#and i don’t even own the calloway sisters books in the first place

[titsthedamnseason]

just formed a mega good plan in my head!!

[sad-endings-suck]

The Curse of the Main Character

Main characters. They’re the best, aren’t they? Except they’re not. Think of who your favourite character is from any number of pieces of entertainment media.

If you loved Lord of the Rings, it’s likely Frodo wasn’t your favourite character. No, it was probably Sam, Éowyn, Pippin, etc. Or maybe you prefer Star Wars, but let’s face it: Han and Leia were always more interesting than Luke.

Or perhaps you’re more into the MCU and side characters that never got their own solo stories like Natasha/Black Widow were your favourite, up until she got her own movie. Then she mysteriously fell into the same vat of main character blandness that Steve, Tony, etc had fallen prey to before. And now her sister Yelena was the side character stealing the show, like Natasha once was.

Hell, maybe you were a Nickelodeon kid who watched Victorious and adored Jade and Kat, but despised Tori due to the crime that she simply wasn’t as interesting or fun.

See, in any given story, (in my experience) your favourite characters are the ones that have the luxury of not being imprinted on by the author and thus are able to fully develop into more interesting beings with flaws and strengths that have nothing to do with the creator’s own personal perception of what it would look like for them specifically to be the protagonist. Or rather, how the creator(s) assumes the viewer/player/reader/etc would relate to their protagonist. Instead of just writing a character that would actually be effective within the context of the story.

I’m dubbing this phenom the Main Character Curse. It applies to so many different forms of media. Think of your favourite romance novel series such as Immortals After Dark or even Addicted/Calloway Sisters, in which every instalment is a standalone story in the same world and each book focuses on a new couple. Now, which book in that series is your favourite? Because I can almost guarantee it’s not the first book.

The first book that focuses so heavily on the couple that was clearly meant to be the magnum opus of greatness but fell short compared to almost every other book/couple in the series. Due to the fact that other characters in the series had to earn their stories. The couple from the first book didn’t need to be interesting or even particularly likeable. They just needed to be two people the author could fantasize about.

Whereas all of those other side characters in the first book had to earn their right to sequels and spin-offs by being the funniest, meanest, smartest, most fun, etc. They needed to prove themselves to the reader, when the protagonist did not.

Main characters don’t have to do anything (as of the writing of the story) to be worthy of being protagonists of said story. However, side characters have to earn their place in the story by actually serving the plot or developing in a meaningful way themselves.

The protagonist just needs to be a vessel for the consumer, no matter how dull or bland that vessel may be. Any other character in that same story has to be important or impactful in some way. Thus, they have the ability to develop, grow, shrink, or change drastically without it affecting the story to the point that it shifts away from the original plot-line completely.

Because even if that character dies or changes completely, the story will go on. The same cannot be said of the main character. Who has to be relatively stable and grounded enough throughout the whole story to remain the conduit for the reader/viewer/player/etc.

The side character has the luxury of being untethered to expectation and thus their journey is only limited to whatever the plot can throw at them.

So, why is the main character that way to begin with? The simple answer: the author can’t help but want to be the main character themselves, so they put too much of themselves into that character. Which limits what that protagonist experiences to what the writer themselves can relate to.

Which then immediately restricts the protagonist to a rigid box of typical self-insert godliness, or worse: boringness. Which is also likely why so many heroes/heroines seem too similar to cringy fanfic Y/N for comfort.

I know when I was around twelve years old I got the Divergent trilogy boxed set, and I noticed something a little odd. In the first book, the heroine Tris has long hair, and lo and behold; the author in the photo at the back of the book had the exact same hair style. Then, in the second book the heroine cuts her hair short, and oh! The author so happened to now have the exact same haircut in her updated author photo at the end of the book. The heroine’s hair changes a little bit again by book three, and (shocker) so does the author’s hair.

It’s almost like the creator was projecting onto the protagonist and accidentally constructed and ultimately hindered her main character in the process.

Are there circumstances where this doesn’t happen? Absolutely, but they are few and far between. Protagonists such as Percy Jackson and Aelin Galathynius prove that the main character of a story can be the best character in that same story.

However, these protagonists are few and far between, and we definitely need more of them. Though as stated above, this is complicated and difficult for a multitude of reasons.

