listen i can’t decide between these two. they both hit me so hard in different ways. the glimpse of sam Without Dean and how like john he becomes and the parallels to mary? chefs kiss. the how to look at your brother montage and sam then literally overpowering an archangel with his love for dean? HOUGH.

[my-lover]

2/3 through s2 character updates

Chase-genuinely was confused he was Australian and not British NOT because I’m ignorant lol but because before I ever saw House I was obsessed with Jesse Williams character in Winning London, the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movie in which he plays a British man! Him almost clapping after House is finished juggling and says “what, no applause?” This poor boy has so many daddy issues

Foreman-honestly love him! I appreciate his level-headedness and his ability to relate to patients. He’s not blindly compassionate like Cameron but he cares a lot and uses what he has to to get through to people. I didn’t think he needed to try being the boss lmao but I get why he thought he did

Cameron-oh sweetheart. I feel like we’ve seen a dip in her after the beginning of s2, and it’s not her fault! Like the writers are kinda just ignoring her after the House stuff so I’m waiting for them to remember we love her again

House-what is he dooooing to poor Wilson like you’re gonna stop him from moving but then be a dick?? Is this because he’s worried they’re getting too close and needs to pull pigtails to cover his tracks? While not wanting to actually put distance between them and let him move out.

Wilson-we all love Wilson but my god if I had a friend irl that could not stop cheating on his partners I’d be so over him!! Please sir go to therapy!! Which is funny because he’s always telling House he should be bettering himself.

Do you have any favorite episodes in season 1 or 2 (before episode 17 because I’m on 16 as we speak)?

"Jesse Spencer LMAOO Jesse Williams is of course another dreamy doctor from Grey’s Anatomy House just wants to push Wilson so much to see if he’ll still love him 😭 my guy 😭 just ask for a kiss"

LOVEEE your thoughts so far omg !! it's so interesting seeing it from someone else's perspective !! i think you got it so right. the writers definitelyy forget cameron exists for an arc or two, haha, but i do really enjoy what they /eventually/ end up doing with her character. i really liked foreman for a while ! the end of season 2 flipped that on its head, though, and now i kind of just appreciate him for what he does to the plot / story structure

AND YESSS i just finished s2 on my own rewatch, and the hilson moments are CRAZY !! insane !! i adore their domestic era, but god house is possibly the worst roommate i can imagine hahah and yes !! i loveee wilson, but omg he would drive me insane. i think it's hilarious how big of a hypocrite he is and i love him for it

i think my favourite eps are definitely house & wilson's prank war in s2, and i just adore three stories from s1 !! what about you ??

and also i cracked UP at jesse williams hahaha omg i also love him in grey's <33

[angelduffhazbin]

My Critics about Hazbin Hotel

I'm actually not a fan of cartoons and senseless violence. But Hazbin Hotel was thrown into my timeline with the song “Addict”. The first thing that caught my eye was the color combinations, which I found absolutely unique about this animation style. I also liked the Angeldust twist. On the one hand the super erotic stripper, on the other hand the victim of his pimp. This made me want to look at the plot. And what should I say? I fell in love with the characters. I particularly liked Alastor. Since the series didn't continue for a long time, I watched Helluva Boss and also thought this series was good. 1. From SA to an Rapefetisch(?): The series is criticized for sexualizing Valentino's abusive behavior and the fact that he rapes Angeldust or has him raped. I must say. I am rather ambivalent about this criticism. I remind you again of “Addict”. Angeldust is seen dancing erotically on a pole, while sequences are shown in which he is seen suffering in his bed and Cherry comes to comfort him. You see Valentino force a kiss on him at the end and drive away with him. Basically it doesn't matter whether Raph or Ralph (?) drew a rape comic, which Vivziepop used for her series. Because what happens in episode four is nothing like what happens in "Addict." This interplay of relationship-eroticism and abuse-rape can also be found in the voice messages that Valentino sends Angel. In this way, Valentino continues to bind Angel to him, even without a contract. On the other hand, I can understand that fans are still upset by this. I mean, there is sexual tension between Valentino and Angel Dust. The way Valentino blows the smoke in Angel's face or the way Angel dances on the chains... Then you see them in bed together. Between the scenes in which you see Angel suffering, you also see scenes that could ensure that Val's behavior could be put in a positive light. Maybe Viv should pay a little more attention to this in her production. 2. The old Cast is gone: What made me very sad was that the old voices of our favorite characters weren't used at all. As far as I know, it was because of an argument between Vivziepop and Ashley. Erin, a Spindlehorse team member, revealed a WhatsApp history by messaging Ashley about her mental health during production and Vivziepop seemingly saw it as an attack. Others say Vivziepop learned something unpleasant about Ashley and gossiped about it to others. Whatever it was, the voice actors were dragged into the dispute and fired, among other things, because they were friends with Ashley. I don't know if that's true now. If so, then Viv has a nice place in hell. In any case, I'm a little sad for the old voice actors because I find it unusual to hear the characters now have different voices. I wish Viv had kept the old team. 3. The Main-Characters seem to be Mary Sues: The headline is a little exaggerated. But I had to roll my eyes at some points. Husker is said to have been an overlord. Why? How important is it to the plot that Husk was an overlord? So that he is particularly strong? I liked him as a player who gambled away his soul to Alastor. It hardly makes any sense since we were told by Vaggie in the prologue that Alastor has already killed overlords. So why spare Husk? A fan theory has come true. Vaggie is an angel. *Head greets tabletop* If she knows about Alastor and what he did, I'm guessing she'll be in hell for longer than 10 years. If not, it doesn't matter. She speaks Spanish, likes to swear and as background information we know that she was in an abusive relationship with a man. This had such an impact on her that she became a lesbian, because of it. She also takes the people from the hotel to a gun fight and has them fight there... She's definitely an angel. *irony off* To me it would have been more logical if she had killed her violent boyfriend as a human and ended up in hell because of it. But no. She must be an OP angel. I then wonder what Niffty is. Probably God. lol (Part 2)

[reclusivedouche]

Riverdale Thoughts: 3x06

PEEP SHOW! Please, I am the Barchiest of stans so like yes to all of it. Anyway, thoughts.

Jughead is not interesting to me rn if he's not with Veronica and since that's currently over... (Also like I better see him kiss Ethel properly at least ONCE omg before Tabitha comes back ofc bc Tabitha)

What I wouldn't give to have a window's view into Archie Andrew's bedroom wow

50's Archie is honestly the best Archie, it's so good

Betty and Veronica should kiss again in the 50's as a treat.

Also, Archie and Jughead have to kiss before the show ends to complete the circle or else!!!

Surprise Evelyn Evernever is really out here saying things like "lezzie" honestly Toni should punch her.

Can you dig it?

Cheryl's face of both gay excitement and gay fear when Toni asked if she could show her some appreciation.

It lives in my head rent free forever now

I did absolutely rewind mid episode to watch that part again bc idk it was giving everything.

50's Toni is so hot

Is Fangs Elvis yet?

There is no difference between Cheryl, Evelyn, and Midge and Regina, Gretchen, and Karen. Don't @ me

I love new Midge tbqh

I'm tired of Julian, he was only fun for like one episode lmao

Someone should top him so he can cum to jesus

Veronica is really that bitch and I am here for it like yes absolutely allow me in your room to peep on the hot carrot top next door

I need to see Veronica and Jughead hook up properly once PLEASE

Dan and Blair got to (IN AN ELEVATOR)

I am not sure what order I'm remembering all of this in

Betty not feeling the lingerie at first is me anytime I buy something different from what I usually where so it just sits in my closet for eternity

Toni and Betty should kiss also

I'm gonna need Archie and farmboy Reggie to also kiss at some point as they are actually boyfriends

Anyway, the cringe dialogue about maybe ending up in our rooms at the same time was incredible

Archie saying he's excited is too adorable

Still thinking about how he snatched Betty's teddy bear to cover his boner when she felt up his thigh

Incredible really

Oh and also, why is Frank? I'm so over him completely. He sucks. Just let Mary do all of the parenting. More Molly!

Frank was at least hot with the like beard this mustache is not it

The gifsets of Archie and Betty undressing for each other in the window are my everything rn

As are the ones of Cheryl and Toni kissing!!!!!!

Does this mean the episode where they are going to bone is coming soon?

