#The bear's name is Taras btw

[spacetronomyfan]

I made this sunflower teddy bear a traditional-style Ukrainian outfit! He's an early birthday gift for @vineee2000. Inspiration under the cut.

[twdmusicboxmystery]

4x11: Analysis

Once again, wow! We again had lots of interesting symbolism in this episode of Fear. I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as last week’s, but I'm very excited for where the story line is going. I'll reiterate what I said before: Morgan will eventually make it back to Rick and TF. It might take him the rest of the season or longer to get there. If they wanted to, they could keep him going back and forth across the country for a few seasons. I don't think they'll do that, but he's obviously not to make it back to Alexandria next episode, either. So let's get going on symbolism.

***As always, spoilers abound for Fear 4x11 in this post. Don’t read until you’ve watched! You’ve been warned!***

We saw the peanut butter protein bars again. I mean, seriously? What are the chances that everywhere Morgan goes, he just happens to stumble across the same kind of food? It’s obviously symbolic. And remember that Beth ate peanut butter in Alone, and Daryl ate it just before escaping the Sanctuary.

I will say that I thought the whole Morgan-falling-sleep-and-not-realizing-he’d-been-driven-several-hundred-miles thing was weird. Falling asleep is one thing, but how would he not wake up when he felt the truck moving. It’s pretty unrealistic. So I think one of two things are going on here. Either the protein bar was laced with something, and he was essentially drugged. Or this is highly symbolic of something. Not sure which yet.

First, we had some definite Bridge symbolism going on here. We saw a total of 3 bridges in this episode (rule of 3s).

1) Morgan first decided to head back to Texas to pick up the Fear crew. He stopped on the bridge and decided not to go back to Texas. Later, he said it was because he was a coward. 

2) The second bridge is the one where Wendell and Sarah decided to stop and unload the truck. The interesting thing here is that Jim accidentally knocked Morgan off the bridge and he fell down the embankment. That was interesting to me for two reasons. A) As I've talked about another bridge metas, we often see things were people falling off the bridge. Daryl and Carol off one in Consumed; a walker fell off one with Abraham in 6x06; a walker fell off one and almost hit Dwight in 7x03, etc. B) More than that, this reminded me a lot of what TF did in 5x10, Them. The walkers went tumbling off a very similar bridge in a very similar way. Could something about that sequence have foreshadowed Morgan in some way? Not sure yet.

3) The third bridge is when Morgan met them the last time and they finally agreed to take him back to Texas to pick up Team Fear Family before going on to Virginia. A plan is officially in place for Morgan to return to Alexandria. (Yea!)

There was a lot of beer in this episode. When Morgan gets to the truck stop, he turns on the lights and there are lots of signs for beer. Later in the episode, he meets Jim (who actually kinda looks like Jim from S1, if you ask me) who brews beer for living. There's a lot of talk about beer, about brewing beer, we see beer bottles, we see ingredients and equipment to brew beer. It just goes on and on. Moonshine, by definition, is home brewed beer. Now were looking at a guy who wants to go to Alexandria to brew beer for the people there. Are we seeing some connections?

Let's talk about the broadcast. Morgan spoke to someone on the radio when he got to the truck stop in Mississippi. It had kind of a sinister feel to it, very much like Terminus. Then, when we found out that Sandy and Wendell weren’t who they said they were, it seemed that perhaps whoever was broadcasting were the “good people” after all. But at the end of the episode, we see a very sinister-looking woman who sounds a lot like the one Morgan talked to on the radio. So, chances are whoever was broadcasting, assuming it was her, is not going to be a good thing for Morgan and his group. Note to TWD survivors: never trust the voices on the other end of a random radio broadcast.

Wendell is in the wheelchair. This could possibly be a fulfillment of something in the Governor’s S4 episodes.

Let me just say I'm thinking more and more that Beth could show up in fear. Obviously, I don't know for certain, but it's feeling more and more plausible to me. If that's true, and if something about Wendell leads to her, then what I'm about to say will be true. If not, then it might be.

Remember back in 4x06, after the Gov met Tara and Lily, he went upstairs to get the backgammon game for Tara's father. While there, he went into the bathroom and found a wheelchair. This reminded me a lot of that for a couple of reasons. 1) In both cases they were in a bathroom. 2) In both cases there was a wheelchair, and by extension somebody who couldn't walk.

We’ve also had a bathroom motif in Beth symbolism during past seasons. It wasn't anything quite this obvious (Morgan on the toilet), but we especially saw it in 4b (of regular TWD).

In the pudding house, a walker came out of the bathroom and almost got Carl. He shot in the head, exactly in the spot where Beth was shot, and the walker jumped up and was not killed by that shot.

Later, when Rick is trying to escape the Claimers, he goes out through the bathroom (holding scissors, btw). I know there were other times we saw the bathroom motif, but can’t think of them off the top of my head.

I'm won’t go too much into this right now because I haven't posted my theory about it yet. In our group, we talked about how there's been a motif for cooling devices on the show. You can trace it back to season five, such as when Glenn found three silencers stashed in a mini fridge. Or even Still because while looking through the golf club, Beth and Daryl are in a walk-in refrigerator at one point. But we've seen it a lot, including around Morgan. He and Henry talked about the HVAC cooling system in S7. Anyway, we saw more of it here. I also noticed a refrigerator in the opening sequence, which isn’t always there.  More on that to come.

There were at least two bear references in this episode (Bear Symbolism). The woman broadcasting to very truck stop called for someone named “Polar Bear.” Obviously she wasn’t referring to Morgan, and we don't know who Polar Bear is, but I thought that was interesting. Especially because of the Polaris/North Star connection.

Later in the episode, on bridge #2, a group of walkers showed up and Wendell says, “Bear in the Bushes.” So yeah, interesting bear references.  

Let’s go into some details.

The broadcasting voice also said, “Sweet syrup on a short stack.” It reminded me of all the Bisquik references we've seen, including one at Grady. And of course Abraham’s famous line about Bisquick and pancakes.  

While on the toilet, Morgan looks at a dog magazine. (Toy Dog, dog with sunglasses, even a hotdog on the back. True story.) Now, remember the Sirius/dog symbolism is all about a return. So, does this mean Morgan will eventually return…to the toilet? Maybe. (Just kidding.) It really could be about him returning to TF, though. I could see the symbolism of applying to him. There was no obvious reason for it to be applied to Alicia in 4x10, especially as it used specifically Rottweilers. So, it’s still suspicious that we’re seeing dog symbolism so much in Fear this season.

 When he first meets Wendell and Sarah, they start explaining about the trucks and we see a shot of three open trailers with boxes in them. First, there’s three (rule of threes; we saw lots of threes in this episode actually). It also reminded me a whole lot of the Wolf trailers in 5x16. Think, “How the Harvest Gets Home.”

I also noticed several possible references to orange soda. Wendell said they’d been hauling the truck since the "soda was flowing." What he said was a lie, but still, soda reference. Later, with when Morgan met Jim, Morgan could smell the alcohol on him. He said it was “particularly floral IDA with hints of citrus.” Again, just reminded me of orange and then combined with soda reference made me think of Denise, who was a Beth proxy. (And because of Jim, we can also throw in the alcohol reference.)

Morgan saw a walker stuck in a mud bog. Nothing came of it this episode, but I had some thoughts. We saw something similar in 4x07 with the Governor: walkers in a bog blocking the road. I also noticed that in the trailer for next week, we see something similar. So, not sure what this walker is leading to, but I'm sure it's foreshadowing of some kind.

We saw Morgan with a grocery cart. I wondered if it was a callback to 7x13 and the grocery carts there. Remember, Richard use them to block the road and take the melon which led to Benjamin's death. It makes sense for callback like that to be in this episode because Morgan still running from his grief over Benjamin's death.

Let's talk about the mile markers. We saw a lot of different numbers and mile markers in this episode. I doubt I got them all written down. The interesting thing is that most of them add up to either 9 or 10. More often 10. For example, Sarah tells Morgan to meet them on route 91 (9+1 = 10), mile marker 64 (6+4=10). When Morgan tells them gives them fake directions to Alexandria, he tells them to get on I 81 (8+1=9) exit 77 (okay, that doesn't work so well) and then to go 10 miles.

I could go on, but I wonder if this points to S9 and/or S10. It could mean that Morgan will return to TF in S9/S10. Given that he is trying to get back to Virginia, that would make sense.

Oh, and at one point they mentioned the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway. I figured such a specific reference must be important, so I looked it up. Yes, it’s a real highway that goes from California on the west coast to Florida on the East. (I’m not super familiar with it because it’s a ways south of where I live, so I never drive on it.) Anyway, guess what route this highway is? That’s right: Route 10. Just saying.

