#and it makes sense for sam to be supporting this season although i lowkey think assad should've been in lead as well

[pynkhues]

I really do feel like Jacob, Sam, Delainey, and Assad deserve nominations -- their performances were just so extraordinary. Eric was also fantastic--I might personally put Ben Daniels over him, but that might be unfairly giving him too little credit for his performance just because the character seems closer to him than any of the other actors do to their characters.

I totally agree, anon! They're all so good, including Ben, and it would be so nice to see them all nominated. I'm not sure if this season will be eligible for the SAGs, but I really hope it is just because it's like, the only awards ceremony that offers a Best Ensemble category which this cast absolutely deserves.

I feel for Eric a bit, because in a lot of ways, he's got both the hardest and least glamorous role? He's really functioning as a gateway character for the audience to the broader storyworld, and as a result, he becomes a bit of a barometer of tone. He's modern without being too modern, he's sceptical, he's funny, and his dry tone is actually what lets the rest of the show be high melodrama. Without him, the show would veer too far into camp. It's Daniel's voice and Eric's performance that grounds the series because - like a true tonal barometer - he's constantly checking the pressure of a scene, and the side effect is that he doesn't really get to transcend tone - at least not at this stage - in the way all the other actors get to. He has to stay grounded for the show to work.

Which is a hard thing to acknowledge when every other actor gets to explore characters at such heightened points of emotion! But it's vital all the same, and I truly think the show would be lost without him, which in a lot of ways is a true supporting actor role, and lowkey a reminder that Sam and Delainey at the very least, if not Assad as well, are really probably closer to co-leads than they are supporting.

[laufire]

Supernatural s5

I finished it a little while ago, but I haven’t had the time to make an involved post about it -or watch that much of s6 yet; I’m trying to be Resposible and the time I have has been spent in advancing fics a little bit or answering short asks lol.

-I have really enjoyed this season for the most part, but there’s something I need to get of my chest LOL: all through it, the song “Too Many Dicks (On The Dance Floor)” played in my head xDD. Like, listen, I knew what I was signing up for with this show!! I didn’t expect NOT to find it offensive or regressive on multiple occasions!! But I guess s3-4 must have spoiled me lmao. I’m not saying those seasons are the height of feminism, but if you removed its most important female characters, ESPECIALLY Ruby, the plot of the season would fall apart. That’s not something you can say for s5 and preventing the Apocalypse, just sayin’.

It wouldn’t’ve been that hard to expand Meg’s, Anna’s or the Harvelle’s part (they had good material to go there -Meg as the faithful possibly opening her eyes, Anna as the betrayed and the juror jury and executioner, the Harvelles as normal hunters fighting something way too big for them-, but barely any time and like I said, no incidence in the actual plot of the season). Hell, I’m biased but bringing back Ruby would’ve at least taken care of the problem lol. Or if the show had indulged me and kept Bellamy Young as Lucifer, at least. But everyone with a real say in the plot is a dude, or at least wearing one as a vessel (angel’s conception of gender is clearly different from humans, but in terms of ~~representation the results are the same lbr).

-My constant frustrations with Supernatural’s bigotry-related stuff lol, like I said, I really enjoyed the season (that combination is one of the most frustrating things about the show lmao). Especially Castiel’s plot. The guy has reached Potential Hall of Faves status and that’s hum. A Problem xD

But seriously, he was breaking my heart in all the best ways. His search for God (the Absent Father that the show specifically compared to John añsldkfjasf. This show ISTG!!), his disappointment and sense of betrayal at being let down (he called God Himself “son of a bitch”!!!). I was especially fascinated by his Endverse version -that AU will have its own section lol-, although it resulted in making me reaaaally nervous whenever he was close to an addictive substance :). Like yes, those scenes were lowkey humourous and adorable (like when he drinks shots with the Harvelles and Ellen is fascinated and Jo delighted -... lowkey shipping this too btw. Lowkey shipping Castiel with lots of people-, or his combo with Sam when he got drunk), but also, you know, WORRYING xD

Some of my favourite scenes of his were, predictably, his interactions with Meg or Lucifer in 5x10. The Megstiel scene was SUPER HOT (both their voices are very unf-y lol), I can’t wait to edit it. And having Lucifer call Castiel “a peculiar thing” sure was something xD (although lbr, this Lucifer isn’t keeping with his rebel angel reputation, Castiel is carrying that all by himself smh).

