#and what netflix did with other shows that succeeded after the first season

[gear5luffy21]

I believe that Season 2 is gonna longer then season 1. I don't see why they would spilt the Alabasta arc it would be better to be together then have season 3 be Skypiea and so on. Since they wanna aim for about 12 seasons that would fit all the arcs. You have 6 pre timeskip and 6 post timeskip but it make be more depending.

Jacob's video for Usopp's birthday was set up to follow his character's lies. They end up coming true. And he stated it would be a longer season and I believe that is true.

Season 1 was short due to testing the waters on Netflix. But now its a success Netflix will allow more episodes per season.

I don't think much will be cut at all. Mainly the filler arc just before reverse mountain.

This is more just me specificating cause a lot of people still think its gonna be 8 episodes.

At most they might spilt the season release dates instead of all at once but thats a maybe

[msfbgraves]

I am ready to be disappointed and angry with CKs6 part 2. The writers are in love with both Johnny and Kreese and seem to dislike Daniel for being sweet and successful and for not being masculine the way Johnny is and resent Terry because of his enormous popularity and immense charm. They are eager to show the first two redemption (undeserved) and give (Johnny) everything (totally undeserved) while making Daniel suffer and be made to be less, and have Terry also suffer and die for being evil (but Kreese gets redeemed????). F*ck this show. It ended for me personally in season 5 and so like to think that Daniel and Terry ended up together, Sam and Tory got married, and Robby became president and hugely successful and loved while Johnny got hit by a car and no one cared.

I'm ready to be surprised by part 2, Nonnie, because I know that Netflix would never let them write what the only consistent happy ending would be for this show. And that is them all ending up in a big polyamorous commune. Amanda and Daniel open their house up to Johnny, Carmen, Miguel, their baby, Robby and Tory; Lucille finds Rosa a fantastic apartment on the beach with other cooky grandmas, Robby joins the auto business while Miguel goes to a top end university, sponsored, of course, by LaRusso Auto, Sam and Tory become edgy lesbians together, maybe they move to NYC, for Sam to study and for Tory to become an activist (activist first, then she finds something to study there, maybe goes to community college first on the principle of the thing to end up in one of the top law or politics programs nationwide), Amanda sits Johnny down for a very stern talking to: either he toes the line at the dealership or he becomes an actual certified tradesman or they won't let him use the dojo. And no, Johnny, you're not running your own dojo, ya failed. Yes, you're going to have to run the classes sometimes because she and Daniel are... Busy. Daniel is needed in Okinawa a lot. She and Carmen need time for themselves. And yes, Silver has kidnapped Daniel again. Yes, she's working on getting him b - oh, hi, babe! Enter Daniel with messed up hair, a dopey smile and the most fucked out, glazed over look in his eyes you've ever seen. Johnny is like: "Man, he's really done a number on you this time, huh?" and Daniel is like "Yeah 🤪" and Johnny is like "You OK with this, Amanda?" And she's like: "We'll get him next time" and Daniel is like "Yeah 🥰" and Anthony comes in with the newest iPhone saying: "Thanks, Uncle Terry" before he goes on a date with Kenny and Daniel reminds him to be there for the family planning trip to Okinawa. Kreese has been released but he's raving alone in a piss soaked bar.

As we're not getting that, well...

Honestly I am so surprised at why they did Terry so dirty. I understand that they like to subvert expectations, what with giving the ponytale to someone else but Terry isn't Kreese's wimpy sidekick, never has been. He defers to Kreese because he adores the man, not because he couldn't step in if he wanted to. Kreese wants to give up and Terry doesn't let him, do we remember? He sends him to Tahiti and then gets his dojo back. Would have succeeded too, if not for Daniel LaRusso Derangement Syndrome. And Kreese left him as per their own decision, and Terry had a pretty level headed initial reaction to it. Would have succeeded in staying away, too, if not, AGAIN, for Daniel LaRusso Derangement Syndrome. Which is something the writers can't acknowledge but the editors can! The initial longer scene between Kreese and Terry gave far less weight to the "Danny boi?!" than the edited version did. And then the whole scene where Terry is basically over the past when Kreese is raving about feeling slighted. The only time he really commits is after Daniel rejected him and the writers are like: "All of this is about Terry's jealousy of - tada! Johnny Lawrence!" Terry doesn't care one iota about Johnny Lawrence's existence, all of that had to be written in in the weird ooc flashback scenes. Thomas does not care. I like the dynamic these four create: Johnny has this thing with Kreese which Daniel is immune to, Daniel is in a deathmatch with Terry whom Johnny is completely immune to, and both John and Terry and Daniel and Johnny are childhood frenemies. But the writers are still standing there with a bullhorn like "Nohooo, this is all about Johnny!!" It's how Harry Potter should have ended up with Hermione but JKR was like: "No! Look HOW COOL Ginny is! And Hermione ends up with Ron!" And then the fandom was like, um... "They are terrible people" and JKR was: "That's right! I, too, am a terrible person!" And the more tightly they cling to their Johnny worship the more objectively strange the choices are they make these characters make. There is no objective reason why Robby wouldn't simply have moved back in with Daniel. There is also no reason why Daniel would tell Johnny not to teach karate as a profession. Some people might welcome an alternative to Cobra Kai. There's also no reason not to charge a fee. He's a businessman, and that is terrible business. Johnny would have been SO fired after that hissy fit at the dealership. If this had been all about Kreese, the whole of S5 makes NO SENSE, because Terry dropped Cobra Kai years ago and he could have done it now, CK run into the ground, Kreese in jail, back to Malibu's mimosas. His mission was thoroughly accomplished in S4. And now they've made Miyagi "I hate fighting" and "Don't know how tournaments work" and "Why need belt? You know you good" into someone who keeps memorabilia of his Sekai Taikai captaincy under a floor board. Sure. He brings out the notice of his wife's and baby's death once a year to get drunk over, he was a WW II Medal of Honor winner, he would have fought Sato to the death for honor but the Sekai Taikai past he can't face? And how old would he even have been? Was this before he met Sakiko? Must have been because otherwise he was way past college age. I mean really. If this was before the war - the only timeline that makes sense - after the war he could only have snorted at his playfighting past and thrown it all out. Still, even then it does not make sense because someone who would rather run than fight Sato for Yukie would not be so hellbent on getting into that tournament. And if he somehow was, he would still know how tournaments work and have no reason to conceal that knowledge from Daniel in the first All Valley. And if he did know he would also know about the skills part of a karate tournament and would not have to answer Daniel's "Can you do that?" with: "Don't know. Never been attacked by tree."

But they don't care about the story they're milking. They only care about a lifelong, fictional grudge.

[tetsurouskuro]

Reunion

pairing: bokuto koutarou x fem!reader

warnings: fluff, smut, slight angst, breeding kink, unprotected sex, public sex, bokuto does the kabedon

word count: 5,006

a/n: this is my submission for the Haikyuu Headquarters second NSFW server collab! this time it’s the prompt “Guess I’ll just have to cum inside you.” you can find the masterlist HERE by the amazing @vixen-scribbles who is my queen so go give her a follow! 💖

thank you @deathcab4daddy​ & @gallickingun​ for beta reading, ily guys so much (go give them a follow if you aren’t already)! 💖

now enjoy; feedback is always appreciated! <3

tag list: @miamiya (message me if you want to be included)

Synopsis: Three years has passed since you got your heart broken by your one true love Bokuto Koutarou. A high school reunion is about to take place at Fukurodani Academy. What will happen when you finally meet your ex boyfriend? 

MASTERLIST!

≫ ----- ≪·•♕•·≫ ----- ≪

Your eyes scanned the invitation card from your high school. Reading every word that’s written. A high school reunion. The thought alone makes you think of him. Wondering how he’s doing. He may be your ex and the boy who broke your heart, but he was your first and still to this day, your only love, and you knew why he did it. He had his reasons.

He had talked you through it before you both graduated high school. He had told you that he wanted to focus on volleyball and that he was going to move away from Tokyo, and you were not the type to try and stop him. You wanted him to succeed. You also had to think about your future and what you wanted to achieve. Both of you went your separate ways, heartbroken that you could not be together anymore.

Bokuto succeeded in achieving his dream. He was playing in big arenas with huge crowds, on TV and he was a well-known volleyball player. The number 4 ace and captain from Fukurodani made it big, just like he promised you all those years ago.

You sighed and placed the card onto your fridge. There was still one week left until the reunion, and it wasn’t like Bokuto would show up. He was busy with volleyball, especially since a new season just started. 

You sigh and turn around to grab the warm coffee cup and head to your couch. Once seated you turn on Netflix and start a random show. Grabbing your phone, you go to the search bar on Facebook and search for your ex-boyfriend. Once the two of you had broken up you had unfriended him immediately. You knew it was going to be hard to get over him, so to save you from having to see his posts and face on Facebook, you removed him.

He’s the first one that pops up. You share mutual friends, so it isn’t that weird. You go to pictures and see him with all sorts of different people, smiling and laughing. Sometimes even looking, upset?

Sighing you close the application, lock your phone, and toss it next to you on the couch. Closing your eyes, you throw your head back against the headrest, hoping and praying that Bokuto doesn’t show up to the reunion.

≫ ----- ≪·•♕•·≫ ----- ≪

Wearing a black evening gown with a front slit, thin shoulder straps, and a pair of black heels you step into the big gymnasium where the rest of all the third years are gathered. A waitress walks up to you with a tray in hand, offering you a welcome drink, probably champagne. You take a glass and nod your thanks. Taking a sip, you sigh and take in your surroundings. People are standing in groups, chatting, and laughing. You see Yamato, Konoha, Haruki, Yukie, and Kaori in the middle. Konoha looks your way and you lock eyes. He smiles widely and waves you over. The rest of the gang turns around and sees you too, all of them start to yell at you to rush over.

You smile at them and head towards the squad.

“(y/n)! you’re here!” Yukie excitedly exclaims.

“Yes. Here I am,” you laugh. “How’s everyone? Haven’t seen you all in ages.”

 You stand there talking with everyone. You chug the rest of your glass and turn around to grab another just as a round of applause is heard. You follow everyone’s gaze and see someone enter the gymnasium.

“Hey, hey, heeeeeey!” The voice echoes. A familiar voice.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit!” You chant and shove your champagne glass to Yukie. “I need to use the loo.”

“Wait- (y/n)!” She yells after you, but you’re already headed for the door that leads you towards the nearest toilet.

Your heart is beating hard, you can feel your pulse rising. Adrenaline has kicked in and you feel nervous. You’re breathing heavily as you reach the door, turning around slightly to just peek at the man that has made you react this way.

He hasn’t spotted you yet. He’s surrounded by girls and boys, welcoming their former ace to the reunion. You stand there, the door slightly opened, your body halfway through the doorframe and take him in.

He’s wearing ripped black jeans, a matching black tee, black vans, and a light blue jean jacket. His hair is spiked the same way as usual and his golden eyes are filled with happiness. He laughs loudly and scans the room like he’s looking for someone and then his orbs land on you. The way he gazes at you makes your whole-body shiver and you feel like you can’t breathe. You stand still, watching him watch you for a second more until you turn your body back and go through the door and towards the ladies’ room.

Once inside you stand by the door, back against it, trying to control your breathing.

Okay (y/n), calm down! Act normal and don’t freak out!

After 5 minutes you turn around and push the door and walk out, walking back to the gymnasium. You pass a hallway when suddenly-

“(y/n)?”

“Jesus fucking christ!” You jump. “Don’t scare me like that.” You exclaim and turn around and are met with a pair of golden eyes.

“Ah sorry,” Bokuto speaks, his hand rubbing the back of his head. “I just wanted to see how you were feeling. You rushed out so fast.”

“I’m fine,” you sigh. “I just needed to use the toilet.”

“Oh. Okay.” There’s a long pause. Both of you are silent.

“Bokuto-kun!” A female voice yells out, interrupting the awkward silence and you turn around to see where the female is.

“I should head back. Yukie is probably waiting for me,” you lie. “It was nice seeing you Bokuto,” you smile at him and turn around to leave, but he grabs you by the forearm and pulls you towards him.

“Let’s take a walk around the school. I don’t wanna head back just yet.”

“Bokuto I-“

“Please (y/n)? I haven’t seen you in ages and I just wanna talk.”

“Fine,” you sigh.

“Great,” he smiles. “Let’s go then!” He grabbed your hand instead and intertwined his fingers with yours as he dragged you down the hallway and escaped the voice of the girl that was calling his name.

He suddenly stops outside of your old classroom and you both stand there, panting and trying to control each other’s breathing.

“Felt like a teenager doing that,” he laughs. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just need a moment.” Still panting, you stay silent, and watch his tall frame. You stand up straight and clear your throat. Bokuto turns his body sideways and looks at you.

“Do you think it’s open?”

“I don’t know, but what do you wanna talk about Bokuto?” You speak up, wanting to get away from this situation. “We broke up. We’re exes, we’re not supposed to be like this.”

The silence returns, Bokuto’s eyes never leaving yours. You watch him, still out of breath you feel an aching pain in your chest. You fist both of your hands beside your body, tears starting to form in your eyes.

“I- shit,” you curse and let out a small laugh. “I need to leave.” You’re just about to turn around when Bokuto’s right arm slams itself on the wall to your left, stopping you in your tracks. You press your back to the wall and raise your head so you can meet his gaze. His tall frame towering over you.

“Don’t,” he sighs. “Don’t leave.” You don’t listen to his plea and try to leave again but this time he slams his left arm on the wall, caging you in.

“Bokuto. Let me go!”

“No!”

“I- What?”

“I came to this reunion mainly so I could see you,” he pauses before continuing. “I made up my mind that if you came, I would try to get you back, ‘cause I still fucking love you.” His golden eyes stare right into yours. You can see the determination in them.

“The way we broke things off, I should never have ended it that way. We shouldn’t have ended it that way. If I could go back and change it, I would’ve made you come with me. I was stupid to let you go.”

“Bokuto, I-“

“And stop calling me Bokuto!” he fumes. “You never called me that while we were dating and-“

“We’re not dating now!” You respond, interrupting him.

“I know!” He slams his right fist on the wall, making you jump. You have never seen Bokuto this upset before, not even when you broke up.

“I’m sorry. Shit (y/n) I’m so sorry I don’t know what came over me. I-“

“It’s okay, Bo! It’s… fine,” you sigh out that last word. You let your head hang low, watching the ground, seeing how close his body is to you. You gulp, trying to contain your thoughts. You haven’t had any sexual contact with anyone for as long as you can remember, and seeing Bokuto now, here, this close makes you clench your thighs together. But you would not let your sexual desires over him take over. If he wanted you back, he had to tell you, and apologize.

“When I- We broke up I did it because I wanted to focus on volleyball.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“Wait, let me finish.” You stay silent and let him continue.

“I wanted you to come with me, I wanted you with me so badly and I thought that I couldn’t let you come with me because I didn’t want you to stop chasing your dreams. Volleyball was my ambition, not yours.” He pauses for a second, collecting his thoughts and breathing before continuing. 

“But I was wrong and dumb. I didn’t ask what you wanted, I just assumed and chose for you. I should’ve talked it out with you, asked you if you wanted to come with me and I didn’t. I fucked up,” he takes a deep breath before yet again continuing talking, expressing his emotions.

“Over these past few years, I haven’t been able to let you go. You were always on my mind. You had taken over my head so bad that I started seeing things. Seeing you on the streets, in the audience while I was playing. I never stopped thinking about you. I even stalked your Facebook multiple times and-”

“You stalked my Facebook?” You look up, watching him. Your heart beating fast against your ribcage.

“Yeah, not my proudest moment but I did. I needed to see your face, needed to see what you were doing, and if you were seeing someone. If you were as miserable as I was,” he sighs, his eyes watching yours. “Please (y/n) I am desperate. I want you back. Give me a second chance. I need you back in my life. If you just give me a small chance, I will prove it to you that I will be one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.”

Bokuto sighs out loudly, like he was in pain, and places a kiss on top of your head before sinking so his eyes are in front of yours. His face just mere inches from yours.

“Just give me one chance. Just one so I can have you back. I want you (y/n). I want to be able to call you mine again. I just need one-“

You decide to instead of using words you crash your lips against his. Cutting him off mid-sentence, wrapping your arms around his neck. It only takes Bokuto a few seconds to respond by kissing you back, his body pressing itself close to yours, his forearms bracing him on the wall.  

You break off the kiss, bite your lip, and look into his golden shimmering eyes. “I never stopped loving you either.”

“Really? I expected you to have a boyfriend or fiancé by now.”

“No,” you groan. “I tried dating, but nobody compares to you.” He smiles widely at your words. Like a kid on Christmas morning.

“I’ll try to give you everything I can Bo, I’ll try-“

“Everything means nothing if I can’t have you (y/n)!” Blushing you look down, but Bokuto grabs your face in his hands and presses a kiss on your lips again. And again. You fist a handful of his shirt in your palms and press your body close to his, feeling his semi poking you and showing how much he wants you.

“You’re mine, (y/n). I love you so much,” he moans against your lips and then pushes his tongue inside of your mouth. His hands moving to grab your ass, pushing your pelvis against his. “I’m gonna prove it to you. I need you now. No time to waste.”

He pushes himself off you and turns around, trying to open your old classroom door and to his luck it does. His wide smile is back as he ushers you in.

“Wait- Bo! We can’t, not here.”

“Aww c’mon baby, it’ll be fun and besides,” he pauses, still looking at you as he undoes his belt. “I always wanted to fuck you in this classroom back in the day.”

His sentence makes you hurry inside, and you look around the now unfamiliar classroom. You hear Bokuto close and lock the door, the sound of his zipper being pulled down makes you turn around and face him. His pants are undone but still around his hips.

