#and this is why how we get buddie in every ep like tim said

[eddiewithcat]

ok oh my god

the more i think about ryan and him saying “we get closer than ever this season” …

and “giving the audience what they want” …

what if something happens to bucks loft / bucks lease is up so he has to look for a new place to live, and eddie offers he stays with them in the meantime?

cue them being closer than ever… because they now live together.

their dynamic changing….

their feelings changing…..

it would be the perfect way to set up buddie especially going forward (if it’s just build up this season and then s8 their canon era)

[buddiebeginz]

When I go back and forth over what may or may not be happening in next week's ep I keep coming back to this 👇

Not to mention them putting Buck and Eddie together in practically every scene they've been in thus far in season 7. Them using Ryan and Oliver for 98% of the promo stuff and interviews. Plus allowing them to actually talk about Buddie repeatedly.

Putting a Buddie centric story in the 100th ep and naming it after a love song.

Having Buck be out right jealous over Eddie spending time with another guy.

Having some kind of make up scene with the two of them in Buck's kitchen with romantic mood lighting and Eddie touching Buck's waist.

Having two people who worked on significant Buddie eps work on the 100th ep: Chad Lowe who also directed 3x03 ("there's no one I trust with my son more") and Andrew Meyers one of the the same writers who did 4x13 (the shooting) he also wrote on 5x06 (when Buddie were kidnapped) and 5x02 (which gave us a lot of Buddie scenes especially their heart to heart about Ana) and 5x13 (with Eddie's breakdown)

This all has to mean something right?

I know we all overthink and overanalyze everything because we really want Buddie to happen but I can't see how this isn't leading to canon Buddie eventually. It just feels like it would be a really stupid move on the part of abc knowing how beloved Buddie is (and Ryan and Oliver have made it clear in multiple interviews everyone knows how big the fanbase is) for them to tease us this much only for it to be something where they just reconfirm their friendship and no forward momentum not even with Buck's sexuality or anything. Like why waste a 100th ep (something most shows will never see now) on something like that if that's all this ep is?

Plus if abc wants the show to go on for a good few more seasons and I believe they do (else they wouldn't have put money into the show and canceled their other first responder show) they're going to have to shake things up a little. Most people under a certain age aren't even watching regular tv now so if abc wants to pull in new viewers they're going to have to give them a reason to tune it. I know Buddie could do that. Honestly I think so many people will lose their shit (in the best way) if Buddie becomes canon. Like we love them and want to see it happen but I've seen lots of people talk about them who don't even watch. Even just this season there have been multiple Buddie centric articles from major sites especially some that are more geared towards lgbtq news.

Given everything that's gone on around and since season 7 has started it does feel like abc is more on board with the idea of Buddie than Fox probably was. And like I said I do think they're aware of how dedicated our fanbase is but they also obviously have to keep their general audience in mind when making decisions too. This is part of why I think they're moving Buddie forward in steps.

This gives Buddie's story a chance to play out slowly and organically with the added bonus of drawing out the drama in a will they/won't they kind of thing. It also allows the ga to get used to the changes and allows abc and Tim etc to see how people are responding as things move forward. I think what happens with Buddie in season 8 is somewhat dependent on how people respond to the changes they're making now. Which is why I'm hoping people don't flip out next week if they don't see exactly what they want in that episode. We have to be patient and see where the rest of the season is going. I also think the more we can give abc positive interactions on their social media regarding Buddie the better.

[lovecolibri]

This whole 'let's make a characters trauma about another person' and 'character with a history of terrible trauma can totally handle another one like it's no big deal' on 911 thing reminds me of Roswell and Carina's approach to storytelling in the worst way. She was doing it with Malex and Alex's enlistment, not to mention just with Alex's character in general, and she was doing it with Max and Michael too about Michael's abuse in foster care. What's baffling the most is Athena and Bobby are right there on the same exact show maturely dealing with Athena's trauma as something that primarily happened to her but also affected someone who loves her and their relationship. This show keeps failing Eddie and his PTSD specifically, first with that weird fight club subplot that went nowhere, now this, and it's pissing me off.

Uuuuuugh, MOOD. I really liked the Bobby/Athena scenes the past few eps because it shows them getting upset in a very emotionally compromised and complicated moment (Bobby is Going Through It with sponsoring that lady and if I recall didn't Michael cheat on Athena? So she might be triggered by Bobby lying to her though I don't think her mind went to cheating. Can you imagine?! Bobby would never.) but after cooling off they took the time to think about what the other person said and stand in their shoes and then talk it out like *gasp* actual mature adults. I personally thought it was really refreshing to see.

And yet. On the flip side we have that interview that made it clear Eddie getting shot was only to further Buck's storyline, and specifically b*ckt*ylor. What?! Also, weird choice given that Eddie getting shot should have been a reason to further Eddie's storyline with Ana, either to solidify that relationship (😑) or to break them up. Instead she had *checks notes* zero lines? *deep sigh* Eddie is an interesting character and while most of Buck's scenes all episode were so great (Oliver killed it this ep as always) especially the ones with Eddie and Chris, it still feels like this episode should have been more about Eddie. And if I had hope it would be explored next season I might be more inclined to let it go, but again that interview was...frustrating to say the least.

And don't get me started on the writing for Taylor. That 'you didn't chase after me' line after she made it clear multiple times they were just friends? Not to mention the scene people seem to forget where she lectures Buck and specifically says derogatory things about behaviors we were literally just shown in Buck Begins are trauma responses. I could have lived with them being shenanigan-having friends because those eps were great! But every time they try to push the romantic aspect it just doesn't work for me. I don't understand because this show already has a great lesbian relationship with Hen and Karen so I don't know why they are so adamantly opposed to letting Buddie happen. Tim even said he knows it's a thing but he doesn't want to stop writing the characters like he is. Like, what the actual fuck is that?! You would not have to change anything about how Eddie or Buck are written! The only thing that would change is the lackluster parade of women being thrown at them with zero development. That's it!

Now I'm all fired up about 911 AND Roswell New Mexico, because damn was that a spot on parallel. Sorry for rambling nonnie, I just have a lot of feelings.