It is also interesting that the boxes are only left at mile markers that end in four. S4, perhaps?

When Jim and Morgan talk in the back of the truck, he said, "I get it." So we have a guy that brews his own beer (kind of like moonshine) and says, "I get it." Hmm. Who could I possibly be thinking of? ;D (He also says he grew stuff up on his rooftop, kinda like at Grady.)

Jim also says, "We’ve turned back time here, Mister. History is built on beer." Time references. A history of alcohol. Sounds like Beth references to me. He also mentioned bunch of civilizations that had alcohol, including Egyptian, Sumerians, Babylonians, and a few others. did he say Romans? It caught my ear because a lot of the symbolism in the show comes from these civilizations. For example, the Sirius/Dog Star has major ties to ancient Egypt, the Nile, and how it flooded and Egyptian beliefs about that.

Morgan being on the top of the car, under a bridge, next to a river really caught my attention. Think about it: he fell off a bridge near some water and found himself stuck in/on a car and surrounded by walkers. Sounds a whole lot like what we think happened with Beth. Oh, and he gets left behind there by his group. Just saying. I also had the thought that the car he is trapped on top of looked a whole lot like the car Enid was and when her parents died. Don’t know if that's thing. Just a stray thought.

At one point, Morgan even loses his shoe.

Morgan says, “You can come back,” to Wendell and Sarah. They do come back, though only because Morgan lied about how to get to Alexandria. Still, they did the right thing by coming back to get him and now Morgan is going to do the right thing by going to get the other members of Team Fear Family

When he escaped the walkers, there's more interesting symbolism. He uses the mile marker signed to fight them. (A whole lot like Maggie in Alone, one of our red-letter Beth episodes.) 

When he looks over at the box that was left of the mile marker, check out the shot:

There’s a water bottle (Beth carried water bottle), a truck that looks a whole lot like the Wolf truck and the one Morgan is now traveling in, as well as a knife. It isn't particularly like Beth's knife, but Morgan uses it to escape. (In other words, he saves himself.) Just interesting.

After that, we see his feet as he walks back toward Texas. I thought this was really interesting in terms of Morgan’s story line. Remember that back in 4x01 when Morgan left Alexandria, we saw his feet running as he headed toward Texas. It showed the same thing here—his feet constantly moving toward Texas—but it’s the opposite. Before, he was running away from his problems. Now he's walking toward Texas to help with the people there. He’s actually trying to get back to Alexandria, but he's going to do the right thing and go get his friends in Texas first. He’ll bring them back to Rick's group where he believes they'll have the best chance rebuild the world and survive. So his motivations are the opposite here.

I almost think this is the end of an arc. Remember, the end always mirrors the beginning. This is the end of Morgan's running away arc and from now on he’ll be moving forward, toward Alexandria (even if is going back to Texas first) in a positive way. So I’m very interested see what happens next in the show.

Overall, I really did enjoy this episode. I think some exciting things are happening with Morgan and there still a very good chance he could run into Beth on his way back to Alexandria.

This next part is as much head canon as anything else, but I've been thinking about a lot this week and the more I think about it, the more sense that scenario makes.

1)    Remember that Morgan/Lennie James was seen at the cabin where Emily filmed in S5, which is part of the missing scenes. Just the fact that Morgan was there is super significant to me. Well gotta keep an eye out for that cabin and see if it shows up in Fear.

2)    Morgan bringing her back to Alexandria would fit well with the D.S. al coda structure and what happened when Daryl and Aaron met Morgan and brought him back to Alexandria in 5B.

3)    Earlier in the season, we saw Morgan looking into cars for survivors and trying to help people he found. Between that and all the other symbolism we've seen in Fear the season, it just makes sense that maybe that’s where it's going.

I’ll say again that there were a lot of tens in this episode. If Morgan doesn't return to TF until S10, there's a chance Beth may not either. But of course that's even assuming I'm right. If I'm totally wrong about this and she shows up some other way in TWD S9, this will all be a moot point. This is just what I'm seeing and why it’s making me excited.

Okay, I'll shut up now. How would everyone else like 4×11 of fear?

[vaguely-gestures-to-the-void]

Hindsight: My thoughts on Loki (2021)

Spoilers below. Please correct me if I slip up. I am in no way shape or form educated on ANYTHING to do with the making of films, how to critique this stuff etc, this is all just my opinion. If I haven’t covered a scene, it’s probably because it’s already been covered much better than I can. This is my extended episode 1 review.

Episode 1: GLORIOUS PURPOSE

Pre-title scene

The scene titles looking like a train station combined with the scrolling through time is such a cool stylistic choice.

The music is familiar, but followed by an alternate shot of Loki as Cap. A different perspective of something known, how fitting. FYI, I’m going to mention music a lot.

Love how no one questions the Hulk terrifying people.

This is the last time Loki will hear Thor call his name, or speak to him. Oh darn, I made myself sad.

Marvel studios logo

The Marvel logo changing colours + Loki theme finally taking the centre stage. I love it.

The comments made on Loki soundtrack videos saying ‘I see that the Mandalorian soundtrack has become a genre’ are so accurate it hurts. Shout out to Ludwig btw, he deserves all the awards for his soundtracks.

My thoughts so far: This part is setting up the general shift in tone from what we’ve seen in past Marvel projects, even the other shows. It reaffirms the audience’s subconscious that whilst we are familiar with the characters, there’s new twists up ahead, subtle hints to oncoming mischief. Props to the entire team behind the series.

Gobi Desert Scene

As much as I liked the opening bug crawl, the following interactions look a bit CGId. I’m being picky, they really are gorgeous. It’s also difficult after having seen the Mandalorian, but that show really paid attention to scenery as it was an instrumental part of the story, whereas here it’s just one scene and all the others are stunning.

The parallels to Tony in the desert. Loki immediately rips off the muzzle (?).

I just watched the scene and yes, Tony rips off the mask immediately.

Also I think I would have definitely had a crush on young RDJ.

And Gwyneth Paltrow (GOOP LADY) if I didn’t know her now.

Props to Tom Hiddleston’s acting. Loki’s face when he sits up is just pure confusion but with the signature hint of indignation that I’d expect from his characterisation at this point.

The rock lmao.

THE MUSIC WHEN B-15 (MY QUEEN) APPEARS. HELL YEAH!

Also props to the supporting cast of minutemen, where does Marvel find these people? They’re so well choreographed, they all move perfectly and it’s a joy to watch.

Love the time doors honestly.

I couldn’t have been the only one who thought that the temp pads were Samsung phones for a sec right?

Lol is that unintentional foreshadowing about the TVA? Jk I’m just clowning.

Has anyone spoken about what the Temp pad showed?

My theory is that ‘Units’ refer to a predetermined rate of change [e.g. m/s] where one unit = one increment of change.

The steady rate of change here is interesting. I’ll talk about it more at the end of the next episode.

I love the music, just the slow ticking increasing in pace and the dramatic flares brought on by the strings (I think), simply divine. Natalie Holt got it spot on and props to Tom Hiddleston and literally everyone involved for understanding the importance of good music with this series. I’ll talk about this in depth in the next episode, just wanted to mention it when it first started that I noticed.

In retrospect, I can definitely retract my critique of the background in the scene. It holds up well now that I’ve rewatched it.

B-15 doesn’t get enough love. Shout out to Wunmi Mosaku, she’s a trooper and I’m here to hype her up.

Also y'all I just checked the cast list and ???? Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner and Tessa Thompson are on it?????? MARVEL TF IS THIS WHAT TOM MEANT BY EP 4 BEING WILD I-

Tom’s acting chops: The face moment. You know the one. It’s pretty incredible.

Theory from me: the reason that Loki doesn’t see the hit coming is because B15 was moving unnaturally fast.

It’s the immediate change in the music to reflect the audience’s reaction at the standard fight scene taking a strange turn for me lads.

B-15 doesn’t smile, which I think is in character for her.

She’s seen this shit wayyyy too many times.

We’re not even five minutes into the first ep and a) I’ve waffled this much, Gods, and b) the music has changed at least 3?? Times to reflect what’s happening. I love it.

My theory about resetting the timeline: the reset charges get rid of anything in the immediate vicinity of the branch, pretty much a mini-apocalypse of the timeline. If everything is erased, none of it matters. Does that make sense?

Taking away the Tesseract while yes, it serves a purpose with showing Loki the might of the TVA later on, also reflects how nitpicky the TVA are about their time-keeping. They do everything in a very orderly fashion, but as we see later, the outdated nature of things is very human.

The TVA - the elevator thing

Man I love the TVA’s look. Someone (and I’ve heard that Kate Herron was also very particular about the set design) went to extraordinary lengths with every single scene, not just this one, but the one before as well.

