#also the parts in the trailer of her asking jinx what her plan is now

[purpleshimmer]

sevika’s arm holding powder while smeech’s claw is posed to attack her….vander’s hand on vi’s shoulder in the background….sevika and jinx friendship in season two real

[chronicsyd]

yea, we ALL know why I'M here at this point (like most people i waited All Night for this thing) but Enough Yapping, let's do this! (go watch it first, I'll be doing an Excessive deep dive of this thing (I also had a couple of drafts I've made in the last 48 hours talking about certain worries I've seen from the fandom about season 2, but decided to lay off posting about it until the trailer came out so I'll be addressing some of those in a later post as well), and as always, leakers will be blocked and deleted).

SO, with All That outta the way, let's get into it: Firstly, i was left Completely Speechless by this whole thing like HOLY SHIT! i don't even know What to SAY! Yes we've had a few repeat scenes from the old teaser and clips but obviously the new stuff's what I'm more interested in.

The trailer opens up with Vi admitting to Caitlyn that she was right and saying "My sister is gone. there's only Jinx now." which is something that I've been speculating about since June (well the "there's only Jinx and Jinx is the one that needs to be stopped" thing), so we've already had a clear cut path where Vi is concerned. BUT what interests me is that first part of the conversation is still part of when she's talking to her in her Enforcer Uniform, so her head's probably telling her that stopping Jinx is the right thing to do here after what happened with the Council.

I also don't think I've mentioned this in a post, but I've also had speculation that the person in the hood from the teaser was Jinx not Viktor (just things like how the shoulder width didn't seem to match him but the one second clip we got of him i wasn't able to cross-reference all that well, also the monkey painting in the background added to that factor) but it seems like the show is reenforcing that this is Jinx here.

I've also somehow underestimated just HOW unhinged Caitlyn's going to be this season. like "I want to tear that laugh from her throat forever." is a Crazy line like Jesus Cait!

But what sticks out to me about this scene is not only the fact that Vi's very clearly crying here, you can tell not only by the length of her hair but the fact that the black seems to be somewhat fading means that she spends quite a bit of time hiding out in Zaun (downright Confirming about my thoughts of a timeskip from my last post). Now of course we don't have the context about what she's crying about but it seems like she's just overall frustrated about her situation. But another thing that actually pops up later in the trailer is that Vi actually still has her hair like this,

which means that I actually might be wrong about Vi being in Zaun before she's even in her Enforcer getup with Caitlyn. it seems to me that this whole thing with Vi wearing black actually happens after she fights against Jinx in the temple, perhaps thinking that being an Enforcer and in Piltover with Caitlyn isn't the right choice for her and tries to go about life her own way for a while (which is probably the thing we're "going to hate" when it comes to Caitvi).

Now, the next part of the trailer is what they already showed us with Caitlyn and Jinx talking to Ambessa and Sevika so i don't need to go over that again. However right after that, Sevika asks Jinx what she's planning.

Jinx's response? "to watch it all burn". Whether or not if Piltover recovers from Fishbones doesn't seem to matter to her, she wants everything to burn to the ground. But just a side note the way she's looking at the match in this frame very clearly reminds her of Silco, and still going by the streaked makeup, it's still a fresh wound for her.

now, this frame?

I don't actually have any solid answers for. by the look in Vi's eyes, I'm presuming she's reaching out to either Jinx, Caitlyn, or Ekko. She's not wearing her Enforcer getup here (at least it doesn't look like what she's been wearing) and i can't solidly place the background, there isn't any familiar landmarks sticking out to me. But Vi's hair and bandages make me think that this is probably when she's just starting to come out of hiding here.

There seems to be a bunch of Undercity riots happening against Piltover, which i think is a factor where Ambessa tells Caitlyn that "in order to restore peace you have to enact Martial Law". I could be wrong about this but honestly i don't think I am.

Warwick looks just as fantastic as ever, but they haven't really given us any clear cut answers on how they're planning to utilize him besides being a living weapon for Singed. Singed says "you felt it, haven't you?" but it's rather unclear who he's talking to here, i don't think he's talking to Warwick, i think he might actually be talking to Viktor and talking about the Hexcore and the Arcane and such because of Viktor's "glorious evolution" path.

Now to the part of the Trailer that COMPLETELY confuses me...

someone says "the Arcane is waking up", NO idea who's saying this or who it's being said TO, NO idea who These people are supposed to be, I just-- yea this is the only part of the trailer that I'm at a Complete loss for words. The Arcane is magic we all know that, it's what Jayce's whole thing has been about, mixing magic and technology together into Hextech. but this is implying that while Jayce was doing all this the Arcane itself was just... slumbering? i guess. like are these people going to turn out to be mages because of this or something? idk, see, endless list of questions but Absolutely no answers. let's just move on before my brain explodes trying to figure this out.

I skipped a few repeat scenes (like the ones of Caitlyn and the other enforcers against the Chemtanks because I've already talked about it), and put a pin on the Ekko scene i skipped I'm coming back to it.

SO, it turns out we were right in claiming that Jinx loses her middle finger with the art book cover, and I'm Pretty sure that Caitlyn actually shoots it off (which probably explains the "WTF CAITLYN?!" comment i was talking about with addressing the leaks). Also this is like, the Most psychotic I think I've ever seen Jinx like Jesus Christ do NOT leave me alone in a room with her!

Ekko says "sometimes taking a leap foward means leaving some things behind"; maybe he's talking about the past? I don't know who he's talking to here specifically, it may just be giving advice to Vi, seeing as we do see the two working together later in the trailer after Vi's hair is grown out.