[matan4il]

I'm a little nervous about Monday. Why is every single cast member using the word "unexpected" to describe the episode? The only unexpected thing would be for Eddie to choose Ana and for Buck and Taylor to move past their budding friendship to romantic partners. Or perhaps, temporarily, Eddie takes an indeterminate sabbatical to figure out if he still wants to be a firefighter.

(Side note, I hope Maddie gets help. My sister went through bad ppd and I had to go over every day to check on her and the baby for a while.)

Hi lovely! great question about what do they mean with 'unexpected' and one I kept asking myself at the start of the season, when we had Buck's mystery calls with a woman. I had assumed the 'crush' talk was a red herring and that the woman would turn out to be Buck's therapist. The main thing that was giving me pause was Tim saying something along the lines of this woman not being who we think she is. I wondered who does he assume we think she is? 'Coz if he figured we'd guess she's a therapist, then she's not. But if he's speaking to a more casual general audience, then he's assuming "we" (without distinguishing fandom from other viewers) accept the in-show teasing about a crush for a fact... Turns out, the latter is what he was doing. So I'm assuming the same applies now, when they're saying "unexpected" they probably mean, "unexpected for the general audience". If the show goes in the direction you described, it really wouldn't be unexpected at all. But the show could still catch us ALL by surprise. We'll know soon enough and I can't wait!

(and lots of hugs to you and to your sister. My mom probably had undiagnosed PPD when she had me, so know that I feel you more than I can express and I am sending TONS of love! xoxox)

Hey ! I just wanted to say that I absolutely LOVE your blog and I always look forward to read your metas after each episode! And I do have a question: so next episode is gonna be intense ! And I was wondering do think we’ll get something buddie-wise like Realisation of feelings or Buddie moving in together ? Because the events have been piling up for a possible Buddie SetUp right ? Oliver live tweeting the finale even though he said himself that everything he says is taken the wrong way and him saying that this episode is gonna change things for s5... ? And do you think that Buddie will ever become canon or are the writers just messing with us? (Sorry for the long ask)

Hi Nonnie, and thank you so much for the kindness! I'm so happy you're enjoying my meta! As for 414, I'm never 1000% sure about anything a show will do. Because shows can disappoint, because there can be elements behind the scenes, unknown to us, influencing storyline decisions... But in terms of narrative, I can't see having both the 'follow your heart' talk and the intense Buddie shooting scene (because it IS a Buddie one. Eddie is shot, but the scene is just as much about Buck's reaction and their connection during this) in the very same ep and then not letting this lead to some sort of Buddie feelings realization. The show can still disappoint and not follow up on its own build up, I'm just not sure how they can take it in any other direction. Mind you, I remember when quite a few fans were hyped after the kitchen scene and were sure Buddie will kiss in the next scene, but I didn't think they would at the time. This feels different. The narrative is begging for this resolution and they made it the intense cliffhanger for the first half of the season finale. Everything they've done this season is pooling into this scene in 413 and the follow up in 414. It's all lined up just right for this development. Add the stuff you mentioned from outside the show, and yes, it feels like it really can happen now. It's not a guarantee that it will, but this is the first time I've felt like the moment in canon is right, when before it all still felt like a part of the subtext that the show may or may not deliver on. Does that make sense? Thank you so much for the ask and let's do a prayer circle together for the show to come through! xoxox

[gaamagirl565]

Matters of the heart ep 7

Matters of the heart Episode 7 Learning from the best {OPENING CREDITS} {Open to Isaiah playing with Draki on the hay bale} Isaiah: *giggles as Draki slithers over him* Draki! Ah! That tickles! {Draki nuzzles into his neck; Isaiah pets him} Isaiah: Love ya too buddy… {Varian walks out of the house tying up his hair} Isaiah: Dad! Dad! Look at this new trick Draki and I can do! Ready boy? {Isaiah tosses Draki in the air and as he comes back down Isaiah reaches his hand up and lets his snake effortlessly glide from one arm to the other and onto a nearby tree branch} Varian: wow...you two are getting good at that...just...Be careful okay? Isaiah: Daaaaddd...I milk his venom every day plus Draki would never hurt me! Right, Draki?...Draki? {Pan to Ruddiger hissing at Draki and Draki doing the same; Isaiah runs over and picks up his snake} Isaiah: Can you two go one day without fighting!? {Zapada walks into frame} Zapada: Snakes always seem to have a chip on their shoulder in my opinion… Varian: Well hello there… {Varian walks over and kisses her forehead} Varian: Isaiah, aren’t you going to say hello? Isaiah: *rolls eyes*...hello… {Varian narrows his eyes; Isaiah looks away} Varian: Don’t worry...give him time Zapada: E în regulă, iubirea mea...I just came to give you luck for your big day… Isaiah: Big day? Varian: Your grandfather is going to be teaching me the ins and outs of leadership… Isaiah: Can I come too!? Draki and I would love to help! Right Draki? {Draki pops his head out from a bush with a mouse in his mouth} Varian: Well normally this kind of event is for the current leader and the heir...but I don’t see why you can’t ask your grandfather if-? Isaiah: WOOHOO! Zapada: I will come too...If it’s okay of course... I will how you say..S-Spectate… Varian: how can I refuse you? {Zapada blushes and pulls on her cloak; Isaiah gags; cut to Varian walking onto the field with Isaiah and Zapda in tow} Quirin: There are my boys! You ready to get started? Varian: Actually dad...Isaiah has something he wants to ask. Quirin: Oh, Really? Isaiah: C-can I learn too? Quirin: well normally the tests of a leader are for the heir but...I don’t see why not. Isaiah: Yes! {Zapada sits off to the side} Zapada: Go team-...oh my...who do I root for? {cut to a hillside} Quirin: The first test is a test of strength...you must these two barrels must get to the bottom of the hill without damaging the goods inside and load them onto the cart below. It’s a steep incline so all your muscles will be working. Good luck! {Varian picks up the two barrels and slowly makes his way down the hill; Meanwhile, Isaiah has trouble lifting the two heavy barrels} Isaiah: urrgh! This is impossible...Dads lived on the farm his whole life, of course, he’s used to it...hmmm. {Isaiah gets an Idea and put the Barrels on their sides} Zapada: What is he….oh no… {Isaiah ties a rope around them and slowly starts lowering them down the hill; the rope snaps and Isaiah struggles to grab one of the barrels and it pulls him down the hill at a high speed; he zooms past Varian and plunges into the cart turning all the apples in the barrels to mush} Varian: Isaiah! {Varian, Zapada, and Quirn rush over to the cart} Varian: Buddy, are you okay!? Isaiah: *giggling* l-lets do that again! Varian: Phew… Quirin: Well considering you damaged both barrels, Isaiah...Varian wins. Isaiah: But I got here first! Varian: but you damaged the apples… Isaiah: And made a new product!...apple sauce… {Varian has an “are you serious look and we cut to the next test} Quirin: This test is a test of Cunning...you’ll need all your brainpower to figure this out...at the top of this tree is a flag...your goal is to retrieve it by any means. Don’t think you can just climb it. The thorns on this tree are poisonous. Touch one and you’ll wish you hadn’t. Zapada: wait...if you can’t climb it...how did you get the flag up there? Quirin: Not through easy means. Zapada: *gulps* be careful, Varian! Varian: Don’t worry! Your man has got this! {Isaiah examines the tree and gets and idea} Isaiah: Draki! Here boy! {Draki slithers up his arm} Isaiah: Think you can get that flag? {Draki looks up and hisses before slithering onto the tree} Varian: What the? {Draki gets to the top, grabs the flag and come down} Quirin: Isaiah wins! Varian: EYYY! He used a snake that’s cheating! Quirin: nope! I said by any means… Isaiah: Looks like I’m a better leader… Varian: oh ho...really? Zapada: oh dear… Varian: care to place a wager on that? Isaiah: now you’re speaking my language...lets so whomever wins the most cleans the lab for a month. Varian: deal! {they shake hands; begin montage of the challenges} Quirin: this test is one of diplomacy! {shows two sets of kids fighting over and apple; Varian cuts the apple in half and has his two share it; Pan over to Isaiah who is holding each kid back from killing each other} Quirin: this test is one of empathy… {shows a homeless on the road} Varian: here have some coin….

