#and then all of her plotline in season 2 is fully a waste of time

[keepingupwiththeboltons]

My bet on if they cave and add nettles to the show, is that they wont have her pop up behind a rock and suddenly exist and already have claimed sheepstealer, but instead theyll do something insane and stupid and have her claim the cannibal or some shit instead

[eww-y-tho]

okay...

I loved this season. I decided to watch it with part 1 fully and I got the direction and flow they were going for.

I agree with most when I say that I would have liked more polin, and I think especially the Mondrich plot was very dull and uninteresting and I don't like how much time was wasted on it.

I did think it was a bit crowded.

But I still loved how each plotline was handled (except for Cressida, because I still wanted to at least know what happened to her other than assuming she's leaving.)

I loved the flow of the season and part 2 was a great helping of angst that I enjoyed to see from polin, despite all of the people saying otherwise.

I do mourn the polin sex montage and I do think the cuts to Benedict were a bit tone-deaf. I personally didn't need as many sex scenes as you other people, though. I think the amount of tension and angst was just right for the story and the amount of sex scenes reflected that.

But I would have enjoyed at least a longer make-up sex scene.

The structure of the story felt right and the only thing that made me a bit iffy was Colin reading the letters because I would have appreciated something like a series of flashbacks to the previous seasons and finally the memory of their meet-cute with some child actors.

But Colin's jealousy arc?

Completely makes sense.

We love canon bisexual Benedict and Francesca.

We love Michaela Stirling.

We love Portia's (kind of?) redemption arc.

We love the Lady Danbury, Marcus, and Violet thing going on, even though it felt a bit excessive.

We love Penelope and Colin dancing to You Belong With Me and their Pride and Prejudice moment.

We adore the mirror scene.

We love Kanthony being cute and their fun moments.

We love the polin wedding.

We love Colin crying (even though that sounds weird.)

We love the epilogue and polin winning the baby race.

We love Colin writing a book and Penelope going by Penelope Bridgerton.

We love Penelope revealing herself as LW and owning it.

We love Queen Charlotte.

We love the nod to Penelope and Lady Danbury's book relationship.

We love Colin's last episode confession and they made me cry multiple times.

We love Hyacinth for being a sunshine child in her support for polin.

And despite Eloise kind of annoying me constantly, we love how Penelope and Eloise made up.

AND I'M SAD JULIE ANDREWS IS MOST LIKELY NOT COMING BACK 😭😭😭😭

People are shitting on this season WAAYYYY too much from what I've seen, and I think it's in part because people, again, overhype things. I was expecting a good season and some great moments, but I think the general vibe was that people were somehow going to see perfection and that's just the wrong mindset to have.

Was is mind-blowing? No.

Was I wanting more polin? Yes.

Was I hating it? No.

Was it a hell of a ride? Yes.

9.3/10

Would and will watch again multiple times.

Like, calm down guys.

[bluedalahorse]

So responding to this feels a little bit like I’m walking into a field of legos. I’m going to respond nonetheless and say that I disagree with this confession. I respect the confessor’s right to feel their feelings and say what they said. At the same time, I’m exercising my own right to respond how I wish, and say what I think.

First, I don’t agree with the way this post implicitly labels the s2 sargust plotline as something we were “warned” for (like Hamlet’s father’s ghost himself told us) that then “wasted time.” (Perhaps OP doesn’t mean that sargust wasted time and only intends to apply it to stedrika, but the fact that the two relationships are compared feels kind of like OP is putting the relationships in the same category and criticizing them the same way.) The sargust plotline exists in both season 1 and season 2, and it is fully woven into the plot and the themes of the story. The groundwork for sargust was laid as early as 1.2, possibly as early as 1.1, depending on how you want to read the camerawork in the party scene. Sargust exists in conversation with Wilmon, it affects Wilmon and Wilmon affects it back. Sargust is crucial to the show’s commentary on classism and the social roles we play. It also includes commentary on justice issues and family traumas and other such Young Royalsy things. It is not the only part of the show that makes these commentaries but it deepens what commentary the show is able to make. It is a wholly intentional part of the show’s narrative and the show is more expertly crafted because of it.

This does not mean people have to like sargust or love it or write fanfiction about it or read fanfiction about it or reblog gifs or whatever else. You do not! You can do fandom the way you want to do fandom! You can fast forward through what you want to and you can ignore the characters you want to. But I feel like I still see rhetoric about how like, sargust was a waste of screentime and Objectively Bad Writing, and that simply isn’t true.

Moving on to stedrika…

So full disclosure, I am not the biggest stedrika shipper on deck. I wasn’t crossing my fingers and hoping they were going to become canon in the lead-up to season 2. I would have preferred Felice discovering she’s gay or bi or ace or some other sort of queer, especially since I wasn’t as satisfied by Felice’s season 2 arc. (There is a part of me that still wants Felice/Rosh with all my heart, but she will just have to indulge herself writing the epilogue chapters in Heart and Homeland.)

And yes, sometimes I worry that a stedrika plotline could take up time in season 3 that could be used for something else, especially when we only have six episodes and a lot to address. That does make me nervous. I get it.

At the same time, I disagree with the idea that a stedrika storyline could inevitably be something that has no relevance to the plot. There are likely ways to do stedrika well that reinforce the show’s themes. Stella is at her most sympathetic when she leans into her feelings and expresses them through art. She’s at her meanest and most vindictive toward others when she’s running away from her authentic self. These are pieces of her characterization that line up with Simon’s arc, with Wille’s, with August’s. Fredrika’s a bit more of a cipher to me and I’m personally a little skeptical of the idea that she’d like Stella back or be able to embrace that about herself in the same way, but she’s still interesting. Her relationship with gender roles is interesting, and the way she’s often framed as a social gatekeeper is interesting. (At times Fredrika feels like the one of the girls who’s the closest to August in terms of social values, only she expresses it with a sweeter feminine exterior because Girls Aren’t Allowed To Be Angry, so she has the potential to be very dangerous.) You can do a lot with both Stella and Fredrika.

Sure, it would be weird if either of them suddenly became main character overnight. (And I know there’s an anon going around fandom insisting that they were on set and that stedrika did become the main characters of s3, or something, which I am reading with every grain of salt I am not eating right now due to health issues.) But you know what? I don’t think they are going to become main characters. I feel like one or both of them could just be used in a smart way, to shed light on Wilhelm’s character arc just like Nils did.

(I could be wrong. But I also don’t think the characters have a lot going for them in terms of service they could provide to the story. Even if they weren’t my preferred option for sapphic representation in this show. And you know what? They are definitely other people’s preferred option. And there are people out there who are going to find immense joy if/when stedrika get together regardless of how that happens, and I probably need to do a better job of creating space for them to feel fannish joy the way I feel a fannish joy about canon pairings like sargust and non canon pairings like rolice. You keep shipping, stedrika stans! I’m waving my sapphic flag for you!)

Speaking of the sapphics… I’m glad we’re getting some kind of wlw representation in Young Royals, as well as extremely well-written female character representation overall. I’m glad that exists alongside the really excellently written mlm representation that is Wilmon.

On a strictly personal level, ever since streaming executives have started more calculatedly marketing to slash fans and presenting us with a curated parade of hot men who are hot in a curated way, I’ve felt less drawn in by mlm representation all by itself. You are welcome to feel differently, and that’s fine. But I really value when a show can include a juggernaut mlm pairing and respectfully written female characters of all sexualities, and I want to celebrate all of those things when I’m fandoming about my show. It’s hard for me to read comments about sargust and stedrika “wasting time,” and not notice a common denominator in that like, both pairings involve female characters exploring what’s expected of girls and women in relationships, especially in regards to class. I know the OP and people like the OP probably don’t intend to come across that way, and maybe don’t mean it in a way where they’re like “eww time spent on girls!” At the same time, in a fandom where masculine beauty and a kind of masculinity is so celebrated… well. I would be lying if I didn’t have to take a step back at times and remind myself to assume positive intent toward female characters and those of us who love female characters. So I’m going to try and circle back around and assume positive intent. I thought I’d share a little bit of my thought process though, in the interest of transparency.

Tl;dr stedrika could turn out to be really interesting and I hope we all come up with ways for them to be interesting in fanworks regardless! Phew, that was a lot to say.

I'm afraid of the Stella-Frederika storyline in s3. They warned us of them in s2 the same way they warned us with Sara and August in s1. I don't want screentime wasted for this when there is already so much to adress and so little time left.

[shasta-reese]

Finale Part 1 (6x19)

I can't believe this is the last time I'll be writing an episode critique for Supergirl, it feels surreal. But nonetheless I have thoughts and I will voice them. For once I am writing this while watching the full episode so I can do this chronologically for once, I already know what happens from watching clips on Youtube but there might've been scenes that weren't available so here ya go, one last ride:

- Lex is a great villain but I still hate that he's stuck around for so long, personally I would've liked his arc to have ended in season 4 as more of character to highlight Lena's character development. Instead of this Lex/Nyxly bullcrap they put on. I also hate that we have Nyxly as the main villain for the season and she's great but somehow they force Lex into her plot. Just wished they left Nyxly as the solo villain of the season

- You know ngl kinda wish they went through with letting Alex kill Lex with her bare hands lol.

- I get Alex and Kelly's mindset of doing whatever it takes to get Esme back obviously but in getting Esme back by giving up the Totems would've been pointless cuz the first thing Nyxly probably would've done with the All Stone would have been to kill them

- I do appreciate that Nyxly really doesn't have any intention to hurt Esme in any way. She just wants the totem and its unfortunately connected to Esme. Like the whole episode she's trying to make Esme as comfortable as possible and preventing Lex from hurting her, it was nice (yes I understand she kidnapped Esme but you know what I mean)

- I really don't understand why they introduced the Lex/Nyxly romance arc since according to what we've seen, everything that Lex stands for is opposite to what Nyxly stands for. It also shows that that Lex doesn't really know Nyxly at all considering he keeps proposing things that Nyxly would never do (eg. hurt an innocent child, trust any man who has hurt women). Also how far in the future is this Lex from?

- Like they say this Lex is from the future but did he live in the future? or is he our present day Lex who went to the future and saw his future self with Nyxly? And if he's from the future then where the fuck is present day Lex? Also they said he had 31st century tech which also doesn't make sense cuz that's 10 centuries from now so it's impossible for Lex to still be alive then. Nyxly might be cuz she's an imp but still, idek did I miss something?

- Seeing Lena and Andrea interact is always so interesting because they are essentially childhood friends. It's such a shame that they never fully utilised their relationship in the plots. It would've been so relevant with Lena finding out she has magic and Andrea also having magic, Andrea being isolated, making terrible decisions is like how Lena was in S5. They could've leaned on each other and rebuilt their friendship like we thought since that scene in 5x19. But all we got were like 2 bland phone calls and 2 pep talks from Lena to Andrea. Truly a waste of talent considering they had Julie and Katie playing the characters.

- I fricking love Lillian (as a character, she's a horrible person). Just her laugh at the prospect of Lex being in love is exactly how everyone else reacted when they revealed the plotline. Ah Lillian, how I love how you tower over your ego-maniac son.

- Hey Nyxly, babes how 'bout we not traumatise Esme further by telling her your dad was a mad man who tried to slit your throat as a child, huh? thank yew

- Man, Chyler in that armoury scene was great, just the pure emotion of it all makes me wish we had more scenes at this level of intensity.

- God, Brainy and Nia really have my fucking heart :')

- Lol the Three Fates just reminds of Charlie from LoT. I miss them

- Alex and Kara arguing just makes me mad cuz like yeah Alex, Kara's plan might not work but handing over the Totems will also likely be the cause of your deaths cuz Lex would kill you all without a second thought. No plan is a guarantee but seeing as how Lena could still use magic at the bridge, ya'll could've thought of a plan eventually. Also Alex telling Kara she would never forgive her if something happen to Esme is a little bit of a low blow

- Lillian and Nyxly meeting was sure... something. Also thank you Lillian again for emphasising that Lex is incapable of love which makes the whole plotline make absolute zero sense. I do love Lillian manipulating Nyxly so effortlessly, just one convo and she was able to mess her up lol. Really shows how good Lillian is at manipulation.

