#This episode further cemented their dynamic to me

[acaptainbyanyothername]

Midst spoilers for S3 E16: Trustfall

This is sort of just a jumble of my own interpretation of Phineas and Jonas’ dynamic (which is definitely influenced by my being aspec and having a strange understanding of romance) but I honestly don’t think the kiss complicates their relationship any more than it already is complicated. I feel like their overall dynamic would have been relatively unchanged if they hugged in that moment instead of kissed. Phineas said it best— they’re each others’ person. They both made atrocious mistakes and fucked each other up, but at the end of the day they love each other. When going into this episode, I had no idea if they were going to kiss or not (I knew both were possibilies, but didn’t know the direction it was going to take). But I knew based on their respective arcs and views of each other they were going to plan their futures in conjunction. They were always going to be the most important person to each other. They just so happen to be similar-aged and both attracted to each other, so they used a kiss to demonstrate that to each other instead of other methods of affection. I think trying to wrestle them into typical “romantic” or “platonic” boundaries will always fundamentally miss an aspect of their dynamic. They both fucked each other up, but they want to work through it and plan a path forward. They are the most important person to each other, and they demonstrated in multiple ways througout they episode, one of them being a kiss.

[jennycalendar]

their dynamic this episode is feeding me. he is so mad that he's going to fall in love with this woman and he is literally powerless to stop it. like he cannot at all talk his own way out of this! every time he meets her it further cements his doom and he is so ANGERY about it and it's so STUPID because WE ALL KNOW HOW THIS ENDS

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Ep. 13 "Into the Breach" Review

This was another fantastic episode that packs so much into its 25 minute runtime. Seriously, the finale better be like an hour. I feel like there's so much we have to address, yet so little time. My faith in you doesn't waver Jennifer; you've guided us through thick and thin. I will say that Rampart is surprisingly a really fun character to revisit and I enjoy watching him interact with the Batch. This man doesn't learn, but he's funny now so I give him kudos for entertainment purposes. I loved the dark atmosphere as the finale draws nearer and near. This is the end of the Bad Batch. We know it and they know it.

As usual, spoilers below:

MAMA ECHO RETURNS!!! After so long, he graces us with his appearance and he serves. I loved everything from his action sequences to his sass. Watching him sneak around the Imperial ship, rolling off of crates and working his magic was awesome to watch. That's why he's the Arc Trooper. And boy was he funny too. If it were possible, Rampart would've definitely be set on fire. Between being told he was being demoted to being denied the title of "sir," Rampart was demolished by Echo. It's just so good to see Echo again. I love him so much for his kind heart, quips, and awesome action sequences. The writers delivered!

Rampart, Rampart, Rampart... what will we do with you? He certainly hasn't changed and probably never will. But honestly, I kinda hope he doesn't. Sometimes, people are just aholes who do the right things for the wrong reasons. Rampart provides an interesting moral perspective. And he's still hot. Seeing him cleaned up in the uniform didn't help either. I'm a simple woman guys. He's also hilarious and I love it. Rampart's ego is so big that he unintentionally comes across as whiny and comical. Going forward, I seriously wonder what they'll do with him because he's going to Tantiss. Will he get dropped off? Sell the Batch out? Die in the battle that is to come? Next week will tell. I'm glad he was brought back though. He did his job as a villain well. Now, we get to see him in different situations and it's fun.

Omega, my sweet bean, hang in there. This episode does so well in establishing just how much she's grown over the past few seasons. Omega's always been resourceful and clever. Seeing her scheme to escape the Vault was exciting. You can also see the influence her brothers, particularly Hunter, have had on her. Omega's become more confident and mature. She's a leader in every sense of the word. The other kids look to her for guidance as she plans an escape. I also want to give the other kids a huge hug; I can't imagine what it must be like for them. It's one of the darkest things we've ever seen in Star Wars. Also, Emerie and Scalder rivalry definitely is gonna end with Emerie's true motivations being discovered. Scalder's not gonna let her allow Omega to slip away.

And seeing the boys strip their armor of all their color... that was legitimately heartbreaking to watch. I see it as a symbol of finality. There is no going back once they get to Tantiss. Hunter's "negative" just cements that. The last 5 minutes of the episode were so tense as the boys hitched a ride. As a my discord friend put it, "all roads lead to Tantiss."

There were a lot of smaller moments I enjoyed too. Wrecker was pretty funny this episode. Crosshair and Hunter voicing their trust in Echo was sweet. It furthers just how much the Batch truly trust and know each other. It's that implicit trust that makes me love their dynamic so much.

Anyways, that's all for now. We're truly in the endgame guys. After so long, we've finally made it to Tantiss. All that's left is to get Omega, the children, and escape which is so much easier said than done. I'm so scared yet excited for what's to come. See y'all next week!

[airenyah]

#“they are unlike you and Star” oh. ooooh. #gotta be honest with y'all #till this scene I was afraid they were going to feel somewhat forced #as it tends to happen when two characters that were rejected are put together for the sake of not ending up alone #but from what we were able to catch from them this episode‚ the attraction they feel for each other is not a sudden‚ new development #but rather a feeling that has been there for some time and they just... didn't want to look into? #because they thought they wouldn't match well together #or the other would never see them like that #but now that they're allowing themselves to really consider the possibility... they can admit it makes sense? #and the other seems to agree?? #this person they thought they didn't have a chance with... might like them back? #that's an interesting twist #and them slowly realizing how much they like each other‚ and would like the other to like them back‚ is kind of endearing too #I appreciate how their feelings about each other have nothing to do with Star‚ even though they are in love with her as well #this conversation by the pool was good at cementing all this #now we just gotta see what they're gonna do about it #(keeping in mind that their previous preferred response to these supposed feelings was doing Nothing Whatsoever. so this might take a while)

hey @braceletofteeth, i saw your tags on my gifs and kinda wanted to add onto them, if you don't mind <3

honestly, before the series started airing i kind of just assumed that dunk and lookjun would be paired up for this?? but then the series started airing and ivy was canonically gay for star and the friendship dynamic between ivy and white reminded me a lot of my own friendships with guys which are all very much and decidedly so platonic. so when i saw ivy and white together at first i had this moment of not wanting them to get together bc i was just so excited for some nice, platonic f/m friendship representation with no romantic feelings involved whatsoever, just like my own f/m friendships!!

but then ep6 happened and i just. i can't help but ship it anyway bc first of all, dunk somehow manages to have chemistry with every single one of his co-stars, so white could get with pretty much any of his friends and i would gladly thank the writers dfjkkjdfkjdf

and second of all, the more i think about it ivy and white actually make so much sense???? bc they've been constantly here for each other from the start. they bicker, and pretend to be annoyed by each other and that they can't stand each other but then when things get serious, they are immediately here for each other no questions asked and support each other. like when star turned down white in public, ivy went after white rather than star, comforted white when she could have easily checked on her bff and crush instead. or when ivy was going through some heartbreak bc of star, white was also here for her, listened to her, walked her home to make sure she was ok and offered her a shoulder to cry on when she wasn't. these two have been a team from the start and it only makes sense for them to end the series as an even more established team

and as we get further into the second half of the show i can't wait to watch the characters themselves to figure that out as well

[the-gayest-show]

Through the Looking Back Glass Thoughts/Analysis

I LOVED this episode. It was very endearing and honestly heartwarming (near the end that is) and overall one of my top episodes in the series!

First off, Sofia leaning on Cedric for help with homework is so fucking CUTE. Their dynamic makes me jump up for joy, and Sofia really trusts HIM to get the job done 🥺 Even when Cordelia appears and offers to help, Sofia is still adamant to only have Cedric do it 🥺🥺🥺🥺

It's a small detail, but I think Cedric's pose changes slightly when his sister is around? Like, he's got that hunch back pose that he had in earlier seasons when she's there, it's crazy. There's probably more screenshots I could gather on this but yeah.

The song that comes up in this scene.... mmmm art. Here's me ranting about it.

I think the saddest part of the episode is really seeing Cedric and Cordelia's past dynamic because I genuinely loved it? Like. When they hugged here it was so heartwarming. The nicknames (Cordy, Ceddy) were so cute as well, I guess when they don't use the nicknames in the beginning it's to show the deterioration of their relationship over time, and somewhere in the end of this episode, Cedric starts using the nickname Cordy again which really cements the mending of the relationship. (I did get taken off guard when Cordelia called him Ceddy in the flashback bc I've always associated it with Calista. Maybe Cordelia said it around Calista and she picked it up? IDK)

Cedric is also shown to be really good at magic here. Bro did a spell that was apparently "too advanced" or something? And let's not even begin to discuss the lore implication for WANDLESS MAGIC. BRO TRIED TO REVERSE A SPELL WITH HIS BARE HANDS. THIS MAKES ALREADY INTERESTING STF LORE MUCH MORE INTERESTING.

I find it so interesting that the incident (despite having no known cause at the time) was quite literally blamed on Cedric almost immediately and everyone went with it? Like Cordelia shouts "he ruined it" and no one questions this??? Not even Cedric fending for himself worked? Whoever said in a Tumblr post that this implies that Cedric was treated like some kind of bungler/looked down upon even before this is probably right. Because why else is it just normal for everyone to jump to this conclusion? His parents don't do SHIT about it, and I'm assuming that Goodwyn holds this grudge too (if eps like Mystic Meadows mean anything). Why are they holding onto this for so long? Literally I get holding a bit of resentment but everyone makes mistakes....