{Varian gives him money} Isaiah: here sir… {Isaiah gives him a cloth blanket and a bag of apples} {Varian pouts; Zapads face palms; fade to the Cult HQ} Noremoth: Come now sweet Vessel you must eat… Cassandra:.... Noremoth: It’s your favorite…please? You need strength! Cassandra: so I can kill my friends and family? I don’t think so! Noremoth: don’t think of it like that! Think of it like...Liberation for the weak! They’re constantly ignored in Corona!...you would know about that...wouldn’t you? {Cassandra lunges forward and grabs him; her eyes glow} Noremoth: oopsie daisy! Strike a nerve, did I? Cassandra: if you want to keep your tongue I’d shut up… Noremoth: or what, Sweet vessel o’mine? Larkspur: Noremoth… Noremoth: M’LADY! I-I…*kneels* Larkspur: Now now Noremoth you should know better than to antagonize our most important asset. Cassandra: I. am. not. Yours! Larkspur: no? Oh your right!...you belong to Zhan tiri. Cassandra: I DON’T BELONG TO THAT THING EITHER! {Magic surges through Cassandra making her scream and fall to her knees; Noremoth cringes and feels sympathy for her} Larkspur:..Zhan tiri seems to disagree… {Cassandra stares on in shock} Larkspur: Listen Vessel...you are no longer whom you were in the past...your past self died the second you stole the moonstone… {Noremoth looks between his leader and Cassandra} Larkspur:...There is nothing but Zhan tiri now...I suggest you make your peace with it… {Larkspur goes to walk away and noremoth follows leaving Cassandra alone; cut back to old Corona} Varian: OW!... Zapada: Sorry! Why on earth did you think using a cactus was a good idea!? Varian: It seemed like...A good idea at the tim-AHH! Zapada: well now you ARE a cactus! Look at all these spines! Varian: ughh… Zapada: is it not quite silly what you’re doing? Varian: huh? What do you mean? Zapada: this silly competition...what is the point? You’re next in line as the leader anyway. Varian: well it’s...fun… Zapada: competing to the point of injury is fun? *plucks a spine* Varian: OWW!...when you put it like that...ah!..it’s just ya know..Father-son bonding… Zapada: This is father-son bonding? Varian:....yes? Zapada: I will never understand Corona… Varian: OWWW! {Cut to the next challenge} Quirin: This next test is one of courage...you will have to face your worst fear. As a leader many things will frighten you but you cannot let it stop you. Especially when people count on you. Isaiah: *winces* Quirin: Your fears are...different...hard to emulate but we did our best… Varian: Deep breaths..c’mon… Quirin: Varian...you are afraid of blood...but you will see plenty of it as a leader… {Varian nods} Quirin: Over there is a bucket of sheep’s blood… Varian: *gags* Quirin: You will remove your glove and stick a hand in it for 60 seconds… Varian: oh lovely… {Varian walks over to the bucket} Quirin: Whenever you’re ready... {Quirin holds up a pocket watch} Isaiah: Too chicken, dad? {Varian growls and shoves his ungloved hand into the bucket} Varian: Uagh!... Quirin: hmm… {Varian is cringing but doesn’t move} Zapada: oh, iubirea mea… Quirin: Alright! Thats a minute {Varian jumps from the bucket and over to a trough of water to wash is hand; all the while gaging} Quirin: Isaiah you’re next… Isaiah: what is mine? Alchemy? A small firecracker? Quirin: Rain… {Isaiah’s eyes dilate in horror} Isaiah: w-what? Quirin: as a leader, you must face all kinds of fear...even past traumas...we’re able to imitate rain by using a rainstick and pouring water into a bucket with holes at the bottom… Isaiah: *wince* Quirin: You will stand with eyes closed under the bucket for a whole minute...like your father… {Isaiah pales and his breathing quickens} Varian: Isaiah..it’s okay you don’t have to- Isaiah: no!..I’ll do it…. {Quirin nods and takes out the pocket watch; Isaiah goes and stands under the bucket; with a deep breath he closes his eyes} Isaiah: I’m ready… {Quirin nods at the two men that were standing by; one man turns over the rainstick making it sound like falling rain; the other pours water in the bucket have small droplets fall out the bottom and onto Isaiah} Isaiah: *whimpers* {Varian bites his lip; Zapada looks on in confused shock; Isaiah opens his eyes and is suddenly on dead mans curve watching his mother and the duke be killed by bandits in the rain} Estelle: Isaiah! Help me! {Cut to reality} Isaiah: *screams and lunges away from the water and onto the ground whimpering loudly* Quirin:....30 seconds…. {Varian runs to his side} Varian: Isaiah? {Isaiah yelps and jerks away from him; Isaiah looks around with panic before running away} Zapada:...What..just happened? Quirin:...Isaiah failed the test of courage…and...I think we did too much... Varian: Isaiah…. {Cuts to sunset and Isaiah is sitting under a tree with Draki in hand} Isaiah: I tried my best...right Draki?...maybe I’m just not a leader… Varian: Isaiah? {Isaiah looks over and immediately looks away; Varian walks over and sits by him} Varian: Buddy?...I’m sorry that happened...you wanna talk about it? Isaiah:.... Varian: Isaiah...I know what you thinking of… {Isaiah looks up at him} Varian: sometimes I think of it too...how scared she must’ve been...I made a promise to protect your mother and I failed her...so maybe I deserve to fail this too… Isaiah: I just wanted to show you that…I’m not a screwup… Varian: What? Isaiah: I keep messing things up...I wanted to prove people wrong and I got a scar! I wanted to impress the princess and instead almost got Akina killed!... I lied to you so I could get revenge… Varian: oh, buddy… Isaiah: I just thought maybe if I could pass these tests I could..I don’t know..show you I’m not a screwup... Varian: ...show me? Or show yourself? {Isaiah buries his head in his knees} Varian: Isaiah you wanna talk about being a screwup? The first time I met the queen I blew up my village with boilers I had underground… {Isaiah looks up shocked} Isaiah: okay..pfft...thats pretty bad… Varian: My point is...People mess up..it’s part of being human...whats important is to learn from your mistakes...and Isaiah...don’t try to make other people proud of you...Be proud of yourself...there is only one of you...and you are amazing… {Isaiah hugs him} Isaiah: I love you dad… Varian: I love you too… {END CREDITS}