Please say yes

Back to the window stripping - what are Frank and Hal doing that they both barged into those rooms at the same time

I'm telling you the white men in this season are up to some shit. Principal Warden Norton, Francis Dupont Werthers, MAYOR Clifford Blossom, Basketball Coach Uncle Frank, HAL

God for some reason Hal

A terrible actor

TBK should've been Hal or his twin bc he is also a blossom so like why do the coopers not have twins Hal??

It was so disappointing but whatever I digress

Even tho I hate Hal

Also save Ethel?? We just threw her back to the sisters and? We've moved onto comics from the murders.

BRING BACK MY GIRL

Give her a proper full season storyline for once ffs

You give Kevin things and he's not even remotely interesting at all

Loved and episode with no Kevin tbqh

Anyway, the ending with Archie and Betty getting caught is in my top like 3 endings rn

One is the very precious moment where Archie ASKED if he could kiss Josie (it was adorable they are my crackOTP okay)

I think I've stopped thinking about this episode and instead am thinking about the whole show

We must stop before I never stop

I hope Archie and Betty kiss soon also

[mllebabushkat]

☀️ Warrior Nun S2E2 🌙

btw trending NO. 1?? uhhhhhh yes please-

"you're jealous" ava spitting facts (listen she's just subconsciously talking abt herself but we been knew)

"easy on the eyes" HAHAHHAHA ngl a tad ooc for bea but she's just a lil jelly babyyy

jealous bea counter: 2

"i'm your best friend" sure jan bea yes true AND???? WHAT ELSE-

so then That lady at the bar

laying it on tHICk

JEALOUS AVA COUNTER: +1 EYYY

they're such useless gays iltsm

on today's episode of The Adventures of Camilla & Mother Superion uhhh

team super cam !!

camilla with the scissors and the tranq dart and the "oh you were thinking blindfold?" SHEESH yes girlieeeeee y'all don't understand i love her so much

tiny package of badass <3

yasmine!! she's growing on me !!1 small eyeroll at yet another secret world protecting society tho lol

OOOOO avatrice warehouse scene my belovedddd

this made me so gleeful

"that guy he has a..,,thing/,. in his soul" "what do you want me to do" "i haven't thought that far ahead" <- adorable

protective!bea punching him in the throat

protective!ava absolutely going to TOWN on his face after he knocked bea down GET HIS ASS QUEEN

the pure TERROR when she saw that demon heading towards bea's recovering form, and the subsequent halo blast

very crimson-aiming-shotgun-at-bea-esque ***chef's kiss***

she really went AIN'T NOBODY HURTING THE LOML ON MY WATCH <333

personally loved bea's little "come on not again" look of exasperation post-fight hehe

moving on, obligatory fuck off adriel

francesco is fighting a losing battle i do not envy his position

lilith backstory?????? ah top contender for shitty mother of the year yeP checks out

girl what voices are you talking to uh "/we/ need help"(??) weird scene ngl

she's getting bolder tho hmMM

ok so overall nice conflict weaving between avatrice

but more importantly

DOMESTIC AVATRICE MY BELOVED

going wild at all the domestic familiarity they must've built up in that tiny apartment over the past two months, having to pack all that up yet again

anyway the way they fight (valid points from both ends) and move away only to come back together

always gravitating, always comforting (the hands the hands😍)

"just your job?" "well, and my pleasure" 🥹🥹🥹

and then

"we've lost mary" 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

N O

no they did her so dirty what the fuck no

fuck i miss her so much

god the way everyone collapsed sobbing TAT

oh team super cam they must be hurting so much, nobody but those two know right now that the entire ocs has been massacred, i barely knew them but that grief was Palpable :((

mother superion's rare moment of weakness :((((((((

at least they have each other :((

also i just

really really love kty's acting

ugh

HER EYES!!!!! and hands!!!! and all the little movements are SO EXPRESSIVE

that avatrice hug oUGH MY HEART

the way ava instantly goes to hold her after that devastating news

the way she buries her head into the crook of her neck, and bea returns it fully

throwback to when ava first hugged her and she didn't even know where to put her hands the PARALLELS the GROWTH !!!!!!

i cannot

ANYWAY

thINGS are happening can't wait!!!!!

[chaotic-neutral-knitter]

OFMD Fanfiction

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Ed has a crush on Stede and it is sooo embarrassing.

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A post S1 fix-it fic where Ed finds himself in a prison cell and Stede   shows up (with Izzy, weirdly) to rescue him. CW for suicidal ideation.

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Lucius thinks there's something going on between Blackbeard and Captain Bonnet. The rest of the crew think that he's lost his mind. (now with podfic!)

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Alma Bonnet follows in her father’s footsteps.

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Stede yells at the crew and runs away about it. Ed comes to find him. (aka the Stede has the same sensory issues as me fic)

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Mary's group of widows has a new hobby - deciphering the mysterious letters that keep washing up on the beach.

[its-been-you-all-along]

so the viscount who loved me isn’t only my favourite Bridgerton book it’s one of my favourite books of all time buuuut I am also a huge tv fan and know some time literature doesn’t hand itself to a literal play by play so here is what I liked about the TV show but *missed* from the book…

Liked About TV show:

- Simone and Jonathan - I am sorry but those people have chemistry with a capital everything. If you do not agree give me the number to your optician/eye doctor and I will make a personal call on your behalf. The scenes they had, the near kisses, the actual kisses, the dances it was truly all EXQUISITE.

- The bee scene - what they did with it was SUPERIOR in the show. I like how TV!Kanthony didn’t have a marriage of duty.

- SOME Edwina changes - now I HATE a love triangle even if I know how it will turn out HOWEVER I wasn’t entirely mad at the direction they decided to use Edwina as it gave her more substance… there is a big BUT… her actually loving Anthony 🥴 her being vile to Kate when she realised they were infatuated with each other(she’s supposed to see it herself!)😷 how long the engagement went on for 😑

-The accident! When Anthony screamed for Kate- cut my HEART OUT, blaming himself🥺

-Anthony desire to wed being bound by his duty to his family and refusing to love because of the dismay it caused his family not to his fear of never surpassing his father- I get this is a point a lot of people feel is important in the book and I agree it’s a massive part of TVWLM and I love it. But I didn’t actually mind the switch of the TV show- I thought it was well done to keep the theme of Anthony’s view on how he must protect his family without the fear of dying and feeling like he left a person who loved him as much as Violet loved Edmund behind. I personally didn’t mind it!

-Pall Mall! The Mud Scene- god I loved it - I do wish Simon would’ve been there I love the banter between them all but I am hopeful for season 3 Pall Mall scene from the extended epilogue after Pen/Colin story if they are going in book order.

-A small one that’s not really of much worth but the fact Anthony VOICED THE LINE “you are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires” !!!! OUT LOUD !!!! TO KATE !!!

What I missed:

-Like everyone, the library scene 🥲 I didn’t need the entirety of that back story to play out like it did in the book (I.E. going to Mary and asking about why) but I wanted to see soft Anthony comforter Kate at her hour of need.

-The friendship aspect - again, Simone and Jonathan were INCREDIBLE but if they had cut out half the shite about The Featherington’s, Whistledown & even Eloise’s side plot at times we would’ve gotten much more of opportunity to build up that side of things.

-Edwina’s reaction/treatment of Kate - as aforementioned above wasn’t the biggest fan of this- yes she came round in the end but she shouldn’t have come round at all she should’ve seen it for herself.

-Lack of Newton 🥺 where was my mans walks 😭

-Lack of domesticity Anthony/Kate- I am hoping this is because Simone and Jonathan have announced they are staying in for future seasons so we’re going to get more goodness of them throughout the next at least 2 seasons but I wished we had at least more that the short epilogue we got- just one episode between Pall Mall take 2 & the engagement. Anthony being bored without Kate and coming home early, the sofa room scene?? Come on we could’ve got a few more spicy times 😂

All in all they did deviate from the books an awful lot but I still enjoyed it profusely! I can appreciate both forms and love them. Whatever it was I am still a Kanthony stan account now and forever amen.