Idk this went off, but basically, oof living in your father's shadow was hard AF especially with one mistake people reference in your presence.

Despite this event happening over 30 years ago, it's still somehow the ONE thing people defined him for for years. This episode really further contextualizes his motivations for wanting to become king before season 4. Imagine being rejected from society for YEARS, being belittled and made fun of, people tearing you apart for a mistake you made when you were 9-10 YEARS OLD, it's crazy. 100% that took a toll on him, something you can see in this episode and literally most episodes. It's just really sad.

I'm glad that Sofia and Calista were able to help the both of them realize that it wasn't actually Cedric's fault (something Cordelia should've realized years ago, but seeing the event happen as it did was more a confirmation for Cedric than anything). Cordelia and Cedric forgiving each other was a bit too fast considering everything but I'm glad their relationship is mending.

Credit where credit is due, she sticks up for him after this and lets Cedric do his thing and lets him help Sofia without any ifs and buts, it's sweet.

Personally, I feel that Cedric and Cordelia probably still have a semi-strained relationship after this ep (your sister being the reason you were made fun of for years, and that reason wasn't even valid to begin with defo is not smth you can recover fast from in a 22 min episode)

Also, it's not hard to believe the circumstances wouldn't have changed if the incident were truly Cedric's fault, but Cordelia needed a wakeup call I guess, that works.

Want to mention King Roland for a second because dude. Why is your first reaction to blame Cedric (again), instead of the 2 other magic users in the room (ESPECIALLY THE CHILD. Look I'm a Calista fan thru and thru but logically the blame would be shifted there to an extent??)

King Roland I thought we were over with this since Day of the Sorcerers?? What happened to being NICER to Cedric and maybe NOT blaming him for every little thing? Idk that kinda pissed me off. The fact that Cordelia was the only thing stopping Roland from interrogating the guy... THIS BEHAVIOUR IS WHY CEDRIC TRIED TO TAKE OVER YOUR KINGDOM!!! ROLAND THE 2ND YOU IDIOT!!!

In conclusion, love me a character focused episode that develops a backstory as well as a slight resolution. 1000/10 would re-experience this again.

[felesrubrum]

im gonna roughly liveblog my thoughts on The Owl House i think because i don't want to watch the whole show and forget it!!!

ep1 - A Lying Witch and a Warden I liked it! Intriguing sense of world building and scale. I like Eda. I had a few moments of "why the FUCK does she sound so familiar" and it's bc she's Chichi from The Emperor's New Groove. I loved the 180 on King's crown, that was very cute. I also like Luz' attitude, even if she feels very Main Character. I really like the dynamic between all the characters.

ep2 - Witches before Wizards Cute! I love how Eda stuck up for Luz even though she technically doesn't like her (or acts like it). If I was in Luz' shoes I absolutely would not have fallen for that. ... ..... ....... unless I was between the ages of 5-17. Then I absolutely would have.

ep 3 - I Was A Teenage Abomination I really liked this one. I love Luz's dynamics with willow. I really understand Willow's attempts to force herself into a school of magic she doesn't jive with. (speaking as someone who went to uni for robotics... when i was always an artist :P) I like Amity as well. I already know about .. Amiluz? Lamity? But it's great to see how they started. Also lol at Luz getting banned from school.

ep 4 - The Intruder Ooo, classic stay-at-home episode. This one was fun and surprisingly thrilling. The animation of the intruder lurching around the corner after King was so good, the whole chase scene was very animated. I definitely called that it was Eda. I wonder how she got that way. I wonder who the person in her dream is. It was also so cute to see how Luz deals with magic and how she found her own way. I wonder how she's going to learn more spells if she needs to know the symbol that witches seem to instinctively know.

ep 5 - Covention This one was interesting. Why would you want to join a coven only to seal away all other forms of your magic? Given that, I totally understand the appeal of the Emperor's Coven. I also loved the reveal of Lilith. I think she may be the one who cursed Eda. I also wonder why the Emperor's Coven wants Eda specifically. It must be separate from her curse. Current theory is Lilith cursed Eda bc Eda was more powerful than her. I also really liked the interactions with Luz and Amity. Boy howdy, as an immigrant do I ever understand how hard fitting in is in a new community when you don't know the social structures or even any of the social norms.

ep 6 - Hooty's Moving Hassle Very cute. Standard rebel plot. I love that they accidentally animated the whole house. Makes me wonder if Willow is actually much, MUCH stronger than most other witches or whether Luz has some innate incredibly powerful magic. I don't think it's Gus but specifically I don't think he's the type of character who has a slumbering power type of deal. Also, love the episode title. I like Eda's side-plot as well. I respect forgetting to refill your meds till the absolute last second.

ep 7 - Lost in Language Okay i REALLY liked this one. My favorite so far. I love the dynamic between Amity's siblings and Luz. I also really like that Luz has this strong sense of justice (even if she's easily won over, like in ep 6). I love the little laugh Amity had toward the end. And I also really like the fact that Amity feels like a rounded character. I bet she very much plays up this snobby brat when she's at school bc she's the Emp Coven's protege.

ep 8 - Once Upon A Swap This one was also fun. Felt like a bit of a filler episode but seeing Luz deal with having basically unlimited magical power was fun.

ep 9 - Something Ventured Someone Framed I liked this one as well. Further cements my idea that Gus isn't some sleeper agent type character. I did like the 'human appreciation' thing, and the rivalry between Gus and the new kid. Didn't really like the faux apology but it does very much track. I'm also so proud of Eda for getting over her anger at the school and The Man so that she worked really hard to get Luz accepted into the school. Can't wait to see what Luz can learn there.

[y0noirs]

youve heard of “i have a new favorite buddy daddies episode” now get ready for “i have a new LEAST favorite buddy daddies episode” // buddy daddies ep 11 spoilers

as i was watching ep 11 the things i kept repeating as i watched were “WHAT?”, “????????”, “this is not fucking happening”, and “oh my fucking god”

needless to say i’m REALLY unsatisfied with the choice to kill misaki off ): i’m 100% not impressed at all whatsoever. i don’t think it was a good or sensible choice, even for the tragedy points. it left a bad taste in my mouth and it really sort of bothered me for the rest of the episode. there was nothing other than annoyance and dissatsifcation with the way she dropped dead.

is that the point? maybe. to which i say: that’s not cool, dude! i don’t think i will be satisfied with this result no matter what!

buddy daddies has had REALLY GOOD story beats so far. much of the writing, i was cool with! i really liked buddy daddies for the refreshing writing it had with this sort of concept. however, killing misaki off right after she had shown just how much she tried to change for miri, just how desperately she wanted to give miri everything, just how much she wanted to do for miri is so wasteful. not to mention, killing off a single mother who tried her best to change and did leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.

was she the most righteous character? no. you could even say that her attempt to change even after all the neglect she put miri through is a little tasteless. not a lot of people like her, and it makes sense because she didn’t treat her daughter all that well, only to come back for her. but she’s a much deeper character than the surface hypocrisy that she displays. she was dealt a terrible hand. she was unlucky and, while she may have perpetuated her unfortunate situation, there’s no changing that she is a victim. and not every victim plays out to be someone who can be admirable or likable. the point is, though, that despite everything, misaki proved that she wanted to be miri’s mother. and that she really did try her best to be a good mother towards the end.

(fuck i hate saying that! “towards the end” is so stupid!)

i, for one, actually really like misaki’s character. i don’t like what she’s done, but she’s a very well-written and complex character. she’s supposed to be this parallel to kazuki, which was clear from their confrontation in ep 3. that’s really neat IMO! the two of them contrasted each other well, especially with how they learned to be the best parent for the same child.

but killing her off? it just seemed like a waste. i don’t feel like there’s a way to justify that choice that will satisfy me. revenge will not make it any better for me, nor will some other choice. i have no idea what they’ll do for the last episode, but i don’t feel like the conclusion will be satisfying for misaki at all. i hope they prove me wrong, but i’m not particularly that hopeful.

would it have been hard to fit her into miri's life if kazuki and rei managed to fix everything? sure. it would've been hard, but it would've been worth it. miri's happiness includes her mother, too. especially her mother who tried her best despite the bad hand she was given. just 'cause it's hard doesn't mean it's wrong.

anyway, what else? that confrontation between kazuki and rei! if there’s anything to be satisfied with in this episode, it’s probably definitely that. the contrast between kazuki wanting to pull away from miri’s life to keep her safe vs rei wanting to continue their family was really great! it flipped their dynamic on its head!

i’m always here for rei growth, ok? the way the last few episodes were about rei’s growth (ep 8 + 9) was really good for what ep 11 did to cement that character growth! and seeing that resolve become what it is now - the determination to give miri the happiness she deserves for bringing warmth into his life - is really so good to me.