Now, I'm going to go a wee bit out of order here for a moment, just because I'm saving something for last.

I was Completely right about Vi facing off against Warwick at some point (i was basically Screaming "Chekov's gun!" for months when Warwick was confirmed), But Vi's still in her Undercity getup here, so I don't know if she's recognizable to him at all here, if this has to do with the illegal fighting ring that she's doing, but the dust seems to kinda go against that, like it's not a "now for our main event!" smokey kinda entrance, if you catch my drift here.

I can't tell if this is supposed to be a flashback of Powder or not because the other person is extremely hard to place, like it looks kind of like Sevika's new hair it's just that the lighting is so dark you can't make out their face. and if its a flashback to the age that Powder was in the opening shot the clothes don't seem to match, like there are things that contradict each other that doesn't make the scene clear cut to me.

Now this frame basically confirms something I've had on my mind, I just never made a post about. and that was my concern that Caitlyn was going to get herself hurt by these Chemtanks. the reason for that being we only saw her going against these things with her rife (and not the Hextech one). Vi and Jayce could handle themselves back in episode 8 because they had the Hammer and Gauntlets, but every other Enforcer there with a rifle was Easily taken out. and Arcane doesn't really go about the "simple plot armor" route, so i saw this ending not very well for her, despite being a good marksman.

And of course we only get another ONE SECOND clip of Viktor to prove he's alive that doesn't even Show His Face! like we Know this is him, and the gem in his wrist seems to imply that he's already going down the "glorious evolution" path here.

I don't have anything to say about this other than i have NO idea what it's supposed to be and that its Freaky looking. Like it kinda reminds me of Silco for some reason, like i don't think its supposed to but that's where my heads leaning for some reason.

Now, does it seem like I've left something out? It's because I did.

What these shots in particular are telling me is that Ambessa actually turns on Caitlyn (because I claimed that earlier in the season Caitlyn actually allies herself with Ambessa and i still believe that to be true) and tries to take over Piltover, because in the shot of Ambessa she's clearly hitting Enforcers, not people of the Undercity, and Caitlyn and Vi are wearing matching outfits here (Vi also reminds me of the ironhulk from Infinity War with this thing) meaning that the two are still working together here, but there is one little thing that I did leave out talking about these shots.

I can totally see this being a chaotic fight between the Undercity, the Enforcers, and Noxus, because Jinx is clearly still in Piltover during this shot. Now Jinx says "then stop me." during this but its definitely a spliced line i don't think she's saying it during this scene and I do believe that she's probably talking to Vi here (and maybe my ears are playing tricks on me but it kinds sounds "echoey" so it's probably from the temple fight). but can we talk about the Purple in her hair now? like despite having a hood on, That's Badass!

Edit: NOPE! I lied, I have a couple more things to point out.

Caitlyn blows up Jinx in this shot, which if I'm right about Vi being an Enforcer before going underground this is gonna cause some Serious issues between the two (because despite saying "my sister is gone" I don't believe that Vi would want an attempt at her sisters life, another pointer in the "thing we're going to hate with Caitvi" oy-vey...). When I mentioned Caitlyn probably being the one shooting off Jinx's finger earlier, i didn't also think about that final shot of Caitlyn from the teaser being right before what happens here. Because we already knew that Caitlyn was apart of this fight, just didn't dawn how drastically this fight is probably going to turn out. Because the explosion is all glowey like that Because Caitlyn's using her Hextech rifle in this scene, and it functions more in the way Jayce's Hammer does than Vi's gauntlets do.

So I'm not exactly sure when this fight scene is taking place, I don't think it's the temple fight, despite what little i can gather from the background, it doesn't seem to quite match the temple, and i think Vi and Caitlyn are still alone during that specific fight (could be wrong but that's just what they've shown as of right now) and I'm seeing Vi as shooting a rocket, blowing up the building that Sevika and Caitlyn were standing next to. it's also hard to name the expression that Jinx is wearing right after this, but it's clear that she was at least part of this fight as well.

Ok, NOW I'm done! I promise! I spent the last TWO HOURS on this thing since the trailer dropped and I'll most likely be spamming about it more if/when i suddenly get new thoughts about it. But that's all for now, bye! (I'M SO EXCITED FOR NOVEMBER AHHH WHY CAN'T IT GET HERE FAST ENOUGH?!)

[ask-marcus-cally-and-ari]

Only Human

Chapter 15: Ride or Die

The trio had been allowed to wander while the Freaks discussed their next plan. Marcus, for his part, went looking for a cot or a bed. “I’m so f*cking tired.”

“We have a few spare beds in the medical ward,” a nearby intern piped up, looking up as Marcus passed her desk.

“Thanks.”

“My nephew talks about you a lot,” the intern added. “Jackie Ruez?”

“Our small forward. Nice guy,” Marcus smiled, sitting down. “I remember he didn’t know much English when he first started.”

“You and your friends tutored him, right?”

“That was all Cal. I just taught him basketball and Ari taught him how to paint.”

“He’s been painting a lot these days. “He went through 10 packs of watercolors in just three months.”

Marcus chuckled. “I remember swapping his acrylics with finger paint as a joke. He chased me all through school that day. I probably deserved it.”

“So that’s why he came home with paint all over his hands.”

“I had to wash my hair for an hour to get it all out.” Marcus smiled, and then sighed, a look of tiredness no teenager should have had on his face.. “...look, can you just... just tell him I’m okay?”

“Of course.”

“The last time I got in trouble, it was some kids from a nearby school who jumped me. My teammates tracked down each one, took some bats and metal pipes, and put them all in the hospital. In one night. I don’t want them doing anything like that now. They could get hurt, and on my mama, I bet those *ssholes would turn them just to f*ck with me.”