Perhaps a temporary goal is to feature multiple main characters at once with no clear outlier, such as the Umbrella Academy. That remedies the issue of the protagonist being a typical hero/heroine by making every main character weird, strange, and fully fleshed out.

Or the Legend of Vox Machina. Which also has no definitive main character, because it has the unique luxury of originating from a tabletop RPG campaign in which every character was role-played by a different individual who was trying to be the main character in their own distinct and original way.

A different twist on the multiple protagonist approach involves something like what The Boys tv show does. Which highlights Billy, Hughie and Homelander as main characters, but gives plenty of other characters the main character spotlight during various different story arcs and episodes.

Regardless, sometimes I just want a story that has a single definitive protagonist. And every once in a while I’ll stumble upon an absolute treasure of a story, like Ted Lasso. In which the main character is amazingly written and portrayed, but all the secondary and tertiary characters are every bit as likeable and riveting.

Because it is so rewarding when stories can fully deliver on every bit of their potential instead of leaving you wishing they fulfilled what they teased.

All in all, I want less writers to live vicariously through their protagonists, and more writers to consider writing more bravely, oddly and complexly. Even if that means their protagonist isn’t the most beautiful or powerful or special.

Because no matter what, I’ll take a character that is the most likeable or interesting over the character that is the most special, any day. What about you? Let me know your thoughts!

[pallichutney]

tldr; i have a gripe with the like us series

had my first controversial book opinion and I felt that this was the place to share it.

as well written and lovable as the calloway series is, it would be remiss to not address how much the books lack diversity. i say diversity not just in a racial sense but also in a financial and family background sense. literally everyone in that series comes from the same circle of insane riches.

like it literally follow three rich billionaire sisters and their three equally rich husbands. these characters were born into the palm of wealth and wouldn’t have been able to process even half of the trauma and pain they’ve been through without the absurd amount of resources and money that they have at their disposal. they wouldn’t be viewed as so incredible either unless it were for the power they wield (i.e. the companies they were handed and the money they can spend). the characters can seem so caught up in their own world and shallow so much of the time. the reason the writing cuts through to readers though, is because it focuses so much on their individual struggles and roadblocks. this is what makes it an not only tolerable but a sentimental read.

cut to the like us series. it follows all of their kids. it is so painfully repetitive in style and story. GIVE ME ONE OF THOSE KIDS THAT HASN’T FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THEIR BODYGUARD. The Calloway Kids only ever hang around each other, their parents, and their bodyguards. It fucking shows ! So far 4/13 have gotten into relationships with their bodyguards. How insanely sheltered are they to have such a similar outcome each time. And to add to the humour of it all, the parents act surprised every time too. “OH MY GOD I CANT BELIEVE YOURE DATING YOUR BODYGUARD HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME — YOUR FATHER” as if they don’t already have a son and two nieces dating their own bodyguards.

i want one person. just one significant other who wasn’t born going to private schools and complaining about having to learn multiple languages. one person who came from the philly suburbs and is a bipoc. seriously, why are they all white? they’re starting to all look the same in my head. (ryke and thatcher/banks) and (farrow and donnelly) are practically the same people to me. i want one character who can give a reality check and a different world view to some of the cobalt and hale kids. please. i need just one of those parents to show that they trust their kids (as they have so proudly declared in the past) instead of putting up the whole “You’re dating my daughter? Well I don’t like you for it.”. It’s a painfully medieval plot.

post script: don’t even get me started on some of the kids’ individual so called “quirks”? charlie being all misunderstood and sad cause he’s apparently just too smart for the people in this world? luna hissing at people and stuff (idk she just felt incredibly infantilized)? MANY OF THEM HAVE IVY LEAGUE DEGREES TOO AND FOR WHAT?

thank you for listening lol. tryna get over my posting anxiety.

[faedawayyy]

THIS IS POST 2: CHARACTERS WHO HAVE SOME STORYLINES AND PLOTS ALREADY BUT AREN’T NEARLY AS ESTABLISHED AS THEY COULD BE. THEIR PLOTS WILL INCLUDE MORE LOOKING FOR LOVE AND MESSINESS BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE AS MANY COMMITMENTS AS THE ONES IN POST ONE.