and kazuki’s complexity is shown further in here. he just watched misaki die (FML!), possibly even blaming himself for it. at this point he brought BOTH of miri’s biological parents to their deaths. that’s not something that someone as soft-hearted and family oriented as kazuki can take. from this point onward, he has to cut ties with miri so that he doesn’t take any other part of her - or worse, have her taken away from him. in his eyes, nothing has changed at all. he can’t do anything but bring misery to everyone around him, exactly as misaki had once told him. wow! ouch man!

but thankfully rei can convince him. rei, who is now determined to follow through with his resolve. rei who desperately wants to keep the warmth and happiness he’s been shown by this little family of theirs. he can’t achieve that warmth and happiness alone. kazuki was part of that happiness, so he’ll do his goddamned best to to convince him that they can change - for the child who brought that happiness into their lives.

there’s a thousand things i could say about their confrontation, but there’s so many other people who are also talking about it and i don’t want to rehash everything since i agree LOL but i just ... i really liked that flashback sequence, too. “we can change” and kazuki thinks about meeting yuzuko and losing her. he thinks about meeting miri. “this time, we’ll make miri happy” and he thinks about karin’s faith in him to make miri happy. yes you can, kazuki!!! yes you can!!!!!! because when has rei wanted something this badly before? if he’s by your side, if your efforts are combined, can’t you achieve that impossible dream??

it’s not bad for both of them to need each other. it’s not bad for all three of them to need each other. altogether, their little family makes all of them happy.

but mark my words, PAworks. i care more about miri’s happiness than you do GRAHH misaki’s alive in my canon ok

[thewickedbohemian]

Because holy crap did that So Help Me Todd ever need a debrief

Cool to see we didn't just have an episode with basically all sleuthing just happening to take place partially in the world of law but it basically went from 0 to film noir in no time a homage further intensified once I found out the episode's title ("Dial M For Margaret")

And I guess that's just another thing contributing to how this episode similarly to the S1 finale kinda had a shoe-on-the-other-foot-reinforcing-the-bond-between-them type plot (and just like that one had lawyer!Todd (which made some of fans want that to be his eventual path-he-ends-the-show-with after many seasons of detecting, I think if that happened it'd have to be at the very end to not lose their Librarian/Guardian-esque dual dynamic perhaps like how Bones ended with Hodgins becoming "king of the lab") this had "Margaret Wright P.I.", further cementing the kind of two-sides-of-a-coin thing you usually get with romantic soulmates in shows like this)

Speaking of mothers and children, my mom who I've mentioned I've been watching the show with noticed a connection I doubt even most older viewers would notice, that as two older-older female sisters with a yen for detecting the Lee sisters could have been a reference to the title characters of obscure-ish 70s detective show The Snoop Sisters

Dick Franks doesn't just feel like another dramatic foil to Todd (in this case the Dark Mirror kind of foil, y'know, a negative example of what our hero could be if he didn't have his team etc. and now I'm again comparing Todd to Flynn Carsen as didn't he have a character like that too) but like if the SHMT fandom was as big as I wish it was Dick is the metaphorical embodiment of what I think Todd's bad-fanon-characterization would be

But one good thing (other than helping save the day of course) he did provide was the second thing this season that could be taken as a hint towards Todd liking guys (the first was basically everything about Todd's undercover-internship for that TV weatherman), hmm....

First episode all season-so-far where no one was a fashion disaster, sure Margaret and Lyle were technically pattern mixing but Lyle's could barely be seen behind his sweater vest and both their combos (Margaret's top and coat (specifically that blue outfit) and Lyle's shirt and tie) were in the same relative color family. And even for what time she appeared Susan in particular was looking especially stylish (Todd's still my #1 crush on this show by a country mile but Susan might still be moving forward (just not anywhere near catching up) the more she continues to be the prettiest chick on here, so help me Todd why is everyone so attractive?!)

Tfw you're having to hold in wanting to yell at the TV "Margaret, stop fangirling over the decor"

I honestly wasn't expecting even the trailer for this episode as given the plot emphasis on when the continuance was to last episode I thought the Tuttle case would be a two-parter

[gayofthefae]

Something I just noticed between J*ncy and ElMike that weirdly made me feel more secure about J*ncy than Elmike:

Jonathan and Nancy’s arcs are not about each other. Neither of them. That plot is set up at the beginning and end of the season, with little nods here and there, but ultimately saved for season 5 (because season 5 is what you should end with resolution on, ending with supposed resolution on the penultimate season like ElMike did is already...odd). But Jonathan and Nancy’s arcs and plots are mutually not about one another. Nancy is bonding a lot with Robin and learning to have a friend again while Jonathan is becoming present enough to be there for Will again when he needs him.

But ElMike...their arcs are 1/2 about each other. Even L*max’s is fairly mutually focused on one another. So we have all and we have nothing. But one is addressed and paused and the other is being saved. With Mike and El, Mike had focus on El. El did not have focus on Mike. Like J*ncy, they had set up in the first couple of episodes and reference back to it in the end. THAT IS NOT  A RESOLUTION OF AN ARC. THAT IS A SET UP FOR A FUTURE SEASON. I would argue that El’s arc was about defying Papa, of course, and Mike’s was about getting to a point to say the words (be it guilt avoidant or not), but they did not have a relationship arc.

The thing is. Consistency is key here. Because making each other the focus of both or neither is consistent. But making only one think of the other while the other is distracted can either be unrequited buildup, like with Will, or, for an established relationship...simply lonely.

Making Mike’s plot to say “I love you” El while El’s was about the lab simply further cemented him feeling isolated in his relationship.

Mike feels alone and not enough in his relationship. This isn’t blaming El, it is simply true and what he has expressed. Not only that, but this storyline was written as an issue he went through without her. Mike feels alone and not enough in his relationship. And we did not see him work this out WITH her or have her make him feel like enough in compensation/validation. In fact, Will did both of these things. (Again, not blame, simply narrative commentary because they WROTE the dynamics that way).

J*ncy are on the same page. They have relationship issues but also have more urgent problems for a moment (even without knowing that it’s mutual, the narrative still makes a point to not show either isolated in this). L*max are on the same page. They are both working to resolve the - as I’m typing this I realize - ISOLATION that Max was going through on both ends (this was so healthy of them to take mutual responsibility like this: Max shouldn’t have hid so much but Lucas should have looked harder. Just *chef’s kiss*). But they are on the same page.

Any relationship story of established relationships that are endgame is represented as a story they can only have together. But not ElMike’s. El conveys her emotions to no response and then Mike works alone while El points her focuses elsewhere. Valid of all parties. But also written that way on purpose.

[adamworu]

Recently someone got the Blu-ray version of 3.333 and that has the storyboards of 3.333. Some patched up a few of those minutes here. There’s quite a few things that didn’t make it in the final cut and they go from heartwarming to subtly unsettling to downright terrifying. Some of the later scrapped concepts feel like a completely different beast. They’re way more on-brand with OG Eva! Because these feel more faithful to the original series in how they’re handled, some of the imagery shown below isn’t for the faint of heart.

(warning for body horror under the cut)

One of the most warm, most talked about moments from these storyboards is Kaworu and Shinji’s close moments together. These boards expound a bit more on these characters’ relationship dynamic. One of these has Kaworu and Shinji in a car together. 

It’s a warming scene with a slight tinge of foreboding knowing that these Evas were made for furthering Impacts during Shinji’s absence. Seeing this many Evas introduced in great numbers never fails to chill me to the bone. If you look closely, there’s even more Evas being stored (second picture: an Evangelion is actually being sent and loaded somewhere). Eva 3.33′s unnerving atmosphere has been cemented by noxious hellscapes caused by Third Impact. 

Kaworu’s DSS Choker appliance scene was handled a bit more differently.

In the final version of this scene, Kaworu takes the choker, in more accepting way. He alludes to Lilin’s fear of him as the reason for the device’s inception, but takes in upon himself to save lilinkind. Kaworu sheds that enigmatic front here, showing more emotional openness in these boards. There’s a deeper subtlety in this choker appliance board alone. Kaworu knows once again that he must play the martyr. There’s a sort of tiredness in his eyes from those many failed timelines. Those harmful cycles that were, will be again.

He’s tired of being the sacrificial lamb.

The scene with the spear retrieval treats us to some up close horrors (note the Rei).

Rei’s appearance in 3.33 was already unsettling enough (a large Rei with hollow, bleeding eye sockets), but the boards ramp that up with seeing Rei in various states of pain. Note the anguished Rei in the first of these pictures. 

Shinji’s absolutely writhing when Unit-13 impales itself via the twin spears. There’s something about the way in which Shinji aches here that vaguely reminds me of the psychological angel sequences of the original series. There’s a mix of fear and terror, accentuated with the character’s gruesome bodily contortion.

One of the biggest differences in these comparisons is the location of Unit-13 during the retrieval.

Buildings. The one toward the right is partially destroyed. Likely implying civilization or perhaps what’s left of it.

With each Impact that happens, the human population wanes more and more. Seeing these buildings after the mass casualty from Impacts is in and of itself something unsettling. The Evas from the Kaworu car scene make an appearance here as well. These armored beasts that have been conceived at the expense of humanity are amongst civilization. 

This also makes the outcome of the retrieval even more harrowing. 

We get another shot of a sad Kaworu in these storyboards, crying instead of smiling and uttering “We’ll meet again.” before the choker detonates. 

