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kimberleyjean · 26 days ago

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Good Omens S1 Parallels - 1/?

Saturday Morning Funtime is a particularly interesting episode for me, because it suggests something about the structure of parallels Season One. Also, it's easier to start with a single episode than trying to cover the whole show at once. I'm going to show you six different scenes from Saturday Morning Funtime and how they link together.

Let's start with the pun pointed out by Danny Motta in his video (link here to relevant timestamp if you haven't seen it). Danny made the link between this scene near the start of E4, where Aziraphale gets exercise:

And this scene at the end, where Aziraphale was exorcised (according to Shadwell, at least):

Cool, seems like a funny pun. But there's no way to know it was intentional right? Well, I think I can argue it was. Let's look at another scene.

We have this scene where Hastur destroys 3 Erics on the plains of Megiddo. Since each demon has a corresponding animal, I'm going to go ahead and place bets on the Eric's being rabbits, and Hastur destroys 2/3 of them.

And then later we have this scene where Hastur again destroys 2/3 rabbits, but this time they're cartoon bunnies - the first one he beheads like a costume, the second he rips out it's throat.

youtube

Ok, but again, why am I linking these two scenes? No deep character insights, or thematic elements are being displayed here... Except that's a key reason I'm pointing them out - they're seemingly pretty pointless, so why bother to make them? Well, maybe the sum is bigger than the parts. One more example and then I'll show you how this comes together.

Here's a scene which I think is pretty good foreshadowing of something that will happen later in the episode - Hastur and Ligur talking about the dripping pipes down in Hell. Hastur has a little bucket he's collecting water in, which he uses in a toast:

And later, we have this particularly gruesome scene of Ligur becoming toast at the hands of a bucket full of (holy)water:

Ok, so six scenes, three sets of parallels... now's where the magic happens... I take E4 as a whole... loop it over on itself like a piece of trick rope from Goldstein's magic shop and....

Tada! Here's the episode laid out in 2 minute increments.

Some pretty interesting places to have parallels, no? That two minute block at the start is a lead in before the opening credits, so the Exercise and Exorcism scenes are coming directly before and directly after the open and close sequence (shown above in blue).

I'd be lying if I said it didn't remind me of the overall chiastic structure that some people have worked on, such as this one by @drconstellation, just on a smaller scale.

It's also interesting to note that each of these parallel pairs relates to someone getting discorporated - Eric, Ligur and then Aziraphale.

What's the point?

So, I promised that I would share a little on why this might be important. In my opinion? It appears like there is some detailed structure to Good Omens, at least in S1.

It should also be noted that these scenes were added only for the show in order to produce this effect - Aziraphale exercising with Gabriel, Hastur and Ligur talking about the pipes, the three cartoon rabbits in the theatre - they were all newly created for the show.

Why go to the bother of creating these little parallel moments at corresponding points along a mirrored structure? Especially when these don't necessarily have ramifications for characters or plot? Is it just good story telling or is it something more? These are all questions worth asking in my opinion. I think it relates to how this show treats words and language in a very Pratchetty fashion. The whole show is a dedication to Terry, after all.

Of course, if things were so simple, I think we would have figured it all out long ago. Parallels, puns, wordplay... they're all quite slippery things. There are things I would consider to be parallels which don't line up with this same structure. For example, the scene from earlier with Gabriel and Aziraphale exercising? The "lose the gut" gut-punch foreshadows this other gut punch scene in E4 too:

Despite examples to the contrary, the presence of parallels and wordplay that do line up along a mirrored structure makes me want to explore this further. If you're also interested in this and want to collaborate, please let me know.

This will be a continuing series, as and when time allows, because parallels seem to be absolutely everywhere. Future posts will look at parallels at different levels (within scenes, across episodes, and across seasons).

Let me know if you spot any others - I'd love to hear about them. They might be hidden in the visuals, wordplay, puns and more...

----------------------

With thanks to all the detectives for keeping me clue hunting @embracing-the-ineffable, @theastrophysicistnextdoor, @noneorother, @somehow-a-human, @komorezuki, @maufungi, @lookingatacupoftea, @havemyheartaziraphale, @251-dmr, @dunkthebiscuit, and @ghstptats <3

#Youtube #good omens #good omens meta #terry pratchett #good omens parallels #good omens theories #good omens analysis #good omen details

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insanityclause · 1 month ago

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Coming to viewers from the end of time seated upon his throne on Yggdrasil, the God of Mischief is bestowing upon his loyal subjects the most highly-anticipated release of the year: Loki Season 2 on 4K UHD. Today, Marvel Studios announced that fans of the Tom Hiddleston-led Disney+ series can expect to add the critically celebrated follow-up season to their collection on December 3, 2024. There’s plenty to be excited about here as, along with the six-episode season, buyers will also get their hands on a gorgeously crafted SteelBook with exclusive art and collector's cards nestled inside. If content is more your thing, there’s plenty to feast your eyes upon with heaps of bonus features to keep you entertained.

The first season of Loki left audiences on quite a cliffhanger, forcing us to wait more than two full years for the next lineup of episodes to drop. But, boy, were they worth the wait. Season 2 of the beloved series followed Loki and his ragtag group of outcast TVA workers as they tried to find the truth about what was happening within the organization's walls. Solidifying himself as the hero we’ve always known him as, Loki finds his glorious purpose by the time the credits roll on the heartfelt, emotional second season.

‘Loki’ Season 2’s Bonus Features

If you can’t get enough of Loki, the bonus features included in the special release will give you the extra fix you’ve been looking for as you’ll laugh, cry, and cheer right alongside the folks who brought Loki’s story to the small screen. Take a look down Hiddleston’s personal sacred timeline as the featurette, Loki Through Time, digs into the actor’s more than decade of playing the character. No special features list would be complete without a gag reel and with a cast that includes Owen Wilson, the laughs are endless.

There are also a handful of deleted scenes, featuring more of Sylvie’s (Sophia Di Martino) story as a McDonald’s employee and another that sits audiences down with Mobius (Wilson) and Loki as they enjoy a slice of key lime pie. Finally, fans can pull the curtain back on the making of the series as they step onto the set and see how the show was pulled together. Nothing like the magic of Marvel right at your fingertips! Check out the full list of bonus features below:

Loki Through Time — Travel through over a decade of Loki’s timeline with Tom Hiddleston, Kevin Feige and more as they dive deeper into the villainous yet lovable character that fans can’t get enough of in the Loki series.

Gag Reel — Take a look at some of the fun moments on set with the cast an crew of Loki Season 2.

Deleted/Extended Scenes

What Would You Like? — Distraught after the events of season 1, Sylvie leaves the Citidel at the End of Time and finds an escape in a McDonald's in 1982.

Key Lime Break — Loki and Mobius share a moment savoring a key lime pie in the TVA lunchroom.

Roll Call — Loki names off all the people who have spoken ill of him in the past, including a few recognizable names. Mobius tries to comfort him.

Assembled: The Making of Loki Season 2 — Join the cast and crew of Loki Season 2 as they pull back the curtain on Loki’s Iatest MCU adventure.

Take a look at the gorgeous SteelBook artwork above and plan to pick up a copy of Loki Season 2 4K UHD for yourself or the mischievous troublemaker in your life on December 3. Both seasons of Loki are now streaming on Disney+.

#tom hiddleston #loki

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thebiggerbear · 5 months ago

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Six Sentence Sunday - 7/7/24 - Jon Snow x Sansa Stark

Pairing: Jon Snow x Sansa Stark

A/N: I've been working on this since...God, 2019, right after the show ended. There has been so many changes and corrections, trying to get the tone right, deciding what format to use, what length, etc. I think I finally have it nailed down and I've been slowly but surely getting back into it thanks to rewatching some key Game of Thrones scenes and now season 2 of House of the Dragon. That one scene up North in episode 1 had me longing for these two and that world so back at it I go.

This is meant to take place between season 6 and season 7 of Game of Thrones. It's a little more than six sentences.

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187; @rieleatiel

A few silent minutes have passed when his eyes find their way back to her. “Lord Baelish is becoming too familiar.”

Sansa’s lips tighten into a thin line. This again… Jon is watching her and she chooses to now sip the wine she had been reluctant to partake in, to give herself a moment to collect her thoughts. “Familiar?”

Jon’s own jaw clenches at her question. “You know of what I speak.”

She places her goblet onto the table beside her and folds her hands in her lap. “Jon, I understand your concern but we have discussed this, over and over, and at great length--”

“And yet, he is still here,” Jon bites out, leaning forward slightly in his chair.

Sansa tenses, ready for the argument that is surely about to happen. It always does whenever the topic of her unintended mentor comes up. “Because we need him,” she speaks firmly. “He is Lord Protector of the Vale and we need the Knights of the Vale.”

Jon scoffs and puts his cup down, getting to his feet. Almost as if this is a dance they have done several times over and Jon is starting the steps, Sansa knows he will begin to pace in front of her as his ire builds before voices will rise. “Lord Royce is the commander of the Knights of the Vale. It is his presence they require, not Lord Baelish.”

“Jon--”

He whips around. “He was in the crypts again, Sansa. Near Father, and near your Lady Mother. Again.”

Sansa feels her stomach tighten at this information. Only Starks are allowed in the crypts, it is something that is widely known. Nobles may visit the long lost Starks if they wish, as long as they have a Stark escort. Unfortunately, Littlefinger was obviously taking liberties and had approached Jon down there once--now twice it sounded like. She would need to rein him in.

A/N: Please let me know if you would like to be tagged for this mini series when it's posted.

dividers by @firefly-graphics

banner by @cafekitsune

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#thebiggerbear writing previews #six sentence sunday #scheduled post #jon snow x sansa stark

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tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 6 months ago

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Thoughts after re-watching Taskmaster season 1:

- Romesh Ranganathan throwing the watermelon on the floor really was the funniest fucking thing that’s ever happened on TV. It really, really was. It was incredible. Not all the credit can go to Romesh, as it helps that it was well set up, contrasted against the previous more careful approaches. The editors get some credit. But Romesh gets most of the credit. Almost all of it. What an amazing thing to do.

It’s the lack of hesitation, I think. There were no cuts in the first bit of that segment. We see him go into the lab, see the watermelon for the first time, and not even break stride as he instantly walks across the room, picks up the watermelon, raises it over his head, and slams it onto the floor. Not stopping for one moment to consider whether this is the best idea. Every time I watch it, even four years after the first time, I can’t breathe for laughing.

