#Lost: 4x13

[gifsontherun]

Lost 🌴 4.13 "There's No Place Like Home: Part 2"

[ladysolitaire]

I'm rewatching the LOST S4 finale because I'm writing something. And I've noticed a few new things.

The scene at the beginning of 4x12 where Kate pointed out Jack's tell when he's lying made me think of this scene in 3x15:

KATE: Did he say that to you? JULIET: Sorry? KATE: That I broke his heart. JULIET: He didn't have to. KATE: You don't know anything about him. JULIET: I know where he was born. I know what his parents did for a living. I know that he was married. And who he was married to. I know why he got a divorce. I know how his father died. I know his height, his weight, his birthday, and his blood type. What do you know about him, Kate? KATE: [Pauses] Let's go.

Source: Lostpedia

I need a full series rewatch but, from what I remember, most of what Kate knows about Jack are things she's observed or things he told her as opposed to Juliet knowing the above about him from his file. So much has happened between 3x15 and 4x12 and Jack has probably told Juliet things about himself that Kate doesn't know or Juliet has probably observed more things about him by this point. But it makes my shipper heart happy that Kate knows him so well and that she could point out that he's lying and he'd just laugh it off. Because he was so obviously lying his ass off here.

2. When the Oceanic Six arrived in Honolulu and they were welcomed by their families, Kate and Aaron were standing by themselves as Diane was likely too sick to travel to Honolulu (and would likely question if Aaron was really her son). I like to think that Jack introduced Kate and Aaron to his mom offscreen. Also, Hurley would have also introduced her to his parents, like he did with Sayid, because that's how he is. I don't like the idea that Kate and Aaron were completely alone and she didn't talk to anyone until the press conference.

3. When Carole talked to Jack after Christian's memorial service, Jack must have been so discombobulated and guilty. Not only did he get definitive proof that his father cheated on his mother, he found out that Claire was his half-sister. On the Island, when Sawyer told them that Claire had disappeared, Jack was visibly distressed and concerned, but he didn't have the bandwidth to look for her because of the larger and more immediate threat to the survivors. But I like to think that he's felt guilty that he didn't look for her (among other stuff he feels guilty about) since then and, in the back of his mind, wonders if he should've done more to find her. Then he finds out that she's his half-sister? I believe his guilt increased tenfold, which is why he couldn't see Aaron.

4. In 4x13, when the A-Team reunited at the helicopter, both Jack and Sawyer were happy to see Kate. Despite some mild flirting though, Kate went to Jack to check his bleeding wound. (I always notice this when I rewatch this episode and I'm always happy to point this out.)

5. The Disney+ version now has closed captions for the last part of what Sawyer whispered to Kate before he kissed her and jumped off the chopper:

I want you to find her, tell her I'm sorry.

(The trivia section of the episode on Lostpedia has the full version.)

Anyhoo, the look on Jack's face as he watched them hurts every time I watch this episode.

6. Sayid's longer hair in 4x14 is hot as hell.

7. Yunjin Kim's performance on the chopper when the freighter blew up should've earned her all the nominations and awards.

8. After Ben moved the Island (including Hydra Island) and Lapidus told them to put their life jackets on, Jack helped Kate put on her life jacket first. He didn't even get to put his on before the chopper landed in the ocean.

9. I love that Jack's tell is 100% relevant to the Oceanic Six narrative.

10. The Penmond reunion is still one of the best things this show gave us.

11. That little Jate moment after they were "rescued" always warms my heart.

12. I'll never understand why Jack owns such an ugly car. He could've bought a nicer car with his settlement money from Oceanic Airlines.

Anyhoo, I'm off to finish the fic. I have to polish it and post it by the end of the week!

[dr-lizortecho]

her brain is her superpower.

[erinthesails]

LOST 4x13 || 5x06 || 5x17

[911bts]

8x03 is written by Lyndsey Beaulieu and directed by Marita Grabiak

Lyndsey Beaulieu previously wrote:

3x05 "Rage"

3x11 "Seize the Day"

3x17 "Powerless" (w/ Kristen Reidel)

4x02 "Alone Together"

4x10 "Parenthood"

4x13 "Suspicion" (w/ Andrew Meyers)

5x02 "Desperate Times" (w/ Andrew Meyers)

5x10 "Wrapped in Red" (w/ Nadia Abass-Madden)

5x12 "Boston"

6x03 "The Devil You Know"

6x10 "In Another Life"

6x16 "Lost and Found"

7x02 "Rock The Boat" (w/ Juan Carlos Coto)

7x03 "Capsized" (w/ Juan Carlos Coto)

7x05* "You Don't Know Me" (w/ Taylor Wong)

7x10 "All Fall Down" (w/ Kristen Reidel)

*7x05 got that massive switch around. Pretty much all the Buck and Eddie related scenes in 7x05 she wrote as well as all the non-Buck and Eddie related scenes in 7x04

Marita Grabiak previously directed:

4x03 "Future Tense"

5x15 "FOMO"

5x17 "Hero Complex"

6x05 "Home Invasion"

6x08 "9-1-1, What's Your Fantasy?"

