#aos s3 rewatch

[outer-edges]

the end of ascension after lincoln dies and daisy is just on the floor sobbing will kill me every time and i don’t even care about lincoln that much her reaction is just so visceral

[fakeosirian]

just finished house of unity, experienced total 180 on my opinion of the amber leaving arc i like it and think it's satisfying for her character even if i'm sad to see her go AND IT ALSO GAVE US THIS:

hes malding. seething. crying. im puking my guts all over the floor

oh and bonus 🤨🤨🤨:

like he's thinking about something. he's processing.

[faithandbuffy]

Me watching lincoln die: 😐😐😐😐

Me watching daisy while lincoln dies: 😢😭😢😢😭😭

[tea-earl-grey]

I watched every Star Trek episode & here are my opinions.

as the title says – i finished all the Star Trek shows as of today yesterday and since i watched most of them while i wasn't using tumblr, i want do do some mini-reviews – both what i think are objectively the best shows and which are my personal favorites. i might make a couple more "ranking" posts for theme song/pilot/finale/favorite epsiodes/etc eventually but this post is already long as hell. i'll also probably do a movie post sometime but i want to rewatch the AOS movies first since i haven't seen Into Darkness since it came out (before i was actively a Trekkie).

also just as a note, these are fully my own opinions & tastes. i'm not trying to argue that any of these shows are bad (nor are any flawless), i'm just Some Guy giving my opinions.

continued under the cut. apologies for how long this is but there sure is a lot of Star Trek.

Watch Order

my opinions are probably a bit influenced by the order that i first watched these shows in so just as some background – i watched sporadic episodes of TOS & TNG when i was a kid which was enough to be familiar with the characters, general vibes, & world but not enough to really get into it. in late 2020/early 2021 i watched DS9 per a friend's recommendation and really loved it and decided to give all the different shows a shot. i watched all of TNG summer 2021, watched some of Disco & (what was then all of) Lower Decks in fall 2021. i started Voyager spring 2022, was interrupted because of Life Stuff and finished it spring 2023. i watched the first season of snw & prodigy sometime in between then. watched Picard spring 2023 just before s3 aired. watched Enterprise summer/fall 2023. finished Disco spring 2024 (just before s5). did a slow march through TOS between summer 2023 and summer 2024. and finally i watched TAS this past month. and i've been keeping up with all recent releases since 2023.

i've also rewatched a large amount of Trek either with my mom or friends at various times so i've ended up seeing most episodes twice (or more in the case of DS9 & Voyager).

Somewhat Objective Ranking:

there's a large difference for me between shows that i think are objectively good & ones that i'm personally attached to so here's just my attempt at ranking Star Trek shows by how good i think they are from a critical lens, not necessarily my favorite.

for me – a good show, and specifically a good Star Trek show, should have in my opinion a) a diverse & strong cast of characters, b) have unique & compelling plots whether they're based in science fiction, politics, or philosophy, c) has a strong moral center & explores the nature of humanity in some way, d) allows the audience to believe in a better future, e) is consistent (both with continuity and episode quality), f) does something to differentiate it from other shows, and g) is actually entertaining.

i don't think any shows come close to fulfilling all of those qualities but some do better than others.

11. The Animated Series: probably not a surprise that it comes in last. it's a fun show by the standard of kid's cartoon in the 70s and i genuinely do like it but it has a lot of the flaws of TOS (lack of continuity, lack of character depth, flimsy plots) with few of the upsides. though i do like how the secondary characters get more of a focus than in TOS.

10. Enterprise: big jump up in quality here from TAS but Enterprise does fall flat compared to the other shows. the Vulcan & Andorian stories are almost always good but so much of s1 & s2 lacks creativity and a lot of the a plots end up feeling generic & reused (though the b plots are often great). s3 falls into an obvious & uncomfortable 9/11/war on terror metaphor that has not aged well. and s4 is a huge improvement but doesn't make up for the faults of earlier seasons. additionally, i think returning to "the Trio + secondary characters" was largely a mistake as characters like Hoshi & Travis remain horribly underdeveloped (and what a coincidence that they're characters of color...) all in all. some great ideas and a handful of great episodes but it doesn't make up for how meh large swathes of the show can be.

9. The Original Series: i'm going to be honest that it this is the hardest show to objectively rank just because it's the first and it's so hugely impactful not just on the Star Trek franchise (obviously) but also on science fiction, pop culture, TV production, and American culture. its impact is quite literally immeasurable and i think unfortunately it means the show will always feel small in comparison to the shadow it casts. don't get me wrong. some episodes are great even by today's standard, not to mention by the standard of the 60s. but so many episodes, especially as the show went on, end up being pretty mediocre, poorly paced, misogynistic/racist, and have thin plots. TOS is enjoyable for me because of the camp & exploring the foundations of this fictional universe i love so dearly but i'm not going to pretend that it's objectively better than other shows on this list just because of its legacy.