Kaworu comes back...but in spirit. He shows Shinji the very jarring aftermath....

3.333 actively crosses into up-close body horror territory and perhaps the most graphic of Kaworu’s wounds.  When Shinji is shown these wounds, he naturally recoils in nauseated, abject horror to the sight of the detonation. 

Kaworu is no stranger to gruesome deaths, and when we do see them, they’re far away, with the extent of the death being insinuated. Kaworu’s crushed and decapitated in episode 24 as well as Sadamoto’s manga. Kaworu’s demise goes from far to upfront and center, from the sickening to the downright visceral. Ode to Joy plays throughout, there’s no bittersweet song while the world slowly sinks to even more of a hellscape.

Kaworu’s spirit has more involvement here. In the final cut, he’s only shown when Shinji is ejected from Unit-13.  

Mari arrives, ready to open fire.

The ejection scene is a bit longer, too.

As Shinji is ejected from 13, he drifts from Kaworu briefly and Kaworu reaches out to him. There’s a sense of sadness that hits Shinji, that this may be the last time they may see each other again.

Mari opens fire and the shots find their mark. What’s left of Kaworu’s chest is a core shaped like a human heart.

These storyboards are a goldmine of scrapped content in Eva, traversing more into personal horror territory than the final version. 

Even though I wonder why these weren’t put in because they were on-brand with Eva, I can understand why these contents were scrapped from the version we saw. Eva often highlights the horrors of humanity: the series has already covered the personal horrors aspect. That’s probably why it’s darker, because the audience has gone through adolescent anxieties or the sometimes contemptible nature of humanity in a microcosm.

Rebuild horror is more environmental. We see red toxic landscapes because they were caused by Evangelion. It still borrows the concept of the sometimes contemptible, but it’s more quelled.  We not only need to be kind and empathetic to each other, but also to the world around us. If you hurt the environment, you hurt its people.

[theluckiestlb]

A notable trend I’ve observed within the fandom is the tendency to demonize Emilie and assert that she’s responsible for the current state of affairs.

I’ve seen others quickly jump to the conclusion that she in fact is the mastermind behind everything—with Gabriel simply acting as a pawn on her behalf.

It just doesn’t…sit right with me.

The theory seemingly removes Gabriel’s agency and culpability (to an extent). It minimizes the harm he inflicts on others and the abuse suffered by Adrien—which is supported textually and something we actively witness within the show. 

Based on Adrien’s account, there’s little evidence of Emilie’s involvement in parenting-related transgressions.

“But, Adrien was isolated and barred from society long before Emilie disappeared! She has to be responsible for it too!”

This is indeed true—but have you considered the possibility that she had no say in the matter? That she herself could have been just as much of a victim?

There is a lot of textual evidence to support this theory.

Firstly, Adrien’s personal statements and recollection of her character negate the idea. Through photographs we see the deep love Emilie had for her son. It’s safe to assume they had a close bond and spent a lot of time together.

There is one glaring absence in these memories and images—prior to Emilie’s death/terminal illness. One looming presence within the Agreste household. Silent, but authoritative. 

Gabriel.

And that’s…so weird. Such a scarce relationship with Adrien.

We see one official portrait of them as a collective in the dining room. The only instance where we see Gabriel and Adrien together is in a depressing painting hanging in the foyer—a true symbol of their relationship and its tone. 

This is what he chooses to present to the world. The painting’s large stature dominates the room and starkly contrasts the white sterile environment.

Emilie and Adrien share many similarities— Gabriel himself draws direct parallels between them in season one.

Adrien’s melodrama is very in character—but never in the presence of Gabriel. There would be repercussions, so he submits and acts passive. 

This is a clear example of gaslighting.

It also clues the audience into his treatment and disposition towards Emilie. He compares her to a child—one who bends over backwards to appease him in fear of backlash. In any case, it’s not language used to describe a partner one mutually respects and treats as an equal.

Later on in the episode, we see Gabriel dismiss Chat Noir when he is given orders to take shelter. 

This resolute statement has been supported throughout the show. Undoubtedly, it would be applicable to Emilie as well, which contradicts the notion that she puppeteers Gabriel in any capacity. 

It further proves that Gabriel has the final say in all decisions—parenting included—insinuating Emilie would not be capable of swaying the decision to isolate Adrien.

When Adrien tries to push back (as Chat Noir), Gabriel appears amused.

His reply is an obvious reference to Emilie and yet another parallel drawn between her and Adrien. It comes across as patronizing—she evidently tried in the past to push back and stand her ground. 

An effort in vain, as Gabriel ultimately takes orders from nobody. gaslight, gatekeep, girl boss

Kelly ( @buggachat ) juxtaposed Emilie and her twin sister as foils in a recent post—symbolically seen through color palettes—and furthermore through their children. 

Félix shares many attributes with his mother. She condones and encourages his manipulative behavior (namely stealing one of the Graham de Vanily heirloom rings). The writers purposely mirror and contrast them to Adrien and Emilie, which cements the pair’s similarities. 

anyway kelly please don’t take this as a callout or a dig I admire you a lot and the post was interesting ono;;;

The parallel between Amélie and Gabriel losing their spouses is also very telling—and seems more than incidental.

The show provides more contextual clues to Emilie’s past dynamic with Gabriel and her place within the family unit. According to the wiki, she not only starred in Solitude, but wrote the film as well. The title in french can also be translated as “isolation” and “loneliness”. 

Why would Emilie write a film about isolation and cast herself as the lead? 

This writers have been very purposeful with their stylistic choices throughout the show. I believe this was meant to convey the isolation Emilie experienced herself within the Agreste mansion—similar to that of her son. 

Gabriel has been shown to be possessive of his wife and son. The collection of paintings and statues dedicated to Emilie conveys the depth of his obsession—the man is willing to destroy an entire city and mess with the equilibrium of nature to revive her. 

Do you know who else has a dedicated gallery?

Intentionally or not, he objectifies both of them. Both serve as muses and beautiful accessories to be adorned.

So why does the fandom have the tendency to veer in the opposite direction?

There is a subset that often struggles with internalized misogyny (which is occasionally exacerbated by the show itself). I’ve seen Kagami, Chloé, and Lila draw more criticism than Gabriel at times—despite the former being teenagers and the latter being a manipulative grown adult/part-time domestic terrorist. 

Yes, the actions of characters should not be excused of course—but internal biases should be examined at a certain point. As a result, I believe this issue extends to Emilie as well—a character we very little know little of—but is heavily criticized nevertheless.

In summation, this is my meta analysis of her character based on the textual evidence provided by the show. The future outcome is still unclear, but it’s important to be mindful. 

[yurimother]

How 'She-Ra' Delivered on Queer Promises and Helped Revolutionized LGBTQ Representation

DreamWorks's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has already cemented its place among the short but rapidly growing list of children’s animated shows with impactful LGBTQ representation. Showrunner Noelle Stevenson made it a point to push and fight for more diverse characters in every aspect from race, to personality, to sexual and gender identity. However, the finale of the GLADD Award-nominated program delivered on a revolutionary promise built up throughout all five seasons and completed one of the greatest queer narratives ever seen in children’s media.

As She-Ra progressed, Stevenson became more encouraged and inspired to pressure executives to allow more and more explicit LGBTQ characters and relationships. While ever-present in the series, season one only featured a background couple, Spinnerella (Noelle Stevenson) and Netossa (Krystal Joy Brown), and of course, the famous dance sequence between Catra (AJ Michalka) and Adora (Aimee Carrero). While this amount of representation is comfortably leagues ahead of the vast majority of cartoons, the show only upped the ante and the amount of representation from there. Season 2 introduced viewers to George (Chris Jai Alex) and Lance (Regi Davis), Bow's fathers. The series presents them in a normalized fashion as a happy gay couple in love that built a family together. Jacob Tobia's non-binary Double Trouble featured heavily in season four, making them one of the first non-binary characters in children's animation and one of the first to holding an integral role in the show, a major step in representing such identities.

The many achievements and strides She-Ra in LGBTQ representation featured in She-Ra will doubtlessly affect other projects in the industry and help further programs walk a similar path. However, the greatest queer story inShe-Ra is the spectacular series-long arc exploring the relationship and dynamics between de facto antagonist Catra and protagonist Adora. The former friends, who grew up together in the ranks of the Horde, turn enemies at the start of the series after Adora gains the power of She-Ra and betrays Catra, joining the Rebellion.

Fans quickly began speculating on the nature of Adora and Catra's relationship during season one, mainly because of the Princess Prom dance scene. After the young women shared a charged and sinister dance, fans quickly began supporting and analyzing "Catradora." The next three seasons would gradually and gracefully define both characters' complicated feelings for each other. Initially, Catra attempts to rationalize Adora's leaving as a relief or else forces herself to appear apathetic towards it. She continuously uses the excuse that she is no longer living under Adora's shadow to gradually build up more power, rising through the ranks of the Horde while stepping on those who helped her.