[extasiswings]

Post-4x13 Fics

I was going to go on a reblog spree, but instead figured I would just put all of my S4 finale spec/post-4x13/S5 spec fics in one handy list.

some things you just can't speak about

A collection of S4 finale spec fics.

a flower in a gun (a bird in flight)

Even if Buck felt the same—and Eddie isn’t convinced of that, doesn’t have the arrogance to assume—what right does he have to say please, to say wait, to ask Buck to put his life on hold indefinitely while Eddie sorts through the tangled mess in his head in the hope that one day he’ll finally be ready? He can’t be that selfish. Especially not with Buck. [Or: in the aftermath of the shooting, love endures.]

mark me like a bloodstain (or a tattoo kiss)

Eddie finds words difficult. So he comes up with other ways to show how he feels. [For the prompt: "You've always felt like home."]

stars choose their lovers (save my soul)

Most of the time, Buck feels like there’s no one in the world who understands Eddie as well as he does. Most of the time. Because there are still some other times when he’s completely in the dark.

safety and home

The thing Eddie remembers most about the shooting isn’t the shot itself, or the pain, or even the fear—it’s the cold. [Or: Eddie dreams of drowning]

burning like a slow flame

For the prompt: "I felt it shelter to speak to you." “With all due respect, Mr. Diaz,” the doctor says, “you’re in the emergency room because of an acute stress response in which your brain tricked your body into believing you were in danger to such an extent that you thought you were dying. I’m not sure you’re as fine as you think.”

slipping away (call on me)

For the prompt: "I exist in two places, here and where you are." Buck feels like he lost part of himself when he watched Eddie being rolled through the emergency doors and he hasn’t gotten it back. There’s a hollow space in his chest crowding out his lungs so he can’t draw a full breath, squeezing his heart so his blood isn’t circulating properly. He’s a shade. Half-alive. And the other half left on a city street, in an ambulance bay, in a hospital room.

paint me a heaven with your bloodied mouth

Buck. Four letters. One syllable. Eddie knows it’s a nickname. He doesn’t know why Buck picked it or why Buck seems to use it exclusively, but he figures it isn’t really his business. And also that it probably isn’t that deep—all of them use nicknames at work or otherwise in their daily lives. Eddie himself might find it weird if anyone outside of his immediate family suddenly started using his full name regularly after so many years of only rarely hearing it from anyone else. So. Eddie calls Buck "Buck." And he doesn’t think anything of it. At least…not at first.

[shallowseeker]

The ghostly specter of John's hopes and dreams in SPN 1x01:

Above Baby Sam's crib, we see John's symbolic hopes and dreams. The crib mobile is filled with the baseball items John adores.

Baseball is a consistent special interest of John's, from the djinn dream where he plays softball to his #SPNwin dream of becoming a minor league catcher.

In SPNwin, he's not yet the monstrous inverse of his "dreamer" self. He's still the thing that attracted Mary to him: the soldier who hasn't lost his ability to dream. He keeps believing, even when Mary, a child-raised-soldier, feels like she can't muster up the strength to. Aside// Mary is like Dean this way, with lines like: "it only ends one way... bloody." On the other hand, John doesn't start there. It takes lying, coercion, and manipulation to get John's world to shrink, for his path[s] to narrow to hunting.

Hope is "what" John is (until, of course, he isn't):

MARY: I don't know. He's sweet, kind. Even after the war, after everything, he still believes in happily ever after, you know? Supernatural, 4x13 In the Beginning

// Until Mary died, it seems his dreams were difficult to extinguish. His primary mode of being was hopefulness:

Note: As Mary and John discuss their dreams, we see behind Mary some Jack Kline types of motifs, "The Future," crowing roosters, sunflowers, and a rainbow.

JOHN: See, I, I wanted to be a catcher for the Kansas City Athletics. MARY (fatalistic) : My parents never let me dream like that. Being a kid who killed monsters was my only option.