8. Picard: now i could pretty easily judge each season of Picard as its own show and each season would get spaced out in entirely different places on this list. i genuinely believe s1 of Picard is one of the best seasons of Star Trek. the writing fumbles a bit at the end but the characters, direction, & acting is some of the best of the franchise. unfortunately the choice to present each season as a separate anthology reallllly let's it down because of the lack of continuity between seasons. the pandemic definitely threw a wrench into the show but s2 (while i enjoy it), has a very messy meandering plot that feels insecure in its skin. s3 (which i also enjoy) has tighter writing but suffers majorly from having been outlined before the end of s2 therefore having a weird discontinuous transition between seasons and unfortunately excluding so many great characters from s1 & 2. i love it dearly (not to foreshadow my personal favorite ranking) but it is a mess.

7. Discovery: most of the critiques i have of Picard also stand for Discovery which also opted for the "anthology" style series which i think fundamentally doesn't work. Discovery took awhile to find its voice and after s3, still sung somewhat off key. Michael is easily one of the best & most well developed Star Trek characters and the rest of the cast is good but are painfully underdeveloped as its hyperserialized format doesn't really leave time to get to know the characters unless it's essential for the plot. like Picard, it also got screwed over by pandemic-era production leaving some episodes clumsily written. some seasons, in my opinion, end up with an overcomplicated plot that becomes difficult to follow. nevertheless, there are some episodes and scenes that are stunning and somewhat make up for the mis-steps. and ultimately, the later seasons of the show really do understand the heart of Star Trek.

6. Strange New Worlds: going back to an episodic style for the next live action show after the mixed reviews of Picard & Discovery was definitely a good choice. the writing is much tighter, the characters generally feel more whole, and there's more to grab onto compared to entirely serialized shows. and after a lot of the darkness in Discovery and Picard, it feels like a breath of fresh air to have a show that feels joyful & fun. however. so much of SNW is built off of pre-existing Star Trek (mainly TOS) that it struggles to form its own identity and when it tries to be a new show, it gets caught in the trap of betraying existing continuity. the episodes focusing on La'an, Uhura, M'Benga, & Una are great – some of the best of new trek – but episodes focusing on Spock, Chapel, and Pike end up feeling... off with messy writing and being Kinda Weird about disability/genetics. since it's only had two seasons, i definitely think SNW could ascend or descend in the rankings in the upcoming season(s).

5. The Next Generation: TNG wasn't quite as hard for me to rank as TOS but it sometimes struggles with a similar problem that its legacy in pop culture sometimes overshadows the show itself. it's also tricky because when TNG is good, it's phenomenal; when it's bad, it's really bad; but most episodes land somewhere in the middle. s1 is borderline unwatchable, s2 is just a step above, and from there it gets a lot stronger after behind the scene problems were worked out & it found a stable writing staff. it ends up striking a good balance of stories between straightforward science mysteries, deep explorations of philosophy, space politics, and fun romps. it ends up getting dragged down more than a little by Roddenberry's lingering insistence to have the characters avoid long term conflict and the very episodic style resulting in less ongoing story arcs. characters like Geordi, Wes, Beverly, & Troi also end up feeling somewhat underdeveloped in comparison to characters like Picard & Data.

4. Voyager: this is probably one of my more controversial picks (judging by how others tend to rank the series) and maybe i'm biased but i do genuinely believe that Voyager deserves its place this high on the list. Voyager is an inconsistent show which certainly pulls it down a little but manages to strike a better balance in episode quality and is able to have more dynamic characters & more ongoing narratives than TNG. Voyager still has its share of bad episodes and gets off to a somewhat shaky start (particularly struggling in early s2) but finds its groove more easily because of the experienced writing team that already had years of Star Trek under their belt & an excellent cast. Voyager's biggest stumbles are definitely in regards to under-serving some of the characters (especially Chakotay, Tuvok, and Harry) in later seasons.

3. Deep Space Nine: a somewhat obvious pick for top three Trek shows. DS9 has deservedly been getting its praises in recent years for its darker narratives, its bold approach to some of TV's first serialized stories, its exploration of politics & religion, and the masterful way it can bounce between nuanced episodes on serious topics & fun comedy. it flails a little bit in the first two seasons while finding its voice but compared to some of the other shows, it starts off strong and the quality is generally consistent with seasons 4 & 6 being the obvious highlight. however despite the strength of the characters, actors, and writing, there are certainly times when the show fumbles: episodes that get a bit too dark to bounce back from (and aren't followed up on), stories that present some troubling ethics without much pushback, and its fair share of the mediocre scifi mystery episodes seeded throughout 90s Trek.