Heck I just want to appreciate how much of a visual feast this series is. Good on ‘em.

The shots changing angle is also very interesting. They switch it up between one-takes, close-ups of differing extremities and it just keeps the flow fast-paced, ya know?

Watching Loki run was hilarious.

“Sounds dumb.” - Casey, Null Time Zone.

This weird robot is what I think of when the TVA is mentioned. Advanced tech mimicking a retroistic 70s feel.

The cat’s adorable.

The clock. The cup. The placing of props. Impeccable.

The clock’s hands don’t move whilst they’re on screen.

The realisation on his face when he eyes the stack of papers.

Why is the wall so badly scratched???

I love that the signature is in character. I have a huge thing for attention to detail lmao.

Again, why are all of the walls so scratched? If they could talk, I’d presume it’s just a set design choice but it’s interesting that they did that.

Does anyone else want a TVA sweater vest?

Tickets

The opening zoom in on Loki combined with the consistent brown-orange colours of the set makes the room look uniform and encompassing. I love how the lights are always placed in a repetitive manner so rooms are given the illusion that they go on forever.

Lighting here creates depth, but whilst the lights form a ceiling, we can’t actually see how they’re suspended and I think that’s neat.

The posters. Yes.

This is the first time I noticed the different minutemen uniforms. This one’s half orange-red and black. Pretty cool imo.

Shout out to Tara Strong and the entire animation.

The butterfly was a nice hint to the butterfly effect, and the music is perfect as always.

The wooden walls in the background of this shot. How very 70s.

The reflection showing the guy getting pruned is pretty cool.

Again, another clock with no movement on the wall.

The first 11 minutes are up and we’ve made it to the title! If you’ve read this far, congrats.

1549 Aix-en-provence, France

Just speculating, we’re in a church with an initial high-angled nearly bird’s eye view and then a cut to one looking up at Mobius. I guess it means even if we think as viewers our perspective is omniscient, we’re not spared from the mystery in this series.

Who’s in the stained glass window?

I love how they tie in a detail as small as the gum. It just goes to show when you haven’t got much time, every character interaction is meaningful.

Props to Owen Wilson, he really sold Mobius to me.

Mirrors in a church showing the devil behind Mobius. Or on his side.

Time court 37

The time court 37 really reminds me of train stations.

The chairs remind me of pews. They sure are reverent of the Time keepers.

The lighting is a cool, bluish tinge for the first time I’ve noticed. Especially on Ravonna (MY LOVE!).

B-15 knows Loki’s clowning lmaooo.

Ravonna isn’t here for it either.

Ravonna’s nailpolish is a very nice shade of brown.

Theory: Resetting is ‘being brainwashed for the TVA’. Not very original, but it’s interesting that the TVA thinks that Loki would be useful as a worker, unlike the guy who got pruned earlier.

The TVA exterior is amazing. It also extends forever in all directions, even down.

Time Theatre 25

What is that elevator music??

“I thought you didn’t like to talk” Ragnarok, anyone?

Loki reading the ‘Time theatre’ sign whilst rambling. Gotta give it to him, he’s always aware of his surroundings.

The little TVA logo on Mobius’ shirt.

Shout out to whoever did the costuming. Personally, I liked the shirts with no collars, and the armour of the minutemen and Hunters came off to me as practical but not ignorant of the branding that the TVA likes.

Theory (bear with me): Once you’re a part of the TVA, you’re not collared anymore, though there is an appearance of that on the shirts.

Seriously tho, what are those shirts like? Mobius doesn’t have a collar.

Why do the ties just… end?

Neat details:

Holo projector 35.

The lights being reminiscent of skylights but still leaving the characters in the dark. “The sun will shine on us again, brother.” Not yet.

The reflection of the projector in the table/on the ground.

Loki: *turns away.*

Mobius: *sips Josta.*

Seriously, the lighting is great. Loki moving in and out of the shadows? Great way to show his mistrust/ unease of the situation.

The illusion speech is the last time we really hear 2012 Loki in my eyes, mainly because Mobius really gets into the cracks of who Loki is and then there’s action.

The ‘I was- I am” Freudian slip is perfection.

Side note the music’s changed yet again. It’s definitely setting up the more mournful tones for seeing his mother’s death.

I find it interesting that the door is partially in the shadows.

Doors are symbols of opportunities, barriers and both death and birth from what I remember of high school English.

From what I know in interrogations the person being interrogated is allowed to sit with their back to a door. Initially, both Loki and Mobius are sideways, equidistant from the door. When Loki wants to run, he edges closer to the door, even if it is just to make a point. Excellent blocking in my eyes.

Oh man, Mobius’ little gestures.

“Always so perceptive about everyone but yourself.” I really don’t have to talk about the significance of that line, do I?

Frigga being stabbed in the back. Little solace to a dead man? Ouch. That hurt me too.

Loki’s wounds heal unnaturally fast, because he’s no mortal.

Mobius really drives home the last point. Who says ‘like you did your mother” ??? Owen sold how Mobius can influence Loki's mind.

The ‘best versions of themselves' line and showing Thor must have hit Loki hard. He spent two movies trying to prove who he is, measuring himself against Thor. And then he sees them both working together and being equals.

Loki’s escape

Wunmi and Owen’s line delivery is unforced and charged, completely in character.

Mobius looking under the table is hilarious to me.

The music.

The tidy cubicle = healthy timeline is a bit contradictory because they’re supposedly in the null time zone but okay.

Is no one going to mention the taxidermy ferret?

Loki just had an identity crisis. His ‘gut you like a fish’ seems in character.

The dude’s really questioning everything he knows lmao.

Casey’s ‘what’s a fish’ was really our first hint that not everything is what it seems to be at the TVA.

It amuses me that Loki’s on his knees when he gets the Tesseract.

I’m sure someone’s pointed it out already, but given that Loki takes back the Time Twister, it’s possible he could have stolen an Infinity stone.

Again, point’s already been made but Loki seeing the Infinity stones is what sells the power of the TVA.

Please, the rest of the office not giving a damn when one dude’s having some drama is hilariously on point. They really said ‘not my problem’.

Loki’s future

The screen on the table showing what he’s rewinding as it happens.

Btw if you pause any moment during that, you’ll see a scene.

A quick note on Loki’s characterisation:

He’s been through a lot in a very short period of time, quite literally finding out that his actions don’t have any consequences. He’s lost all autonomy, especially as a god who probably believed he was not as restrained as mortals. More on this in later Eps.

I really liked Ragnarok because it showed Loki and Thor’s maturity; they had to step out of legacies that were thousands of years old and come to terms with a universe that was much bigger than them. It also fleshed out their relationship as brothers, but not at the expense of who they were. Loki still is a schemer, and he talks more because he has less to hide in my eyes. He’s no longer just a villain, and that can’t be shown by just actions, especially in his own tv show.

Loki’s little laugh when Thor talks about giving him a hug. Man that was sad.

What shouldn’t be forgotten is that Loki doesn’t know how it ends. He doesn’t know whether Thanos gets defeated. For all he knows, he died in vain and left behind a brother with no family.

The collar says DANGER.

This is the scene that really nails it home to Loki that his purpose in life was to cause pain. He found out his glorious purpose in that timeline, he’s conflicted as Sylvie points out in Ep 3.

When Loki talks to Mobius, they’re both in medium shots. They’re on the same page.

Loki’s delivery has changed when talking about the 'illusion' but Mobius hasn’t. That may change in the later episodes.

1858 Salina, Oklahoma

Others have covered this better.

Sylvie’s theme is similar to Loki’s but not identical.

It’s got sinister tones which change throughout the series.

I love how you can see the images of the minutemen’s past and future as they walk through a time door, they literally step through time.

I’ve got a whole other post on the end credits scenes. Cheers if you read this all lads.

Ep 1 review

All in all, this was a scene-setting episode. One of my friends texted me and said ‘Loki really went through ten years worth of character development in minutes’ and I think that sums it up pretty well. It’s a great set up, but the next episode is where the plot begins to progress. Really enjoyed it. There’s not too much that was aided by what we know from ep 3 besides Casey’s fish from what I caught.

See y'all next time, if there is anyone reading this. Look after yourselves!

[fictionerd]

GOOD. TO. SEE. YOU. FRIENDS!!!

Here we are! The first post of Summer Season 2018 and we’ll be covering Planet With. This series is released on Sundays and can be watched on Crunchyroll. 

Okay, so let’s cover what we learn from the first two episodes of Planet With.