“You know, if you wanted you could ask Colonel Dyson to put them under HECU Protection. It’s like Witness Protection, just with a lot more security.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

The intern nodded and picked up the nearby phone. “Do you want to call him yourself or do you want me to put in the request?”

“I’d like you to do it. I want to call my team.”

“There’s a phone in the break room over there.” The intern gestured down the hall to Marcus’ right.

“Thanks.”

---

“Man, this sucks! Marcus is who-knows-where being hunted and we can’t do sh*t to help!”

A young teen, no more than 14, grumbled sourly to himself while kicking over a box of wood chips in an abandoned warehouse. Another kid, a few years older than him, looked up from their phone.

“I got a lead a few hours ago. From what I can gather, it looks like he was heading to HECU Headquarters. I don’t know if they’ve made it there yet, though.”

“What can we do? These are, like, supervillains! And we’re just teenagers!”

“We could track them. Cally has a bunch of brainiac friends. Get them together and have them start looking for those *ssholes,” a tall boy, likely 17, suggested.

“Maybe we should get some of Ari’s friends, too,” another kid added.

“Yeah. The more, the better.”

The kid with the phone sat up and started briskly typing away. “Guys, you’re not gonna believe this, but it looks like Marcus has some Freaks of his own. You guys know Spyper and Intelligent Heavy, right?”

“I think so. Didn’t Spyper get his head chopped off and put on someone else’s body?”

“Yeah, he got his body swapped around with Sny.”

“Hey, Wilson. Start finding more good Freaks. The more join up, the more chance Marcus has of getting through this. Have the brainiacs help.”

“I think Marcus is way ahead of us. I found some security footage of the road outside HECU Headquarters and just take a look at who’s with him.” Wilson showed the other kids the footage, where a handful of Freaks accompanied the Trio inside, including Count Jester.

“He got the clown with him?” a younger kid piped up.

“Apparently. Now all he needs is us-” 

Ring! Ring!

“Huh? My phone!”

“Who is it, Jackie?”

“Unknown Number. Should I answer it?”

“Answer it, but don’t say anything. If it’s spam, they’ll hang up if they don’t hear anything.”

Jackie did. “Hello?”

“Jackie? It’s Marcus. Are you okay?”

“Marcus!” Jackie gasped. “Are you in HECU? We’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Yeah, I’m at HECU. Your aunt says hi.”

“Aw. How long have you been at HECU?”

“Jester teleported us here about an hour ago. Apparently they were tricked into holding us for the guy who wants to kill us, but that’s been sorted out, and they gave me a pet, so we’re cool now.”

“...I’m sorry, what?” 

“Yeah, everyone trying to kill us is working for one dude.”

“Yeah that doesn’t sound bad at all,” Jackie winced.

“Tell me about it. Anyway. I’m calling to ask you not to do something stupid.”

“Whaaaat? Psh, nah, we’re not gonna do anything stupid. Right, guys?” Jackie said with a snide grin, winking at the rest of his team.

“You worry too much, Quinn. Chill.”

“Yeah. Rest easy, we’re not gonna pull some sh*t.”

“Alright. Stay safe out there. And don’t go near any emo Snipers you see.”

“Sure thing, man.”

Jackie hung up, still grinning. “So. Who’s ready to hunt an emo Sniper?’

“I’ll get the others. Viktor. Does your family still have all those weapons?”

“Yeah. Which ones do we need?”

“As many as you can get. Especially long-range. We did tell Marcus that we wouldn’t approach the f*cker, so sniping is the way to go.”

“There’s nothing quite like exploiting a loophole,” Viktor grinned, heading out of the warehouse.

The other boy nodded and dialed a number. “Hey, Olga? Gather the brainiacs. We know where Marcus, Cally, and Ari are.”

“Wait, really!?”

“Yeah. A buncha Freaks are trying to kill them.”

“WHAT!?”

“Yeah. Apparently”

“Holy sh*t... Alright, what do you need help with?”

“Hacking. We need you to track down as many Freaks as you can.”

“On it.”

“And get Ari’s friends. We need numbers.”

“Gotcha.”

Hanging up that call felt heavy, like the life-changing moment it would be for everyone involved.

“Should we have anyone over at HECU to keep an eye on Marcus?”

“No. Then they’d know what we’re doing and try to stop us. We gotta stay off the radar. Wear masks. Disguise our voices. Make sure nobody can identify us.”

“I had a feeling we’d need these!” another kid shouted from the bottom of the warehouse, pulling along a rack of all black disguises.

“Hey, you’re the theater kid, right? I knew you were useful for something.”

“Yep! I had these costumes ready for awhile but we never needed them. UNTIL NOW!”

“Awesome. Guys, get home. We’ll meet back here tonight.”

“Alright. Nobody die overnight!”

“Don’t jinx it.”

The theater kid knocked on the side of the warehouse on their way out.

---

“Thank you all for coming. As you know, a bunch of superpowered *ssholes have decided to kill our friends, and we, the students of Dade City High, cannot allow this to happen.”

As the student body president spoke, Viktor handed weapons to everyone in attendance. 

“You are being given weapons now. If you do not know how to use them, Viktor will teach you on the way.”

“What’s the current plan of attack?” A younger student piped up among the crowd.

“We go to HECU. Its location is confidential, but our hackers have found it. We also have a van we stole from a junkyard and fixed to be our ride. You know, to make it harder to track.”

“How are we all gonna fit in one van?” Another student called from the back of the crowd.

“Like sardines.” 