- I'm in by no means an expert here but pretty sure basically knocking out the sun for SIX MONTHS is NOT just a small drawback

- Lena once again seems to be the only person who is speaking reason and yet again is ignored. Do you hear her Kara? Do you? Yes you have to do something but this ain't it

- How much is Lex paying that man to still be his butler? Like, I get it you need a job but surely there are other rich, white men who need a butler who don't want to destroy the universe.

- Honestly I thought after the scene where Nyxly puts herself between Esme and Lex that her arc would end differently. I feel like at that point Nyxly could have returned Esme even without getting the Love Totem, because in that moment we saw that Nyxly is capable of caring for someone else. But who knows...

- Seeing Lex get "dumped" and read for filth was so satisfying

- Another thing, didn't they say that at the bridge all powers and tech wouldn't work but they still used tech and Nia had her powers??? Did I misunderstand something?

- It's honestly hilariously bad writing that they were fully ready to air strike Kara with the military but when Kara stopped using the sun and said sorry, they were just like 'oh okay, all good I guess, bye Supergirl'. Also how are they continuously evading any type of repercussions from the government? Like they've been causing so much chaos and property damage to the city the whole season, how are the Superfriends getting off scot free

- I know its supposed to be serious but I can't help but laugh a little at them basically playing hot potato with the All Stone. This fight was still better than the final fight in 6x20 though

- I really wish Lillian died saving Lena instead of Lex but its still in character for her to save any of her children tbh

- Love how they just never explain why Nyxly and Lex become lizard people after using the All Stone 🙃. Way to waste your money to CGI that, it was just unnecessary they served zero purpose

- But thank you SupergirlCW for Lena witness yet another parents death, let's just add that to the long list of trauma Lena already had. For fucks sake, Lena really had to witness both of her mothers' deaths huh. I know she's not dead yet but still

- Orlando's speech was great :)

Well that's the end of this episode. Personally I feel like this was what 6x18 should've been, a build up to the finale and not part of the 2-hour finale. It's not that bad of an episode if you overlook some obvious plotholes like the whole bridge thing. I initially wanted to write this for the entire 2-hour finale but this way too long already so I'm posting 6x20 separately. So that's all for this ep.

Goodbye, for now.

[skullsandwineglasses]

A Discovery of Witches Review

**MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW**

I don’t usually watch a lot of western TV shows, but I started A Discovery of Witches back in 2019 because only the first season was out, and I really liked the DA vibes (TM). Plus, the story reminded me of a more mature version of Twilight, and not to mention the chemistry between Teresa Palmer (who vaguely reminds me of Kristen Stewart) and Matthew Goode (whom I loved in Stoker). 

I finally finished the last two seasons this week (April 2022) in two days, and I have to say that it’s a very consistent and cohesive story, despite production having spanned a few years (I think they finished filming in 2020? But released season 2 in 2021 and season 3 earlier this year). I haven’t read the book, so I can’t speak to how faithful the show is, but the show itself it quite solid. 

It’s a very simple, but tightly knit and well-paced story. The first season is about Diana and Matthew falling in love, as well as Diana learning about her hidden powers. They fall in love quickly and have a strong, unwavering bond that can stand against Romeo-and-Juliet-like tribulations. In order to evade the antagonists of the story, they slip back in time. Basically, following the hero’s journey to a T. 

In season 2, they spend a few months in the 1590s where Diana learns to master her witch powers, and she and Matthew reconcile their insecurities and finally get married and consummate their marriage with Phillipe’s (Matthew’s vampire father) blessing. Both Matthew and Diana get closure with their deceased fathers, which gives the time travel plotline more significance and purpose and isn’t just a gimmick. Matthew and Diana also adopt a child, Jack, whom plays a larger role in season 3. I like that season 2 isn’t just a throwaway season, but what happens in the 1590 has real consequences for the present. Benjamin makes a brief appearance, and Gallowglass’ meeting and acquaintance with Diana basically haunts him for the next few centuries. Time travel plotlines can be tricky, but I think this story made use of it elegantly. Season 2 also didn’t feel out of place from the rest of the story at all. Historical romances mesh well with modern fantasy romances, and Matthew De Clermont bridges the two worlds seamlessly.

Season 3 is where Matthew and Diana return to the familiar world to finally face the problems they left from season 1. Most loose ends are tied up, and I like how no-nonsense the conclusion is. Diana becomes the most powerful witch, and the story acknowledges that and doesn’t introduce any unnecessary angst. Diana’s confrontation with Satu is swift and anticlimactic, as it should be. Diana is now above and beyond being abused and tricked by Satu, so it’s a little ridiculous that Satu tried to bait Diana with enchantments, and Diana fully calls her out on it. Diana’s confrontation with Benjamin was also easy. Neither Satu nor Benjamin are the main antagonists or any match for Diana, and so the finale doesn’t waste much time with them because they aren’t major threats to Diana. The biggest antagonist is the systemic oppression, segregation, and bigotry that Diana and all creatures face from the covenant and congregation, and this has been the main source of oppression that the character have been battling since the first season. Gerbert may be the face of this oppression, but it’s a systemic problem that Diana alone can’t resolve. 

Diana and Matthew go through 3 very different stages of their relationship across the 3 seasons, but it still feels very consistent, and the relationship growth and changes feel very natural. By season 3, they’re like an old, married couple. They share fewer scenes together, are less touchy, and each off trying to solve different parts of the same problem, but they’re still very much a unit even though they’re both apart. 

The supporting characters are great. They each have their own backstory. Domenico really grew on me as a morally neutral character. Baldwin got a lot more screentime in season 3, and I think the actor that replaced him has a less sleazy face, so he was easier to like. I think most of the supporting characters are likeable because they literally do what they’re labelled as, which is to support the main couple, so there’s nothing really about them to hate. It’s a pretty dichotomous setup: you’re either with Diana and Matthew or you’re against them. Heck, even Phillipe, whom I expected to be the most unreasonable and intimidating person based on how fearful Matthew was of him, was quick to accept Diana and then even make her his blood-sworn daughter. I though there would be more pushback from Phillipe. 

I’ve never watched Reign, but I’ve seen clips, and so I knew that the actor who played adult Jack looked familiar, but I couldn’t pin down where until I looked him up. But I loved Jack as a character though. At first I thought he would just be a random kid that the plot would use to show us Matthew and Diana’s parental side, but Jack becomes a complex and tragic character in his own right, and to see Matthew and Diana try to make amends by giving him unconditional love and support centuries later is really wholesome. Seeing how Jack is protective of the twins, and then seeing Matthew telling Jack that he loves him, just makes my heart sing. Ugh, gotta love healthy communication and open affection. 

Matthew’s a complex character who’s battling with his inner demons, while Diana is a very cathartic character whom you never have to worry about. She speaks her mind when she needs to. I’m often wary of “chosen one” stories, but I think that’s because typical chosen one stories are usually about a protagonist who’s reluctant to be the chosen one, and you’re just sitting there waving your fist in the air like, just accept it already, stop pretending to be humble. Diana is eager to master her powers so that she can shove it in the faces of those whom doubted her before, like Satu and Peter Knox. She doesn’t hesitate to ask for help, or to hurt those who have harmed her. She’s kind but also ruthless and unapolegetic. In short, she always behaves in a way that’s appropriate for the situation .She goes through a lot of training and practice to master her skill, and so her powerfulness (and victory over Satu) is well-deserved. I mean, Diana had to go back in time to train and got guidance from her deceased dad. Satu could not have had that kind of idiosyncratic training, and so there’s just no competition. 

Another reason why I enjoyed A Discovery of Witches is because the found/adopted family theme reminded me of Once Upon a Time. You have people who look the same age calling each other father and son and uncle and grandfather. Gallowglass, who looks a decade older than Diana because of his build and beard, calling her auntie. It’s wild, but I love it. A dozen of people living in the same apartment trying to work through a crisis together? Stuff to live for. That’s also why Marvel has blown up. The idea of a large found family where one person’s business is everyone’s business is fun and endearing to watch. We really romanticize the idea of choosing our family. A lot of us probably don’t have a one true best friend. We might have a close friend group, but as we get older and start families and move to different parts of the country, we don’t see each other that often. And so the idea of having a physically and emotionally close group of friends whom you can depend on during life and death situations is like a pipe dream. 

That’s also what makes the final scene so poignant. Diana and Matthew dance, similar to when they danced in season 1, but this time, they are surrounded by friends and family. It’s a very warm and cozy final scene that comes full circle. 

[sailorbadger]

Robin Hood episode ranking part 1 (39-33)

I recently finished a rewatch of BBC’s Robin Hood. I’ve seen the show all the way through about three times now, though I’ve watched a lot of season 1 and 2 separately as well. This time I was watching with someone who had never seen the show. On top of that, we watched it in a non-chronological order, which made me view many of the episodes in a different light. So, I (with my friend) decided to rank all 39 episodes from worst to best.

I’ll be splitting this ranking into 5 parts, because the whole thing ended up being 14 pages long. We tried to take into account how good the episodes are objectively from a narrative point of view, but ultimately in many places our own enjoyment determined the final placements. Feel free to agree or disagree with me. I’d also like to add that when I say an episode is “bad”, I mean it in the context of the show. I’ve seen a lot worse things on TV than anything on this show. Nothing in this show is so bad it’s unwatchable. Anyway, here’s part 1 with places 39–33.

39. 3x1 – Total Eclipse

This episode just… isn’t that good. The plot feels messy and even though it’s supposed to emotionally rely on the events of the season 2 finale, it ends up feeling hollow and empty. Robin and Gisborne have some classic Man Pain angst revolving around Marian’s death, but she’s just reduced to someone they both loved. It’s not like she was an actual person who had other qualities beyond being the love interest. It doesn’t help that this is really the only season 3 episode where her death is properly addressed. Overall, Gisborne and Robin are both even more annoying than usual in this episode. The other outlaws are just given something to pass the time while Robin wallows in his own angst, and I didn’t care about anything going on in the episode. Tuck is an alright character, but he’s better later on in the season. In this episode he just does things to advance the plot, and I didn’t find him that interesting. For some reason, the aesthetic for this episode also seemed to be “let’s make everyone look like drowned dogs”. There might be some positive aspects to this episode, but I honestly don’t remember them, which is why it’s at the bottom of this list. I have no real interest in rewatching this episode any time soon.

 38. 3x5 – Let the Games Commence

I had honestly forgotten how bad this episode is. The A and B plotlines have nothing to do with each other, and both are bad. Why is there a lion? What did the circus plot add to the story? Isabella’s introduction is the only positive thing in this episode, but even that could have been done in a more interesting way. I also do have to add that they did a good job casting Isabella, since my friend guessed that she is Gisborne’s sister before it was even revealed. Overall, this episode could be skipped if not for the fact that it introduces Isabella. The plot feels useless and it doesn’t even have the fun sense of adventure that many episodes in season 2 had.

 37. 3x7 – Too Hot to Handle

Why was this episode so sexual? The “romance” felt incredibly forced. Robin and Isabella’s relationship moves too fast, and I do not enjoy watching it. Kate’s jealousy doesn’t help either. The plot is stupid, and the characters make equally stupid decisions. Robin is almost as annoying in this episode as he is in 3x1, but since the plot is at least a little bit more interesting, this episode is above it in the ranking.

 36. 3x9 – A Dangerous Deal

What is it with this season and trying to pair off teenage girls (or at least characters that are written as such) with fully grown men? Meg had so much potential, which was then wasted by throwing her into a one-episode “romance” with Gisborne. The two of them could have made a completely platonic connection to advance the plot in a similar way, there was no need to make it romantic. Another pairing I hate in this episode was Robin and Kate. I felt my spine crack into small pieces every time I had to watch the two of them have a moment together. Robin talks to Kate like she is a child (and since she is written as if she’s a teenager, I don’t blame him for it), yet for some reason I’m supposed to believe that the two of them like each other romantically? Thanks, but no thanks. Isabella’s husband is a character that fills me with rage, and this episode would have been improved if he had gotten stabbed in the eye within the first five minutes. I like that Isabella got to be the one to kill him and that she didn’t need to be saved by someone else. Unfortunately, the show then gets hypocritical and frames this as a bad thing. Robin has spent the show killing people left and right, but when Isabella kills her abusive husband – during a time when divorce was not an option and she had no protection against him – it’s suddenly much worse than anything Robin has ever done? Isabella, like Meg and Kate, had so much potential, but the show decided to make her into a villain by painting her as “the crazy bitch” for no good reason. I remembered this episode to be better than what it was, and I was disappointed when I rewatched it.