In episode one we’re introduced to Souya, a young amnesiac who dreams of horrifying giant draconic creature attacking a city and some one flying off to confront it. See it’s shit like this that causes dragons to have a bad reputation. Seriously I can’t believe these assholes who go around burning whatever the hell they want just because they can breath fire. If it weren’t for them dimensional travel wouldn’t be such a daunting prospect for me. I never know when some one is going to have a traumatic flashback and attack me all because some scaley clown got it into their head to “burninate” something.

Sorry, I’m digressing again. After waking up from his ptsdream Souya prepares to have a normal breakfast with his perfectly normal housemates of a large cat-person and green-haired maid. 

Oh wait... My bad. See I’m used to hanging out with a Teddy-Bear whisperer with the ability to access the life’s memory of a version of herself in any given universe, an elf who ONLY exists in the metaverse of the Akashic Record, and most recently a shadow-monster who spent three months pretending to be Swole-Bear. There was also that time I tried to hang out with a copy of a video game character, but we’re not considering that canon anymore. At least not entirely for legal reasons. Oh! There’s also the British man who tears holes in dimensions to fight against “unfair fates” who I’m apparently hosting a podcast with now? My point being that to me the above image is perfectly normal. To most anyone else this is probably at least a three on the Sir Memery WTF chart.

After finishing his veggie breakfast Souya sets off for school complaining about wanting to eat some meat where he bumps into his class rep whose name he has forgotten. You’d think this is just an excuse to set up Tsundere vibes with her, but no it’s far FAR worse than that. See her name is: Kagaratamaha? [wrong buzzer] Hakatamagara? [wrong buzzer] Ta-ka-ma-ga-ha-ra? [Correct Tone] 

So Nickname Pending is worried about Souya and how he doesn’t make friends at his new school. This is because she knows what it’s like to be the new kid, and has apparently never watched an anime in her life so she doesn’t quite grasp the concept of “Leave the mysterious blue-haired transfer alone”.

Side Note: This character’s introduction marks the first time I’ve ever gotten a Japanese pun without some one explaining it to me. So allow me to ruin it for you all by explaining it. She offers Souya some of her Hamburger Steak to which he replies with tears of join “Megane-sama” which she mishears as “Megami-sama” and sheepishly replies that she doesn’t think she’s a goddess before immediately realizing what he’d actually said. This leads into the reveal of her actual name which I refuse to ever use the entirety of again because I honestly don’t think the joke is that funny.

Later that day Souya’s shounen receptors begin to tingle as he picks up on the impending conflict of the story. A UFO is sighted offshore headed towards the city. When the air-force is deployed to deal with the object (Picture in header) they find themselves the victim of some strange joyous delusion and leave the object alone. it’s only when seven strange people, apparently psychics of some kind, utilize their powers to confront it is it stopped. We see one of these people enter the object through a “Weak Point” and have his own delusion.

See, his mother was killed in a fire when he was a little boy causing him to become a firefighter. The UFO hits his brain with a delusion of child him being held back from the blaze by a firefighter only for that firefighter to turn out to be adult him. Adult Firefighter Psychic dude runs into the fire, saves his mom, and the two of them walk through the cherry blossoms as he sorts through all the pent up regrets he has about not being able to save her when he was a kid. Only after we’ve conveniently gotten to know this character’s defining trauma does his squad get through to him and break the delusion, then he uses his Psychic Golem Powers to wreck the hell out of the UFO causing it and copies of it that had appeared around the world to disappear all at once. The same can be said for the Psychics who all blast off to separate places to avoid the fate of E.T. one presumes

While all this was going on Souya got a call from Ginko (That’s green-haired maid lady for those not following the series who also don’t care about spoilers). She tells Souya that he has to defeat “it”, but contrary to what everyone in the audience thinks it turns out that “it” refers to one of the Psychics and not the UFO thing. After Ex-Firefighter current world-saver exits the bushes onto a highway he encounters Souya the cat-man and Ginko. Souya is sporting a mask and being basically lead by the nose at the behest of Catman and Ginko. Now hold onto your seats because this is where shit gets REALLY weird. 

Catman swallows Souya turning into a mech in the process that Souya is now piloting. They get into a fight with Firefighter dude who summons up his psychic golem thing. After fumbling around at Ginko’s direction Souya manages to pilot the Catmech to victory over Psychic Fireman and retrieves a vial of star-shaped dust that is the “source of his power”. At which point I’m lead to believe that Souya recovered his memories because he shouts at Firefighter to tell his friends that Souya is going to kick their collective asses. This is presumably because he believes them to be behind his ptsdream.

After the credits roll we see a scene where a guy I can only describe a scruffy Alder from Pokemon Gen 5 says ominously that Firefighter dude had been taken out.

So, before even watching episode two I can already hands-down predict that this guy is the Draconic asshole from Souya’s ptsdream. Not sure how everything fits together but my working theory is that Souya’s from another planet that Earth governments or some shadowy organization somehow invaded and stole something from. Souya is a sleeper agent and the “Peas” balloon things are meant to lure out those in possession of the Stolen Macguffin or whatever.

There we have Episode One. Please excuse me now while I go watch Episode Two. Well... I mean you can just keep reading by the time this goes up but... BRB!

[Approximately 30min later]

Well my theory from about two paragraphs ago is up in smoke as soon as the opening scenes of this episode roll in and further dashed upon the rocks by Ginko later in the episode. All things in their proper order.

So Torai (That’s firefighter-guy’s name btw) makes his report to dragon-man about his encounter with Soya and company. The other six Psychic warriors all make jabs at him as though he died even when he’s sitting right there in an example of a gag that is legit funny unlike Tara’s name from last episode. While we’re talking about the exposition meeting may I just say that I feel BETRAYED!

See Dragon CEO guy is as nerdy as I AM! He’s the one who found out that the enemy force is called Nebula. He called the giant abominations “Nebula Weapons” gives Soya and Company the name Nebula Soldiers, and what does he call the Psychic Golems his crew uses to fight? Psychokinetic Mega-God Photon Armor. If I didn’t know better I’d think my pops made him from the same mold as me no less. Oh, and their little world-saving club? It’s the Citizens' Safety Center Special Defense Section: "Grand Paladin". I’m in tears, people, this is a Draconid after my own heart.

So, the “Grand Paladin” peeps implement the buddy system in case they run into Soya again. Meanwhile Soya’s having a sulk because apparently Ginko and “Sensei” dragged him to Earth to be their soldier. He goes out on a walk in Iron Clogs (I’m guessing this is a joke I’m not getting). On the run he meets up with Torai who just happens to have purchased a bunch of meat buns from a convenience store. They have a conversation because Torai is a nice guy (that’s a legit nice guy not the version that’s been turned into a derogatory term by certain groups online). See Torai, while out looking for his attacker couldn’t help noticing what he thought was a middle-schooler sitting on a random bench crying and came over to see if there was anything he could do to help.

He gives Soya a bun they chat for a bit with Soya desperately trying both not to give away who he really is as well as to eat the bun because dammit he just wants some MEAT for once! All of a sudden the evacuation alarm is sounded because this wonderful abomination has appeared off shore.

Nebula really needs to consult a different artist about their designs. I personally recommend @dashfox1artwork. 

Robin: Shamelessly plugging your internet friends are we dragon-boy? 

Fic: If you’re not going to show up and fight keep your mouth shut Shadow-bear. I’m just doing my part to show that not all Dragons are assholes. Robin: Whatever you say.

So, the six remaining Psycho-God pilots attack the Ugly Bacon Idol and the pink-haired girl of the team, Miu, is the one to enter the core. The hallucination she sees is of her beating her friend Harumi (Pilot of the Bear-armor) at apparently a Judo competition. We find out that Miu has always just wanted to be strong, and we also learn that she IS strong being able to break through the illusion of the Nebula Weapon with relative ease and destroy the thing. It’s at this point that I should mention that a message has flashed before each of the characters who take one of these things out. In Miu’s case the message was “It’s okay to be weak”. For Torai in episode one the message was “I forgive you” presumably preying on his regrets about his mom.

After Piggy McHideous is dispatched the group separates into its pairs and as we expected Soya and Co target the pair with a member who just fought a battle, but let’s back up for a second because there’s some exposition from Ginko during the fight with the Baconator that needs addressing.

She reveals to Soya that Nebula is indeed the name of the group they work for, but there are multiple faction. Ginko and “Sensei” are with the “Pacifist Faction” whereas the Monuments to terrible design sense that have been popping up in the harbor belong to the “Sealing Faction”. Basically think of this as political parties. One wants to prevent humanity from rising up against them one day by brutally suppressing their ability to advance and keep them in a state of complacency, while the other just wants to take away any dangerous toys that humanity might come up with and hope that they can “guide” humanity onto the path of “Love” rather than “Power”.