2. Lower Decks: based on its first season, Lower Decks is a fun but non-serious entry into the Trek pantheon. so it was surprising when what seemed at first glance like a typical irreverent adult animation show, developed so much genuine heart for both the the Lower Decks characters & the wider Trek franchise. Lower Decks could have been an excuse to string together a bunch of fan-servicey references but it becomes genuinely heartfelt with great new characters, fun worldbuilding, actual insightful commentary on existing Trek, and the ability to laugh at itself while still being made with love. while the first two seasons drag it down a little bit (i think they went in too hard with the raunchy comedy vibes), season 3 and especially season 4 are really great especially with the exploration of Mariner's PTSD that strengthens her into one of the best character in Trek.

1. Prodigy: plenty of people have been singing Prodigy's praises since its untimely cancellation and no joke – it is, in my opinion, the best Star Trek show. it is more of a kids oriented show than the other entries on this list (except TAS) but that doesn't mean it lets up on having complex plots & characters. it might be the only Star Trek show that i genuinely believe doesn't have a bad episode (albeit a couple in s1 that are just okay) and s2 as whole is a masterpiece. the only things that let it down in my opinion are: somewhat clunky animation on close-ups (though the background animation is gorgeous) and the plot getting so over complicated by s2 that i had to draw a diagram to keep track of the time travel (and this is coming from someone who loves over complicated time travel stories.)

My Personal Favorite Star Trek Shows:

11. The Animated Series: as i said before – it's fun, i'm glad it exists, it doesn't really offend me, but with the exception of the episode Yesteryear, it doesn't really do anything for me.

10. The Original Series: yeah... i'm sorry. i just don't click with TOS that much (or TOS era in general as you can tell from the rest of this list). i can recognize its importance and there are definitely some episodes i really enjoyed (either for the camp factor or because they're genuinely good) but the majority of the episodes i either don't have much of an opinion on or i think are genuinely bad (in a not fun way). i'm also fine with looking past some of the bigotries of the time but even so the misogyny & racism in the show was just too much for me. sorry.

9. Strange New Worlds: i enjoy SNW for the most part but it's definitely dragged down because 1) i strongly dislike how Spock is written, 2) while i definitely like episodic Trek more, the short episode order does make the episodes i dislike stand out a lot more, 3) a lot of the show is built on nostalgia-bait for TOS era which... i just don't really have. there are great episodes but as a whole, i'm just not attached to it.

8. Discovery: i really disliked the first two seasons of Discovery when i first watched them and though they've grown on me, it's just too dark for me to really get into. seasons 3-5 i like a lot more and i appreciate how earnest & hopeful it is (especially compared to seasons 1 & 2) but the writing can be a bit heavy handed. and as much as i do really love Michael, i definitely prefer shows with a stronger focus on the ensemble as a whole. that said, i am definitely attached to the characters and really love the 32nd century worldbuilding that's done.

7. Enterprise: i'm honestly a bit surprised that i ended up liking Enterprise this much but the fourth season (with the exception of the finale that definitely doesn't exist) is banger after banger. and while the episodes of earlier seasons might be a bit uninspired, the general worldbuilding is genuinely interesting to me with the exploration of Vulcan politics, the Vulcan-Andorian War, the Temporal Cold War, the pre-Federation politics of Earth, and more. i'm also greatly endeared to all the secondary characters (Hoshi & Phlox particularly) which means it's also a shame that the non-Archer, Trip, & T'Pol characters get so little screentime. and while so much of the first two seasons is kinda bleh, the B plots & runners to those episodes end up being really fun and ends up creating a world & characters that feels worth exploring.

6. Prodigy: i think with time (and a possible third season...) Prodigy could become one of my favorite Treks and as i already said – it's very very good. the core cast of characters is really strong with all of them (except for maybe Murf & Jankom Pog) being well developed and compelling. the plot is interesting and feels relatively unique while still feeling like Star Trek at its core. it's also the rare example of a series that has a lot of fan-service while still retaining its identity and the strength of its own characters. ultimately, it ends up ranking lower on here than my more objective tier list because some of the angst & darkness i enjoy in stories doesn't quite deliver (which is very much not a fault of the show since it is a family show), the way Janeway is written doesn't always quite line up with my own view of the character (again, not a fault of the show), and the fact that i just haven't spent as much time with the show & characters yet.