 35. 3x3 – Lost in Translation

The one thing I remember the best from watching this episode is that after we were done, we read the Wikipedia article on the history of Bible translations. The actual plot of the episode doesn’t tie into anything, and nothing relevant happens. The priest or whoever annoyed us, as did Tuck. The characters, in true season 3 manner, made stupid decisions. This is one of the most skippable episodes in the whole series. The plot of the episode is bad, but not as terrible as the negative aspects of the previous episodes on this list, which is why it’s ranked higher.

 34. 3x2 – Cause and Effect

This episode goes into the same category as 3x3 in terms of being very forgettable. The guest characters are alright, but they don’t add that much to the story to lift this episode any higher. The only thing in this episode that has anything to do with the rest of the reason is the introduction of Kate. It’s not her best episode, but it’s also not the worst. The episode was slightly more interesting than 3x3, but other than that, I barely remember either of these episodes.

 33. 1x10 – Peace? Off!

If I wasn’t at least a little bit reasonable, this episode would be at the bottom of the list. I am, however, also spiteful, which is why this is ranked so low. Why? I hate the ninja women with a burning passion. Nothing in this show makes me as irrationally angry as they do. It pains me to even think about this episode because I am then forced to think about the ninja women. Other than them, I feel like this episode suffers from having too many smaller themes in one episode. At first the episode felt a bit confusing, since there was so much going on. The one great thing about this episode is Much. His scenes are amazing, and if the episode consisted of only them, this might easily have ended up in the top 10. Unfortunately, rather than focusing on Much and Harold working through their trauma, they decided to shove in the ninja women, and for that this episode must be punished.

This part ended up being quite negative, but we had to start somewhere. If you feel as disappointed by season 3 as I do, you should read through my “Kate should have been the new Nightwatchman” rant [link]. In part 2 of the ranking we’ll go through places 32–26. All the parts will eventually be under the #rh-episode-ranking tag [link].

[saphicfreshman]

SPOILERS FOR THE SUPERGIRL FINALE!

In my opinion the episode wasn't bad but it also wasn't really good...

But let's start with the positive aspects:

1. Kara & Lena finally reconciled and the few (and sadly also very short) scenes between them were really good.

2. The Brainy storyline was actually pleasantly unexpected and was pretty interesting

3. In the end Lex actually had accounted for Brainy's reaction because let's be honest Lex wouldn't really be a genius if he really thought that Brainy was just gonna let him kill of all of his friends

4. Andrea and Lena finally had a scene together again! I loved how Lena talked Andrea down I just really hope that those two develop a friendship again. After all they could both use a friend.

5. It seems like the focus of the show will now be more on Lex and Lillian as the villains and I find those two a lot more interesting than the entire Leviathan organization together.

So and now to the points that annoyed me a bit about this episode:

1. Kara was once again portrayed as a flawless and selfless person.

She didn't just hide her identity from Lena to protect her...no, she also did it because she was afraid that she would loose Lena if she told her the truth.

Another point people seem to be forgetting is that for Lena Kara and Supergirl were two entirely different people the whole time. And while she always completely adored Kara she didn't fully trust Supergirl and Supergirl and her often argued with each other!

Think about the time when Supergirl sent James (Lena's boyfriend at the time!) to break into L-Corp to see if she truly didn't have any kryptonite left. So not only did Supergirl not trust Lena she even wanted to make her boyfriend betray Lena's trust as well.

Then there were a lot of mean things Supergirl said towards Lena for example:

Lena asked Kara what her real name was and Supergirl answered: "That's not a great question for a Luthor to ask someone in my family."

Like come on, I know that Kara was angry at the moment but how do you think Lena must have felt after she found out that her best friend said those things to her after she had opened up to her about her family problems and her insecurities.

2. The whole Leviathan situation is just completely chaotic... We just knew Rama Khan and Gamemnae why do you have to introduce new characters at the end of the show and why didn't those earth benders help in the previous fights ? It was really unnecessary to put them into the show only for Brainy to "suck them in" a few minutes later.

3. Even though Lena was supposed to play such a big role in this season she barely had any scenes and even less dialogue with any of the characters. Why can't they just give us more Lena Luthor? The most interesting character on the show at this point.

4. The new suit of Alex? Just no... It really doesn't fit to her character... Alex Danvers would wear something badass like a leather jacket and a hoodie or something similar to the Supergirl suit. She could even just continue wearing her deo suit that Winn made for her with some kind of mask... She definitely wouldn't wear that much makeup....

5. Why was William in this episode? To get shot? I mean where did Lena even bring him? He just disappeared after that scene.

I had hoped to enjoy the finale more but I believe that the next season will be better and that's enough for now.

I am just tired of seeing the writers waste most of the talent that all of these amazing actors have by writing uninteresting plotlines.

[nyangibun]

GoT S08E03 Thoughts

The fuck??? 

I actually have no idea how to feel about this episode or what was really even happening because jfc, the lighting was so dark and everything was moving so fast. At one point, I was wondering who the f I was even watching. 

I feel with retrospect, I’ll have a lot more to say, but as these posts are my immediate thoughts, here we go. 

We got another shot of Alys Karstark for apparently no reason. It’s weird that we were introduced to her in S7 so we know what she looks like and we keep seeing her in S8 without any payoff. Most characters we recognise that appear on screen serve a purpose. Ned Umber showed up because he needed to die for the Night King’s Cool Abstract Art. But seriously, I know non-Jonsa’s think the kidnap plot is ‘delusional’ but tell me, what purpose does Alys serve? Maybe it’s not a kidnap plot but I believe there will be some kind of mistaken identity or switch. I don’t know. I really don’t know why else she would keep reappearing in every episode thus far -- not to mention Sophie Turner’s behind-the-scenes photo where she is wearing a similar dress to what Alys was wearing in Ep 1.

I have a gripe with this episode (amongst others). Why the hell is Ghost out there? Why is he running with Jorah and the Dothrakis? Even if he is going to fight in this battle, it doesn’t make sense he’d choose to do so alongside people he doesn’t even know. Also, we didn’t get a death scene so is he alive? Did they seriously CGI Ghost in 2 episodes to do absolutely fuck all and then die? I will riot in the streets, D&D. 

Speaking of the Dothraki, what was the damn point of them? They literally died in 0.5 seconds. That was it. I know people had to die and hordes of ‘em but it felt like a complete waste of the Dothraki plotline. Also, didn’t Dani take all of the fighting men to Westeros to fight in her damn war? So now the entire Dothraki civilisation is basically massacred and there’s only the women and children left? Like damn, talk about a bad time. The Dothraki randomly charging like that was dumb AF as well. Why would you charge into an army that you know is 3-4 times the size of yours? I’m no battle strategist but I feel like that was a dumb idea.  

In terms of the battle, I really don’t know what to say. There were cool moments (ie. Arya being a badass and killing wights left and right) and then there were just wtf moments. My issue with the battle sequence was mostly just the sensory overload. There was so much going on everywhere at the same time and it was hard to keep track of what was actually going on. I also felt a little underwhelmed by the usefulness of the dragons. I suppose it was to say that the dragons can be defeated and are not the tide-changing weapons they have been in the past, which doesn’t bode well for them in the future. Btw, did Rhaegal die? Like... he fell out of the sky? And then disappeared? Are we down to just Drogon? 

And now, a moment of silence for our fallen brethren: Edd (thank you for saving Sam), Lyanna (my badass child, thank you for so cooly killing that giant), Beric (thank you for saving Arya) and Theon (wtf Bran?! you really knew our boy was gonna die and you were all ‘you’re a good man’ and then that’s it?!). 

Okay, that’s not fair. I guess Bran saying that to Theon allowed him to reach full circle with his redemption arc. He has fully atoned for his sins against House Stark. But I still think his death was bullshit. Although I loved the moment between Bran and Theon when Bran tells him that all of his decisions had led him here: home. That was definitely what Theon needed to hear and I am glad he got that before he died.

I just want to talk about Jonerice. The scene before the battle starts, they are standing overlooking the battlegrounds together, but there is a considerable amount of distance between them physically. The framing is definitely still pitting them at odds with each other since last episode’s reveal. And their conversation is also heavy with tension. It’s a good reminder that Dance of Dragons 2.0 is very much still on the table despite them working together in this episode, though that isn’t going to last long.

Jorah’s unwavering love and loyalty to Dani serves as the perfect foil to Jonerice’s weak and unconvincing romance. Time and time again, he has proven the depth of his feelings for Dani and it is him that comes to her rescue, not Jon (though ofc Jon has bigger fish to fry). And despite her not reciprocating her feelings for him, Jorah is someone she cared about and I think his death will be something she holds against the North. What I mean by that is she will think that because she has fought for the North and lost half of her army and someone she loves, they must bend the knee or else. I mean I get where she’s coming from 100%. Dani risked a lot to fight, whether her reason was altruistic or not, she has. But the problem is the North can’t afford to fight in her war with Cersei. And yes, she fought for them but they have also been through hell serving foreign rulers. This is going to be a huge point of conflict going forward but we already knew that. Now there’s just this added element. 

Also, wait... Both Lyanna and Jorah are dead. What happens to House Mormont now? Is there even another Mormont left? 

I know there weren’t any Jon x Sansa interactions and that sucks, I admit, but it’s also okay. I was happy with Tyrion and Sansa’s interactions there. Sansa has effectively said goodbye to all of her potential suitors. When Tyrion says ‘maybe they should’ve stayed married’ and Sansa responds with ‘it wouldn’t work between us; we have divided loyalties’, that ends all of the speculations that Tyrion and Sansa would re-marry or legitimize their marriage. And Sansa’s right. After the battle is over, the politics begin and their loyalties are divided. Tyrion is loyal to Dani who wants the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms, and Sansa is loyal to House Stark and Northern Independence. Like I said, this is going to be a huge focus in the upcoming episodes for all of the characters. They came together despite differences to fight for the living but now they will have to choose sides on the future of the living. Tyrion and Sansa will be on opposite sides but I do maintain that Tyrion will eventually lose faith in Dani and betray her. 

In any case, Sansa basically points out that in order for a marriage to work, their loyalties and thus their goals for the future would have to be the same. Now, whose loyalties and goals coincide with Sansa’s? Jon. They are both loyal to House Stark first and foremost and then to the North. At this point, let’s be honest, there are no more eligible bachelors that we know of in Westeros. I mean technically, there’s Jaime, but as if that would happen with all of the Braime scenes this season and the lack of any interaction between Sansa and Jaime. I also don’t think Jaime will survive the season. I hope he does but I just don’t have a lot of faith he will. Redemption arcs and all that. Jon still remains her most viable option to further the House Stark line. Unless everyone dies in the end, succession is an important aspect of the story. 

I also remember someone mentioning that Tyrion could be a possible reason why Sansa gets kidnapped, as in he’ll betray her to save his skin when Bronn comes to kill him. I don’t know how much I believe this tbh but he does say that Sansa underestimates the lengths he’ll go to in order to avoid being apart of the Army of the Dead. While he is talking presently and maybe only about dying and becoming one of them, he might mean death itself. Take what you will. I’m not sure how much I believe in this theory. 

As for Arya, well, what is there to say? She is the best and I love her. I really didn’t expect it at the start of this episode she’d be the one to kill the Night King but after Melissandre’s comment to her, it was pretty obvious. I don’t really have anything to say about that just that I love her and want to protect her. I also like Melissandre a lot and Beric and hers are the only deaths in this episode that gave me a sense of closure. Their story had come to an end and it made sense. For everyone else, I am still very wtf about it. 