Another scene I couldn’t get out of my head if I wanted to is when he uhhhh... completely LOSES IT and starts beating the crap out of Dean when he was ready to give it up to Michael. “I gave everything for you, and this is what you give me?!?” ooooooof. It was hard to watch, and fascinating and intense. I shamelessly loved it lmfao.

Though my favourite moment of his is one that can only be appreciated when you know certain things about s6. It’s the scene where, unlike everyone else, he shows appreciation for Sam’s plan of sacrificing himself to get rid of Lucifer. Because yes, at this point it’s the only thing that can save the world. But Castiel isn’t saying, “Sam’s life is a small price to pay in comparison”, because he will go into s6 and snatch Sam out of the cage immediately. s5 established Sam got out, so with that in mind, he didn’t bring it up because he didn’t want to create false hope in case he failed, but he backed the plan with the intention of saving Sam anyway. I love that. I love him.

-The entire season was Missing Ruby Hours for me lmfao. Like I said, some of the problems in the season wrt female characters would’ve been at the very least lessened if she’d gotten to be here wrecking havoc. But generally I just miss her and What Could Have Been with her here. I enjoyed some of the crumbs (Sam using the witchcraft skillz he learned from her! Sam immediately knowing Meg isn’t Ruby, unlike Dean! Her knife! The ARCHANGEL GABRIEL referencing her as “the demon Sam chose over his brother”!! The callbacks with Crowley or Brady!!), but I would’ve wanted her here, dammit xD.

-Aaaaand we’re finally getting to Sam, who is without a doubt the star of the season, if you ask me. His plan at the end, to let Lucifer possess him in the hopes he can fight back for just long enough to overpower him and throw them both into the cage, with no hopes for himself? This is the kind of Big Damn Hero stunt I’m a sucker for, I won’t lie. And I love that the show felt the need to confirm he was still alive at the end of the season hehe.

He really Went Through It this season and he held on lmfao. On top of everything (the apocalypse, the guilt of being its final trigger, the addiction recovery, etc.), he also had to deal with Dean’s usual bullshit, which is no small feat xDD. Like, sure, from an audience stand-point all those things are interesting (some fave/the fuck moments are when Dean is obviously peeved that Bobby still supports Sam because he wanted Bobby in HIS corner, or when he has the nerve to say he wants to say yes to Michael because he doesn’t trust SAM not to say yes to Lucifer lmfaoooo), BUT IT’S STILL A FEAT XD

One note: for all the talk about bi!Dean, bi!Sam is so SEEN this season xDD. AFAIC he totally hooked up with that bartender Paul (RIP Paul. At least in your last moments you enjoyed Sam, who’s clearly an energetic, attentive lover 😔). And Crowley refers to Brady as Sam’s demon ex-boyfriend and nobody bats and eye lmfao (that story is so angsty... the parallels to Ruby, how he ingratiated himself with Sam by pretending to have fallen off the wagon... ouch).

-I have mixed feelings on Crowley. On his own, I fell absolutely in love with the guy on his first appearance. A demon that DOUBTS Lucifer and doesn’t kiss his ass?? That wants to get rid of him and do his own thing?? And clearly enjoys ~earthly pleasures to the fullest (his complains about how the other demons ate his tailor had me rolling laksjdfa)? The way he turned the tables on Brady? OFC I love him. OTOH boy, does it annoy me knowing that fandom GLADLY embraced him when they condemned characters like Bela or Ruby for similar things. It’s not his fault so I still like him (he’s like Gabriel in that sense), but it’s annoying!

It also annoys me how Dean Must Be Right All The Time syndrome interacts with him lol. This season Dean decides they can trust Crowley (despite Crowley killing two humans in front of him and getting him beat up by Brady lol), so they can. Next season he decides they can’t, so Castiel will be WrongTM because Dean Says So. Ugggggh xD

-To be fair, however, this season has my fave Dean so far LOL. In the love/hate scale, this one has been almost solely in camp love, barring some of those moments of irksome hypocrisy that he’s so prone to xD.

But there was something about how this season’s plot chipped away at him, you know? For all the traits he has that drive me up the wall or unsettle me, I appreciate a lot of his personality because it makes him a unique and interesting character driving the narrative -his irreverence, his ability to think on the fly and get out of shitty situations, his disbelief. Seeing all of those things under siege this season made me hurt for him in a way I hadn’t anticipated LOL. By the time he was ready to give in to Michael (and I love that what made him step away from that choice was Sam showing a trust in him he patently didn’t deserve lbr), sometimes I felt terribly for the guy.