- Romesh was very funny in general. I don’t actually know a huge amount about Romesh Ranganathan, except that he has so many TV shows he’s become other comedians’ shorthand for an extremely successful TV guy. I know he gets pitted against Rob Beckett at things in a show I haven't seen, and he was on that sports panel show that looked too horrible for me to touch even during the depths of my panel show phase, when I watched some pretty shit television. It’s not like Taskmaster is the only place I’ve seen Romesh; he’s turned up as an occasional guest on plenty of panel shows that I did watch. But he’s never made enough of an impression on me in other shows to stand out much in my mind. So I managed to forget that he really was a standout on Taskmaster, for how funny he was in nearly every situation. Obviously he played “livid comedian” very entertainingly, but he was also funny when grudgingly going along with things, when indignantly arguing, when visibly resigning himself to things (those might just be different ways to say “livid comedian”, but they are notably different variations that are each funny in their own ways).

- Tim Key and Romesh Ranganathan getting into physical fights in nearly every live task was amazingly funny. Why don’t people get into physical fights on Taskmaster live tasks anymore? It was the way they’d go looking for it. They didn’t just stumble over each other and go for it, they both went into each one planning to pick a fight. When they were blindfolded, they reached their arms out until they found each other so they could fight. That is commitment. There aren’t enough cage matches on panel shows.

- I also forgot how incredibly funny Roisin Conaty is. Unlike with Romesh, I haven’t forgotten about her in general or anything. I do think of Roisin as someone I really like as a guest on other people’s shows, I know she’s good value. But still, I forgot how amazingly good she was in a situation like Taskmaster that played to all her strengths. I think Roisin Conaty is very good at bouncing off other people and at blundering her way through things, and they just let her do that for six episodes straight. She made me laugh out loud so many times.

- That “high five a 55-year-old” task was amazingly funny. I understand why they wouldn’t do something like that again, not wanting to involve the public. There are very good reasons to not want to turn Taskmaster into some sort of prank show, the scourge of social media. Also, it would be harder to get away with such a thing now that Alex Horne is so much more famous than he was before season 1 of Taskmaster aired. If when I’m in London this summer, someone pulls me aside in a mall and asks my age, and the person who’s pulled me aside is Rhys James and I can see Alex Horne standing in the background, I’m going to have some idea of what’s going on.

However, for the one time they used it, it was fucking funny. Maybe the least “in character” I’ve ever seen Tim Key, as he suddenly dropped the mischievous personality when he had to actually do that shit in real life, walking toward people and then running away. Taskmaster is about genuinely upsetting comedians, and that was genuinely upsetting.

- I think Down An Octave is as close as you can get to a perfect episode of Taskmaster. Perfect balance of tasks – something open-ended where they could each come up with a creative way to solve a broad and simple problem (make the ice disappear), something convoluted where they had to find the exact specific way to get it right (score the most points in “squash”), and something that was just there to straight-up torture the comedians (fill the egg cup with tears). It featured a team task, which every great episode should have (the squash one). A nice open-ended prize task (most beautiful item). It had the first-ever task for only one person, with Josh counting the beans. And there was excellent banter in the studio throughout. No notes on that one.

- I’ve remembered Josh’s bean counting task, and re-watching that episode reminded me that it wasn’t just the beans, they made him do it three fucking times with three different foods. Josh was the perfect person to pick for that, too. Someone like Romesh just wouldn’t have done it. Frank would have half-assed it. Roisin would have blundered her way through it, which is usually funny, but in this case, it was Josh’s dedication to getting it right that made it funny. Tim would have found some way around it, which again is usually funny, but would have allowed him to defeat a task like this. This was funny because Josh was the one person who’d do it meticulously and properly.

- I know I’ve said this before, but a video of Daniel Kitson’s Tree has now been released, so we can all confirm that there was absolutely no reason why Tim Key’s character needed short fingernails for it. And he definitely wore shoes.

- They spent several seasons trying to recreate the magic of the first time they brought on Fred the Swede, and I think they came very close at times; a bunch of other Fred tasks have been very funny. But I don’t think any were quite as funny as the very first season. Watching Tim Key try so hard to make someone else blush that he accidentally just made himself blush instead. Roisin losing her mind and talking about back breasts. Romesh over-committing hard. Josh stuttering about the Emmanual films and Claudia Winkleman. You can’t beat it.

- I did notice overall, compared to more recent seasons, a lot more of contestants interacting directly with each other in the studio. I assume this is largely a consequence of the fact that most of them knew each other before the show. It was a smaller show then, Alex wasn’t drawing from all obscure corners of Britcom to find contestants. He was drawing from the pool of people he knew, so they tended to know each other too.

Romesh, Roisin, and Josh clearly all knew each other somewhat well (Romesh played a guest character in Josh Widdicombe’s sitcom at almost exactly the same time, who had about the same adversarial relationship with Josh’s character as the two of them had on Taskmaster, which I found quite funny when I watched that sitcom). And Roisin seems to be good friends with pretty much every comedian, as evidenced by her immediate rapport with any other comedian she gets paired with in any kind of show (often based on telling weird stories about her off-camera relationships with the other people on that episode). Tim Key was slightly more on the outside compared to the rest of them, but it shows how tight they all were that I’m calling the “outsider” of the studio banter the guy who was physically fighting Romesh in every live task. And of course there were Tim’s links to Alex and Roisin’s links to Greg.

(And everyone knows about Frank Skinner so I guess he was in there too. I don’t like Frank Skinner but I think I’ve already mentioned that fact, and why, too many times lately, so I’m trying to just ignore him in this post, rather than getting into all that again. The fact is that I can’t look at him without thinking of how many people I’ve known in real life who’ve been like him, and how awful they were, so even if it was 30 years ago and objectively no longer that big a deal, I subjectively can't get past it. I have no idea whether he’s objectively funny because I can’t enjoy him.)

They were just all all over each other, all the time. There were nearly as many interactions among the contestants as there were between the contestants and Greg or Alex. They were all commenting on each other’s choices, sometimes supportive but usually not. In more recent seasons, we can name specific arguments among contestants (ie. Bananagate from season 15), because they happen a few times a season. In season 1, you can hardly separate them out because they were after nearly every task (though a few do stand out, Pie Breachgate and Boxgate).

I do think the editors might be, for reasons I cannot fathom, screwing us over a bit on that in the most recent season. Sophie Willan mentioned, in the latest podcast episode, that there were a lot of arguments in the studio between John Robins and Steve Pemberton. Nick Mohammed said something very similar in his podcast episode, that he remembered sitting there quietly while sparks went off between those two. But we don't really see that in the edit. And I’ve spoken to someone who was in the studio audience for the one of the season 17 recordings, who told me about a couple of specific arguments between John and Steve in the studio (in both cases, John picking fights with Steve about stuff Steve did during the tasks, but Steve happily engaging). I was looking forward to seeing those arguments when that episode aired, but they were cut, and disappointingly, didn’t even appear in the outtakes. Why are the editors denying us studio friction? It was so funny in season 1!

It may have helped in season 1 that they were physically close together, in the smaller studio. Maybe they need to bring the smaller studio back. It’s easier to pick fights when you’re nearly sitting on top of each other. Made it feel more like a communal thing with all five of them sort of facing each other, rather than them all just going back and forth with Greg and Alex.

- This might tie in a bit to the previous point, but among other weird format things in season 1 (Greg doing little intros for each contestant, summaries of what we learned, much stingier with the points) was more cuts to reactions during the films of task attempts. Often shots of the contestant whose attempt is being shown, but also plenty of shots of other contestants looking shocked at what they’re doing. I’m not normally a fan of “reaction shots” in TV shows (they’re the absolute bane of stand-up specials), but I think they worked in this case, reminding us that they’re all a part of this.

- Overall, I greatly enjoyed that re-watch. There is a reason why I watched this season of Taskmaster and then decided I didn't want to watch anything else except these people and other things like this ever again. And that reason was not just Romesh throwing a watermelon on the floor. But a lot of it was Romesh throwing a watermelon on the floor.

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gotylocks · 1 year ago

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Willow Month 2023- Day 3: TV Show (Full Series/Specific Episode) or Movie

If you read my entry for Day one, you'll know I went into the show without seeing the movie. In fact, I actually made a point to wait to watch it until the finale, because it was a rare opportunity where I could watch one of these years later follow ups without nostalgia for the original (unlike, say, Star Wars), so I wanted to see if it worked on its own.

The fact I'm writing this should tell you, I truly believe it does. Now, I don't want this to come off like I don't like the movie, because that is not the case. I love the movie! I'm wearing a Sorsha and Mads shirt as I write this! But I would still love the show just as much without the movie.

Some hard numbers may make my point. I have watched the movie once, and while I often think about watching it again, I haven't yet. By contrast, I have watched the full series 13 times through at this point, and at least 8 of those times were marathon sessions where I went from episodes 1-8 in a single sitting.

Why is that? Well, I think the movie is missing some key ingredients that keep it from hitting that obsession level. Namely, Kit, Jade, (grown up) Elora... ok it's the entire crew. Their interplay, the way their relationships build over the course of the season, and the way that by the end of the finale every single one of them has been improved by the others being present in their lives.

The party of six, all with their beautiful, layered arcs and emotional storylines, they're the ones that make the show something special. I've said in the past that typically in shows with ensemble casts, there's usually at least one character that I find annoying, or one actor that I don't like for one reason or another. That's another thing that makes the show so incredible. I love every single person involved. From the main six, rippling out to the supporting cast and cameos like Hannah Waddingham and Christian Slater. Not only does everyone understand the assignment, they bring their own unique flavor and quirks so nobody feels like they're phoning it in. You can tell everyone is having fun and that translates to the audience.

And while fun is first up on the menu for the show, there's also so many moments of heart-rending drama. As someone who lost their dad at 26, I connect to Kit's feelings of grief and abandonment over the disappearance of her father. I connect with Jade feeling lost and purposeless. I connect with Elora desperately wanting to help despite struggling to believe in herself. I connect with Graydon carrying a lot of guilt over things he had no control over and wanting to prove himself as more than what his father believes he is. I connect with Boorman regretting his selfish choices and wanting to make up for his past mistakes. I even relate to Willow, thrust into a position where he has to be a believer despite feeling like a fraud.

Whether it's due to the run time or the time in which it was made, the movie just can't compete with the variety of character arcs, the layers that get peeled back the more the crew spend time together, the realization how each person has something to learn from the others and how they've grown to rely on each other.

