#and at this rate she keeps ending up in roles that aren't valued because

[milfbrainrot]

I think with the context of how often simone has played Expendable characters who die for white characters' stories plus the fact of her being a woman of color which is probably part of the perceived expendability, her being vocal about the shitty handling of lottie's death and bad communication with her on set makes sense. Maybe she's not being as palatable as Juliette had been about similar but at this point why should she be. I've only been following her career for a fraction of it but I'm also tired of seeing this happen to her when she's incredibly talented and hardworking and how she has had so many people rave about how wonderful she is to work with.

[ladyprocrasinator]

Good Omens FINALE

THE NICE AND ACCURATE PROPHECIES OF AGNES NUTTER, WITCH

Rating ★★★★☆

When I say this book was a rollercoaster I mean it. I was almost completely blind going into this book. The most I knew about it was that Crowley and Aziraphale existed and that they were not yet 'played' by David Tennant and Michael Sheen (who I look forward to seeing in the series). To be honest I was very thrown off guard by the writing style, like I mentioned in my last Good Omens post it felt like a combination of a British Comedy and a philosophical book. Which I'm very sure was purposeful. However this change in style made it harder for me to read. For the first third of the book I was highly considering giving the book three out of five stars, but I persevered. Now I sit here being glad I did so. The book really became interesting to me when the apocalypse really started and we started to learn more about Agnes Nutter Witch. I became fascinated with how Gaiman and Pratchett portrayed Agnes's visions and how all the point of views the reader has seen was coming together. On the other hand I continued to enjoy how the two authors portrayed Adam (He had awesome development as well). Overall I really liked how the book came together in the end and gave the reader (at least me) a sense of contentment. Like if everything does go to hell (no pun intended) it's our friends and willingness to take hold of one's own destiny that makes a difference.

Favorite Character

As promised since this is technically a part of my reading challenge (TO READ OR NOT TO READ) I must pick out a favorite character. Except I'm torn between two. Those two being Adam Young and Agnes Nutter. So I've decided I'll make an argument for both.

Agnes is one of the characters that play a vital role in the book. She is described as a handsome woman (or once was), and with her magic (knowledge of herbs and other things) she was able to heal and help people. I love her because she is such a witty and well thought character. Because of certain things she did in the book I consider her such an icon. One of them being how she prophesizes modern things (although it is also funny how she sees some of her descendant's futures). Unfortunately I cannot say much beyond this without spoiling so just keep an eye out for whenever Agnes is mentioned.

Where do I even begin with Adam? Well he is the son of the devil but he manages to still be a normal kid (There are also so many biblical references that I want to point out around him but won't for the sake of not spoiling). As mentioned in my last good omens post he and his group actually act like kids. They aren't prodigies and they aren't complete idiots either. All of them have a good balance between innocence and being complete rascals. Adam is a charming kid for being the son of the devil and simply wants the best for his friends and dog. Overall I enjoy the simplicity of his child mind.

Almost forgot but dog is an honorable mention and I love him.

Favorite Line/Lines

"Here's to next time," he said, "And ... Aziraphale?"

"Yes."

"Just remember I'll know that, deep down inside, you were just enough of a bastard to be worth liking."

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

What is under the cut

Other things I liked about the book

Funny moments or things I laughed at

Something I found very interesting about the book was it's take on religion. I grew up in a religious household and I'm still torn. My view on it is that I feel that there is a god I'm just not sure if anyone is completely correct. Going back to the book it tickled my brain how they handled religion. Like Armageddon was supposed to come around but because Adam was raised as a human his roots became unimportant and he denied his roots. He saw the value in life where heaven and hell just wanted to defeat one another. It's quite strange seeing heaven and angelic beings represented more as lawful neutral instead of true goodness.

Things I found amusing

"I saw a program. It had David Attenborough, so it's true. (154)"

"What a nice person," said Newt. "You could almost overlook her blowing up an entire village." (talking about Agnes Nutter, 199)

Crowley meeting Leonardo Da Vinci and having the original sketch was cool but 'knowing' he met the artist and Vinci liked the drawing more was hilarious.

All in all there is quite a lot I appreciate when reading Good Omens but that is for another post! Thank you all and I'll be posting my next To Be Read book soon!

[stickdoodlefriend]

I see your point, but may I also add that 911 has done a fantastic job making sure characters are shaken up despite having no career growth in the past 6 seasons?

Secondly, the captain position is not the only position that offers them a promotion. Hen applying for Lietenant would place her just below Bobby and in a leadership role and we could still get to explore how she handles it and move her up.

Buck isn't captain material yet (setting my Fire Academy Instructor headcanon aside), he can still look at Driver Engineer and Lieutenant ranks between the Firefighter and Captain ranks for something he could try and learn the ropes for if that is what he wished to do and it fits his character.