JOHN (wistful): You know, when I was a kid, I, uhm... I made this list of all of these places I was gonna go to look for my dad. Kept it for years, crossing off destinations, adding more. Enough time goes by... all you see is a list, you know? MARY (angry): Are you saying I should stop looking for my dad? JOHN: I'm saying that once you find him and leave hunting for good, you're gonna need a new list. The Winchesters, 1x03 You're Lost, Little Girl

We're familiar with the Winchester gun, but in the 20s Winchester (yes, the same gun brand: Winchester Rifles and Firearms Co) made a short run of baseball gear, known specifically for its top-of-the-line catcher's gear. It was outlasted by brands by Rawlings, Wilson, and Spalding.

Vintage Winchester catcher gear goes for ~$700 on eBay.

//

Here, John, the ever-hopeful soldier who holds onto his dreams will lose those dreams. The dreams will go up in smoke, and he emerges from the flames like a demon possessed.

In the words of Lady Toni Bevell (12x21): "A mad slowly going mad, searching for revenge."

[emsee22]

Reasons I believe Beth and Daryl were intended to be a romantic pairing

30 Days Without An Accident 4x1, Daryl's "It's a damn romance novel" comment. Sure, can be played off like teasing, a little bit of jealousy. But the point is, he notices Beth's relationship with Zach. And for some reason cares enough to comment on it.

30 Days Without An Accident 4x1, the hug. Not just that there was a hug, but that they didn't end the scene with the hug. They ended the scene with Beth's sleeve falling off her shoulder and show her putting it back on, and end with their eye contact after that. If this was meant to be brother/sister, or platonic, vibes then why emphasize an erogenous zone like that? That would be creepy. The writers intended it to be romantic.

I don't find Still 4x12 to be a romantic episode, necessarily. I think that one is just building on their intimacy as friends. I do appreciate their openness with each other on the porch and there are elements of that conversation that I view as romantic (namely, Daryl's expression and nervous fiddling with the knife). However, I can understand how people view their pairing as platonic if they only base that view on this episode.

Alone 4x13 is where they really start hammering in the romance. For starters, Daryl's reaction to Beth stepping in the bear trap. Yes, of course you can say he just didn't want her to get eaten by the walker, but compare how he gets down to the ground with her, rubs her foot, and gives her his body for support - even giving her a piggyback ride - to Carol's foot cramp in 10x18 Find Me. He first eliminates the threat, then he checks on her and shows genuine concern for her injury, and offers her physical support. Daryl loves Carol, she's his best friend, but in Find Me, he just teases her and tells her that she shouldn't have come along.

Alone 4x13 when Beth stops to look at the "Beloved Father" grave, Daryl compassionately picks some flowers and lays it on top of the grave for her, to commemorate Herschel. That is not inherently romantic. He also compassionately gave Carol a Cherokee Rose when she lost Sophia. I just think it is sweet. In the same scene, Beth and Daryl hold hands (admittedly, a little awkwardly, but that is primarily on Daryl) and Beth puts her head on his shoulder.

Alone 4x13 when they are looking at the bodies that are made to look very human (although they're walkers) and Beth argues back at Daryl's joke about dolls with why it's beautiful. She looks at him and asks "Don't you think that's beautiful" and all he does is pensively stare back at her. It's a romantic cliche and the pause with the intense eye contact seems to imply that his thoughts are that she is beautiful. At the very least, he sees something in the way she thinks about the world that is beautiful.

Alone 4x13 Daryl breaks his silence thinking about telling Beth that she's beautiful with the shiptease after action patch-up tv trope with "C'mon, let's get you patched up." She sits on the table and he wraps her foot up from the bear trap.

Alone 4x13 how he watches her sing in the doorway, and then how he pushes her buttons about the music "Well there ain't no jukebox, so... keep singing"

Alone 4x13 the bridal carry romance trope into the kitchen for the cute little redneck dinner Daryl set up for Beth. Plus his excitement to show it to her, hence the "I'm going as fast as I can" before he picks up her heard outside the doorway.

Alone 4x13 dinner conversation about what changed Daryl's mind about there still being good people. Beth changed his mind. If it wasn't romantic, why couldn't he just say "you're gave me hope / you showed me there are still good people." But the teasing, the repeated asking, the smile and eye contact, the nervousness from Daryl and then the self-realizing "oh" that is more like a romantic confession than anything else. Plus the fact that the confession is interrupted, another TV trope in romance. Plus the fact that in Alone, Daryl & Beth are foils to Sasha & Bob - who we know for a fact were canon. Difference is Sasha & Bob are reunited by the end of Alone, while Beth & Daryl are separated.