By the time they reach the Immemorial City to fight the Crone, they have grown into one of the best found families I've ever seen. They have each other's backs, they trust each other implicitly, and they're willing to put everything on the line to save the world, sure, but more importantly, save each other and facilitate their rises to greatness.

The dialogue, while not to everyone's taste, I felt was a great choice. It immediately plants a flag on its own territory and says confidently "We are not Game of Thrones. We are not Lord of the Rings. We are our own thing." I love that shit! It is never a show that feels like it's chasing a trend, because it is so uniquely itself. That extends to the music, be it the fantastic score by James Newton Howard and Xander Rodzinski or the fascinating modern song choices deployed in each episode, which while I have opinions about songs I would prefer in different places, I cannot deny that they set the show apart from everything else that has come before. And "Crimson+Clover" by Pom Pom Squad will live in my brain forever thanks to its absolutely pitch perfect use in episode 5.

The fight scenes are fantastic, because they're never there for the sake of having action. Instead, major character beats are woven throughout, making each fight hugely meaningful to everyone involved. Whether it's Willow going from his weakened, nigh magicless state at the start of the show, to being the great sorcerer he was always meant to be thanks to working with Elora, or its Kit and Jade connecting and expressing emotions that words may not be enough for through their shared love language of sword fighting, or Graydon finding the magic within at the moment he needed to and killing one of the Gales pursuing them. Action has a purpose in this story and I love that after so many hollow and emotionless cgi fight scenes we've been inundated with over recent years.

This is why I can't simply choose one favorite episode from the series, because they are so intertwined that I cannot separate them. However, unlike many straight to streaming shows, Willow doesn't just feel like an 8 hour movie chopped into parts (despite my tendency to watch it like one long movie lol). Every episode has a unique identity that I can immediately point to when prompted. Every episode is important to moving both the narrative and character development forward, and there isn't a single one you could cut without everything feeling askew.

So. When I saw this prompt I was like "Maybe I'll make this one short", but we all know now that was going to be impossible. The intense emotional connection I have to this show from front to back just brings this out of me. To the only Fellowship I need in my life. I wouldn't be here without you.

To quote Erin from the making of doc, "These people are my family."

#willowmonth2023 #willow 2022 #willow meta #kit tanthalos #jade claymore #tanthamore #elora danan #graydon hastur #thraxus boorman #willow ufgood

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where1endandyoubeg1n · 3 months ago

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Schoolhouse Rankings: Part 1

The Bottom 15

This will be a ranking of all 53 Schoolhouse Rock! segments from 1973-2002. Climate Rock from 2009 will not be included because I don't have access to it, and it's not really considered "the same" series as the run up to 2002. We're taking this very very no foolin' seriously here despite this being a kid's show from the 70's /j. It isn't that deep, but I'll make it that deep. I'm rating based mostly on the music and lyrics themselves; this is weighted towards the sonic aspect rather than visuals. I want strong instrumentation and good vocals, and a premise that keeps me listening. Characters and their interactions/potential to be interesting are also big players, I like the more charater-driven ones. If the premise/concept for how the subject is conveyed is creative, points there too. Lesser aspects they'll be judged on include actual animation quality(This was mostly a series concieved off a shoestring budget in the 70's, so unless the short does something exceptionally good or bad, not a lot of points depend on this) and general wow factor(Doing something standout from most other episodes). I'll also include a few stats if applicable as well as some fun trivia!

Here's a key for some symbols: ⭐"big one" most popular song of the season 🟩highest ranking song of the season 🟥lowest ranking song of the season ⚡seizure warning! prevalent flashing lights 👍i have an interesting fact to share ✖multiplication rock 🇺🇲america 🖥computer💲money 🖋grammar 🧪science

In last place...

53. ✖ The Good Eleven 🟥

I don't have a ton to say on this song; I just find it boring in every way. The delivery doesn't fit Bob Dorough. He just sounds really insincerely chipper and I'm not a fan of the key the song's in. Instrumentation isn't anything to scoff at, but it's also nothing special. And the short really falls flat in its concept. Motifs of angels and general ideas of purity are shown often in the video, but nothing is ever pushed to the point where it becomes interesting. If a good short is a work of art, like a painting, this is a bunch of scattershot ideas that splatter across the wall and do nothing else. It's literally about nothing. "11 is good, multiplying it is easy" is about all there is. No substance. Which I could also say about the animation, because it's really simple and boring. You could make the excuse that this was the first reason, so it wasn't up to snuff with the rest of them, but I wouldn't agree, because the same season has some really great moments like Little Twelvetoes and I Got Six, where you get some really colorful, detailed shots. This as well as the fact that there are some even better, arguably more simplistic animations with songs like Telegraph Line and even Presidential Minute really sours this song for me. If I had to describe this song in a word: Insubstantial. -Lowest placement for Bob Dorough -Lowest placement in Multiplication Rock -Lowest placement of all episodes

52. ✖ Lucky Seven Sampson

I have even less to say on this song. It at least has a concept, following the titular anthro rabbit Lucky Seven Sampson around town, and it's played into by the animation, but it's still not a very interesting one. He sort of just strolls around causing havoc and teaching how to multiply. Something that hinders the songs in multiplication rock is how at times stiff they are lyrically, which isn't really the fault of the writers, as you obviously need to insert the times tables in there somewhere, but it's still a detractor in really barebones cases such as this song, because besides that run of times tables there's not much. I don't even like Sampson's voice or design much. Dorough is pretty pitchy on higher notes, which is unlike him. The color palette with that ugly yellow background is also not stellar. Really boring.

51. 🇺🇲 Three Ring Government 🟥👍

This short used to scare me as a kid. I think it was a mix of the key it was in(I had/have a strange aversion to a few of these songs simply because of the key) and the more exaggerated artstyle that was, at times, a little uncanny. I used to freeze up because the lions on the posters in the backgrounds would scare the shit out of me. My point is that this short did not improve much in my eyes. The artstyle is rough, and in some cases uncanny in a not very charming way. I don’t know what to say because it’s just so… bleh. Luckily I’ve padded this with an early childhood story, so yay! Nobody will ever notice how boring and unimportant this song is! We truly were not missing anything with this one being delayed.

-Fun Fact! This song was held from airing for several months due to the song's entire concept being about comparing the branches of government to a circus. For fears of getting their funding cut because of this, the episode was withheld until 1979, making it the last short to air from America Rock by a long time. -Lowest placement for Lynn Ahrens -Lowest placement in America Rock

50. 🖥 Software/Think Computer! 🟥⭐

Scooter Computer and Mr. Chips is an odd season. It’s the only season to have recurring cast members in the forms of the titular Scooter Computer and Mr. Chips, who benefit this season greatly because I love them both. That being said, this is the worst of their relatively lackluster 4-episode season. Darrel Stern is super pitchy, and Bob Kaliban’s voice has a robot filter that’s grating when he’s trying to sing. The instrumentation is pretty lackluster and it’s my least favorite subject-wise, talking about BASIC and other 80’s computer software features that are severely outdated. I’m not one to bitch about the outdated songs- I will wax poetic about how amazing Telegraph Line is- but this just offers no value to me and probably most others.

-Lowest placement for Darrel Stern and Bob Kaliban -Lowest placement in Computer Rock

49. ✖ Elementary, My Dear

Bleh. Boring. I’ve been trying to shorten my reviews so I don’t yap, because I know I tend to restate my previous opinions a lot sometimes(got this input on a music review once), and this short will be great practice. Besides the fact that the little kid Noah has is cute, it doesn’t do much interesting, and the repetitive melody gets old fast

48. 🇺🇲 Elbow Room

Aged horribly. You'd be totally flamed for making a pro-manifest destiny song today. Besides that, though, Sue Manchester has the same cadence and sound as Lynn Ahrens, one of my least favorite vocalists on the SHR team, which doesn't do her a great service. The rest of it is take-it-or-leave-it.

-Lowest placement for a non-recurring singer(Sue Manchester)

47. 💲Tyrannosaurus Debt🟥👍

The idea of the National Debt being a huge dinosaur that constantly grazes Capitol hill is a pretty fun concept! I really like the creativity there, but besides that there’s not too much to pick apart. Money Rock at times could be very experimental with the SHR artstyle, but this was one that tried emulating the old artstyle, which leaves a lot to be desired as being faithful costed money. Most set pieces and backgrounds were flat white, and the people had a bleak artstyle revisited in Presidential Minute that really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The more I think about it, the more I realize it’s just a bad version of what came before. Dorough’s delivery, though he does get a little more intense in the end, is pretty boring, and, in the same vein as Elementary My Dear, the singsong melody gets old quickly. There are a few songs that, rather than stick to a verse-chorus structure or have more fleshed out segments, just sort of go on and on, and it doesn’t interest me. Not a fan.

-Fun fact! At the end of this video, Bill from I'm Just a Bill makes a cameo! -Lowest placement in Money Rock

46. ✖ The Four-Legged Zoo

The kid's choir is actually really good in this song, and it adds some fun, airy energy to it. It sort of just lists animals and numbers, though, and the animation isn't super out there, so this short doesn't get a lot of points.

45. 💲This For That

With this one, I'll admit, the caveman guy is pretty cool. I like his design, he's a silly little dude. This is another short from Money Rock that harkens back to old SHR, and I must say, they did it far better here. I used to confuse this for one of the older ones when I was little, because I knew some of them were made later on, but I didn't know all of Money Rock was. Character designs are really good, and the steel drum is an interesting instrument a friend caught in the background and got me to pay attention to. Besides that the instrumental isn't all that special, and neither is the rest of the short. Dorough has that sort of bored, going-through-the-motions feel to his voice like he did in Tyrannosaurus Debt. The same pet peeve of a grating repeating melody is here and twice as bad. It's not really something I can describe; I just don't like it, there's nothing going on. That repetition at the "chorus" part of "Coins/barter is smarter" is also unbearable. Neither of them is truly "better" than the other, and the song seems to come to that conclusion through a confusing flip-flopping of that opinion every repetition.

44. 🇺🇲 The Preamble

Literally just the preamble to the Constitution. Like, that's it. Slightly related visuals to go with it. 'Salright.