[ncfan-1]

ncfan listens to The Magnus Archives: S1 EP011 (’Dreamer) & EP012 (‘First Aid’)

In which I have a lot of questions, and I feel like I’m not the only one.

No spoilers, please!

EP 011: ‘Dreamer’

- The imagery of this organism like a strangling vine choking the city is nice and visceral and creepy.

- So we’ve established that there’s a limit to what sort of cases the Institute will take on. It’s nice to establish this. I do wonder about stuff like that in series like this, because if the Institute treated seriously every fever dream they were told about, they’d never get any work done.

- “I know how that sounds.�� Yeah, if someone said that to me, the first thing I’d assume is, uh, very different from what you’re telling us, Antonio Blake.

- Wait, Antonio’s ex is named Graham? I… I compared the statement dates of this one and ‘Across the Street’, and I think this is in the right timeframe to be right around the time Graham from that episode was replaced by not-Graham. Obviously, if this is referring to a different Graham (and yeah, I know I said not to rely on coincidences, but I think the same given name isn’t as much of a link as the same surname would be, unless the surname was, like Smith or Jones or Patel) I’m following the wrong thread, but if it is the same Graham, then wow, there’s some nasty subtext to that breakup.

Of course, I’m not sure this is the same Graham we’re talking about. Graham Folger had such a pervasive air of isolation around him that it stretches my suspension of disbelief a little to believe he had a boyfriend. But I suppose it would explain why he was often out of his flat, and it’s not like having a boyfriend would have helped him much when he was at home. Alone.

- I winced when Antonio detailed how he didn’t wake up from the dream when he fell from the roof of Canary Wharf, and didn’t wake up when he experienced the phantom pain of the landing. I’m terrified of heights, and the mere act of dream-falling would have been enough to wake me—and indeed, I think it would have been for most people, if they’re having normal dreams. But this isn’t a normal dream.

- I wonder if Antonio’s fear of taking the elevator up to the twenty-third floor is supposed to be indicative of a premonition involving an elevator malfunction.

- So the death of the head archivist at the Magnus Institute triggers some catastrophic change in supernatural activity in London? Or was there some drastic change, and the Institute—and Gertrude—was at the epicenter of it?

- “And the bridge was knotted high with the flashing vines.” I checked, and a cursory search with a few different search phrases didn’t show me any statistics that indicate that a statistically large amount of people jump from London Bridge in suicide attempts each year. If this was taking place in San Francisco and we were talking about the Golden Gate Bridge, I’d have no doubt that that’s what the vines are about there, but here, I’m not as certain. It might be a combination of suicides and car crashes, or, if the vines have been accumulating for centuries, it could just be the accumulated deaths of centuries upon the structure.

- The Magnus Institute, as described… is not entirely dissimilar from my own workplace in appearance. My workplace being a combination of administrative offices and archive for a local heritage center. Where I work as an assistant archivist. …You might see why this disturbs me a bit.

- And now Jonathan suddenly has so many questions. As he should. I can understand his gut response being to assume that it was a prank, and can equally understand his being freaked out upon discovering that no, this was probably not a prank.

- So Jonathan doesn’t know exactly what happened to Gertrude, and didn’t even know she was dead when he got the job? His comment about asking if she was available to give him some job training, I think, confirms something I was wondering about—whether or not he had a great deal of experience as an archivist before this. He sounds fairly young when he’s reading the statements (and when he gives his assessment of them it almost sounds like he’s trying to make himself sound older than he really is) and his seeming inability to understand that it would be better to get the hard copies of the files in chronological order before trying to digitize or record them were making me wonder. Jonathan, buddy? I hate to say this, but unless you pull some archiving info out of your head to wow me, your assistants may be better at this than you are. Yes, even Martin. Possibly especially Martin, given that he seems to have been working with the Archive in some capacity since 2010.