5. The Next Generation: TNG is very much a comfort show to me. i don't have all that much to add from my objective review (there are very bad episodes, very good episodes, but most are somewhere in the middle). i really like all the characters and the behind the scenes friendships really translate well to the screen but none of them really compel me the way characters do further up on this list. i do give the show a lot of credit though for continuing the worldbuilding established in TOS and taking it in a new direction and a new vibes (rather than continuing the space western format) that is hugely influential to all of the shows that came after it.

4. Lower Decks: pretty much the same as my objective review – it's a fun show that ends up finding a good balance of humor, strong characters, and pointed commentary at past Trek shows. it's a show obviously filled with a lot of love for the franchise and i'm very glad it exists. aside from Mariner, i'm not quite as attached to the other characters but i do love them all.

3. Deep Space Nine: as i said before, DS9 is undoubtedly one of the strongest shows in Star Trek. it has the most recurring characters, pretty much all of which i find compelling, and a fantastic cast of regulars as well. the overall plot of the show is incredibly strong and allows it to have a lot of good commentary on imperialism, war, religion, race, and more. it has my two favorite episodes in all of Star Trek (The Visitor and Far Beyond the Stars) and so many other bangers as well. it's the show that first hooked me into Star Trek & the Star Trek fandom and it really is fantastic. the reason it doesn't rank higher here is entirely subjective in that i just don't feel as compelled to explore the characters & fandom as the last two shows on this list. other people have talked about how shows that are too objectively good aren't necessarily the best for fandom and that's how i kind of feel about DS9. it's great. i love it. i'm not necessarily compelled to feel like i have to add to it.

2. Picard: i can recognize that in many ways Picard kinda fails as a show (for reasons i've already stated) but that absolutely does not stop me from loving it. it's extremely messy and i've wanted to fix it ever since i saw it. it might be an unpopular opinion but the worldbuilding developments in s1 (the destruction of Romulus, the synth ban, the general darkness of the Federation) are incredibly compelling to me and i really do like deconstructing Picard as a character (even if i wish he was in the show a little less). and despite some major inconsistencies between seasons, i find the characters wonderfully rich and well written and every time i watch an episode, i feel like i want to explore them more and more. (not coincidentally, it's also the Star Trek show i've written the most fanfic for.)

1. Voyager: Voyager has enthralled me mind, body, & soul. i've never had such a fast turn around from a show that i was meh about to one that constantly consumed my thoughts. it's undoubtedly imperfect but it's imperfect in a way that i feel compelled to want to study and fix. with the exception of maybe DS9, Voyager has the strongest cast of characters and one of the strongest premises of any show. i firmly believe that Kathryn Janeway is the best (and certainly my favorite) Captain in all of Star Trek and most of the characters rank among my favorite Trek characters of all time. even if there aren't a ton of obvious ongoing narratives, the subtle ways the characters change over the 7 years is great and leaves the door open for fandom to explore so much (which as you can tell is definitely something that draws me to a lot of shows). and while DS9 might have my favorite episode of Star Trek, Voyager ends up having more stories that rank amongst my favorites (Year of Hell, Latent Image, Endgame, Barge of the Dead, Bride of Chaotica, Riddles, Survival Instinct, Timeless, etc).

anyways.... that sums that up. i'll probably type up my list of favorite episodes sometime in the next few days because i need to milk the "i watched all of Star Trek" thing for a little bit.

[milks-thoughts]

SOMETHING I NOTICED ON REWATCH OF LMK S3 (this is a semi-long ass rant and I’m very sleep deprived you can stop reading after Redson lmao):

BABY REDSON HAS A CIRCLET. ON HIS FUCKING NECK. The circlet is a torture device created by Tang Sanzang, it tightens when a spell is chanted out (Tang Sanzang freed Monkey King from Five Phases Mountain and put a circlet on his head. When Monkey King was disobedient, the circlet would tighten around his head. - The LMK Wiki) so.. Tang Sanzang put the circlet on this INFANTS neck (assuming he can control where it appears, I know next to nothing about The Journey To The West and I’m strictly speaking about LMK) While I understand why Tang Sanzang put a circlet on Redson in the first place, it’s still horrifying to think about the placement. And it leaves me wondering if DBK and Princess Iron Fan ever used the spell. (Probably not tho- DBK and Princess Iron Fan are good parents I dont really care what anyone else says)

What I do find strange though, on MKs Lego figure his headband has a circlet design on it. WHAT are they implying??? Is he gonna get circleted-? is that the right way to tense that?? IS MY MONKEY MAN GOING TO GET TORTURED or is it just another comparison to Wukong?