43. 🖥 Intro 👍

This short doesn't really hold up to the excitement I had knowing it was lost media for some time. The instrumental has an aggressively 80's feel to it, which is cheesy, but in an admittedly very charming way. It's sort of an extended version of the theme song, and that’s cool. Premise is awesome, again, I love Mr. Chips, and this is essentially Scooter introducing him to us, and I love their little friendo dynamic! This just isn’t much in the lyrics or music or voice department. As stated before, the music has some fun 80’s cheese, but it gets old and ignorable quick, and is less memorable compared to later episodes like Hardware. Stern has the same loud, pitchy yell as he did in Software that gets on my nerves. I like it when he sing-talks more than when he actually sings. And the topics covered lyrically are expanded upon in the next three episodes, rendering this one a bit useless since it skims over the ideas on such a surface level. Not a bad episode, but there’s better.

-Fun fact! This song was lost for a very long time. After it's initial 80's airings, the short was lost by the network and declared lost media unil 2013, when Scooter's voice actor, Darrel Stern, uploaded the original tape online.

42. 🇺🇲 Presidential Minute👍

This is the shortest song in the whole lot, lasting, as suggested, just a minute. It’s cool, but there isn’t much to it besides that. Artstyle kinda blows as stared with Tyrannosaurus Debt, the designs and animation are very simple, but I sort of get it since the short is a just prize unlock for winning a dvd bonus game. Sheldon’s delivery isn’t outstanding, and the instrumental is standard.

-Lowest placement for Jack Sheldon -Fun fact! This episode as well as I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College are exclusive to the 30th anniversary VHS/DVD releases!

41. 🇺🇲No More Kings

Another blase Ahrens America Rock song. Most of hers are very similar here, just recaps/skimmings of historical events, and that’s understandably restrictive for story ideas. Only real standout feature is the animation, which has a nice watercolor aesthetic I’m a big fan of.

40. 🖥Number Cruncher

Poor Scooter. Bro’s bedroom is half filled with papers. Scooter is relegated to statistitian for his baseball team, which he struggles with severely until he’s offered help by Mr. Chips. A fun premise! It’s kind of just Mr. Chips yapping though, but not in a fun way like(spoiler alert!) Hardware. Kaliban isn’t much better than Stern when he has the voice filter on, so in that aspect this is only slightly boosted. Standard Computer Rock faire.

39. ✖Figure Eight

I seriously love the first minute and fifteen seconds of this song. It contains a very delicate oscilating melody that I’m a big fan of. This was Blossom Dearie’s first song with the team, and her fragile voice sounds whispery and eerie, giving the song a creepy doll tone I enjoy. The figureskating animation and concept is also very alluring to me, I really like the establishing shot of the school blanketed in snow. The animation feels very graceful, a great pairing with the vocals and premise. This all comes back to bookend the song about a minute later, but that minute in the middle is such a big pacebreaker. It “transitions”(really just plops you in the middle of a completely different song) to a far cheerier, less elegant section that Dearie’s delivery does not switch up to match. Visuals are only semi-related, either containing the figure skating theme and not the character(whom I do really like), or the character and not the figure skating theme. Kinda just whatever crap they wanted to put in the song is thrown around here, and it damages what would otherwise be a song begging to be put in the top 20.

-Lowest placement for Blossom Dearie

#schoolhouse rock #ranking #list #hope you like this #i have the whole list it took me like 6 hours to rewatch get the data sort it out and write reviews #stockpiling the other two segments for lazy days #also killing whatever force is making random bits of my little text big again #grr

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bossbutch · 3 months ago

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umineko chapter 4 (2/2)

the fantasy action sequences have gotten significantly more tolerable because they've gotten significantly funnier. also i've gotten ahead of bryn's more detailed readalong!

the scene where Krauss is fighting a goat man and virgilia is comparing their Numerical Power Levels but there's all these arbitrary multipliers ( and goat's power level goes way down when he talks about his family and being a week away from retirement etc etc) is mwah chef's kiss

the Reveal of kasumi reading the definition of uu-uu in the grimoire is my favorite moment so far. god damn. eva-beatrice being all star wars emperor "let the hate flow through you" was also pretty funny.

so battler isn't asumu's son! and he learns this through his own red truth? which i think removes "perspective" from the red truth, right? because from his point of view he's her son, just like from beato's point of view shannon is nonhuman. whether he's kyrie's kid or there's a *third* wife i'm not sure. it'd be fucked up if it's a/nother beato.

so we end with a big blue vs red sequence where battler says what he thinks has happened, which lambda says is mostly wrong but is a good "check your theories" speed bump.

game 1: • stake deaths being shot and then staked after death seems guaranteed • yeah, no magic for The First Set of Murders • Eva and hideyoshi: killed by kanon, door locked through Device X. when 'he' "discovered" the bodies he had ample time to draw the circle • kanon faked 'his' death, so beato can't say in red it was homicide. then he killed the last 3 and natsuhi. beato says "i guarantee the identity of all unidentified corpses" but if he Wasn't a corpse that wouldn't apply. game 2: • "from the time maria received the key to when rosa unsealed it the next day it passed through no one's hands" = rosa took the key before we saw her taking it? though idk if she actually Killed the first six she was definitely involved • if kanon is A Beatrice then 'him' fighting her goons over jessica can metaphorically be kanon having trouble deciding whether to kill her or not. occam's razor says if there's no body and A Violent Kanon shows up later then fake kanon was real kanon game 3: • the only mystery i think Matters is who killed nanjo. he recognized the killer and begged for his life, maybe he knew what their plan was? but i don't know who did it. beato seems to imply that the killer took the identity of a dead person (other than kinzo, kanon, jessica, battler, or eva). • i guess "how did george leave the guest house" is worth solving but i haven't thought about it much game 4: • "all those present at the family conference acknowledge the presence of kinzo" yeah it's his house. his body is there. he's still metaphorically present and genji and shannon? and associates are carrying out his wishes if shannon and kanon aren't "real humans" it provides space for two Persons X but is also means the cousins can fall in love and make and break promises to objects/ideals/whatever. battler's direct narrative describes kanon as "a slender boy" who can manipulate a wheelbarrow so if kanon isn't present as a person (and not part of an existing member of the 18 or nothing) i'm calling bullshit battler's sin that beato wants an apology for was breaking his promise to come back for shannon. is episode 2 Suit Beato derived from shannon? every beato is derived from trauma, so her breaking the mirror is a metaphor for Some Other Traumatic Event magic metaphors: "beato prime", who was captured and abused by kanon and is almost certainly dead, had a child with him, beato 2. one of the two of them imagine magic genji (ronovo), magic kumasawa (virilia if she isn't beato 1) and gaap, for the same reason maria made sakutaro, To Cope. and the seven sisters and the bunnies are personified weapons. but what are lambda and bernie representing? they might just represent their goals ("battler denies beato/ finding the emotional truth" and "battler tries but is never successful because he lacks love" ) and either way beato doesn't get closure. i think beato will "win" but her real goal is not to kill everybody and take them to heaven but rather to get some catharsis from battler for what his family has done to her/ all the beatos. alternatively the other witches exist for no reason other than adding yuri

#:crying_while_seagull:

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chorusofkhonshu · 1 year ago

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Noone Archetype

Ok, so I was complete and utterly wrong about her being 12. Its too simple if Noone name pronunciation was meant to be like noon the time of day. That and Archetype 12 really did not match her. So i kept wondering, what made Noone's Nowhere name different from all the others so far? Its two words, two words just smashed together. For simplicity I looked up Archetype 2, which is called the Everyman. Before I go any further let me explain how I think Shadows work in LN.

So shadow is the polar opposite of you, it is everything you are not, that does not make it evil though, if you are bad, your shadow is good. If you are shy it is brave and everything else. Which is why I think kids that go thru horrible things in the real world are chosen to go to Nowhere, because although they are scared, their shadows are strong. Their shadows go to Nowhere first, like what happened with Noone. Six however is a peculiar case, kids get split in the real world and their shadows get sent to Nowhere, where they then Mutual Dream with their shadow, kind of like sharing senses with a twin almost. Six though, she got split in Nowhere by the Thin Man, its like, if you get split in the real world your Shadow gets taken out of you, but if you get split in Nowhere you get split from yourself, and the Shadow gots the keys to the body at that point. Which bring me to my next point.

The kids are Archetypes, their names associated with numbers or descriptions of other Archetypes. Did you know your shadow has a Archetype too? It explains why I am now associating Noone with Archetype 2 the Everyman. She starts as one being, split into two. Ruth and Noone, when she started dreaming she began calling herself Noone. Do you know what the Shadow Archetype to the Everyman is? No joke the shadow for this Archetype is No One. She got bullied and called this name by bullies but this is for sure another link to an Archetype.

So the moment they are split, you have Ruth the Everyman and Noone the No One, and when she fully goes over to Nowhere, which is like the shadow of all the bad things, of course they'd go by their Shadow names.

So what is the Everyman exactly? It's an ordinary person that just wants to belong, in simplest terms. Its fear is to be left out, which is what happens to Ruth a lot, which gives way to the Shadow No One, who over the course of the podcast learns that it's better to hide away. She compares herself to the Workers in the Wall in ep 1, people that she describes that no one knows exists beyond the wall. Episode 2, she describes herself as a moth that no longer wishes to go to the light, she would rather hide in the darkness. Showing her that being alone is good, its better, if she wants to go on in Nowhere. In episode 4 she is thrown a bone, meets Rusty and admits it finally feels like she is a part of something, only to have it all go so wrong.

I think the bit with the Man in the Purple Suit is meant to mirror her in a way. Both want to be noticed, in the real world Ruth had no friends, the MiPS wanted the applause that Rusty was getting. After Ruth was cured of the water sickness, she got her wish, kids being nice to her, but she knew it was fake and escalated from there to being on TV and she hates it. The Man in the Purple Suit gets his wish and all eyes are on him. Noone describes him as growing shy, both loving the praise and regretting the attention.

All of this being a lesson, so that when she is finally whole again, it becomes easier for her shadow to become the dominant one. They are still the same person once made whole again, but something is different, something you can't describe. I think the world of Nowhere wants you to give in to your shadow, for most, it is a bad idea, because it can consume you.

BUT!! Merging with your shadow can be good! It can be the best thing actually. Even split from your shadow, you still have bad qualities in you, and if your shadow is everything you are not, that means it has good qualities in it too. So if you successfully accept all that you are, come to terms with it all, becoming one and integrating your shadow can make you far far stronger then you ever were.