Anyway, so let’s do a head count of the survivors: all the Starks (Jon, Arya, Bran, Sansa), Tormund, Brienne, Jaime, Sam, The Hound, Dani, Drogon, Missandei, Tyrion, Varys, Gendry, Davos... 

People I have no idea if they survived: Podrick? Gilly and lil Sam? Ghost? Rhaegal? Grey Worm? Alys? 

Am I missing anyone? 

[venus-says]

Kamen Rider Amazons Season 1

They're Here...And They're Hungry.

When I decided it was time to get back with the blog I knew that eventually at some point I would have to get back to the previous Kamen Rider series that I haven't watched, but I didn't want to come back to a full season of 50 episodes or so right away, I wanted something that would be a bit easier to do more or less just so that I could have time to prepare more posts ahead since to catch up with the time wasted I would have to start to release posts for Precure and Rider back-to-back and doing that without preparing would be a nightmare. And that's how I decided to watch Amazons now instead of doing it in a distant future after I had watched Amazon, as I had originally planned.

And talking about Amazons is a funny thing because back in last year before I decided I would jump head first in the Rider franchise I watched a lot of those "Where to start watching *insert huge franchise here*" videos and all of them always mentioned how Amazons was a different season because it was aimed at a much older audience and that it was dark, and serious, and very violent, and there was this aura that was created around this show and the Amazon from the 70s, and it was something I was really curious about, I'd say Amazon and Amazons were probably the things I was looking forward to watching the most.

And well... what I got from this show wasn't exactly that? Like, I was expecting something way more gruesome, but what I got was just another regular Kamen Rider season that has some CGI blood on it, it wasn't anything special, you know? The impression it gave me was that they gathered a bunch of boys and asked them what they considered to be "adult-like" and they took all the suggestions mixed them in this show and then they added a blue/gray filter on it to give it a ~serious~ vibe. They didn't even were that violent to be honest, outside of very few specific scenes we don't see anything that is too far from what Kamen Rider already does, and whenever it goes beyond it end up looking more gross rather than violent because they use a black/green-ish slimy blood for the monsters, who are the ones who suffer from this extra violence the most, and even then their blood usually is covering the screen making it hard for us to see whatever it is that is going on the screen. In other words, it was doing the cool for the cool.

Does that make it a bad show? Eh... not really? I mean, I understand it if someone doesn't like it because there's indeed not a lot to the show, but I enjoyed it. It wasn't anything that I loved, but it also didn't get me bored or utterly annoyed at the show. It was underwhelming, yes, which I believe is the reason of why this review will end up making this post be shorter than it should be considering I'm covering an entire season at once, but it more or less kept me entertained for a few hours so it wasn't an awful experience.

I think the biggest disappointment of this show is that it's always trying to raise interesting concepts, but they never commit with any of them and this kinda makes the show feels like it's hollow, like there's no proper theme at its core. And being honest, the biggest problem here isn't even that it feels like this show is about nothing, but the fact that they try to do an ethical discussion about life, and what lives are worth saving or not, but it was never an actual discussion, at least it never gave me that impression, what I was seeing was character A making X argument, and character B making Y argument, but they never have an actual conversation so characters A and B don't change at all and they just keep hanging to those arguments until the end. The whole rivalry between Omega and Alpha feels like this to me, it's supposed to show two different sides and they more or less end up at the same point where they started. Now that I think about it, it sounds a lot like Gaim... which is making me question my feelings for that season now... well that's not important now.

Like I always do I intended to dedicate a separate section to go through the characters, but as I was going through each one of them I realized they're not very interesting and I wouldn't have much to say about them so I'll just go briefly on what I think saved this show for me that was the side characters.

Okay, not all of them are good, but we had a few gems in this cast. I especially like Nanaha and how her relationship with Jin plays out in the show, of course, there's still a bit of that old Rider writing for women where she's more or less just an accessory for Jin, but they managed to make her personality still shine despite that which makes me fully believe she truly loves Jin and she does all that she does of her own choice (or at least I like to believe that). I also really like the pest control team, yeah they kinda end up merging into a single entity at some point, but I like having them there, especially for Mamoru who's a very interesting character, and one of the few ones of this show that actually goes through an arc (that go me quite emotional because I like the little dude and seeing him losing himself to the amazon cells was REALLY HARD), but that was sadly not used to its full potential (yes, I'm salty they called episode 13 "M" but instead of focusing on Mamoru they decided to focus in the pointless fight between Haruka and Jin).

Now the last thing I have comments to make about is the suits and the designs. Not gonna lie, it feels weird to have this section here because as I mentioned the show has this awful color filter on to make it look like something more dark and serious so I don't know if what we're seeing in terms of colors looks exactly with what they wanted during the conception and production phase, but overall I like the designs for both Riders and Amazons. I have a frustration with Omega's suit because they tried to make it something more modern and sleek but when they did that they lost all the charm of the original Kamen Rider Amazon that was left to be implemented more in Alpha and Sigma's suits, and I would be more okay with his design if they hadn't shown us his more primal form, that actually looks like Amazon, and that look more interesting than it's final design. Of our 3 riders, my favorite in terms of looks is Alpha, both because it has the iconic piranha imagery and also because it's color is such a vibrant red that even with the awful filter over it makes it stand out a lot and I love this. I feel like, in the end, poor Sigma got the short end of the stick here since his design is pretty much just a recolor from Alpha, but considering his plotline was pretty much useless it makes sense they wouldn't put that much effort on it. I feel like I don't talk much about the accessories in these but I really like Omega's weapons that come out from the handles on its belt, I think it's a pretty clever idea and it's cool as heck seeing him pull a spear and a whip out of that belt, it's sad it's not used all that much... I think it's used only once in the fight on the roof of that apartment and it never shows up again, which is just a tragedy.

You know, now that I mentioned it, I really like the different ideas they came up with for Amazons that were hunting their prey. I love that bus plot, the apartment building that is an ant colony was very fun, and the restaurant that cooks humans in a "civilized" way was also pretty good, it reminded me of the iZombie TV show where in one of the seasons the villain starts to run like a catering service in a similar fashion.

And I believe that's all I have to say about the first season of Amazons, it feels like I've left a lot of things out but most of those things didn't feel worthy of commenting on, it would more or less just me listing up all the events and I believe that's not what you all are here for. In any case, these were my thoughts on Amazons season 1, I'll watch season 2 and it should be my next review on the Kamen Rider seasons, but for now, let me know what do you think of this season. Do you love it? Do you hate it? Write it down in the comments. Stay healthy, stay safe, never stop resisting, thank you so much for reading, and until the next time. See-ya~

[hopevalley]

I’m back, and with the usual nonsense. 

I’ve been thinking about that potential novelization again. Heck, I dreamed a while back that I was going to tweet Hallmark to ask “permission” to do it (but ended up tweeting them in the dream to novelize the Wedding March series instead). It’s fanfic. I don’t need permission to write it!!! (Dream!Me was stressed out at the idea that Hallmark could say yes, because then I’d be locked into writing it. I’m still marveling at Dream!Me’s confidence.)

I’m gonna ramble about the potential for a novelization of When Calls the Heart here, just ‘cause I can. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings and nowhere to put them. Read on if you’d like!

I like When Calls the Heart! I really do. It’s had its ups and downs, but overall things have been pretty darn awesome.

I don’t think any of us would be here if there wasn’t something about the show that really captured us, took us by storm. For some people it was the romance. For others, the friendships. I know people who watch the show for specific characters or character arcs (Henry comes to mind), or because they like the feel-good nature of the series while it deals with some realistically awful situations/issues; the Lee and Rosemary and the infertility plotline that popped up in S6 comes to mind, here.

Honestly, I wish I could trust someone else to novelize the tv series the way I’d like to see it done. Unfortunately I’m a picky baby and I have very specific ideas of what these characters are like from a more intimate POV than we get with the show, so...if I want it done, I gotta do it myself. (RIP my free time, though.)

The biggest roadblock, though is...feedback.

This fandom is notorious for being terrible about ‘participating’ and fanfic isn’t everyone’s cup of tea anyway. Imagine working your tail off to produce a well-crafted novelization of the series only for it to get ignored. I’d probably never write again...and that’s not me being dramatic, either. I think it’s fair to say “my time is worth something” and stick to that. It is. My time is worth a lot to me. I could use it to clean the house, do dishes, spend time with my husband, play with the cats, clean the yard, do gardening, work longer hours and get paid, play video games, crochet, et cetera. I have an endless supply of hobbies! It’s harder than it sounds, because it means I can’t ever dedicate tons of time to just, you know, one of them. On the plus side it means I’ve got something waiting in the wings no matter what mood I’m in!

The possibility exists that the story would be a surprise success, too. I mean, I doubt it (judging by the numbers, fanfic for this series isn’t that popular), but...you never know! Jack and Elizabeth are a focal point of the first few seasons and a novelization of the series would also support this.

Anyway, I think I said before that I was toying with the idea of pre-writing five chapters, posting them a week or two apart, and gauging interest based off of that. If people aren’t interested, I can abandon the project early enough into it that nobody has to feel sad about it. If people are into the idea, and take the time to comment on the chapters... Well, it looks like I’d have to keep going.

It’s just a struggle to get started.

For two reasons. 

The first is the possibility of failure. Now, you could say it’s not a failure if you complete the project, or no time spent on a hobby is wasted, but for me that just isn’t true—at least not completely. Writing is a hobby, but it’s a very personal hobby. I pour a lot of myself into those stories, into storytelling, and the very point of writing for me, especially when I post it online, is the social aspect of it. Fanfiction is a social hobby! When nobody comments on the story, nobody favorites it, nobody bookmarks it... 

Well, I might as well have just left it all in my head and not taken the time to write it down.

The second is...Elizabeth, and by extension, Jack. And, uh, by extension of that, Jack/Elizabeth.

Hear me out!

I think both characters have some good foundations going for them. Season 2 shattered a lot of the good things they had going on for the Dramaz (which I wholeheartedly disagree with), but I feel fully capable of warping the S2 events to better suit the characters we ended up with (and to avoid some of the unnecessary meaningless drama that never did sit right with me). I just feel like both characters are...a little bit...empty? And especially for focal characters, they need depth that the show just simply refused to provide outside of Dramatic Situations.

I’ve been working through some of that in my head. Something I always liked about Elizabeth was how she unapologetically enjoyed being rich! Whether she was in Coal Valley or Hamilton she sported fashionable things. She loved going shopping with her sisters, dressing up for dinner, et cetera. Her vague ignorance of people like Abigail visiting (welcome in the house, but definitely unaware of ‘dressing for dinner’) was this really nifty mix of like...endearing and frustrating. I think playing that up a little further, or rather...bringing it to the forefront, might be a great idea.

--

Speaking of Abigail, I think the character was an excellent addition to the series in the beginning and I’d prefer to continue along those lines, here. I’d fully plan to include her, but with my own slight twist on things; she stays Abigail. No Lorigail.

I can’t decide exactly what to do with some of the other characters, though. I greatly enjoyed Cat and her children, and as Emily is still around later I feel like I’d want to keep her around, but she needs a role to fill and it doesn’t feel quite right to relegate her to the very background when Elizabeth spent the first season going up to bat for her. I think I could figure it out easily enough, but it’s another consideration I’m up against.

--

Of course, this is all kind of hinging on the idea that the first five chapters would be met with some measure of success, because if people kind of shrugged over them it won’t matter what I do with Cat or anyone else.

Anyway I feel like it should be stated outright that I have no real intentions of completely altering anything...at this time. That could definitely change, though, if the readerbase wanted it badly enough and I felt it was appropriate. There are some things that I think need more attention, but that’s not the same as altering events, per se. Bill as a character comes on really mysterious but what’s the point of writing him that way when the entire potential readerbase already knows he’s married? Already knows about the counterfeit plotline? It might actually be more fun to get into his head and write some of those scenes from his perspective (third person limited, not first person; I despise first person). Then we have his reasoning (stupid or not) instead of the mystery.