“Come here baby,” obeying, you take a few steps forward and stop once you’re in front of him. Both of his hands grab you by the waist and pull you forward, his lips instantly crashing to yours. His lips don’t stay on yours too long as they start to travel down the side of your neck towards your exposed collarbone. While his lips are giving your upper body some attention, his hands push your dress up, exposing your black lace thong to his fingertips.

Bokuto recognizes the material and stops his movements just so he can peek at your underwear. He grunts.

“Do you… like them?”

“I love them, baby. Jesus Christ.” Bokuto’s lips return to yours, his index and middle finger tracing the outline of your slit, making you squirm. He then removes them and ushers you to get up on one of the desks, and you do, but not before you remove your thong as sexy as you can, and throw it on the ground nearby.

“Babe, you’re gonna be the death of me!” he exclaims in a groan and hurries back to you. His body standing between your thighs. A slight breeze passes making you shudder, your nipples peek through your dress. Bokuto notices this and instantly with both of his hands, he pushes your dress down your arms and chest, making your breast spring free.

“Haven’t touched these girls in years,” he speaks while palming them both. “So beautiful.”

“Bo- I-“

“Shh love. It’s all about you now,” he removes his right hand just so he can tease your opening. Lubricating your core with your wetness before inserting a finger inside you, making you moan and throw your head back.

“Baby. Look at me,” he groans. You pull your head back and watch him. He removes his left hand and places it beside you, bracing all his weight on it while his other hand is occupied with your cunt. His finger going in and out of you, your walls clamping around him tightly. He snickers at how wet you feel around him and adds another finger, his middle and ring finger are fucking you slowly, too slow for your liking.

“Bokuto, please. I want more,” you moan.

“Easy now baby, I wanna savor this moment. Feeling your wet cunt around my fingers after such a long time,” he grunts. “God baby, you’re so wet.”

“I know, it’s all for you Bokuto.”

He licks his lips seductively and leans in closer to you, his breath hits your neck and makes your whole body shudder. His tongue comes out and licks you up from your collarbone to your ear, nibbling at your earlobe and making you let out a sigh in pleasure.

“Do you like that, hmm?” He snickers. “Do you like my fingers inside you (y/n)?”

“Y-Yes Bo, I-I love them,” you moan. He lets out a slight “fuck” as he rests his forehead on your shoulder and thrusts his digits harder inside your wet and aching core. Wanting you to cum so badly. He arches his fingers inside you, making them hit your g-spot.

“Bo, please. I’m so close,” you groan. “I want to cum so badly, please.” You keep on whining to him, the once familiar feeling returning to the pit of your stomach. The pressure in your lower abdomen is getting higher and higher. Your legs start to shake and in just a couple of seconds, you’re releasing yourself around his fingers, your right-hand wraps itself around his wrist, nails digging into his soft skin as you moan out loudly from orgasming. 

“Kou!” you scream, your walls clamping themselves around him, his fingers still going in and out of you, your legs shaking and your pelvis grinding itself on his hand. Eyes closed and mouth wide open and panting, trying to get your breathing under control.

After a minute, you open your eyes and are met by a smug smile as he removes his fingers and raises his hand to his lips, licking your juices off his fingers while still maintaining eye contact with you. 

“I missed the taste of you baby,” he groans. His long fingers going inside that beautiful mouth of his. A big smile on his lips, his excitement palpable. 

Once he has licked his fingers clean, he moves his hands to his pants and starts to pull them down his long legs along with his briefs, his cock springing free and colliding with his lower abdomen. Precum leaking from the tip. 

Your eyes are glued on his hard member. It’s as beautiful as you remember, two veins going around his shaft, the pink head craving attention. 

Your eyes never leave his crotch as his hand goes down and wraps itself around his hard cock, moving up and down slowly.

“You’re so eager, I love it baby, so sexy when you look at me like that,” his voice speaks, making you look up and meet his golden eyes. He takes a small step forward and with his hand that’s around his cock he traces your lips, mixing his precum with your wetness. 

“Wait Kou- Condom!” You moan. The fact that you managed to even utter those words surprised you, but you didn’t know who he’s been with.

“I didn’t bring one,” he answers. “Guess I’ll just have to cum inside you instead,” he groans and rams himself inside you. Your walls clenching around him tightly. Your heat making his cock twitch from excitement. 

“Fuck Kou, you- you feel amazing.”

“Fuck, you’re so tight, baby. I can feel you pulsating around me.” He’s still for a moment, letting you get used to him. Had he gotten bigger since you last were with him? Or had it just been such a long time since you’ve had sex? It didn’t matter to you, you loved the feeling of him stretching your walls, making your tight cunt ache for him to move.

His hips backtrack only to force themself back to you, colliding and hitting your g-spot, making you throw your head back and grip the edge of the table hard. Your eyes are closed as you take in all the pleasure that he’s giving you. He repeats the same action, he grunts and you moan at the friction.

“Baby look at me,” he moans, his hand going to your cheek, holding it with his large palm. “I want you to look at me.”

You answer him by moaning, opening your (y/e/c) eyes looking at him, pleasure displayed on his handsome face as he starts to increase both his speed and the power of his thrusts. His hips colliding against yours with a strong force. The pleasure is displayed on your face, a lewd look as you’re loving the way he continues to ram himself inside of you.

“I’m gonna cum inside of that pretty cunt, baby. I’m gonna fill you up with my cum,” he moans loudly, not caring if anyone hears him. He loved the excitement of knowing you could get busted having sex in your old classroom but he didn’t care. He had craved you for 3 long years and he wasn’t going to let this moment pass up. 

“I want a future with you,” he continues. “I want to marry you. I want to get you pregnant.” 

This makes your cunt clench for him. Your walls clamping themselves tightly around him. Marrying him? Pregnant? 

"Oh, you'd like that baby? You want me to breed you, baby?" His thrust hits hard, his cock going deep into your core. His eyes travel down, watching his cock going and out of you. The wetness surrounding it like lube, making it easy for him to thrust in and out of you. His gaze is locked on where both of you connect, watching the way your cunt swallows him whole.

"Fuck baby. Beg for me to fill you, I know you love the feel of my cum inside you."

"Oh god Kou, please fill me with your cum. Breed me," you almost sing. Your voice is filled with all kinds of emotions, pleasure consuming you.

"You want me to breed you, baby? Fill you up with all my sperm," he moans, his hands holding your hips in place as his thrusts got deeper and deeper inside you. The tip of his cock grazing your g-spot viciously, the pressure in your abdomen getting stronger after each thrust. The thought of you swollen with his child made him even harder and closer to reaching his climax. 

"Cum for me baby, I want you to cum for me. Cum with me. I'm so close," his thrusts get sloppier and you know he is near his release. 

"Cum with me Koutarou. Let's do it together."

"Fuck (y/n)," his whole body stills as he ejaculates inside you. The warmth of his semen spurting in you, coating your walls and you follow him soon afterward. Your eyes roll to the back of your head as you coat his cock with your release. 

Your body is shaking from the intense orgasm you just had, your teeth biting into your lower lip and you feel him move, his still hard cock going in and out of you. Bokuto is making sure that his cum doesn’t come out, to make sure you’re bred and hoping you get pregnant from this. 

"Mhm Kou," you moan. Your eyes glance up to his face. A big smile was plastered on his lips. 

"That was so hot baby. I want more."

"I don't think I can stand," you giggle. His eyes are watching you, the smile on your face making his heart squeeze harder and being filled with all his love for you. 

"What now?" Your tender voice asks. 

"I'm waiting."

"... On what?" 

"For you to calm down before I go for round two,” he smirks. 

“W-Wait. Hold on. Round two?”

“You didn’t think I was already finished with you, baby? I’m just getting started.” With that being said, he flips you over. The action making his cock get pulled out from your heat. 

You’re bent over and your front is pressed against the now warm desk. His hands start to caress your body, from the base of your neck to your naked ass. He gives your ass some attention before slapping each cheek, making you jump from the sudden action.

"I could just cum from the sight of you," he grunts. "I'm gonna cum inside you again, to make sure you're bred."

"Kou-tarou~," you moan as he enters you without warning, his cock rock hard and coated in both your juices and his semen. His hands holding your hips still as he thrusts deep inside you. Ramming his cock hard into your wet and tight core. His fingertips are digging hard into your flawless skin, leaving a mark but you don’t care. The only thing that’s going through your mind right now is the way his cock is pounding into your wet and swollen cunt.

"I won't stop until you're dripping with my cum, to be sure you're pregnant with my child," he almost screams. "Jesus fuck baby the way you clench around me is wonderful."

Your cunt clenches harder around his cock, the thought of being pregnant with his child makes you reach some kind of bliss that you never thought you could. The soft image pops up in your mind for a second, but it’s soon gone as one of his hands grabs your shoulder, his other following suit.

You can feel his semen leaking out as he continues to ram into you, and you know he notices it cause he lets out a snicker. 

"My cum is seeping out of your pussy, but I'll fill you up again baby. I'll fill you up again and again."

"Kou- I'm gonna cum again," you moan. Your left hand holding the edge of the desk while your right one is in front of you, trying to grab something and it does as Bokuto's right hand comes forward and intertwines with yours, clamping around it. His body pressed against yours. Feeling his breath on your neck.

"Say it, baby, say what I want to hear."

"P-Put a baby inside me Koutarou please."

"Fuck yes," he moans vocally, biting down on your neck as he fills your cunt with his cum, the feel of his cum inside you again makes you clench around him and you reach your climax. 

"Yeah, my cum makes you orgasm so fucking hard right baby?"

"Mhm," you answer, too worn out to even form your own words. 

You press the side of your face on the desk and close your eyes. You're breathing heavily, so is Bokuto. His warm breath hitting your neck, making goosebumps form on all of your body. 

"(y/n)?"

"Yeah?" 

"I'm getting soft."

"Oh my god!" You giggle. 

"Stop. You're making me fall out, stop it!" This makes you laugh out loud, this man who just minutes ago went all sex god on you is now filled with concern. 

"Are you alright though? I wasn't too hard? Or rough? Or-"

"Baby, you were perfect," you answer in a giggle, interrupting his worrying self. 

There's a comfortable silence surrounding you both, not a single word is uttered. The only sound is the sound of your breathing. 

Suddenly you feel him move and pull himself out of you. Bokuto is fast with tucking himself inside his briefs and pulling his pants up, buckling his belt too. While doing this, you feel his cum seeping out from your hole.

"Hold on I'm on it," his voice speaks and you can hear him look for something to clean you up with. "This will do."

He's back fast and with some paper towels that are not very nice to your lady parts, and he cleans you up. The feeling of the paper made you wince, both from being sensitive and roughly fucked by your ex and now boyfriend, but also from the paper not being soft enough for your liking. 

"I'm done, there," he softly speaks, his voice filled with tenderness but also worry, that it was hurting you. He wasn't. He was doing something so much more, and you loved him for that. 

Getting up and getting dressed was the part where it got uncomfortable for you, his eyes stared at you as you dressed, fixing both your gown and hair, making it not look like you’ve just been fucked. 

Your thoughts wander to what had just happened. Was this just some kind of roleplay or did he want to impregnate you? Not that it mattered for you, you couldn’t care less because you got what you had wanted for years. Him.

Once you’re done you turn around and see that Bokuto is already watching you, a big smile on his lips. 

"What?"

"Nothing. You’re just so beautiful I can stare at you all night.”

"I-" you blush. “Thank you.”

"Now,” he says as he takes a small step forward and grabs you by the waist, pulling you closer to him. His smile still there and you can see how his eyes are glowing. 

“I love you,” he kisses you. “I love you so much (y/n). You’re the love of my life.”

"Again."

"Huh?" He turns his head to the side, not knowing what you mean. 

"Say it again. I need to hear it again." With confidence, he grabs your face in his hands and holds you in place. His eyes watching yours and with the softest smile on his lips, he says: 

"I love you.”

"I love you too." You sigh in happiness and he seals your lips with a passionate kiss. Both of you smiling through the kiss in pure bliss. 

He pulls away and grabs your hand and starts to lead you out of the classroom and in the opposite direction of the party. Confusion consumes you as you speak.

"Kou, baby. The party is that way," you giggle and point down the other side of the hall. 

"I know. We're not returning."

"We're not?" You ask in confusion.

"No."

"Why not?" He stops in his tracks and you collide with his rock hardback. He turns around, smirking.

"We have 3 years of lovemaking to do and I want you in my bed when doing that." He returns and walks you out and into the parking lot, leading to his car and a future of you and him together again. Nothing could stop you now.

[olderthannetfic]

‘first kill just wasn't good' yeah neither is heartstopper, and yet with (proportionally, someone did the math accounting for runtime) less engagement from viewership it got greenlit for two more seasons while FK got killed after one.//

🙄🙄🙄engagement alone doesn’t matter, what also matters is the demographic of the engagement (amongst other things). New Girl continued to get greenlit instead of shows with more engagement, due to the fact the New Girls demographics skewed heavily 18-45, educated women (a major purchasing/advertising demographic AND a notoriously difficult one to grasp <— this demo tends to spread itself around shows more than say the adolescent boy demo does). If your show has high penetration in a particular demo that’s ALSO a major targeted demo, it’s more likely to continue, even if it’s numbers may be lower than another show with penetration amongst multiple demographics. One (just ONE) reason is that it’s easier to create ads that appeal to a single demo as opposed to an ad that appeals to say rural, white adolescent boys and millennial college-educated urban women. Also easier to sell ad SPACE, as it’s easier to feed with clearly defined markers

--

Netflix also cares about buzz because their business model is to get you in the door because you're curious, then turn into a recurring charge on your credit card you don't bother to get rid of.

I don't like teen shows, so I haven't watched either, but both critics and queer teens I know said First Kill just wasn't that good, while Heartstopper was well made if bland.

(And no, people responding to say FK was fun-bad: my friends were bitterly disappointed and found it boring-bad, especially the central ship. This is a "we were all rooting for you" situation.)

Some First Kill fans are desperate for this to be some unfair conspiracy of people who hate f/f media, but it's more likely Netflix just looked at the critical reviews and decided FK wouldn't attract new subscribers and Heartstopper would.

We also don't have any clear numbers on how much the two shows cost. Better viewership doesn't matter if a show is vastly more expensive. FK certainly looks cheap, but we don't know what the actual budget was.

It's true that other shitty shows have unfairly succeeded before. The world isn't fair. But fans are always very dumb about these situations.

[blorbosexterminator]

What do you think of the first teaser? Its like... Its not Andres de fonollosa.

My reaction was... "I can watch this till the end" while suffering. Why am I feeling like this? 🥲

The first thoughts I had are:

They are really trying hard to make Andrés younger (not fully succeeding but I don't care to be honest, their intention shows and this is all that matters) which might confirm that this whole show either takes place before meeting Martín (and Jakov) or at least very early on, and which also has some indication that Alex Pina is going as far as he can in the past (while still having his fun little knockoff gang) to be able to make up to three seasons or more if Netflix allows it.

They are Moscow-izing the hell out of Damian haha. Not personality-wise exactly (that might a little more Sergio) but definitely parental guidance role, and I really think Moscow-like death for Andrés or otherwise. There are also equal visible trials aging up Damian as there are aging down down Andrés, which I think is because they are going out for a visible 10 years or so age difference between them.

Physically speaking (and age-wise haha), this Damian is more likely to be Rafael's father than Andrés is. Watch as their fall-out is Andrés discovering that Damian is his son's real father and he fucked his first wife haha then only after do we see Andrés accept Rafael because Andrés is allergic to his own offspring.

Keila is an an annoying stereotype that I will probably have less pleasure watching than I did Río and most likely to have an obnoxious romance with Andrés.

Non-Keila woman super hot

Roi has cool vibes but my acceptance of him is conditioned on a very important matter: him dying in the end. If he doesn't, I'll take it back. But he seems like a nice kid, out of all of them so far, he's the easiest for me to tolerate. Bruce has decent vibes too, but to a lesser extent because he's a knockoff.

I won't lie anon, I also had this jerk-knee reaction. It really feels like a different Andrés. Not in a good way. I think it's just normal as a first reaction anyway. This IS very different ground.

The one good thing I can take from this is that it's very obviously trying to put it around ten years before the monastery. Despite Pina never going to admit it lol. And other than the berlermo aspect, I can also really enjoy the depiction of Andrés in his youth, while still in formation, still the Berlin we know hasn't fully formed, under the guidance of someone who has a very different nature. Those are things that can be done well! (Or have no place in the show at all lmfao depends on Pina's mood)

[theviscountbridgerton]

Why do you think Bridgerton has been such a success?

It was a perfect storm of all the right ingredients coming together at the perfect time.

Firstly there’s the holy trinity of Shonda Rhimes, Netflix and Julia Quinn

Shonda is the queen of television. There’s a reason she’s the highest paid showrunner in the world. And even if she wasn’t really hands on for Bridgerton, the whole project is infused with her magic touch. She was the person who read the books and realised the potential in them. Historical romance has always been completely ignored by film and tv makers. If it’s not Austen or Dickens, they don’t want to know. Shonda knew better. She bought the rights to the books and used her power and position in Netflix to bring them to the screen. She gave the show to her protege, Chris Van Dusen, who deserves a lot of credit for what he has achieved. There are very few showrunners who are household names and Shonda is one. She’s known worldwide, her name is recognised. People who had never heard of Bridgerton had heard of Shonda and they tuned in.

Netflix believed in Shonda. They took a gamble on her when they signed a $100 million deal with her and when she came along and said I want to do this thing that nobody has done before, they fully backed her. The budget for Bridgerton is enormous. Other companies might not have let Shonda and Chris take the risks they did with the show, but Netflix did. They invested heavily and it paid off. They promoted the show, which can’t be said for a lot of the shows they produce. And because they’re the largest streaming service in the world they can reach an audience that no other company can. 