Thirdly, I believe the displeasure from Bobby's death also comes from how he was killed and how the storyline was handled. They needed to do two things: make the death make sense and stick the landing with the grief. I think they failed on both fronts--CCHF has a very high survival rate (more than everything else everyone has dealt with WITHIN this season itself with Maddie's throat being slit) and if Bobby had died in season 7, it would have made more sense since he got to say goodbye to everyone, tie up loose ends and we would get a proper sendoff.

Eddie wasn't even in this episode and Bobby and Eddie have such a strong relationship built on understanding and parallels. And we have so many storylines to wrap up that have to be hastily put together off screen because now we can't focus on anything but his death?

Plus, Bobby did get development this season too? In 8b, he confronted his mother and it was so good in adding depth to his relationships with his brother, mother, and Athena. We can have more screentime dedicated to him building those relationships and even outside. Get May and Harry back and develop him as a father to grown children (though Harry is still a minor).

And like you said, maybe Bobby wouldn't like to retire, but wouldn't that be an interesting storyline for him? To deal with retirement? For him and the 118. Every time he is off duty, they all rely on him and to navigate his early retirem me b.bent would still give everyone development they need.

For Tim to say Bobby should die for the sake of everyone's development disservices the character by valuing him for nothing but his position. Grief and career promotions are not the only way to move forward.

Plus, 'Eddie isn't even a firefighter anymore, so his promotional goals aren't even relevant' is exactly the point. It should be relevant because we know that Eddie shouldn't be away from the family he has built in LA. Bobby is keeping a seat for him open for when he returns and that showcases their relationship so well! With Bobby dying, now what? Do we hope Gerrard agrees to keep the seat?

The fact of the matter is, if they really wanted to explore captaincy and promotional goals, they would have done so in 8a rather than dealing with Gerrard. Hen could still be captain and deal with Ortiz because the battalion chief or someone else is in Ortiz's pockets.

In conclusion, I would disagree that it was the only logical decision to make. And what makes a decision good or bad in writing is how well you execute it, and this storyline really did not.

as a writer, and as someone who likes to analyse media for fun, Bobby's death is quite literally the only logical narrative choice they could make for his character this season.

sure they could've let him survive, let him live through the rest of this season and into s9, but then what? he never gets promoted, never retires, never changes, just stays stagnant at the top of the 118 forever? that's just putting a cork in the bottle. no one else on the team will have any movement with Bobby still in place.

Hen and Buck won't branch out with Bobby still in the captain's seat. (not that I think Buck wants to be captain yet, but that's another post.) Chim hasn't shown any signs of wanting to change his career path, so Bobby dying isn't going to affect that, and Ravi's looking pretty content where he is too. Eddie, of course, isn't even a concern since he's not a firefighter anymore, so his promotional goals aren't relevant.

So it comes down to Buck and Hen. the two who have shown in past seasons that they want more in their lives/careers than what they currently have. taking Bobby out of the equation means that Hen can apply for the captaincy. it means Buck can start learning those ropes in case he ever needs to step up as interim if Hen needs him to. hell it could even mean that Buck might just try for a promotion anyway, since he's had literally zero career growth since he finished his probational year at the 118. (I'm pretty sure there's a rank or two between where Buck is now and the captaincy but I don't know enough about it.)

let's be real, Bobby was never going to retire. he loves his job and his team too much to ever just leave like that. he would never be happy knowing that his team and his wife were still out there at risk and he couldn't do anything to help them. sure he might've liked retirement if Athena retired with him, but she's not going to do that either. so yeah, the only narrative choice that the writers could make this season to shake up the show's dynamics was to kill off Bobby. and it's sad, but its necessary. MCD isn't a bad thing, it can be really useful when its used properly, and this I think is one case where it's been utilised perfectly.

we can be sad, we can mourn Bobby (and I certainly am) but I don't think it's fair to label this as a "bad writing decision" when it's the only logical choice to make.

[thehollowprince]

The Mountain of Ghosts

Another week, another episode. This one dealt with a topic that I know has been on the fandom's mind since the end of season four, so let's just dive into this.

Alice and Eliot - obviously the big part of the episode. This has been on everyone's mind since season one and the possibility of Queliot was a thing. It's been a constant back and forth, one or the other, situation since, and sadly, we all know where most of the fandom landed on that issue. This was a good episode that got to the crux of the issue here, that being Quentin. Not Alice's or Eliot's feelings toward Quentin but rather his feelings toward them.

For years I've stood here and watched the constant screeching of "Quentin loved Eliot more!" or more rarely, (seriously, very rarely), "Quentin loved Alice more!" It got to the point where I firmly believed, and still believe, that it wasn't a matter of actually caring about Quentin at all. I'm not saying that no one actually liked Q, but that was secondary to the main issue of which ship would win in the end. Shipping is a big thing in fandom, but what no one really ever wants to admit is that it's also a big problem in fandom, in that ship wars happen and all some people seem to care about is the validation that comes with watching their ship set sail or another ship sink. That's all I'm going to say about that right now, because honestly the problem with shipping in fandom is a whole other topic waiting to be made, but its relevant to this issue, so let's move on.