I also wonder if this season kind of marked like... the beginning of the end for him, narrative-wise? Making him Michael’s vessel (his angel condom) is the kind of thing that turns him from subject into object, and that can doom characters ime. The fact that he ~resigns himself to Sam’s death when his identity as a character came with being His Brother’s Keeper is another slight.

-I continue having mixed feelings about Destiel too LMAO. I’ve decided I’m just going to try to enjoy the good and interesting parts while I can, while trying not to think of future developments that’ll likely sour the ship for me lol.

Because in truth, yeah, I enjoy their interactions a lot here! The Endverse was particularly enjoyable for me (back to that in a moment), but the entire season had a lot of gems. That moment in the finale, when Dean is wounded on his knees after Sam sacrifices himself, and Castiel resurrects and heals him with a touch? And Dean is staring in awe and asks him if he’s become God?? Like wtf am I supposed to do with that. WHO SAYS THAT. XDD

-The Endverse. Omgggggggg. The Endverse. I doubt I can say anything about it that hasn’t been said a thousand times, but seriously. I loooove it, all of it. My favourite was endverse!Castiel, ofc. The way he was in No Man’s Land, not an angel and not quite a human, his ways of trying to cope with that, how burned he was... I uncomfortably related to some of it too lmfao, but let’s not get into that xD.

Seeing both Deans interact was gr10 too. They really couldn’t stand each other lmfao (do you understand me now Dean?? They actually reminded me of two OCs in an original WIP of mine that are in a similar situation -in this case it’s the future version purposefully traveling to the past though-, which made me even fonder of the AU). And the Destiel? *chef’s kiss*. The bitterness, like when Castiel laughs when present!Dean berates endverse!Dean about the tortures and then purposefully says “I like past you” to hurt him asñldkfjasf. Or those looks when Dean returns to the past and tells Castiel to “never change” d’aw.

I loved Lucifer!Sam in this episode too (and personally, I think in the finale Lucifer -and Michael- should’ve changed his outfit too. Sam’s clothes just don’t get to The Devil’s levels, but that white suit was perfect). He was terrifying xD.

BTW: I’ve decided that, since we never see endverse!Castiel die, well. He didn’t xD. I could see Lucifer keeping him alive and captive out of a sense of nostalgia, as Castiel is the only other thing close to a fellow angel left. Might even decide to return his powers with time, or to ~entice him with such an offer lol. And ofc I headcanon Sam is still inside, occasionally trying to fight. Cue in all the Castiel/Lucifer and Castiel/Sam fic ideas too (I have waaaaay too many of those for this mini-verse. It’s very inspiring).

-I’m still on the fence at Lucifer’s motivations but I can’t question how the family issues fit so, so well into this ‘verse. “Family is hell” is the show’s thesis, after all xD. IMO the angels in general don’t feel like a family, they’re a military body/cult lol, but the Archangels are another matter. I guess is the whole “only four angels have seen God-slash-Dad” thing, the rest were... well, the help, apparently.

But Lucifer, Michael, and Gabriel do feel like brothers when they interact (I’m guessing here Gabriel is the Adam: discarded by the other two like nothing :)))). Raphael too, but since he doesn’t interact with them... does he get to later? Or is he the odd one out? Did the others avoid him because he kept quoting Nietzsche at dinner?? LOL.

-There are no words to explain how terribly I feel for Adam. JFC that poor KID. Who was kind and helpful and intuitive, and only wanted his mother back and to help stop the end of the world. And that Sam and Dean will leave rotting in Hell for a millennia :))). It’s kiiiiiiiiind of hard to do for your show’s “heroes” when they do shit like that lmfao. It’d be different if they never tried to make him feel he’s family, but Sam tried to convince him with the bs “because we’re blood” and they did a half-baked attempt at saving him from Zacharias, and then... yeah. At least he had Michael in the cage, but still.

-I was already spoiled of this, but the reveal that cupids made John and Mary fall in love is so chilling (good on Dean for punching that cupid asshole, btw). It puts what Mary says about John in flashbacks, about how much she loves him and how perfect he is, in such a terrifying light. And I’m under the impression that the show didn’t bother to deal with this properly when they resurrected Mary and just... I hate that tbh. It’s a narrative choice that should have a huuuge impact, dammit.