#little nightmares #little nightmares theory #ln3 #the sounds of nightmares #tson #tson noone #noone

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larsisfrommars · 5 months ago

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Wild Wild Reviews

The Night The Wizard Shook The Earth

Overall Score:

Story: 3.5/5

Dame: 2/5

Villain: 6/5

Gadgets: 5/5

Disguises: 1/5

Bonus Points: Gay Subtext: 3/5

The Yikes Dated Factor: 0/-5

Score: 20.5/25

Tier: A (82%)

Previous Episode Review

FULL REVIEW UNDER THE CUT

The Story

I wanted to rate the story on this episode higher, I really did but the first half is SO slow and I’m sorry but John Kneubuhl writes his female characters SO poorly that an otherwise fun and intriguing story suffers immensely for it. Which is such a shame because this is the episode where the BEST Wild Wild West villain was born! Every second Dunn/Loveless is on screen is absolutely fantastic and incredibly memorable. The doomsday device on which the episode revolves is compelling. Yet every moment where Jim interacts with Greta is an absolute slog of ham-fisted flirting and mid 20th century chauvinism. It’s like they had half a perfect episode but didn’t know what to do to fill in the rest of the story aside from the villain and the McGuffin. It also feels out of whack due to the lack of Artemus after the first 15 minutes and it’s very nearly lacking one of the delightful key features of the franchise, fun disguises. It’s absolutely better than TNOT Inferno, but I can’t honestly say it’s better than TNOT Deadly Bed, so right down the middle between them it goes.

The Dame

Our woman of the week is Leslie Parish! I know her as Carolyn from the TOS episode “Who Mourns for Adonais”.

*Sigh* Thus begins a parade of woefully underwritten female protagonists on The Wild Wild West. If I had a dollar for every time a female character on this show had potentially intriguing motivations only to be sidelined in order for Jim West to woo and fulfill the “kiss the girl” goal on each episode’s checklist I would be a rich man. She’s not getting a one but I was thinking about it. Mostly because of that TRULY weird scene where West can’t move and she’s feeding him by hand (Who let their fetish interfere with the quality of this show? Hope it doesn’t happen again! Except that it absolutely will happen… a lot). I decided against it however because she does show a modicum of agency in the first half of the story before it’s undercut by Jim playing weird mind games with her right after the odd fetish scene. I also think she gets overshadowed by Antoinette and Ms. Piecemeal, she just got lost in the shuffle. Ugh.

The Villain

Our villain of the “week” is Michael Dunn! Most iconically known for Wild Wild West but us Trekkies also know him as Alexander from the Star Trek TOS episode “Plato’s Stepchildren”. Continuing our Ancient Greece themed Star Trek cameos I suppose.

Ugh where do I even begin with Michael Dunn’s performance as Doctor Miguelito Loveless? It’s the birth of a legend, a landmark role for actors with dwarfism, an iconic antagonist for an iconic show. He’s a guaranteed smash hit every time he’s in an episode! He’s eccentric, insane, and dynamic, he’s equal parts humanitarian gentleman and genocidal maniac. His motivations toe the line of being reasonable for his background (bitter ex-aristocracy) and unhinged (what he’s willing to do to reach his goal). Heck, I know that the songs they decided to plop into his episodes almost felt like padding for time but he’s just so off-the-wall that I consider it part of Loveless’s charm. Maybe someday I’ll be able to fully articulate why this character is so beloved but that may need to be a post of it’s own (and I’m sure others have already beaten me to it). What can I say but six out of five?

The Gadgets

If I seem a bit biased about the gadgets it’s only because we haven’t gotten to any of the weirder/unlikely/unhelpful one. The carriage is so cool and it makes me absolutely insane that they never end up using a carriage with built-in defenses ever again. The only reason it wasn’t more effective is that Jim was outnumbered on enemy turf. Then of course there’s that clutch little pen that breaks him out of the cage Loveless puts Jim in.

The Disguises

The only disguise we get this week is a terrible attempt at posing as the man Jim failed to prevent being assassinated. I think you ought to leave the disguises to Artemus there Jimbo.

The Gay Subtext

(Don’t ship it? Skip it!)

Say hello to a beloved trope of this ship, and that is Artemus fretting over Jim putting himself in unnecessary danger (and occasionally vice versa)! Seconded only by Artemus complaining about rescuing him or having thought he was dead. Artemus still insists on discreetly keeping an eye on Jim after the professor gets assassinated. Not to mention the custom carriage he designed with Jim specifically in mind. Very normal of you Artemus good job my man, ilysm.

The Yikes Dated Factor

(See elaboration for 0 on this factor from previous episode)

#the wild wild west #wild wild west #Wild Wild reviews #James west #Artemus Gordon #dr Miguelito loveless #Robert Conrad #ross martin #michael Dunn #leslie parrish #tv reviews #meta #analysis #vintage television #1960s television #tnot wizard shook the earth #the night the wizard shook the earth #s01x03

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boysplanetrecaps · 2 years ago

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Boys Planet Episode 3-4 Recaps: Burn It Up

Aka “They Aren’t The Ones Who Are Currently Good.”

If you’re following the MNET show Boys Planet, you probably know by now that the editors are extremely irritating. For a song “mission” like this, they show 2-3 minute montages of some of the teams practicing, then fast forward to show time passing, then make it look like the performance will start any moment, and then have a lengthy flashback before we finally get to see the performance.

So, I made a main recap that takes you through episodes 3 and 4 in a linear way, but then when it comes to focusing on each team, I’ll put all those thoughts in a separate post so you can keep the storylines straight. This post covers the Burn It Up teams' rehearsal and performance.

The Teams

K team:

Leader: Park Min Seok

Other members:

Choi Seung Hun, Jeon Ho Young, Jung Ho Jin, Jung Se Yun, Park Gwan Young

Park Gwan Young is 22, auditioned with Lullaby, was ranked 61st and then 92nd, and has been 2 stars the whole time.

Jung Se Yun is 15, auditioned with Damdadi, was ranked 68th and then 85th, and has been 0 stars the whole time.

Jung Ho Jin is 20, auditioned with Lullaby, was ranked 48th and then 68th, and has been 1 star the whole time.

Choi Seung Hun is 14, the youngest in the whole show; he auditioned with Love Scenario, was ranked 46th and then 52nd, and has fallen from 1 star to 0 stars. He’s a former child actor who has been in 30+ dramas.

Jeon Ho Young is 18, auditioned with Love Scenario, was ranked 81st and then 80th, and has fallen from 2 stars to 1 star. He’s also an actor.

Park Min Seok is 20, auditioned with The Real, was ranked 64th and then 84th, and has fallen from 2 stars to 1 star. He was a lead vocal in The Real and did a good job -- that whole team was good. So it’s a bummer to see that he ended up a 1-star.

We can also see teammate Jung Hwan Rok there -- he has three stars -- but he left the show prior to its airing. He’s a member of the nugu group “withus.” No reason was given for him leaving the show that I know of, but perhaps he was unthrilled about being on this team of leftovers.

G team

Leader: Xuan Hao

Other members:

Yutaka, Chen Ren Yu, Hyo, Kei, Qui Sheng Yang, Riku, Xuan Hao

Top row: Chen Ren Yu (in yellow), Riku (in green)

The four sitting in a semi-circle around white-haired leader Xuan Hao: Qui Sheng Yang, Yutaka, Hyo, Kei

Yutaka is 23, didn’t get to audition, was ranked 57th and then 54th, and has risen from 0 stars to 1 star. We saw him in a segment on the poorly trained 0 zero stars at their vocal lesson, in episode 2 or 3, and we saw him making up his own choreo during the star level test.

Hyo is 21, didn’t get to audition, was ranked 62nd and then 9th, and has risen from 0 stars to 2 stars. We also saw him in that 0 stars vocal lesson segment.

Kei is 16, auditioned with Conduct Zero, was ranked 76th and then 83rd, and has been 2 stars the whole time. In my notes on his audition, I thought he overdanced a little bit, but that I thought he deserved 3 stars.

Qui Sheng Yang is 21, auditioned with Tiger Inside, was ranked 88th and then 70th, and has fallen from 2 stars to 1 star. I thought he overdanced a bit in his audition.

Chen Ren Yu is 19, auditioned with Tiger Inside, was ranked 59th and then 56th, and has fallen from 2 stars to 1 star. In my write up on his audition, I said he did really well, writing, “I thought his dancing was purposeful, but sort of calm, and his singing was really good. On key, on rhythm, pleasant, all that good stuff. I’m rooting for him, and curious to see how MNET will screw him over for no real reason.”

Riku is 18, auditioned with Maniac, was ranked 93rd (last!) and then 88th, and has risen from 1 star to 2 stars.

Xuan Hao is 27, auditioned with God’s Menu, was ranked 33rd and then 41st, and has been 1 star the whole time.

Team Selection:

This K-team is the leftovers team.

I am not sure when this G-group was picked or who picked it, but I think they were the sixth team picked.

Episode 3, 1:18:11

Part Selection

G-group is getting along great. Leader Xuan Hao says, in English, “who has this?” with his hands indicating his abs. Yutaka builds up suspense, but his abs aren’t exactly prominent -- “I’ve been eating a lot of snacks,” he explains, and like, same.

Then Chen Ren Yu shows his abs for a picosecond.

I don’t know what my 3 or 4 readers want to see, but in case it’s that, there you go!

They seem to be getting along well -- it’s nice to see.

Over on the K-side, it’s a bit quieter. These are the leftovers, and their spirits are a bit low. They have elected Park Min Seok leader, and when Jeon Ho Young suggests that they start with their strengths, Minseok jumps on that as a good idea. “Try to promote yourself so we can choose our parts,” Minseok says, and like, yeah, man. 💖That’s the way.

Park Gwan Young says his voice is his strength, and the editors roll the tape. I guess he can hit high notes. Not sure he… should?... but hey, it’s a start. Jung Hwan Rok and Park Min Seok also say they’re most confident in singing. Jung Ho Jin says, “those guys lost out on these talents,” which I love. The team continues to build each other up -- “we’re the hidden talents!”-- “We’re the ones that were left behind, but we’re all good people!” -- but little Choi Seung Hun says with an embarrassed smile, “I’m not really confident about anything.” You’re an actor, child -- maybe mention that! Say, “Well, I’m a really good actor, so I think I can at least charm the audience from the stage.” Right?

We get a flashback to an early vocal lesson, and it really seems to me that Choi Seung Hun is either tone deaf or going through the vocal change boys go through as they mature. His voice is breathy and almost tuneless, and he shows his misery clearly on his face. Oh, MNET editors, can we not focus on this? He’s a child and you shouldn’t have put him on the show.