[sweetbuckybarnes]

Halloween

Pairings: James Maguire + Erin Quinn

Summary:

"There is no bigger night in Derry than Halloween, and the gang have miraculously secured tickets to the gig of the century and the chance to meet their idol, Fatboy Slim. But when Da Gerry arrives unannounced, it becomes clear that life will never be the same again for the friends." Summary for Season 3 Episode 6: Halloween. @derrygirlstrash

Halloween 1997

After James and Erin shared their first kiss in the 'haunted/abandoned' house - the entire group was quiet and a fair bit awkward.

When Michelle came running into the Quinn household, bypassing Erin's granda on the phone (she was closely followed by Clare and James).

She immediately started yapping everybody's ears off, not noticing the shy and meek smile shared between James and Erin, or the worried looks Mary was shooting her father in the passage.

"Erin? Are you listening?" Michelle asks. "5 tickets to Fatboy Slim!" Pushing the tickets toward Erin's face.

"Hm?" Erin snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, well done, Michelle. When is it?"

Michelle pushed the tickets closer. "Halloween. October 31st!"

"I was going to go trick-or-treating with Mammy and Anna," Erin replies, as she put her toast on her plate.

"There's always next year," Michelle says.

"It's the first Hallowe'en Anna can possibly remember. And I want to be there,"

James watched as Erin battled with Michelle over going to see Fatboy Slim in Belfast.

Mary rolled her eyes, as she put a piece of toast in front of the wee English Fella. "Morning, James, love," she tells him.

James pulls his eyes away from Erin, to look up at her mother. "Morning Mrs. Quinn," he replied.

"I have told you, you can call me Mary,"

Hallowe'en rolled around, and everyone had dressed up in different costumes (Erin reusing her red wig from their Children in Need performance).

Using said wig, Erin found a purple dress, as her costume was Daphne from Scooby Doo. She would soon find out James would be dressing up as Fred - also from Scooby Doo.

An accidental couples costume for the non-couple.

Michelle decided to dress up as Cher from Clueless - after having forced the group to watch it for nearly 2 months straight.

Orla decided on a '70s disco costume after they watched old videos from when mary and Aunt Sarah were their age.

Clare was the only one who didn't get dressed up - as she was unable to find the dress she wore to their 1950s prom.

Halfway through Fatboy Slim's performance, Erin felt a tap on her shoulder. Expecting it to be one of the girls or a random stranger, she turned around and saw her dad.

"Daddy? What are you doing here, it doesn't finish for another hour?" Erin asks, leaning closer to her father to hear what he was going to tell her.

"I think it would be easier if I told you outside," Gerry tells her.

Erin turned around and saw James was nearby. "My da's here. I'm going to see what he wants,"

"Daddy, what's going on-" Erin stopped talking. "Have you been crying?" She asks, feeling someone standing behind her. Turning her head, she saw the rest of the group.

"Something's happened," Gerry said.

Everyone was silent. "Mammy?" Erin asked. "Anna?" Gerry shook his head. "Granda?" 

Gerry didn't say anything.

"What happened?" Orla asked, granda having become a surrogate father to her. 

"Is it to with the phone call this morning?" Erin asked, and Gerry shook his head again. She felt the presence of James Maguire, as his hand came to rest on her upper back.

Clare and Michelle huddled around Orla. "Granda's had a heart attack," there was no easy way of putting it, rather than simply spitting out what he needed to say.

"Oh, Christ!" Erin nearly collapses, and thankfully James was standing behind her - and was able to catch her.

Tears were shed, and Orla was taken into the car as Erin slowly calmed down for the sake of Orla.

"Michelle?" Clare said, pulling James and Erin's attention away from each other to the Mallon daughter. "Where are you going?"

"Fatboy Slim," Michelle said.

Which silenced the entire group. Erin turned around and saw the car doors were shut (even with Gerry waiting against the driver's side door, so there was no chance of Orla hearing her).

"Are you serious, Michelle?" Erin asked, pulling herself away from James' embrace. "My granda is laying in a hospital bed, we may have to bury my granda," Erin started to choke up. "And you're going back to a concert?"

Michelle tried to say something but was interrupted by Erin. "Don't you dare! This could and will change my family, forever,"

"You go back to the concert, then you and I are done," Erin said, turning on the spot she stands and heads towards the car as she never looks back.

[insufferableprotagonistpoll]

Round 3

Propaganda why Marinette Dupain-Cheng is insufferable:

She easily gets away with bad, stalkerish behavior, it always feels like she can ‘do no wrong’ unless the show wants us to pity her, and the show writers want us to think she is a quirky and socially awkward girl when throughout the series we see her be friends with basically everyone in Paris with many connections to high up places.

I get she has social anxiety but the way she goes about stalking Adrien is kind of the worst like she even has creep shots of him hanging in her room? That’s weird. I think Adrien’s going through enough without having to deal with the main character being his stalker lol. I know they’re (spoilers) at this point but in the beginning it was so sus

In the newest season, Marinette hides the fact that Hawkmoth was Adrien’s dad. This leads to the bastard getting a statue and honored as a hero after his death. Adrien now never gets to know the fact that his abusive and neglectful father was the one trying to kill him and is instead proud of him.

Her crush on Adrien is like a black hole for her character. Things she’s done because of it:

1) stolen property

2) ruined dates

3) humiliated other characters

4) has a chart of Adrien’s daily schedule for the next year in her room (this is stalking)

5) broke into his room and sniffed his pillow (also a crime)

6) sniffed, took the hair from, and tried to kiss what she thought was a wax statue of Adrien

7) convinced her parents to let her go to China. Why? Not because she wants to connect with her mother’s heritage, not even because she’s a budding fashion designer and Shanghai is considered a fashion hotspot. It’s because Adrien was there.

I started the show, watched one episode, and never tried again. I simply do not vibe with her.

shes annoyinng anf shes a stalker

I love fanon miraculous but by god she has got to stop obsessively stalking her crush and generally making a ton of other terrible decisions. I’d submit Adrien too but he’s more of a deuteragonist

More propaganda

Anti propaganda

Propaganda why Aelin Ashryver Galathynius is insufferable:

Your basic Mary Sue. Styled as the incredibly cool best-assassin in the land at only 18, she nevertheless is constantly snuck up upon, distracted by pretty boys, and possesses not an ounce of wit. In a competition between murderers and thieves to win a place as the King's Champion, she sees a bag of chocolates on her bed that she didn't put there and immediately starts eating it and gushing about how much she adores chocolate - nevermind that they just had a trial involving poison, which several of her competitors are adept at. She's always right, and other characters exist just to tell her how awesome and beautiful and wonderful she is. And then she turns out to be a super special magical fey princess!

I generally don't believe that a Mary Sue is a bad thing, but the only thing I remember about this book was how she had been in prison for years but was super young but was also still the most super-specialest assassin. And she kept reading when she should have been training or sleeping. Like, girl, this is not final exams where you can stay up all night and then roll into class in your pajamas and still squeak out a C. It's supposed to be life and death. Her character traits didn't make her relatable, they made her a moron

Heir to a kingdom plus turquoise eyes plus best assassin in the world plus protagonist centered morality

Anti propaganda

Propaganda why Dean Winchester is insufferable:

Really mean to Cas (called him a child, zero respect for him, calls him family and casts him out when the angels are looking for him), and an absolute dick to Jack (threatening to kill him CONSTANTLY)

>Was a misogynist (loved to call women skanks, bitches, hoes)

>Used gay as an insult multiple time during the show's run (idc if he's gay an homophobic, that's still insulting)

>Beat up his brother for being possessed

>Beat up his brother for losing his soul (not his brother's fault)

>Used dubious consent to get his brother possessed in a different unrelated possession incident after possession was being used (badly...this is supernatural after all) as a metaphor for SA

>Threatened to murder his brother when he was hallucinating (yay we aren't ableist)

>Locked a child up in a box

>Threatened to kill the child he locked up in a box

>Made a creepy, sexual comment about a barely-legal high school girl

>Got the woman and kid he was living with memory-wiped

misogynistic scumbag. theres also a few different times that dean finds teenagers sexy with the most recent and prominent example that i can recall being the scooby doo crossover episode in season 13 where hes super into daphne who in the version they chose for the episode is 15-16 and is interacting with her as if shes a real person cause they got magicked into the episode. he treats everyone around him like shit and the only time the narrative agrees that thats a bad thing is when he has the mark of cain put on him and hes acting no differently than he does usually its just now acknowledged that hes treating others like shit. ive been rewatching the show for shits and giggles with a friend and wow he really does not treat anyone well but i wanna focus on how he treats sam for a second cause dude's hobby seems to be ignoring what his brother wants and lying to sam about doing stuff that directly concerns him the demon blood and souless things are reasonable cause those were both Bad for sam but theyre still part of a wider pattern and the most prominent example of this being when dean tricks sam into letting gadreel possess him and actually gaslights sam about it with the whole ordeal ending when its revealed gadreel lied about who he was and while possessing sam murders a friend of theirs. his voice is just also stupid as fuck im sorry this is just petty but he just sounds like hes trying so hard to be gruff n intimidating but he just sounds like a kid pretending to be batman