While Catra's motivations are appropriately layered and complex, it becomes clear that she is attempting to win approval, to be less alone than she has felt since Adora abandoned her. She seeks others' approval, including her abusive maternal figure, Shadow Weaver (Lorraine Toussaint), and the cruel Hordak (Keston John). However, Catra does not realize until confronted by Double Trouble's gut-wrenching and emotionally resonating analysis of her psyche. They inform Catra that the reason she is alone and abandoned, she pushes others away. The realization that her problems and loneliness are by her own doing combine with her guilt for betraying her allies Scorpia (Lauren Ash) and Entrapta (Christine Woods), leads Catra to an emotional breakdown.

Thee fifth and final season of She-Ra opens with Catra still plagued by loneliness and self-doubt. She starts to form a bond with Prime's captor Glimmer (Karen Fukuhara), seeing her guilt reflected by Glimmer's regret for trying to use the Heart of Etheria's power. Eventually, Catra learns about Adora's impending rescue attempt and the villainous Prime's plants to capture her once she arrives. Ultimately, all the feelings and circumstances surrounding Catra clash together as she remembers a childhood promise that she and Adora would always be friends. The revelation that she loves Adora finally causes Catra to turn and do "one good thing," protect Adora. She frees Glimmer to prevent Adora from walking into Prime's trap; thus, Catra becomes the Horde's prisoner.

Adora's character arch is much less tragic than Catra. The "frenemies" clash multiple times throughout the early seasons with an ever-shifting dynamic that hints at their intricate relationship and confused romantic feelings. But, at the end of season three, Catra's reckless plan against Adora almost leads to Eternia's destruction. As Catra taunts and blames Adora for her suffering, Adora seemingly ends their conflicted relationship, noting that Catra's misdeeds are all her own, "You made your choice, now live with it."

In the final season, Adora has lost the powers of She-Ra. But, she continues to charge into battle headfirst, exposing herself and her tendencies to put other's wellbeing before her own. This tactic mirrors why Adora left Catra's side in the first place all the way back in the first season. She places more importance on duty and service to others than herself and her friend. Later, while Adora, Bow (Marcus Scribner), and Entrapta are traveling towards Horde Prime, Catra sends a signal to their ship, apologizing for everything she has done while teleporting Glimmer to them. Adora decides that she cannot leave Catra behind, and the Best-Friend Squad hurries to rescue Catra from the Horde. Adora saves Catra not only from Prime's vile clutches but her loneliness too. Adora's exclamation "You matter to me" is a powerful and victorious moment, as the two friends turned enemies unite, and acknowledge their connection.

Unfortunately, even after the Adora and Catra are together again, conflict continues to rise between them and with themselves. Catra feels unlovable because of her past and so convinces herself that Adora will not accept her feelings. She continues to struggle with abandonment, especially when Adora willingly takes the responsibility of a suicide mission to destroy the Heart of Etheria, yelling, "It doesn't always have to be you." Sadly, Adora again abandons her, putting the good of everyone else above herself and Catra. Acknowledging that Adora, "Always sacrifices everything for everyone else," Catra runs away. However, upon realizing that Prime is moments away from taking control of the Heart and killing Adora, Shadow Weaver and her run to rescue the girl she loves.

As Adora journeys to the Heart, she sees and an illusion of Catra, envisioning that her friend meets her to approach the suicide mission together. Soon, Adora faces a vision of Mara (Zehra Fazal), the previous She-Ra, who tells her that she does not always need to sacrifice herself and is deserving of love too. She becomes trapped without her powers by a first-ones' guardian until Catra and Shadow Weaver save her. Telling Adora to go on, Catra stays to fight the beast in vain. Moments before destroying the Heart and herself, Adora finally chooses to return to Catra, to put Catra and her own happiness over her sense of duty.

As Adora and Catra approach the Heart, the former almost succumbs to Prime's power and has one final vision. Adora dreams of living a life in peace in Brightmoon alongside her friends, Glimmer and Bow, and with her loving, playful partner Catra by her side. In the apparent final moments before her death, Catra reaches out to Adora. At last, the two confess their love for each other and embrace in a momentous kiss, restoring She-Ra's power to Adora. Renewed in strength and standing beside her beloved, Adora finally destroys Horde Prime. The series ends as Adora and Catra plan to travel together and restore magic to the universe and fades to black as the couple prepares to take their next journey together.

as Adora and Catra plan to travel together and restore magic to the universe and fades to black as the couple prepares to take their next journey together.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has always been a powerhouse of LGBTQ representation, especially the final season. For example, it heavily features former background characters and married couple Spinnerella and Netossa in leading roles, as Netossa attempts to recover her wife’s mind from Prime. However, the relationship between Catra and Adora is not only the series highlight but a revolutionary in LGBTQ representation in children's television.

LGBTQ history in children's media and cartoons is disappointingly brief and, at times, unpleasant. Early examples mostly featured coded queer characters with harmful and stereotypical traits, such as the Silver Spooner from Dexter's Laboratory. Some works were able to include less harmful depictions. Networks allowed characters like Richie from Static Shock, who is gay, to exist as long as their identity was kept extremely subtextual.

Slowly some more limited progress was made, and a few less offensive or hidden characters were permitted to appear in one-off and minor roles. Nelvana's Canadian animated sitcom, 6teen included many vague but most neutral references to homosexuality and eventually a one-off character Jean, who says that she is "gay" and has a girlfriend. Notably, this 2009-episode marks not only one of the first moments of a character confirming their sexuality but also using the word "gay." This feat is so rarely replicated even in LGBTQ family media that even giants like Steven Universe do not include it. Outside of pedantic educational programs on minor networks, it may be the only time someone said "the-G-word" in such media until 2019's Kippo and the Age of Wonderbeasts  (live-action sitcom Andi Mack on Disney Channel also used the term that year). Sadly, American showings cut 6Teen's references to homosexuality, and the episode featuring Jean never aired at all outside Canada.

When most people look back to the beginning of the recent small boom in cartoon LGBTQ representation, they point to The Legend of Korra. In 2014, the series finally ended with female leads Korra and Asami taking hands and going on a private vacation in the spirit world. The Korra moment set the LGBTQ fandom on fire. Even so, the show faced incredible resistance and backlash. After the final episode aired, creator Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino had to go online to confirm that the somewhat ambiguous finale indeed depicted a same-sex romance. They then began to face backlash from a section of the fandom who believed bringing this badass bisexual moment to television was only for fanservice or to forward an agenda.

The Legend of Korra was a revolution in modern children's television, putting cracks in the oppressive dam that kept such dynamics out of the limelight and slowly pushed back against the status quo, allowing for more LGBTQ representation. Now, over five years after Korra, numerous children's programs feature queer characters in minor and supporting roles, often more explicitly than Korra was able to do. The Loud House includes a main bisexual character, and there are queer characters and couples in multiple works, including but not limited to Gravity Falls, Adventure Time, and Craig of the Creek.

The most notable LGBTQ representation in a children's cartoon comes from Rebeca Sugar's incredible creation, Steven Universe. As with She-Ra, LGBTQ characters make up a large portion of the cast and it features several groundbreaking LGBTQ scenes, including the iconic wedding of Ruby and Sapphire.

Sadly, many of these works had to fight tooth and nail or suffer through horrific backlash because of their dedication to diversity. Alabama banned an episode of Arthur that featured a gay wedding, and the depiction of lesbian mothers in Clifford the Bid Red Dog caused some parents and organizations to speak out against it. Perhaps most famous of all, Rebecca Sugar had to struggle to put LGBTQ representation on the small screen. Ultimately, to make the wedding scene happen, Sugar had to lay everything on the table and was willing to see themselves separated from the show and have it end to bring their vision to life. Unfortunately, many other countries censor the show to remove LGBTQ content. Still, Sugar's tireless work has pushed the boundaries of LGBTQ representation in children's media so incredibly far, allowing shows like She-Ra to exist.

The recent rapid progress of LGBTQ representation becomes apparent when comparing She-Ra to the "originator," Korra. The series share similar themes and mutually place importance on diversity in its main cast. At the climax of both programs, two female main characters became romantic partners for the other. However, the differences are what truly sets them apart and highlights the progress representation has made. Back in 2014, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes was the most action Korra could feature.

However, a myriad of queer characters and identities perforate She-Ra, all of which are more apparent and obvious thanks to actions including kisses, confessions, and other actions. This difference is especially true in season five, where even the title cards feature Netossa and Spinnerella engaged in a passionate kiss. Of course, the main couple was permitted a full on-screen confession and kiss, as Catra and Adora locked lips in the final episode. Finally, many "critics" complained that Korra and Asami's relationship came out of nowhere, despite it progressing the show’s last two seasons. If one were to assert the same claim about She-Ra, they need to completely ignore how Stevenson built Adora and Catra's romantic relationship as a fundamental aspect of the show from the very start.

She-Ra's depiction of queer characters was deliberate, explicit, and incredible. Not only did LGBTQ side characters express their identities in a variety of ways, but the main couple also got to show their love with both words and a kiss. Furthermore, and perhaps even more importantly, the main couple in She-Ra got a happen ending and a future for them and the viewers to imagine and look towards with excitement. Sadly, many LGBTQ characters and couples do not get to experience such conclusions. For decades, queer relationships ended in tragedy, often with the death of one or more queer characters killed off as part of the "bury your gays" trope. Even if the characters live, narratives rarely provided a happy future for those with queer identities. Sadly, this trend is alive and well. Recent examples include Adam from Voltron: Legendary Defender and Annika and Neha from The Dragon Prince.