- Yeah, Elias sounds sketchy.

- So Tim’s the only one of the assistants you trust not to pull a prank on you? I guess I’ll have to file Tim away as the serious one.

- “But if anyone comes in ranting about dreaming my death, then I very much want to hear about it.” I’m just trying to imagine Jonathan’s possible conversation with Elias after this. Especially considering how high-strung he seems to be.

Jonathan: Hey, I just read a statement about some guy predicting Gertrude Robinson’s death in a dream. Elias: Don’t worry about it. Jonathan: But the statement is dated to just before she died. Elias: Dude, it’s not your business. Jonathan: It’s not my— You didn’t even tell me how she died! She could have overdosed on heroin at my desk for all I know! What else aren’t you telling me? Elias: Don’t worry about it. You know it’s all head-in-the-sand management around here—or did you not figure that out when I dumped you in a disorganized Archive filled with thousands of incomplete case files that hadn’t been organized according to any system, with only three assistants and no other help, and without giving you the slightest warning about the way Gertrude was running the place? I mean, if that didn’t tip you off that I’ve got no interest in giving you guidance of any kind, then I really don’t think there’s any hope for you. Jonathan: *not-so-internal screaming*

Friendly reminder that this is the kind of assignment that can make people start fantasizing about killing their boss.

EP 012: ‘First Aid’

- Yeah, so I have a new favorite episode. Already. I know; I’m fickle.

- I can speak to emergency rooms never really being empty, no matter the time of night. I had to go into the emergency room at three in the morning, once, and it was in a small hospital in a rural area, and me and my parents still weren’t the only ones in the emergency room. It wasn’t full by any stretch of the imagination—again, small hospital in a rural area—but there were other people there. There was also an asshole doctor who didn’t want to take seriously the idea that I was in any real pain or medical danger, despite the fact that my lower lip had swollen to about five size its normal size and was starting to split open and leak pus.

- So we see the weirdness start to infect the hospital early with the too-quiet waiting room.

- It occurred to me that for the two men to have been burned everywhere on their body (the older truly everywhere, and the younger everywhere below his neck where there wasn’t a tattoo), they also had second-degree burns on their genitals. I flinch in sympathy, no matter what these two were getting up to that led to the burns.

- Oh, look, Jared Key’s back! I’m sure that won’t be important at all.

- I do wonder what happened that the burns stopped at his neck.

- And Jared has been tied to eye imagery again. My Tolkien roots are showing, but I am reminded a bit of the Lidless Eye, always watching.

- The bit about everyone in the hospital apart from the patients too ill to be moved disappearing (and later shown to all get up at the same time and file outside to parts and for reasons unknown) is pretty creepy. I do wonder how the patients who could get up and go outside fared, considering it was December in Britain, where it tends to snow at that time of year.

- “It sounded like… the growl of an animal, a rolling, angry sound, and I realized that the floor was shaking ever so slightly.” What was going on with the vending machine could potentially account for this, but I also like the idea of the slowly creeping horror, invisibly stalking the halls of the hospital.

- “And then I saw it. […] But I now saw that the one on the left, a clear-fronted machine that stocked bottled soft drinks, was shaking violently. As I got nearer, I saw why. In every bottle, in every row of the machine, the drinks appeared to be violently boiling. Cokes and lemonades and fruit juices shook and bubble, before one by one, the bottles exploded, coating the inside of the clear plastic front with liquid that still kept steaming and hissing. It couldn’t have taken more than thirty seconds for all of them to pop.”

One: great description. Two: I wonder what the people who restock the vending machines made of this.

- Jared is just as ambiguous a figure in this episode as he was in ‘Page Turner.’ His actions in the events of the episode itself are beneficial to the narrator—it’s possible that he saved both of their lives—but he’s clearly caught up in the affairs of things moving just beyond our ability to see them. Things that are not benevolent. He doesn’t come off as being malicious in personality, but he’s still caught up in a lot of shady shit. And we’ve seen him kill at least once, possibly at least twice if he killed his mother and didn’t just skin her after she voluntarily committed suicide.

- “Something told me if there was a coherent explanation for everything that had happened since the ambulance arrived, then I would be no better off for knowing it.” What, no, listen, Lesere, this is absolutely the time to be asking questions.

- “Better beholding than the lightless flame.” Something to file away, I guess.

- I hope we get more information about Jared later.

- Jared was released into the care of his mother? Wasn’t Mary already dead by this point? Let me check ‘Page Turner.’ *checks ‘Page Turner’* Okay, the events of the episode take place in December 2011, and Mary turned up dead in 2008. So what, is she not really dead? Is the ghost Jared summoned with ‘Key of Solomon’ able to move around outside of their old bookstore/house? Was that someone pretending to be Jared’s mother? Well, at least now I know what Jared meant when he said he’d had worse burns than the ones you get picking up a super-heated metal trashcan.

- And now Lesere feels like she’s being watched. Lady, if I was you, I’d be more concerned by that.

- Yeah, where did they all go? Because the patients who could walk went outside, too, and I feel like standing in your bare feet in the snow for fifteen minutes would be injurious.

- “The feed cuts out for less than a second, and is replaced for a single frame, by a close-up of a human eye staring back through the video feed.” Yeah, that’s… that’s not good. You don’t want these sorts of things to take notice of you.

[the-real-tc]

Review Ep. 1101: Baby On Board

(Cross-posted over on Facebook.) Loving the ultra-widescreen opening sequences, as always. I think my heart was in my throat at that near-miss with the Briar Ridge trailer and the big rig truck and pickup. Yikes. Glad there was no actual collision (like in the Season 3 opener, ‘Miracle Girl’.) Nice CG with the reflection in Flame’s eye as the rig flew by: it gave a visual impression of the traumatic experience being imprinted on the horse’s memory. (I like that the same effect was utilized later when Georgie was first trying to bond with Flame.)