AND EVEN WEIRDER. The ONLY figure that doesn’t have the circlet on his headband is when he’s working!

WHAT ARE THEY IMPLYING?? WAS THIS ACCIDENTAL and am I looking WAY too deep into this because I’m running on 2 hours of sleep and festering with autistic hyperfixation on this show? We may never know. ALSO ALSO Y’know how young Sun Wukong has the circlet on his head?

Do the different locations of the circlet do different things? It’s very strange why Wukong would have it on his head while an ACTUAL BABY has it on his neck BUT AT THE SAME TIME NE ZHA ALSO HAS IT ON HIS NECK

SO DOES THAT MEAN THAT THE CIRCLET BEING LOCATED ON THE HEAD HURTS WORSE THEN IT BEING LOCATED ON THE NECK?? MK also gets a circlet in the show, although it’s very brief,

In the S1 Pilot “ A Hero Is Born “ he gets one when he first unlocks his powers and attacks DBK. So is the circlet connected to Monkey Kings powers? since that’d be the ONLY way MK could even get a circlet at the time (and still now, I seriously doubt Tang would stick a circlet on MK)

CIRCLING BACK TO NE ZHA REALY QUICK: why does he have a circlet? WHAT did he do to deserve it? (I think I remember reading somewhere that he fought/killed Ao Bing, Ao Gaungs son) From what we know he was always doing what he was told, he fought against the Brotherhood when they first invaded, along side Princess Iron Fan and Erlang. So..like..why? Why does he have a circlet? And we can see that its not a necessity for all celestial beings. So does he obey out of fear and not loyalty? And is that why he was so hell bent on not letting Monkey King get the map and the rings in S3? Was he absolutely terrified to fail because of the circlet? But that doesn’t make sense, maybe he was only terrified of the Samadhi Fire. Even when he was young he had the circlet, what did this man do.

HE EVEN HAS IT WHEN HES BANDAGED UP IN S4

WHAT DID HE DO??? WHY DOES HE HAVE A CIRCLET???

[akatsukiky]

Plot twist, I’m physically incapable of sticking to one idea. Thus I present for LMK tumblr’s review:

Ao Lie goes to Ninjago.

S3 + S4 LMK Spoilers; just a lot of Ninjago spoilers, I don’t know what season each is from anymore </3

Because I’ve been poking this concept of Ao Lie, ill and dying from what remains of the Samadhi Fire within him (the rest passed, dampened by cultivation, unto the next generation), accidentally find his way into Ninjago.

Specifically Ninjago of old, during the era in which Wu & Garmadon were still kids (specifically when Aspheera was still free). The idea of him meeting them, befriending them and FSM & accidentally becoming their uncle, helping them in their misadventures (the Forbidden Spinjutsu Scrolls, the Devourer bite, their quest to cure Garmadon, Garmadon leaving to join Chen, and their eventual fallout) and living longer than he had expected thanks to FSM is all just so interesting to me.

This unaging dragon prince who is literally on the verge of death gets voluntold to keep living by a bunch of almost-humans. And that’s another thing! Wu & Garmadon are both partially dragon, meaning Ao Lie will understand those smaller nuances in them- see them fully in those softened instincts of distant times, different in details though they may be, and lend his own knowledge.

If Ao Lie did live through to the current ninja then I feel like he would take a backseat in everything that happens. Outside of token attempts to reach Lloyd (and Garmadon when he returns), I feel he wouldn’t do much for the pilot and most of the first two seasons (Rise of the Snakes & Legacy of the Green Ninja). I think for the Devourer fight he would focus more on helping evacuate the city, maybe even use that dragon speed stuff that Mei does. For the Overlord fight, however, I believe that would be a big enough issue that even his mindset against rash action would abide by going with the ninja. Of course, there would need to be a reason why he doesn’t just wack Overlord or get evilled up; maybe proximity to the bad goop stirs the Samadhi Fire some.

Maybe he would be needing to take a step back afterwards if that’s the case, refocus on strengthening his golden core now that FSM’s seals are weakened. To that end, for season 3 (Rebooted), he would be at Garmadon’s monastery and spend the season protecting it. Similarly, he would be absent for season 4 (Tournament of Elements).

I need to watch/rewatch Possession, Skybound, DotD, Hands of Time, and just generally everything post-season 4. When it first came out, we couldn’t watch a lot of them for some reason and I picked it up again only for a little bit after Sons of Garmadon. Now usually when I go to rewatch it, I always end up rewatching up to Tournament of Elements or just ToE since it’s the best season imo.