MILES

the only carmichael boy who is officially single from his household. i feel like this has definitely caused his mum to push her attention on to him, particularly because he lives at home. she definitely wants him to settle down with somebody and at the moment, he fake dates arabella to keep her happy but there’s more i can get out of this. SOOOOOOO...

- HIS PLANNED GIRLFRIEND/WIFE: this was charlie at one point but she has more with leo now so it doesn’t really make sense. somebody from a wealthy family who his parents wanted him to end up with. maybe they’re constantly pushing them together but the two of them HATE each other with a passion and do everything they can to mess up their parents plans. - FWB: he’s been in the shadows for quite a while which isn’t a surprise given how much leo, mason and brody have going on. but, now he’s getting a bit older, i think he’d be more confident in himself and i can totally see him hooking up after events and stuff and having a few fwb. it’d be cool if these had different dynamics too like unrequited crushes/people using him for fame etc.  - MALE FRIENDSHIPS: he’d definitely hang out with people in his family’s circle but also people who are different and come from different walks of life. as a general rule, he’s chill and not big on aesthetics and appearances if that helps anybody! 

NATE

HE’S LIKE MY 2021 DALLAS AND THAT’S THE DIRECTION I WANT TO MOVE HIM IN. he’s a rising star in terms of his music and also has a minor acting and modelling career. he definitely gets the right amount of hype too so i think he’s the best choice out of my new guys to really give like the whole ‘rising star’ thing. i have QUITE A FEW ideas for him bc i’m excited! 

SIDE NOTE: him and imogen aren’t officially end game. like they might be? but what i’m trying to say is me and nadine haven’t plotted anything like that. their official plot is that they were dating behind charlie’s back when imogen was with charlie. now imogen isn’t w.charlie, they flirt and hook up but are p.toxic and argumentative. 

- FWB/RUMOURED PARTNERS:  this one goes w/o saying. i think i’m going to cap the plot at about 3 (not including imogen). maybe 3 different girls he’s linked with and has his own thing with. bonus points if one of these is a PR arrangement and it doesn’t go any deeper than public appearances.  - SECRET SHARERS: so with his career getting bigger, i think he’d be more serious about keeping his secret which is basically back in high school, him and a few of his friends are responsible for leaving another guy in a coma (he’s still in it now) after they spiked his drink to stop him from exposing them for cheating their way into st judes. i need maybe 3 or 4 people who all had a hand in this but we can work it out together. 

- FRIENDS/PEOPLE HELPING WITH HIS CAREER ETC.

EZRA

i’m kinda stuck with ezra. i have ideas but i dont know what the best way to execute them will be? so, he obviously has his son - nicolas - who is being raised by his mother atm. he’s natalie’s son; ezra and natalie were high school sweethearts but have gone their separate ways, they coparent as much as they can. this year ezra has got closer to madison and then felicity but in both relationships found they weren’t really satisfied with just him and flirted with others...so he’s kind of in a weird place. - PLATONIC FRIENDSHIP: maybe someone who knows all about his son and has helped ezra raise him/keeping it all a secret. it would be strictly platonic. i think she/he would be ezra’s best friend and they wouldn’t have any grey area. there’s no romantic feelings but the bond is strong. 

- EX: in between natalie and then felicity/madison. maybe they broke up because he wanted to focus on nicolas and didn’t have enough time for their relationship but there’s still feelings there. i just want somebody who genuinely loved/wanted him at one point and doesn’t always find someone better :’) we could develop how things unravel in 2021.

LUKE

luke’s father is the head of film at st judes and he has a lot of pressure on his shoulders to do well. at the moment, he’s in his good books because he’s a key part of the harry potter movies which is really pushing him and boosting his profile. he’s very focused on his work but also wants to branch out and make more connections. he’s currently interested in athena but i want to dig into his past a little more.  - EX FRIENDS/RIVALS: a friend that luke grew up with and they both went into acting, that’s when the friendship became toxic. they were always trying to outdo one another and it’s continued on to this day; they both have good careers but aren’t satisfied unless they’re doing slightly better than the other one; this can be m or f. 

- HIGH SCHOOL GIRLFRIEND: he went to gallagher high school. i think it’d be interesting if they were dating and looked as if they’d be typical high school sweethearts. maybe the plan was to live in one of his parents place, get regular jobs and settle down but then he chose his career/st judes and broke it off because it got too serious too soon. bonus points if she still hasn’t fully let him go bc she truly did love him. 