-I kind of loved how bitter and angry Bobby was about (temporarily, thanks to Crowley, his new demon bf -watch out Rufus) ending up in a wheelchair. That there were no platitudes or false sentimentality and it just... was.

-The Harvelles’ had a good send off. I can respect Kripke for wanting his faves to go on his terms lol. Having Jo refuse Dean’s offer of a fuck on their possible last night on Earth with “I rather spent it with a little thing I have self-respect”? Not because she doesn’t have feelings for him, but because she thinks she deserves better from him? I love it. This guy knows his pettiness xD

-The fact that this fandom seems to have ignored Gabriel x Kali is one of the reasons I’m never going to vibe with it, sns. Immortal exes? Check. She tricked him and killed him... but then it turns out HE tricked and he’s alive? Check. BUT THEN HE STILL GOES BACK AND SAVES HER, DYING BY HIS BROTHER’S HAND?? CHECK CHECK CHECK. Ugh, why can’t they come back to me. I know, I know, Kali is a WoC and those are only allowed one (1) appearance before they’re killed off, apparently. So it might be a good thing that she doesn’t return xD. But gosh, they were gr10.

-Death the Horseman’s intro cleared my skin. I love him. I love how utterly terrifying he is and how chilling his and Dean’s scene was. And I yearn to find a picture of the guy a little younger and with a goatee, because he’s the most perfect Discworld’s Vetinari fancast I’ve ever found xDD

-I’ve seen tons of commentary over the years, and especially lately for obvious reasons, about how this season finale would’ve been a much better ending for the show. I’m not there yet, and it does sound like the finale was a mess and this one’s was a very well constructed episode (and, ofc, the Final Love Interest was NOT blurry!!). But even if by the end I come to loathe the finale, there’s one reason I already know won’t let me agree on the s5 ending being perfect: God xDD

The episode makes Chuck come across as a ~benevolent figure and no, fuck that, do NOT want, take it away from me!! Give me God as the Big Bad Wolf, the last evil to conquer any day. It’s like Dumbledore all over again: I enjoy the character a lot more if I feel canon and I are on the same page wrt his shadiness xDD

[timotay-chalamet]

Best TV of 2016: 10 - 6

Part 3 of this never ending series. Part 4 will be posted tomorrow

PART 2

PART 1

10. CRAZY EX GIRLFRIEND

This show took me a while to get into, and I must confess I watched the first episode, didn’t enjoy it and decided to not continue. I’m not entirely sure why I decided to come back to this show, but I am glad I did. Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) decides to move to West Covina after she sees her high school summer fling Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez III) from New York. Did I mention this show has musical numbers? Because it does, and they are amazing (this show is no Glee, trust me). What this show does perfectly is melt together musical genres, styles and gives each member a cast the chance to shine. The first season was perfect, and as a viewer I really appreciated how well written the show was, and how it was able to find humour and pathos all the while presenting a beautifully feminist perspective. This is a show that values the subtleties of female friendship, but also female rivalry. The supporting cast of this show are perfect, and are often foils for Rebecca’s absurdist ‘romantic’ gestures. Donna Lynne Champlin’s, Paula Procter is particularly brilliant but all the supporting cast are equally brilliant. But the best part is that they are able to have lives outside of Rebecca. This show is bitingly hilarious, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and it’s able to subvert tropes of genre. It’s basically brilliant *starts singing the Sexy Getting Ready Song*

 Best episodes: I’m Going a Date with Josh’s Friend, My First Thanksgiving with Josh, That Text was not Meant for Josh, Josh is Going to Hawaii, Why is Josh in a Bad Mood, Paul Needs to Get Over Josh

9. MR ROBOT

Planning a revolution is easy, executing a revolution is more difficult, sustaining a revolution is hard. This season of Mr Robot examined with repercussions of such a revolution, who benefits? Who falters? And how does such idealism exist in world that may not want it.