Dean’s list of sins is crazy long because of how long the show ran, but the key thing for me is that post-locking Sam in the bunker (season 4 I think?), I just can’t enjoy their relationship anymore. I normally love their sibling dynamic, but Dean’s ultimate worst past-the-point-of-no-return moment for me was demonizing (pun intended) his little brother for being “addicted” to demon blood, which only happened because of a series of events that were either Dean’s or someone else’s fault, not Sam’s. I also really dislike how the fandom treats Dean like this angel (pun intended) who has done no wrong and even tries to justify the MULTIPLE times he’s beaten up and otherwise abused his little brother. Canon Dean is like the polar opposite of fanon Dean: he’s homophobic and racist (jokes about a Black man being sexually assaulted in prison), misogynistic (take a shot every time he calls a woman a slur and you’ll die of alcohol poisoning), and abusive.

[chrystal5gem]

THOUGHTS. Don't mind my ranting.

SPOILERS

EPISODE 1

- Eloise made people cry? Right on track?

- I like Anthony without the sideburns, actually?

- Pen be girl bossing!!

- lady Danbury is living for the drama!!

- ANTHONY BE STRESSED THIS SEASON...

- Anthony wants a bookworm wife , cough.

- different Kate and Anthony meeting? I like it though.

- THE BANTER. We are being fed WELL.

- I love how lady Danbury has a hand in every love story!

- NEWTON MY GOOD BOY

- NEWTON YOU FLUFFY, CUTE ONE

- Colin and Pen have been in touch while he's on holiday?!

- THE MUSIC, I'M OBSESSED

- Kate's tiara 😭

- the queen has beef with Mary Sharma?

- Benedict to eliose's rescue

- Sheffield-sharma... Book surname was still included, cute

- our wallflower, Kate. I hope she and pen become besties. (They didn't, sadly)

- Kate giving off whistledown vibes, listening in to conversations.

- pen's family making fun of her writing to Colin? Saying he's not her friend. MY ANGER.

- the new Lord Jack Featherington?!

-he seems kind, hope it matches up. (Lol, it didn't)

- Pen / whistledown hyping up the fellow girls!!

EPISODE 2

- Is blue Kate's colour?

- is Benedict the wingman in Colin's absence? (Book difference)

- THE RIVALRY, YES it does the book banter justice!!

- COLIN HAS RETURNED...

- PEN AND COLIN'S LOOK!!

- Pen and Colin bonded over their letters!!

- he's noticing her more, too

- Kate showing her smarts.

- eliose who is this boy?

- THE QUEEN HAS 15 CHILDREN?

- pen and Edwina being friends instead?

- Colin found himself with pen's words!

- THE FRIEND ZONE, NO, MY POLIN HEART TAKES ANOTER HIT

- Benedict having to teach Anthony poetry? LOL.

- Benedict, a man of many words of love. I CAN'T WAIT FOR S3

- Anthony stumbling over words when looking at Kate.

- THE LONGING GLANCES

- PEN WAS ALMOST CAUGHT

EPISODE 3

- YOUNG ANTHONY AND HIS DAD 😭❤

- Violets husband got stung while picking flowers? I read the book, but still sad.

- Edmund dying in Violets arms. CUE MENTAL BREAKING DOWN. I'm sobbing

- DAPHNE AND AUGIE

- Colin doting on baby Augie!!

- Anthony has to win over Kate and NEWTON

- violets wedding ring 😭😭

- baby Anthony IS STRESSED. GIVE HIM A BREAK.

- PALL MALL LET'S GO, best banter material there will be 👏🏻

- THE MALLET OF DEATH

- THE MUD SCENE

- IT'S RAINING, CUE MY TABLE SCENE

- scratch that, it seems, a light drizzle

- Anthony had to pick between his mother and hyacinth!!

- my heart hurts for violet.

- oh pru, honey, no.

- Daphne and Anthony talking about love and how it should be, I almost cried.

- Cowper you lying tit 🤦‍♀️

- is Colin giving Benedict weed? LOL

- wow, violets love for Edmund... Is beyond.

- Anthony not wanting his wife to grieve as his widowed mother did. Ant, my poor.

- BENEDICT GOT INTO ART SCHOOL

- is pen looking for a partner in crime in madame DeLacroix? YES

- Anthony's beef with NEWTON!!

- THE BEE STING.

-where is my scandalous bee scene though!! I WAS ROBBED!!

-THE TENSION OF THE ALMOST KISS

EPISODE 4

-Madame DeLacroix helping pen! Legend.

- FINALLY, PEN IN MINT GREEN!

- "OF COURSE SHE IS "

- LADY CRANE AND HER TWINS.

- SIR PHILLIP

- BENEDICT'S CROOKED SMILE

-The hunting scene was a beautiful add.

- IT'S RAINING AGAIN. CUE THUNDER

- wow, marina has changed for the worse. Dang.

- marina opening Colin's eyes to pen caring for him!! A backhanded kindness, but nonetheless

- THE THUNDER. COME ON LIBRARY SCENE.

- WHERE IS MY LIBRARY TABLE SCENE? IT IS ESSENTIAL.

- ironically a bee was floating in my room while watching, so it's to say, I was freaked out just a little 😭😭

- Pen IN FLATTERING PINK

- THE DANCE, THE MOVEMENTS, THE HANDS

-lady Danbury sees all, including your distraught at Kate possibly leaving, Anthony.

- Daphne walking in on Anthony on his 3rd almost kiss... Ironic, them switching roles lol

-ANTHONY PROPOSED TO EDWINA, SHIT.

EPISODE 5

-jealous Anthony, Colin and pen having a more easy converse.

-THE BOOK QUOTE SPEECH ,the almost kiss!

- I feel for Kate, this girl needs someone to talk to

EPISODE 6

-Kate needs a stiff drink, seriously.

- shook by Edwina saying "half sister"

- Colin finally realizing pen cares for him greatly, and seeing it, seeing her!!

- please note everyone calls each other by last names, but to Colin, she's always "pen".

- THE KISS, GET IT MISS KATE.

EPISODE 7

- foody book Colin!!

-Oh shit. The queen thinks lady W is El?

-episode of betrayls

- lol, what is it with bridgertons and gardens?

- Anthony ft his fear of losing loved ones.

EPISODE 8

-THERE'S BLOOD, OH NO

- Anthony crying over Kate AND getting rejected?

- el be sus of pen

- Colin is dancing with the Cowper girl? WHY.

-COLIN BE HOLDING PEN'S HAND

- Colin returning the favour of warning pen

- pen and Colin dancing, yes!!

-" I will always look after you Penelope, you are special to me"... MY POLIN HEART

- this ep is stressing me out

- el finding out whistledown is pen, the fight

- PEN OVERHEARING COLIN SAY THAT, GIVE HER A BREAK

Conclusion. I liked it, they moved up the time span of Colin saying THAT about pen, which makes me wonder if it's Benedict or Colin's season next...

I hoped to see more of married Kate and Anthony, but here's to hoping. And dang! Daphne's knocked up again? Lol.

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

His Dark Materials - Season 2 Episode 7 *FINALE* (Thoughts and Rambles)

We have a LOT to unpack here oh my god oh my god

When I say I was screaming and yelling during the episode, I mean I was LITERALLY screaming and yelling

This post is mostly screeching and capital letters, you’ve been warned

“So cold” “life or death meant nothing” - well shit. Accurate description of a Spectre attack damn

I didn’t know what those creepy noises were at first and I was sat here absolutely TERRIFIED because it was creepy as fuck. Then I realized it was cliff ghasts because they said something that I recognized from the book and I was like “oh shit”

Pan and Will talking is the sweetest omg

The fact that Pan told him that Lyra thinks he’s as brave as King Iorek Byrnison :’)

“She’s the best friend I’ve ever had” “You’re her best friend too” - STOP, MY HEART

Lyra was awake and heard the whole conversation :3

“I’m no longer an aeronaut” :( “I’m an insect” - LMAO

Hester and Lee’s banter remains my favourite thing and now it’s bittersweet tbh...