Stevenson actively set out to avoid this trope in She-Ra, telling the Los Angeles Times, "I can't see another gay character die on TV for the moment." Not only did she not kill Adora and Catra, or any of the show's other queer characters, she gave Adora and Catra, the two lesbian leads in love, a happy ending. The show even offers viewers and Adora a glimpse of one possible future for the couple in the final vision of domestic bliss in Brightmoon. Both Adora and Catra struggle and suffered greatly, but they were allowed a happy ending and the opportunity to look forward to a life together. For the two main characters of a children's cartoon to achieve such a fantastic ending in such an explicit way is a genuinely revolutionary moment of representation, proudly standing alongside defining scenes like and Ruby and Sapphire’s wedding in Steven Universe. Importantly, both shows are made by queer creators, showing young viewers that people like them can achieve and create great things and that there are those out there fighting for them. For these reasons, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is one of the single most significant works of LGBTQ representation in children's media.

Queer representation in children's media matters so much, likely more than it does in any other medium. It normalizes LGBTQ identities for families and sends a powerful message to all LGBTQ children who may be feeling sad or alone or sacred: 'You are not alone, you matter, and you are accepted.' These words, implied with every positive depiction of queer identities, save so many children and young adults from unnecessary suffering and sometimes even saves lives. Noelle Stevenson and She-Ra will likely create giant waves in the medium just as Steven Universe did before it, and generations of queer people, myself included, wait with bated breath to see what results from it.

[lol-jackles]

Might be an an unpopular opinion : I liked this week's episode Barn Burner better than the last two. Cordell is my favorite obviously but Bonham and Abeline are just chef's kiss. I just love the whole walker family. What about you? Did you like the episode?

I agree. The first two episodes were great start to the new season and "Barn Burner" cemented it with Texas Ranger Walker trying to keep the peace between two warring families and put out their small fires. Meanwhile a bigger fire from the past is starting to consume him.

An illegal surveillance ops gives the audience a look into the everyday life of the Walker family and its dynamics: August deletes Trevor’s number from Stella phone for her, Bonham and Abilene enjoys putting puzzles together (perhaps a metaphor of the incomplete bigger picture of the mysterious barn fire), Geri platonically spends the night at the ranch because she’s an honorary Walker, and Cordell suffering from guilt that manifest into nightmares.

Speaking of guilt, Cordell counsels Micki on her guilt over Garrison’s death, warning her that losing one self in guilt leads to losing one’s identity.   Both Cordell and Micki are blameless for their guilts, but they can’t help letting it affect their relationships - Cordell yelling at August for his carelessness and Micki shutting Trey out for his pressuring her to talk to him.  When a beloved person or even a pet pass away, people hang on to the guilt of their passing because it’s the last moment of their relationship with the departed.  Hanging on to guilt is a way to keep the relationship going even when it brings pain.

Trey is missing Micki because she hasn’t come home since her undercover ops ended the day before, just like Cordell didn’t immediately go home when his undercover op ended and missed the family reunion dinner. Post-undercover Cordell and Micki behaved like many returning soldiers from a year abroad of active duty/combat, for a day or two they avoid their families and instead hide out with their friend(s) playing video games to decompress and readjust.

Ever the investigator, Cordell feels there is a missing key to his memory of the barn fire. Who here thinks last missing key will be Denise’s memory of how the fire got started in the first place? Me of course.  According to Liam, Denise is a very thorough D.A so she’s a strong investigator herself.  These two crazy kids will probably investigate the barn fire themselves and kick up even more fuel to their families feud, as if there isn’t already enough embers to keep it going: Liam blames Denise for taking his job, Dan antagonizes Liam, Gail named her award-winning chili “barn burner” (oh no she didn’t!).  At least her grandson saw her publicly tell a lie, however small.  Maybe he’ll start to doubt her stories about the Walkers.  Finally, Dan takes over the illegal surveillance ops of the Walkers and witness a private emotional moment between Cordell and Abilene. 

Cordell discuss how loss over a loved one cuts deep; Cordell lost Emily, Gail lost Maev, Micki lost Garrison.  But for Cordell it goes further, Gail (and Dan) solely blames the death of Marv, and by extension the loss of the family fortune, solely on a teenage Cordell.  The Davidson didn’t just lose a husband and a father on the night of the barn fire, they lost everything; their reputation, their money, and their land, which the Walkers were able to buy way below the market value and add to their own wealth.  Cordell watched the Davidson’s life fall apart and can’t help feel guilt for something that was an accident. 

The episode end with Cordell discovering the surveillance camera.  Jared did a great job of schooling Cordell’s face into a non-reaction upon discovery of the camera and when he turns his back to the camera, his face is still low-key but very expressive as the full force of camera’s implication hit him.

My score: 9.5 out of 10.  Half point deduction for what the hell did Stan whispered into Cordell’s ear last season?

ETA, this explains the promo design.

[danielpowell]

Okay, I'm making the show post cause I have to put my thoughts in one place. Warning you that this is full of spoilers, so don't get mad and say I didn't warn you. This very well could change on a re-watch, honestly. These feelings are rather fresh.

Pros:

The theme visuals look pretty.

Wardrobe is great- I genuinely want Dan's shirt and cardigan look, the film bar one.

Lots of sets look really nice and packed with detail- there's even nods to the podcast and the miniseries.

Certain tracks are nice and the sound design is well done for the most part.

Expanded backstory of the two mains we don't get in the podcast- while I don't necessarily like the ones they are given because of the aspect of ~ they were connected the entire time ~ it was nice to see any at all.

Expanded backstory and personality of the two supporting characters for the main- Mark feels far more involved and while I do think he's supportive and caring in the podcast, I do think the show does a great job at showing his ride or die attitude. Annabelle, Alexa's replacement, is still very queer ! She's a very fun character too. I think her actress did a fantastic job in this role. I would have loved to see her in a relationship with Melody outside of roommate and best friend.

Ratty is there and far more realistic in depiction. Dan barely fighting anything Ratty does is hilarious. He's a disgruntled roomie and puts up with it. I find this dynamic way more enjoyable than in the podcast, in all honesty.

The film restoration bits are sexy. The tech is on point and the tools are pretty fucking accurate if you ask me. Thanks for wearing gloves, Dan. More than I can say for Daniel Powell who doesn't even say the right model and doesn't prep the tapes before playing them.

Speaking of, they have the Otari MX5050 Bii model in the background at one point. Kudos.

The mold is kind of cool, actually. I think it would have worked better if he had noticed it on the tapes sooner. More Mold, please.

I wanna say that many of them give great performances, but genuinely it's hard to tell what I think is bad or good because the writing or directing hinders it. They did a good job with what they were given.

It is apparent they listened to the podcast by all the homages and references thrown in.

They have a Magnetic Fields track in there. It's short, but it did get me as it's one I put in an Archive 81 playlist.

The short segments at the start of each episode are reminiscent of the tapes and in-show ads from the podcast. I thought the killer clown movie one was hilarious and I kind of want to see it.

Mark bludgeons Davenport, go king go.

I'm in the unpopular crowd here, but I'm glad Rat isn't in it. People can't be normal about him. I think if he was people would have rioted anyway.

Cons:

They did in fact erase the sapphic relationship and instead have them as platonic. While Annabelle is unabashedly queer, is teasing and flirty towards Melody, and is present through a large amount of the show, there is nothing that states, alludes, or cements a romantic involvement between her and Melody which is a grevious offense.

Melody mouth kisses Samuel on screen after flirting with him. They go on a date. It's kind of implied they were going to drink and maybe do stuff in the privacy of her apartment. It's very uncomfortable paired with the fact she is now not sapphic.

There is zero confirmation she is a lesbian or sapphic in any way. If anything, it's the opposite.

They do make Cassandra Wall a lesbian, but it's done so in a way that feels... icky. I can't speak much on it as I am neither a woman nor a lesbian.

Melody is now kind of incompetent and a damsel in distress, which is so far removed from the original. She has to be rescued.

She also has a fight with her best friend and gets told she is smothering people for trying to help them. It was very upsetting to witness.

Jesse is both aged down and changed to a girl, for some reason. I think it's to further connect Dan as he has a sister in this portrayal, but it rubs me the wrong way. There are certainly some improvements when it came to antiblackness, but maybe replacing the teenage black boy with a younger girl (with lighter complexion) isn't a good look.

In that same vein, while Jess still runs errands for Visser residents, they completely get rid of any mention of Why. This snippet was supposed to give hints to people gathering ritual components and more importantly, touch on disability and the fact that there are disabled and elderly residents and that the programs in place for their food deliveries suck. It was an important detail to me, but instead it's utilized as an excuse to have Jess around and help groom her as a sacrifice for the cult.

I'm not sure if it's just me, but I found the scenes of her in pain distressing and unnecessary.

Oh yeah. And she lives unlike in the podcast, but she's a nun now :/

On that note, they change the genre from found-footage weird fiction with comedy and cosmic horror elements to a religious horror mystery drama that made me more angry with each bastardization of the religions in question. It feels very satanic panic and uninspired at best and lazy and offensive at worst.