Hmmm one group bent on maintaining their personal status quo at the cost of anyone else and another that wants to control precisely what power the general populace has access to in order to “guide” them on the “right path”? I wonder where I’ve heard that one before?

Sorry about that. The Writer is coming through me a little strongly there. Point is that Ginko is using Soya to enact social and ideological control... I MEAN to take away the magical stardust that allows the Psycho-God Pilots to do their thing... yeah. Back to the proper progress of the episode: Soya once again pilots his cat-mecha-sensei to fight against Miu and Harumi. It is a pretty fun fight, but all things must go as has been foretold. So after being on the ropes for most of the conflict Soya turns everything around at the last second with a miracle uppercut against the Bunny-god armor. As Miu is falling back to Earth Ginko appears and grabs the stardust vial away from her. Apparently Ginko can just Mary Poppins herself to wherever she pleases? They all land and Ginko’s like “That’s all for today”, but Soya’s having none of it. He’s ready to take the fight to Bear-mech too when all the other Psycho-Pilots show up including CEO Dragonface to say “Checkmate”, and that’s where our story concludes for now.

Y’know I’m coming more and more around to the opinion that we should be routing for “Grand Paladin” here rather than the lady influencing Soya or the massive, faceless organization that wants to turn us all into Proles from 1984. I mean, yeah, they do have the snake-eyed dude. They meet in what appears to be some sort of board room, and the writing seems to indicate that they’re the “Antagonists” if not the villains, but so far they don’t seem to be anything but a collection of well-intentioned if somewhat zany people. Even the big CEO-type with the intimidating presence, as was discussed earlier, is a lovable and hammy goofball. 

I love any series that makes its antagonists human. Granted cartoonish villainy and even edgelordiness has its place in stories, but when you can make your antagonists and especially your villains feel human and relatable it just rings home that nobody is the villain in their own story. Everyone has reasons for what they do. They may not have excuses or justifications, but they all have reasons.

For instance, I have a reason for breaking my own rules here by reading my political views into the story.

[pauses for dramatic effect]

Yes, yes I’m sure you’re all very shocked at this revelation. I mean I was so subtle about it (/s). My reason is that when I went back and really thought about what the “Sealing” and “Pacifist” factions of Nebula stood for I (and this is really the nerd behind The Nerd speaking) couldn’t help but see parallels to some of the more distasteful extremes of Conservative and Liberal politics at work. Both sides seek to impose their morality upon others. While one does so by attempting to keep people complacent with the status quo, the other does it by appealing to the rebellious nature inherent in people and channeling it into “causes”.They use guilt and peer pressure to convince people that their way of thinking is correct and I absolutely cannot stand seeing it happen. Especially when they prey upon others using causes that need legitimate champions! 

The goals of the “Pacifist” faction are arguably “good”. They are part of a group that has watched humanity evolve and they only want the best for us. They “keep their involvement to a minimum”, but at the end of the day they’re doing the same thing that the “Sealing” faction is doing. They’re enforcing their own will on humanity by taking away humanity’s means to fight against them, or anyone for that matter.

In the anime this is likely because the “Pacifist” faction is short-sighted and hasn’t stopped to consider what will happen to humanity when they take away the only weapon they have against the “Sealing” faction, but in reality? In reality groups like the “Pacifist” Faction either are themselves or contain an element that wants the people they’re disarming to become reliant upon them for what they need. They take away that person’s own weapons and replace them with their own. They dictate the rules of battle and push you to come to them for aid and defense. They accrue personal power and influence at the cost of their followers’ freedom of thought.

These are important things to think about and be on the lookout for, and it’s an issue that is very prevalent in my own life and dealings online. So those are my reasons for why I read political allegory into the factions of Planet With. Now am I justified for doing this when I so often decry others for “reading shit that isn’t there into stories”? No, of course I’m not. Or rather I’m not justified using that argument against people who dropped a show as a result of what they read into it. 

I’m not going to lie. I’m inexperienced with expressing views on creative work online, and am overly sensitive to certain things. I’m just as flawed as anybody else. It’s hard for me to understand when people see “bullshit” in something that I didn’t see. It’s hard for me to accept some one calling a show (particularly one I like) “Garbage” when really it’s just not clicking with them. I know that I’ve been guilty of calling a show “Garbage” in my time, but it’s a term I hope to avoid moving forward. I want to live up to my professed belief that there is good to be found in all fiction, even the “bad” fiction. Part of that is accepting the responsibility I tell others they need to accept. To practice what I preach.

If I’m determined that the Audience has just as important a role in creating art as the Authors then I need to learn to accept the interpretations of my fellow audience members, and to feel free to express my own interpretations of things.

[stops to take a break and slide back into character]

Wow... That ended up being a lot heavier than I imagined. What a way to kick off the summer season! There’s more to come but for now I need a break, and the writer could probably use a nap.

Until next post keep talking fiction, friends! I’ll see you soon

[tpayne-legendary]

Episode 802. I still think Jesus was wrong! Mercy with the saviours?No. Kill them all! No mercy! You like Jesus and it's fine by me!! But Tara is right. ;)

Hi there!

Thanks for writing me. btw. I’m not a native English speaker. So my text can contain a lot of grammatical errors. Please bear with me. ^^

No, she isn’t right. Her motive is nothing more than senseless revenge. [Tara herself said it is for revenge] To kill all Saviors without mercy…really? Tara was a Governor-soldier! She stood next to the Governor as he beheaded Herschel. And she did nothing about that! Sure, she herself didn’t shot a single bullet at the prison. But she was part of the assault at the prison, where the most people, also children, were killed. She is as guilty as every Saviors. So; No! Tara is not entitled to take revenge on the Saviors!

Not every Savior is evil or a killer! Most of them are fighting because they have to! And they fight so that their families can remain in Negan’s “sanctuary”. Others Saviors were abused, beaten and/or humiliated. Negan broke them. When you don’t follow his rules or you try to escape, you gets horribly punished or killed. And that in front of everyone. We saw this already in different episodes. And I think we will see this again later, if a Savior doubt Negan or don’t want to fight! The Savior who surrendered to Jesus as he attempted to flee the satellite outpost with the remaining Saviors, with the name Dillon, said: “Living sounds good to me.” And he encourages his fellow Saviors to surrender as well.

And now let me quote Greg Nicotero: “Traditionally, the way The Walking Dead works is we kind of set up our first half of the season to lead us into this second half,” Nicotero said. “Usually the second half of the season kind of shoots us off into space, so when we lay these little seeds and as things start to germinate, something that happens in episode two may not pay off until episode 13. I feel like this first half is going to feel like the second half of most of our seasons where we’re already kind of taking off and I think people are going to be blown away by it.”

The only thing what happened in episode two (beside the baby) and could pay off in episode 13 are the Saviors who surrendered to Jesus!

[MIC DROP]

[marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer]

MTVS Epic Rewatch #157

BTVS 6x08 Tabula Rasa

obligatory soundtrack to accompany your reading

Stray thoughts

1) Writing the follow-up act for OMWF couldn’t have been an easy feat, and yet the writers came up with one of the most memorable and quintessential Buffy episodes. OMWF was damn perfect, but we can hardly say it’s an episode that betokens the classic feel of the show. It was a Very Special Episode, and while at its core it had all the ingredients that make the show what it is (witty dialogue and one-liners, funny moments, character development, emotional resonance) I would hardly recommend it as the episode a new viewer should watch to get hooked on the show, you know? Tabula Rasa, on the other hand, is an A+ prototypical Buffy episode. There’s conflict between the characters, a memorable monster of the week (although he is only a plot device more than a key player in the narrative), an original gimmick, comic relief,  meta-jokes, plot advancement, good music, and a lot of tears. Like, A LOT. I love this episode!

2) The episode starts with Spike following Buffy around, as per usual, and asking her to have The Talk about The Kiss. It’s not every day that you make out with your former-number-one-enemy-turned-ally-turned-kind-of-friend-turned-confidant. Buffy chooses a very non-Buffy way to deal with the Spike-kissage: she dismisses the whole thing and downplays it. 

SPIKE: We kissed, Buffy.

BUFFY: So?

SPIKE: We... we kissed, you and me. All Gone With The Wind, with the rising music, and the rising ... music, and what was that, Buffy?

BUFFY: A spell?

SPIKE: Oh, don't get all prim and proper with me.I know what kind of girl you really are. Don't I.

BUFFY: What we did is done. But I will never kiss you, Spike. Never touch you ever, *ever* again.

I get that Buffy wasn’t really Buffy yet, but this is a really mild reaction compared to the last time she had kissed Spike...