“You could never be an insect, Lee” “Okay, hare” - bless them

Marisa finding where Lyra was staying and then finding Lyra’s coat?? And crying with it pressed to her face?? :’(

In case I haven’t mentioned it already, I am incredibly gay for the witches/their aesthetic/costume. Absolutely beautiful queens, all of them

Oh hi, it’s Mary and the two kids!

The fact that Mary helped them find their adults :’)

Also, “We like you miss” - BLESS

I’m kind of confused as to whether the blue flower petals are important or if it’s just her smelling them? IDK

“I’m close to my father, it’s time I found him” - OOF OKAY UMM ARE YOU SURE

“I let my best friend down” - Noooo Lyra, no you didn’t! :( Your dad is a terrible parent and killed him, that’s not your fault!

“Maybe this is how I let you down” - Well done, Asriel and Marisa, you’ve fucked up a perfectly fine child is what you’ve done

Will telling Lyra that she hasn’t let him down :3

That witch turning up because she was trying to warn Marisa about the spectres, only for Marisa to torture and kill her... oof

FUCKING MONKEY I CAN’T DECIDE HOW I FEEL ABOUT HIM

“She’s MY daughter” - Okay, damn, lady...

“EVE. She’s the mother of all” - OH FUCK YOU TOLD HER. OH FUCK OH FUCK OH FUCK

THE SPECTRE ATE HER DÆMON OMG NO THIS IS HORRIFYING WTAF

Seriously, the way the witch went so grey and lifeless and just fell to her knees and down... Urgh, my stomach is turning

Just when I thought I hated the monkey again, he starts whimpering because he’s afraid of the Spectres :(

“Stop whimpering” - DAMN MARISA YOU ARE A STONE COLD BITCH HUH

Pan being the damn voice of reason and telling Lyra they should stay with the witches like yes, Lyra, listen to him for once!!!

Okay but why are the Magisterium soldiers lowkey dressed like German soldiers from one of the World Wars???

I’m not really surprised that BBC left out the detail of Ruta and Asriel fucking when she found him to be honest XD

So the witches think that the Æsahættr is a person but it’s actually the KNIFE. AND THEY DON’T REALIZE. RUTA YOU DON’T NEED TO GO ANYWHERE, IT’S LITERALLY RIGHT THERE

“...That’s not my dæmon.” “Run.” - OH SHIT OKAY MY WHOLE BODY JUST TENSED UP

So umm Lee got shot and FUCK NO FUCK NO I’M NOT READY FOR THIS EMOTIONALLY THANKS

I LITERALLY DO NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN OKAY

“You’re either with me or against me” Umm he’s your dæmon?!?!

THE WAY SHE SCREAMED AT HIM OH MY GOD SHE’S FUCKING TERRIFYING HOLY CRAP

“What are you frightened of?” - oh, I don’t know, Marisa, maybe because YOU FUCKING SCREECHED AT HIM. MAYBE HE’S FRIGHTENED OF YOU

Also I love the detail of Marisa getting onto her hands and knees, sort of crouching and mirroring the monkey’s body language. I just love the parallel

The way the monkey flinched from her when she went to touch him omg :( No dæmon should be THIS afraid of their person (or at all?!?!)

Honestly, I find this series’ portrayal of Marisa fascinating tbh

“We have to do whatever it takes to keep her safe” - Umm, like maybe drugging her and hiding her in a cave for months? 🤔

Also in case I didn’t say this before, the fact she has complete control of the Spectres is fucking scary and always has been from the very first time I read the books

Okay so Lee is fully aware that he’s going to die if he stays behind but he does it because he knows that it’s the best chance of making sure that Lyra ends up under the knife’s protection (because Jopari will find her). All Lee wants is for Lyra to be safe and that hurts my heart so much, he loves this child so much :’(

“I love that little girl like a daughter” - LEE STOP MY HEART IS ALREADY BREAKING AS IT IS

NO NO NO NO I AM NOT AND NEVER WILL BE READY

Oh hey Red PAN-da (sorry I know I keep repeating that joke but honestly LOOK AT HIM)

“Once I change, you’ll stop changing” - OH SHIT. So we’re having THAT conversation then

“What do you think you’ll be?” “A flea I hope” - LMFAO I LOVE IT

“Is it Will that’s changing you?” “I think” - FORESHADOWING FOR AMBER SPYGLASS ANYONE?!

All the meanwhile, while Lee is dying and shit is going down, Ms Mary Malone is just chilling in a cave on a mountain by a waterfall, just reading

I literally struggled to watch Lee’s final scenes. I literally didn’t want to watch it because I cried reading it in the book, and I knew I’d be the same here

The fact that Lee HATES taking away people’s lives but he says “it’s theirs or Lyra’s”... I love him. He loves her so much.

“Think about anything, think about bacon!” - LMFAO I LOVE YOU HESTER YOU ABSOLUTE GEM

THE BULLET CLIPPED HIS SCALP AND I HAD A HEART ATTACK 

“This is my fault, isn’t it?” - NO HESTER NO DON’T YOU DARE BLAME YOURSELF DARLIN’, YOU ARE THE BEST AND WE LOVE YOU AND LEE LOVES YOU

I do this everytime I read the book and I did here even though I know what happens, but I was praying mentally that maybe Serafina would reach Lee in time... just maybe...

I’m really sitting here crying over Hester and Lee on a Sunday night, love that for me

Hester limping :(

“Don’t you go before I do” - FUCK YOU BBC AND PHILIP I’M SOBBING MY EYES OUT

“Oh how far we flew” - STOP IT. STOP IT RIGHT FUCKING NOW I SWEAR-

I literally yelled and cried out “NOOO” when Hester faded away and Lee died. I am so upset even though I KNEW it was coming. I am literally not okay.

Oh god no Will, now is not the time to be walking away from Lyra and that witch 

Also why is that witch asleep on guard?? Come on, love, do better, it’s not like these are the two most important children in all the universes.... 

To be fair to Marisa, I’d feel pretty invincible if I were climbing up a mountain while the Spectres were guarding me/on my side

WILL AND JOHN FINALLY MET AHHHH

“I was told I’d find my father here”  - YEAH AND THAT’S HIM WILL ASDFGHJKL;

I’m low-key disappointed that there’s no brawl between Will and Jopari here. Like they instantly recognize each other and... hmm. I know there has to be changes but still.

“Your mother, Will, where is she?” - Awww. John really didn’t stop loving her :’)

“My son... is the Knife Bearer” - oooooohhhhhhh

“You have a dæmon” - that’s right, Will. Don’t worry, you’ll get one next season

The way I audible went “oh shIT” when Mrs Coulter found Lyra fast asleep. Like I said, I knew what was going to happen but STILL

I’m not really surprised that those Spectres killed the witch who was supposed to be guarding Lyra and Will tbh like that’s what happens when only ONE witch guards two teenagers and that witch falls asleep

The way that Lyra panicked when she woke up and saw her mother stroking her cheek omg 

Off topic but I’ve only just realized that Jopari has a fucking man-bun LMFAO OKAY

The fact that Jopari tried to get back to Will and Elaine but couldn’t will always hurt me

“And you chose these people over your family?” - I MEAN-

“I’ve thought about you every day.” - Awww

So John tells Will that he has to go to Asriel and bring him the knife, and he tells him all about the war that’s coming and I have LITERAL chills because I’m so ready

“And then we go home?” “... And then we go home.” - RIP MY HEART OUT, IT WOULD HURT LESS

“I’m not strong enough” - yes you are, Will! I promise you, you are! And Jopari says, “Both of us were brought here” - exactly! You were brought there for a reason by fate or whatever you want to call it!