- COMPLICATED EX: an ex he dated at the beginning of st judes and it just got toxic very fast. maybe the reverse of his high school girlfriend - she fell out of love with him/was stringing him along and now there’s a lot of tension.

- WILDER FRIENDS: he’s very clean cut at the moment and has pressure to be a good example for others bc his dad is so linked to the academy, but maybe friends who tempt him to go out more and enjoy this time/make memories/do crazier things.

TAEWAN

ok ok i’m getting bored but for taewan, it’s very similar to luke. BTS are really going to be pushed to be the best next year and this is going to create both new and break old connections for him sooooooo take a look.

RIVALS/INDUSTRY ENEMIES - artists who work just as hard, if not harder, than BTS but don’t see half of the benefits with advertisement and getting prime performance spots at award shows. i think there’ll even be rumours than BTS buy some of their awards. he’d 100% have enemies by this time next year and would lowkey be sad about it bc he knows BTS are in the wrong, but also his career means too much to just admit it. P.R. GIRLFRIEND - a girl who’s a rising star too and he’s placed in a fake relationship to boost both of their profiles. it’d need to be a relationship where they clash and do not get along with one another bc i think that’d be fun. maybe they grow to like each other or be at least friends in the end but !!! the more tension the better tbh.

LOVE INTEREST/BEST FRIEND - i feel like he’d have one person who is currently his best friend and they’ve always kind of had feelings for each other...but now BTS are blowing up and management are getting involved with who he’s seen with and who he can be with, their friendship is breaking down massively and they’re drifting.

BRIELLE

brielle has just moved in with imogen and park and she’s been thrown into like, the world of old money and the richest family’s in violet springs. she’s experiencing so much new for the first time. imogen and her friends have kind of taken brielle under their wing & her life has kinda separated into two.

PEOPLE WHO KNOW HER FROM THE STRIP CLUB - i’ve literally been begging for this connection since i had her. her main source of income is stripping and dancing at a sketchy club in london. i’d love to have someone who sees her regularly and even pays for her to perform for their. i feel like it could either be they become infatuated with her through it OR they lowkey do it as blackmail to make the point that they’ve always got something over her.  OLD FRIENDSHIPS - people who have NO connection to the richer families and are friends with brielle from before. they know about her getting closer to imogen and the hamiltons and brielle is almost like their eyes on the inside, and they meet up and just gossip about everything that brielle has experienced. maybe one of these friends get a little jealous at some point and accuses her of forgetting who her real friends are/changing? NEW FRIENDSHIPS - people who DO have connections to that whole circle. maybe they get closer to brielle through events that she comes to with imogen OR they kind of mock her and treat her like an outcast. i definitely think she’d encounter some mean girls.  ALSO new friends with benefits because why not! there’re so many possibilities. i’m just getting tired of typing LOL

YULIA

yulia currently lives in the home of the family she nannies for. this job funds her scholarship at st judes, but she tells everybody that those people are her parents and sisters. she gives off the impression that she was born rich and doesn’t mention her real family to anybody because she’s ashamed. she has a lot of self hatred when it comes to where she came from and is v.much continuing with ‘fake it ‘til you make it’.

GUYS SHE USES FOR PUBLICITY/MONEY - i think yulia wants nothing more than to be legitimately rich, so she’d be very picky about the guys she flirts with and gives her time too. she’s probably more determined to get a rich and famous boyfriend than she is about having a successful film career. her priorities are all over the place. 

SOMEONE WHO HELPS HER CONTINUE HER LIE - maybe one or two friends who know she’s a nanny and they aren’t her family - but she doesn’t know that they know that. however, because they like her and/or feel bad for her, they play along and help her continue her lie.

ELOISE

eloise is the oldest calloway sister and even though she’s technically a “half” sister, she’s been raised with the other girls and is very close to them - especially zara. she’s the sensible one and often has the most level-head. she doesn’t take much shit but is also a hopeless romantic and loves to be in love. she really doesn’t have much at all right now so i could do with lots of different plots:

childhood friends, people who were like sisters to her when her real sisters weren’t. 

an ex boyfriend and her first boyfriend. i feel like the break up would’ve hurt because she’s v attached to people 

a close friend who has a ridiculously big crush on her atm; boy or girl idm! i feel like eloise wouldn’t know at first and maybe freak out when she finds out and we can see what happens from there 

maybe friends/guys who have used her to get to her sister(s)

MARGO

MY BABYYYYYYY. margo is legit my favourite and thats saying a lot bc you guys know how much i love issy and hensley. she’s basically signed herself out of rehab and takes advantage of the fact that dallas is working SO hard to get everything done. she has a huge tendency to buy and drink her feelings away SOOOO.....