“Also, I have a trailer. We can use that for training and extra space,” added a rich kid.

“Couldn’t we just use an old school bus?” One of the engineering students pondered. “Wouldn’t take much to jumpstart it, and nobody would be suspicious of a school bus going through Evo City.”

“From Dade City? That’s two states away,” put in a chess club student.

“What about an activity bus? It’s not uncommon for students to go on field trips that take them across state lines,” another engineering student added.

“That works. You two go steal it. We can take both.”

The engineering students nodded and gathered up their bags before leaving for the school’s parking lot, their bags clinking with metal on the way out.

“Did everyone pack some clothes and supplies?”

“Yeah, but why not electronics?”

The rich kid spoke up again. “I got a cheap phone plan. Everyone gets a phone. This way our parents can’t track us.”

“And they can’t be tracked by anyone else, can they?” a skeptical student inqueried, looking their phone over.

“I was kinda hoping you tech whiz guys could take care of that,” the rich kid replied sheepishly.

The small group of tech students all glanced at each other before sharing a collective nod. “Give us 10 minutes.”

“Good.”

“What do we do once at HECU?”

“Find out where our friends are. By force if necessary.”

“And if any hostile Freaks show up while we’re doing that?”

“Why do you think I’m giving you weapons?” Viktor deadpanned, holding up his own gun.

“Ask a stupid question,” the class clown teased.

“I mean like, one of the really bad ones. Like Painis. I don’t even think our weapons would work against him.”

“Probably run. Or run him over.”

“Let’s pray that Freaks like Nightmare Medic or HOOVYDUNDY aren’t part of this whole thing.”

“Hmm... hey, I just remembered. I have an aunt that works at HECU.”

“Uh... who are you?” the student body president asked.

“Melissa James.”

“Oh no,” the student body gasped in unison.

“...is that bad?”

“Are... are you related to Anita James, by any chance?”

“Yeah! That’s my aunt! She taught me how to build bombs. And tasers.”

“Holy sh*t! You’re related to a mad scientist! THE mad scientist!”

“Yeah, she’s a bit... eccentric. But the point is, she could be our in. And get us better weapons when we get there.”

“Isn’t she under constant surveillance though? I heard she blew up HECU twice in the last three months. That’s not something you just leave unmonitored.”

“In the same three months, she built a weapon that can level cities, a teleportation device, an army of attack microbots, and a shield generator. We could use those against stronger Freaks.”

“Would she even let us use them?”

“She’s a mad scientist who needs her weapons tested, and I hear her boss won’t let her give them to HECU soldiers. I’m not worried.”

“Well…”

“What choice do we have, Todd? Do you want them to kill Ari? Or Marcus? Or Cally? We’re desperate, and beggars can’t be choosers.”

The student sighed. “Alright. Give her a call.”

---

RING! RING!

“Hello?”

“Hey, Aunt Anita.”

“Oh! Hi, Melissa! How are you?”

“Not good. My friends are in danger. I think you may have seen them. Marcus, Cally, and Ari?”

Anita paused, lifting her pen off her notepad. “...yes, they just came in earlier today.”

“Some friends and I are coming to help him out, and we were wondering about using your weapons to do it.”

“Hmm... Come around the back of HECU. I’ll keep the door unlocked for you.”

“Heh... thanks, Aunt Anita. Also, could you maybe not tell those three about this? We told Marcus we wouldn’t do anything crazy, and if he finds out we’re doing this, we’re gonna get our *sses kicked.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Thanks.”

There was a nod, and Anita, the mad doctor who sent people running with a smile and a wave, hung up.

[darkestwolfx]

Power Play - Re-Review #41

Woah, I honestly didn’t expect to get this far! I know I haven’t been able to reply to everyone individually last week, but I’ve read every piece of feedback/comments that came my way. Seriously, thank you all so much for supporting this series, because else the Re-Review’s would have died out long ago! Anyhow, here we go;

Doesn’t thisstart make the episode just look lovely?

Attack of the giants! It’s like someone’s found and used a growth serum- oh no, we have to wait another two episode for that!

Honestly though the behind the scenes features for this episode did look pretty awesome.

But the actual episode is what we will now discuss.

Oh, lookie here, a problem! Send in the Thunderbirds (like with most episodes)!

“What’s going on down there?”

“I’m not the one in charge of the floodgates! You tell me.”

And what a response that was. Almost typical really.

“You’re going to have to close the floodgates manually.”

“Wait, something’s here. What is that thing? We need help!”

“This is International Rescue. Help is on the way.”

So we’ve got a dam that’s on the way down and some strange presence within it... interesting.

I can’t keep up with Brains and type so basically, it’s one of the largest dams in the world and it’s cracking!

“This will need all of us.”

Family outing!

I’m sorry to say it though, but did Scott wobble in his launch sequence? Seriously I’m hyper aware of it at the moment for some reason. I blame @tsarinatorment​ - stop putting ideas in my head! (I’m only kidding, please don’t stop). But I think you’ll find there was a wobble there.

Playing skipping rocks with Thunderbird Four? Seriously boys, hold off on the Gordon cruelty! After all, that’s the job of us fanfiction writers.

Interestingly, Alan was playing skipping rocks in the 2004 ‘Thunderbirds’ movie.

“I just have one question. If you drop me off, how are you going to get the pods out?”

“Glad you mentioned it. Better hold onto something.”

“Hey! What are you?”

“Ok, that was awesome, but a little more warning next time.”

“It was Alan’s idea. Sorry Gordo!”

Nicknames are back! And that little bit of music accompanying it was perfect! One of my favourite moments for sure!