“Your duty was to be my father” - WILL REALLY CAME FOR HIS DAD LIKE THAT I GUESS

“Look what you’ve become without me” - Oh my god, just when I thought I wasn’t going to cry again

JOPARI HUGGING WILL, SEEING THE SOLDIER AIMING, AND THEN PUTTING HIMSELF BETWEEN THEM SO HE TOOK THE BULLET INSTEAD OF WILL ASDFGHJKL;

So in the book, Jopari is killed by a scorned witch who had once asked him to be her lover, but he had turned her down (because of Elaine and Will obviously), and she kills Jopari in front of Will and then he kills her (I think?). But here it’s just a soldier leftover from the Lee vs Magisterium fight, so... yeah. Kind of a little peeved about the change personally but whatever I guess.

“The night is full of angels, they will guide you now” - AHHHHH

Also, might just be me, but maybe that line would have been slightly more impactful if the scene had taken place at night

This show really said “fuck healthy parental figures” I guess

Except Will’s mum, she’s the best and if anything were to happen to her we’d all riot

SAYAN KÖTÖR FADING AWAY NOOOO I HATE SEEING DÆMONS DIE

Okay, last little gripe, but I just wanted to say that in the book, Will doesn’t realize it’s his dad until literally the last second before his dad dies - like they both realize and then BAM, Jopari is killed. And while I do love the father-son reunion, I am kind of annoyed by the change because it was such a huge punch in the gut in the book that Will searches for so long for his dad, only to lose him the second he finds him.

Serafina finding Lee’s body and kissing his forehead was yet another punch in the gut, thanks Pullman/BBC/BadWolf

The fact that Will had to bury his dad :(

Also, WILL WEARING JOPARI’S JACKET OH MY GOD MY HEART

Oof that shot of his amputated fingers...

So the narration, when it started I thought it was Jopari at first, like from one of his letters... but then as it continued, I went “hang on”, and then I said outloud “wait, is that ASRIEL?!”

DID MARISA REALLY PUT LYRA IN A FUCKING TRUNK?!? BITCH ARE YOU OKAY?!?

Will putting his hood up like his dad did just hits differently

Okay so um ASRIEL HI I WASN’T EXPECTING TO SEE YOU THIS SEASON OH MY GOD THE SCREAM I LET OUT

HIS MONOLOGUE BY THE WAY IS FUCKING ART AND A MASTERPIECE BUT I WAS TOO BUSY CRYING OVER JAMES MCAVOY TO WRITE THE WHOLE MONOLOGUE DOWN

Oh, hi Stelmaria!

It always makes me scream that this man is not only Lord Asriel now but he’s also fucking Mr Tumnus and MOTHERFUCKING BILL DENBROUGH LIKE HOW IS THIS MAN INVOLVED IN SO MANY OF MY FANDOMS?!?

ANGELS ANGELS OH MY FUCKING GOD-

“We stand with you, Asriel Belacqua” - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

“Let us prepare for war” - FUUUUUUUUCK

(I was deadly serious when I said this was just me screaming and crying by the way)

I’m still reeling over the fact that Marisa put her daughter in a fucking trunk. Like I get you can’t exactly carry a drugged child about in the open but Jesus Christ, love, really?!?

Also Ruth Wilson / Marisa Coulter in a headscarf? *chef kiss*

The way that the screen went to black as she put the lid on the trunk down - SHIT OH SHIT GOOSEBUMPS

THE CREDIT SONG IS SO BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE IT HAS FUCKING ANGELS NOW I’M-

I WASN’T EXPECTING THE POST CREDITS SCENE OH MY GOD

ROGER?! ROGER! IT’S ROGER I’M NOT OKAY-

BBC YOU CANNOT JUST DROP THAT ON US LIKE THAT FUCK-

“What is this place?” - I’M SCREAMING SO LOUD I CAN’T HOLD IT IN

For anyone unaware, the reason I’m screaming so loud over the post-credits scene is because in TAS, while Lyra is drugged and in a groggy sleep, she has these visions of Roger talking to her from the Land of the Dead, which then later leads to her and Will actually GOING to the Land of the Dead and... well, the rest is even HUGER spoilers but YEAH I’M NOT OKAY.

Honestly, I’m just so happy and emotional because I’ve been waiting over a decade for a decent adaptation of not only NL but for TSK and TAS too, and we’re 2/3 there now. Just one more book/series to go... I wish we could have it now. I really hope that filming for the final one starts ASAP because if we have to wait two years just to see the conclusion to this series, I might cry.

This series is so amazing, and this season especially has been so incredible to watch. It’s been the highlight of my week for seven weeks, and I have no idea what I’ll do with my Sundays now that it’s over. I’ve asked for the DVD for S2 for my birthday already (since it comes out 29th December and my birthday is 13th January... just saying), and words can’t describe how much I do love this series. I know it sounds hollow since I say it about so many things I’m into, but this was such a huge part of my childhood and it’s one of my favourite fantasy series of all time. It’s truly one of the most incredible pieces of literature and now it’s making for incredible television... I love it so much.

[dex-xe]

Ghosts S03E01 - The Bone Plot

(I watched the entire series 3 in one night so here’s a running commentary of my thoughts. Likes/dislikes, bits I screamed/laughed/cried, details I noticed. Basically just a thought train from yours truly :P not that anyone’s interested - mostly just for my own analysis this

BUT Please come hit up my inbox with responses to episodes etc, I’ve had a few already that I’m in the process of answering so yeah lets chat :D)

Opening with Humphrey backstory is a bold move especially if people are just catching it and haven’t seen the show before

Oooohhhhhh documentary!!

Ahhhhhh, soooooo Humphrey wasn’t assassinated, he planned an assassination fascinating

Why does Robin not remember?? Just cause it was a long time ago??

The Captain has laughed before, right?? I’m sure I’ve seen him laugh before??

Thomas it’s not you XD

BOOOOONNNNNEEEEEE

How did they not know it was Humphrey?? She’s dressed like a fucking Tudor - absolutely no critical thinking skills at Button House. They share one braincell and the ghost pigeon has flown away with it again…

All this before the opening titles, this is gonna be a long post!!

I like that Alison starts stuttering simply at the thought of being on camera, nice set up for her anxiety about it

Robin senses the moon?? Oooohhhhh - and a Macbeth reference!!

Of course he senses Barclay arriving!!

The others calling Humphrey like a dog is so funny

Omg are we gonna get Cap/Fanny solidarity this season??? I just want them to be like a sibling relationship!!

(Pronoun correction - well done Kitty)

Did Humphrey used to paint?? Cause why else would he assume he was famous for being a painter if he wasn’t an artist in life????

Mary is a death gatekeeper, I adore that!!

Can we talk about how similar this scene is to one I wrote literally ages ago in the Ghosts Christmas story on AO3???? Like Humphrey trying to speak broken French like just how I wrote it and his wife hating English, it’s literally over dinner (well breakfast) as well?? I have the foresight of a medium apparently but only in very specific fan fiction scenarios!!

Omg live Humphrey is so cute wtf?? Why do I have a crush on him, or is it gender envy?????? Gender envy from a headless Tudor????

Poor Humphrey, all he wants is a nice wife!!

Pat stop ruining the moment!!

Oh God no?? If Barclay dies at Button House will he be stuck there???? Ah thanks for confirming that for me, Julian. Get that bitch off the property!!

Obi content, Obi content, Obi content!! My guy.

Okay but why does Fanny calling Pat out on his racist joke feel so rewarding to me??

A nun, a gorilla, and a WHAT, Patrick???? Pat making a pedo joke, did not have that on my season 3 bingo card????

Humphrey is so good to his wife, he’s making such an effort even though she’s really not making much effort back. It must have been so difficult for them both though seriously

She speaks English???

What’s happening?? OOOOhhhh they’re gonna kill Queen Elizabeth and put I’m assuming Mary Queen of Scots on the throne?? Cause they’re Catholics right so Mary QoS would make sense like the Babington Plot right??

Sophie defending her husband you love to see it.

Did Julian have a heart attack?? He says he knows the sign and that squash will do it.

It must be so weird for Charlotte and obviously especially Kiell as well to just talk to the air??

"LIKE POSH BATMAN" XD XD

"Bonne see you all!!" Humphrey I adore you so much!!

No don’t discover the plot?? Is he killed cause he found out about it??

“Arms at our sides, we’re not a seagull.”

Did Kitty die of a disease of some kind?? She really didn’t like the idea of laughter being contagious??

Ah so that’s why they were all laughing apart from Cap and Fanny.

Oh God Humphrey no??