Therein lies the reasoning necessary for anyone to actually start reading it in the first place: it offers something the tv show doesn’t (because text-based mediums can get into people’s heads and narratively examine their psyche) but doesn’t actually deviate hard from what people already know and like about the show. I guess you could say that it’s giving them more of what they like?

--

I think the difficult part of balancing a novelization has to do with the points of view; do you pick a few and stick with those? Do you GRRM it up and everyone gets it sometimes, or do you choose the scenes and select the narrative based specifically on how that scene would best be told, which could result in some people having more scenes than others?

I’m leaning a little toward the latter with the idea that some characters will probably never get their own scenes, because if a character is only allowed to have one, why bother even giving them that? I’m not sold on the idea though, because I can’t even choose a character who wouldn’t get a scene. Probably characters who just aren’t around enough for it to matter? I’m thinking about characters like Greta (the investor) or Jenkins (bank manager) more than I am even characters like Ray Wyatt, ‘cause at least Ray sticks around in the story for a reasonable period of time (and therefore might deserve a scene or two along the way).

(Though I mean, I can’t say for sure. We all know what happens to these characters, so maybe I’d have to stick with giving characters scenes who will eventually join the ensemble of Hope Valley? Hm.)

I guess it’s something to think about.

--

Rolling again with the assumption that the story is a success (let’s just be confident, here!) there are future aspects of the series that didn’t really do it any favors and/or weren’t presented in a satisfactory manner.

I’ll give a few examples off the top of my head: Season 2′s drama, Lorigail, AJ and Bill’s weird relationship dynamic, wedding drama for Jack and Elizabeth.

I can swallow a lot of nonsense! I like drama...when it’s interesting and done well. What I don’t appreciate is the cheap stuff, designed to fling a roadblock in the way of a romantic couple. Jack and Elizabeth didn’t need Charles to make things feel off/weird/bad, or for Jack to be made to feel unwelcome. I personally think the entirety of the S2 plot could be better shaped and molded for the characters. We can still have drama, but not at the expense of the characters’ integrity!

Just throwing ideas out there, but in the novels Elizabeth’s original contract was only for a year, so when that year was up and it was the summer break from school, she returned to Hamilton and waited to hear from Coal Valley to find out if she’d be invited back there for the next school term. I’m not against Elizabeth’s mother falling ill to get her back to Hamilton, but I’d prefer if her...extended stay there didn’t hinge of iffy (flimsy) health stuff. They resolved that way too neatly and it was just... I don’t know. It could have been better done, maybe to offset the potential for drama.

As far as Lorigail goes, I think Abigail taking on a role in town as part of the town council and eventually stepping up as mayor should come at a cost, and those costs eventually lead to her giving up her role as mayor (which would take care of a lot of the lorigail issues of her just being involved in everything). Obviously this is so far in the future it’d hinge on a very successful story overall, but I’m busy being confident so I’m willing to entertain the idea that someday I’d have to address this. 

AJ also doesn’t show up for a very long time but her introduction was pretty mediocre, and Bill’s reaction to her (not chasing her down instantly) didn’t make a lick of sense. Bill isn’t easily swayed by anyone’s dumb opinion, and he’s not a romantic in the traditional sense so it’s hard to imagine a kiss from a stranger made him slack on his job duties. An easy fix here would just be to show the good moments that had to have existed between the bad ones. The only reason Bill would let AJ go without even trying to find her is if he feels that 1) she doesn’t deserve to be jailed, and/or 2) she’s safer if she’s free. It’s not a huge issue in the grand scheme of things but I think it’d be a real shame not to ‘fix’ the issue while possible.

Finally, with the wedding drama... Honestly they didn’t need any of it. The church didn’t need to burn. If we want wholesome content: there’s been a bit of a drought and there aren’t any nice flowers for the wedding, so Elizabeth’s dad remembers that his girls used to like making paper flowers and organizes everyone to use colored paper to make them so they can string them up in the church. I mean, something little like that doesn’t really change the backbone of the story we’re getting (I mean, we’re here for Jack and Elizabeth’s wedding, a celebration of happiness, not for the drama that ends up being completely meaningless). Cute mishaps on the wedding day would be much better/more interesting/tell a better story.

(Or maybe Bill just about completely misses the wedding and then we get Lee and Rosie’s rings being used, which sort of ties in with how close Elizabeth gets with them in S6 storylines...)

--

The more I think about it, the more potential for an amazing story I find in this, and the more excited I get. 

Henry is SUCH an interesting character; it would be amazing to get into his head early on.

Imagine getting to see Elizabeth and Abigail’s friendship actually form.

Clara’s relationship with other people, like Abigail and Elizabeth, but also exploring the specific kind of grief she feels vs. the grief Abigail feels and how that might clash/be different.

Exploring the different relationships the women in town had with their husbands. Some were obviously still in love, some not so much, others ready to move on quickly and a few completely closed to the idea.

A schoolhouse/group of kids that isn’t replaced every ten seconds and remains somewhat consistent...

Getting to write Jack and Elizabeth actually falling in love over the big and the little things. 

Elizabeth as a passionate teacher.

Characters dealing with nightmares, good dreams, dreams about their friends or potential love interests... I want to see real raw human emotion, here! The good stuff, definitely, but maybe some of the bad, too, because writing the different ways they deal with it could be...fun.

Abigail being Abigail and staying Abigail... ♥

HOBBIES being a part of everyday life!!

CHURCH!!!!! SERMONS! Worship! Gathering together for meals! 

Rewriting some of the dangerous scenes to actually FEEL dangerous.

Writing in Julie’s perspective would be SO much fun.

Including travel time for the big events and shaping the world into a place where time MATTERS aaaaaa that’s so fun too!

--

Anyway, I’m rambling. I just really, really love the idea of writing this. I have so many thoughts and ideas I want to do, all without deviating too far from the source material that we all love so much.

It’s just hard to feel like I should spend my free time on it...but lately it’s really been gnawing at me, so...

We’ll see! It could be a lot of fun just to try. At least if I try, I’ll know. If I don’t, I’ll probably always wonder what might have happened if I had.

[takaraphoenix]

Review: 3x14 - A Kiss From a Rose

So, @kimmycup and I finished watching that episode!

Let’s a try a different tune and be more positive, because overall there’s such a... tired weariness that settled deep in my bones concerning this show at this point. And that’s actually actively making me sad.

So, let’s talk about the things I liked:

1.) The fact that a stranger Seelie who never met Clary makes a better Clary impersonation than Jonathan can make a Jace impersonation. Like. Boy. Your acting used to be way better. (And yes, this is under “liked” because, honestly, I find Jonathan just straight up hilarious at this point. Boy needs to get his shit together, man.)

No, but seriously - what I liked about it was how fast Clary noticed it. It’s come a time where I once again forgot that I used to actually like Clary at some point. And this was exactly why I liked her! She notices shit! Instead of wasting a whole-ass episode where a character doesn’t notice when someone is impersonating a person they should know really well (*side-eyes Alec real hard here*), she is like nearly instantly “Well that ain’t Jace, huh”. And the trick with the rose to verify was really clever.

I miss them writing Clary as clever. Most of the time they just write her as raging and loud, or insanely horny and stabby. Just... Clary being clever are her best character moments and I like them.

2.) I LOVE SOFT!JACE SOFT!JACE IS MY FAVORITE JACE. Seriously from the cute bedhead, to him again picking something really thoughtful and really romantic to do - I love that romantic!Jace is canon, considering how much he is always reduced to just being a horny playboy by the fandom that apparently never ever saw an episode of the show huh - to him being graceless for a change and falling flat on his ass. Sure, that totally destroyed my headcanon that Jace can ice-skate, but heeey, it’s cute as fuck so I forgive canon.

3.) ISABELLE DOING SCIENCE. Sure, it was only short, but urgh, I love scientist!Izzy. It got so lost in all the romance drama and addiction drama and her... suddenly... also being weapon’s master for whatever reason (y’all still haven’t explained what that shit even meant, aside from you saving on giving another character a speaking role to hand Clary her Super Special Swords). I am still calling bullshit on that entire whole plotline because it is in fact bullshit to act like Izzy and Alec haven’t know all along how the Clave operates, but if it gets Isabelle back to actually doing something productive and showing off her skills instead of just... suffering in some form? I’m all here for that.

4.) Magnus actually opening up to Alec. Y’all know that my biggest complaint about canon!Ma/ec is that they don’t communicate and would literally rather bite off their own tongues than share personal stuff with each other. I like that so far in this half-season, they have... actually been talking about their feelings. It’s low-key pathetic that you gotta praise the very baseline of what a healthy relationship is, but here we are.

Seriously though, the feeling that was conveyed, how Harry played the scene, how much Magnus’ loss stood in the forefront there.

Things I didn’t like:

1.) I don’t trust this show enough to not bring Jordan and Maia back together. Yes, I did like that they talked shit out and had a good, surprisingly long scene together (instead of the usual incredibly rushed quick moments of Actual Talking before they dive right back into drama and action), but this show... I mean, come on, they chose a shared bite that brought Izzy back into addiction to open up the S/izzy, so if you really put it past them to bring Jordan and Maia back together only based on them having One Good Conversation, you do not know this show well.

So, yeah, that’s what I’m currently wearily expecting them to do, because they have given Bat a full screentime of 5 minutes so far on this show so I am somehow not thinking Ba/ia is gonna be endgame.

2.a) That whole Lorenzo story, start to finish, is literally just forced additional drama. And I do mean from start. Seriously, what reasoning goes behind “We need a new High Warlock of New York... so let’s take this outsider instead of a proper representative of our community like, say, Catarina Loss”. But no, we couldn’t have Cat do it and it not being dramatic. We needed a secondary antagonist so let’s put an OC in here. And like, yeah, I like Lorenzo alright, in the role he is in, but it’s also rather... unnecessary. Like, there’s already enough going on and Magnus is honestly already suffering enough without additionally getting kicked while he’s on the ground??

2.b) Also I am willing to bet money that the whole entire story-point of Magnus losing his loft is so Ma/ec can find ~a place of their own~ and move in early after all. Because seriously literally every single loss and suffering Magnus has endured in this show had the sole purpose of furthering the ship. I’d like for him to be, you know, treated as his own person?

Also, high-key Alec threatening Lorenzo over the very fair deal that Lorenzo made with Magnus, regardless of how petty it was, was... Not Good. This is exactly part of the point I keep making why the “OH NO the Clave is torturing Downworlders! We would have never expected uwu” is absolute bullshit for Alec and Isabelle. Because treating Downworlders as inferior is literally how they were raised. And this little display of “I can strip you off your power for upsetting my boyfriend because I’m a Shadowhunter” was very much an act of “I am the superior species” and that’s... uh. Yeah.

2.c) What also bothers me is the magic though. I mean this was like... borrowed magic? From Lorenzo. So, does it wear off? Is this going to be like another addiction plotline where Magnus pulls a Willow Rosenberg and goes for regular magic-fixes because he needs more whenever it wears off?? Because I can’t imagine that “a higher demon took all of my magic in a deal” can literally be resolved by a 2 second, non-draining magic transfer from the High Warlock? Like, Lorenzo wasn’t even outta breath? It can’t have been that easy.

3.) Filing. Okay, hear me out on this one. Literally everything in the Institute is incredibly high tech - all their fancy screens and scans, their database of warlocks, security system, the whole 3D projection of the city they can pull up. There is just no way that they have not digitalized all those old tomes and couldn’t just cross-referrence “Morning Star Sword” in some database. No way in fucking hell.

This is part where the whole world building doesn’t seem fully thought through again. They have all of those heavy, old books in their library. They would have digitalized those. They would have created Institute-wide networks to cross-referrence instead of solely relying on heavy old books in libraries that you gotta comb in person to find shit.

Not in a world where “A Shadowhunter in Paris has just reported a Stele missing” reaches the New York Institute in five nanoseconds. They’re more organized than that and they have shown to be more digitalized than that.