At least Gordon was planning on going for a swim, unlike Scott here.

“What’s the next fastest way inside?”

“You’re looking for the auxiliary entrance to number six.”

“I wasn’t planning on going for a swim, John.”

“My scan say it should be dry.”

“Ok.”

The should gave it away for me.

“I wouldn’t want to be in here when someone turns on the tap.”

That for me was Scott really pushing his luck.

“Ur... guys, I think I’m about to take that swim after all.”

Well, you did push your luck.

“Meaning?”

“Something inside that turbine room is taking all the power!”

And who else could that be, but this guy.

“This means The Mechanic is here.”

And um, he’s still got that hacked link into their systems from ‘Up from the Depths’. Seriously, I thought Kayo was on that? Do a better job the second time around please?

“We need the GDF here and fast.”

“They’re arriving now.”

“You gone up against this Mechanic guy before, Captain? I hear he makes The Hood look soft.”

“The Mechanic will get what’s coming to him.”

Yes, I’m sure he will. Especially with the return of Captain Foster... Did anyone else worry at seeing her face?

“We’ve got nothing to fight these things with.”

“Speak for yourselves.”

Did anyone else feel the suspicion in that as well? I know ‘she’s’ a Captain, but the GDF wouldn’t only arm one person if they had the weaponry to fight The Mechanic. At least, my logic tells me they wouldn’t.

“I’m not waiting any longer. I need to get these people out of here.”

“Thanks. Scott Tracy, International Rescue.”

“Captain Foster. I got you covered, Tracy.”

Good deeds! Captain Foster helping with a rescue. That would’t normally be a new thing for the GDF.

“Looks like the GDF got some upgrades!”

Yeah, one person, Scott, and really did that not set alarm bells off? Who (other than Brains) is the only person we know capable of fighting The Mechanic? And um... who was wearing Captain Foster’s face the last time we saw him? I mean, there was of course every chance the real Captain Foster could have showed up and forced him to chance faces, but I think The Hood is more practical a thinker than that.

“No matter. I got what I came for.”

And that fact really does set off alarm bells. What does The Mechanic want super-super-super-super-super-super-super-super-super... imagine the rest- super-charged batteries for?

“So did I. We’re leaving!”

“I’ll take care of The Mechanic.”

“It’s not worth it. You don’t have to be a hero.”

“I’ll leave the hero business to you, Scott Tracy. My business is a very different kind. Unfinished.”

“The Hood!”

But, oh no, green is so not his colour!

It’s like Battle of the Bad Guys - I imagine that is actually much better than battle of the bands too...

And maybe a little bit like an episode of Eastenders..? I’ve honestly never watched it, but I’ve seen trailers in between other programs, and this first part of dialogue just seems like the sort of conversation that might appear in an episode. Let me know if you have seen it. 

“You’ve been mascaraing as a GDF officer all this time just to find me?”

“I consider it a public service. Though I admit I expected more of a challenge when I did.”

“Now that I know what I’m dealing with I’ll make it one!”

After their ‘break up’ at the mid-point of Series Two, I suppose a scene like this was inevitable. The big thing is, however, we still don’t know entirely what set these two against each other. Okay, The Hood’s horrible insults might make it onto that list, and obviously we know there’s some kind of influence/control going on with that golden eye of his (nice little nod to TOS there, even though they’ve taken all the magic and wonder out of it by replacing it with ‘cybernetics’). Big reveals are on the way though!

“Sorry pal, but I don’t want to stick around for the light show if you know what I mean.”

“Brains, I need you to keep an eye on things here.”

“R.A.D.”

And here’s the big reveal I mentioned;

“You should have left well enough alone.”

“I never forgive and I never forget. But I have to give you credit, whatever you have planned has made me quite curious.”

“You haven’t figured it out yet? It was your idea.”

“Project Sentinel?”

“Sentinel?”

Sentinel you say, Brains? Sentinel was the original name of the US Navy ship which shot down Thunderbird Two in the TOS episode ‘Terror in New York City’.

“You must be joking. I decided that was far too extreme. Even for me!”

The Hood thinks something is too extreme for him to use even though he originally planned..? Interesting.

You see - this debate will be fully taken up in that other post I keep talking about, which will appear eventually - this is where my issues with The Hood’s ultimate ending in TAG come around. There’s a great bit of writing here, with two feuding bad guys, which I’m still completely believing. I can’t quite remember what I felt the first time I watched this episode, but having seen the final and knowing how The Hood’s big career speech turns out, this loses all potential power for me. Someone who was just out for revenge and always seemed to never have a conscience compared with the great Jeff Tracy doesn’t seem like the sort of guy who would say this.

Also, with the great revelations we get on The Mechanic, his reply also seems out of place to me now. Okay, we could claim it’s because The Hood’s control over him is driving him mad, but even so, the fact is that they’ve shown The Mechanic to be able to think of his own accord still and he’s had other opportunities to get The Hood which wouldn’t have involved endangering the planet. I don’t know, it just seems to me like someone crossed their wires when writing these characters, or just forgot to re-watch Series 2 before writing series 3..?

“I, on the other hand, have no such reservations. It would have been building it for you after all. Now there’s nothing to stop me picking up from where we left off.”

“Except for me!”

“He’s fighting The Hood in there, remember?”

“As if this day couldn’t get even more interesting.”

Yes, so let’s take a look at the rescue effort for the dam in detail;

“Virgil, are you sure you don’t want me to take the pod?”

“Not this time.”

Wait, Virgil’s willingly handing over Thunderbird Two? Get the record books out. And all because he wanted to inspect the damn personally... He really is a structural expert.

“It’s pulling me off the dam!”