I liked seeing Amy’s unabashed joy at riding Spartan again, and Spartan looking as handsome as ever.

First look at five-month-old Baby Lyndy, and it’s precious, as expected. She’s sitting up, alert, and getting some solid foods (though we learn later she’s still getting bottle-fed with milk Amy’s been pumping.)

It quickly becomes clear Ty is not keen on having Grandma Lily come see Baby Lyndy. It’s already been five months, and she still hasn’t made an official visit? That’s not normal, Ty! It’s not like your mom’s living on another planet. Vancouver really isn’t *that* far away. We soon learn that Ty is highly over-protective, irrationally unable to relinquish care of the baby to his mother, whom he considers unstable and unfit to look after an infant, even for one evening.

 I loved the exchanges between Lily and Ty in this episode. It’s never been smooth sailing for these two, and Heather Conkie gives Graham Wardle and Megan Follows some good lines to chew on. Harsh words are spoken, and hard feelings come to the surface, forcing both mother and son to confront long-buried events from the past. Was Lily a “bad mother”, as Ty seems to infer? Is that why he won’t trust her, or take her advice, or accept her gift of a harmless lamb blanket?

 Another powerful scene was Tim and Lily having a heart-to-heart about their respective addiction problems. It’s these details about the characters the fans know, but it’s the first time these two have acknowledged this commonality, and it was great. Further, I like that they schemed to put up a baby gate. That baby gate later leads to a funny scene that partially defuses a very tense moment between Ty and Lily. It’s the kind of scene that seems like it could have been ad-libbed and was left in because it worked so well, but was probably scripted.

 Staying with Ty for a moment, there’s his need to buy a new truck. We can recall Jack went through similar pains in Season Three’s “Man’s Best Friend”. Ty, eschewing all help from well-meaning (but pushy) Tim, decides he’s going to buy a used truck from a guy who claims he’s selling it because his wife wants a van, instead. (Ten-to-one that was a line and he’s probably not even married.) The truck predictably breaks down after the deal has been made, leaving Ty with a truck he can’t fix, and a previous owner who won’t give him a refund.

 It’s Jack to the rescue this time (isn’t it always Jack to the rescue in these matters?) He secures the refund for Ty; it’s only later we learn Jack threw in one of Ray Phillips’ old longhorns to sweeten the deal.

 Ty ultimately ends up buying a truck from Mitch (his father’s truck), something we knew from the very beginning would happen. Mitch, it seems, has got himself a job in Calgary. Lou is apparently unaware while she’s off in New York with Katie. (Mitch, buddy, I love the beard. I wish you’d keep it; alas, I know you do end up shaving it off. Also, stay away from Lou until she sorts herself out and learns to be less petty and self-centered. You deserve a woman who knows how to be compassionate and less hypocritical.)

 It wouldn’t be a great episode of Heartland without something to do with horses, and we get that box checked off in the form of Flame, the traumatized horse that belongs to (the much-maligned) Val Stanton. My, she’s come a long way since her Season One sneers and doubting ways. Not only is she confident Amy can work a miracle on champion jumper Flame, she pretty much demands it! Luckily, she also has Georgie on the case, as the plucky teen wants to see what she can do to help. Somehow, she manages to form a bond with Flame, obviously having learned some techniques from Amy over the years. Georgie fortunately has that “fearless” gene that grants her the ability to tackle the challenge of this unruly horse who refuses to jump. Going bareback, Georgie “The Natural” manages to do what the Briar Ridge trainers couldn’t: she takes him over the jumping course, impressing Val Stanton enough to grant her the opportunity to ride Flame in an upcoming competition. (This ticks off Flame’s original rider, Chad, who couldn’t get him to do squat except squeal and skitter around the jumps.)

Now, time for some “opinionating”:

 I know there’s a portion of the fandom that absolutely despises Georgie for seemingly usurping Amy’s position. I could see Georgie’s bond with Flame as being another reason for folks to hate the kid even more, but I think it works well for the show to have someone other than Amy who’s able to jump horses well. Otherwise, Amy just turns into some mythical Mary-Sue who can do everything right and everything well, and nobody else can or should, because Amy is the best! (Look up the definition of a “Mary-Sue”, if you don’t know the term. You don’t want Amy to be a Mary-Sue.) I’ve said in the past that unless the show takes risks and is willing to change, it’ll become a parody of itself with repetitive story lines. Amy has already “healed” crazy-expensive jumpers that won’t jump. I’d like to think of Georgie as Amy’s protégé, and now she’s getting a chance to show what she can do. It doesn’t diminish Amy’s gift by any means (in my opinionated opinion) and gives the writers a chance to explore new avenues. Young kids who are only now discovering the show can appreciate Georgie more readily than they might appreciate a grown-up Amy.

We know from tweets from the set that the Georgie and Flame thread runs through the season, so expect more of this duo. Hopefully, Val’s investment starts to pay off, because as she pointed out, there are a lot more experienced riders who would jump at the chance to be in Georgie’s position right now.

 Side notes:

 1) They acknowledged that Lily wasn’t at Ty and Amy’s wedding (Val meets Lily for the first time and she comments on the absence; Lily claims she was “ill”. Val says that’s a shame since the wedding was beautiful.) As viewers, we knew Lily and Wade were not present; a valid reason was not forthcoming. To hear from Lily’s own mouth a sort-of reason was interesting, indeed.

 2) I *loved* the heart-to-heart Jack had with Ty about how he's been treating his mother. Jack brought up that dream Ty had back when he was nearly dying of pneumonia, along with his own latent fears about not being a good father. Jack points out that Ty's overcompensating, and that he needs to let go and enjoy these precious moments with his daughter, because they go by far too quickly. (And just as I write this, I'm struck by the fact Jack has had to deal with the loss of his own daughter, Marion.) They are words Ty takes to heart, because there's this amazing bond of trust and respect between Jack and Ty that's been fostered through all these years.