Julia Quinn. There are multitude of books, authors and series from the genre that could have been adapted. It’s not that Julia Quinn’s books are so much better than anybody else’s that only hers could have succeeded. In a lot of ways Julia won the lottery because Shonda had nothing else to read and picked up one of hers. But she is an established author with a massive fanbase. The books have been around for 20 years so they have a fanbase of their own. People who have been reading this genre for years know them and people who are new to the genre know them.

There are other factors too. 

For women, by women. Historical romance is a massively popular genre, totally overlooked and underestimated because it’s mostly for women and by women. Fans of the genre have been crying out for decades for shows like this and have been ignored because how can something be successful if only women like it? As if women don’t consume media voraciously. There’s been a trend over the past decade to try and make films and shows that target all the demographics - so instead of just catering for a female audience romcoms now try to target men as well to increase the audience. And what happened? Interest in romcoms has declined. It’s not because there’s no appetite for romcoms, it’s because the audience that normally eats it up was being turned off. Bridgerton is unashamedly for women. 

The diversity. Before the show was released, I had an ask from an Anon who was worried that the diversity of the show would hurt it because racist trolls were downvoting it on IMDb. But the diversity has been one of its greatest strengths. People who don’t normally get to see themselves represented on screen as Dukes and Queens and the heroic love interest, got to see all that in Bridgerton and they embraced the show because of it. I don’t think the show got it perfect by any means but it can and hopefully will do even better in future seasons.

Sex Sells. It does. We’ve seen it with Game of Thrones and 50 Shades of Grey. They got attention because of the graphic sex scenes. People talk about it. The media talks about it. People are titillated and tune in to see those scenes.

The hook. It’s Jane Austen meets gossip girl. Easy, simple. Nothing complicated or strange about that. And who doesn’t want to listen to Julie Andrews being catty and saying bitch? For whatever reason, we’re fascinated by the lives of the rich and famous. We always have been. Look at how incredibly popular the Kardashians are and what have they ever done apart from be rich and famous? Look at the level of interest in the British royal family all over the world. Why? Prince Harry is 6th in line to the British throne and Meghan Markle is a c-list actress. Prince William and Kate are two of the most boring, uninteresting people alive and yet millions are following their every move, celebrity sites are obsessed with them. We’re fascinated by the super wealthy and royalty and celebrity and Bridgerton tapped into that.

Hype begets Hype. There was a lot of hype around the show because of Shonda, the books, the promotion, the built in fanbase, the sex scenes. So people tuned in, and they enjoyed the show. Word of mouth spread and more tuned in. When Netflix announced it was projecting 62 millions viewers in the first month, that got widespread coverage and caught people’s attention and resulted in even more people tuning in so the actual figure was 82 million. (Netflix’s figures are sketchy but the audience is massive.) It’s got a lot of attention online, with things like the Bridgerton musical. That spreads the word and people who might have had no interest in it, tune in because they’ve heard so much about it, because everybody else is talking about it.

Timing. 2020 was a tough year for everybody. Bridgerton came along at the end of a year when we were all suffering from news fatigue and needed something fun, light, entertaining, romantic, sexy and escapist. Bridgerton with his bright colourful costumes, gorgeous swoonworthy leading man, the romantic story, the perpetual summer, swept us all away. It didn’t have much competition either because so many of the big box office releases have been postponed until after the pandemic. It’s only real competition at Christmas was Wonder Woman, released on HBO Max which has only about one tenth the audience of Netflix.

The Story. Funnily enough, Simon and Daphne aren’t all that compelling and their book is far from the most popular in the series, but it’s a good story, there’s great characters for people to be invested in. Chris Van Dusen did a really great job of adapting the book and making the leads more likable than the book. Whoever played Simon was always going to benefit from the Mr Darcy effect  but Regé really fits the bill of dashing, handsome, swoonworthy leading man. 

So all in all - right show, right time and right place.

[thecrownnet]

October 3, 2020

Series four of The Crown takes on Princess Diana: exclusive pictures and interviews Charles has found a wife, Andy’s got a racy new girlfriend and Thatcher’s coming for tea... Megan Agnew gets an exclusive tour behind the scenes of the most wild and lavish series yet

Lasers. That’s what helped Emma Corrin understand Princess Diana in the latest series of The Crown. When the cameras were rolling, she imagined that lasers were pointing at her, as if she were in a spy film or a bank heist drama. It was her way of imagining hundreds of people staring right at her. Lasers helped her with the iconic Diana head tilt. She pretended she was shying away from them.

Corrin could also draw on her own trajectory as a 24-year-old actress. Before landing her part in The Crown, she was an unknown. Suddenly “there’s a huge amount of pressure”, she says.

When I visit the set at Winchester Cathedral, which is pretending to be St Paul’s, the paparazzi arrive to catch Corrin pretending to be Diana. She’s dressed in a replica of the outfit they papped at the actual royal wedding rehearsal almost 40 years ago. Every time she moves between buildings and trailers, Corrin has to be shielded with umbrellas. Life imitates art imitates life.

Almost every person Corrin has spoken to since getting the role has their own “Diana moment” — they might once have waved at her car in the street, been a pupil at a school she visited or knew someone who sat next to her at a dinner. Diana was one of the first celebrities to whom people laid claim. “Everyone has this ownership,” says Corrin. She was, and still is, the People’s Princess. But Corrin is trying not to think too much about it. Public expectation has been “overwhelming since the beginning”, she says. She wants to do Diana “proud”. “I know that’s strange and cheesy, but I feel like I know her.”

Emma Corrin as Princess Diana/ NETFLIX

The first television series of The Crown, which aired in 2016, was at the time the most expensive in history. Each series since has been estimated to have cost upwards of £50 million. The first two covered the first decade of Elizabeth II’s rule to wide acclaim, but series three — in which Her Majesty Claire Foy was succeeded by Olivia Colman — had mixed reviews. “The jewel in Netflix’s tiara has lost its shine,” said one. It was “okay”, said another.

Now, with series four’s reported £100 million budget eclipsing the Queen’s own sovereign grant last year of £82.2 million, The Crown is barrelling straight into the Eighties era of celebrity glamour and modern party politics grit. Peter Morgan, the show’s creator, is taking on two of the most controversial public figures of the past 50 years: Princess Diana and Margaret Thatcher. “The word ‘iconic’ is overused, but in the case of these two women quite justified,” Morgan says. Both have passionate fans and detractors. “Writing them was a bit of a high-wire act, but it was exhilarating.”

We meet Diana as a teenager, scampering around her huge family home in Northamptonshire. She is young and apologetic. The Prince of Wales, at that time dating her eldest sister, is rather distracted. A number of years later, Diana is leaving her relatively modest flat in Earls Court and her job as a nursery school assistant to move into Clarence House — but finds herself in solitude. Bored and lonely, 19-year-old Diana rollerskates down corridors to Duran Duran and sits all by herself in her chamber. One night, after finding out about Prince Charles’s affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, she gorges on puddings and makes herself vomit them back up.

Behind the scenes: the latest series of The Crown/ NETFLIX

*Spoilers*

It is a dark moment that Corrin wanted to get right. She listened to real-life accounts of people who had suffered from bulimia and talked with experts from the eating disorder charity Beat. Diana herself said that it was the most “discreet” way of harming herself: “Everyone in the family knew about the bulimia,” she said in recordings from the 1990s later made into a Channel 4 documentary.

“Drawing on my experience,” says Corrin, “not that I’ve experienced that kind of self-harm, but mental health in general, it can lead you down a very dark path when you’re struggling to cope, when things feel out of control. Diana very much doesn’t have the love and comfort and attention she needs from the man she loves or the family, who aren’t really acting as a family to her. There is a build-up of emotion she can’t deal with and making herself sick is a way of taking back control.”

When Josh O’Connor, who plays the Prince of Wales, first read the script for this series he thought: “Oh God, how can Charles be like that to Diana? But he feels wronged. He feels like she has an addiction to the spotlight,” he says. “I have to feel sympathy for him in that world. This is a family who have an intense inability to be emotional and he has inherited that awkwardness. In this series there’s an awful lot of Charles trying to explain himself and not being allowed to. He’s trying to say that if he can be with Camilla, then at least two of the three people can be happy. As it is, there’s three miserable people.”

The Crown works differently to other shows in that the “writers’ room” is not made up of writers but researchers, who constantly feed back to Morgan, the king of The Crown. It means that for each word eventually spoken on film, there are pages and pages of briefing notes. Annie Sulzberger, head of research, started this series by hiring a young team. “I wanted people who did not grow up believing one or the other [Diana and Thatcher],” she says. “You have to be curious enough and ignorant enough, I suppose, to write the kind of work we need.”

This series will span the Thatcher years — 1979 to 1990 — and will include the assassination of Charles’s great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, by the IRA, Charles and Diana’s wedding, and the Falklands War. Once the team has laid out a timeline, Morgan picks out the events he wants to feature. The research team starts to hone in on each, getting increasingly “micro” in their investigations. In the making of this series, one of the team spent two weeks researching the label on a bottle of wine from which a character briefly swigs.

Dress rehearsal: Josh O’Connor and Emma Corrin act out Charles and Diana’s wedding run-through/ NETFLIX

As the show has progressed, the fact-checking work has multiplied, thanks to the tabloid journalism of the 1980s. “It’s not just about words being printed,” Sulzberger says, “but who wrote it. Diana will become very close with a journalist called Richard Kay and feed him information, and Charles’s team will do the same. So you need to start unpicking the biographies of all the writers in order to know that what you’re doing has some objectivity.”

Did the team speak to any of Diana’s family or friends? “No.” Do the producers give any material to the Palace to see beforehand? “No. We have no connection to them that would result in editorial shifts. These are real people, these are real stories and we are filling in the moments that aren’t recorded — private conversations, moments of reflection, philosophical moments.”

When I ask Morgan if it’s true that he meets high-ranking courtiers four times a year, he is keen to clear up that he doesn’t. “I have never had any discussions with anyone actively working at the Palace,” he says. “The two worlds, the royal household and The Crown, exist in a world of mutual deniability, which I’m sure is every bit as important to them as it is to us.”

Corrin, though, did speak to Patrick Jephson, Diana’s private secretary, who appears as a fictionalised character in this series. “I got a sense of her joy from him,” Corrin says. “He said she was so naturally happy. When she joined the royal family, she had come from living with flatmates in Earls Court and she was a very normal girl. Patrick said she was still full of that girlish silliness, very down to earth.”

The couple themselves at the real thing in 1981 MIKE LLOYD/SHUTTERSTOCK/REX

The executive producer Suzanne Mackie says that “particularly now” The Crown team feels a sense of responsibility “to living people, people’s children, people’s parents. Obviously what we don’t do is engage on a fact level with the royal family. We have a tacit understanding that they need distance from us and we need distance from them.”

It is a cold day in January and I am watching Charles and Diana’s wedding rehearsal in Winchester. About 75 per cent of the show is filmed on location around the world, over the course of seven months. The rest is filmed at the show’s base, Elstree Studios, just north of London.

Today in Winchester Cathedral there is a crew of 78 and a cast of almost 200. The sight is as epic as the show’s budget would suggest. Between takes, Corrin sits on the stone steps by the altar, scrolling on her iPhone with one hand and biting her fingernails on the other. Even before the clapperboard snaps shut, the resemblance between her and the princess is uncanny.

Sidonie Roberts, head buyer and assistant costume designer, has a timeline of photos of Diana covering the wall of her studio at Elstree. Roberts is devoted to the cause. She travels to Paris to buy buttons from the same shop the Queen’s dressmaker uses (it sells more than 30,000 types of button) and to Soho to rummage in basements for fabric. Last year she was in a Bangladeshi fabric shop in Brick Lane, east London, when she saw a roll of material right on the very top shelf. “It was still in its plastic, but I just knew — that’s Diana’s colour,” Roberts says. She got a ladder, climbed to the top, pulled down the fabric and bought it for £3.50 a metre. When Roberts got back to the studio at Elstree, she unrolled it and saw a stamp at the bottom: “The Lady Diana Collection, made in Japan.” Roberts did some research. It was real silk, from a collection made in the princess’s honour.

In the corner of the studio an assistant is gluing tiny pearls to Diana’s flat wedding shoes. She has been decorating them, exactly like the originals, for a day and a half. “We’ve had a long conversation about the size of those pearls,” says Roberts. David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who designed Diana’s original wedding dress, donated patterns to the show, which were used to make the new version. With its 25ft train, it took ten people to get Corrin into the dress. In the show it is seen in full, and only from behind, for no more than 15 seconds.

Paying their respects: Olivia Colman as the Queen and the rest of the royal family at the funeral of Lord Mountbatten/ NETFLIX

Corrin is masterful at inhabiting Diana’s coyness — hunching her shoulders towards her ears as she walks, the smirk, her intonation. Diana’s voice was the “polar opposite” of the royals’, says William Conacher, The Crown’s dialect coach. “She moved her jaw twice as much, so her voice was more forward, open, easier to access, and I don’t think it’s especially revelatory to suggest accessibility was her shtick,” he says. “She used a minor key that made her seem vulnerable. Despite the Queen’s and Prince Charles’s accents being ‘stiffer’ to listen to, I think it comes entirely naturally, whereas I find Diana’s voice more studied. I think she spoke to have an effect.”

What sort of research did Colman do for series four’s Queen? “Yeah, I don’t do research,” she says when we speak on the phone in the summer. “The research team on The Crown is a bit like the British Library. It’s extraordinary, and when they kick in, your computer can’t really cope with the amount of stuff they send you.” Was there something in particular that the team sent her that made things click? “No.” There is a longish silence. It seems Colman’s royal duty is waning. “They’ve got every image and film of the Queen ever made. I’ve also got three kids, so I can’t spend all my time going through all of it.”

As she wraps up a second series of The Crown — Imelda Staunton will take over for five and six — Colman knows that she would “really not like” to have the Queen’s job. “There are very few people who are forced into a job and have no choice about it,” she says. “She’s done it with dignity, for decades, bless her. It’s amazing.”

The funeral of Lord Mountbatten took place in 1979 BENTLEY ARCHIVE/POPPERFOTO/GETTY

If there were rumours of Elizabeth II being unhappy about the last series of The Crown, I can’t imagine she’ll be too chuffed about this one. Series four’s Queen is colder and more distant, and the effects of her duty on her children more obvious: Charles is heavy with melancholy, Anne feels unheard, Edward is portrayed as a spoilt bully and Andrew is dangerously arrogant.

Speaking of Andrew, there is a subtle nod towards recent events. At one point the prince discusses a young American actress he is dating. The actress had recently played a 17-year-old who must entertain several “old predators who seduce the vulnerable, helpless young Emily”. The real prince dated the actress Koo Stark in 1981, who had starred in The Awakening of Emily, which had a near-identical plot.

In series four, the pivotal relationship between the Queen and Margaret Thatcher begins well. They are respectful of one another as no-nonsense working mothers, but tensions arise — not least, over tea etiquette at Balmoral.

In preparation for her role as the Iron Lady, Gillian Anderson met Charles Moore, Thatcher’s biographer, as well as secretaries who worked with her. “The only way for me to go about sitting inside of her was to find the reason behind her actions — growing up, what she learnt from her father, how much she truly believed that she was the answer and as long as we all took the sour medicine now we’d be able to turn around this country, completely shutting her eyes to the people that she was turning out on the street.”

Anderson eventually “settled into” the body of Thatcher. “She walked very fast, always up ahead,” Anderson says. “She would power forward in front of presidents. With [Ronald] Reagan she would supposedly be alongside him, but was walking ahead. Always walking ahead of [husband] Denis, telling him to catch up.”

Thatcher’s barnet also features. In one scene she spends an asphyxiating four seconds hairspraying it in preparation for a showdown with the Queen. The hairdo took endless camera tests before Morgan was happy with it. “It essentially meant destroying it so it had an overprocessed ‘frothy’ quality,” says the hair and make-up designer Cate Hall. “To treat a wig so badly was against all of our instincts — they’re so expensive — but I’m grateful now that we went through the process with Peter, with him saying no, more, it’s not right, try again.”

Clash of the titans: Margaret Thatcher, played by Gillian Anderson, is filmed meeting the Queen, played by Olivia Colman, in a memorable scene from series four/ NETFLIX

Series five will have a whole new cast. Colman says she is “not the sort of person who keeps the shoes of a character they played 20 years ago”. But Helena Bonham Carter is going to miss Princess Margaret. “She does pop out [in everyday life],” she says. “The other day I was at some public event and there was the normal scramble of people and I just told them, ‘No, shut up.’ The finger came out, which is very her, and I said, ‘Shut up and wait. Don’t get hysterical.’ So I’ve got the bossy side of her.”

Originally Morgan said there would be two more series after this one. Then he changed his mind, describing series five as “the perfect time and place to stop”. Now there are two more again (“To do justice to the richness and complexity of the story,” he reneged). The show is creeping closer to the modern day. It is now said to be ending in the 2000s, spanning, perhaps, Charles and Diana’s divorce, the deaths of Diana, Margaret and the Queen Mother, the marriage of Charles and Camilla, and the teenage and twentysomething princes. “I want to end it close enough to present day to feel that we have completed a long journey and distant enough to feel historical,” says Morgan. “I have a specific incident in mind, but until I’ve actually written it and seen if it works, I can’t commit to discussing it.”