His teammates seem to feel a mixture of concern for and irritation about him. He’s a child, and he’s annoying, but he’s a child, so… what can you do? Yell at him? Send him to his room? It is hard all around.

Let’s skip to Episode 4, at 5:16 in. After Minhyun does a little bit of half hearted choreo, the teams come up.

Leading us into a flashback, one of the psychopath dance teachers points out that neither team has anyone above two stars. The kindly main vocal teacher, Master Lee, says, “They aren’t the one who are currently good,” which is the kindest way to describe this battle.

In a flashback, we see the teams beginning a dance instruction with one of the psychopath dance teachers. He points out that they have a difficult song, and no all stars or even 3 stars. We see G-team try and they are kind of a mess. I assume K team tries with the same result; we don’t see it, but we see that both teams are now in a combined dance practice. Well, that’s unorthodox…? You’re going to do a dance rehearsal and teach them how to dance? I mean, you could TRY that, instead of simply yelling at them and insulting them, but I don’t see how it’ll help. At least he’s being kind of harsh and uncompromising about it, so there’s that.

Poor Chen Ren Yu. I theorize he doesn’t really understand Korean so well, on top of not understanding the basics of choreography. I know I thought he did ok in his audition, but in this context it’s clear that he hasn’t had any dance instruction.

He is confusion.

He’s supposed to bend his arms at the elbow in this sort of bird flap arm gesture, but he can’t do the motion. Master Choi is obsessed with this one move and I think it might just be too hard for Ren Yu.

In the vocal lesson, at least we see Kei doing good rapping, but the singing is really off rhythm. Master Lee, the firm but kind male vocal instructor, doesn’t really know what to do. He compliments Kei’s excellent rapping, and then tries to get some like, melodic… singing… out of Xian Hao. His teammates sweetly encourage him. You just don’t see young men interacting like this on US television, which is why I guess this is so interesting to me.

Hey, here’s a good idea! Xian Hao goes to visit our auburn haired center, Zhang Hao, for some help with his singing! Zhang listens to Xian kindly, then gives real instruction.

They keep practicing. Xian Hao really wants to pull off that vocal run. Chen Ren Yu seems to have a good sense of pitch and is helping as well. It’s just all very sweet. The editing continues to focus on Chen Ren Yu and that one arm move, and I honestly have a bad feeling about it… so let’s see.

As G-team takes the stage, K-team watches. Reaction King Jung Ho Jin is a head taller than most of his teammates, so he gives the impression of a teacher talking to his students as he tells his teammates, “Watch what they do well and do that too.” Good advice…?

The performance:

It was actually pretty decent. The leader, Xuan Hao, had pretty good facial expressions, though maybe they were too much? Like he was being an evil Bond villain or something. He does the shirt lift with conviction, and that’s good. Do or don’t do, but don’t half-ass it. Chen Ren Yu’s singing is mostly pretty good. Kei’s rapping sounded ok to me. No one was awful, though the few notes Qui Sheng Yang (in the eyepatch) got out sounded rullll shaky. The whole thing was a bit flat, and I don’t want to watch the whole thing over and over again. To be fair, I’m not a huge fan of the song itself. Don’t get me wrong, I like Kang Daniel and the boys as much as anyone, but that song is sort of meh for me.

In the MNET editing of the performance, they’re pretty cruel, of course. The song has barely started and the camera freezes to show Chen Ren Yu make the same mistake with the arms, but like, if they hadn’t focused on it I don’t think a soul would have noticed. I know I didn’t notice just watching it.

The trainees' applause back stage feels slightly indulgent. Like, “look how well they did, considering,” not just “look how well they did.” They’re hoping that this team -- the 6th picked from G-group -- could beat the leftovers of the K-group. Come on, they have to be able to beat the leftovers, right???

The judges say that they did a nice job, and that’s about all they say. I think they know that most likely, none of these guys is going to survive the first elim, so why be cruel? I mean it’s never stopped the psychopath dance teachers before, but I swear a saw a glimmer of human compassion on their faces when they were dealing with this team.

At 15:30, the K-team comes out, and everyone exclaims over how how tiny and little the two maknae -- Jung Se Yoon and Choi Seung Hoon -- are.

We go into flashback mode and see that Seung Hoon is already crying at a vocal rehearsal, and trying to dry his eyes and wipe his nose on the inside collar of his shirt, which is such a child-like thing to do.

Vocal Master Lee asks, “Do you not feel confident?” and Seung Hoon says “with singing, dancing, rapping, and everything.” Master Lee asks, “Why do you think that?” and he says, “because it’s true,” and it’s just like. Oh, my heart. What do you say back to that? Because it IS true. Master Lee can only reply, in the gentlest of voices, “That’s a very sad thing to say.”

And I mean, Jesus H Christ, why did his agency send this kid to this show? If they were so dead set on making their cute little actor into an idol, they should have given him two years of intensive vocal and dance lessons and sent him to the show for season 4, when he was 16. His voice seems to be in the middle of changing right now, on top of everything else. Like what the fuq? Do they not remember what happened to Lee Eugene, who was so humiliated by his experience on Produce X 101 that he changed his legal and professional name to Yoo Jinwoo and gave up the idol life altogether?

Anyway.

Master Lee tries to get the other maknae, little Se Yoon, to say that he’s happy, and it’s kind of a joke so Se Yoon smiles, but then says, “My confidence level dropped.” You can’t blame him -- he came to this show with one friend/teammate from his agency, but that friend had to leave the competition, and now he’s here alone, and he’s ranked 85th, and has been in 0 stars the whole time, probably being constantly berated by the psychopath dance teachers, and then no one picked him for this mission.

Further decreasing the team’s balance is that they had one three star on their team, Jung Hwan Rok, and he was the main vocal, but “he’s been sick,” or at least that’s what they tell Master Lee. It’s totally possible that Hwan Rok got sick, but also maybe he was just sick of being on this show? Anyway, he's not here any more, and they're left trying to deal without him.

They give the performance a try, and they don’t know the lyrics even though they’re reading them off of sheets of paper. Master Lee is actually quite gentle as he scolds them, but little Se Yoon begins crying and Leader Park Min Seok goes over to hold him as he sobs. It’s really something.

Poor kid.

Hey MNET? Raise the minimum age to 17, how’s that sound? It’s still too young but it’s better than THIS.

Jung Ho Jin, who is the reaction king of this whole segment, interviews:

“They’re all crying. I’m going crazy. They cry so much. To be honest, I really want to cry too. But I thought I shouldn’t join them. If they just stare at the floor because they have no confidence, we’ll really become Team Gush Out.”

You guys, I adore Reaction King Jung Ho Jin.

Time passes, and little Se Yoon is acting like the little kid he is, and that’s not a value judgement, just an assessment of what you clearly can see on screen. He’s claiming his ankle hurts, and is sort of scooting around on the floor on his butt like an elementary school kid. Leader Park Min Seok, wearing glasses and looking like he’s been put through the wringer, basically doesn’t know what to do. The kid won’t rehearse. They can’t lose another performer, but Se Yoon isn’t even trying. He’s just sort of bored and ignoring what everyone else is doing.

If I were Min Seok, I would be fighting the urge to strangle him, honestly. Not advocating violence, just acknowledging that my patience has limits. Min Seok finally calls the child out on his behavior. He’s been wandering around, hiding in storage rooms, stuff like that. Min Seok scolds him, not cruelly. He just says, in essence, “Every minute right now is precious, and the stakes are so high -- why are you wasting time?”

Min Seok auditioned with The Real, (he’s the one in the leather jacket), which means he has been training with Kim Tae Rae, the awesome vocalist we will see in Back Door; blue haired Park Han Bin, the All Star we will see in Hot Sauce; Lee Jeong Hyeon, age 20, one of the Avengers on the Love Me Right team chosen by Hui; Mun Jung Hyun, age 17, the charming kid who messed up the vocals in Very Nice but really does have a lot of talent. That’s who Min Seok trained with, and now he has to literally babysit. I can’t blame him for losing his patience.

He has a mini breakdown, and says, “I thought we could do it if we just shared the same goal. I thought everyone would be like that. But they must have feelings they can’t share. Same with Se Yoon, and Seung Hoon,” and here he looks at Seung Hoon. “Without fully understanding them, I think I criticized him too heavily.” Min Seok, lovey, I think you were entirely within your rights, but you are a sweet human being, and I hope your life is long, happy, and successful, whether or not you debut, ok?

That night, he asks Se Yoon to come see him, and I mean.

This is a kid who is CLEARLY too young to be on a show like this. He probably is going crazy just missing his mom and dad.

Min Seok apologizes to him for being hard on him (which he really wasn't!) and tells him he’s going to help him. “I want to be someone you can rely on.” They talk for a long time, and probably go through most of that box of tissues, and Se Yoon promises to work hard, and again Min Seok gathers him in his arms.

I mean this in the kindest way, but I really hope that Se Yoon gets eliminated in the first elimination. He needs to go home to his mother and father.

The good news is, I bet there are young women all over South Korea (and Japan, China, everywhere else…) who have just put Park Min Seok at the top of their “I want to marry this man” list. You never know for sure, but I will shocked if Min Seok doesn’t jump up quite a bit in the rankings (he’s currently at 84). I don’t think he’s doing this for views -- he probably assumes that MNET doesn’t give a shit about this team -- but this is some good TV, as exploitive and awful as it is. Like I said, you don’t usually see young men being this tender with each other on television in the US.

They get back to practice, and Se Yoon starts really trying again. That helps Seung Hoon also. They all try their best. And now… it’s show time! Back stage, Team K watches with empathy.

The Performance

Left to right: Choi Sunghoon, Park Min Seok, Jung Se Yun, Park Gwan Young, Jeon Ho Young

Not visible: Reaction King Jung Ho Jin but he’s the one in the blue blazer

Overall, about the same as G-group, more or less. Park Min Seok brought the right stage presence the song needed, though his vocals were a bit weak. I think Jung Ho Jin captures attention as the center, but his personality and vibe doesn’t match the song somehow. I think he would be a better fit for Very Nice. The three rappers did a perfectly decent job as far as I could tell. The two babies didn’t look wildly out of place, and Jeon Ho Young was brave enough to lift up his shirt for a picosecond, so good for him. For me, the real surprise of the whole performance was Park Gwan Young. He can sing! And he has a really nice voice! For real! He’s ranked 92, so I don’t have much hope for him surviving, but he may eventually do just fine.