Regardless, when I finish a few of those, I’ll add a second part to this :)

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, June 6

Oz: I'm gonna ask you to go out with me tomorrow night. And I'm kinda nervous about it, actually. It's interesting. Willow: Oh. Well, if it helps at all, I'm gonna say yes. Oz: Yeah, it helps. It-it creates a comfort zone.

~~Surprise~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Do better (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by onlyone87

Minnified (Xander, FR15) by samsas

[Chaptered Fiction]

Father Returns, Chapter 1 (Angel/Spike, M) by Amizzadu

A Fresh Start, Chapter 1 (Crossover with Life is Strange, M) by Shisumo

A Slayer's Greatest Weapon - Book one - BTVS, Chapter 2 (Crossover with Wolfblood, T) by KHandE11

Ties to the World, Chapter 35 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by The Danish Bird

Love Lives Here, Chapter 72 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Reclaimed, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Holly

Thirty Minutes or Less, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, PG) by Geliot99

Waiting for You, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

Deliverance from Destiny, Chapter 25 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Ragini

Dawn Before the Sun: The Doomsman's Daughter, Chapter 3 (Crossover with Lord of the Rings, FR15) by Luna

Cross Purposes 4, Chapter 95 (Multiple crossings, FR13) by DianeCastle

To Be a Hero snippets, Chapter 186 (Multiple crossings, FR18) by AntonioCC

Stomping on Butterflies, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, 18+) by Blackoberst

Bruises, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, AO) by hulettwyo

[Images, Audio & Video]

Manip:Bad Slayer by all choseny

Manip:Give Me Everything by loveisntbrains

Manip:Domestic by all choseny

Artwork:WIP Wednesday [Spike] by mistyintherivers

Artwork:started Buffy again by chelseabeecreates

Video: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 1 Trailer - Kinds of Kindness style by Omar KarimZada

[Reviews & Recaps]

Ranking Every Season of Buffy by Past-Throat-6788 and Magneto88

The Hottest Wedding of 2002 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer 6x16 "Hell's Bells" by The Normies

Two to Go: Buffy 6x21 Reaction by Dakara

The Re-Watcher's Council | "Bad Eggs" Buffy the Vampire Slayer S02E12 Spoiler Review by LGRN - Entertainment

This Episode As a Child Terrified Me! - Buffy Episodes Ranked (S1&2) by FrankieNugget

Top 10 Buffy Monster of the Week Episodes by Episodic Analysis

Why Kendra died so tragically!!! by Ryan B Talks TV

Podcast: Episode 30 - Brown Plaid Pants and Couches (Passion) by The Sunnydale Diaries

Podcast: Angel S4E3: The House Always Wins by Booze & Buffy

[Recs & In Search Of]

Buffy Season Noir by Anna S recced by flowspuffy

Dusk Rising by HappyWhenItRains and Not A Monster by Grief Counseling and Dusty recced by flowspuffy

Where Do We Go? by womanaction recced by flowspuffy

[Community Announcements]

Solstice Free-For-All, June 20th-21st by Seasonal Spuffy

[Fandom Discussions]

s3!Buffy's questionable treatment of Faith by lystacre

[Giles lying to Faith in Consequences] by faith-thee-slayer

Thinking about post-Potentials by nicnacsnonsense

Do you think Buffy knows that Willow cast her spell to restore Angel's soul in Becoming a second time after the first attempt didn't work by coraniaid

Rewatching Season 3 Of Buffy... by allchoseny

Why isn't anyone discussing this? by multiple authors

Darla's sacrifice by multiple authors

What are some of the most ungrateful acts in the buffyverse? by multiple authors

Spike's most heroic moment by multiple authors

Did you have any initial theories about Dru & Spike or their roles in BtVS S2? by multiple authors

What are some of your favorite headcanons? by multiple authors

Anya's Ever-changing Hair by multiple authors

Warren/The First - Conversations With Dead People. S7 by multiple authors

Would you have believed this insufferable ponce from BtVS S3 would become the most tragic dark hero of the whole Buffyverse? by multiple authors

what is the deal w Glory's miñones? by multiple authors

Why not make the Buffybot get a job? Boring repetitive tasks are kinda its thing. Solves the money problem. by multiple authors

Becoming Pt. 2 by multiple authors

Team Angel signed contest with W&H, so when they died wouldnt it extend in afterlife like Lilah? Bound to W&F as a ghost? by multiple authors

Some people say that Buffy is self-righteous and hypocritical. by multiple authors

What do you think of the following exchange in Chosen? by multiple authors

On Holtz by multiple authors

Did the monks manipulate Joyce to have a favorite child? by multiple authors

Connor and Jasmine's Spell by multiple authors

Plot hole? by multiple authors

Possible plot hole? Or absent minded team members? by multiple authors

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[redvanillabee]

might rewatch aos s3 after because I do miss early bus team and actually tasty marvel intertextuality

[kimium]

Current tag game

Thanks for the tag @m34gs!!! (Was tagged in this post)

Current time: 18:25

Current activity: Answering this ask. No, seriously, I just sat down to do this and didn't stop doing something to answer.