Alice and Eliot both loved Quentin, and whether anyone wants to admit it or not, he loved both of them back. It isn't a matter of saying he loved either one of them more, or which one was more valid because no one loves two different people in the same way. Some of the things that Quentin loved about Alice aren't the same things he would have loved about Eliot. And this episode really highlighted that. Eliot and Alice are about as different as you can get, especially when it comes to romance. They both had different approaches to their relationship with Q, and I'm so glad we got to see them resolve their differences. We finally got to see Eliot say to someone else that he and Q loved each other, and have Alice not only acknowledge it but embrace it. She said it best, "what was I going to do? Demand he be less complicated? That he only love one person?" Too often Alice is reduced to this one-dimensional girl who is only defined by her relationship with Quentin, especially by fandom, and this really broke that mold. This was a nice episode for the two of them, to work through their anger and to work together to let go of Quentin... to acknowledge that they couldn't save him. I hope this bond between the two of them keeps building through the rest of the season.

PS: please let Alice wear jeans and pants more often. She looked so much more comfortable than she does in those fetish school girl dresses.

Moving on...

Margo - I'm not sure how I feel about this whole "reclaiming the throne" thing she's got going on. I loved Margo winning the throne by her own merit back in season three, because it worked in that moment. And then last year we had her abandon the throne to save Eliot. When push came to shove, she valued one person over the duty she had as a king to her people. I'm not faulting her for that, because I understand where she was coming from, but she still gave up the throne and it paved the way for Fen to assume the throne.

I can only speak for me, but I thought that was beautiful. Having a Fillorian finally sit on the throne of Fillory felt like a major milestone, and now we're just supposed to believe that Margo gets to be the king because she said so? I didn't like that. That's one of Margo's negative character traits, her entitlement, which brings us to...

Fen - I do not like what they're doing with her so far this season. Who is the sycophantic woman? She admired Margo, of course, but not to the extent of idol worship. This is a woman who was part of the F.U. Fighters, fighting for Fillorian rights in a kingdom always ruled by outsiders. But then the moment Margo's not there, she turns into this incompetent moron, so much so that she and Josh were overthrown because they were waiting for someone else to save them, and I don't like that. That is a complete disservice to the character and the journey she's been on for the previous three seasons.

Also, this whole Josh thing that's going to come between these two women, who have had such respect for each other, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I was one of those (probably the only) who was rooting for Josh and Margo. Were there things I would have changed about it? Of course, but I thought they worked well together and off of one another, and now we have this bullshit. I liked Josh, not just because we shared the same name, but because he was an interesting character that people, especially women, seemed to like, not because of his appearance but because of his personality. And now they've turned him into a quintessential Nice Guy™ who sleeps with his girlfriend's friend instead of figuring out a way to save themselves and Fillory.

I will say that it'll be interesting to see how Fen and Margo repair their friendship after that revelation that Margo legitimately tried to kill her, if they repair it at all.

As for everyone else...

Julia - I know we're working up to something with her and the big catastrophe, so I'm gonna let her lack of a role these past two episodes aside from support slide.

Penny - I really would like to see more of Professor Adoyodi, aside from just him doing research for class. Also, it's sad that they had him mention that "best case scenario for Travelers" is that they just become an Uber for their friends, only to have Julia ask him for a lift...

Like, y'all wrote it, maybe you should pay more attention to it!

And then there's Kady and Fogg. The Magicians is so different then other ensemble shows in that they actually use the ensemble! That being said, characters like Fogg and Kady often end up on the side because, while they're deemed primary characters, they feel more like secondary or tertiary ones. I know I'm not the only one interested in what's going on with the Hedge Witches, but we don't see Kady and what's going on with them unless one of the other "mains" needs something, usually some secret Hedge spell or Kady's fist. Same with Fogg. Brakebills was such a cornerstone for this show, and while the mains left the school (didn't graduate, just left) the institution plays a major role still, as a location if nothing else. Add to that the fact that Penny is a professor there now, and I'd espect to see more of it.

Lastly... the Dark King.

Not to toot my horn or anything, but I'm pretty damn good at predicting turns and plot twists. I can usually spot a villain or antagonist the moment I see them, but that wasn't the case here. Granted, in hindsight I should have seen in with how he was introduced, but I was so stuck on the idea that I "knew" who the Dark King was that I couldn't entertain the possibility that I would be wrong. Though, to be fair, he did have a line about illusion magic, so there's a chance I might still be right. All of that being said, it did feel a little like a cop out. All of our other villains and antagonists have been hinted long before their big reveal, and just having a completely new character shown up and go "Surprise, bitch! I'm the dark king" feels a little off to me. We'll just have to wait and see.

All in all, I'd give this episode a rating of 7.5 out of 10. I know I complained a lot, and that's because, aside from Eliot and Alice's arc, the rest of the episode felt kind of lackluster to me. Here's hoping we pick up the pace the rest of the season.