On set with Mackie, I mention Harry and Meghan. “Too often,” the couple posted on their Instagram page that month, “we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring.” Is it possible, I ask Mackie, for the royal family to humanise themselves while still justifying their existence as something mightier, more important, regal? “That’s where you go wrong, as a public figure, letting light in on the magic, especially as a monarch,” she replies. “You have to be an ideal. After years and years of that subjugation of self in order to put duty first, you, the essence of you, is buried somewhere. The Queen is a tiny little person inside many, many Russian dolls.”

Series four of The Crown is available on Netflix from November 15

[tweedlydumbtweedlydoo]

For her safety (Elijah Mikaelson) #7

A/N: Here is chapter 7!! I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you for the continuous support. :)

**For her safety masterlist**

**MASTERLIST**

Requests: {OPEN} CLOSED

I am currently taking requests for:

The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Elijah Mikaelson

Damon Salvatore

Criminal Minds:

Spencer Reid

Derek Morgan

Supernatural (I’m only up to season 2, so please don’t request something with spoilers)**

Sam Winchester

Dean Winchester

Outer Banks (Netflix):

John B Routledge

JJ Maybank

Rafe Cameron

********************************************************************************************NOT MY GIF, CREDIT TO OWNERS

Before he realizes it, Elijah has thrown his hand into the brick wall beside him, the bricks cracking under the pressure. His worst nightmare had just become reality. 

~

“How could you be so reckless, Rebekah?!” All the Mikaelson’s were now standing around the middle of one of the rooms in the compound, speaking about what happened. Freya was to the side, setting her table up for a locator spell. 

“She was with us the entire time! I stepped outside for one moment to call you then someone snapped my neck! I never saw it coming.” Rebekah defends herself, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“I strictly ordered y/n not to leave this compound, which also meant you two wouldn’t take her out of here either.” He pulls his jacket off and throws it over the back of the couch, leaning it against it.

 “Elijah, we will find her.” Freya says from her table, “Now please, can you keep it down so I can concentrate?” Freya closes her eyes and begins muttering the spell, her focus on locating y/n.

 Elijah roughly runs his hand through his hair as he watches his sister perform the spell, kicking himself for letting this happen. Freya’s hands go to the map as her powers grow stronger, the lights beginning to flicker around the room.

 “Damn it!” Freya curses, pulling her hands from the map. She looks up at Elijah. She’d used all her strength, yet there was nothing, as if something was blocking her from finding y/n.

“What? Did you find her?” Freya shakes her head, “Someone’s blocking my spell.” Elijah can see the expression in Freya’s eyes that there was more to that.

 “Freya..” Elijah starts, walking toward the table. “What are you not telling me?”

 Freya gulps a little as she looks around at the Mikaelson’s, “Whoever has her hidden with a spell.. is very powerful. I mean I could feel it and for them to even be able to block my spell, tells you a lot.” 

“Freya, what are you saying?” Klaus asks, walking closer. “

This type of power can only be occupied by one person.” Freya answers. 

“Who?” Elijah asks, “Who can be more powerful than you?” He looks around at his siblings, oblivious at what Freya is trying to say.

 It’s Rebekah who realizes it first, “Our mother.” 

~

When y/n wakes up, she’s tied down to a table, people standing around mumbling what she believes to be a spell. She tries to pull her arms and legs free but no luck, “What the hell?!” She looks around at the people, their eyes are closed, hands out in front of them, palms up. “Let me go!”

“Ma’am, she’s awake.” A man’s voice speaks behind her. 

“Ah finally.” A woman’s voice. Footsteps come closer and the woman comes to stand next to her, “Hello, y/n. You must be awfully confused.” The woman smiles. 

“Yeah I am. What the hell is going on?” The woman’s hand goes to y/n head and she flinches away, but she can’t go far, and the woman gently touches her cheek, “You are of great importance to us, my dear.” 

“No I’m not!” She quickly shakes her head, “Please, let me go!” Her arms try again to pull at the ropes. She can feel the ropes digging into her skin, “I swear when Elijah finds me, he’s going to kill every one of you!”

 The woman just smiles again, unbothered by y/n mentioning an original vampire, “My dear, he won’t get the chance… He and the rest of the Mikaelson’s will not see you coming.” 

“What are you talking about?” She glances around at the people surrounding her, they’ve yet to halter the spell, continuing to mutter words under their breath.  “You are the Weapon.” She gently pushes a hair out of y/n’s face, “you are what will end the Mikaelson’s once and for all.” 

~ 

Elijah’s mind goes back to after he ended the call with Rebekah. He headed straight to his sisters, looking through the bar once more to make sure y/n wasn’t hidden or passed out somewhere, but there was no luck. 

Freya took him to the bathroom to show what happened, “Rebekah stepped outside to call you and I was only outside the bathroom door when I was thrown into the wall. Y/n was in here.” She enters the bathroom, y/n’s things still scattered around the room. 

He steps inside, looking around, “They had the upper hand on the two of you. They had to have been watching you three the entire night and waited for the chance to get her alone.” He bends down to pick up y/n’s phone, “obviously he succeeded.” He turns her phone over and unlocks it, the screen still on the dial pad. His number was typed in. “She tried to call me..” He looks up at Freya, “She tried to call me and didn’t get a chance to hit the call button.” His fingers grip the phone, “I wasn’t here to protect her.”

~

“Freya, our mother is dead.” Klaus states, “I killed her myself! I drove the stake through her beating heart!”

 Freya shakes her head, “I know that! But you know how powerful she is! She could have had someone waiting on the other side to help her come back.” 

“If it is our mother that is back, this means she’s here to finish what she started.” Rebekah says, looking between her brothers.  

“She’s here to kill us.” Elijah adds.

~ 

“The weapon? Kill the Mikaelson’s? No! I will not do it!” She thrashes against the table. This wasn’t good at all. She couldn’t kill them. She couldn’t and wouldn’t be used as a weapon. The Weapon. And she sure as hell wouldn’t kill the love of her life. 

“It’s time, Esther. The spell is complete.” A man speaks beside the woman. Esther? Why did that name sound familiar? Before she has time to put two and two together, Esther slices y/n’s wrist, blood pooling into a small bowl. Suddenly pain shoots through her body and it felt like her whole body was on fire. She screams in agony, the chanting around her getting louder, the pain and burning sensation increasing. The woman, Esther, now joining in with the chant, her fingers swirling around the bowl of y/n’s blood.

 ~ 

“Freya, continue with that locator spell. I don’t want you to stop until you find her.” Elijah demands, “If it is our mother that is back, she is going to use y/n against me. Against all of us. We have to find her before she hurts y/n or worse.”

Freya nods, before continuing with the spell. The Mikaelson’s stay in the room, finding things to keep them busy. Elijah hated not being able to help and having to sit around, but he knew Freya was their best luck at finding y/n. He had to be patient. He stood at the window and watched as the sky darkened, thunder and lightning in the distance. 

~

It feels like hours before Freya finally has a breakthrough with the locator spell. Whatever blocking the spell before was gone, which Freya knew could be bad and good. 

“I found her!” Freya announces from the table. 

“Where is she?” Elijah asks, standing from the chair that sat by the fire. The storm outside had picked up and the rain was beating down on the windows outside. 

“She’s in the Lafayette Cemetery.” 

[aion-rsa]

How Fear Street Part 1 Tricks the Scream Generation

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This article contains spoilers for Fear Street Part 1: 1994 and Scream.

An instantly iconic moment in genre cinema arrived during the opening scene of horror classic Scream back in 1996 when Drew Barrymore, one of the most in-demand young actresses at the time, met her unfortunate, gruesome fate at the end of the Ghostface killer’s knife. No one expected it. What kind of filmmaker would have the stones to murder their biggest star before the story even really began? The legendary Wes Craven, that’s who. And horror movies would never be the same again.

The ’90s-set Fear Street Part 1: 1994 may hope to appeal to fans of Scream and other horror bangers, but much like Scream it aches to subvert any dated expectations—and succeeds in a multitude of ways. The R. L. Stine book series adaptation lands on Netflix this month after a rocky road to the screen. Directed by Leigh Janiak, who helmed a couple of episodes of Scream: The TV Series after her debut horror movie Honeymoon snagged a ton of positive reviews, Fear Street: 1994 and its two sequels were originally developed at 20th Century Studios before the pandemic shuttered theatrical releases for a while.

Fear Street Part 1’s opening scene will likely seem predictable to Scream fans at first. Instead of Barrymore’s high schooler Casey, we are presented with Maya Hawke’s Heather. The actress is at the top of the film’s cast in plenty of listings, having previously broken out in the third season of Netflix’s flagship horror series Stranger Things as the ice cream scoop-slinging Robin Buckley, and having since appeared in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Heather is closing a book store she works at in the mall when she hears odd noises and senses that she is being watched from the darkness when Fear Street Part 1: 1994 gets underway. We’re hit with a jump scare and a couple of Scream-y fake-out nods, including a ringing phone, before Heather realizes that it’s just her pal Ryan messing around, and they agree to meet up before they leave for the night. But the stalking continues after Ryan departs, and suddenly the chase is on as a masked killer not too dissimilar from Scream’s Ghostface hunts her down.

He stabs her and she falls on her back, helpless as he gets ready to end her life. Just as Casey does in Scream, Heather weakly raises her arm and pulls the Halloween mask off the killer to answer one final question before she expires. But unlike Scream, which cuts away at that very moment to preserve the mystery of the killer’s identity, Fear Street Part 1: 1994 shows us the killer’s face. It’s still Ryan! He’s shot dead a second later, seemingly ending the story before it really starts.

Just like that, we’re unsettled and don’t know what to expect next. Fear Street Part 1: 1994’s opening homage to Scream makes it clear almost immediately that the film is not content with playing in the same sandbox of horror tropes as its predecessors and inspirations. And it won’t be the last time that the movie refuses to stay in its lane.

After the shock of Hawke’s death, we get a swiftly edited—and very ’90s-esque—opening credits montage that lays most of the Fear Street trilogy’s lore out for us. The gaggle of teens we’re about to meet live in Shadyside, which happens to be the no-good sibling of its idealistic neighboring town, Sunnyvale. Shadyside makes for a wild slasher hellmouth, with a long history of slayings creating a sort of fever dream you might have after playing too much Dead by Daylight.

Horrifying murder sprees are the norm in Shadyside. The 1970s boasted their own Friday the 13th-style slasher at the local summer camp, and the 1600s gave birth to the legend of a Blair Witch adjacent curse. What monstrosity is waiting in the shadows for the young stars of Fear Street Part 1? Pretty much all of them, as we quickly find out when the movie taps into another major horror influence: Cabin in the Woods.

Drew Goddard’s 2012 gamechanger poses the question “what if there were a huge selection of boogeymen available to prey on some unsuspecting teens?” but Fear Street Part 1 sets out to prove that its own protagonists would do a far better job of things than the Cabin crowd by quickly pitting them against their own Shadyside horde.

Which is not to say that Fear Street Part 1 doesn’t embrace 1990s movie tropes elsewhere. There are the relentless needle drops of the first act, which cover everything from “Machinehead” to “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” to “Sour Times,” with a pace that gives you aural whiplash. There’s the candlelit vigil that turns nasty when some predictable toxic masculinity kicks in. There are visual homages to movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer. And some of the characters initially feel so two-dimensional that it’s easy to sink into the comfortable slasher movie mindset of cheering on their inevitable deaths.

But all this starts to fade away at around the 25-minute mark when Part 1 pulls its central characters into Shadyside’s supernatural web.

Deena, whose journey anchors the film, is a resourceful born leader who is ready to confront death at every turn. Her brother Josh is an early keyboard conspiracy theorist, on hand with some neat exposition whenever the film calls for it. Simon is a horny, goofy, drug dealing tagalong who has also been employee of the month—every month—and is often wonderfully sensitive. The film isn’t even halfway over before this gang have figured out what the score is and are plotting how they’re going to fight back as each of them refuses to fit into genre stereotypes.

But again, the film avoids rehashing a vintage scenario by dispensing with Cabin in the Woods’ more nihilistic and meta vibes. There’s no Control Room here; no one betting on the outcome. Fear Street would rather concentrate on the importance of teamwork and mutual respect in the midst of its endless cycle of violence—a tactic that feels like a fresh, essential strategy for a modern horror movie. Part 1 often wears its influences on its sleeve proudly, but it never seems particularly interested in copying them.

Then there’s that ending. In what is surely a first for the horror movie genre, two sequels are about to quickly follow that will push us deeper into Shadyside history. We are in the streaming age where studios are willing to risk a lot of cash on making a big debut splash, and the Fear Street Trilogy is surging into an unknown landscape by delivering three ambitious movies in three weeks. When the credits roll on Part 1, it could be easy to fall into the trap of knowing what to expect from a sequel posing as a prequel, but Part 1 has already succeeded in convincing us that we should set aside our expectations of what the trilogy ultimately hopes to bring to the horror genre.

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[dreamsofthescreen]

The Dust Of Bridgerton - Review

Based on Julia Quinn’s obsessively Jane Austen inspired nine novels, we as an audience step into a  world laced with gossip, love and historically inaccurate details.

Regé-Jean Page & Phoebe Dynevor in 'Bridgerton'

Having audiences and the online world jump from their seats at the news of yet another romantically colourful period drama, Netflix’s 2020 Christmas release set off on a high note. However, it may not have been enough satisfaction to cover all viewers, as the overzealous series that is Bridgerton can be perceived as a cute attempt to outline high-society London, rather than a sweepingly romantic love story. From overplayed themes, to the shallow one-liners, saturated costumes and quite frankly, some controversy in a modern series, we’re not so sure that this was a 2020 release. Granted, some of the artistic involvements are wonderfully intoxicating, creating interest and having it for sure be a visual spectacle. Though, this whirlwind historical insight by creator Shonda Rhimes seemed to be a whitewashed teen-drama, instead of a maturely topical period piece.    

Based on Julia Quinn’s obsessively Jane Austen inspired nine novels, we as an audience step into a  world laced with gossip, love and historically inaccurate details. Set in 1813 Regency London, Rhimes’ series is a period drama surrounding the esteemed Bridgerton family, and particularly Daphne Bridgerton, the eldest daughter of the four sisters. All surrounding the pursuit and importance of finding a suitor eligible for marriage at that time, Bridgerton is the glossed over, trivial version of Pride and Prejudice. Yet there certainly still is wit, charm, enchantment and change, grabbing our attention. It is these themes that we are known to love, rather making Rhimes’ series all the more predictable and repetitive. There is beauty and moments to remember throughout, yet all in all I felt as though I was watching a weak showcase of what a mock Baz Luhrmann and Wes Anderson collaboration that exerted a blinding pastel macaron palette might look like. There isn’t really any distinguishable, first class authentic directing or writing style. We have all seen it before, which is what makes it so popular. Bridgerton’s successful reception does not seem due to the fact that it is a beautifully great show, but because of the fact that it is something written knowing that audiences will not tire of yet another stylish, skinny period drama. We have seen many renditions of Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Madame Bovary over the years, making Rhimes’ series simply another period drama that rather latches onto others for inspiration, rather than being a strong standalone piece.

Where Downton Abbey meets Gossip Girl, some might say that this show bursts with fervour, yet it can be deemed as shallow in it’s character development and attempted strong plots. Some might say that Bridgerton has riveting grandeur, but it was films decades ago that originated it so, as we have already marvelled at the magic of the many renditions of Pride & Prejudice. And sure, there is drama, eroticism, as well as there are whispers in the streets filling the scenes of Rhimes’ take on a royal drama. But to have to create excitement by only overdoing sex and violence scenes like this doesn’t speak to highly of it’s quality. And it can be that this is what period dramas are about, yet Bridgerton’s over-embellishment of sex, drugs and rock & roll sometimes paints it out to be taking the easy way out; a cheaply written series by just landing on what is easily stimulating to audiences. As though you’re to a stand up only to have the comedian joke about porn and a night out he might’ve gone on, simply to quickly catch the audiences attention. It works, but does not hold as much substance as a joke with true wit, or in this case, a script with deep quality. The character arc’s end quickly, as does the mystery surrounding who ‘Gossip Girl’-like character Mrs Whistledown is. There isn’t much glory in the drama as there wasn’t enough of it. Yet, the focus on female empowerment and rather the female gaze was something that gets points for originality and  undertaking a modern stance during the Regency time period. 

Amongst the budding romance, glory and messy undertone of the series, the art department does deserve a pay raise, as there is no doubt that the costumes, set and overall work on Bridgerton make it all the more alluring. In saying alluring, it doesn’t necessary translate as the costumes being convincing. Yet the production and costume design is something that seems to define the esteemed privilege of the characters, as they dress in flashy tulle, silks and organza. Luxurious gardens, ostentatious palaces and velvet furnishings tie into the greatly pleasing aesthetics, as we are given the scoop on the Bridgerton’s drama’s, we also are taken in by their lavish lifestyles. Delicacy after delicacy in the ballroom scenes, as champagne towers flow & rich candles burn. Even in the overplayed sex scenes, velvet carpets and luxurious chaises sit on the backdrop. The combination of bountiful costumes and turns this show into an elevated treat for the eyes.

However beautiful, it can still be said that the costume & set design was just overpowering & seemed like a parody of other period drama’s aristocracy. The sickening yellow-green or floral orange gowns blinded, rather than astounded, as none of the costumes seemed entirely accurate. There are countless YouTube videos on the lack of historical accuracy in the dress. But not only are they inaccurate, they’re just unattractive. The completely saturated colours, ridiculous feathers and overall lack of style is another element that makes Bridgerton just look like a parody of that time period. Yet, cleverly enough, this may have been the point. By creating a romance-drama tale, we step into a fantasy world anyhow, so to change up the costuming can be seen as a good thing, as it does allow us to escape into it. We understand the era, but there is a twist in the aesthetic. If the intention was to accurately represent the time period, then it was far from a success. But if it was to create their own take on it, then it was an interesting move.