If Buffy hadn’t enjoyed their kiss or if she hadn’t been considering giving it another shot, she would’ve had a much more visceral reaction to his questioning. (I can totally imagine her saying something like: “what we did is disgusting” or “I’m disgusted at myself”) Yet she chooses to not make a big deal of it, and only when Spike insists on pushing the issue she states that she will never kiss or touch him again. Which is what she thinks she has to say more than what she actually feels since at this point she’s still fighting her attraction towards Spike. 

3) 

I will never kiss you, Spike. Never touch you ever, ever again.

*literally one second later*

For whatever reason, she just can’t let him die, can she? 

4) BTVS is probably one of the few shows which can get away with having an actual shark play a loan shark. And how awesome is that?

And I absolutely love the fact that Teeth (that’s the shark’s name according to the script, btw) keeps calling Spike “Mr. Spike.” So very gentlemanly of him! 

5) One of favorite lines in the whole show, tbh:

SPIKE: I just need a little more time. SHARK DEMON: Time, time, time! Is what turns kittens into cats!

6) While Buffy is patrolling, the rest of the Scoobies are gathered at Xander’s discussing Buffy’s revelation that they had torn her out of heaven. This is an odd writing choice. Considering the weight of the revelation, as a viewer I was expecting to witness the actual moment in which the Scoobies and Buffy hash this out. It seemed like a pivotal moment in Buffy’s arc this season, yet it never came? My question is: did the writers purposefully chose not to write that key scene to continue driving a wedge between Buffy and her Scoobies and furthering the season’s plot of isolation, desolation, and self-destruction? or did they choose not to write it because it was too difficult a scene to write purely from a writing perspective? (did they chicken out?) 

7) Anywho, what they did write is the Scoobies trying to come to terms with what they’d done to their friend. And before I dissect the scene in point, let me take you back a few episodes to “Flooded”...

WILLOW: I brought her back! (...)  I did what I had to do. I did what nobody else could do. (...) I brought Buffy back into this world, and maybe the word you should be looking for is "congratulations." (...) I wasn't lucky. I was amazing. (...) The magicks I used are very powerful. I'm very powerful.

You see it, right? Willow is taking full responsibility for bringing Buffy back. There’s no doubt in her mind that she alone carried this out. 

Now let’s analyse Willow’s discourse after realizing she had actually done something wrong, she had unexpectedly failed. 

TARA: All we know is that... it was a good place and she was happy there. WILLOW: And we took her away from that. We wrecked it for her. XANDER: We didn't wreck. We didn't know. WILLOW: We didn't wanna know. We were so selfish. I was so selfish.

It’s very clear that she does not feel comfortable taking full responsibility for bringing Buffy back now that she knows it made her miserable. When she thought having brought Buffy back made her a hero, she really didn’t feel like sharing the accolades...

8) Even though we get to scene Tara confronting Willow about the spell she’d done to her, the moment for the confrontation feels like an odd choice. I mean, this is at the very least the day after the events in OMWF (it could even be more than that, for all we know...) So why didn’t Tara confront Willow before? Why did Tara go to bed with Willow and pretended she didn’t know what Willow had done? I can think of a couple of reasons (she felt sorry for Willow after they found out about Buffy; she still wasn’t comfortable confronting Willow and challenging her - and btw, if you’re not comfortable speaking your mind in front of your partner, that’s not a good sign... ) but I still would’ve liked for Tara to break things off with Willow immediately. 

WILLOW: I can fix it. I know a spell. (how thick was Willow, though? I mean, a spell was precisely what got all of them here! You can’t put out a fire with more fire! That’s not how things work!) 

TARA: No! No more spells.

WILLOW: Then what? This isn't something that's gonna be fixed by a video club. I know I messed up, okay, and... I wanna fix it. (FYI, you fix conflicts by talking and communicating and helping each other through stuff)

TARA: I can't believe that we are talking about this again. You know how powerful magic is, how dangerous. You could hurt someone, you... you could hurt yourself. (Still, she wasn’t saying what she was really thinking: “you hurt Buffy, you hurt me.”)

WILLOW: I know a spell that will make her forget she was ever in heaven.

TARA: God, what is wrong with you?! (...) Do you think I'm stupid? I know you used that spell on me.

WILLOW: Tara, I'm sorry, I... (again, Willow is surprised that she’d done something wrong and Tara was aware of what she’d done. She’s not sorry she did the spell, she’s sorry she got caught...)

TARA: Don't! Just ... don't. There's nothing you can say.

WILLOW: Tara, I didn't mean to...

TARA: To what? Violate my mind like that? How could you, Willow? How could you after what Glory did to me? (YES! CLAPPING SO HARD BECAUSE SHE FINALLY CALLED A SPADE A SPADE! WILLOW VIOLATED HER MIND AND STRIPPED HER OF HER CONSENT AND FREE WILL!)

WILLOW: Violate you? I... I didn't... mean anything like that, I just wanted us not to fight anymore. I love you. (you can do wrong things even if you mean well...) 

TARA: If you don't wanna fight, you don't fight. You don't use magic to make a fight disappear.

WILLOW: But I just wanted to make things better. Better for us.

TARA: But you don't get to decide what is better for us, Will. We're in a relationship, we are supposed to decide together. (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. BLESS YOU TARA.)

WILLOW: Okay. I'm... I realize I did it wrong. (you sit on a throne of lies!)

TARA: You did it the way you're doing everything. When things get rough, you ... you don't even consider the options. You just... you just do a spell. It's not good for you, Willow. And it's not what magic is for.

WILLOW:  But I... I just wanna help people. (this actually makes me sad, because that’s partly how it all started for Willow... “And I just realized that that's what I want to do. Fight evil, help people.” but at the same time there was always this underlying need to become powerful, to feel superior, to not to be seen as the meek, old-reliable-dog-geyser-person Willow...) 

TARA: Maybe that's how it started, but... you're helping yourself now, fixing things to your liking. Including me.

9) 

GILES: I have to (leave).

SAME.

I know I’ve said this probably a million times since I’ve started rewatching season 6, but I’m going to say it again because I still can’t understand Giles’ decision to leave. And not in a “I don’t like your decision but I get it.” Like, I literally can’t understand his reasoning here? Before finding out why Buffy was acting the way she was, I got it. But afterwards? NOT AT ALL. It doesn’t make any sense! And like, Buffy is spelling it out for him, practically begging him to stay, and he wouldn’t budge. I’m sorry, Giles, but you kind of sucked here.I repeat: you can do wrong things even when you mean well...

GILES: You have to be strong. I'm trying to- BUFFY: Trying to, to what? Desert me? Abandon me? Leave me all alone when I really need somebody? GILES: I don't want to leave- BUFFY: So don't. Please don't. I can't do this without you.

GILES: You can. That's why I'm going. As long as I stay you'll always turn to me if there's something comes up that you feel that you can't handle, and I'll step in because, because... Because I can't bear to see you suffer. (like, what is wrong with this scenario? considering Buffy was clearly suffering from depression, what is wrong with this scenario? what is wrong with lifting a burden from your child when they can’t bear it? what is wrong with being your child’s crutch when they can’t walk on their own because they’re suffering? this wasn’t about Buffy refusing to grow up, in which I case I would’ve understood and applauded Giles’s decision. this was about Buffy being ill, and needing him by her side to go through her illness. it just... it breaks my heart that the one person she needed the most deserted her... like, she could do it without him... she actually did it... but she didn’t want to do without him... )

BUFFY: Me too. Hate suffering. Had about as much of it as I can take. GILES: Believe me, I'm loathe to cause you more, but this... I've taught you all I can about being a slayer, and your mother taught you what you needed to know about life.  You... you're not gonna trust that until you're forced to stand alone. (like, she doesn’t need you as a watcher right now? that’s not what Giles was to her at all, they were way past slayer/watcher at this point, and it’s so thoughtless of him to portray their relationship in that way...) 

BUFFY: But why now? Now that you know where I've been, what I'm going through? (EXACTLY!!!!!!)

GILES: Now more than ever. The temptation to give up is gonna be overwhelming, and I can't let-

BUFFY: So I won't! No giving up. You can be here, and I can still be strong. (this is also very true. she would’ve probably been stronger because of him...)

GILES: Buffy, I've thought this over... and over. I believe it's the right thing to do.

BUFFY: You're wrong.

10) So, Willow’s promise not to use magic lasted about 12 hours? Like, she couldn’t even get dressed without using magic... but all she wanted was to help people, right? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...

11) And the only reason the spell went wrong? The same reason pretty much everything else Willow does backfires: overconfidence. She actually thinks she can do no wrong, so she becomes careless, and hence, things go wrong.

And again, putting out a fire with more fire... very smart...