The MNET editing is kind, and we do get some reaction shots for Park Gwan Young’s singing, so that’s good. There’s also a cute shot of Minhyun singing along to the song, as if unaware he’s doing it. But most of the post performance commentary is about the maknae.

Results

Oh, I hate this part.

Main Vocal:

Park Gwan Young 142

Chen Ren You 74

Sub vocal 1:

Park Min Seok 160

Yutaka 28

Sub vocal 2:

*Jung Ho Jin* 122

Riku 6

Main Rapper

Jeon Ho Young 41

Kei 57

Sub vocal 3:

Qui Sheng Yang 0 votes, oh no!

Sub Rapper 1

Jung Se Yoon 27

Hyo 46

Sub Rapper 2:

Choi Seung Hun 26

Xuan Hao 115

Totals:

K team takes it, 518 to 326.

When K wins, most of them jump up, but leader Min Seok just collapses. He’d been holding it together with like, duct tape and chewing gum, emotionally, and the second he didn’t have to hold it together any more he fell apart. He might be older than his maknae but that was a LOT of pressure for one person to have on his head. Everyone tries to get him to stop crying but he kind of can’t. He interviews later on that the maknae tried so hard, and that he’s always wanted to tell them he loved them. (And girls around the world swoon.)

Meanwhile, on the G-side, of course they’re heartbroken. Poor guys. They lost to the leftovers team. They worked hard too and didn’t do a bad job. I think the worst part was Hyo’s face crumpling up into tears as he said, “I don’t want to go back.”

This show is just a lot sometimes.

And that’s the end of the Burn It Up review.

Click here to return to the main review.

Click here to go on to the Danger review.

#boys planet recap #boys planet #boysplanet999 #boysplanet #boys planet 999 #park minseok #burn it up #kpop #k-pop #jung hojin #park gwanyoung #Xuan Hao

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pftones3482 · 7 months ago

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The issue with AYA is literally everything. I cannot stress that enough, there are VERY few parts of the episode that are salvageable. I'll list them here:

1. The Fireside Girl designs are the only good ones in the ep

2. Irving working for OWCA - he DID come into the show by spying on the main gang 😂 so it makes perfect sense

3. Candace going to school to be a lawyer is top notch, only part of that episode I consider canon

Other than that, I cannot find one redeemable quality to that episode. Here's the most glaring problems for me:

1. What the FUCK is up with the boys and their toxic masculinity? This is Buford and Baljeet, who sang a BREAKUP SONG bc they missed each other. Phineas and Ferb, who worked every day to make sure their friends and family felt happy and loved. Kids who would go to the ends of the earth for each other AND HAVE - "we are guys, we do not talk about feelings" 🤢🤢🤢🤢 fuck that shit

2. Their character designs suck I'm sorry. Almost all of them. Doofs hair was literally just colored gray, they just made Phineas taller, and they made Buford SKINNY what the HELL? The designs were bland and bad, esp when you compare them to an episode like Quantum Boogaloo where Doofs body actually changes too. Bodies SHIFT over the course of 5-8 years, esp in adolescents - their designs should have reflected that (and making Buford skinny was nauseating. He wouldn't slim up like that naturally, he'd have the build of a football player or a wrestler just based on his body shape alone.)

3. I'm not big on Phinabella but when it's done right I think it's cute. This was not done right. No communication between them, and Isabella wouldn't drop a friendship (multiple friendships!!) for an unrequited crush - that's not who she is. In many episodes prior she had moments where she had to pick between her crush on Phineas and friendship and she ALWAYS chose friendship. And Phineas just LETTING her slip away? No way, he'd figure out what the hell was wrong. This is the boy who tried to make her an entire goddamn ice cream machine when she got her tonsils out, who spiraled into a panic when he couldn't find her during a zombie invasion, he wouldn't just drop her once she stopped swinging by.

4. Balinger. What the FUCK was that shit? Gingers crush was cute in the show!! And then they made their relationship toxic as hell???? Like they straight up lie and manipulate each other, which is NEVER how that group was. The Fireside Girls were autonomously friends with Phineas and Ferb and gang, they weren't just there bc of Isabella, and they have the same morals as the main gang. The toxicity in their writing low-key just felt like misogyny and it was gross

5. Crazy enough I think the Doof plot was the best part of the ep and anyone who knows me knows that I'm indifferent to Doof most of the time, but again, what the FUCK was up with his design????? Trash. Give him fucking wrinkles you cowards

6. The ending. Phineas Flynn would not stay in the Tri-State Area for college. This kid has traveled the WORLD - he'd be going to places that challenged him, that opened his eyes to new possibilities and adventures. Hell, he'd do online school WHILE traveling the world. He loves Danville - it's his home. But Tri-State State wouldn't challenge him. And frankly it wouldn't challenge Isabella - every single one of those kids could get into Ivy League schools and you're telling me they basically chose community colleges? (Not bashing community colleges but again. They don't match with the characters we've been shown this whole time). No. It's not romantic or cute, it's poor writing in regards to the characters personalities.

6. Ferbnessa 🤢🤢🤢🤢 they have a SIX YEAR age gap - which as grown adults would be fine, whatever, if they got together after they both graduated college. But in this episode Ferb is 18 (BARELY) dating a 24 YEAR OLD. That's disgusting. Depending on when they started dating she would have been 20 dating him at 14. That's fucking nasty, IDC how you spin it. Ferb's little kid crush on her? Chill, cute. Her reciprocating it?????? Disgusting. If it was reversed and it was a 24 year old man and an 18 year old girl everyone would have been up in arms about it. It was also entirely unnecessary in the plotline, we could have had zero ferbnessa and the episode literally wouldn't have changed.

Anyway those are the most grievous errors of the episode, it can burn in the dumpster alongside the second cliptastic countdown

Thinking about act your age again, can y’all just spill to me all your thoughts on the episode or link other posts and stuff about it

#pnf #phineas and ferb #hello to any new followers/mutuals this is what you can look forward to from my blog

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mattzerella-sticks · 2 years ago

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I wonder if Athena finally putting to bed the case that inspired her towards a career pursuing justice will now push her onto the path for her overall endgame which, like her husband, is retirement.

Like how last season we had Bobby's second chance where he saved his daughter from the fire at the call center (putting to rest his regret at never being able to save his family from that fire back in Michigan), and now we have Athena wrapping up that last loose end that kept her in a sort of stasis, the questions they'll both be asking is: what next.

Bobby is very clearly thinking about his replacement, establishing an arc for Buck’s endgame I already laid out in an earlier post about Buck where he'll only become captain at the series finale. We keep seeing all of Bathena's special moments be put off due to tragedy and emergencies. We've also seen how the job (Athena's) has put pressure on her familial relations. I can definitely see Athena retiring at the end of this season to pursue another career that still has her pursuing justice, like maybe something in politics, maybe she goes to law school, or maybe starts a charitable organization dedicated to helping victims and families of crimes like that of Tanya (though just like at the end maybe she has to put the past behind her like Joanne is doing).

I wouldn't be against them retiring - no two people on this show deserve it more. However the show will definitely end when they do, however if they stagger it I can see it lasting for another season (Athena in six, Bobby in seven). Also, unlike all the other times it's been suggested Athena retire, the fact that it is HER decision will show this is the final conversation about it. Once Athena sets her mind to something, it gets done.

I think having a season of her then figuring out what's next for Athena will be good, although that will change the makeup of the show as we won't have a police officer character to be our police pov (not that it's necessary but those are structural parts of the show that carry into the spin-off with Carlos). 9-1-1 isn't a stranger to introducing new characters. I can see maybe Athena getting a new partner and having them bond with the 118 somehow (maybe pair them up with Lucy and Ravi).

I do think we are heading into the final arcs for all our main cast. Season 7 is when the contracts are up. Yes, this show could probably last past that but it would be a disservice to the story being told. Bathena's heading towards retirement. Hen is heading towards a doctor career. Buck and Eddie are figuring themselves out and how to be a family, which both of them have wanted (the concept of family and having people who choose them). The only people who have completed their journey, honestly, are Chim and Maddie. They're back together. Their arc ends with marriage which we are all betting happens in the s6 finale. Whatever they got planned for s7 it might be career-focused or more family-planning, or both.

Tl;dr tonight's episode not only put to rest a monstrous crime (and the execution of how the audience was told was spectacular), but also put to rest a piece of Athena that we can argue bookended a moment last season with her husband. This episode was key in helping guide Athena towards her endgame of retirement as all the major players in the show are now entering the beginnings of their final storylines as next year s7 will most likely be the last season

#9-1-1 on fox #9-1-1 s6e3 the devil you know #athena grant #bobby nash #bathena #athena grant meta #athena grant character study and predictions #evan 'buck' buckley #eddie diaz #howie 'chim' han #henrietta 'hen' wilson #maddie buckley #madchim #buckeddie #buddie #i hate to say it but this show might end next year #we will still have lone star but the way the storylines are going we are entering the buildup to the end #7 is a good number anyway

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screechthemighty · 3 years ago

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Honestly I feel like the resolution of Marc’s character arc is one of those things that got lost in the finale being half as short as it should’ve been (or...frankly the show being like 1-4 episodes shorter than it should’ve been).

Like, yes, I am also low key tired of the whole “if you kill the bad guy you’re just as bad as them” plot point with characters where killing them is absolutely justified. That said, for Marc, I think the decision not to kill Harrow makes sense on a character level. He’s a guy who absolutely is haunted by his violent actions, but feels compelled to continue for a lot of reasons--the most important one for this post being that he feels like he doesn’t have a choice in the matter, that he’s inherently bad and attracts death anyway, so why not? I think it’s incredibly telling that he responds to Steven (rightfully) pointing out that Khonshu’s manipulating him by saying, “Or it was just a way for me to keep being what I’ve always been: a killer.”

That moment of not killing Harrow can work because it’s a continuation of the arc in that episode: of Marc starting to find healing and forgiveness for the death of his brother, of him breaking out of Khonshu’s control, of him stopping what has effectively been a method of self-harming because he no longer feels he has to. Marc can’t handle the methods. That’s okay. He shouldn’t force himself to out of some warped sense of “this is what I deserve.”