 3) Amy got to ride Spartan not once, but *twice* in this episode! And one of those times was on the jumping course

So check off “Amy works with horse(s)” and “Amy rides Spartan” in your little “Things I Expect to See in Each and Every Heartland Episode”.

 Final thoughts: Glad Ty learned to relax a little. Hopefully he’s dumped that goofy “Baby App” for good. Amy seemed a little reluctant to go along with Ty’s obsessiveness with regimenting Baby Lyndy’s every move, but she humoured him, something I thought was a nice touch. Since it wasn’t really doing the kid any harm, new mom Amy seems content to roll with whatever her crazy husband deems necessary for their first child’s development.

 If you didn’t feel even the slightest tug on your heartstrings at that final scene of Amy, Ty, and Baby Lyndy slow-dancing on the back of the “new” truck, then I have to conclude that A) You actually don’t have a heart; B) You haven’t seen “Man’s Best Friend” to get the significance of that dance, or C) Both A and B, or D) You’ve never seen an episode of Heartland before now and you’re not at all invested in the characters.

 So a huge "Welcome Back!" to Heather Conkie, cast and crew of Heartland; it's a delight to have you on my screen again. I'm looking forward to what else Season 11 has to offer.

[thedgreene-blog]

the TOP 10 albums I saved to my Spotify in 2017

Seasons greetings friends. I write to you from icy cold Vernon, BC. I’m fighting a sore throat, dried out sinuses, and an eye infection I got from the pool at the Vernon Lodge (formerly the Best Western, currently featuring a Don Cherry branded sports bar). But enough about me. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and kick up your feet. It’s time for another one of D. Greene’s horribly written year end top 10 lists.

10. The Guess Who - American Woman (also Wheatfield Soul and Canned Heat)

 We’ll start off with a perfect double whammy example of why you should stop reading this right now. Seriously. Ok well don’t say anyone even remotely recommended reading this all the way through. First off - These albums came out over 40 years ago. Second - I listened to them all 5-10 years ago. But guess what amigos - they weren’t saved to my Spotify library until this year. I have a beautiful memory of driving around getting together production requirements for a weekend of shooting Gritzmore Season One which is available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube and Funny or Die. With me were my friends Derek (listens to Black Sabbath and Queens of the Stone Age), Justin (listens to Tragically Hip and Anime music), and Melissa (listens to only Japanese folk songs and Lady Gaga(Zef if you’re reading this please DM me)). Despite our wildly different tastes in listening; all genres were transcended by the heavy yet clean and spatial Canadian dad rock majesty that is the Guess Who. While most dad bands force you to listen to a best of because of the sheer monotony of a pentatonic rock album produced in the 70s, The Guess Who’s albums hold up. You’ve got the sounds of jazz, hard rock, 60s referencing psych and more. I’m really running out of steam here and I’m still on number 10 oh my god. Be a good Canadian and listen to some Guess Who.

9. Painted Fruit - PF II

And now to completely stray from the previously mentioned guide lines seemingly rendering this piece of “journalism” more pointless than it all ready is. This album isn’t on Spotify but it is on Bandcamp. Painted Fruit are some old friends from the mother land, Vernon. I shot a video for them a while ago. It still kind of holds up even though it’s on YouTube in 720p. This album sports shiny reverberating guitars influenced by beach rock, drums caught up half way between garage and math rock, and vocals obviously influenced by Talking Heads or similarly uninhibited post punk wailing. My favourite track is “Primitive” it really heats up near the end. Very upbeat but dark. It’s not too common an album can keep you tuned in start to finish but the Fruit’s second album is mentally stimulating all the way through whether it’s on in the car or if you’re taking a more scrutinizing listen with headphones.

8. Fleetwood Mac - Future Games

If you’ve ever spent any time around me you know I don’t shut the fuck up about pre-Stevie Knicks Fleetwood Mac. I think I’m SO god damn cultured because I can say “ACTUALLY they started out as a blues band before transitioning in psychedelic and eventually soft rock”. Wow David. Mr. Rock and Roll trivia. You don’t know shit about what’s going on in the world politically or even in your own city for that matter. You don’t watch sports. You don’t even watch current TV and movies even though you claim to be a writer and director. But I bet you’ve got some sick ass trivia about Fleetwood Mac. They’re that band that does “thunder only happens when it’s raining” right? They’re pretty good - my mom has a few of their CDs. Whatever don’t tell me how to live my life. One day I’m going to get on Jeopardy and then we’ll see who’s laughing when I burn the fuck through the entire rock and roll trivia category and the $1000 daily double is “this guitarist played in Fleetwood Mac before departing and eventually joining the religious cult known as the Children of God” “WHO IS JEREMY SPENCER, ALEX!?” Anyway this album is really good and it’s finally on Spotify. And not to confuse you, Jeremy Spencer plays on Then Play On, which is not on Spotify yet. Danny Kirwan is on Future Games.

7. Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak/Graduation

Hey Kanye how you doing buddy? Seems like you’re thinking about a lot. Got a lot going on upstairs. Glad I got to see the Life of Pablo show before you cancelled the rest of the tour. If you need to talk or anything I’m right here. It can’t be easy keeping up with those krazy Kardashians. What happened to the album you said you’d put out by this past summer? Can we have a little teaser at least? I was going to DM you on Twitter but you deleted it. Well I just wanted to write and say that I was listening to 808s and Graduation and was thinking about how 10 years ago you literally laid the ground work for the majority of current pop and hip hop. Every dance track lately has the same synth sounds as Graduation. Even rock artists are writing easy listening yacht rock inspired songs again. And who did you sample on Champion? That’s right Steely Dan. You were pumping out vocoder and heavy minimal bass 10 years before Future and 21 Savage. You’re truly an artist my friend even if I compared you to dads who use Facebook last year. Gimme a call man let’s hang out - I miss you.