Alone 4x13 he chased after her for hours, from night to day.

Alone 4x13 he was ready to kill Len for disrespecting her "Some bitch must have got you all worked up" "You lost yourself a piece of tail" "I bet it was a little one too, they don't last long out here." If Joe didn't stop the knife, I bet Daryl would have ended Len a whole lot sooner.

In 5x8 Coda, when she starts rushing back to Dawn, to say goodbye to Noah, Daryl tries to stop her.

Coda 5x8 he cries over her body

Coda 5x8 he bridal carries her body out of the hospital, sobbing

Them 5x10 he shuts down with the group. Carol knows there is more to his sadness and she is trying to understand it. She assumes Beth saved him (she did, in a way). Rick knows that Daryl lost something deeper than a friend, hence "I know you lost something back there"

I am going to stop there because that is just the freshest for me.

People don't like this ship because of the age gap, or simply because they ship Daryl with someone else. Here's the thing, I don't believe Daryl was written to be the same age as Norman in season 1. He looks between 26 - 32 in the first season; and he can pass for that until the latter half of season 4, where he starts to really look more Norman's age. I don't think he is meant to be more than 36 in season 4. And honestly, I don't have a problem with the age gap when Beth is a legal adult and it is the flipping apocalypse. With all that said, I think if they were really intending this to be a brother / sister pairing, then it is creepy and there was too much tension and chemistry to make it platonic / familial.

[frangipanilove]

About Daryl's happy ending...

I just wanted to say a few words in response to this post by @bethgreeneprevails. I totally agree with everything! I also want to add that the symbolism around the phrase “happy ending” is on our side. For starters, the word “coda” (as in 5x8 Coda), refers to a “conclusion” of sorts, or an “ending” if you will:

Then there’s the fact that the etymology of the word “coda” proves that it is a reference to the word “tail”:

In TWDU, Beth has been referred to as Daryl’s “piece of tail”, here from 4x15 Us, where Len Claimer happened to perform a very accurate psychological analysis of Daryl;

“I bet this bitch got you all messed up. Got you walking around like a dead man who’s lost himself a piece of tail…”

Obviously, “piece of tail” in this case is a reference to a woman, and this was immediately after Beth had been kidnapped by the Grady cops.

“Lost himself a piece of tail”. Daryl had just lost Beth in 4x13 Alone, and would later lose her again in 5x8 Coda. “Coda” means “tail”.

And what is a “tail” if not literally an ending?

Daryl will get his “happy ending”, probably in the form of a “coda”.

Also, it's worth noting that it is Judith who says the line about Daryl's happy ending. Judith, seen here recieving a blood transfusion where we see Daryl's (Norman's) rabbit tattoo:

I don't believe Norman got the tattoo with Beth in mind, but as long as it's there, and it fits with the symbolism of the show, I believe TPTB have no problem exploiting it for everything it's worth.

I'm mentioning it because the whole quarrel between Daryl and Len started with a rabbit:

Daryl, unaware of the Claimers' policy of "claiming" stuff, hunts down the rabbit, only to have Len "claim" it. Eventually Joe Claimer shows up and resolves the situation by cutting the rabbit/cottontail in half. Daryl is awarded the "ass end", or quite literally the "tail end" of the rabbit (or the "coda" end if you will).

"The ass end is still an end".

Rabbit symbolism, or "cottontail" as it's specifically referred to here, is something we see a lot on the show. I wrote more about that here.

In my opinion, when Judith is talking about a "happy ending" she's symbolically talking about the "ass end" from 4x15 Us. Remember Daryl got the "ass end" (and interestingly, the two halves of the rabbit were later “reunited”). She's talking about Daryl's "piece of tail", which undeniably is a reference to Beth, that much was established by Len Claimer in 4x15 Us, and by the fact that "coda" (as in 5x8 Coda) means "tail".

[televisionpromos]

Walker 4x13 "See You Sometime" Promo (Series Finale) - Walker tries to make up for lost time and wants to be what Geri deserves. Cassie and Trey have their final interviews for the lieutenant position. Captain James advises Cassie and Trey. Stella discusses with Liam what she may want for her future. Bonham and Abby admit to each other what they really want for the next phase of their lives. August's graduation brings everyone together to celebrate. The episode was written by Anna Fricke and Blythe Ann Johnson and directed by Steve Robin. Original airdate 6/26/2024. Every episode of WALKER will be available to stream on The CW App and CWTV.com the day after broadcast for free and without a subscription, log-in or authentication required.