WILLOW: For Buffy and Tara, this I char. Let Lethe's Bramble do its chore. Purge their minds of memories grim, of pains from recent slights and sins. When the fire goes out, when the crystal turns black, the spell will be cast. Tabula rasa, tabula rasa, tabula rasa.

12) An extremely telling sign of how bad Buffy is, is the fact that she doesn’t bother keeping it together in front of Dawn and sheltering her from her pain and suffering. She doesn’t sugarcoat how painful all of this is to her, and she doesn’t care that her little sister is there listening to every single word she says...

BUFFY: Sorry. Everybody's sorry. I know that you guys are just trying to help ... but it's just, it's too much. And, and I, I can't take it anymore. If you guys ... if you guys understood how it felt ... how it feels. It's like I'm dying, it-

See 6) above: this is the scene that the writers chose not to write. Here, we only saw the beginning of it. Then, everything else happens, and they never finish having this conversation.

13) I love how Giles wipes away his drool on Anya’s blouse...

14) ICONIC.

SPIKE: Oh, listen to Mary Poppins. He's got his crust all stiff and upper with that nancy-boy accent. You Englishmen are always so... Bloody hell! (Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks, oh God! I'm English! GILES: Welcome to the nancy tribe.

15) And then...

SPIKE: You don't suppose you and I... we're not related, are we?

ANYA: There is a ruggedly handsome resemblance.

GILES: And you do inspire a particular feeling of... familiarity and... disappointment. Older brother?

SPIKE: Father. Oh, god, how I must hate you.

GILES: What did I do?

SPIKE: There's always something, and what's with the trollop?

There’s not a word in this whole exchange that I don’t love. Giles’s “what did I do?” always cracks me up for some reason.

16) ICONIC II

SPIKE: 'Made with care for Randy.' Randy Giles? Why not just call me 'Horny Giles,' or 'Desperate for a Shag Giles'? I knew there was a reason I hated you! GILES: Randy's... a family name, undoubtedly.

(seriously, guys, I’m genuinely laughing as I write this thing and remember the scenes!)

17) And then there’s Buffy...

BUFFY:  I'll name me... Joan.  DAWN: Ugh! BUFFY: What? Did you just 'ugh' my name? DAWN: No! I just ... I mean, it's so blah. Joan? BUFFY: I like it. I feel like a Joan.

I love this for two reasons. First, there’s the surface level joke: there’s probably not a name less-Buffyesque than Joan. But then, there’s the underlying significance of Buffy choosing such an ordinary name as her identity. Joan is a “normal” name, and we all know Buffy is inclined to crave normalcy, probably now more than ever. A Joan wouldn’t be preoccupied with saving the world from the forces of darkness. A Joan wouldn’t have had monks tailor a sister for her. A Joan wouldn’t have died to save the world, gone to heaven and been brought back. At least, that’s probably not what a Joan’s life would be like in Buffy’s eyes, you know? (I can at least think of one Joan whose life was pretty similar to Buffy’s...) So I don’t think it’s haphazard that she chooses a name that can be so easily associated with normalcy. 

18) ICONIC III

19) Emma’s delivery here just kills me...

BUFFY: To slay someone? A female someone! Who do those jerks think they are? ANYA: Bloodsuckers. They kill by sucking blood. Take it easy, Joan.

20) I love that even when she’s stripped off of her slayer memories, Buffy’s slayer instincts still kick in...

tag yourself in this episode: I’m Xander.

21) ICONIC IV

22) I like Joan’s reactions when she realizes Spike’s a vampire because it reminds me of Buffy’s reaction when she first found out Angel was a vampire. Idk, it’s a cool parallel because Joan is basically Buffy with her innocence and awe at the world intact in a way. 

23) 

I really, really love this. They don’t remember their names, but they know they’re gay and they’re instinctually attracted to each other. Again, it’s very reminiscent of the first time they had to run away from monsters in Hush and how they touched and you could feel the sparks flying immediately. 

24) Anya still remembers: 

A) her love of money.

ANYA: I'm not leaving the shop. I have to protect the cash register, and... do some spells.

B) her fear of bunnies.

25) ICONIC V

BUFFY: I kill your kind. SPIKE: And I bite yours. So how come I don't wanna bite you? And why am I fightin' other vampires? I must be a noble vampire. A good guy. On a mission of redemption. I help the hopeless. I'm a vampire with a soul.

Like, all the shade thrown at Angel in these few lines, I love it! “A noble vampire on a mission of redemption. I HELP THE HOPELESS.” And Buffy officially called him lame hahahaha

26) Spike is pretty much the same old delusional Spike...

SPIKE: I'm a hero really. I mean, to be cast such an ugly lot in life and then to rise above it. To seek out better, nobler things. It's inspirational, isn't it? And the two of us... natural enemies, thrown together to stand against the forces of darkness. Utter trust. No thought of me biting you, no thought of you staking me.

Buffy is having none of it, though, and I love it. Like, she can’t remember her own name, but she’s instinctually annoyed by Spike!

And of course she remembers how to do snappy comeback thing:

BUFFY: Depends on how long you keep on yapping.

27) 

28) And Buffy is as resourceful as always!

29) Anya and Giles were such a mess working together that it makes me wonder how they even managed to run the Magic shop together for such a long time. 

30) ICONIC VI

DAWN: How are you? WILLOW: A little confused. I mean, I'm ... all sweaty ... and trapped, no memory, hiding in a pipe from a vampire... And I think I'm kinda gay.

31) This makes me a little creeped out, but I gotta admit, Giles seems to be a great kisser, doesn’t he? 

32) OMG they were practically dry-humping!

33) Of course, all good things must come to an end...

34) It’s Buffy’s reaction that breaks my heart every single time because you can see how when the spell is broken every single painful memory rushes back to her and crushes her all over again. (and kudos to Sarah because she conveys all of that in one single facial expression)

One second she’s carefree, superhero, normal Joan, and then... she’s Buffy again. And I think she’s hurting worse than she was before? Because losing her memory and forgetting her pain and suffering and sorrows makes everything shittier for her because now she remembers what it feels like to be happy and carefree and unburdened and she can’t have it back. And all because of Willow’s selfishness and need to be the hero/puppeteer. 

I definitely think this made everything worse for Buffy. She can’t even bring herself to fight after getting her memories back? Before this, that’s all she had, her slaying. Even if she was going through the motions, she still had the will to do that. Now? Not so much.

35) After all the mob-like threats and the attacks and everything, Spike gets rids of the loan shark by... telling him he’ll pay him back? ‘Mkay...

36) Poor baby...

37) Of course, things get even sadder once Michelle Branch starts singing...

Of all the things I believe in I just want to get it over with Tears form behind my eyes But I do not cry Counting the days that past me byI've been searching deep down in my soul Words that I'm hearing are starting to get old Looks like I'm starting all over again The last three years were just pretend and I say

Goodbye to you Goodbye to everything I thought I knew You were the one I love The one thing that I tried to hold on to

I still get lost in your eyes And it seems like I can't live a day without you Closing my eyes till you chase my thoughts away To a place where I am blinded by the light but it's not rightGoodbye to you Goodbye to everything I thought I knew You were the one I love The one thing that I tried to hold on to

  Oh yeah It hurts to want everything & nothing at the same time I want what's yours and I want what's mine I want you but I'm not giving in this time

Goodbye to you Goodbye to everything I thought I knew You were the one I loved The one thing that I tried to hold on to The one thing that I tried to hold on to

Goodbye to you Goodbye to everything I thought I knew You were the one I love The one thing that I tried to hold on to

And when the stars fall I will lie awake You're my shooting star

[timeship]

Tara, if you're still doing name aesthetics? I love your icon btw 😄

Thank you!

Tara: white roses, big teddy bears, deep conversations with friends, homemade aged paper, coffee liqueur, maple syrup dripping from pancakes, pumpkin spice scented candles.

really nice blog btw +f

name aesthetics!

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Daryl = Fire, Beth = Water

Morning Everybody! So with only a couple of days to go before the S8 Premiere (I'm totally staying cool over here.)

So the amazing @wdway has done it again. She came up with such an amazing insight this last week. In many ways, it's super-obvious and I don't know why no one has realized it before. But she's just a genius that way.

So we were talking about some of the S8 promo pics. They're the ones that have many of the characters in side profile and there are embers blowing around them.

I'm sure many people have tried to relate these to Beth both because we saw fire around her and Daryl in Still and because of Norman's famous analogy about her being Daryl's flame that burnt out.

I thought the same. Then @wdway said something really profound. She said, "I think Beth's symbol is actually more water than fire."

That makes so much sense! We've always equated Beth with fire because of Still. I think it was a fairly good assumption given…everything. But it was also kind of wrong.