“This isn’t the life you signed up for - go have another one” Catch me CRYING??? Humphrey you are so sweet wtf??? Don’t sacrifice yourself though, it ain’t worth it??

THE SALUTE

Humphrey and Robin solidarity

Wait?? He wasn’t executed right there?? So the documentary is wrong?? Does he die in a sword fight?? Nope he can’t get the swords down. What’s happening??

(I love the arguing between the guards thats so good XD)

The chimney - genius move!! (his legs O.O nice legs)

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH BITCH I SCREAMED, THE FUCKING SWORDS THATS SO FUNNY HOLY SHIT???? I LOVE THAT SO MUCH OMG, THATS SUCH A GOOD TWIST!! OMG

The body?? Holy shit thats so good omg

ROBIN TUDOR ERA ROBIN finding Humphrey awwwwwww

“Ummmm - they’re all at it” the sass Thomas I love it!!

Ngl I kinda want the Button House jumper?? It looks so comfy!!

Ooooooohhhh Julian thinks Barclay’s dead that’s so clever - bitch is on the verge of death though

Ahhhhh its the shirt, so bitch isn’t gonna die what a prick.

Alison don’t kiss the tag it’s been on the sweaty chest of a land owning Tory all day - you’ll catch every disease under the sun from that.

Thomas leave her alone

Yesssss Alison standing up to him finally!!

*whispers* “Damn your eyes” that is literally the sweetest thing O.o

I want this scene tattooed on me forever, Thomas’ little smile when she stands up to him!!

ALISON PARENTAL BACKSTORY THIS IS ALL IVE WANTED!! We got it right though, lost both parents.

“Like having family all around me” <3 <3 <3 Oh fuck leave her alone

FAMILY PHOTO O.O O.O That’s so sweet

BUTT HO BUTT HO BUTT HO BUTT HO (Cap… calm yourself)

Julian’s cameo XD XD XD That’s brilliant!!! And Pat asking for an autograph

THAT WAS SO GOOOODDDDDDD

AS YOU CAN SEE MY USE OF CAPS HAS INCREASED THOUGH THE EPISODE CAUSE HOLY SHIT AMAZING

BRO I LOVED THAT SO MUCH???? THIS SEASON IS GONNA BE INCREDIBLE OMG

100/10 PRIMARILY FOR HUMPHREY CONTENT AND ALSO ALISON BACKSTORY

[likehandlingroses]

“Realistic” Tom/Thomas Relationship Timeline

The S3/S4 Tom/Thomas affair is a theory that has been making its way around lately, and it is centered around the contrast in the interactions between Thomas and Tom during the Season 3 Christmas Special and their interactions in the Season 4 Christmas Special. 

This means that usually the start of the relationship is viewed as coinciding with the immediate aftermath of Matthew’s death, which occurs in the Christmas Special of Season 3 (September 1921). Due to the interactions between Tom and Thomas in the Christmas Special of Season 4, the relationship can almost certainly be considered over by that time (May-ish of 1923). But what happened in between, and how long were they actually together? There’s one view that the affair occurs in between Seasons 3 and 4, which means that at the very longest they lasted just under six months (generally I think this view cuts it even shorter than that)...but this leaves some unanswered questions and some peculiarities, so I took another look at the canon to determine when, in fact, Thomas and Tom broke up.

(Note: I definitely know that Julian Fellowes did not intend for them to be having an affair, but also Julian if I’m right just DM me)

Let’s start with what we know about September 1921 and May 1923—the definite before and after points—for reference:

Christmas Special Season 3—September, 1921

In this Christmas special, we see Tom left behind while the rest of the family goes to Duneagle, and we see Thomas still dealing with the Jimmy situation a year after its apparent resolution. On its face, this episode features Tom being challenged in his new role in the house—and being encouraged to step up and face that role—and Thomas finding a way to resolve things with Jimmy.

Except there’s a whole lot of other stuff going on in the periphery of those stories: Tom knows that Jimmy is bothering Thomas and appears to want to intervene at the fair, but he is stopped by Edna, who at one point uses Thomas’s injuries as an excuse to visit Tom and assure him that Thomas is “feeling much better.” And—of course—there’s the fact that Tom and Thomas hug at the fair (and lest you think this was a RJC/Allen Leech moment not caught by editing, it was in multiple takes! Someone—multiple someones actually—included it on purpose). They are friendly, aware of each other, and to be honest it isn’t impossible to argue that maybe the relationship predates Matthew’s death! I’m going to argue otherwise, however, based on how Tom breaks down when Edna kisses him—I think Edna is the first time he’s even really thought of himself in romantic terms for a long time! But Thomas is right there in the wings, and he just finally made some progress on the emotional problem that’s been plaguing him for over a year!

It’s a big difference from what we see in the next Christmas special, big enough to start the theory of the affair in the first place...

Season 4 Christmas Special—Summer 1923

Once again, Tom is left alone at Downton while the rest of the family goes to London...and the difference in how Thomas responds is striking. He’s furious at having to wait on Tom, for reasons both we and the characters cannot quite understand. The excuses don’t add up—at this point, Tom has been living at Downton for three YEARS, and this has never been a problem before. Now all of a sudden Thomas is slamming trays and clenching his fists and provoking Tom into admitting that he sees himself as Above sitting next to him...what?

Then there’s Sarah Bunting, a Miss Sarah Bunting...whose presence infuriates Thomas while also making him eager to use her as a way to embarrass Tom. And Tom knows it, immediately. He’s embarrassed, he’s uncomfortable, but still he’s quick to pull rank with Thomas when challenged. Something has fundamentally altered the way they interact with and perceive each other while sharing the same space.

All of this speaks to a breakup, and a messy one at that...so with the knowledge we have, WHAT exactly happened between September of 1921 and May of 1923? Let’s look at what Season 4 has to say:

4.1/4.2–February, 1922

“That’s right: it’s Valentine’s Day.” 

This is an important piece of the puzzle, because Thomas—Nanny West drama aside—is in a pretty good mood for the Valentine’s Day episode! He engages with Daisy and Jimmy’s Valentine’s card drama with good humor and even some genuine interest...something I do not believe he’d do if he’d only recently been broken up with, and by someone who lived in the house! The big one here, though, is the dialogue Thomas has with Nanny West in which she calls him “Thomas” and he says, “that’s Mr. Barrow to you...”

Now, where did Nanny West hear him referred to as Thomas? The episode makes a point of the fact that nannies do not as a rule spend much time with the downstairs staff—and even if they did, not many of the downstairs crew call Thomas “Thomas” on a regular basis. Nor do the upstairs folks...with one notable exception. Tom, who has to be reminded by Thomas in 4.3 to address him as “Barrow” (more on that later), routinely messes up names and titles.

To me, this suggests that Tom and Thomas are still talking, and it’s pretty clear from Thomas’s attentions to Sybbie in the episode that it would have been easy for Nanny West to overhear it in that context. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re still seeing each romantically, but the “Mr. Barrow TO YOU” element implies that the correction was NOT made to whoever Nanny West heard using the name (we presume it’s Tom)...and the distinction is that Nanny West does not *get* to call him that! It definitely seems like whoever she grabbed the name from has been granted permission to do that, and she Has Not. And if it’s Tom...well.

So does that mean that Thomas and Tom were done by 4.3, when Thomas DOES correct Tom on his title? Not exactly...

4.3/4.4–The House Party (pre July 1922)

(tw on this section for discussions involving sexual assault)

The party features Edna’s schemes and assault on Tom in order to extract a promise of marriage from him. It also features a Tom who is incredibly vulnerable and entirely out of his element with the introduction of the Crawley’s friends. This is somewhat of a contrast from the Tom of the first two episodes, who stands up to Robert several times to intervene on Mary’s behalf, and even ropes Carson into the mission. It feels, for a moment, that despite Matthew’s death Tom has taken up the challenge presented to him at the end of Season 3 and begun seeing himself as a valuable, contributing member of the household and family.

But here, Tom speaks of himself as a fool, as walking a tightrope, and of not being understood. He relies on alcohol to get through the event, which Edna takes advantage of—and which gives us a Tom/Thomas interaction that speaks to, in my opinion, a continuing relationship (although perhaps an altering one):

Now, if I had to guess, I would say that Tom might be less *keen* than usual, given his overall demeanor and the new scrutiny placed on him by Edna coming back to the house (not to mention the house party itself). It’s very possible there’s been a lull between the two of them as of late. I do not believe, however, that there is evidence of a clear break between Tom and Thomas as of the house party.