[notmorbid]

eXit.

dialogue prompts from 4x9-4x13 of usa's mr. robot.

where the fuck have you been?

the day didn't go exactly as planned.

things went a little sideways for you, huh?

this isn't a pissing contest.

i don't need you to trust me. i just need you to help me.

you want to tell me what's going on?

you lost today. doesn't mean you can't fight back tomorrow.

you once told me we'd never see each other again.

i'd rather see you lose than win myself.

can i trust you to behave?

open up. we don't have a lot of time.

you need to get a good night's sleep somewhere safe.

i'm not going to let you just sit here and wait to die.

when will you feel safe enough to stop looking over your shoulder?

are you sure you don't want to come with me?

any advice for a road trip? i've never been on one before.

you think ____ is my real name?

should we really be out in the open like this?

drop the paranoia and just take all this in. just for this moment.

if you did something, i need to know.

this isn't what justice is supposed to look like.

people are staring at you.

i'm trying to lay low for a bit.

till the next episode, then.

we don't have to run anymore.

you don't need me to come with you.

i can't handle shit solo. you've seen me. i freak out.

i'm no good on my own. i've tried.

no wonder you can't sleep.

send me a postcard, okay?

do you need any help?

i can take care of myself.

thank you for never giving up on me.

you're in the wrong place.

we're all told we don't stand a chance, but we stand.

we break, but we keep going, and that is not a flaw. it's what makes us.

do you want to play again?

it's too late, isn't it?

you are such an only child.

just try to act normal.

have you been here this whole time?

we're dead, right?

i haven't seen you in a while. you look different.

this is what normal people do when they're happy, right?

nobody is as perfect as they seem.

you can't be this happy. no one is.

everyone has a monster.

what have you done?

i'm not who you think i am.

what'd you do with my best friend?

you never lost me. i'm right here.

you have to finally let yourself be happy. it's just a choice that you have to make.

you want to start this new life with me, or what?

i can't lose you again.

you just don't want me to be happy, do you?

why can't you let me have this one thing?

you don't recognize this place?

i don't want to be in this nightmare anymore. i want to wake up.

i want my life back.

your heart was in the right place.

this is real, isn't it? please tell me this isn't a dream.

i am right here. i promise.

i thought i'd never see you again.

i wouldn't lie to you.

how come you never said anything?

there's not a day goes by that i don't think about ___.

i want you to know i love you.

[gifsontherun]

Lost 🌴 4.13 "There's No Place Like Home: Part 2"

[chick-with-wifi]

Theory: Root is alive

The Machine faked Root's death, knowing it was the only way to protect Root and motivate Finch to do what was needed to defeat Samaritan.

5x10

The Machine is unable to see the sniper because Samaritan's operatives work in the shadows, but sees Root get shot and sends the police to their location, as it is the fastest way to get medical attention for Root and Finch into custody where Samaritan would be less likely to have another opportunity to target him.

Root is then taken to hospital where Dr Madeleine Enright performs surgery to save her. The Machine summoned her because She needed a skilled surgeon who was trustworthy and wouldn't ask too many questions, and it is mentioned in 4x13 that Dr Enright is among the past numbers who have been helping the team ("Dr. Enright is keeping an eye on Delia at the safe house.").

Once Root is stable, this is the point where the Machine decides to fake her death. As she is injured, Root wouldn't be able to defend herself when Samaritan comes to finish the job, so her only chance is for the Machine to make sure they aren't looking for her. Or rather, they aren't looking for her alive.

Dr Enright injects her with aconite (like Shaw in 2x16) to make her appear deceased long enough to be pronounced dead and for Fusco to identify her body as a Jane Doe, then revives her with atropine.

Meanwhile, the Machine had also summoned Dr Farouk Madani, another previous ally of the team who used to work in a morgue and still owes Finch a favor as mentioned in 3x05. He locates a body matching Root's description and handles the necessary paperwork. And Dr Carr, the otolaryngologist who gave Root her cochlear implant in 3x17, removes her implant and puts it in the new body (more on this later), which is then sent to be buried in Root's place.

During the chaos of inmates being freed at the prison, Daizo, Jason and Daniel are able to get Root out of the hospital and go into hiding. The Machine chose them for this task because they were shielded from Samaritan at the end of season 3, giving them more room to maneuver freely, and Root already knows and trusts them.