6. Once and Future Band - Once and Future Band / Brain

The best kind of satisfaction is the kind you didn’t even know you were after. I came across Once and Future Band and realized I had an itch for prog rock I didn’t know needed scratching. If you’ve ever rocked out to Yes, early King Crimson, late Led Zeppelin, Supertramp, I urge you to check these guys out. Every song plays for around 5-6 minutes. Each track an adventure. They even pepper in elements of classic rock and pop but keep you guessing with messy yet precise fills and time signatures. I just noticed their EP “Brain” isn’t on Spotify anymore which is a huge bummer but you should try and track it down.

5. Arcade Fire - Everything Now 

Arcade Fire are a band that “get it” in every sense of that expression. Lyrically I haven’t identified with songs like the ones on Everything Now since...I want to say ever. They’ve completely found their place sonically after the somewhat experimental “Reflektor.” We can all pretend the song you put out with Mavis Staples doesn’t exist, don’t worry. The singles off this album are perfect. The album tracks leave nothing to be desired. Your music videos - MOIA *kissing fingers hand gesture*, your concert OH MY GOOD GOD it was a work of performance art. It’s hard to put into words how Arcade Fire pleases me as a band so I’m going to stop now. Please keep making records forever. Also u kno Arcade Fire can get it ;)

4. Vulfpeck - Mr. Finish Line

This year I was introduced to one of the tightest bands of I’ve ever heard. I’m not using tight like I’m a snowboarder from 2009. I mean musically this band is tight. Vulfpeck is based around 2 guys who went to music school and became gods of building beautiful, happy, upbeat songs around a bass guitar and a drum kit. There is one fill in the track Baby I Don’t Know where the saxophone and the guitar walk down some sort of mind mending jazz scale that just about broke me the first time I heard it. I feel like I intended for this article to be funny but I’m getting really earnest with these entries which isn’t good because it’s not funny and it’s not written well why are you still even here. Hang in there. If you prove you read it all the way through I’ll shake your hand, look you in the eye, and say say thank you.

3. The Lemon Twigs - Do Hollywood

A studio band built around 2 kids who were 17 and 19 or something when this came out. I’m not a real journalist do your own fact checking. I just know when I saw them play at the Cobalt they weren’t even close to old enough to drink in Canada. The Lemon Twigs are part of a fascinating group of LA musicians who seem to all be associated with Johnathan Rado - member of Foxygen, produced this album for the Twigs, produced Tim Heideckers album that came out this year. (How Tim Heidecker is spending his time creatively recently is very questionable. Wareheim remains my favourite. Also Tim and Eric shaped modern comedy but that’s a different essay). Rado also worked with Diane Coffee, former Foxygen drummer, former child actor - like the members of the lemon twigs. The Twigs went to the same high school as Billy Joel which probably doesn’t mean anything but hey isn’t LA neat? In their circle as well is Alex Cameron whose latest album is pretty fun. Basically what I’m getting at here is I’m a big Hollywood wannabe who feels left out of the fun. I just wanna be famous ok? Dammit. This album is great check it out.

2. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell Live

Sufjan Stevens is a fascinating artist and person. Who would you sit down and have a 4 hour conversation with if you were given the chance? Sufjan Stevens is on my list. I want to know his creative process, how he spends his days off, how he decides what clothes to wear, why he would cover Hotline Bling live (not complaining - it was incredible to see in person). I got to see Sufjan in concert twice last year and while the experiences were almost too good to be true I was left both times with the bittersweet feeling that I may never experience this or something quite like it again. It’s definitely not being there but if any of Sufjan’s work needed a live recording it was Carrie & Lowell. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

HAIM - Just the song You Never Knew. Devonte Hynes is one hell of a producer and song writer. I think I tricked myself into liking HAIM just because I have crushes on all three of them. When I get to Hollywood I’m going to ask Alana on a date.

John Lennon - Mind Games

There’s so much post Beatles music I feel like I’ll never get through it all. I’m usually turned off by Lennon’s cynical lyrically driven basic rock songs but there’s some really good stuff on this album.

Kevin Morby - City Music

New music that sounds old. This album is great and led me to listen to a bunch of his old stuff too. If you don’t know Morby listen to Singing Saw, Harlem River, and follow him on Instagram.

LCD Soundsystem - american dream

I’m more into dance music than I’ve ever been. Not EDM but music by bands that makes you dance. Also my friends got to see them live in New Orleans and I’m definitely not jealous and didn’t have FOMO the whole time they were there and I was back in Vancouver.

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffit

Zeppelin’s best album that isn’t made up of songs completely stolen from black musicians.

Loving - Loving

Cool easy listening woozy Mac DeMarco rip off tunes.

Nick Hakim - Green Twins

Cool soulful spacey psych music that doesn’t cross into sounding like Hozier.

Paul McCartney - Pure McCartney

Best of Paul who is the best Beatle.

Shintaro Sakamoto - various

Awesome Japanese psych pop.

Steely Dan - Aja

The best of all dad/yacht/jazz rock there is. The bench mark for easy listening melodic rock. I listened to I Got The News probably 200 times this year.

The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

I call bullshit on every music writer who put this in their year end list. No one has played this album past like track 5. It all sounds the same.

NUMBER ONE BEST THING ON THE SPOTIFY OF 2017

Mac DeMarco - This Old Dog

I love Mac. I want to be his friend. Actually I just want his life. I follow him and Kiera on Instagram. His cover of Wonderful Christmastime he just put out is great. I hope Mr. DeMarco keeps making music for decades. What a guy. He doesn’t even shave or dress up when he goes on network late night talk shows. Unfortunately I don’t go to his concerts anymore because they used to be $20 and now they’re like $60. Anyway man keep doing your thing. I don’t care if I come across as a mindless hipster who happens to also roll up his pants. I like your songs. You write great lyrics about love and life. You can shred guitar. Your live cover of Reeling In The Years is amazing. I still laugh about the time I saw you cover Enter Sandman and Smoke On the Water. Mac 4ever.

Well that about does it. Hope you all had a great Christmas and a great time reading this. I’m gonna go put visine in my eyes and watch Elf.

Love, David. (go watch Gritzmore Season One and email it to all those network executives you’re secretly friends with)(here’s a picture of me in my dad’s old clothes)