#I was so worried we'd get all this build up for how bad society is and absolutely nothing be done about it...

[oborofollower7]

man idk

[amplifyme]

Episode catch up~

The Watcher and A Distant Shore: Both have their merits and demerits; but I will say I liked the cast and the creative choices the writers took (keeping The Watcher anonymous, having Joe recommend Cathy, the lady in Cali helping out after news of her friend's death, etc.) ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT-- and what an incredibly fitting context (Nan, you genius.) Father hovering around Vincent during those episodes, worried about his son (and Cathy, too) and trying to cheer him up and distract his mind (impossible.) Mouse and the shell and Vincent's dream and reaching Cathy. Overall, I liked both in their own ways and wouldn't mind rewatching. Also, Joe continues to be stellar (really grew on me), Jenn and Rita have interesting appearances. ...Although, Cathy, I do have a bone to pick with you throughout all of The Watcher.

Trial: Enjoyed all aspects of the case; and that the episode tackled the injustices and inabilities of the system, the victims, and the society at the time. But it's a start. And all the characters and Vincent's dreams of the boy and Pascal's appearance and Joe's ups and downs. And most of all, their superior was right: they needed Cathy to fight the symbolic war right up against the murderer's shark lawyer-- there's a reason this guy's their boss.

A Kingdom by the Sea: Those were actually CIA?? Baffled. Elliot's back and Cathy needed to put several breaks on the whole debacle before it escalated to Vincent having to kill, being torn up over the kiss, and feeling that Cathy's cut earlier and his stab now were signals of life. Father continuing his worried streak with no pushback and maximum support is sweet if veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery telling about his read on Vincent's emotional state. Elliot's father's death was quite the turn; and their rotten relationship definitely explains the dreams of a man who wanted to prove himself by building the biggest tower possible. Two things struck me: Cathy listened to Vincent tearing those men apart and kept traipsing away in the tunnels, not addressing it later and pretty much over it compared to Vincent; and she didn't seem to notice how deeply that affected him, addressing only his confusion and grief and hurt at her fluctuations with Elliot. And secondly, her dismissal of Elliot's contradictions-- a man who is able to live with two warring sides and not let it drag him down or back-- by saying: “How does it matter, Vincent? It’s… life"; and that is incredibly indicative of the core of their relationship. Cathy doesn't seek to understand: roses bloom out of blood sacrifices; life is beautiful; there is ugliness separate from beauty; contradictions don't mix; Elliot must be all bad or really good deep down and didn't realize it himself rather than an intriguing mix of the two; and Vincent's hands are her hands, beautiful, but the blood they shed does not (read: cannot) stain his soul. And she is very, very wrong about all of those things.

Can't wait to hear your input! :DDDDD

Squeeee, you're getting so close to the trilogy! The Hollow Men is the perfect episode to lead into it. Please tell me you plan on watching all three eps of the trilogy in the same sitting. And you must let me know before you start S3. I have things to tell you.

More below.

I really like The Watcher now. I wasn't crazy about it the first time I saw it, but there's gobs of foreshadowing in it that I didn't pick up on until after the trilogy aired and then after the show was cancelled and I did my first rewatch and had time to think hard about the series as a whole. Keep in mind we had to wait 7 months between S2 and S3. Which back then was a long time for network shows. Lots of time to go back and pick up all the threads missed the first time around. Also tons of rumors flying around that summer (some true, some not) about what was going to happen in S3, or if we'd even get one. The Classic fans had already circled the wagons and decided they hated S3 before it even aired. But I digress.

Not sure if you've noticed this or not, but other than once, after Cathy gets beat up in An Impossible Silence (where he keeps watch on her while still being as close to outside as he can get), Vincent never steps foot in her apartment. So it's significant in The Watcher that he's actually considering her invitation to come in, because that's a line he's drawn in his own mind about what's allowable behavior and what isn't.

ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT-- and what an incredibly fitting context (Nan, you genius.)

Right?? I knew you'd pick up on that right away.

Mouse and the shell and Vincent's dream and reaching Cathy.

My favorite part of A Distant Shore was V & Mouse talking at the Mirror Pool (a scene GRRM wrote in order to get the ep up to the full running time) and Vincent in his chamber holding up the shell and then scooping up the sand and taking a big ol' whiff of the Pacific Ocean. Such a Vincent thing to do. Cast and crew loved working on this one since they all got to get off the sound stage and spend a few days at the beach. I remember being so amused that V & C acted like the four days she was gone was more like four months. 🤣

...Although, Cathy, I do have a bone to pick with you throughout all of The Watcher.

Care to elaborate??

Don't have much to add about Trial, except in response to this: there's a reason this guy's their boss.

I'm shoving my fist in my mouth so I don't let anything slip out. We'll touch on this later.

It was an okay episode, but nothing really memorable.

A Kingdom by the Sea (aka The Episode That Humanizes Elliot Burch). I adore this episode! I also adore Elliot.

Those were actually CIA??

Yep.

Cathy needed to put several breaks on the whole debacle before it escalated to Vincent having to kill, being torn up over the kiss, and feeling that Cathy's cut earlier and his stab now were signals of life.

Wasn't the scene on C's balcony that opened the show wonderful? Kissing her injured finger without thought and the heat of the look they shared and C refusing to let Vincent turn away from it. Lovely.

But, yeah, again with the death and desire symbolism, and blood as a sign of life. As Vincent said to Father, "The grave is a fine, safe place. But if we live, we bleed." That'll come back to haunt him.

Father continuing his worried streak with no pushback and maximum support is sweet if veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery telling about his read on Vincent's emotional state.

Like I've said before, Father knows his son very well. He has a lot of first-hand experience, after all.

Cathy listened to Vincent tearing those men apart and kept traipsing away in the tunnels, not addressing it later and pretty much over it compared to Vincent; and she didn't seem to notice how deeply that affected him, addressing only his confusion and grief and hurt at her fluctuations with Elliot.

Quick trivia time before I get to the meat of this. GRRM wanted the scene with V and C in his chamber to end with a kiss. He wanted V to lean in after she told him she wished it was him and take that kiss. Alas, Koslow nixed it. But I love that GRRM wanted it there. His scripts are always so, so good.

And meanwhile, as they're in the tunnels Elliot is like, "What the hell is that?? What was that??" Yeah, Cathy has grown very blasé about Vincent's killings, hasn't she? And she really seems blind to the effect it has on him. She's also blind to the duality within everyone, and specifically within Elliot and Vincent. I've always felt like Vincent posing those questions to her about the duel nature of man was him asking that question in relation to how she was able to process and justify what she sees in him, not Elliot. But it just flew right over her head, because despite what she thinks she knows about V, he tends to comes at things sideways, rather than directly. She never figures that out.

“How does it matter, Vincent? It’s… life"; and that is incredibly indicative of the core of their relationship. Cathy doesn't seek to understand: roses bloom out of blood sacrifices; life is beautiful; there is ugliness separate from beauty; contradictions don't mix; Elliot must be all bad or really good deep down and didn't realize it himself rather than an intriguing mix of the two; and Vincent's hands are her hands, beautiful, but the blood they shed does not (read: cannot) stain his soul. And she is very, very wrong about all of those things.

I have nothing to add to this. You've stated it perfectly. I'm so excited for you. You have no idea what you're in for. Buckle up, baby!