Currently thinking about: Making tea after I finish answering this.

Current favourite song: Under the Tree by SiM

Currently reading: For books: The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller. For manga: Jujutsu Kaisen, BNHA, Spy x Family, Black Clover, Ao no Exorcist.

Currently watching: Jujutsu Kaisen S2, Bungou Stray Dogs S5, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale S2, Undead Murder Farce, (rewatching) Dr. Stone S3.

Current favourite character: A three way tie between Vil, Rook, and Malleus from Twisted Wonderland.

Current WIP: My Twisted Wonderland Mafia AU, Just a Normal Citizen (Not a Dimension Traveler) and my FE Fates fic Night Time Coffee.

I tag: @a-little-harmed-shinra, @shreedle, @zeldabard, @memoryoflife, and @someobscurereference (Answer if you want. No pressure.)

[the-chosen-half-of-one]

Thanks @bethnaberrie64 ! It’s been a while since I’ve done a tag!

1. Three ships: I don’t actually ship things very often or very heavily and the one ship that does have me currently melting my brain I’m much too embarrassed to post. But otherwise we’ll go with a classic Bangel, my mind is blanking on all others aah. Was quite partial to Tuckerreed in Enterprise a few years back. Edit: Book ships! I forgot books! Locklyle, Locklyle, Locklyle!

2. First ship ever: might’ve technically been Clintasha or Fitzsimmons? That’s like 9-10 yrs ago. First time I really heard the term “shipping” from a friend and was like yeah, sure I guess I ship them. But I abandoned AOS at s3 😭

3. Currently listening: I’m actually in between music interests at the moment, used to be really into Green Day but it’s been a while and the only thing I have downloaded atm is the Sims 2 college rock soundtrack and whatever random song gets stuck in my head on loop. (Devil Town by Cave Town holds that position right now because I was looking at sims 2 Strangetown playlists and it was on multiple). Also I’ll listen to the occasional This Paranormal Life Podcast while drawing.

4. Last Movie: Who Framed Roger Rabbit

5. Currently Reading: Cosmos by Carl Sagan (I enjoy his writing style, it’s so full of passion), Seven Seasons of Buffy (Book of essays by various famous authors, some of which should not be allowed to write about Buffy cause they’re WRONG), and I’m finishing up the Rockton Files series by Kelley Armstrong (one of my favourite authors).

6. Currently Watching: Too many things to list honestly, I keep a note in my phone so even I don’t forget, there’s like a million things I’m in the middle of 😭Most prominently lately though Community, still haven’t finished s5 of Haven, and I’m rewatching the 1996 Sabrina the Teenage Witch, though the main show I’m watching that’s melting my brain such as with the unnamed ship that’s melting my brain from it shall stay redacted.

Currently Consuming: Good old water I guess.

Currently Craving: Kinder chocolate 🍫

Tagging if you’d like @justasmisunderstoodasloki, @urbanlegends, @drawntothedarkside, @friendzonefrog, @merelyafigment, @defectivegembrain, @little-randomness

tagged by @anyachristinaemmanuellajenkins - tag 9 people you want to get to know better

1. three ships: spuffy obviously (i am fresh off tabula rasa in the rewatch), dair, annnddd sam/fred from crashing 2016 i watched that in 2 days 2 weeks ago but i'm still thinking about them every day

2. first ship ever: i'm sure i shipped things minorly before this but my first big ship was r/hr. yep.

3. currently listening: a lot of metric and arctic monkeys and fall out boy because that's my btvs s6 soundtrack. also according to last.fm more honeyhoney than usual.

4. last movie: i'm actually not sure i've seen any movies since new year's, when we watched buffy movie, glass onion, and die hard. so...die hard?

5. currently reading: nothing except fic at the moment but i'm hoping to get to my cheesemaking book soon!

6. currently watching: btvs/ats rewatch, not much else going on since we finished the new season of letterkenny.