As much as Bridgerton may have looked beautiful, there were certainly bouts of controversy throughout, showing that it may not have been making the progressive impact that it may have hoped to. Rhimes’ twisted world is created & attempts to include actors from different backgrounds, but it rather plays out as just performative diversity. The only main characters of colour are a light-skinned bi-racial man & a snooty looking Asian queen. Obviously and unfortunately historically inaccurate to 1813 London whatsoever, this pursuit to be progressive was admirable, but rather stuck out like a sore thumb & did not blend naturally or seem at all organic. This is because it more so seemed that characters of colour were rather sprinkled in the background with no definitive lines or moments, making even the inclusion of them quite ironic, as it was not fully inclusive, for a show that may have claimed to be diverse. In saying this, of course, along with the blinding costumes and sometimes plastic-like set design, Rhimes’ had created a fantasy version of 1813 London, yet still was unable to do it justice. Colour and race were apart of Bridgerton, but only comfortably and what is suited to the media.

As stringed instrumentals playing Taylor Swift’s ‘Wildest Dreams’ or Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’, a make a modern take on classical music is made, this change much like the series itself. Whether or not Bridgerton was entirely convincing, it surely still was entertaining amongst all it’s inaccuracy or shallow writing. As to why it was renewed for three further seasons with Netflix, we are not sure. The colour and pompous nature of the series does grab our eye, but cannot hold it for too long, as we may see ourselves comparing it to any other period drama we previously loved. Shonda Rhimes’ ‘Bridgerton’ succeeded in becoming a household name on Netflix, thoroughly captivating and charming, it is a good teen-based and glossed over period piece. When it comes down to good filmmaking with Rhimes’ adaptation of the sprawling novels that Julia Quinn wrote, it really wasn’t all there.

Stars Out of Five: 2.5/5

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[tv-geeks]

The 25 Biggest TV Shows that Defined the 2010′s

Described as the golden age of television, the 2010’s redefined what we saw on our silver screens. With many of its programmes being compared to the work of the film industry, television changed before our very eyes these past ten years. We said goodbye to our favourite politicians, fell in and out of love with an after school club that sang show tunes, and crowned the king of the seven kingdoms. The 2010’s has an abundance of programming for us to watch, so making this list was quite the difficult task. In order to be considered for this list, the majority of the show’s seasons would have had to be aired from January 1st, 2010 to December 31st, 2019. And, each show has been ranked based on its impact on television/its audiences, as well as the quality being taken into account (but not being considered quite as much as the former). So, before we move into another ten years of the ever-changing landscape of the small screen, let’s take a look at the best shows we watched. 

HONORABLE MENTIONS (26 - 40)

26. Top Boy 27. How To Get Away With Murder 28. Keeping Up With The Kardashians 29. One Day At A Time 30. Rick and Morty 31. Jane the Virgin 32. New Girl 33. Broad City 34. Crazy Ex Girlfriend 35. Master of None 36. Bob’s Burgers 37. You 38. Insecure 39. Bojack Horseman 40. The Simpsons

25) This Is Us, NBC (2016 - present)

Renewed until 2022, ‘This Is Us’ was the simultaneously heart wrenching and heartwarming drama that changed the game for television this decade. From its phenomenal cast performances to the well thought-out story arcs for each character, the family drama was one of the most significant programmes of the 2010’s. What made the Emmy award winning programme so special this decade was its ability to give each character a personality that felt real. We didn’t like these characters because they were interesting, we fell in love with them because they represented the realities of life. From Kate’s (Chrissy Metz) depiction of heavy insecurities from being overweight to Rebecca's (Mandy Moore) struggle of being a single mother, ‘This Is Us’ is a show about real people, non-fabricated.

24) On My Block, Netflix (2018 - present)

A surprise hit for the streaming platform, ‘On My Block’ was the most-binged show on Netflix during its premiere year. For both seasons that the show has been released, ‘On My Block’ has been an internet sensation, having its audiences watching the show as quickly as possible to avoid spoilers. The youth drama captivated audiences with its relatability, comedy, and the fact that it doesn’t shy away from reality when it touches on gun violence and life for kids in rough neighborhoods.

The show definitely had its impact for the past two years, and it also deserves more. For a show with minimal advertisement to capture the hearts of so many worldwide - and to even best the streaming network’s veteran programming - is a feat that is worth celebrating. ‘On My Block’ is a show that celebrates the underdog in life. It puts young, poor people of colour at the forefront and allows them to tell their own stories - be it dramatic or comedic.

23) Killing Eve, BBC America (2018 - present)

A show that really made a name for itself was the international hit ‘Killing Eve’. The drama starring Jodie Comer from ‘My Mad Fat Diary (2013 - 2015)’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy (2005 - present)’ star Sandra Oh took the world by storm with its intense and teasingly romantic performances. Oh and Comer became one of the greatest pairings this decade with their love-hate relationship in ‘Killing Eve’. The leads both equally balance each other out with their ability to be both comedic and dramatic whilst teasing both a romance and a constant desire to detonate the other, which is a quality not many can possess. The BBC programme succeeded in a crowded market of dramatic content by ensuring that it was impossible for one woman to have carried the show, as even though Comer has the task of portraying multiple personalities throughout each episode, Oh is just as striking with her nervous, intelligent and chaotic portrayal of the vulnerable and fervid Eve Polastri.

22) Big Little Lies, HBO (2017 - present)

With an all-star cast like this, it would’ve been a real shame had this show disappointed. Luckily, there’s a reason these A-listers joined the show as ‘Big Little Lies’ had us on the edge of our seats each week. Dealing with the influx of made for bingeing TV programmes being released in one set, the cable show had a lot to fight against, as it required fans to stay on board each week whilst retaining the ins and outs of the crime drama. ‘Big Littles Lies’ succeeded in the attention-span battle as each episode was carefully curated so that we wouldn’t forget the important details. Moments were revisited whilst every scene changed the story somehow without adding too much that we got confused. 

From the phenomenal cast to the striking writing and directing, the HBO drama is a defining show of the 2010’s as it was one of the few shows that made it almost impossible to log online without reading spoilers. Although it may not have the same hype as another fellow HBO programme, it still held its own and had us writing theories and listening to podcasts to keep us going until the next episode.

21) Brooklyn Nine Nine, NBC (2013 - present)

After being cancelled by FOX in 2018, the show was resurrected by the Gods at NBC and given two extra seasons to last until 2020 (for now!). The irony in this show is that it didn’t make much noise until its cancellation, where the silent fanbase made their voices heard. Although the reaction of fans isn’t quite the reason it got renewed, this still proved to be a pinnacle moment for television in the 2010s. Many shows lose their network, but not many make as much a spectacle as ‘Brooklyn Nine Nine’ did, leading it to becoming one of the most talked about shows of 2018. And there’s a reason for that. The cop sitcom may have its problems, but what it does successfully is give us a reason to root for every character they have (including Hitchcock and Scully!). A constant trope in comedy television is that there tends to be a few characters that are outright awful - at least to the more than casual viewer. But with the now NBC comedy, each one is lovable and has gone on their individually engaging journey throughout the years. Rootable characters are the root to every TV show that touches its viewers’ hearts, and ‘Brooklyn Nine Nine’ does that with every single on-screen persona.

20) American Crime Story, FX (2016 - present)

When it comes to biopics, television hardly gets noted as having some great renditions, but ‘American Crime Story’ is changing that. The debut season that detailed the OJ Simpson trial is probably one of the best seasons of modern television as it cleverly and accurately dictated the trial from the murder up until the verdict, giving viewers as close a look as possible to the reality of the crime. Sarah Paulson gave us a phenomenal performance as Marcia Clark whilst Cuba Gooding Jr. delivered OJ better than anybody imaginable.

The second season was also on par with its predecessor as ‘Glee (2009 - 2015)’ alum Darren Criss lead the show to another year of critical acclaim as Andrew Cunanan in ‘The Assasination of Gianni Versace’. Much like the first season, this one was an award show favourite, and on top of that, solidified Criss as a seasoned actor in the business.

19) When They See Us, Netflix (2019)

Created by Ava DuVernay, the Netflix mini-series focusing on a significant part of the drastic life of The Exonerated Five’s lives. Each of the six episodes carefully detailed their story, ensuring each movement and word connoted the struggle faced by Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise and Raymond Santana. What lands this show on the list isn’t the critical praise or accolades, but the detail oriented work on display throughout the series. ‘When They See Us’ did what many shows have deterred from over the years, and that was telling a real story with no boundaries. What makes a biopic successful is when it encourages its audience to research the original story after watching it. And after being viewed by over 23 million people less than a month within its release, we saw conversations take place about the Exonerated Five. We went back to watch the original documentary, found out more about the evils of Linda Fairstein, and conversations about the initial arrests grew and grew. ‘When They See Us’ was a phenomenon that created relevant conversations and truly defined this decade.

18) The Good Place, NBC (2016 - 2020)

In 2016, the creator of ‘Brooklyn Nine Nine (2013 - present)’ and ‘Parks and Recreation (2009 - 2015)’ took on a more challenging project as he created ‘The Good Place’; a comedy that tackles the meaning of life and how important we are to each other and the universe. The US comedy has become a staple in comedy as it challenged its conventions whilst keeping up the light-hearted nature we all anticipate. What made the show so special is that it gave us an abundance of extremely imperfect characters and relished in it. From the narcissism to their careless nature, it’s surprising that the season one finale plot twist even took us by surprise, but somehow it did, and that’s because beyond the fact that these people were mostly terrible, they were, above all else, lovable. Throughout the series we learned to love them for their bad sides, and saw that beyond what made them such horrific people, they were pretty decent. ‘The Good Place’ was a show that aimed to prove that humans are more than the good and bad things that they do, and although it has deteriorated in quality in the latter seasons, it still holds quite a large influence over this decade.

17) Veep, HBO (2012 - 2019)

One of the saddest losses of the 2010’s, ‘Veep’ was the excellent kind of programming that this decade will forever be remembered for. Beginning with a slow start, the Julia-Louis Dreyfus lead show stole our hearts with its wit and relevant comedy. ‘Veep’ took on what the world was focusing on - politics and feminism - and put it at the forefront of a primetime TV show. And to ensure we were watching, we received a stellar cast and perfect writing each episode. The political comedy is something that can be rewatched again and again, and never get old, which is why it’s such a shame we won’t be seeing it anymore. But maybe sometimes it’s better to bow out early.

16) Grey’s Anatomy, ABC (2005 - present)

If we’re going to discuss programmes with longevity, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ has to be on the list. The most successful programme from TV veteran Shonda Rhimes, the medical drama has been a powerful force in the industry. Launching the careers of the likes of Jesse Williams and Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ can be credited for getting a generation of young adults/teens into television drama. Some of the biggest fans of TV today found their love for the medium through Rhimes’ programme and have remained loyal ever since. Although the show isn’t quite at its peak anymore, it’s still holding strong, and it’s hard to find a television fan that hasn’t been captivated by the drama in the Seattle-based programme. The show has placed this high on the list as it’s had an immense influence on today’s TV (fans) and its longevity is unmatched.

15) Love Island, ITV2 (2015 - present)

Like many British reality shows, it took a year or two for ‘Love Island’ to finally make some noise, but when it did, it was most definitely heard. Making headlines in season two and becoming one of the most watched British shows just a year later, the romance-based reality competition forced viewers across the world to spend their summers with young singles searching for love and an Instagram following. On top of consisting of catty arguments, shocking twists and viral memes, ‘Love Island’ captured the hearts of reality TV fans worldwide for its relatable nature. Young people would tune in every summer to see people just like them search for love in a similar dating pool. On the surface we would be seen taking to Twitter to insist that certain women were being “mugged off” whilst her love interest was simply playing a game, but beyond that it became a starting point for conversations around misogyny, racism, sisterhood and mental gymnastics. From the beginning of the season, patterns would be noticed by audiences when the black contestants would typically be the last ones chosen - in the season five premiere, the final four singles left to be coupled up were all people of colour, three of which were black. The mistreatment of women like Samira Mighty and Yewande Biala would create discourse across the internet on misogynoir, and the constant talk of “tall, dark and handsome” would form interesting dialogue on what that really means. It may not seem like the most cleverly put together show, but everyday it made its worldwide viewers tune in as soon as they could to see the action as it poured out, so that we could interact with each other live. It’s rare for a reality show to be this well loved across the globe, as many competition programmes of the latter half of the decade were usually watched by the country it originally aired in, but the ITV2 show’s ability to create discourse and fanfare is what made it the powerful programme that it is (which was so big that even ‘Saturday Night Live (1975 - present)’ made a sketch about it). With the dating programme’s relatability, youth, easy-to-watch nature and its ability to create a conversation, it became a pinnacle of the 2010s that has had other networks attempting (and failing) to emulate it.

14) The Big Bang Theory, CBS (2007 - 2019)

With its wit, humour and unique take on life as a modern nerd, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ became a frontrunner in the comedy genre for the entire 2010s. Bowing out gracefully in the final year of the decade, the nerd-oriented comedy took the decade by storm, being one of CBS’ most viewed shows for the majority of its stay on the network. What captivated audiences was the simplistic comedy that was stylized as though it was intelligent. The show made basic science-related jokes that those fresh out of Biology class would understand, and thus make the joke somewhat relatable. And that’s not to bash the show for not having funny jokes, because it did, it just had a certain audience to appeal to. ‘The Big Bang Theory’ was never going to be funny in the same way that ‘Barry (2018 - present)’ is. The Jim Parsons-lead sitcom earned its play high on this list as the show was a huge international success. Existing for the entirety of the decade and only leaving because the lead lost interest before the fans did, it’s clear that this was a very beloved television programme, and when it comes to comedy in the 2010s, this will always be brought up.

13) Modern Family, ABC (2009 - 2020)

When it came to comedy in the 2010s, no true fan of the genre ended the decade without loving at least one episode of ‘Modern Family’. The family sitcom which has been followed by similar shows on the same network such as ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ and ‘Black-ish’, remained a dominant force in the genre for the former half of the 2010s. Tying the record for Most wins for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys with ‘Frasier’ (5 wins) from 2010 - 2014, it was a clear critical success and a definite frontrunner throughout the years. But beyond what the critics have said, fans have taken a liking to the show as it offered simplicity with humour. ‘Modern Family’ took an average concept of a dysfunctional but loving family, and detailed how their simple yet outrageous scenarios were relatable to both the audience and each other. Every time we tuned into an episode of the American sitcom, we were given a half an hour of fun, light entertainment that kept us entertained for the entire decade. For those that were in their teens, we related to Haley Dunphy (Sarah Hyland), who was always confused about her path in life and wasn’t always doing the right thing. For those that were seen as the sensible member of the family, we related to Alex Dunphy (Ariel Winter) who, although she appeared to have everything together, she never really did, and relied on her relationship with her sibling in order to feel superior but to also be vulnerable. Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofia Vergara) represented the underestimated yet striking individuals, Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) portrayed those with the incessant need to impress their parents, Phil Dunphy (Ty Burrell) was made for the hopeful parents always looking to do the right thing, whilst other kids could find themselves trying to findt their way in Luke Dunphy (Nolan Gould) or Manny Delgado (Rico Rodriguez). Everybody had their place in the family represented in ‘Modern Family’, so we found ourselves attached to see that play out every episode, with its charm, chaos and light-hearted nature. Also, Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) created a space for queer representation that both conformed and challenged the existing conventions, which especially for the beginning of the decade, was quite transformative.

12) Atlanta, FX (2016 - present)

A critical darling from its very first episode, ‘Atlanta’ gave us some of the 2010s most iconic episodes. From the jarring 'Teddy Perkins' episode to the innovatively shot 'B.A.N.' from the first season, this show was daring from its origins. The aforementioned season one episode proved to audiences that ‘Atlanta’ wasn’t an ordinary programme; the experimental production plays out as a talk-show, with some fake commercials being played between the story. With episodes like ‘Teddy Perkins’, the Donald Glover created show delivered one of the most unsettling projects this decade. The original airing on FX even aired with no ad breaks in between, forcing viewers to feel as eerie as intended. ‘Atlanta’ earned its place as one of the most defining shows of the decade as it proved to be daring without failure. Each episode told a story, and with its blend between comedy and drama, it really was a pinnacle programme from this era of blurred genres.

11) House of Cards, Netflix (2013 - 2018)

Netflix’s very first original TV show premiered back in 2013, and although a controversial programme today due to its male lead not knowing how consent works, we can’t deny the power that this show had throughout the years. Without the success of ‘House of Cards’ some of today’s biggest Netflix originals like 'Queer Eye', 'The Crown', 'Sex Education' and ‘Russian Doll’ may have ceased to exist. Due to the impact of the political drama, the streaming platform may not have had enough selling points to take on traditional broadcast television. ‘House of Cards’ may not be held to high regard anymore - with good reason - but it played its role in the golden age of television, and was one of the few significant shows that changed the way we watched television forever.

10) Orange Is The New Black, Netflix (2013 - 2019)

‘Orange Is The New Black’ was one of the few shows that changed TV viewership. Being one of Netflix’s first original programmes, it allowed the market to open up to the idea of binge-watching a programme, and giving traditional cable television a run for its money. But beyond changing how we watched television, the Jenji Kohan production changed what was on television. Prior to its controversial and damaging season four finale, the first three seasons of the show gave fans a welcoming set of episodes featuring strong, real and vulnerable female characters in serious situations and relationships. This continued on until the last season, however since the incident in the fourth season occurred, it took the show until its final installment to truly recover from its quality. But that doesn’t deter from the fact that this show had its impact, and found its way into people’s homes in ways that others couldn’t quite capture. ‘Orange Is The New Black’ created heart-wrenching stories tackling immigration, sexuality, rape, racism and more each episode. What made the show oddly superior to most of its peers is that although the lead was probably the most boring character on the show, the ensemble were so full of life and character that it more than made up for it. With characters such as Nicky Nichols (Natasha Lyonne), Poussey Washington (Samira Wiley) and Taystee Jefferson (Danielle Brooks) grabbing fans’ hearts every time they appeared on screen, it made the prison-based dramady something special. We dealt with Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) and her annoying antics so that we could see if Nicky was ever going to find the love and peaceful life she deserved. We dealt with the lead of the show in hopes that her connection with Taystee would give her the justice she fought for throughout the entirety of the programme. ‘Orange Is The New Black’ was far from perfect, but it ushered in a generation of new and diverse programming that put women at the forefront. It got a lot wrong, but as its intention was to change the way we watched TV, it ensured we got what was missing.