ENABLERS - i kind of want her to get in with ‘the wrong crowd’, and by that i mean like...people who don’t rly care that she’s an addict and want to have fun with her. i have a really specific connection in mind where they’re fwb but it’s no good for her; BUT she’s kind of easy and happy to have sex hjkl; so they just keep her on standby.

OTHER FWB - i really want her to just go through a massive sleeping around stage. i haven’t really found someone she ‘clicks’ with. she relies LOTS AND LOTS on park and even though they’re not romantic, he’s her safe space. but i think there’d be a lot of other people in her life who she gets different things from. some ideas could be excitement, or people who baby her, or someone who maybe cares a lot about her & its their only way of being in contact.

EX FRIENDS - friends who gave up on her after she went to rehab and became a mess. she’d hate them bc as tough as she acts, she HATES HATE HES being abandoned. that’s why she clings to park and disney sm, bc she knows that they’ve been her friends since the beginning. 

[accidental-rambler]

Tell us some of your favorite Addicted series moments! Who is your ultimate addicted OTP? What about the Like Us series? Favorite moment? Ultimate OTP? What are you most looking forward to in the next Like Us books?

AN ASK ABOUT ADDICTED SERIES YASS! Thank you

1. My favourite addicted moments? But there are so many, how do I even choose???

Disclaimer: This list is by no means complete and I’ve probably forgotten a bunch:

all the moments where Rose (with Connor’s assistance) is helping Lily with her addiction, researching therapists, learning as much as she can about it, basically just being there for Lily, HALP I’m emo now - and then Lily acknowledging this with “In the end it wasn’t a boy who helped me, it was my sister�� SO SIMPLE BUT SO BEAUTIFUL

Lily, the sweetest puff, flinging a scotch bottle at that worm Scott, when he was trying to get Lo to start drinking again

basically everything with Lily being the most precious nerd, from her fangirling over marvel with Lo, predicting and shipping tf out of all addicted couples to wearing her wampa hat and climbing Lo like a monkey when she was afraid of Sadie

Lilo’s wedding, Connor’s speech and their vows *cries FOREVER*

Raisy’s first kiss

Connor doing striptease for Rose so she wouldn’t have to

all the arguing and squabbling between Rose and Lo, and then moments like Lo giving Rose baby clothes with tabby cats on them *CRIES*, Lo telling Rose she’s a kickass mom *CRIES MORE* and then that whole chapter in SKOP where Rose and Lo kick ass at Hale Co. and Rose admits (to herself) that Lo has basically been her brother and that he’s as close to being a Calloway sister as one could get *FEELS EXPLODED*

I’m a sucker for parallels and one of my faves is how at the beginning of HHF Lo struggles with his addiction and it shows in how he struggles to keep up with Ryke during their run and in how strained things are between them and then at the end of the book he’s so much lighter and they run together and they’ve been though so much together and worked through so many issues AND THEN AND THEN AND THEN, in LWD, it’s Ryke who need’s Lo’s help and he SO delivers, and it’s Ryke who struggles to keep up with Lo when they’re running but AGAIN, they support each other and make it through and am I crying or am I crying

Connor’s birthday in FTF and Lily being tasked with keeping him in place and then when Ryke is guarding him, Connor literally makes a run for it, how hilarious it must’ve looked, I’m -

it’s not one scene but basically coballoway in FTF, their unyielding support for one another, there’s nothing more beautiful than that

and Connor’s whole arc in FTF??? Like…I can’t even begin to explain how much this storyline means to me; I cried pretty much the entire book since that scene where the news broke out and Loren’s unconditional support of his friend, how he stood up to Jonathan, how the whole core six came together in the time of need of one of their own…*yes I’m crying*

Lily standing up for herself at that Hale Co. board meeting when that awful woman was insulting her education, MY PRECIOUS PUFF