Sure, they’d still have the libraries for aesthetic reasons, but they sure as shit would have used spells or something, or even the Silent Brothers who apparently have enough free time to illustrate Paradise Lost, to digitalize their books.

4.) Luke. Luke getting stalked by those cops for? What? Reason?? Seriously, what charges do they have. It’s not like 0llie died, she was apparently transferred so she could have easily cleared Luke of whatever he was accused of when she had disappeared. There is... literally no legal reason why he is still suspended and why they would have cops trailing him? And then he just... immediately gets arrested. You really think that in the what, ten minutes that you had lost sight of Luke since you stalked him at the café, he had enough time to slaughter all those people. What the fuck, man.

[summerdownbeach]

Gonna edit for grammar and spelling later...

Getting a little irked here by the people defending Voltron S8, because they assume everyone's issues are purely related to shipping. I never really cared who ended up with who at all, (only that everyone should want to date Hunk because he's perfect boyfriend material). Guys, the writing was just bad. It was a poorly written season, a poorly written finale, and honestly, it gave a piss ass message about giving up and letting a friend destroy themselves for the greater good. Not gonna go into to much detail here but these are just a few of my complaints:

1. Pacing and Story telling. The pacing of this season was bizarre. They started off with essentially a filler episode to quickly throw in Allurance as cannon (with some hella stiff dialogue but we'll get to that later) and then had like... a few episodes to justify bringing back old characters so we could get a last glimpse. Then 2 filler episodes in a row, then a straight run to the finish with a thrown together plotline. Literally nothing in this show prefaced Haggar as the big bad. 90 percent of the time she didn't seem to even want Lot or around, much less want anything to do with Altea or her own affiliations. The Alteans who followed her never felt like fully thought out characters either. They ended the last season with the red haired Altean pilot giving way to tons of theories about her past and who she could be, but she was literally just a drone set to die 5 minutes after introduction. That's bad forshadowing.

2. Important off screen plot points. Why on earth would they do this? Why would pink general just suddenly switch to the coillition? Why did they make us think she died in the explosion and then backtrack two minutes later? Why did they end the show with Shiro and Adam's big gay kiss (yes, it's Adam, listen to the audio description, they literally day it's Adam) without ever establishing Adam's return? They could've easily spent a scene where team Voltron returns to earth to grieve and find that in this new timeline (because yes, it's a new timeline despite what the characters think, if destroyed planets are suddenly back) Adam didn't die and is waiting for Shiro. They could've given them a real moment, developed their (nonexistent on screen) relationship and at least made their big moment at the end less sudden and so clearly damage control from burying their gay last season.

3. Relationship dialogue. I don't want to harp on Allur*nce as a ship itself here. It's not my thing, but I'm positive fan fiction writers and fanartists have made some pretty awesome stuff that's well made and fun to read and look at. I'm strictly looking at the shows portrayal of it. My number 1 complaint? The bizarrely platonic dialougue whenever the two talk. I'll give Lance this, he seemed at least interested in their romance this season, but whenever she and Lance talked, it was all just so formal - and half of what she said was exposition. Even during their date, and Alluras big reveal about feeling alone on earth felt so strangely platonic, and I truly believe that is the gault of the writers. They should've planted moments of growth between these two seasons ago! Not simply kept going with this tired and unrealistic "boy wears girl down until she says yes" trope. Even if they w erent certain they were going to go ahead with Allura and Lance, they could've built in friendship bolstering moments. Then, this date could've been so much less clunky. And to have Lance tell Allura he loves her on the first date? Even if it wasn't unrealistic, it also takes out any of the impact that the phrase carries later. By the time of her sacrifice Lance has said it onscreen so much that "I love you" has little to no weight. No wonder it was so easy for Allura to yeet herself into the void - she never exactly returned his sentiments - being too busy with exposition dialogue to make any strides in their (budding) relationship. Again, I have no problem with Allur*nce, only the lazy and ineffective way it was portrayed in the last few seasons.

4. Allura's sacrifice. I'm not even going to get into the political implications of making the Black woman bear the burden of the universe on her shoulders to the point where she literally has to sacrifice her body and soul to save the cosmos. I'm talking the actual execution of how they went about it. There's this concept in fiction writing where your most dramatic scene, your climax, should use an economy of words and time to be the most effective. That's why it hurts so much in movies like Wonder Woman, and even Titanic, when lead characters die. There usually is no time for goodbye, or if there is, it's brief and visual. Instead, the writers chose to give Allura an absurdly long time to say goodbye to everyone, and what's crazy is, no one but Lance objected? Like at all? They just accepted right away that there was no other way. I never took them as a fatalist bunch but hey, why stick to human characteristics now. Clearly the only person who should object to you self sacrificing is your significant other. This is why so much sacrifice in narrative is done in a way that refuses to give loved ones time to react because any sane person would at least try to stop them initially, and grasp at straws for another solution. I hated how the team just shrugged their shoulders and let Allura kill herself for the greater good. Their silence wasn't tragic, it was lazy.

5. Their lions just... left? The universe is done needing defense? Just like that? How did everyone get home from their princess death picnic? Do they make uberpools for space travel? Did they all agree not to be paladins anymore before this? What about Hunks dream of handing off the reins of Yellow to the next generation of paladins? Why did they write it this way? Who did this? Who do I blame?

I think what frustrates me the most is that the comedic episodes were still good. I truly think filler has always been the strongest asset voltron had. The dynamics were always much stronger in the funny episodes, and it seems like they wasted a lot of potential this season with rushed plot points and filling plotholes off screen.

I have more issues with this season, and I'll post them when I feel like adding to this list, but to say that people didn't like S8 because their ship didn't happen is obnoxious, especially when a season full of plot holes and rushed explanations is what we were left with. And on the subject of dissappointment, i didnt go over it here, but people being upset at the queer baiting are so valid. Even if you weren't into Kl*nce, the producers pretty much tried to sell the show on it. To use lgbt content, especially content that was never going to be cannon, as a marketing tactic is despicable. While strides were made by the show, airing the first animation of men kissing on screen in an show aimed at kids, the victory leaves a bad taste when the couple in question was never justified in the narrative beforehand, and was used as a ploy to fulfill the promise of lgbt rep, without actually using any of the budding relationships developing in the show (not limited to Kl*nce by any means. They could've done Sh*ith, H*ith, H*nce, ect).

If this season felt complete and left you with a feeling of contentment, good for you, I too enjoy a guilty pleasure as much as the next person. That said, this was a badly written season on all fronts. I think they did Allura and Allur*nce dirty with the resolution. They missed opportunities for character development in favor of more repetitive space battles. Don't try to invalidate people's contempt at this season by defending the creators for making the show in the first place, when they didn't live up to the standards of narrative fiction to get a passing grade in a creative writing class.

And because I want to end on something nice, I thought that the meeting of the old paladins and the new paladins was very cool, and it was really interesting to see Zarkon interact with the paladins in a new way. So... at least there's that?

[aion-rsa]

10 Best Movies of 2021 (So Far)

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Can you ever really go home? Millions of cinephiles are likely asking themselves this as summer 2021 winds down with doubt again lingering over their favorite movie houses. For a time, theaters were once again open for big business in the U.S. and UK, and remain so in at least one of those venues. But box office reports paint an ambiguous future, and many casual moviegoers clearly remain reluctant about returning to the cinema.

Nonetheless, it’s still good to be back in those old familiar places, as well as to have an ever expanding list of options to discover on streaming. Compared to last year, 2021 feels like a sunny balm, particularly now that the heaviest hitters and biggest surprises of July and the dog days of summer have landed.

It’s why we typically save our “mid-year” ranking for that deep breath between the end of summer escapism and the awards season push that begins in September. There have been some real treats on the 2021 calendar, so whether you’ve seen the entire list below or are looking for something you missed, sit back and enjoy a collection of the best movies of 2021. So far.

10. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo wrote and star in this bizarre, brightly colored, and utterly joyful comedy that defies expectations throughout. The two are middle-aged best friends who take their very first vacation to Florida together to visit the idyllic Vista del Mar.

But it’s not all cocktails and banana boats. Behind the scenes, super villain Sharon Fisherman (also played by Wiig) has an evil plan for the resort. With shades of the best of Austin Powers (though far more sincere) Barb and Star is a good natured friendship comedy through a surrealist lens, which could scratch an itch for anyone missing a bit of beach time this year.

9. Psycho Goreman

Unexpected gem of the year surely goes to this utterly bonkers grue-filled cosmic horror B-movie which is also really funny and kind of sweet at the same time. It follows annoying little shit Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) who bullies her brother Luke (Owen Myre) mercilessly. After defeating him in a game of “crazy ball,” Luke’s punishment is to dig his own grave (!) but instead the pair discover an artifact which turns out to be the key to controlling a universal evil imprisoned on earth for trying to destroy the galaxy.

So of course Mimi names him Psycho Goreman and forces him to hang out with her family and friends despite his insistence that he will bathe in their blood the moment he is freed. From Steven Kostanski, the director of 2016’s The Void, Psycho Goreman is a spot-on blend of brutal slaying and hardcore gore, a cosmic plotline involving an alien council and a wholesome family comedy. An unexpected delight.

8. Cruella

Emma Stone is a punk rock designer in the mold of Vivienne Westwood in this vibrant London-set comedy, which is on paper a prequel to 101 Dalmatians. But in reality, take it as a standalone and you’ll have way more fun.

Up and coming fashionista Estella manages to impress one of the leading designers The Baroness (Emma Thompson) and secures a coveted job at her world famous fashion house. But when Estella discovers a dark secret relating to her own past, she takes on the outrageous alter-ego Cruella to destroy The Baroness by out-fashioning her at every opportunity.

Packed with banging tunes and great dresses, Cruella is a high energy spectacle but it’s the sparring of the two Emmas that brings the real electricity. Forget any future she might have as a puppy killer, in her own film, Cruella is a legend. 

7. In the Heights

The sunniest film to hit theaters this season, Jon M. Chu’s In the Heights was as sugary sweet as the frozen Piragua Lin-Manuel Miranda hocks around this movie’s block. Based on the Hamilton composer’s earlier Tony winning musical, the picture was the rare thing: a Broadway adaptation that actually soars as high as its stage production and (rarer still) the first Hollywood blockbuster with an all-Latinx cast.

Read more

Movies

How Cruella Got That Crazy Expensive Soundtrack

By Don Kaye

Movies

In the Heights: You Need to Stay for Post-Credits Scene

By David Crow

The film came under fair criticism on social media for not being as inclusive as it could be, but that shouldn’t be the last word on such a big-hearted achievement. From the buoyant performances which have already opened doors for Anthony Ramos and Leslie Grace’s immense charisma, to the Latin, salsa, and hip-hop infused melodies which celebrate a culture long left out of the Hollywood image of American life, In the Heights is a jubilant celebration. There really hasn’t been a giddier time at the multiplex this year. Plus, those “96,000” and “Carnaval del Barrio” sequences really are fire.

6. Zola

Based on a “true” story which was told via a series of tweets posted back in 2015 (and the subsequent Rolling Stone article that brought the tale to prominence), Zola is a stranger-than-fiction saga seen through the lens of social media. An ultra contemporary, experimental, low budget comedy-thriller with a backdrop of abuse and sex trafficking, the film is as willfully uncomfortable to watch as it is massively entertaining.

From the jump, Zola (Taylour Paige) is a Detroit waitress and part time exotic dancer who meets a customer named Stefani (Riley Keough) and agrees to take a trip with her to Florida to hit up strip clubs where Stefani promises they’ll make a lot of money. With them are Stefani’s feckless boyfriend (Succession’s Nicholas Braun) and her obviously dodgy roommate. Sometimes told through spoken tweets with switches in perspective, this marks director Janicza Bravo as a compelling new voice, and her cast of leads as nothing short of captivating.

How much of what you’re watching actually happened? Well, that’s the elusive quality of social media…

5. Judas and the Black Messiah

Fred Hampton was murdered with the consent and planning of law enforcement at both federal and local jurisdiction levels. That Judas and the Black Messiah made this common knowledge would be reason enough for consideration. Yet that director Shaka King tells Hampton’s story so thrillingly here elevates his film into one of the most compelling crime dramas in years—only with the FBI’s illegal COINTELPRO program being the primary criminal element.