9) American Horror Story, FX (2011 - present)

Creator Ryan Murphy was known for some less serious projects prior to this, and although they were successful, this is the project that transcended him into one of the biggest stars of the 2010s. ‘American Horror Story’ premiered to rave reviews from fans and critics alike, and throughout the years placed itself in the meme Hall of Fame with moments like Emma Roberts’ “surprise, bitch”. The show was able to make an almost non-existent genre in TV thrive and survive for almost ten seasons. Fans flocked to this show because it didn’t rely on jump scares to consider itself “horror”. ‘American Horror Story’ created characters who, with visuals combined with their literally insane character work, gave the show the fear factor even blockbuster films of the same genre were missing. Murphy and co. created a cast of characters that although were only ever with us for a season or so, gave us a reason to come back each time. The cast itself are also a flawless set of performers, but it’s the writing from each episode that’s allowed the show to become a pinnacle of television in the 2010s. Also, Sarah Paulson.

8) Rupaul’s Drag Race, VH1 (2009 - present)

Nothing redefined a whole genre of television quite like ‘Rupaul’s Drag Race’. Ushering in a unique and fresh feel to the reality TV competition genre, Rupaul and his clan of drag queens delivered 10 seasons of the show this decade, as well as the four ‘All Stars’ seasons, and the international spin-offs. The show made its mark on the world with the help of the internet, as the viral memes such as Jasmine Masters’ “and I oop!” and Coco Montrese screaming “I’m not joking, b*tch!” were shared millions of times across the world wide web. We also got to see the queens have their lip sync battles impress fans around the globe; from Alyssa Edwards and Tatianna’s “Shut Up And Drive” to Brooke Lynn Hytes vs Yvie Oddly’s “Sorry Not Sorry”, the queens had fans gagging each week.

Drag has been seen as a fairly underground art form for many years, and throughout most of this show’s reign, the idea that it would remain this way was pretty consistent with its fanbase. However, within the latter years of the 2010’s, the queens of the werk-room transcended their talent into global fame, and have allowed drag to become the mainstream work of art it always deserved to be. Each season a talented and fiery bunch of drag queens strut into the werk room to be crowned ‘America’s Next Drag Superstar’. And with its wit, unique storytelling and ability to become instantly viral, ‘Rupaul’s Drag Race’ easily became the best reality show of the 2010’s. The show became so popular that the previously underground medium has given queens success at the Primetime Emmys, and even launched one of its biggest stars - Shangela Laquifa Wadley - into the Oscar winning film ‘A Star Is Born’. The rise to the top was a tough one for the drag competition, as the masses were never clued into the idea of drag as a concept, let alone a show full of openly queer artists, yet through the years the show and its cast prevailed. What made the show so special was that queer audiences could not only see themselves and their stories portrayed on television, but they didn’t have to deal with tragic endings and disrespectful storylines in order to do so. Queer fans could enjoy the programme for its fun nature whilst still feeling represented. And although the racial diversity only picked up towards the later seasons, it is still one of the most diverse programmes on television. The programme isn’t perfect when it comes to diversity and inclusion as it still has to tackle its gender bias, treatment of the queens of colour themselves and the fact that the scene behind the camera is still very much mostly white. But, that’s not to say that it hasn’t made some progress.

7) Black Mirror, Netflix (2011 - present)

It was pretty hard to be a TV fan this decade without hearing of this show, let alone surrendering and watching at least one episode. The science fiction anthology series cleverly took on a varied set of themes and challenged its viewers to question their everyday thoughts and actions. From having a Prime Minister have sex with a pig, to Miley Cyrus’s dramatic portrayal of Ashley O and the iconic San Junipero episode, it’s difficult to not navigate this episode without being entertained by this show one way or another. Although the Netflix programme doesn’t have to focus on long-term storytelling, it does have to convince us to care enough for new characters and stories each episode. The anthology series has allowed many kinds of tales to be told, and has managed to build a dedicated audience each time it returns. From its excellent accolades to its incredible critique, ‘Black Mirror’ is a programme unlike any other, and is by far one of the greatest programmes to come out of the 2010s.

6) Glee, FOX (2009 - 2015)

Although criticized for its inconsistent writing and eventual fan service, ‘Glee’ was a show unlike any other, and remains impactful to this day. The FOX musical dramady did something beyond being a decent show, it paved the way for LGBT+ representation for years following it. If there’s one thing the 2010s should be remembered for, it’s the amount of openly queer characters on our screens (be it good or bad). When ‘Glee’ had one of its leads, Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), come out in 2009 episode ‘Preggers’, an iconic moment of television immediately arose. Hummel may have made some questionable decisions since then, but the rest of the show followed suit with giving queer people somebody to see themselves in. Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera) had one of the greatest coming out scenes in 2011, Coach Beiste (Dot-Marie Jones) dealt with being in an abusive relationship in 2012, Wade “Unique” Adams’ (Alex Newell) gender issues were explored in 2015, and Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris) was given positive bisexual representation throughout the series. Although nobody’s story was ever perfect, the show opened the doors for more LGBT+ representation following it. Since its premiere, we’ve seen more (and somewhat better) queer representation in ‘One Day At A Time’, ‘Sense8’, 'The Bold Type', and creator Ryan Murphy's other programmes 'The New Normal' and 'Pose'. ‘Glee’ came at a time when queer youth needed representation more than ever, and it may not have been the best, but it was there, and it taught a generation of teens a whole lot about themselves, and for that, it ranks pretty high on this decade-end list. They also happen to have the most Hot 100 Entries of all time (soon to be topped by Drake, who is only one song behind), and received 18 Primetime Emmy nominations during the peak of the show in 2011, so some may have said it did quite well.

5) Parks and Recreation, NBC (2009 - 2015)

Beginning right at the end of the last decade and ending in the middle of this one, ‘Parks and Recreation’ definitely had a good shot at making an impact throughout the 2010s. And it managed to do exactly that. On top of being one of the few shows to have a worthy series finale, ‘Parks and Recreation’ was a programme that warmed our hearts every single episode and reminded us of a better life in an unfortunate political climate. Leslie Knope was a beacon of light in a dark world, ensuring that despite living what can be described as a simple life, she created something extraordinary. The Michael Schur original ranks so high as it has been a part of one of the most enjoyable kinds of comedies - the mockumentary - and did it extremely well. We’ve seen many shows make their mark amongst this genre, but ‘Parks and Recreation’ was able to do so without the help of a big Primetime Emmy push, and created a devoted fanbase. With the timeless memes and the rewatchable episodes, the citizens of Pawnee gave us some of the most enjoyable moments of the 2010s that will carry us into the 2020s just as well.

4) Fleabag, BBC One (2016 - 2019)

What appeared to be the quiet assassin of 2019 turned out to be one of the biggest shows of the 2010s. Phoebe Waller-Bridge released her one-woman show in 2013 in England and was soon picked up by BBC Three. Whilst the first season had its fair share of attention, it wasn’t until it returned for a second season in 2019 when Waller-Bridge truly left her mark. Viewers across the globe fell in love with the dark yet witty comedy as the show wasn’t afraid to show what figuring it all out was really about. It was dark, it was morally unhinged, it was funny, it was crass, it was flawed, it was simply real. Waller-Bridge captured complicated women in every episode, whilst remaining real and funny. This show - much like the very underrated ‘Chewing Gum’ - gave an honest, humorous voice to regular women just trying to figure life out as oddly and uncomfortable as possible.

3) Pose, FX (2018 - present)

The most vital LGBT+ inclusive show of the latter years of the decade, FX’s ‘Pose’ gave a platform to trans performers of colour with innovative and provocative storytelling. Although the show only arrived in late 2018, it’s earned a place on the list as it has helped push under-represented communities in the world of TV. With the likes of Billy Porter leading this show, the FX programme already had some celebrity prominence to keep it afloat, but beyond that it created stars out of its ensemble. The show has tackled the aids epidemic, life as a black queer person (most notably trans) and the origins of a lot of today’s queer culture. ‘Pose’ has set the tone for the next decade, and not only has become an important aspect of queer culture, but the television industry. As described by star Dominique Jackson in an interview with E!, "these things happened. You can't just sit in the comfort of your suburb and not realise that homelessness has occurred. Most of us who have lived in that time where the fear of contracting HIV and aids, the fear of wanting to work, the fear of walking the streets and not knowing if you're gonna get to your destination because someone is gonna kill you because of their thoughts about what you do in your bedroom, or how you express yourself. These things need to be seen. This is what 'Pose' does. It shows you everything about the juxtaposition between the rise of the Trump era, the literary scene, and the ballroom culture."

2) Stranger Things, Netflix (2016 - 2020)

One of Netflix’s biggest successes since its streaming origins in 2007, ‘Stranger Things’ was a quick fan favourite as soon as it debuted. Initially pitched as a mini-series, the 80’s-based programme became a word-of-mouth success so big that Netflix had no other option but to renew it again, and again, and again (in which 2020 will see its final chapter). What makes the success of this show so fascinating is that it was able to take a mostly child-oriented cast and create a project that attracted the masses beyond that age group. It would’ve been easy for ‘Stranger Things’ to become a Tumblr sensation for a year or two, being forgotten by most subscribers and its existence being remembered only by the GIF sets on inactive blogs, but it was much more than that. The Duffer Brothers allowed the show to reach into the hearts of multiple age groups by tugging on the heartstrings of loving parents with children, kids and teens longing for an adventurous life, and those with a reminiscent/romanticized vision of childhood in the 80’s. ‘Stranger Things’ became more than what was on the tin, and ensured that every viewer was giving a suspenseful and emotional first eight episodes that were so addictive many of forgave the show for its dismal sophomore year.

1) Game of Thrones, HBO (2011 - 2019)

Not only was this Emmy award winning series here for practically the entire decade, but it maintained its prominence for every single one of the years - even during its hiatus in 2018. Whether you loved the show or not, and no matter what your feelings regarding its final season are, there’s no denying that when it comes to the 2010s, ‘Game of Thrones’ will be the one show we will all reminisce on - for better or for worse. With the influx of streaming and on-demand services taking over, this HBO original will probably go down as the last show that we watch together. The programme was so popular that it practically forced its worldwide viewers to watch it beyond 1am on a Sunday night just to avoid seeing spoilers and to be able to talk about it freely the next morning. Even those that didn’t enjoy the show found it difficult to avoid spoilers, and for that, this show is definitely the show of the 2010s.

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: You Should See Me in a Crown

I’m not a massive fan of the classic Sherlock Holmes tales. I’ve read them all and appreciate the legacy and what they’ve inspired in other works, but they’ve never been my favorite tales. I actually enjoy the various interpretations and re-imaginings much more than the core mythos. I like RDJ’s take in film and the more modern spin with Elementary but, by far, my favorite rendition of Sherlock was the BBC version that made Benadryl Cumquatt a star. That show is inspired, at least the first two seasons, and it blessed me with one of the greatest television villains i have ever had the pleasure of witnessing; Andrew Scott’s Moriarty. My goodness, is he the greatest adaption of that villain! He even looks the part. I say all of this because Enola Holmes dropped today on Netflix. It’s a completely different take on the Holmes mythos centering on Sherlock’s younger sister, Enola and starring Millie Bobby Brown of Stranger Things fame. This is her vehicle, i think she’s producing it, so I'm curious how well it’ll fare. These Stranger kids are all growing up and trying to transition into adult stardom. Finn Wolfhard is doing fine and Millie seems to be taking things into her own hands. Let’s see in those hands are steady enough to push her into the next phase of her career.

The Good

I’m not one for that old timey Victorian aesthetic but i can appreciate the effort it must take to give it life in the modern age. The costumes and sets in this thing are exquisite. This is gorgeous and meticulously crafted film.

This film’s direction is pretty okay. The narrative, itself, leaves a lot to be desired but what is presented, has been deftly constructed. Credit to Harry Bradbeer for that. Dude has directed a few episodes of both Fleabag and Killing Eve so he’s got the chops. I just wish the fare this time was a little more substantial so he could really sink his chops into it.

This cast is loaded. There are several names in supporting roles worth note. Adeel Akhtar, Fiona Shaw, Frances de la Tour, and Susie Wokama all make memorable appearances. Louis Partridge is a little flaccid in the love interest role but he does enough to distract.

Millie Bobby Brown makes this movie. Her Enola Holmes is brilliant, witty, and full of that ardent, rebellious, energy all teenage girls are filled with. Though er story is one of mystery and intrigue, it is, first and foremost, kind of a coming-of-age tale. Brown does a decent job carrying this film and never falters in the same space as older, seasoned, actors like Helena Bonham Carter and Fiona Shaw.

Henry Cavill is basically playing Superman. His Sherlock Holmes is easily the weakest I've ever seen. Dude simply doesn’t have the chops to pull this off. I might be judging him too harshly considering the caliber of actor to have filled this role and made it their own in recent times. These are big shoes to fill but they fit ill on Cavill. This ain’t his story so we don’t really get to see that brilliant deduction but i don’t know that he could have pulled it off even if we did.

Helena Bonham Carter as the Holmes matriarch, Eudoria, is a pleasure. She steals every scene she’s in, even if there aren’t many. The Mrs. Holmes is mostly absent but the specter of her charisma permeates every facet of this film and it’s very welcomed. I just wish there was more of her.

Sam Caflin’s Mycroft Holmes is a very interesting take on the character. Dude is effectively the villain of this narrative. He’s out to force Enola into doing everything she doesn’t want. Dude is the overbearing pops or whatever. It’s awkward seeing Mycroft this way but he is ably portrayed by Caflin so i don’t have too big an issue with him.

The Bad

This thing exudes female energy. It is every bit Enola’s story. Now, I'm not too mad at that. Millie is decent in the role and it is unmistakably her film but that is, in this current climate, very abrasive to some. There is a strong feminist slant in how this narrative is presented and that might turn a lot of people off, depending on if they feel that is “controversial” or not.

There is just SO much exposition in this thing. It’s the nature of the genre, cats have to talk there way through problems or whatever but I've seen this part of these types of stories done much better. Sherlock, for example, found a way to visualize this and did it very well in the first two seasons. This film does not do that. It’s not super terrible but it did take me out of the story a little bit.

The music in this is very distracting. There aren’t many scene where the narrative just let’s you breathes. There’s always a whimsical swell or a punctuation flare to emphasize a shot. This feels like a callow tactic to give more levity and agency to the film where there really isn’t any to be had.

The writing in this is kind of weak. I thought, with how everything was progressing, that it might have been written by several people bu it wasn’t. One person crafted this tale; Jack Thorne. I’m really familiar with the bulk of his work but, if it’ anything like this, i imagine his is an underwhelming catalog.

This thing doesn’t feel like a movie. It feels like a series or that it should have been a series. I don’t see how this thing could have succeeded in the theater and it should count it’s blessings it found a home on Netflix because this definitely would have flopped. This thing feels like a proper Netflix movie, not a Hollywood outing.

As if to dive my previous point home, this is definitely sequel fodder. This film was made with several to follow in mind. Enola Holmes is a whole ass book series so there is definitely material to be had there. There’s six book so content isn’t lacking but i kind of feel like that ending should have felt a little more finite. This cash grab attempt at film universes and sequel bait is the most disingenuous sh*t ever outside of microtransactions in games and i kind of hate it. It’s wild to see everyone release sub-par entries on the hope they can patch the sh*t with sequels but everyone forgets that Iron Man was exceptional. It’s easily the third best MCU film and was the first to release. That first film has to be solid enough to bare the weight of a entire franchise and Enola Holmes ain’t doing that level of heavy lifting.

This film wears it’s Young Adult categorization like a badge of honor. You can tell this film is just a step and a half up from the likes of Riverdale or Nancy Drew. As a grown as man, this was not for me and i understand that very well. That said, it falls into that same, tropey, nothingness that the worst of the YA genre is known for, which is all the more reason this should have been a serial not a film. It’s not aggressive in it’s cliche but, if you’ve seen as many films as i have, you pick up on it immediately. For me, that’s the biggest issue with the film but for others. it might not even be worth mentioning.

The Verdict

Enola Holmes is a very cute, but flawed, viewing experience. It’s an interesting take on the Sherlock formula, injected with all of the GRRRL power you’d expect from a film starring a teenage woman in the lead. It’s not pretentious or forceful about it’s messaging but you definitely understand that there is a message it wants to convey. Millie Bobby Brown is excellent as Enola, easily the second best thing about this movie after the scenery chewing Bonham Carter, and there are some strong supporting performances. Cavill is a miss as Sherlock and Mycroft might as well be a mustache twirling villain but, in service to this particular narrative, the change in character makes sense. The film, itself, is ably directed and it’s a legitimately gorgeous watch but there are severe shortcomings. The writing is pedestrian, the plot is cliche, and to cover up these weaknesses, the music is leaned on too heavily. The foremost mystery isn’t one of true merit, i figured it out about halfway through, and it eschews the real conundrum for later time. The whole premise of this movie delivers a relatively intriguing situation but that is left for a later film to resolve and i kind of hate it. Sh*t was mad bogus. None of these issues are very pressing but they are noticeable and, at times, a little grating. Still, i was never bored and it is a rather well put together film, overall, even if it does feel like it should have been a proper miniseries. Enola Holmes is worth a watch but, understand, mileage may vary. I thought there was potential going forward but this thing should have definitely been a series and not a film.