The reason the Machine doesn't tell the team about faking Root's death is because Samaritan has eyes everywhere and She can't risk them finding out. She also heard Finch and Root's conversations about him needing to take a more active role in the fight against Samaritan and all the people he's lost, and knows that having him believe he's lost another friend is the only way to push him into doing what it takes to win the war.

The Machine then chooses to use Root's voice for multiple reasons: 1) to sell the story that Root is really dead. 2) She needs to be able to communicate clearly and quickly so Her usual spliced-together recordings wouldn't work. 3) This is the first time She will have prolonged contact with someone other than Root and She is on her own, so using Root's voice is a way to have part of Her interface with Her still.

When the Machine calls Finch from the hospital, he asks, "Root?". The Machine replies, "No, Harold. I chose a voice." She does not tell him Root is dead, but rather allows him to come to that conclusion based on the state in which he last saw her and the fact that She is now using her voice.

5x11

When the Machine talks to Finch about Root being dead, this is the only time She uses a name Root no longer identifies with. Therefore, when She says "I watched her die 12,483 times in the seconds before she expired. I couldn't save her, but I kept trying.", She is actually talking about accessing old footage of young!Root, watching her become the Root we know and running simulations to see whether things could have happened differently ("You taught me to see everything, see everyone, and I do. But I see thousands of versions of them: what they were, what they are, what they could be."). The Machine couldn't save her because this happened before She was built.

Much like how She went behind the team's back to protect Root by faking her death with the help of past numbers, in this episode the Machine goes behind the team's back to protect Reese by giving his number to the DC Team made up of past numbers.

5x12

The Machine says, "You know I can't lie to you, Harold." As we've seen, She can withhold information or choose to phrase things a particular way, but can't say an outright lie. At no point does she ever explicitly say Root is dead.

The Machine also says that in a world where She didn't exist, Shaw "never would have met Root." Finch adds, "Or lost her." The Machine does not address this comment at all.

5x13

When Shaw visits Root's grave and discovers the soil disturbed, the Machine comments that it "looks like they dug her up. Guessing they got to her cochlear implant. I should have had her cremated, but I just didn't have the heart. My bad." The Machine is only stating what it 'looks like', not what actually happened. And it is very suspicious that the Machine, who was created to predict human behavior and watched Samaritan try to cut the cochlear implant out of Root's head while she was alive, would fail to predict them going grave robbing for it.

Unless, after deciding to fake Root's death, She knew they wouldn't stop until they found it so lets them have it on Her terms. (As previously mentioned, the cochlear implant had been inserted into a body matching Root's description that was buried in her place. Having her cremated, and by extension destroying the cochlear implant beyond use, would have prevented an innocent person's body from being desecrated, but She couldn't give up a chance to defeat Samaritan.) 

Once Samaritan scans the implant to access the location data, the Machine is also able to access more information on Samaritan which She then integrates into the copy of Her core code made by Shaw. This, along with the greater defensive capabilities created by Root and activated by Finch, allows her to beat Samaritan in the satellite, when She couldn't win any of the simulated fights.

The Machine knew that this would lead them to the team's frequent locations, so She arranges to protect them by stationing a sniper near the precinct ("It seems Thornhill Industries has been on a hiring spree.") and instructing Shaw to blow a hole in the wall of the subway station that allows them to escape.

Later, when Shaw asks "Is this the guy who killed you? Killed her, I mean.", the Machine changes the subject. This is because She can't lie and couldn't risk telling the truth when Samaritan might find out. Although they don't have much time, it wouldn't have taken long to confirm what Shaw already suspects and she has never been the type to let a desire for revenge interfere with completing the mission since "a good soldier does both" (2x16).

When the Machine directs Finch onto the rooftop, he asks, "Wait, are you sure this is the right place?" and She replies, "Yes. This is where you're supposed to be." It is then revealed that She secretly made a deal with Reese allowing him to sacrifice himself in Finch's place. This shows once again that She will go behind Her assets' backs to protect them and uses careful phrasing to misdirect them without lying.

After defeating Samaritan, the duplicate Machine downloads Herself to the subway station computers and declares 'mission unknown. Awaiting instructions…'. The message left by Her predecessor then begins playing and tells Her about Her assets ("let me tell you who we were") and Her mission ("let me tell you who you are").

As the next scene is Her calling the payphone by Shaw, She must have been given instructions to contact any surviving assets. Shaw answers and it is unlikely the Machine gives her a new number, because She had only just gotten back online and the last time She was reduced to Her core code in order to fit in the briefcase, it took Her a while to start operating normally. We also see that She only begins to scan the crowd after Shaw hangs up.