Told from the perspective of the man who spied on the Black Panthers and eventually facilitated the raid that took Hampton’s life, Judas radiates a despairing quality which somehow can still feel electrifying whenever Daniel Kaluuya’s powerhouse performance takes center stage. Which is pretty much any time the Black Panther chairman takes the microphone. Kaluuya deserved his Oscar, but LaKeith Stanfield’s paranoid turn as Bill O’Neal, the poor bastard coerced into being a snitch while still a kid, is what gets under your skin and walks beside you after the credits roll.

4. Pig

Are there really folks out there who wandered into a screening of Pig and assumed they’d get the Nicolas Cage knockoff of John Wick? I like to think so, just as I love to imagine what they said to each other afterward. To be sure, Michael Sarnoski’s Pig sounds on paper like something in that ballpark: Cage plays a hermit living in self-exile from his past life when ruffians steal his beloved… truffle pig. In response, he comes down from the mountain, ready to reengage with the old ways.

Read more

Movies

Judas and the Black Messiah Remembers Fred Hampton Was a Man of His Words

By Tony Sokol

Movies

The Suicide Squad Character Guide, Easter Eggs, and DCEU References

By Mike Cecchini

Yet when you realize those old ways involve being the greatest chef in his state—and reengagement means partaking in a fight club that’s far more pitiful than it sounds and simply cooking gourmet meals—the more apparent it is that this is a sophisticated, nuanced allegory about grief and self-identity. Anchored by Cage’s best performance in a long, long time, Pig is a gentle and revelatory experience that slowly unpacks its brilliance piece by piece, vignette by vignette. For those coming in wanting fast food, this probably will be a disappointment. For all others, it’s a resplendent five course meal.

3. The Suicide Squad

For once the marketing wasn’t kidding. Writer-director James Gunn does have a horribly beautiful mind, and we at last get to see it fully unleashed on a superhero property. Yes, the filmmaker made many cry over a CGI tree and talking raccoon in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, but perhaps not since Logan has a storyteller seen such free rein over valuable studio IP. Gunn didn’t waste it.

The Suicide Squad plays very much like the men and women on a mission ‘60s capers its director grew up on, but that structure is channelled here through a filthy and deranged sensibility. How else can you describe a picture that makes you want to cuddle a land shark who just swallowed a bystander whole? The Suicide Squad does that and more while providing a showcase for sure things like Margot Robbie’s irresistible Harley Quinn, as well as the dregs and rejects of DC Comics who ultimately steal the movie: David Dastmalchian’s Polka-Dot Man and Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2, namely. Box office be damned, this is one of the best superhero films ever made and will be a classic in the years to come.

2. The Green Knight

When you hear the name “King Arthur,” certain elements spring to mind. It’s one of those classic properties which have been adapted, exploited, and parodied with killer rabbits ad nauseam. Even so, it’s safe to say you’ve never seen the lore become as foreboding and startling as this. Reimagined through the gaze of writer-director David Lowery, the 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight at last takes on a trippy and witchy connotation. An interpretation that pulls as much from medieval paganism as it does obsessions with chivalry and Christian virtue, The Green Knight successfully reinvents its Arthurian quest into a journey toward certain doom.

Read more

Movies

The Green Knight: Why David Lowery and Dev Patel Reimagined Arthurian Legend

By David Crow

Movies

The Green Knight Ending Explained

By David Crow

As the central figure on that mission, Dev Patel reveals superstar charisma and the ability to completely command the screen. His version of Gawain, the wayward nephew of King Arthur (Sean Harris), is vain, cowardly, selfish, and somehow wholly sympathetic as he searches for Ralph Ineson’s Green Knight: a godlike creature who has promised to behead Gawain when they meet again. Through it all, Lowery and company craft a sumptuous world that in every shot looks like the most transportive Dungeons and Dragons cover you’ve ever seen. The atmosphere is oppressively brooding, and it will not appeal to everyone. Yet like the very best films released by indie distributor A24, there is a touch of mad genius at work here that demands to be seen and then seen again.

1. Inside

As arguably the best piece of art to come out of 2020’s torments, Bo Burnham’s Inside was not marketed or even conceived of as a film. Nevertheless, it slowly transformed into one throughout its months-long production process, which forewent mere sketch humor to reveal an undeniably cinematic, experimental, and ultimately bleak heart. In other words, it’s a perfect distillation of how all mediums are blurring into that loathsome word: content.

Through heavily edited, conceived, and revised set-pieces, the film’s director, star, writer, and composer lays his insecurities and vanities bare. Filmed inside Burnham’s home studio space, Inside is the result of the young filmmaker behind Eighth Grade becoming acutely aware he’s regressed to his early resources as a teenage YouTube star: a camera, a music keyboard, some synth programs, and hours of idle boredom.

Within those numbing hours, Burnham built something both reflective and suspicious about technology, the internet culture which gave him his career, and even his own self-image. With a catchy songbook of synthesized bangers, many of which echo ’80s pop ballads, Burnham crystallizes better than any typical three-act film the anxieties and delirium of a year spent mostly at home. He also provides a scathing critique of how our concepts of communication and identity have been co-opted and undermined by tech companies whose products incite division for profit—all while still releasing his film on the biggest streaming platform in the world. It’s a challenging, self-loathing, and haunted piece of work that will invariably become a time capsule for its moment in history.

Runner ups that almost made the cut: Annette, Black Widow, Coda, Mr. Soul, No Sudden Move, Raya and the Last Dragon, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, The Sparks Brothers, Val.

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[wazafam]

Despite a build-up of promise, the finale episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier failed overall. The finale found Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) squaring off in a final battle against the anarchist terrorist group the Flag-Smashers, led by Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman), who were intent on assassinating the Global Repatriation Council on the eve of an important vote. As is usual with Marvel movies and TV shows, some plot lines were resolved, other stories were set up, and hints at brand-new superheroes from the comics entering the MCU were dropped.

The six-episode miniseries (or season, if it gets an order for season 2) tackled a number of complex topics along the way, some poignantly and others seemingly just check a box off on a list. Along with the central problem of the Flag-Smashers, Sam's individual struggle was learning to come to terms with being the first Black man to be Captain America while Bucky was dealing with laying the ghosts of his past as the Winter Soldier to rest. Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) also featured in the series as Bucky and Sam's temporary ally – at least before Ayo and some of the Dora Milaje showed up for a subplot involving tracking him down and returning him to prison. Meanwhile, the Flag-Smashers and their cause were also given screen time, if not exactly clear focus.

Related: Captain America 4: Sam's MCU Future After Falcon & Winter Soldier Explained

It's a lot of plot to wrap up in a single finale episode, and while some of the lesser storylines were resolved earlier (or largely forgotten entirely), the finale had quite a few major stories and loose ends to juggle. Unfortunately, it failed in that aim. It's telling that overall, the first season of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is at a solid 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the finale is currently sitting at a dismal 59%. The general consensus is that the final episode was a letdown for a few reasons.

It's hard to overstate how little happened for an episode of 52 minutes. The attempted GRC takeover and battle is a whopping 25 minutes of the episode. Sam's speech is another four. And the credits, minus the brief mid-credits scene, eat up nine minutes of those 51 minutes. In essence, one single battle and follow-up speech takes up two-thirds of the entire episode. That's just poor pacing. For a series that dealt with a number of weighty issues, the finale being reduced to one big punch-'em-up fight was an enormous letdown and a regression in terms of storytelling.

In fairness, it's worth noting that Covid-19 forced delays in production, but more, it also forced a number of considerable changes to the story itself. There was reportedly a virus storyline that had to be cut in light of the current pandemic and it's been confirmed that Julia Louis-Dreyfus's Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine was supposed to make her first appearance in Black Widow but it ended up being introduced in Falcon & Winter Soldier after release date delays forced the Marvel film to be bumped back by more than a year and release after the Disney+ show. The Covid seams were clear throughout the series: some plotlines were dropped completely and characters disappeared for episodes at a time, other storylines were rushed or lacked clarity, and the editing was at times jumpy. There was enough great chemistry between the two lead stars, gravitas provided by Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley, and thought-provoking moments to mostly carry the series through the first five episodes. But in the finale, the wheels finally fell completely off. With so many stories that needed to be given time to bring them to a close in a satisfying manner, the finale felt like an episode centered on one fight and then cobbled together with the scraps of whatever footage was left.

One of the most surprising and disappointing elements of the finale was how painfully hamfisted and on the nose much of the dialogue was. Sam Wilson's speech at the end sounded less like an organic moment and more as if Anthony Mackie would turn to the camera at any minute and say, "In case you didn't notice, I'm laying out my manifesto as the Black Captain America" before winking and turning back to the other characters. Likewise, the callback dialogue between two Black male characters of, "Hey, it's Black Falcon!" "No. That's Captain America." was so absurdly unnecessary and cheesy that more than a few people on social media commented on how it made them laugh aloud – not the reaction one would want from the audience during what's supposed to be an inspiring and serious moment.

Related: How Did Marvel Get The Falcon & The Winter Soldier So Wrong?

Before the finale, Falcon and the Winter Soldier tackled complex issues like being Black in America and what it means to be a hero or a villain with a morally gray touch and often an ambiguous stance. That approach allowed audiences to debate scenes, think about the messages they sent, and draw their own conclusions. The entire point of the series through the first five episodes was to underscore that in a post-Blip MCU, the line between good guys and bad guys is thin, and the world is no longer so black and white. Thus, the finale delivering Sam's big moment as nothing more than a heavy-handed morality play was jarring. It felt like an episode written for the audience Marvel was worried hadn't quite gotten the first five episodes and the issues they explored. Unfortunately, in doing so, it undermined what the series had done to that point. One good thing did come out of Sam's pointed speech, however: It finally explained what exactly the Flag-Smashers were trying to stop the GRC from doing, a point that hadn't exactly been made clear in the series.

Both Karli and Sharon Carter (Emily Van Camp) got the short end of the stick in the finale. Karli Morgenthau's arc felt like a regression to Phase 1 of the MCU, when villains were little more than 2D constructs serving as walking plot catalysts and then killed off as soon as their function was served. Karli's character being underwritten and her motivations unclear were major issues throughout the series, but her being casually killed at the hands of Sharon Carter and dying quickly only served to underscore how little audiences ever truly learned about her character. Viewers were given a surface explanation of what she and the Flag-Smashers wanted, but not exactly why, what Karli's own personal motivations were, or what happened in her past to turn her into such a zealot. What could and should have been a poignant moment with her death turned into merely a plot point resolution to tick off the list.

As for Sharon Carter, her character has suffered in a similar way over a longer period of time. The MCU has never quite known what to do with Sharon, giving her moments of showing her bravery and heroism only to waste her potential or turn her into a will-they/won't-they potential love interest of Steve Rogers. In theory, she went on the run for a few years, disappeared in the Blip, then returned with everyone else a few months ago. In the interim, it was established she'd made a nice life for herself as an art thief and forger in Madripoor. However, it was later revealed Sharon Carter was the Power Broker and, in the mid-credits scene, that she'd gone full-on villain. While it's exciting to know that her character may finally get the interesting writing and screentime she's deserved, Sharon's heel-turn never felt fully earned, especially for a woman who well knew that she'd be a rogue agent and exiled for doing what she did during the events of Captain America: Civil War. In the unseen interim, there was an enormous change in Sharon's personality, evidenced by her unceremoniously killing Karli, who was still just a kid, a line Sharon never would have crossed before. If there was a story that justified Sharon's new ruthless coldness, it's not one the audience was privy to and so her turn to villainy doesn't sit right. Not yet, anyway.

Throughout the series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier tackled fraught topics from dealing with PTSD and trauma to racism. Some of those topics it did great justice to, others, not as much. The series should be commended for swinging for the fences with some of the issues it explored; the show was timely, with many of the conversations it evoked necessary and long-overdue. It's well past time for Marvel to start exploring difficult issues with thoughtfulness and depth.