The backstory for the mains quite frankly suck. The connection and involvement between them was wholly unnecessary. I don't care if it makes their connection deeper or whatever. The point was that Dan was isolated and didn't know these people. He was an observer that got strung in thanks to his obsessive and curious nature. Trading this for a tragic backstory and a family connection to Melody was a poor decision to me. I was not a fan.

The dog being the same is dumb ! That's the most generic dog with a red collar I've ever seen. Dan, what the hell are you talking about ?

Melody is a witch now, I guess ? The whole thing with her mom was just, bad. It's bad. I hate stories that try and do genetic witch shit. I'm Irish Pagan and it's by choice, it's not a hereditary thing.

Also, making it to where Melody is instead trying to track down her mom rather than simply gathering stories and staying because she cares and it's her job is a choice they made. It's not a good choice. Isn't Melody supposed to be a social worker ? Or was that not good enough for this re-envisioned story ?

Also, she stays in Visser in this portrayal and doesn't even live in New York. They could have easily kept it to where it was her act of recording and taking the tapes with her that give her a connection to Visser and its Weirdness. But they don't! In fact, the recording only feels important for the sake of letting Dan watch it and go :0

Dan's dad is her therapist because sure, why not ? Let's add threads where there didn't need to be.

Dan also has a history of mental illness and they shove this down your throat many times by having people constantly ask him if he is having a mental health emergency. It feels very modern, I'll give them that, but it only infuriates me further as:

Why the hell is LMG name-dropped in full and why did they try and make them seem any kind of caring ? They are a face-less, heartless corporation.

Dan can get groceries and leave whenever he wants. They eliminate isolation, poor living conditions, and poor nutrition. These were huge factors for his mental decline, why axe them ? You wouldn't have had to rig all the family history and trauma if you had just stuck with this. In fact, it would have been enhanced !

Dan's kind of a huge asshole to Mark for seemingly no reason ? To me, Mark was shown to be supportive and present for Dan when he needed to be. Why is Dan saying to not do stuff for the podcast, you only care about the podcast, when it doesn't look like it was, ever ?? I feel like I missed a scene or a conversation or a line somewhere. Please correct me if I did miss something cause it was not at all spelled out to me. It felt out of place, like they wrote this scene for the end but forgot to actually bring any conflict.

They do scenes where Dan and Melody interact and talk with each other and they are So Awkward. There is no chemistry here, I'm sorry.

For some reason they turned Dan into solely a techie nerd and instead gave the hipster qualities to Thomas (?) and MELODY. If they were trying to make a connecting factor with them, it failed miserably.

Dan finds out he's being watched early on and navigates this by 'hacking' so he can find blindspots. He later destroys the cameras. He is never reprimanded for having visitors or other things, I don't know why this was done at all, please help me understand, this show is somehow so stupid and so convoluted at the same time.

Something about sending both Melody and Annabelle to psych wards "for safety" really doesn't sit well. Like, um, it's pretty obviously bad ? It's bad, right ? Pairing this with people constantly thinking Dan is just having a mental breakdown feels very wrong and kinda ableist. I don't know if that's just me or not.

Ratty was an afterthought. I loved him being there and alive, but he does nothing except serve as a treat for podcast fans. He's barely there. If this was so Rat, could actually be Ratty, that would be hilarious to me.

The theme song sucks, there I said it. I found it boring and even annoying when they played it in scenes. The shrill tones, yuck.

Some tracks are actually painful to listen to. There's one in particular that would trigger headaches. It was also paired with flashing lights at one point which is just asking for trouble.

The dialogue is Bad. It's very stiff and unnatural. Boring, even.

There is some gore and the blood looks like corn syrup. It's not good special effects. At least they had sfx.

The magic CGI also blows.

The sex scene is sudden and unnecessary.

There is one archive and it never said to be the 81st. The title has no relevance to the series.

The last shot where you can see the twin towers reflecting in the windows is COMICALLY BAD.

Overall, I was bored to tears. I multitasked at points and was still wishing I was watching something else.

TL;DR [too long, didn't read]

It's a very bland and uninspired adaptation that makes very bad, stupid decisions for plot and only has a few good things going for it.

I'm proud of Marc and Dan for getting to this point, and I want to support them, but if you are a fan of the podcast I have a strong feeling you won't enjoy this show. But hey, you just might.

Edit: [March 30th, 2024] I'm actually a fagdyke, so this is funny to look back on.

Also, for reference, I now have the screen worn film bar shirt. Huzzah.

[perpetually-sad-but-its-fine]

7x01 of chicago med and what. the. fuck????

natalie left. (low-key kinda saw that coming)

dean archer is still an asshole but POP OFF doctor charles. i did not think he had that in him.

will halstead and stevie hammer????

bro???

he said ‘I know dr. hammer’ in that tone and with that look in his eyes???? am i reading into it or is seggsual tension???????? (spoiler alert: its seggsual tension)

Goodwin’s ‘ah, okay, nice’ is fuckin HILARIOUS to me bc she’s just so done with all of will’s bs and im so here for it.

bro the way that stevie walked towards will and their banter?! oh they definitely fucked. definitely.

maggie sliding into frame. LMAOOOO we love that

will’s thumbs down gesture when maggie asked what his rank was in the class *snort* me too

BRO? APRIL’S JUST GONE??? IK THEY SAID SHE GOT ACCEPTED BUT THEY DIDN’T EVEN ELABORATE ON THAT????? WHAT THE FUCK??

animosity b/w marcel and halstead better LEAVE rn. im not in the mood for more unnecessary angst

dean archer further cementing himself as asshole of the year

but

will’s reply??

*chef’s kiss*

archer fuckin deserved that

istg if will doesn’t punch archer, I WILL

the way that archer said, ‘gemma and emma’

archer’s ‘i'm sorry, you said what?’ to the twin was fuckin GOLDEN

and the clarification of ‘i would like a needle in my arm, too’ and the other twin nodding??? true comedy

ik ive only known vanessa for a few episodes but I already love her and sheS SO BEAUTIFUL

bro, gemma and emma saying ‘we’re one person’ ew ew ew ew ew. no. it creeps me tf out

dr. charles’ pained smile just says ‘nope nope nope’

ARCHER AND CHARLES

OH MY GOD

‘with your history, i guess you just never know’

DOCTOR CHARLES

ARCHER’S LOOK OF SALTINESS AFTERWARDS

LMAOOOOOO

vanessa desperately trying to keep the conversation going w/o a fight

dr. charles’ logic better fuckin work

*rosa diaz voice* ive know dylan scott for half an episode but if something happens to him, i will kill all of chicago meds writers and then myself

stevie and dylan’s dynamic?? they may have barely said anything to each other but i love it already. they work so well together.

when is archer going to get punched???? WHENN????

if i were dr. charles i would've prolly yelled at him and kicked him in the head

is it foolish of me to hope that maggie and vanessa end up becoming closer so that i can see their mother-daughter dynamic??? yes, it is. do i keep hoping anyway?? unfortunately, i do.

I JUST WANT THEM TO BE A FAMILY AND TALK TO EACH OTHER ABT THE STUPID SHIT THAT HAPPENS IN THE ED. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR????

sharon goodwin is in her bad bitch era and im here for it

BRO CMON

marcel and halstead would be great friends!

they'd be the best of bros!!!

WHY THE FUCK MUST THIS HAPPEN

i do not trust cooper

not in the slightest

loving how the animosity b/w marcel and halstead disappears the MOMENT someone else tries to suggest something

dr. marcel’s ‘oh?’ is funny and sexy and its telling matt cooper to stfu

‘yeah, okay then’ is the most obvious FUCK YOU, ive seen in a while

get matt cooper off my screen rn

will, i'm glad ur right but now is not the time to give the face of ‘i told you so’

*gasp* are we gonna learn about stevie’s backstory in her first episode????

the look on her face when she asks the patient if she's living in her car??? its personal. one hundred percent

STEVIE’S SO GENTLE???? I LOVE HER????

her and dylan have actually sky-rocketed in my charts and they are now amongst my favorite characters

PLEASE

dylan and stevie’s banter??? *chef’s kiss* we love to see it

NO GOD PLEASE

VANESSA’S FIRST SOLO CALL AS A DOCTOR AND SHE NEEDS TO ANNOUNCE SOMEONES DEATH???? NOOOOOO

MY BABYYY

maggie comforting vanessa??? that was so sweet!!

goodwin: guilt-tripping will into doing what she wants

me: >:o

OH MY GOD ITS THE WRONG TWIN

THEY SENT IN THE OTHER TWIN

OH. MY. GOD.

I WAS RIGHT

I FUCKIN KNEW IT

DAMMIT WHATS GONNA HAPPEN NOW???

dylan scott is such a sweetheart and we do not deserve him

dr. archer and dr. charles patching things up? kinda?

dr. charles’ look of confusion, wondering whether archer was genuine or not? perfect. amazing. fantastic.

oh god marcel and halstead

how’s this gonna go?

oh wow

not as bad as i expected

can they PLEASE be besties now??

PLEASEEEEE

archer is giving out compliments???

is he okay???? did he fall on his head at one point during the episode?