It can't be Her signature 'can you hear me?' because Shaw doesn't reply. Instead, it must be a message Her predecessor told Her to relay - that She survived, Samaritan is gone for good and it's time to get back to work, followed by a set of coordinates that lead to Root's location as she is both a surviving asset and someone who can help Her get back up and running.

It is doubtful the Machine tells Shaw Root is alive in that moment, because she would have reacted with more shock and betrayal than we saw, and likely demanded an explanation immediately. Instead, she is smiling because they won the war and she can continue saving people.

Shaw then goes to the location, which is a new safehouse where Daizo, Jason and Daniel have been looking after Root, who is still unconscious but recovering. The building has been set up as their new base of operations, since the subway was somewhat destroyed during the final battle.

When Root soon wakes up, she and Shaw are very happy to be reunited and promise never to leave each other again. The Machine moves Herself to the computer equipment in the new safehouse and Root helps Her get recalibrated, as we saw in 5x02 and the flashbacks in 4x05. "There we go. Now, can you see me? Excellent. Next question, who am I? That's my girl." Root becomes both Admin and Analog Interface and Shaw is the Primary Asset.

Together, Root, Shaw, the Machine and Bear get back to working the numbers, with help from their friends and allies.

[imminent-danger-came]

MK Breaking his 1x01 Seal (I am insane)

Soooooooooooooo *twirls my hair and kicks my legs*.

I made this post like, a day ago, about a theory where the seal Wukong places on MK in 1x01 was broken in 4x07. The more I've been thinking about it, the more I think it might actually be the case, so here's a more in-depth post on it!

Let's start off with looking at how powerful MK starts off in 1x00 "A Hero is Born".

He's zipping around, he's punching the Demon Bull King with incredible force, and his final blow to DBK shifts the planets and cracks the earth:

This use of power is clearly uncontrolled. MK pretty much levels a good portion of megapolis, and in the next episode 1x01 Bad Weather, he needs a seal to be placed on his powers in order to function.

Now, we don't ever see MK that powerful again, not until after this moment in 4x07:

Between this and Sun Wukong's 1x09 comment when MK uses the staff to further destroy the mural—"Look kid, using that much power, your body can't handle it."—I'm thinking MK's seal in 1x01 also sealed away his monkey form, and that in 4x07 he broke that seal.

Bonus kinda scary MK shot:

Now, there are also these scenes in 4x13 during MK's fight with Azure:

There are a number of outer-space/world shots in this show, typically used at climactic points to show how overwhelming the battle is. In both 1x00 and 4x13, these shots are prompted by MK alone. The exception to this is 3x14 (and 3x11, more on that later), where everyone working together makes one giant magic circle to stop the Lady Bone Demon, engulfing the whole universe in light.

Next, we have the seals.

Now, it's very intriguing to me that these two seals are the same in design. The Chinese characters on both of course mean "seal", but the rim around them is also the exact same. It's a very interesting design choice, and something that could have easily been avoided had the intention been to not draw a connection between the flower fruit mountain seal and MK's seal.

(It could be that they wanted to keep Monkey King's seals consistent, however this is what the waterfall seal looks like in 1x00 and 2x01: )

(These are different, meaning the LMK team explicitly chose the seals from 1x01, 4x01, and "The Emperors Wrath" special to look the same.)

Here's what especially get's me: this same seal is used to seal away both MK's powers, and to seal away the powers of the Jade Emperor.

Mei with the Samadhi fire and Azure Lion with the Jade Emperor's power had both characters acting as containers for their world ending power source (here's that pesky 3x11 outer-space shot I mentioned):

Mei: "You mean—if I lost my cool on any of the million training exercises we've been doing, there was a chance I could have exploded and destroyed the whole universe?" Red Son: "Yes, that could have happened, but it didn't. My guess is that somehow your dragon ancestry has protected you. And if your strong enough to contain the samadhi fire, your strong enough to use it."

(3x11 This Imperfect World) (Gonna be real I don't think it was Mei's dragon ancestry that protected her, I think it was MK, but that's a theory for another time lol)

-

However Azure, unlike Mei, fails as a container. He fails to control his power, almost destroying the whole universe and sacrificing his life to stitch the world back together.

You know who ALSO doesn't control his power at the cost of others?