Related: Falcon And The Winter Soldier: Why Bucky Said He Failed Twice

However, the speed and ease with which a number of these issues were resolved in the finale did them a disservice. After a single, unseen conversation with Yori (Ken Takemoto) in which Bucky finally came clean about having killed Yori's son when he was the Winter Soldier, Bucky decides he no longer needs therapy, apparently magically cured. In just a few days, 90 years of trauma were seemingly resolved and put to bed, which isn't how it works. Likewise, after brutally murdering a man in an uncontrolled rage and then trying to also kill Bucky and Sam, John Walker, too, is suddenly restored to being of sound mind after one moment in which he sacrificed vengeance for heroism. While Walker making the decision not to punish the bad guys but to save the innocent (or as innocent as the GRC can be), is a big step toward redemption, the fact of his sometimes considerably unstable mental state remains. Neither that nor his very recent transgressions were so much as once mentioned in the finale, however.

But the finale failed Isaiah Bradley perhaps most of all. His story was tragic, horrific, and heartbreaking; the decades of torture and suffering and neglect he'd endured at the hands of the U.S. government shaping him into understandable bitterness and fear. Isaiah's life for decades had been a matter of trying to lay low and not attract any attention in order to protect himself and his grandson. Sam putting Isaiah's story out there for the world to see in the form of a statue and an exhibit without his permission was shockingly insensitive and disrespectful considering the last time they'd talked, the old Super Soldier reiterated that he'd be killed if his story were told. Regardless of whether or not that's any longer true now that Sam carries weight as the new Captain America, blindsiding Isaiah with the reveal did not come across as the heartwarming moment it was meant to be, but a complete lack of consent and out-of-character for both men.

It, like a number of choices in the last episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, might have made sense given more time to develop. The entire season could have used about two more episodes to flesh out some of the stories and characters instead of cutting contextual corners. While the series was a lot of fun overall and should be commended for its ambition, it was wildly uneven, no episode more than the finale. Hopefully, if there is a season 2 of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, it will sort out the issues of the first season and its finale with more time and no Covid to work around.

Next: 7 Biggest Questions After The Falcon & The Winter Soldier Finale

Why Falcon & The Winter Soldier’s Finale Failed | Screen Rant from https://ift.tt/3tUFLqg

[moonaskingtostay]

I was tagged by @tracylorde !

1. What would you get arrested for on the Ark?

I have no idea. I anger easily when I’m stressed, and the Ark was a pretty stressful environment, so I guess I could see myself losing my temper and assaulting someone ? 

2. Would you take off your wristband when you landed on the ground? 

No way. Nothing could justify condemning to death all the people living on the Ark. Also, Bellamy was acting like a douche in the first few episodes, so I would have gone against him just for the sake of annoying him, because I’m petty.

3. What would the necklace Finn would make for you look like? (Clarke: deer/Raven: a raven duh..) 

A panther. 

4. If you could resurrect any MINOR character who would it be?                    

Anya, she was cool and interesting and I’m in love with Dichen Lachman and also she should have banged Clarke.

5. Create a squad of 5 characters to go on missions with. Who are they?

Clarke, Bellamy, Raven, Miller and Emori.

6. Minty or Briller?

Briller ! I’m still sad we lost Bryan, I really enjoyed his character.

7. What would your name be in Trigedasleng? (example: Octavia=Okteivia…just make it up!):

I don’t think my name would change. Maybe it would lose an e ? Like just Morgan. I think Clarke’s name in Trigedasleng is Klak, so I guess I could lose an r too. Mogan ? ... yeah that’s ugly as fuck

8. Thoughts on Finn?

Meh. I was sad when he died but mostly for Raven and Clarke’s sake. He’s just not the type of character that I really enjoy or pay attention to. I also despise love triangles and he was the cause of that stupid plotline in season 1. Actually I hate it so much, that the terrible Raven/Finn/Clarke love triangle to this day remains the main reason season 1′s my least favorite season of the show.

9. Be honest. How willing would you have been to take the chip without knowing all the horrible things it does?

No, I’m really paranoid, I wouldn’t take the chip without knowing exactly what it is. I’m just really not a trusting person, everything and everyone is shady until proven ... un-shady. Is that a word ? If it’s not, I’m making it a word. You’re welcome, engligh language.

10. What character do you relate to most & what character do you like the least not including the obvious ones like Pike, etc… 

I don’t know ... It’s hard to relate to these characters, in a fully honest way, because they have to go through really extreme situations, and I can’t be sure I would act like them. But ... I don’t know. Maybe Monty ? Or Clarke ?

And the character I like the least ... I don’t usually have really strong negative feelings against any character on the show. It depends on their storylines, like, if what a character does is boring to me, I’m going to lose interest and I’ll find them less likable. For instance, last season my least favorite characters were Roan, Octavia, Echo and Illian because their storylines were not very engaging.

11. Describe your delinquent outfit: 

Black pants, black tank top, black bomber jacket, black boots.

12. Favorite type of mutant animal?

The Invisible Giant Water Snake from the pilot. 

13. What would your job be on the Ark? 

Probably a teacher.

14. Would you have willingly pumped Ontari’s heart if Abby asked it?

I’d do anything for Clarke.

15. If Lexa wasn’t Heda, then who would make the best commander? Anya ! She was smart, respected among the grounders AND she wasn’t against forming an alliance with Skaikru. If I have to pick a character who is alive, probably Indra or Gaia.

16. If you were a grounder, then where would you live and who would be your mentor? Well, I have to live by the ocean or I die on the inside so ... Whatever clan lives by the ocean ? Not Floukru, because I’m not really into their isolationist ways, and I’ve lived on an island before, and it’s not that great. I don’t think I’d want a mentor, I believe in getting shit done by myself. 

17. How would you act if you ate the hallucinogenic nuts like Jasper and Monty? 

Based on my self-loathing & guilt issues, I think my hallucinations would be like the ones Bellamy had, like a best-of of all the people I’ve let down in my entire life telling me how much I suck.

18. How would you have dealt with Charlotte’s crime? 

Oh boy. Well. She was very young. I don’t think locking her up would have helped. Maybe for a few weeks, to calm things down at camp a little. Then I would have kept an eye on her, checked on her every day to try and determine if she was a danger to herself and/or others. I don’t know. It’s a difficult question.

19. Who should be the Chancellor, if anyone? 

Kane’s fine. 

20. Mount Weather had a lot of modern commodities (example: Maya’s Ipod). What is the one thing you would snatch while there?  

Running water.

21. Do you think you’d have caught the virus spread through camp or would you have been immune like Octavia? 

I rarely get sick, so maybe not.

22. What would your grounder tattoos look like? Hairstyle? War paint? 

I don’t think I’d want a tattoo, so maybe I’d be a spy, to avoid being marked by my clan ? If I had to get a tattoo, it would probably be something discreet. I got a triskellion necklace when I was a kid that I’m really attached to, so maybe a hyper-stylistic triskellion on my neck or something.

Short hair.

No war paint, I wouldn’t be a warrior.

23. Favorite quote? 

“You don’t ease pain. You overcome it.”

24. Can you forgive Murphy for his actions? How about Bellamy? 

As a viewer, yes. 

25. If one of the characters was in the Hunger Games, who would have the best shot at winning? 

Clarke. She’s sneaky, plans ahead but she’s also good at thinking on her feet, always remains calm and collected. Raven would have a good shot too, but her temper would be her downfall.

26. Least favorite ship? Favorite ship? NOT INCLUDING CLEXA OR BELLARKE. 

I don’t have strong opinions on ships, honestly, so it’s kinda hard to pick a least favorite one but ... I guess whatever happened between Octavia and Illian last season was ... not offending or anything but pretty much a waste of screentime.

My favorite would be maybe Kabby ? Again, I really don’t care about the romantic subplots. 

27. A song that should be included in the next season, like when Radioactive was? 

I would loooove a Fallout reference, like Skeeter Davis’ The End of the World, or I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire. Or Clarke could have Pistol Packing Mama as a theme song. OR DION’S THE WANDERER. OK NOW I WANT THIS BADLY.

28. What would you do if you were stuck in the bunker with Murphy for all that time? 

Play video games. It was a cool bunker so it had video games.

29. Opinion on Emori? Roan? 

Emori’s cool. She really grew on me, and I like that type of character, you know the outsider, she was rejected by her society but she survived and became really strong and resourceful. I admire her.

I don’t care about Roan.

30. Would you want to be an extra that is killed off in a brutal way?

Nope.

31. A character you’d like to learn more about and get flashbacks of?

Gaia !

32. A character you’d bang?

I’d bang everyone.

[aishicc]

SkyeWard Part 2

Now we are going to be getting into the betrayal and fall out so if you hate this plotline you may want to skip this one. Still not setting out to Ship Shame but I will not be pro-Ward in most of this post. A big part of the fandom spilt over this, Ward fans and Skyeward fans alike had to deal with Ward now being the enemy. No evidence of brainwashing tech, no holding the team's lives ransom if he did not follow orders, a willing betrayal of them all. I get the Ward hate over this, seriously I do, but Ward like Marvel villains in general is not a one note bad guy. Yes he was damaged in ways Skye could relate to, if not fully understand at first. Yes he was used and manipulated by the father figure he craved and that sucks. And yes he could have killed Fitz-Simmons in every meaning of the word. However while some fans wrote him off others prayed for some redemption. 

I for one like messed up people either redeeming themselves or fully embracing they are damaged beyond saving and going with it. Loki appeals to me for this reason, hotness aside. Ward could have easily gone either way, and some fans hate the way the writers choose to go. We all have had characters we like get screwed by writers, and it sucks each and every time. Ward seemed to want to go the embrace route but his feelings for Skye, and lingering feelings for the others, kept him from doing so. Skye still cared about him but could not forgive what he had done, nor should she since he had dropped two of her friends into the ocean to die. Yes he said he knew they would get out, and likely did believe that, but he still did it with Fitz pleading to the end. Skye would not allow him to justify everything he had done, no mater how well she understood him or may have wanted to. Writers can do a lot with the end of season 1 and season 2 as Ward still loves Skye and Skye is still fighting to bury the lingering affection she feels for Ward. The fact that Skye cannot fully write Ward off gives him hope and SkyeWard fans cling to it. Fans say it is good not fans hate it, or claim Skye needs to let him go and move on no matter what she felt.

Season 2 is better than season 1 according to most fans, and I agree, and we see the fall out of HYDRA Ward. Fans who hate Ward likely enjoyed him locked up and formerly suicidal. I will not pretend the morbid side of me did not enjoy this, a bit too much perhaps. That aside SkyeWard fans did not give up hope, and the writers did show hints that Ward could be redeemed. A missed opportunity to some, a waste of time to others. Personally I was curious to see what Ward's endgame was when it came to Skye. The fact he stopped lying to her spoke volumes to me, spies lie it is just what they do. I will not claim I was devastated when it seemed Ward was not going to get his redemption arch. He was far too damaged and the team no longer cared enough to help him even if he had wanted it.

Not everyone can be saved, and even if someone wants it they may not be able to change, Some write Ward off as just a weak guy who was used, others feel for him and wished he had gotten a happier end. As someone who has had been made to feel like crap by family I know where he is coming from, as would foster brat Skye. That said I choose to never give another control over my personal happiness, no hunting for true love for me. A lot writers like to give Ward a redemption arch in works and I get that, I love a good redemption story myself. I have never really read any since SkyeWard is not my jam but I am not about to begrudge anyone their chance to correct what they feel were writer's mistakes. Ward is not pure evil like Garrett so if fans wanted to hold out the hope he would earn some level of forgiveness power to them. This of course did not work out for them in the end. 

Ward trying to help Kara and losing her pretty much sealed Ward's fate in season 2. No matter how you feel about it losing her broke him even more, and that was too far to come back from. For those who hated Ward they likely thought they would never see him again, and in a way we never did. While agree they could have done more with Ward on the show, like Loki in the movies, he was at least a bad guy that could be used by writers in dozens of ways even before seasons 3 and 4. The next part is going to be really hard to find anything good beyond a storytelling point of view.