The problem is that because the finale was rushed that kind of got lost in the shuffle and it didn’t come across as impactful as it should’ve. Also I think Layla being the one to be like “You have a choice” doesn’t work because she doesn’t know about that struggle. If more time had been dedicated to their relationship and Marc had been allowed to open up to her about this, I think the line would’ve worked? But y’know...their relationship also got lost in the time crunch, and seriously, Disney, why was it only six episodes, this should’ve been at least a couple episodes longer, we want character interactions damn it-

#yes I know this is different from the comics we're working with just the show here bear with me #moon knight #moon knight critical #I do still love the show but whose decision was it to have it be so short #ESPECIALLY for a character who isn't pre-established like any of the other characters so far #they could've done some practical effects/cut back on VFX to save money and added more screen time NO ONE WOULD'VE COMPLAINED #DISNEY I PROMISE YOU NO ONE WOULD'VE COMPLAINED #the netflix shows may've had pacing problems but at least they were mostly pacing problems that erred on the side of character development!!#ANYWAYS rant over I was just thinking about this

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lokiondisneyplus · 3 years ago

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A pivotal moment in Loki's season 1 finale was being tweaked and rewritten up until the last minute.

In the Disney+ drama's revelatory ending, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) came to blows once again. This time around, it was because Sylvie was determined to kill He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), but Loki was desperately urging her to reconsider because doing so could cause the Sacred Timeline to branch and herald the return of the enigmatic figure's less benevolent variants ("a bazillion boogeymen") and, more importantly, wouldn't heal the pain in her heart.

"The cost of getting this wrong is too great," Loki pleaded with the enchantress. "I've been where you are. I've felt what you feel. Don't ask me how I know. All I know is I don't want to hurt you. I don't want a throne. I just want you to be okay."

According to director Kate Herron, crafting this surprisingly heartfelt speech was one of the trickiest moments to nail in the finale.

"Me, the [finale] writer Eric [Martin], Tom, and Sophia, we were working on that speech that Loki says to her right up until the day before shooting, because we just wanted to get it right," Herron told EW last Friday. "I think those words — and this came from Tom, 'I just want you to be okay' — were so key because there's pain in that, right? Because he's evolved in ways and he's moved beyond his pain and anger, and he doesn't want that for her. You don't want that for someone you care about. But, she's just not quite on that path yet and she does still have that."

Sophia Di Martino and Tom Hiddleston in 'Loki' | CREDIT: MARVEL STUDIOS

Loki's sweet declaration led to a long-awaited kiss between the two variants; however, they didn't live happily ever after because Sylvie was committed to her mission. After the kiss, Sylvie opened a time portal and pushed Loki through it so she could kill He Who Remains.

"I think for me the kiss was really beautiful because I don't think it was a deception, and I don't think it was a trick necessarily," said Herron. "I think for her, it was almost a goodbye. I think she does care about him, but it's just her feelings toward having to complete the mission overtook because she's not emotionally in the same place he was. I always think of Sylvie in this episode almost like how Loki was in Thor. She has all this anger and pain, and she isn't necessarily going to make the best decision with it."

Where do Loki and Sylvie go from here? Well, viewers will find that out whenever Loki returns for its second season — because it is the first Marvel-Disney+ series to get renewed. (WandaVision was designed as a limited series, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's future is a bit murkier since a fourth Captain America movie is in development.) According to Herron, a season 2 was always in the cards for Loki.

"When I started, we'd always thought about it as its own story, basically, that it was these six episodes," said she said. "Marvel wanted to approach it like a giant movie, so we were always thinking about it like a giant film, but obviously with the second hand of it being episodic and wanting to keep the conversation going across the six weeks. But season 2 came out as we were working on it, and it was just coming out of the fact that Marvel was very excited about the story and Loki, and we'd done a lot of groundwork here but there's always so much more road to travel with him."

Unfortunately, Herron will not be involved in the show's season 2. "I'm only on for season 1, and it's honestly just because I'm so proud of the story we told," she said. "I'd always planned just to come on for [one season], because when we started, this was what we were doing with the story and I'm so grateful to Marvel. It has changed my life and I love the character, but I definitely will be enjoying the second season as a fan, and I look forward to seeing what another director does with it."

#Loki #Kate Herron #Tom Hiddleston #Sophia Di Martino

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meanautisticenbian · 4 years ago

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Lilith Clawthorne has Borderline Personality Disorder: an essay

Content warnings: mentions of abuse, cults, and self harm

I don't have much of an intro but I need to get some things out of the way.

First off, this is an essay that I made mostly for fun and because I feel like more people need to hear about this. I am not excusing Lilith's actions in any way, though hopefully this may explain some of them.

Secondly, as you might know I have BPD myself. I'm self diagnosed yes, but I still have enough symptoms. I see a lot of myself in Lilith, as well as several traits, and I hope that this essay will be informative.

With all that being said, let's get into the analysis starting with the symptoms that are only hinted at. One of the hallmarks of Borderline Personality Disorder is an intense fear of abandonment, which Lilith seems to display disgusted as her desire to cure Eda's curse. If it's not clear enough, Eda's really the only thing Lilith cares about, which makes sense since she's clearly the only thing she has. We know that she isn't super close to Amity, despite what fans want to believe, we don't know if she's formed any positive relationships with anyone in the Emperor's Coven and it would say a lot of she didn't. With all that in mind, she is clearly very close to Eda and whenever she tries to get away from her, Lilith is always either pissed off or saddened. Sure, this could just be because she wants to heal Eda's curse and is most likely being punished by Belos, and that's why this is listed as something that's hinted at. Then again, Catra from She Ra is BPD coded as well and she mostly wanted to bring Adora back to the Horde because Shadow Weaver wanted her and was an abusive piece of shit, but it was pretty obvious that she also just wanted her crush and only friend back, so I don't see how this can't be applied to Lilith as well.

Lilith seems to have a black–and–white view on the people around her and maybe even herself. Whenever Eda escapes her, she suddenly flips from being loving and caring to her and really acting like she cares about her to treating her like she just pissed on her waffles. Her way of viewing other people (mostly Eda) is another symptom of BPD, being a black–and–white view on everything and rapid changes in self image and views of everyone else. One moment she views Eda as a beautiful and loving sister, the next she's just an old woman slowing her down. One moment Belos is a trustworthy leader, next he's a monstrous tyrant. One moment Luz is an annoying child she can use as bait, next she's her only hope in saving Eda.

She seems to harbor some of these feelings to herself as well. One moment she acts like she's fully aware of the baddie she is, and next she seems to hate herself. Another valid explanation is that this could also be viewed as her hiding her insecurities since she is clearly one to hold back those emotions and she only ever seems to let Eda see this side of her (save for Luz in the season 1 finale) but this is still a common BPD trait that seems to fit her so it would make sense.

Now let's move on to the more explicit symptoms. If it's not obvious enough, Lilith has some major anger issues. She was ready to kill Eda after she did as much as annoy her in Covention and tell her how worthless her life is after she (actually Luz) escapes her in Once Upon a Swamp. It was certainly reasonable for her to be upset about Luz accidentally blowing up the side of a building, but she had a worse outburst over her sister rhyming.

Now we move on to what I think is her most obvious trait: her impulsiveness. Like I said before, Lilith tends to have sudden violent outbursts and act without thinking. It doesn't excuse anything she's done but it certainly does explain a LOT.

It could be a possible explanation for why her first instinct was to use Luz as a human shield while she was fighting Eda and threw Luz off a cliff in order to get Eda to use all her magic instead of making a new bubble for Luz or doing literally anything that WOULDN'T harm Luz. This could maybe (key word) also provide an explanation for why she cursed Eda instead of going and talking to her (assuming she didn't), but her disorder seems to stem more from trauma than it does genetics, both of which are ways BPD can manifest.

Mood swings are another symptom she definitely has, but that can easily be paired with the point about her changes in self image and how she views others, as well as the points about her anger and impulsivity, so I won't go into detail about that.

Depression, guilt, and ongoing feelings of emptiness are obvious traits that don't need much explaining.

The last major trait wanna bring up is self harm and self destructive and suicidal behavior. I couldn't really find any point in which she showed any suicidal tendencies or urges to hurt herself and it is most likely that she won't be showing those traits at any point in the future, though I do believe it is possible that the show may depict self destructive behaviors in her. Obviously, she wouldn't be shown cutting or burning herself, but maybe it could be displayed in a more PG fashion such as her not taking proper care of herself or having risky behaviors.

There are nine main traits of BPD and one needs to have at least five of them to get a diagnosis. Lilith seems to exhibit six and possibly seven of these traits. I could end it here by saying that Lilith definitely has BPD and needs a hug, but we're not done yet.

Despite what most people might say about borderline people and how we're depicted, we're more likely to be victims of abuse than we are abusers. Most of the time the trauma from the abuse is the cause of the disorder, for those who don't inherit it. Many people with the disorder have claimed to have been physically, sexually, psychologically or emotionally abused or neglected during their lifetime. We don't know the exact details of Lilith's time in the coven or what it was like for her, all we know is that it was basically a cult and she definitely experienced some form of abuse. We know that emotional and psychological abuse were definitely present in her and Belos's relationship, and there is definitely a possibility that there was some physical abuse as well. As for neglect, there isn't really anything that can support the claim even if it seems plausible, and logically speaking, she most likely wasn't sexually abused simply just because this is a family show, so unless Disney is ok with Dana going THERE, that one's a little too far out of the realm of possibility.

So, where does that leave us? Well if I'm being honest, she definitely seems to have a case of untreated and probably undiagnosed BPD caused by a series of traumatic events. And the thing is, she's only in 6/19 episodes in the series so far, and we've probably only really seen the tip of the iceberg. She could have a lot more going on with her that we will definitely see in season 2, I highly doubt she won't.

Lilith is definitely BPD coded, and whether the rep is intentional or not, it's still something I can consider good rep. It's super rare that you find borderline characters in the media that are not abusers, manipulators, or terrible, irredeemable people in general. Lilith is not a bad person whatsoever, and even if she's not much of a good person either, she's not irredeemable. She certainly has a long way to go, but with proper guidance and psychological help, she will get there eventually.

I would like to finish this off by saying I'm not trying to excuse or condone her actions, I am simply addressing how it's possible for her to be borderline, based on what screen time she has and my own experiences. I just want to express my appreciation for what rep we have, as well as analyzing her character a bit.

Thank you all for reading

- Sunny

#the owl house #toh #lilith clawthorne #toh lilith #lilith #emperor belos #edalyn clawthorne #eda clawthorne #toh eda #toh luz #luz noceda #tagging them just because they're mentioned and important #cult mention #bpd #Borderline Personality Disorder

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