“Bulls-eye!”

“Nice going, Alan.”

So Alan gets Scott’s aim as well? Seems a little unfair.

“It seems to be working. I just hope I don’t run out.”

We went a couple episodes without jinxing things, and so now we’re back at jinx central.

Meanwhile whilst Gordon is fighting mechas underwater whilst trying to attach cables to the damn, Virgil is sitting pretty here... until... down they both go!

“Fancy meeting you here.”

I think that’s pay back for the dropped landing earlier.

“Alan I sure hope you’re in position. Things are about to get wet!”

I’m guessing this wasn’t the ultimate end game plan though... You okay chilling down there?

“I’m ok. I think.”

Okay, we’ll just leave you there for a minute then, so that the battle of the bad guys scene can happen.

P.S. Look at poor little beached Thunderbird Four.

In fairness though, probably neither was this;

“This stuff washes off right?”

The fact that Gordon has asked that immediately gave me the answer.

No.

“Um, no, that’s the point.”

“Oh, ok, just checking.”

“You didn’t get any on Thunderbird Four, did you?”

“Let’s focus on the positives!”

Which means: yes.

“We can’t let him or The Mechanic leave with those power cells!”

“Seal off the area. Nothing gets in or out of here!”

And bye-bye goes The Mechanic.

 Another job well done by the GDF!

Scott’s face as The Mechanic’s ship vanishes.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to help Alan.”

“Why? What’s wrong with Alan?”

“Oh nothing.”

This Kayo and Scott exchange reminded me a little of conversations in TOS episodes ‘End of the Road’ and ‘Attack of the Alligators’ - you know where the big brother’s are doing the thing of wondering about the younger brother’s dating prospects.

And just a question, do we think that guy in the green shirt who came out to go fishing at the start of the episode has just been sat there watching the whole time? Because I do. Trainspotting? How about IR spotting?

So, humour aside, let’s explain what Project Sentinel is;

“What is it? Some kind of engine?”

“It’s a laser. The most powerful one I have ever seen. In the wrong hands it could be dangerous.”

This is a great episode, don’t mistake me on that. It’s got a nice rescue, balanced out with some smashing moments and a bit of bad guy brawling... but somehow, even though this episode is lighter, it’s not all fun and games. It’s a filler really, but it doesn’t portray itself in the typical way we usually see episodes of that type done. It pushes the plot forward just enough without giving away everything and ties up the remaining lose ends from ‘Escape Proof’. The comedy hits and it’s definitely less tense than some of those before it, but it’s still ultimately setting up some serious events to come and that always makes me a little worried. 

[performingasmercedes-blog]

Lunch with Friends

Who: Finn Hudson, Mercedes Jones

When: Wednesday May 10

What: Lunch with Friends

Where:  Eggslut (http://eggslut.com/) 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Mercedes was sitting at a table by the window, watching people go by as she waited for Finn.  This place was barely a mile away from her apartment, so she had walked, using the time to really clear her mind after the past few days. It sucked not really having anyone to talk to that wasn’t family, and she wasn’t sure if Finn really wanted to know more than he did.  But she at least wanted to put his mind at ease as best she could.

When Sam and Mercedes had been dating, Finn and Mercedes had friend dates nearly every week, and he hadn’t really thought anything about it until they weren’t having them anymore. They’d been super close and suddenly it was just him and Sam. Not that he minded it. Sam was his bro, and they’d been friends first. But Mercedes had been his other best friend, and truthfully he’d missed her. So he’d jumped at the chance at lunch with her.

He’d taken an Uber to the restaurant because parking in the area was a nightmare or expensive. He’d been in L.A. for year and he still wasn’t used to how expensive things were compared to Savannah. Seriously, sometimes he thought about going home and just living off of what he’d made in the last year or so. He could afford to live for nearly three. He walked into the busy restaurant, and not for the first time thought about the advantages he had because he was so tall. He could see her easily from the host stand. He told the girl standing there that he saw his friend. He waved as he walked over to the table and then leaned down to hug her when he reached her side.

“Hey sweetheart, glad you could make it.” She smiled brightly and hugged him back.  Finn was probably one of the dearest friends she had, but when she and Sam broke up, things were hard. She ended up throwing herself into work full throttle and the time just wasn’t as easy to come by. Admittedly, she didn’t want to deal with Sam Evans more than she had to either, but now, now things would be like they were before, hopefully, with a few alterations.  “So, has Sam told you?” She would’ve called him on Monday, when she had found out she was on the same show as him and Sam, but she didn’t want to seem overly eager and jinx everything.  Plus, Sam had said he would tell him.

Taking the seat across from her, Finn shed his denim jacket. He frowned a little at her question then he realized what she was talking about. He smiled brightly and nodded. “Yeah, and it’s amazing! I can’t wait to get to work with you. I can’t believe it! I didn’t know you had even auditioned. I didn’t know you were acting again.” He paused. “Is this gonna be weird with Sam? He said no, but I don’t know. Sometimes it’s weird.”

“My agent had me audition but I got another job before I heard back from them, so I had to decline it. But the other job just finished, and my agent asked me if I was still interested, and they hadn’t filled the part yet. So here I am!” She grinned, tilting her head a little. “It’ll take some getting used to, but I think we can eventually not want to verbally bite each other’s heads off. I don’t think our characters will be interacting much, if at all.” She smiled at the server, ordering a water and sandwich. “I’ve done more dancing than acting, so hopefully they won’t regret choosing me for the part.”