Think of it this way. While both Beth and Daryl were working through emotional issues at the moonshine shack, and it WAS her idea to burn it down (another reason we equated her with the fire), the burning down of the shack was more about Daryl than it was about Beth. HE was the one who grew up in a place like that, not her. And they started the fire right after they talked about him staying who he is, not who he was. Getting away from his horrible past.

Since then, we've seen Daryl equated with fire a lot. And I think each time, it represents the same thing it represented in Still: him burning down his problems and leaving them behind so he can move forward. 

Examples of Why Daryl = Fire:

He blew up the saviors in 6x09 

He set the lake afire in Alexandria to get rid of the walker horde. Both of those were physical obstacles rather than emotional, but still. Daryl burnt them down.

We can even trace this to his childhood. As he told Carl in season 3 (just before finding Carol who was presumed dead, I might add) his mother died in a house fire in which she kinda burned herself down. She was consumed in it when Daryl was a small child.

Even the matches Sherry left him to escape the Sanctuary make more sense in light of this. Obviously tptb didn't want him to burn down the Sanctuary at that point in the story. They have other plans for it. But they still symbolically showed him using fire to move forward and work through his problems. (The imprisonment of the Sanctuary, in that case.)

Then there's the ashes. Ashes are what's left after the fire has burnt. Ashes are one of the most pure substances on earth because they've just been purified with fire. They're also the substance the phoenix rises from. Remember Daryl's, "we ain't ashes." That was before he lost Beth. Before he endured his trial-by-fire, as it were.

Now, understand I’m not saying that Beth won't use fire to…you know…escape places. I totally think she will. But thus far, we've seen Daryl equated with fire far more than her.

Let's talk examples of why Beth = water.

We saw water bottles around her in Still.

All the water/boat/Oceanside symbols we've equated with her. I don’t want to list them all. There’s been like a billion. Each time I've seen or pointed one out, I've simply thought it was a foreshadow of Oceanside. And I'm sure they all are. But it's deeper than that. Her SYMBOL is actually water, which is why Oceanside happens to be so fitting.

And it also works REALLY well with Beth and Daryl because they complement each other so well. Beth's water can douse his fire and make him more civil. (Like when he wanted to cover Len’s body with a tarp, for example.) Daryl's fire (him teaching her to survive and his determination to keep people alive, like Judith in S3) stokes her determination to survive.

It's all about balance. Beth is the water that balances Daryl. Without her, he could be consumed (*Consumed*) by his flames. We see him going off the rails without her. Such as when he decided to get revenge for Denise in 6b, which just led to more trouble and heartache. Glenn, Michonne and Rosita couldn't talk him out of that. Beth would have been able to, which is tragic in itself.

Norman has said that Daryl will go rogue in S8. We don't know what that means exactly, but it doesn't sound good. I think Daryl will be in the darkest place we've ever seen in him in S8, close to being consumed by his flames. Which will also mean that Carol's line to him in Consumed about how "everything now just consumes you," was a foreshadow for Daryl's future arc, after losing Beth.

So once @wdway and I started talking about this, we both totally geeked out and couldn't stop coming up with examples. I mean, once you realize this, the evidence just starts coming out of your ears. Check it out:

Christian symbolism has its roots in water. There's baptism, which is symbolic of death and resurrection by water. Several of Christ's miracles included water, such as turning water into wine (*coughs moonshine*), walking on the ocean, and calming the stormy sea.

With that last one, I can't help but think of this from S4:

In this scene, Hershel holds up a mug that says, "Java saves," which is also a (funny) Jesus reference.

@wdway also pointed out that after this, Hershel goes out into the woods to gather berries to make tea for those sick with the virus. Granted, he makes tea, not wine, but still. Berries and grapes are used to make wine. And Beth gathered grapes in Inmates. I've always wondered about the grapes because we really don't see them again. They're not a recurring symbol like strawberries for Beth, or pomegranates for Carol. We just saw them the one time. But grapes were used to make wine, so you can see how that might tie in. A couple episodes after gathering grapes, she and Daryl were drinking moonshine.

(And btw, the scene where Hershel gathers the buries includes a female walker with her leg caught in a bear trap. Just saying.)

We also talked about how this relates to the title of Still. Most people think Still is so named because of the moonshine still, and they're right. But it's more than that. There are three possible uses of the word "still." 

It can be a noun, as in, the moonshine still. 

It can mean, "continuing." As in, "we're still here." And even though neither Beth or Daryl say that in Still, it's a very heavy theme afterwards. Carol says it to Daryl. Beth says it to Carol (a variation) at Grady. Carol says a variation of it to Mary at Terminus. And Michonne has said it to Rick several times in S7. 

The final definition of still is the opposite of motion. In other words, calm, or peace. I know this doesn't sound like it has anything to with water, but we were talking about Christ calming the sea. ("Peace, be still.") And I sincerely believe part of the reason for that title is that Beth brought Daryl peace. In a lifetime of fire, she calmed his flames.

And, now that I'm thinking about it… This is kinda twisted, but Creepy Wolf Dude said, "be still," to his victims before killing them. It always jumped out at me because of the title of 4x12. Leave it to TWD to give a Christian reference to a murderous villain, but they're still using biblical references. So the wolves are using Christian dialogue that has to do with water. And Beth's symbol = water. See why I think Beth and the wolves are still a thing?

In the show, we see fire extinguishers around Beth in Still especially. Apparently we also see a lot of hydrants around Daryl. (Not something I've ever paid attention to, but if others have seen them, it's definitely a thing.) To see the water around Daryl suggests Beth is always with him.

Then there's the fire truck. I've always known the fire truck was a purposeful symbol. I mean, that's a very conscious choice for the writers. I always figured it was because it's red, and I've related the water in it to Oceanside before. But what do you know? It's more than that. Fire trucks are specifically called to put out fires, aren't they?

It's also interesting that the fire truck ties Maggie, Rosita, and especially EUGENE, who's now at the Sanctuary, to Beth's story. (Remember, it disappeared along with Beth after Coda.)

Let's see, what else? Oh, we talked about the miracles of the bread and fishes, which happened by the sea. Christ blessed the fish and fed the multitude with very little. Tara ate fish by the Ocean.

Some other examples of Bethyl = Fire and Water.

I especially love this in light of Daryl starting the lake on fire at Alexandria. It was fire and water working together to defeat walkers and save TF and their home.

@wdway even points to the trailer for S8. We see a lot of fire and explosions around Daryl in the trailer. And what does he do before starting those fires? Drinks water. Kinda like he needs a little bit of Beth/water protection before he blows shit up.

And this is interesting because of discussion I had after the trailer came out. I can't remember who it was with (probably someone in my FB group) but it was suggested that maybe he's not drinking water. It kind of looks like a flask, so they wondered if he was drinking moonshine.

Even back then, I didn't think that was likely. We saw both Beth and Daryl refuse alcohol from other people when they were apart. I think it's kind of a theme that they only drink together. 

So symbolically, I doubt he'd be drinking moonshine here. Plus, Daryl is really responsible about his drinking, as we saw in Still. ("Someone's gotta stand watch.") So I doubt he'd get drunk before getting on a motorcycle and having aim at stuff with a gun to start fires.

But it's just kind of interesting because obviously things are seeing Beth symbols in the trailer.

Another thing that's super interesting in light of this is Arsonist's Lullaby. I love that song. It's so haunting! And it's interesting because when it's played in 6b, we don't see much of Daryl. It focuses on Morgan, Michonne, and Rick. But we do also see Tara and Heath, which is also interesting.

Anyway, the song says things like, "All you have is your fire." And "Don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash." It also talks about the flames of childhood. It personifies Daryl more than just about anyone. Beth helps him keep his demons on a leash. Without her, they kinda run wild.

I could probably go on for hours, but I won't. The last thing I want to mention is Them. Pivotal Beth episode, when the music box woke up, yeah?

Notice how that whole episode was all about TF not having water. We even saw a dry river bed, and Abraham drinking booze rather than water. No water = no Beth. Then, when the storm came (also felling trees, btw), the music box woke up.

@wdway asked me about Aaron. He also brought TF water. The thing is, he's a big proxy for Beth in 5b. He talks about there being "good people," he deals with Daryl's surliness, where others won't. He spends a lot of time one on one with Daryl in the woods. He's the friend Daryl needed after losing Beth. And he brings TF water.

Okay, I'm gonna stop now. I know this is very sprawling. I actually do have more to say, but I’m going to give one other thing we talked about its own post. This is long enough as it is.

As I said, me and @wdway kind went wild with it. We couldn’t help ourselves. Not sorry, tho. ;D