For one, Tom doesn’t just say the wrong thing when addressing Thomas in the drawing room—he says, “Thomas, would you get me a drink for God’s sake?” That is Not how he talks to him in the Christmas Special, where he is stilted and uncomfortable and concerned about how the words will be taken. He isn’t worried about any of that, and while Thomas corrects him, he doesn’t seem all that bothered by it. Tom’s look of irritation at the correction isn’t overdone either.

“It’s Barrow now,” also has flexible meanings. Of course it literally is what Tom is supposed to call him now...but “now” seems like a weird word to use when it’s been what Thomas is meant to be called for several years. It could be a post-breakup smackdown, but we’ve seen what those look like in the Christmas Special, and this doesn’t feel like that! I believe, rather, that Thomas is making reference to the fact that it is incorrect at that moment, something Tom should know and has been discussed!!!

The house party has both of them overworked and tense (this is also the time where Thomas has to fill in for Jimmy because Jimmy hurt his hand...which is SO ridiculous if you think about it for more than two seconds), but Edna’s transgression still draws Thomas’s attention

And that’s important! Thomas had been friends with Edna until this point, largely for convenience it seems—she is a new lady’s maid, and she can feed him information. Thomas even worked with her to mess with Anna, who had earlier made a comment to Edna about his intentions in befriending her. There’s a bond forming there, and while I don’t believe Thomas would genuinely support the literal details of Edna’s plot, I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that he would be Opposed to Edna taking advantage of what she would frame as an indiscretion on Tom’s part. Not if he disliked Tom or was predisposed to believe Tom was at fault (ie: someone who expects to be “waited on Hand and Foot while he decides what Might Please Him Next”).

But right away, Thomas is suspicious the morning after. We see Thomas spying on Edna as she corners Tom, and he specifically brings it up to her later to catch her out. Already his tone is soured where she’s concerned. He’s sensed she’s up to something and he can probably guess the vague idea if not the particulars...and it turns him against her almost instinctively.

So what’s that about? Could it just be jealousy? The thing is, we know what Thomas would do if he believed that Edna and Tom were simply having an affair—we see what happens in the S4 Christmas Special with Sarah Bunting. This isn’t like that at all. 

Thomas immediately blames Edna for what’s happened, calling her a manipulative little witch and declaring that he’s delighted her plans didn’t work. There’s no question of Thomas’s loyalties, even though Edna assumes he’ll want to “keep in with” her. Not for one second does he appear to consider this, and that seems to distinguish this incident from later ones.

4.5/4.6–What Are These Episodes (pre-July 1922)

There isn’t a lot to remember about these episodes for Tom or Thomas, and so what people may not remember is that these are the episodes Tom starts floating the idea of leaving for America—a full season before he tries starting that conversation again, and over two years before he actually DOES temporarily move to Boston. Now, that kind of decision takes time, but it’s kind of...strange that he begins making it here in the spring of 1922 and will not seriously consider it again until well into 1924!

Whether this has anything at all to do with Thomas can’t be determined, but I do enjoy hearing Tom say it will be impossible for him to marry anyone at Downton because an upper class woman won’t have him, and would an “nice Irish working class girl” make everyone “comfy?”...and Thomas is standing Right There! What does it mean...

Thomas is also getting more paranoid, he’s got Baxter in the house feeding him information...and he’s generally giving off a different vibe than he has all season. 

Here is where I think the connection is starting to see some serious cracks—Tom is realizing he doesn’t belong and is making moves to change that. Meanwhile, Thomas is making moves to ensure Nothing Ever changes without him knowing about it ahead of time! Tension abounds, though we don’t see any evidence of it being directed at each other just yet...

4.7/4.8–Interesting and Modern (July 1922)

Thomas goes to America and Tom meets Miss Bunting...weird how that just happened like that!

Thomas is excited to go to New York, and it seems...pretty clear he fucked while he was there. I think if you’re gay and you go to New York in the 1920s and you come back and all you can tell your coworkers is that it was “interesting and modern” you definitely were not doing anything you can actually talk about

Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he and Tom are Done (they may not have ever been exclusive on paper), but the overall feeling from Tom is a dejected man in limbo...he can’t even say he’s a Socialist anymore. It’s not going well. So my inclination is to say that Tom hit pause (maybe not for the first time), and Thomas is dealing with it by getting some in New York (great!) and bullying his coworkers (bad!) So why do I think they weren’t totally done at that time? Because these episodes happen in the summer of 1922...the Christmas Special for S4 takes place in May of 1923. That’s a long time to have passed! A long time for Tom to keep Miss Bunting at arm’s length, a long time for Thomas to be fuming over something...I believe that in the Christmas Special what we are seeing is the last stand of two people who are grappling with finally cutting a fraying thread.

Another Look At The S4 Christmas Special

These scenes are truly some of the most incomprehensible things Downton Abbey ever presented to us with virtually no explanation.  So let’s take another look at what’s happening here.  

First of all, we have the scene with Tom and Thomas entering the house after sending Edith off and leaving Tom offically on his own--they don’t appear openly hostile, though there’s some tense looking when the other person isn’t and looking back down again when they are energy...but nothing egregious. 

Not until we see Thomas slam down a tray, that is. In fact, this whole thing seems to be coming from Thomas’s anger, while Tom appears eager to just smooth it over by not causing trouble and following the rules set forth by the household norms. This seems in line with Tom’s general dispositon--with both Edna and Miss Bunting he tries to ease out rather than break things off. 

 But Thomas interprets this as dismissive, and while he says to Ivy it’s about their positions in the house...as discussed above this really doesn’t logically check out. I do think it irritates him that Tom is essentially avoiding Thomas because it’s what “pleases him,” but it runs deeper than “he used to be the chauffeur.” Because that was always the case. 

And then Tom brings Miss Bunting back without telling anyone, and he takes her upstairs. And this makes Thomas INSANE, and Tom knows IMMEDIATELY that it will! And Tom is eager to assure “Mr. Barrow” that nothing happened (actually, what he’s really eager to do is have Thomas not stand there while he eats, but Thomas is not budging). 

Thomas is furious. He’s said to Ivy that he is SICK of this man, he’s tired of dealing with him...and then he tries to get Tom to sit next to him the car? 

Thomas stole a dog one time, and I still think this might be his wildest attempt at controlling a situation we see on the show. What is going on? If Tom HAD let him sit in the back, would Thomas have still gone to Lord Grantham about Miss Bunting? If Thomas hadn’t been such a jerk about Miss Bunting, would Tom have LET him? What is poor Ivy even processing this as? Am I the only one hearing Taylor Swift’s Better Than Revenge playing? 

Thomas acts immediately on coming to London, dropping the line of “Mr. Branson is stil a young man, and he can’t be expected to stay single forever”...he’s Angry Angry!! If they were on a break before, I don’t think it had fully set in for Thomas that it might be Permanent until now. And I think Tom’s newly avoidant personality we see in other scenarios gave him the wrong impression in this respect.

In Summary

I think that the relationship was relatively “on” from the period of September 1921 through whenever the house party took place. The house party caused some huge issues, mostly for Tom (understandably)—he may have unfairly blamed himself for what happened and drew wrongful parallels to what’s happening with Thomas. I think that after that it was very “off,” but I believe that neither Thomas nor Tom really committed to ending it either...and when we see them in 1923 they are in the peak stages of finally facing the end of things.

So what caused the final shift? Perhaps Thomas came back from New York with expectations, expectations Tom found himself intimidated by. Perhaps Thomas’s increasing paranoia and Tom’s growing agnosticism towards his own beliefs and identity are related and fed off of each other until they both just did not like the person they were seeing! Maybe it’s just that Downton Abbey is a really bad place for both of them, and even though they started off trying to protect each other from that, they got sucked in and turned on each other!

In any case, by Season 5 the romantic relationship appears over for good, though there is some evidence in later episodes that Tom and Thomas settled down a bit over time (Thomas defending Tom in S5 at Brancaster, and Tom saying he hates goodbyes in reference to Thomas). 

We will just have to see what happens when they realize they both are dating someone new, and they work together too :)