This season of Mr Robot was either love it or leave it, there is no in between. The critical darling of 2015 has been absent from many top of 2016 lists, and I am trying to understand why? I will commend Sam Esmail for making the show with his own vision and while I feel some of the criticism lobbied at the show were warranted, I had to question if we were watching the same show. For my part, I don’t feel like the ‘twists’ are every really twists, not in the traditional sense, and from the beginning the audience knows that Elliot is an unreliable narrator, so it really wasn’t so shocking to see him in prison. I did think that the reveal was done beautifully, and the cinematography is bar none, the man knows his way around a montage. It also continues to use some of the inspired musical choices on TV.  Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson continues to create an iconic performance full of subtext, mania and restraint. There is a reason why he continues to win awards. Christian Slater’s, Mr Robot is finally able to be the unhinged id, and Slater revels in this new development. Carly Chaikin delivers one of the finest monologues on the show, and this season we were able to see her as a defacto leader.  The female centric solo episode, particularly following the previous episode’s revelation, was an inspired choice, and Angela’s (Portia Doubleday) karaoke was particularly heartbreaking. The inclusion of the FBI and Dom (Grace Gummer) was a welcome change of perspective. And how can we forget B.D Wong’s electric performance as Whiterose, complete and utter scene-stealer, as is Stephanie Corneliussen as Joanna Wellick. I feel this is a set up season of the show, and that next season we will see the full repercussions of F Society’s revolution.

 Best episodes: unm4sk-pt1.tc (2.01), unm4sk-pt2.tc (2.02), logic_b0mb.hc (2.04), h4ndshake.sme (2.06), pyth0n_p1.p7z (2.07), pyth0n_p2z (2.08)

8. THE NIGHT OF

Everyone’s worst nightmare is being arrested for a crime they didn’t commit and it’s even worse if you don’t remember; that’s the premise of The Night Of. Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed), in a series of ‘please don’t that’ choices manages to charged with the murder of his one night stand. The first episode of this show is a heart attack inducing experience, as Naz manages to make the stupidest of the all stupid choices. What follows is an exploration of race, religion and the criminal justice system. John Turturro is brilliant as Jack Stone, the down and out lawyer who only through good timing and luck get’s Naz as a client; although I will say that we see his feet more than my eyes needed to. Enough cannot be said about Riz Ahmed’s performance, and this role reignited my love for him but I don’t think anyone noticed because I’ve been totally lowkey and subtle about it. But anyway Ahmed sells the transformation from Bambi in the woods to career criminal brilliantly, and his acting is always subtle but tells us so much. The only issues I have this show are pacing, and some questionable story choices, while I know this is based on a BBC production, certain storylines should have been abandoned for realism. And on that note, some of the court scenes were completely ludicrous and I’m no lawyer but even I knew that dramatic license was taken. Overall I enjoyed the mystery, and the performances were brilliant but as a story it slightly missed the mark of a truly iconic show. But what a star making year for Riz, in every way!

 Best episodes: The Beach, The Art of War, The Season of the Witch, Samson and Delilah, An Ordinary Death, The Call of the Wild

7. BETTER CALL SAUL

Better Call Saul really come into it’s own this season, both thematically but also stylistically. Vince Gillian was able to meld what fans loved about Breaking Bad into the darkly comical world of Saul Goodman. It cannot be said enough that Bob Odenkirk was brilliant this season, Jimmy’s McGill’s foray into legitimacy is short lived but we as an audience are able to see the flickers of ‘Saul’ that made him the character he is in Breaking Bad. Gilligan also uses montage, and suspense perfectly this season and the show ended on an enormous cliff-hanger that makes me exited for next season. Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler is also undeniably brilliant as she is caught between her own personal ambitions, and the reality of working with Jimmy, as partners only. This season was extremely exiting, and next season I feel will be even better as the stakes have been raised. The beauty of this show is that audience already has a touchstone for the season, so our interest lies in formation of these characters, as we are aleady privy how they turn out.

 Best Episodes: Rebecca, Inflatable, Nailed, Klick

6. ATLANTA

I wasn’t sure what to expect coming into this show, I am being completely honest. I was under the impression that the show would be a ‘slice of life’ dramedy with some comedic elements; luckily I was wrong and this show has exceeded my every expectation. What Donald Glover and his writing staff have done beautifully is add these surreal elements into the show that never feel tacked or forced but completely and utterly delightful. The show also deals with serious issues, such as police brutality, social media, celebrities and feminism but always with a comedic touch. I also think it’s a brave choice to have episodes without the main protagonist, it just adds layers to an already brilliant show. This show is brilliant, Glover deserves all the praise that he is getting, but I also think that his supporting cast deserve the accolades equally as this show would not even remotely work without their comedic presence.  

 Best episodes: Streets on Lock, Value, B.A.N., The Club, The Jacket