[ramblingsrantsreviews]

‘On My Block’s’ Controversial Season 3 Ending Makes Total Sense

Last week Netflix released the third season of On My Block, a coming-of-age dramedy that follows a group of friends in South Central Los Angeles as they navigate everyday teenage life with the challenges that their neighborhood brings on.

The third season picks up right where season 2 left off, with the four friends (Monse, Cesar, Ruby, and Jamal) being kidnapped on their walk home from school. Once their kidnapper is revealed the four friends are roped into tracking down a former Santos gang member, Lil’ Ricky, who has been presumed dead for decades. The remaining seven episodes follow their struggles to find Lil’ Ricky while navigating their changing friendships and trying to have fun on their summer break.

Fans were shocked during the finale episode when all seemed fine until the show decided to give us a glimpse into these characters’ futures by jumping two years into the future. Many of them took to Twitter and other social media websites to vent their confusion and disappointment with the season 3 finale episode.

While I’ll admit the ending was shocking and tears were shed I completely see where the writers were coming from and am going to defend their decision. After all, if you watch the series closely enough you will see that the characters’ outcomes aren’t that shocking at all.

Don’t believe me? Keep reading and you will.

*Spoilers Ahead*

Monsé Finnie

From the very beginning of On My Block, Monsé has been the de facto leader of the core four and the glue that holds them all together. As the only girl of the group she also takes over the reins as the “mom friend” who is forced to worry about her three best friends who are constantly getting themselves into trouble.

At the start of this season, she’s caught in the middle of wanting to get out of Freeridge to attend a boarding school and staying to keep her friend group together. Over the course of the season, we see her exhaustingly try to keep Cesar, Ruby, and Jamal together. She’s consonantly refereeing the boys and their countless arguments that sometimes get too personal.

On top of that, she’s trying to move on from her own grudges including forgiving Cesar for sleeping with someone else while she was away during season 2. And she also has to deal with the loss of her estranged mother this season which brings up and interesting array of feelings for her.

By the end of the season, Monsé is generally scared about what her future holds. On one hand, she’s just gone through an extremely traumatic experience with her friends and she’s seen them fight and nearly leave each other for dead. On the other hand, she’s mended her relationship with Cesar and finally has a girlfriend she can confide in. And yet, she has to give it all away to go to this new boarding school.

After everything is said and done, Monsé texts the core four asking when they can hang out again. We see each of the characters look at the message but no one answers. This is the beginning of the end of their ride or die friendship. Fearing this, Monsé begs her dad to let her stay in Freeridge but her dad and Cesar stand firm. Monsé was destined to get out of this place and this is her ticket out. We watch as Ruby, Jamal, and them on the curb to say one last goodbye.

Jasmine hands Monsé a homemade frame with her face decorating the edges and a picture of the core 4 inside. Monsé looks at it dearly and promises that she’s going to display it prominently in her new dorm room. The core four plus Jasmine share a group hug and for a moment everything is right in the world. But if you look close enough you can sense the tension and strain this is going through.

Eventually, Monsé gets in the car and drives off with her dad, the core four has officially split. And even though Cesar, Jamal, Ruby, and Jasmine watch Monsé’s car disappear together that sense of “everything is going to be okay” is lost now that the glue to their friend group has left.

And then the writers stab us in the hearts by showing Monsé two years later in her new dorm having a movie night with her new friends. The camera slowly pans to her nightstand and we see the beloved picture frame has been pushed to the back of her nightstand, overshadowed by pictures of her new friends and her new life.

Some might say it’s a classic case of teenagers growing apart and I think that’s part of the reason. After all, not everyone is destined to be best friends forever with their childhood friends. I think the other reason they grow apart is that Monsé can’t play her role as the mediator from towns apart. She isn’t there for the day to day arguments, to calm everyone’s nerves and remind each other why they’re all friends. In addition, she’s now living a very different life than her friends are. They don’t have the same problems anymore which means Monsé doesn’t have all the answers anymore.

More importantly, maybe she’s flat out tired playing that mediator role and with her new friends, she doesn’t have to. These new girls don’t force her to fix their problems, they don’t expect her to be the one constantly reaching out and checking in on them. Perhaps, they actually support her unconditionally which is something Monsé desperately needed not too long ago.

In the end, Monsé’s worst fear did come true — the core four disbanded but instead of being sad by it she almost seems relieved. And fans felt that was out of character for Monsé but is it? I don’t think it is. Monsé has spent years defusing arguments and we can see that’s she’s really fed up this time. She’s broken the vicious cycle of forgiving her friends (at least for now).

Of course, I don’t think Monsé purposely forgot about her friends, I do think they drifted away. And I don’t think this rift is permanent; after all, that’s what season 4 is for.

Cesar Diaz

Cesar has had a very tumultuous ride over the course of On My Block. In the first season is was forced into the Santos gang by his older brother and was instructed to kill a member of the rival gang. Unable to pull the trigger, the ramifications of his actions hurt those closest to him and jeopardized his future with the Santos. We saw those ramifications play out in the second season as Cesar struggled to live on the street and get back in his brother and his friends’ good graces. And by the end of season 2, he had succeeded.

Season 3 opens with Cesar being pulled back into the Santos life by the leader of the Santos herself. He and his friends are left with no choice but to help Cuchillos get what she wants or else their life is on the line — something Cesar is accustomed too but his friends are not. On top of that, Cesar’s estranged father, Ray, gets out of jail and wanders back into Cesar’s life. Having never had a relationship with him, Cesar jumps at the opportunity to get to know his father despite his brother’s warnings.

As time goes on Cesar begins to realize the severity of the situation he and his friends are in. After realizing how much Cuchillos has hurt his family, Cesar decides the only way he and his friends can win this war is if they kill her. As we get closer and closer to the end goal, we see Cesar tap into those gang mentality thoughts he fought so hard against in prior seasons.

After everything is said and done, we see the Cesar from prior seasons emerge as he comforts Monsé and pushes her to leave Freeridge. The old Cesar isn’t long for this world though. In fact, when we jump two years into the future we see Cesar’s worst fear has come true, he is now the leader of the Santos wreaking havoc on the rival gangs.

Out of all the time jump scenes, Cesar’s was the most jarring and the most heartbreaking. In fact, it’s the scene that got the fans most riled up because they felt it was wrong and uncalled for. Once again, though, if you watch the season closely enough you can see Cesar undergo this transformation from a teenager who wanted nothing to do with the Santos to a teenager who is ready to join them.

Cesar’s father returning is the first catalyst in his transformation from anti-Santos to Santos leader. That might seem silly since Ray is a new man after prison and is trying to have a better life now, but it’s the truth. Cesar has always known his father was part of the Santos but seeing him for the first time reinforces this idea that Cesar’s family lives, breathes, and dies because of the Santos gang. It’s their way of life. And even though Ray praises him for getting out and being smart, there’s still this undertone that Cesar is meant to be a Santos because it’s all they know.

If Cesar’s dad’s presence is the first catalyst to his transformation, his dad leaving is the final push Cesar needs. Why? Because it fills Cesar with rage and resentment and as Oscar said rage is how he survived in Freeridge for so long. Instead of channeling his rage into something positive, Cesar does what his family does best, turn their rage into violence.

When Cesar finds out Ray has left he tries to fight Oscar. He puts the blame for his shitty life on Oscar’s decisions. In fact, he utters the same exact words to Oscar that Oscar screams at Ray. One would think this would make him want to break the cycle of violence and his family’s need to be in the Santos gang but it only drives him closer to it.

We really see his transformation begin when the core four and Oscar decided its time to take Cuchillos down. After three days of not hearing from Oscar, Cesar begins to get worried and jumps into the action. The only problem is, he doesn’t want to put his friends in more danger than they already are so he turns to the only other family he has, the Santos. Cesar gets extremely agitated when he realizes the Santos aren’t looking for him. Worried that they’ve turned on him, Cesar confronts them and is ready to fight them but luckily he doesn’t have to. Oscar’s right-hand man steps up and defends Cesar’s wishes sending the Santos to the streets to find their leader. In doing so, Oscar’s right-hand man tells Cesar “We got you, Little Spooky,” which is the first time Cesar has ever seen the Santos truly protect him — and he likes it.

In the same episode, the core four is pulled together by Ruby after he receives a text from Cuchillos. This leads them to believe that Oscar has failed and forces Cesar to make the decision that he needs to be the one, now, to take Cuchillos down. Before the core four arrive at the hotel, Oscar’s right-hand man meets with Cesar to give him a gun. He promises to ride with Cesar no matter what, another hint that the Santos are willing to accept Cesar as their new leader if and when the time comes.

If you’re still not convinced that Cesar is beginning to accept his Santos lineage, the scene between him and Monsé should have you convinced. Monsé looks at Cesar holding the gun and asks him straight out, “this is just a one-time thing right? Because you have to.” Cesar has to pull his attention away from the gun to look at Monsé but his reaction doesn’t scream “one-time thing.” In fact, this really isn’t a one-time thing considering Cesar has held a gun to someone twice before. The difference is this time Cesar has the rage and motive to pull the trigger — and perhaps, he likes that power.

Because that’s the thing, being in the Santos means power. It means belonging. It means mattering. In the earlier scene with Cesar and Ray, Ray tells Cesar that he’s never needed anyone that he’s always known who he is and that Ray is jealous of that. But it’s not the truth. Cesar has struggled with his identity from the very beginning of the series. He’s struggled with finding acceptance within the core four because of his ties to the Santos. And for the first time, he’s seeing that maybe his place really is in the Santos where he can’t put his friends in danger anymore. Where he can be in control and be powerful instead of scared and helpless.

As if deciding to kill someone isn’t proof enough that Cesar is becoming a Santos, his willingness to fight Ruby when Ruby speaks the truth and “disrespects” Cesar. It only escalates when Jamal chimes in that being Cesar’s friend is a “liability.” Cesar’s fears have come true his friends have turned on him and the only one left for him once Monsé leaves is the Santos.

And the final knife into old Cesar happens when we watches Oscar make a deal with 19th Street to end the senseless violence and make things better for themselves. Instead of praising Oscar for this groundbreaking deal, Cesar tells Oscar he’s soft and that it’ll never work. As he watches Oscar give up his position in the Santos, Cesar sees this as his opportunity to take over.

Because even though everyone in Cesar’s life tells him that they’ve made them a better person and that he has the ability to be different and be better, Cesar doesn’t see it. He’s filled with rage. And the only way to take out that rage is to be the new leader of the Santos.

Jamal Turner

Jamal’s journey to the two-year time jump is a bit less intense than Monsé’s and definitely not nearly as intense as Cesar’s, but it was still a shocking twist for fans.

When we first met Jamal in the first season of the show he was the core fours goofy friend who was always up to something. He spent most of the first season trying to figure out a way to get out of playing football because he was afraid of getting hurt. After he finally quits the team, Jamal spends his time trying to find the rumored Rollerworld money. At the end of the first season, he does, in fact, find the money which is great considering the money becomes a key component of the second season.

The third season opens with the Rollerworld money gone and no puzzle for Jamal to solve, though that’s fixed rather quickly once Cuchillos gives them their new mission to find Lil’ Ricky. Jamal spends the rest of the season trying to be the leader of the group which is harder than he thinks given Jasmine’s new presence in the core four. In addition, he gets his first glimpse at high school romance thanks to a strange homeschooled girl who has taken to stalking him.

Jamal goes through a very emotional journey as he struggles to come to terms with his new role amongst his friends and how to juggle his new relationship with the rest of his life. In addition, he’s stuck trying to solve an unsolvable puzzle.

By the time the two-year time jump happens, Jamal has accepted he’s not the leader, fought with his friends, broken up with his girlfriend, and realizes that he doesn’t have a mystery to solve anymore. In turn, when we see him two years later he is now laughing and enjoying his life while wearing a football jersey. As Ruby passes Jamal and him share a look so many of us can relate to — they’ve grown apart.

A lot of fans were caught off guard that Jamal, who actively spent an entire season trying to avoid playing football, would suddenly join the football team again. But it’s not that shocking.

Think about it, the only reason Jamal was against playing football was that he was afraid of being hurt. By the end of the season, he’s literally been threatened by a powerful gang leader and cheated death on more than one occasion. He’s faced his biggest fear of getting hurt and being dead and now, with that fear gone he can enjoy the game of football without worrying what’s going to happen to him.

It’s not just his newfound bravery that makes football the perfect fit for him though, it’s also the fact that Jamal loves puzzles. He spent three seasons tracking down money, missing people, and trying to figure out how to get his friends out of trouble and he loved it. When you think about it football is a great place for someone who loves to solve puzzles because plays are puzzles. He would actually be a great asset to the team if he was able to dissever the opponent’s plays.

On top of that, Jamal’s always wanted to be a leader and yet, his friends have never taken him seriously. He’s never been a leader in the core four’s eyes and its something that has frustrated him for years. In that time jump, he has the undivided attention of the team, he’s the one telling the story that’s making everyone laugh with him and not at him. Jamal finally found a place where he could be a respected leader.

The most jarring thing for fans to come to terms with in regards to Jamal’s time jump scene was the fact that he and Ruby don’t talk. While I agree that we don’t see Jamal and Ruby growing apart from each other as much as we do with some of the other characters this season, the tensions in their relationship are still there. The fact of the matter is while Ruby was desperately trying to help his parents pay off his medical bills this season, Jamal was prioritizing finding Lil’ Ricky. So yeah, maybe they did just grow apart organically or maybe they truly needed time apart because they weren’t on the same page anymore.

Ruben “Ruby” Martinez Jr

Out of the core four Ruby has the most heartwarming transformation.

When we first meet Ruby he’s a hopeless romantic who’s a little too obsessed with girls. He’s often the one friend who gets the core four out of trouble and he truly is ride or die even if he doesn’t always show it.

At the end of season one, Ruby ends up getting shot at a family friend’s quince which leaves the family friend dead. Ruby spends much of season 2 juggling his intense PTSD while also trying to help his friends get Cesar out of harms way yet again.

By the time season three rolls around, Ruby is somewhat better but he still suffers from survivor’s guilt and is a bit numb to the world. His one wish at the start of the season is to just be a normal teenager but of course, that’s impossible given the world he lives in and his friends.

He begins to have feelings for Jasmine, a girl who’s been obsessed with him since childhood that the core four have often brushed off as crazy. On top of that, Ruby learns that his parents are going through marital problems partly due to Ruby’s growing medical bills after being shot.

Ruby spends much of the third season trying to figure out a way to help their friends while also trying to survive his impending death for a second time. On a positive note, he’s also trying to discover if his new feelings for Jasmine are permanent or if they’re a stress reliever given their current life or death situation.

Ruby once again takes charge of the core four after Cuchillos leaves him a burner phone that allows her to communicate with the core four. He’s the one who pulls the group together after they realize that Oscar is probably dead and he’s the one who devises the plan on how to take down Cuchillos together. Even though his actions make him appear as the leader of the group, he doesn’t feel like that.

In fact, he feels alone even when he’s with his friends. Jamal is too caught up in his first relationship and the newest puzzle to help Ruby with his financial trouble. Ruby tries to bond with Monsé after her mother passes but even she ends up pushing him away by expressing her fear of being numb to pain and loss — something he has first-hand experience with. And he nearly comes to blows with Cesar after finally admitting that everything that’s wrong with him is because of Cesar.

After he utters those words, there’s no going back. It’s the crack in their foundation that makes Ruby distance from the core four make sense in the time jump.

Even though Ruby losing his friends is sad and not what viewers wanted, it’s what he needed to finally live a normal teenage life. And the time jump is the proof of that since we see Ruby and Jasmine walking the halls of their high school happy and in love for the first time in a long time.

Oscar “Spooky” Diaz

Oscar, or Spooky as he’s known for most of the series, has the most positive drastic change during the two-year time jump. And it’s the one fans welcomed the most.

When we first meet Oscar he’s fresh out of jail and back to reclaim his seat as the leader of the Santos. His first mission is to innate Cesar into the gang life which isn’t an easy task given Cesar’s hesitance. The two have a very tumultuous relationship in season one but they do manage to share a few heartfelt moments together. Most memorable is the scene on the beach where they both fantasize about what their life could be if they weren’t stuck in Freeridge and had parents who were actually capable of being parents.

Unfortunately, that closeness doesn’t last long and in season two, Oscar is forced to turn his back on Cesar after he puts the Santos lives in jeopardy after not killing a member of the rival gang at the end of season one. It takes the entire season for Cesar to prove himself to Oscar but eventually the two reunite and take down the Prophets once and for all.

Season 3 should have been an amazing season for these two brothers who are finally starting to heal but instead, their father, Ray, comes back into the picture and drives a wedge between them. See, Cesar doesn’t remember what his father’s presence is like but Oscar does and Oscar doesn’t want Cesar to go through any more shit than he’s already had to deal with. But Oscar can’t protect Cesar from himself — and that’s an important thing to remember as the season continues.

If season 3 for Cesar is about Cesar’s transformation into a Santo, then Oscars season 3 is about his transformation away from the Santos.

This shift becomes clear halfway through the season when Oscar confronts Ray about all the shit that he did to Oscar. Oscar blames Ray for everything that’s wrong with Oscar’s life. He blames Ray for forcing him to grow up and be the leader of the Santos even though it’s not what he wanted. Ray tells him he needs to let go of his rage and move on because he can’t fix the past. In a pivotal move, Oscar tells Ray that he can’t let go of the rage because it’s the only thing that’s kept him alive in Freeridge for so long.