Rose and Lily “making up” in Rose’s shop

Rose offering to be surrogate for Daisy and that whole scene where the sisters are supporting Daisy bc she deserves all the support and love and dedication

that scene in HHF when everyone learns that Ryke can speak French because HILARIOUS

Lily fangirling over herself when she managed to understand some French and Connor being proud AF

Lily going from “I only care about satisfying my appetite” to “I don’t care about sex, I care about the person I love more” BECAUSE WHAT A CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Daisy coming up with the idea of We Are Calloway

Lily’s and Ryke’s conversation in…FTF/LWD (can’t remember rn, I’m blanking out lol) when Ryke says she’s his family

all the ot6 vacation times, especially in the Smoky Mountains house

Rose calling her kids “gremlins”

Loren Hale taking over Hale Co. and being freaking happy doing it

Daisy holding Sulli for the first time (even though it turned angsty very soon after that)

everyone being here for Ryke when he attempted climbing again after his accident

all the flirty banter between Connor and Lo

Connor giving Ryke a journal with passages in different languages so he can find out how many of them he speaks

Lily learning to use twitter to her advantage and starting trend in support of coballoway (THIS IS LOVE)

ot6 being kickass parents in SKOP

the final scene is SKOP

“And then we end—we end where we started.   Just us. All six of us.”

I’m sorry…what was the rest of the question???

2. Ultimate Addicted OTP

Ok but when it comes to my “ultimate” Addicted OTP, I…honestly can’t decide? I just love each of them - lilo, coballoway and raisy - for very different things and it’s like picking your favourite kid - it’s just not something you do. I know people usually tend to be partial to this or that ship or character more (as I usually am) but with Addicted series, it’s “take them all or leave them all” kind of a deal.

3. Favourite Like Us moments

I’m going to go for “brief” this time, haha

every little lunnelly moment (Donnelly saying “she’s back” is very high on the list just as him offering to eat Luna out and Moffy hearing it because lmaoo)

all the moments between Moffy and Charlie, they’re kind of like Rose and Lo of Like Us series to me, they’re this kinda hostile brotp that really would sacrifice life for one another - and I especially loved when Moffy ACTUALLY FREAKING ASKED Charlie’s HELP with foundation and their talk on the plane

Thatcher remembering the names of all of Jane’s cats

Loren Hale being the most badass badass and putting Samantha where she belongs aka in the trash *sorry not sorry*

Jane being flustered around Thatcher (but also standing her ground and refusing to talk to him after that Farrow thing)

Moffy being the biggest fan of his parents

Donnelly fangirling over the Cobalts any chance he gets (and then coming up with shit like “the Hale curse”)

oral assistance scene, that had me laughing my ass off

marrow’s proposal, I had feels dammit

Jane saying she ships herself with happiness (and that guy asking who is happiness bc WTF lol)

Hale siblings supporting Luna during her pregnancy scare

Moffy discussing different kinds of lube with Lo, Ryke and Connor, I’m - this family I swear

again, Loren Hale throwing Samantha off that yacht, I’ll never be over how good that felt (and then him being the petty asshole and destroying other castles in the sandcastle competition and also that mention of him and Rose being the strict-parent team during vacation

Lily and Jane helping Moffy choose the wedding band

4. Ultimate Like Us OTP

Lunnelly and cobaretti, I can’t choose, I’m trash for both.

5. Can’t wait for...

...TLU!!! I can’t wait to see how Jane and Thatcher’s story is going to unfold and I’m just kind of VERY excited about reading different POVs. Also lunnelly (and Lo going batshit over it at first and then Lily becoming the biggest fangirl and pulling him over to her side and Lily basically assuming the role of mom for Donnelly because he needs more people in his corner??!)

And Charlie and Beckett’s stories and how will everything unfold with Beckett’s addiction and just MORE COBALTS PLEASE I BEG YOU and the Meadows and I would love to see Daisy and Rose and Lily have some more scenes with the kids???