Finn shook his head. “No way! You’re amazing. They’d never regret it.” He was happy she’d been getting so much work. The server came to the table and brought water. He asked for a few moments to look at the menu then turned his attention back to his friend. “I’m sorry things were so...weird with Sam the other night. I didn’t wanna tell him and then have him not come, but then I think I just made it worse anyway. I didn’t mean to.”

She nodded her head in understanding, pushing a loose wave behind her ear. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it, Finn. And I’m super thankful you mentioned Sam was going to be coming, but if you hadn’t, I would’ve probably blew up at you.  I know it’s been awhile since everything went down between him and I, but we still like that heads up so we can be prepared. So I know why he was kinda pissed off.” She shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of water. “Anyway, enough about all that ex-factor stuff, tell me about you and what you’ve been up to.”

He understood now, but he just hadn’t been thinking. “I guess I just wanted to hang with my second favorite girl.” The first being his mother. He gave her a little smile and took a sip of his water. “Auditioning before I got this show. Now I feel like this could be really awesome, but I’m trying to not get too excited.”

She laughed and just smiled at him. “I actually don’t mind being your second favorite.  I wish I had been able to be here during the table reads and actual first filming. I’m coming in after all of the cast has met and had time to bond.  I’m going to get on your nerves after awhile because I don’t know anyone else.” She knew Sam was there, but she knew that avoiding him was going to be the best thing for her for the time being. Probably him too.

“You won’t get on my nerves at all! I’ve made a lot of new friends with the cast. Like me and Marley go eat at a bunch of random spots close by because she’s new to Burbank. And then there’s Rachel...she’s in New York right now doing a show, but she’ll be there for the upfronts. She’s like so awesome and really smart.” He realized what he was saying and paused, the tips of his ears turning red. “She’s cool. I think you’ll like her.”

She gasped playfully, taking in the way he was rambling slightly, and his ears. The ears were a dead giveaway. ”Finn Hudson, are you crushing on this Rachel girl?  Because your face just lit up when you started to talk about her.” Finn was a precious person, so to see him like this only made her happy.

Finn shrugged, trying to brush it off. “She’s just not like girls I’ve met before. I don’t know that much about her yet, but we have some dates planned when we’re in New York and then when we get back to Cali. I just like her a lot, and she’s like an amazing singer, and she’s so good at acting...I just really like her.”

“That’s really sweet. I know if she has caught your eye she must be really incredible. I’m super excited for you, I hope everything works out. It’s nice to have someone to share your experiences with, you know? And it’s insanely hard to date with our work schedules and travel.” She replied knowingly.

“I don’t wanna jinx it. I only really got to spend like two weeks with her, and it was all work. So, I don’t wanna make it all up in my head, you know? I just hope it works out because if the show really gets going, it’s gonna be tough.” People in entertainment always seemed to have a hard time in love, but Finn loved what he did. He didn’t want to give it up.

“Yeah, that’s totally understandable. Just take your time with it and see how it progresses. Hopefully the show will continue and you’ll get to spend more time with her.  Granted, I am not the best person to talk to about dating and stuff, but I can at least give you the girly opinion.” She chuckled.

Finn frowned a little when she said that. “Yeah, but that wasn’t your fault…” He didn’t want to bring it up, but he didn’t want her to feel bad. Sometimes he even felt bad because he knew it seemed like he took Sam’s side even though he hadn’t. He’d just known Sam longer. “I need you to tell me the girly stuff. I still haven’t figured it out.”

She waved her hand,”Oh, not that  situation exactly. Just in general. I don’t really get the chance to date much, so my breadth of knowledge isn’t really big.” She wanted to make sure to clarify, because as much as Sam cheating sucked, it had been awhile ago and she had finally come to terms with what went down. She was still pissed about it, but she felt she had that right.  She laughed. “Cool, then you can help me with guy stuff when I need it, deal?”

Relieved, Finn smiled back. “Yeah, deal.” He scratched at his chin. “So there’s been like no guys since Sam or…?” Mercedes hadn’t ever been the type to be with a lot of people as far as he could remember, but she’d also been working a lot.

“I’ve been on a few dates here and there, but I didn't have the time to invest in more than that. And to be honest, I didn’t really trust going beyond that.” She still didn’t actually.  She didn’t see the point of putting in the time only to have it fall apart. She could date, have fun, and avoid all the emotional entanglements that came with relationships.  Work was a priority, not stupid boys.

He didn’t have much to say to that without it probably going back to Sam. So he just nodded. “Yeah, I get it, but I’m not worried about you. You’re the whole package.” He smiled then picked up his menu. “I think I want a Slut.”

“I am pretty awesome, and eventually there will be a guy that appreciates all I have to offer. So no need to worry, I’m the good girl, always.” She laughed softly at first, before being overtaken by a fit of giggles she had to take a deep breath to bring under control. “Only in this restaurant would I not give you hell for saying that.”  It was an actual menu item afterall!

Finn laughed along with her. He relaxed back in his seat. “I know. That’s why I said it.” He looked at her for a moment, studying her. “I think I’m gonna put an X-Box in my trailer. So we’re gonna game when we’re both on set. I haven’t let you kick my ass in so long…”

Her mouth dropped open slightly. “Let me? Boy, you know I handed your ass to you all on my own. You AND your boy Evans. So make sure you have the make-up team on standby to touch you up when I make you cry.”  She had missed this. Epic trash talking over games.

“No way! I mean Sam sucks, but I totally let you win!” It was a lie, and they both knew it, but he could resist the trash talk. The server came back and asked what they were ordering, and he took great pleasure in saying he wanted a Slut, which he was sure he saw the server roll her eyes at. He waited for Mercedes to order and then looked at her again. “Where do you live now that you’re back?”