The ironic thing is, in telling his father off, Oscar has let go of his rage. And from that moment on, we see Oscar take steps to distance himself from the Santos. The first move comes when he helps the core four plan to take Cuchillos down by sacrificing himself for them. For the first time, Oscar realizes that the Santos aren’t his family and that they don’t have his back the way he might have thought they had.

By sacrificing himself for Cesar and his friends, it’s the first step Oscar makes against the Santos. Thankfully, his mission pays off and he’s able to make a deal with 19th Street that would allow both gangs to live in peace without fear of being shot over meaningless issues. This scene is Oscar’s final act as a Santo and in turn, it’s the turning point Cesar needs to step into his brother’s role.

When Cesar confronts Oscar about being soft and being played Oscar can’t bring himself to care. He even goes as far as telling Cesar that he wants “adult problems” and that he’s done with this way of life. That he’s done living his life with resentment and missed opportunities. Instead of agreeing with Oscar, Cesar asks him “what if someone takes your power?” To which Oscar responds “let him.” And in that moment, it’s clear that while Oscar is done with the Santos life, Cesar is just beginning.

And so the two-year time jump shows the drastic reality that Cesar has taken over the Santos; while Oscar has finally gotten what he’s always wanted — a wife, a kid, and a normal life.

Now, many have criticized Oscar’s happy ending wondering why he didn’t get Cesar out of Freeridge too. They’ve been vocal about their issues with him leaving his baby brother to run a gang he knows will ruin his life.

But here’s the thing. You can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped. Oscar knows this.

He knows Cesar is still full of rage and resentment, especially towards Oscar. And at the end of the day, Oscar doesn’t want to be in charge of his baby brother anymore. He never wanted to in the first place. And even though we’ve seen Oscar be a good brother over the course of the season, we can’t forget the fact that he literally forced Cesar to sleep on the streets for nearly an entire season.

Oscar finally chose family over the Santos, but unfortunately, Cesar didn’t make that same choice and that’s no one’s fault but Cesar’s.

And that concludes my long rambling essay on why I stand by the writer’s finale decisions. Even though I support them, I know that this is not the end of the core four. And I can’t wait to see what season four has in store for us because I’m certain we’re going to get one.

Even though the season 3 ending might be realistic, it doesn’t match the positive tone On My Block has always given us. Which is why I know this is not the end of the core four’s journey.

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[darthreporter]

The ultimate guide to your 'Star Wars' binge

Now, when a lot of us are spending more hours indoors than ever, we have the entirety of the "Star Wars" entertainment catalogue at our fingertips. And with a new season of "The Mandalorian" not coming until this fall, revisiting the finer moments of this far away galaxy with a good stream or two doesn't seem like the worst idea. Especially if your viewing of "The Rise of Skywalker" felt like a disturbance in The Force.

Here's the best of the Star Wars universe, in the order you should take it in:

• The original trilogy (Disney Plus): What better way to start a "Star Wars" binge than the original (and still the best) trilogy? "Episode IV: A New Hope," "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" and "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi." From the destruction of the Death Star to "I am your father," the classics have aged well.

• The first two prequels (Disney Plus): The prequels were far from universally loved, even for the most die-hard "Star Wars" fans, but the success of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" — the animated series that takes place between episodes II and III — has shined a light on the richness of their universe-building. Watch "Episode I" (for podracing and the greatest live action lightsaber duel of all, among Darth Maul, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn) and "Episode II" (for the creation of the "clones" and the incredible CGI/live-action fusion of Yoda vs. Count Dooku). But before you dive into Episode III, you have to treat yourself to ...

• "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (Disney Plus): If you've been putting off this series because you think animation can't compete with live-action when it comes to "Star Wars," you're selling yourself short. There are spectacular lightsaber battles, cool clone soldiers (no two are alike) and the most heroic take on Anakin Skywalker.

The prequels only had time to show Anakin as a wonder kid (Episode I), a brat in love (Episode II) and a tragically gullible pawn (Episode III). In "The Clone Wars," now in Season 7, there are hints of his fall, and yes, he's got a temper, but he's nothing short of legendary for more than 100 episodes. We also are introduced to Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's Padawan learner, who has become one of the most popular "Star Wars" characters ever.

There may be nothing in the "Star Wars" canon as thought-provoking and captivating as this series, and to experience it you must consume it all (if you're one of the few true fans who hasn't).

• "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" (Disney Plus): Tragic love. The fall from grace. Anakin Skywalker vs. Obi-Wan Kenobi. And the birth of a legend: Darth Vader begins here.

• "Star Wars Rebels" (Disney Plus): "Rebels," which takes place five years before "Episode IV: A New Hope," is another (of multiple) animated "Star Wars" options on Disney Plus. While perhaps not as acclaimed as "Clone Wars," the series still has can't-miss moments, particularly Season 2's final episode, which features a lightsaber duel between the no-longer-a-kid Ahsoka and her former Jedi master Anakin, who has been Darth Vader for quite a while at this point. If you only watch one "Rebels" episode, this is the one.

• "Rogue One" (Disney Plus): It doesn't matter if you think "Rogue One," a movie that ends just before the opening moments of "Episode IV," succeeded as a "Star Wars" stand-alone or not. It ends with Darth Vader's greatest moment on film. Don't resist the urge to watch it multiple times.

• "Solo" (Netflix): "Solo" showed fan favorite Darth Maul's brief return to the "Star Wars" live-action cinematic universe after his death in "Episode I," a feat made possible by his rebirth on "Clone Wars." Darth Maul fans can only watch and wonder what might have been if sequels had followed.

Still, this is the origin story of a "Star Wars" legend, Han Solo. And Donald Glover is great as Lando. The film is worth a stream, which will have to be done on Netflix until July 8 (it then moves to Disney Plus).

• The comics (Marvel Comics app and ComiXology): After humble beginnings at Marvel Comics and then two decades at Dark Horse, "Star Wars" returned to Marvel comics in 2015, with tales taking place after the destruction of the Empire's Death Star. The run lasted for 75 issues, with contributions from writers Jason Aaron, Kieron Gillen, Greg Pak and a slew of talented artists. Highlights include issue No. 4, which features Darth Vader's emotional return to Tatooine, and No. 21, with the lightsaber-wielding Sgt. Kreel and his elite squad of stormtroopers.

Marvel's current "Star Wars" series, which began in January, takes place after Luke Skywalker learns Darth Vader is his father. There are other series exploring some of "Star Wars'" greatest evil figures, including Darth Vader, Darth Maul and Kylo Ren, who's represented in a recent miniseries by Charles Soule and Will Sliney.

• "The Mandalorian" (Disney Plus): Baby Yoda, bounty hunters and coming soon ... a live-action Ahsoka Tano. Taking place after the fall of the Empire, "The Mandalorian" is the next generation of live-action "Star Wars" storytelling with vibes of the Wild West merging with deep space. And the arrival of Baby Yoda has proved this series is anything but predictable.

• "The Force Awakens," "The Last Jedi" (Disney Plus) and "The Rise of Skywalker" (iTunes, Amazon and other on-demand platforms): "The Force Awakens" gave us the secret reveal of the next generation of Jedi, plus Darth Vader's moody grandson Kylo Ren and the cuteness of BB-8. "The Last Jedi," while polarizing, is the gem of this trilogy, even with its grump take on Luke Skywalker.

As for "The Rise of Skywalker," you can purchase it now, but why spend those Republic credits ($20)? The Force tells us to do the smart thing and just wait for it to arrive on Disney Plus (and maybe it'll even arrive earlier than you think, the way "Frozen 2" just did). "Rise" is eventually worth a re-watch for Kylo Ren, who's still intriguing despite his predictable character turn, and Rey's path of self-discovery at the end. This trilogy didn't exactly end with the most surprising of bangs, but at least Rey ended up with one really cool new lightsaber.

[justgotham]

On the eve of the show's farewell (and 100th episode), the duo open up about how the Warner Bros.-produced show came together, its biggest challenges, and how they succeeded despite "competing against 80 years of Batman history."

"Batman characters are like Beatles songs," philosophizes Danny Cannon, who has been a co-showrunner on Gotham (along with John Stephens and, until 2016, creator Bruno Heller) since Fox put it on the air in 2014. "You don't play them like the Beatles [did] — everybody does their own version of them."

His version — the one that follows Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) as a rookie cop and young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) as he learns to be Batman — will air its 100th episode, which will also be the series finale, on April 25. After five years of reinventing origin stories for villains like the Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor), the Riddler (Cory Michael Smith) and Catwoman (Camren Bicondova), and at its peak pulling in as many as 9.7 million viewers (as well as picking up a Creative Arts Emmy for visual effects), the Bat Signal is finally being switched off.

Stephens' future plans are unclear — for a time, he was developing a series about another city, Superman's hometown, Metropolis, for WarnerMedia's DC Universe streamer, but that project was scrapped. Cannon and Heller, though, will be staying near their old neighborhood with Pennyworth, an upcoming series they're shooting for Epix about Wayne Manor's trusty butler, Alfred (played on Gotham by Sean Pertwee and in the new series by Jack Bannon).

On the eve of Gotham's farewell, Cannon, 50, and Stephens, 47, sat with THR (their separate conversations are edited together here) to talk about how the Warner Bros.-produced show came together, its biggest challenges — like casting characters memorably played by the likes of Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer — and how they succeeded despite, as Stephens puts it, "competing against 80 years of Batman history."

You made Jim Gordon a centerpiece of the series. Why?

DANNY CANNON You see through the eyes of a new detective. He sees all the darkest stuff about the city. He looks into the corners and the alleyways of Gotham. Through all five seasons, Jim Gordon walks that thin line between the just and the corrupted. At any point, he could have left. There will always be corrupt people who attempt to control chaos in Gotham. Jim knew he was fighting the true nature of the city. That's good drama.

Batman's story has been told so many times in so many different ways. What version influenced you the most? Which the least?

JOHN STEPHENS I wish I could tell you that we had a really coherent point of view, but it was evolving. At the very beginning, it was a much more noir-inflected, boots-on-the-ground point of view of the city. Then it became more elevated as we continued on to the second season. There were flashes here and there where we probably went a little bit too far into some of the more supernatural elements that sometimes intrude into Gotham.

CANNON We called the show Gotham because that's what we wanted it to be about. We were basically asking, "What would have to happen to a city in order for someone like Batman to feel as though he was necessary?" You get to see all the darkness that Batman had to deal with. You look at him as a child and you get to see where all of his drive, his need to help the city came from. And I think that David did just an incredible job. We watched him grow up on the set. It was like watching Batman grow up.

STEPHENS The first time that Batman really impacted my psyche I was 13 or 14, when Frank Miller was working on the first run of the Dark Knight. Miller's Batman has a twofold element that we talked about bringing into the show. The first element was the sense of weakness and vulnerability Batman carried as an older man. We tried to inject some of that grave humanity, first into Bruce, then into the rest of the world. The second element of Batman that Miller captured really well was the joy he got from being Batman. We wanted to have that feeling of empowerment. I think those two things definitely played through.

Gotham is filled with such an iconic rogues' gallery. What was casting like?

CANNON Casting Gotham was the most fun I've ever had on a job. Those first few months before we started shooting, we had these characters on a board and basically said, "Here are 20 things we want to do this season. We can do five of them." I still think that the show evolved probably a little too fast. But it evolved naturally. And that's the way I wanted it to go.

What does it mean to you to hit 100 episodes … and how do you feel about ending the series?

STEPHENS You know, I'm not sure that reaching a hundred episodes means what it meant 10 or 15 years ago. But there is this weird sort of a milestone element to it for all of us that made it feel like we had run a marathon. Even though it would have been a huge chunk of our lives if the show only ran for four seasons, doing 100 episodes made it feel like we topped off that entire journey. I felt like I was pretty ready for a vacation at the end. We deserved it.

CANNON At the beginning of season five, it was determined that this would be our last. David was getting to that age [he's now 18] where he was turning into a man and we were heading into Batman territory. It's such an incredible fan base that stayed with us, and when the curtain closes, they'll have seen a 100-hour play. I hope that the world we created will remain in their consciousness. I know it's going to remain on Netflix.

And where would you like Gotham to fall in the long Batman pantheon?

STEPHENS I would hope that for this current generation, these iterations will be their canonical versions of the characters.

CANNON Gotham stands alone. There are many DC TV superhero shows. But Gotham had a specific feel. It was a different world. We wanted it to stand apart.

THAT TIME BRUCE WAYNE ALMOST KILLED ALFRED (AND OTHER CAST MEMORIES)

DAVID MAZOUZ (Bruce Wayne)

"I was standing on the top of a bar in a New York City nightclub with a bottle of alcohol-less champagne in each of my hands, surrounded by background actors who were 'OK with getting wet,' dancing my heart out to 'Thriller' and pouring bubbly all over my perfectly tailored Brooks Brothers suit. I looked around and thought, 'If being Bruce Wayne isn't the best thing that ever happened to me, I don't know what is.' "

CAMREN BICONDOVA (Catwoman)

"It feels like we've been on a five-year hike. And to see the work that we've all put in from the top of the mountain was a beautiful feeling."

SEAN PERTWEE (Alfred)

"My favorite memory would be asking Master Bruce to kill me. It shows Alfred's growth and his propensity to love so much as to be willing to die for Bruce, so that he may return from darkness."

BEN MCKENZIE (Jim Gordon)

"The best thing to come out of the series was meeting my wife," says McKenzie, who married Gotham actress Morena Baccarin in 2017.

ROBIN LORD TAYLOR (The Penguin)

"One of my favorite memories is when I learned that Carol Kane was playing my mother and then sharing a van ride home with her every night. She is a legend."

[ptw30]

SURELY DW will have to respond now after that LV interview. They have to do SOMETHING. They are letting these 2 publicly trash their reputation along with others who have/are working for them. They can’t let this stand without comment it just looks AWFUL.

@sol1056​ and @nomadicism​ discussed this today here and had some great thoughts on the subject. 

My take is - DreamWorks should respond. They should have responded right after Season 8 dropped. Heck, if I were at DreamWorks, I wouldn’t have let Season 8 ever drop as it tarnished their reputation and branding. It’s why Lion Forge, a smaller company by far, already has made changes/refused to confirm continuing Season 8 because the moment they do - they’ll have lost another reader. And I can’t be the only one. 

However, DreamWorks has never responded, and I doubt they ever will. It’s not their corporate policy, and tbh - I loved DreamWorks’ projects. HTTYD was my favorite movie. I adored TrollHunters. Who hasn’t seen Shrek - all of them? I wanted to watch She-Ra, as that was my childhood show. I had a crown and sword and everything. 

But I was sitting at work, pondering your question. And it occurred me. 

Yeah, the EPs succeeded. Seriously. 

Toothless killed Hiccup’s dad, and that was a breaking point for me, though I would have gone to see HTTYD3. My mom asked me Every. Single. Time. the trailer came on TV, “Really? We’re not going to see that?” 

No, we aren’t and didn’t and won’t. 

And today I thought, “I should have known VLD would end up how it did. DreamWorks had Toothless kill Hiccup’s dad. So why didn’t I believe that someone in DreamWorks would O.K. a sad ending to Voltron? Why didn’t I expect it?”

I rewatched “Some Assembly Acquired” today, and it’s a hard Y7. I remember watching it the first time and thinking, “Okay, I wish this show went a bit deeper, but I like this. It’s fun.” Then Season 2 did go deeper and was more mature, and I’m not against angst or even the level of seriousness of Season 6.  

I’m against sad storyline, horrifying storylines, disturbing storylines, and offensive storylines. This article published today is explains why I loathed Season 7 and 8, and here’s another one by the same author who explains how offensive Voltron truly was to people who identified by Allura and Shiro.  

And y’know, DreamWorks could fix it. They absolutely could. Disney came out after lightening Tatiana’s skin and changing her nose. Does that absolve them? No, but it shows that companies absolutely can try to at least amends, not just leave the offensive issues unaddressed. 

Then I thought today, in my cubicle, “What if DreamWorks came out today and said, ‘We realized Voltron had offensive issues, and we’re going to fix it’”?

Would I immediately start watching 3Below on Netflix? I wanted to watch it in December when it first came out but refrained because I’m not supporting any DreamWorks’ project. Would I make plans to see HTYYD3? Would I queue up She-Ra? Would I immediately text my mom and sister the date of the new series and tell them to put in to take a vacation day? Voltron Days are back! 

…I don’t know. I really don’t. I don���t think I can trust that DreamWorks wouldn’t write the offensive messages they did in Voltron, in any new project - Voltron or otherwise. It’s who DreamWorks has become for me. Their branding has been forever tarnished by Voltron, and every interview the EPs give just reinforces that fact. 

TrollHunters delivered, and yet - I can’t believe 3Below will. She-Ra seems to be doing well, and Noelle even tweeted the other day that she was finalizing an important episode. There’s so much excitement around it. Supposedly, Noelle was able to get DreamWorks’ execs to think differently, so Voltron could address certain issues, and all I can think is - will it have a sad ending? Will 3Below? Another Voltron show will. Sven and/or Ryou died in the 1984 series, and now Allura has in this one. 

Who will die at the end of the next one? Keith? Lance? It can’t have a happy ending, can it? At least, not as part of DreamWorks? Or perhaps because of Bob?

My point is - if it would help the people hurt by Voltron to receive a statement from DreamWorks, then I hope the studio will eventually address what happened with VLD. But as for me - the damage is already done. I won’t watch another one of their shows.  

From the response DreamWorks has given me and the fanbase - I doubt they even care. They certainly don’t act like they do.