MK, even if it is on a much smaller scale, loses control of his powers in 1x01:

And, he loses control of them so much so that he needs to put that same specific seal on his powers until he can learn to control them better.

And well, the moment that seal comes off? We get this:

MK grappling to control his powers and a shot of him in a crater. Interesting!

And so, now that MK's seal has broken (assuming any of this theory is correct lol), I think he's going to struggle to be a container for his own powers. He was already frighteningly explosive against Azure, causing irreparable damage to flower fruit mountain and literally splitting it in half:

He also happens to look like this before entering his monkey form:

If that doesn't look like "struggling to contain his own powers", I don't know what does!

[lindseymcdonaldseyelashes]

lindseymcdonaldseyelashes' Leverage Index

Thought it could be helpful to get all of my Leverage tags in one place for simplified browsing. Much more for Season 4 and Season 5 coming soon (and Redemption will probably get its own index page as well).

All Leverage

Leverage Season 1

1x1 - "The Nigerian Job"

1x2 - "The Homecoming Job"

1x3 - "The Wedding Job"

1x4 - "The Snow Job"

1x5 - "The Mile High Job"

1x6- "The Miracle Job"

1x7 - "The Two-Horse Job"

1x8 - "The Bank Shot Job"

1x9 - "The Stork Job"

1x10 - "The Juror #6 Job"

1x11 - "The 12-Step Job"

1x12 - "The First David Job"

1x13 - "The Second David Job"

Leverage Season 2

2x1 - "The Beantown Bailot Job"

2x2 - "The Tap-Out Job"

2x3 - "The Order 23 Job"

2x4 - "The Fairy Godparents Job"

2x5 - "The Three Days of the Hunter Job"

2x6 - "The Top Hat Job"

2x7 - "The Two Live Crew Job"

2x8 - "The Ice Man Job"

2x9 - "The Lost Heir Job"

2x10 - "The Runway Job"

2x11 - "The Bottle Job"

2x12 - "The Zanzibar Marketplace Job"

2x13 - "The Future Job"

2x14 - "The Three Strikes Job"

2x15 - "The Maltese Falcon Job"

Leverage Season 3

3x1 - "The Jailhouse Job"

3x2 - "The Reunion Job"

3x3 - "The Inside Job"

3x4 - "The Scheherazade Job"

3x5 - "The Double-Blind Job"

3x6 - "The Studio Job"

3x7 - "The Gone Fishin' Job"

3x8 - "The Boost Job"

3x9 - "The Three-Card Monte Job"

3x10 - "The Underground Job"

3x11 - "The Rashomon Job"

3x12 - "The King George Job"

3x13 - "The Morning After Job"

3x14 - "The Ho Ho Ho Job"

3x15 - "The Big Bang Job"

3x16 - "The San Lorenzo Job"

Leverage Season 4

4x1 - "The Long Way Down Job"

4x2 - "The 10 Li'l Grifters Job"

4x3 - "The 15 Minutes Job"

4x4 - "The Van Gogh Job"

4x5 - "The Hot Potato Job"

4x6 - "The Carnival Job"

4x7 - "The Grave Danger Job"

4x8 - "The Boiler Room Job"

4x9 - "The Cross My Heart Job"

4x10 - "The Queen's Gambit Job"

4x11 - "The Experimental Job"

4x12 - "The Office Job"

4x13 - "The Girls' Night Out Job"

4x14 - "The Boys' Night Out Job"

4x15 - "The Lonely Hearts Job"

4x16 - "The Gold Job"

4x17 - "The Radio Job"

4x18 - "The Last Dam Job"

Leverage Season 5

5x1 - "The (Very) Big Bird Job"

5x2 - "The Blue Line Job"

5x3 - "The First Contact Job"

5x4 - "The French Connection Job"

5x5 - "The Gimme a K Street Job"

5x6 - "The D.B. Cooper Job"

5x7 - "The Real Fake Car Job"

5x8 - "The Broken Wing Job"

5x9 - "The Rundown Job"

5x10 - "The Frame-Up Job"

5x11 - "The Low Low Price Job"

5x12 - "The White Rabbit Job"

5x13 - "The Corkscrew Job"

5x14 - "The Toy Job"

5x15 - "The Long Goodbye Job"

[911bts]

Looks like Brenna Malloy is directing one of the episodes they're currently working on

She previously did:

4x04 "9-1-1, What's Your Grievance?"

4x13 "Suspicion"

5x04 "Home and Away"

5x10 "Wrapped In Red"

6x09 "Red Flag"

6x16 "Lost and Found"