I FUCKIN KNEW IT WAS PERSONAL FOR HER

ITS BECAUSE OF HER MOTHER

I KNEW IT

THEY ACTUALLY REVEALED A LITTLE BIT OF HER BACKSTORY?????

damn alr

[littlemisssquiggles]

What do you think of the idea of Emerald/Oscar? They have some soft moments together.

Hello Sweet o/ Well this squiggle meister is definitely on-board with the Green Team/Emerald City pair as a FRIEND-ship with Emerald being yet another proxy big sister figure to “adopt” Oscar as their close companion whereas the little prince in turn could finally provide Emerald with the strong and devoted family type of bond that Emerald truly wants and failed to garner from the villain side especially with Cinder Fall who she saw as a “mother” or close guardian figure who saved her from her former life of poverty.

Another reason why I like the Emerald City duo is because I’d like to think that part of Oscar’s willingness to believe in Emerald and desire to look out for her stems from him and Oz essentially fulfilling Hazel’s role of continuing to watch over her in his absence.

After all, it wasn’t just Oscar to be saved from Monstra. Emerald was too. Hazel Rainart gave his life to ensure that both Oscar and Emerald were finally free of Salem and since Hazel is gone, Oscar probably sees it as his right to stand by Em in his place; especially since he also owes her for his salivation.

Plus, a second reason why I think the showrunners may be pushing the Emerald City bond is because, ultimately, Emerald will become the next Fall Maiden; replacing Cinder Fall. 

Think about it. Professor Ozpin was the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. Beacon Academy is the fortress secretly housing the Vault of the Fall Maiden which contains the Crown of Choice---the only relic that Salem couldn’t acquire on her own since the true path to claiming it still rests in Ozma’s memories. Memories that will soon be passed onto Oscar Pine who is Ozma’s current incarnate officially succeeding Professor Ozpin.

Even if Oscar gains the knowledge to locate the Relic of Choice; he and the heroes would still need the hand of the Fall Maiden to open the vault. And as it stands, the Fall Maiden powers still rest with Cinder Fall who Emerald Sustrai was a former affiliate of and whom she shares a bond with; whether Cinder dares to admit it or not.

You see where I’m going with this?

 Emerald becoming the Fall Maiden after Cinder has been a headcanon for her that I’ve been rooting for since the conclusion of V5. Based on how things are shaping up and what is required to move forward, I think Cinder’s final curtain call may be drawing near and what would actually be most fitting is if Emerald is the one to deal the killing blow to Cinder.

As a matter of fact, it would almost be symbolic if Emerald is the one of all characters to be the one to put a stop to Cinder---not only saving the others from her but also ironically saving Cinder from herself. Emerald killing Cinder would be an act of mercy from someone who genuinely loved Cinder and wanted nothing but the best for her. And why I love this idea is because it would be a fantastic parallel to the end of Cinder’s backstory in the Midnight episode.

In RWBY V8CH6, Cinder’s path and descent in her megalomaniac madness was forged the instant she killed Rhodes. Say what you will about him as a character; Rhodes cared deeply for Cinder…even up until the moment she cut him down with the very same weapon he gifted her. 

So with that in mind, imagine how fitting of an ending it would be if Cinder died the very same way she was ‘born’, essentially.

You can pretty much say that the person we know Cinder Fall to be was born when she killed her former mentor and the one person in her life that actually genuinely cared about her at the time. 

 So…imagine the poetic irony that would be for Cinder Fall to now die---killed by the hands of her own former apprentice and the one person in her life who genuinely cared about her at the time---Emerald Sustrai.

Imagine if…Emerald kills Cinder and Cinder gets a strange sense of déjà vu because not only did her surprised expression at being killed by Emerald reflect the one Rhodes made to her the night he died but through Emerald, Cinder sees her former young self---the side of her she discarded when she chose her path that night. 

Cinder began her path with the bloody end of a blade through the chest of someone close to her. So for Emerald to kill Cinder the same way---even better if it’s done with her very own weapon---then that would be…downright perfect as ending to Cinder’s arc.

Apologies to all the Cinder Fall fans reading this post. The CRWBY showrunners have had Cinder dance with death one too many times. I myself have honestly been curious about how Cinder’s story was going to end in the canon. While I still like my Red Queen headcanon for her, I would be okay with Cinder dying if Emerald was the one to kill her.

NOT Ruby. NOT Jaune. But Emerald. If there is one character who would be most fitting to be the one to put an end to Cinder Fall, it would be Emerald.

Killing Cinder, especially if it was done in protection and/or aid of the heroes, would be the final nail in Emerald’s own arc of “switching sides”.

As stated back between V6 and V8, Cinder was technically the one thing still tying Em to the side of evil as she once remarked that she was only on Salem’s side out of her loyalty to Cinder. Emerald already left Salem but Cinder still lives as an anchor to possibly tempt Em back to the side of evil. But if Em were to be the one to stop Cinder, then that cord would finally be cut thus cementing Emerald as being on the side of good---officially in respect to her story.

Emerald helping to save Oscar and return him to his allies on Monstra doesn’t make her a “good guy”. Emerald helping our heroes take down Ironwood, help Penny and save the refugees of Atlas and Mantle doesn’t even make her a “good guy” either.

But stopping Cinder Fall for good---to be the one to put her down and essentially save everyone from the monster she knew Cinder would ultimately become if not stopped--- that, to me, would be the move to officiate Emerald Sustrai as a “good guy”.

Even better if Cinder were to plant the tough choice right in Em’s face. Imagine if…Cinder puts Oscar’s life in danger and orders Em to be the one to kill Oscar for her; like the devoted pawn she always treats her as. Imagine if…Em is placed in a position where she is made to choose between her old loyalty to Cinder as a villain or her newfound loyalty to Oscar as a hero.

Just as how Cinder was Emerald’s anchor to the villains on Salem’s side, Oscar is technically now Emerald’s anchor to the heroes on Ozpin’s side. So if Cinder forces Em to kill Oscar but Em ends up killing Cinder instead to save Oscar for a second time----this would be it. This would be the deed that cements Emerald as formally giving up on Cinder and fighting for the side of good; at least in my humble opinion.

And the cherry on top would be that killing Cinder causes the Fall Maiden powers to go directly to Emerald and if Emerald becomes the Fall Maiden---the maiden tied to the vault and relic housed in the school that is tied to Professor Ozpin whose very successor is her closest ally on the hero team---I’d like to think this would be a perfect conclusion to Emerald’s “arc”. I think that could work epically.

This is why I’m rooting for Em to become the next Fall Maiden. This happening would definitely further cement the Emerald City dynamic since Oscar’s new “big sister” or rather “cousin” would be the maiden tied to “his” relic needed to open “his” vault hidden in “his” school.

(I think I’d rather refer to Emerald as Oscar’s adopted cousin since I low-key like the concept of Oscar taking Emerald back home with him to Mistral only for her to be adopted immediately by his family since Emerald was an orphan who grew up on the streets and never truly had a family of her own but ultimately finds one with the Pines who willingly take her in. It FITS; dagnabbit.)

My one gripe with Emerald City duo though is that I wished it had better build-up throughout the series run. I’d be lying if the fact that Emerald and Oscar barely had any interactions prior to V8 definitely hurts the believability of them suddenly being close now with Oscar willing to vouch for the good in Emerald…even though he literally just met her like yesterday according to the timeline.

I know it helps the meme of Emerald “only knowing Oscar for 24 hours and would be willing to kill anyone who dares to hurt him” but from a storytelling perspective, I really wish the development of this dynamic had been delivered better. I mean I’m happy that we finally got the payoff of Emerald and Oscar becoming friends and seeing Em joining the heroes thanks to her friendship with Oscar…but it’s like eating a delicious cheese burger without the cheese.

You get to see the beginning of it and the joyful payoff of the end but the middle part that was needed to make it fully work is non-existent and ends up hurting it in respect to consistency. 

While I understand that Emerald helped to save Oscar’s life---that’s not really enough to sell his sudden faith in her. At least for me. Can’t speak for everyone else. Since, like I said, we barely got any scenes of Oscar and Em interacting before she showed up to help get him out of Monstra.

The ONLY thing that’s canonically helping sell Emerald City to me is the fact that Hazel was shown to care for and look out for Emerald’s wellbeing in the past and since Oscar spent more time with Hazel; by extension; custody of Em was transferred to Oscar/Oz the minute Hazel died…especially since, he was technically the one forced to kill him when he sacrificed himself to stop Salem.

I guess I just personally would’ve liked to have seen these two interact more over the seasons, particularly for V8 while Oscar was imprisoned. 

Perhaps that chance will come now that Em is on the team working with ALPN. And it would probably work even better if Em becomes the Fall Maiden. But for now that’s mostly just speculation.

All in all, bottom line---as I’ll say again, this squiggle meister really likes Emerald City as another close friendship dynamic for Oscar and Em respectively and I’m looking forward to seeing how this dynamic develops over the next season. 

I’m curious to see how much more Em and Oscar can help each other as friends especially since Oscar still has own inner demons with the Merge to deal with emotionally and I’m especially curious to see how Em would react to reuniting with Mercury in Vacuo now that she’s joined the heroes---even better if she’s now the Fall Maiden after killing Cinder. 

That should be a fun development but we’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, hope this lengthy response answers your question, Sweet XD

~ LittleMissSquiggles (2021)