[fathersonholygore]

FX’s Legion Chapter 3 Directed by Michael Uppendahl Written by Peter Calloway

* For a recap & review of Chapter 2, click here. * For a recap & review of Chapter 3, click here. Dr. Melanie Bird (Jean Smart) and her Summerland facility run on smoothly, as David Haller (Dan Stevens) digs deeper into his mind. Everybody’s doing something constructive, from Syd (Rachel Keller) to Ptonomy (Jeremie Harris), and Cary Loudermilk (Bill Irwin). Still, The Eye (Mackenzie Gray) holds David’s sister Amy (Katie Aselton) hostage. And how long until something really bad happens? Now more of therapy, just amped up. They’re digging into the “shit that scares you the most” in terms of the largest events in David’s life where he manifested powers, believing it mental illness. We cycle back through the familiar stuff, the kitchen before everything exploded. When Melanie and Ptonomy witness what happens afterwards they’re both wowed by their new friend’s powerful abilities. Then they’re back to a memory with David and Lenny (Aubrey Plaza), high as fuck, which starts a confrontation after Philly arrives. And once more the Devil with the Yellow Eyes returns, scaring David. The memory changes, things aren’t the same anymore. When they come out of the memory work they’ve literally transported “600 feet through two solid walls.” Yowzahs. The continuing relationship between David and Syd is fun, not a conventional-type relationship we so often see. Of course that’s precipitated by the fact they’re mutants, or whatever you’d like to call them. Either way, she’s awesome, and it’s excellent to see a different female character in these superhero stories. In this episode, David and Syd talk about their past to one another. He also has residual physical manifestations of their switching bodies. Syd: “We‘re more than just this” Later, David goes over with Cary for a few tests. A kind of stress test. This takes him back to a memory on Halloween, as he and big sister Amy go trick or treating. When their dog ran off, David ended up seeing The World’s Angriest Boy in The World come to life. Oh, and Lenny shows up, too! We watch now as he speaks to Lenny, hearing her, yet to the outside world he’s not actually talking. His brain’s lighting up as if he’s talking, but he’s not at all. Lenny is one hell of an antagonist, though. As if his mind, in general. It goes into overdrive. David levitates, followed by Syd, as well. They disappear into nothingness. They’re transported to where Amy sits, interrogated over and over about her brother and his powers, confronted with the fact he doesn’t have schizophrenia. Rather, he’s a powerful “god.” She has no information for them. That’ll be a problem if David and Co can’t get to her in time.

Melanie doesn’t want David doing his transportation act again any time soon. Could put them all in danger. We also get a history of the place, or a short one, anyways. There’s a lot going on for them, between Amy missing, David’s powers, old friends now foes of Melanie. On top of that, Dr. Bird wants to weaponize David, essentially. He won’t let up until his sister is safe. Simultaneous, he won’t stand for putting Syd in danger, even though she kicks ass, has saved him a few times already, et cetera. They deal with it in their own way, talking it through and feeling their connection immensely without any physical contact; one of the interesting, fun things I enjoy about their relationship. David: “To be a monster, you‘ve first got to do something monstrous.” More memory work! This time, Dr. Bird puts David into sedation. They go back to see how he wound up in Clockworks. Intriguing that Syd’s powers don’t work inside the memories, not without her physical body. She actually gets to hug David, but a young, little David. Odd, yet in a way romantic across space and time. Then strange flashes, banging around the room while they watch David’s memories. Except they’re only images Syd can see. Something tears open a wall behind Melanie and Ptonomy, creeping its hands through the gap. They lose track of one another when Syd stumbles back through various memories of David’s in succession, chasing the child version of David through room after room. She even witnesses David having sex, at one point; very weird, considering she’s unable to have human contact. Trapped in David’s head, The Angriest Boy in the World stalks the child. And worse still, the Devil with the Yellow Eyes. Syd and Ptonomy manage to make it out of their deep sleep. Although David and Melanie remain under.

Amongst the memories, Dr. Bird still walks, looking for answers. She finds The World’s Angriest Boy in the World tucked away in a closet. She reads through the sinister book. It soon slams shut on her hand, sending her back to the couch with Ptonomy. However, the memories are scaring everybody now, not only David. He’s got his own demons, too. Terrifying ones that won’t let go. What an episode! This series is just knocking each Chapter out the park. Hawley and the crew doing amazing work, solid directors and writers involved. Great, great stuff. Looking forward to Chapter 4. Legion – Chapter 3 FX's Legion Chapter 3 Directed by Michael Uppendahl Written by Peter Calloway * For a recap & review of Chapter 2, …