She just shook her head at him, completely amused. “The only thing in that sentence that’s true is that Sam does indeed suck.” She ordered the Fairfax, biting her lip not to laugh as Finn ordered his Slut. “I’m just up the street actually, the Jia apartments, right before the entry into Chinatown.” She liked being in the city with lots of things to see and do, even if she didn’t get to see and do a lot because of work.

“Me and Sam just got a new place in Burbank. We almost have it perfect. You’d call it like geeky bachelor pad, but I know you dig that.” He winked at her and then started laughing. “I can’t wait for you to see it. Sam said I could invite you over. I probably just have to tell him when you’re coming over so he doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.”

“I bet it looks awesome. I’m so glad you two are doing well out here, this entertainment business can be rough.”  Her eyebrow raised slightly. “Oh really? That’s cool. I’ll make sure to bring his favorite cookies as a peace offering of sorts. He’ll probably make you eat one first though, make sure I didn’t poison them,” she joked.

“I’ll test any cookies you wanna bring over,” he volunteered. “You’re so nice for offering to bring a peace offering. You don’t have to do that. He doesn’t deserve one.” He paused when he realized what he’d said. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

She shrugged. “I can’t be mad at him forever, Finn. Especially since we’ll be working on the same show. Besides, he may not even take it. And if that’s his choice, then fine. But there is enough stress dealing with a new show, wondering if it’ll get picked up and all the other stuff that goes with it, without worrying about running into him all the time.”  It was also exhausting to be angry like that for an extended amount of time. He did his dirt, he didn’t want her, and now they were just co-stars and co-workers.

He supposed she was right, but it still sucked that she had to be the one doing it. He wouldn’t talk crap about Sam because at the end of the day, Sam was like his brother, but he just didn’t like all that had happened.  “You’re right. It would make things way worse to always feel tense around someone you work with. That’s why I plan to stay far away from Santana when I can.”

“What’s the deal with you and Santana?” She had only met the woman shortly before they went to see the movie, but there was clearly some weird vibe in the air between her and Finn. And of course Sam was laying on his thick southern charm thing, not that she noticed.

“I don’t like her, but she didn’t like me first.” His brow furrowed, a clear sign of his frustration. “I don’t know. I’ve never just...not liked someone like that before. No matter how nice I am to her, she is just so rude.” He frowned and looked away, trying to channel his thoughts to be more coherent. “I’m just...I don’t know. I don’t like that there’s a problem.  Sam said it was because I want to sleep with her or something, but that’s not true. I don’t even know her. I don’t really think of her like that. I just don’t like someone hating me for no reason. Everything I say to her is wrong.”

She had to fight from rolling her eyes, of course Sam would think it had to do with sex. Boys and their second heads or whatever.  “Hey, it is what it is. Some people are really blunt, and maybe things got lost in explanation at some point. You’re a really sweet person and I know you would never say anything to upset someone on purpose. And surely the girl doesn’t hate you, if she hated you she would’ve never come to the movie, right?”

Finn shrugged. “I don’t know why she came to the movie actually. She came to Taco Tuesday the other week too.” He’d opened the invitations both times to everyone, but maybe there was something to what Mercedes was saying. “She’s having a party for the pilot when it airs. She did ask me to come…” He sat back in his seat and tapped his fingers on the table. Now he didn’t know what to make of Santana’s actions. “Maybe you’re right. Or maybe she’s just trying to include everyone. I don’t know.”

“Don’t force it. If you feel comfortable going to her party, then go. I bet she throws a good one, and if nothing else, you should have fun with the co-stars you do get along with, okay? I don’t want you beating yourself up over this, you barely know the woman. And she barely knows you.” She replied with a nod.  “I’ve got several people that I did not like at first and then they grew on me over time.”

That made him feel a lot better. Marley seemed really weird about it all, and he hadn’t brought it up with Rachel because it seemed dumb to involve her in something that probably wasn’t that big of a deal. Sam was kind of into Santana he thought, and he and Puck weren’t all that close. But Mercedes knew him, and it seemed she knew exactly what to say. “Maybe. I just wish I knew what I did so I could go back in time and not do it, you know? But I don’t have DeLorean. So I think that plan’s out.”

“Oh sweetie, if we had a DeLorean at our disposal, I’d have a date or two I’d like to hit myself,” she laughed softly. “It’ll work out. If you’re meant to be friends then you will be, if not, then it just wasn’t in the cards. As adorable as you are, not everyone likes adorable. And that’s okay. There are some people that don’t love all my geeky awesomeness, but that’s their loss.”

Finn supposed that was true. Maybe she just didn’t like really awesome people like him. “Yeah, maybe that’s what it is.  I hope things work out. It would suck to not like someone you work with. Thanks, Mercedes. That made me feel better about it all.”

“Anytime. And just think, if you need a pep talk in between filming, I’ll just be a trailer away.” She smiled.  “Mom says we should talk as if the show has already been picked up, put the positivity into the atmosphere and all that. We got this.”

“Yeah, we should! That’s great advice. Tell Mama Jones thanks. Oh and tell her I miss her peach cobbler. I miss all of her care packages.” That was one of the best parts of her relationship with Sam, all of the good stuff her mom would send to them.

“I will, and I’m sure she’ll hook you up with something nice once I tell her we’re filming a show together.” Her mom was amazing a treated her friends like family. “It’ll give you something to eat while I demolish you in video games.”

“Yes!” He pumped his fist in the air for a moment then laughed. “I'm really glad you're back, Mercedes,” he said as he sobered.

She laughed loudly, covering her mouth. “Me too, Finn. Me too.”