7. currently consuming: nothing atm but i'm thinking about making some tea

8. currently craving: the weekend even though i just started back lmao

tagging: @doggirlbuffysummers @microsuedemouse @ladytharen @bethnaberrie64 @warrenworthington3 @extraordinaryseven @wolfbabedeluxe @urbanlegends @kendallroysweightedblanket

[howtotrainyouragents]

Agent H’s AOS Rewatch

Season 3 Pro’s and Con’s 

We’re done with the season 4 rewatch, and I’m over here still trying to process season 3. First time watching, it was my least favorite season and I nearly stopped watching the show because of it. Second time watching…it’s still probably my least favorite just by comparison, but I have infinite more respect for it. Anyway, I needed to sort out my thoughts on this, so it’s all under “keep reading” and don’t get mad at me.

Cons (because let’s get the bad stuff out of the way)

-I really dislike revenge stories, so all the revenge stuff with Hunter and Coulson and Ward and all did not sit well with me and felt even OOC. 

-Speaking of, from the S2 finale through most of this season, there’s this theme of the men protecting and revenging their wounded or fridged girlfriends. It’s not super fun because this is a show where the women are clearly just as, if not more, competent than the men, but they’re not given the same opportunity to protect/revenge the men, much less given the same importance even in their own stories. I’m blanking on what MCU movies were going on around the time of this season, but I remember seeing this even in the movies. If I remember correctly there was a head of MCU who was later removed, but was apparently responsible. 

-The use of Ward is muddled. I’m cool with his takeover of HYDRA, that seemed natural. But you expect it to lead to a huge standoff with SHIELD because he, their worst enemy, is now head of their worst enemy organization. Instead, he gets converted to the HYDRA religion and literally becomes a vessel. Which is fine, but the transition was really hurriedly and poorly done. This is a man who has complex views of loyalty (Garrett not HYDRA. Skye and Coulson but not SHIELD), so I’m gonna need a lot more convincing that he’d believe Gideon’s HYDRA.

-This will be on both lists: I’m disappointed about how after three seasons HYDRA is taken out so quietly and quickly.

-I don’t know where to put this, but: I didn’t actually hate the space boyfriend arc as much the second time around, but the potential overall got squandered and I dislike that. 

-Rosalind’s death and possibly her whole arc was pointless. She was literally created and killed to serve Coulson’s character. Gross. And it’s a shame because it would have been really cool to use her as an actual foe-turned-friend for SHIELD throughout the season; she could have easily taken Mace’s place in S4 and that way at least would have been important for two seasons

-Okay, this is ABC’s fault not AOS’s. But like I remember how hard they advertised for Secret Warriors. Like that was the name of the arc. And. Then. They were a team FOR AN EPISODE.  Imagine my disappointment. Also, there really weren’t enough Inhumans this season to suit me.

-Bobbi and Hunter leave for a failed spinoff and I will never forgive Marvel for doing that.

-I mean…I appreciate that they give Andrew a noble death, but like…was it really necessary to have him turn and later die? Really? It gives Ming Na Wen and Blair Underwood opportunities to do extraordinary acting and they nail it, but like maybe don’t kill a guy to solve your inevitable ship? Don’t kill off your second black actor?

-The time jump in the season finale is too sudden. Like we barely get to grieve over Lincoln and they hit us with a time jump and Daisy on the run and new director in charge. Uncool. 

-This was the season I started to dislike Fitzsimmons. Don’t hate me. To me there’s an undercurrent in the writing that seems to favor Fitz over Simmons. FS’s subject to the same sexism that I mentioned in the first bullet. Like the story post-Simmons’ return focuses a lot more on Fitz’s feelings than on hers. He’s the one who has to stop her from getting tortured. He’s the one who saves Will, when it makes way more sense for her to go. He’s the one they all turn to for answers, when it should be both of them combined. And Simmons just gets a little pushed aside in her own story arc, but she just goes along with it anyway. 

-I had to write this last because this is the thing that hurts the season the most for me: Lincoln’s treatment. Okay, first, he’s a great character who got a major personality change between seasons. I don’t like the personality change, but I’d be okay with it if they didn’t do worse. For starters, we barely know him. His life and backstory are so vague, the guy he visits in 3x03 is just “a friend”, and like we get zero information on how they know each other. They spend the entire season having everyone in SHIELD (except Daisy) be against him, dislike him, belittle him, and mistrust him WHEN HE DESERVED NONE OF IT. Like they make it really obvious that Coulson dislikes him father-style because of his relationship with Daisy. They make him petulant and act out to prove that Mack and May are right to mistrust him when really given the fact that he was an Inhuman guide and a medical doctor and a recovered addict, he’d be a lot more under control. They make Fitzsimmons talk down to him just because no one can be smart except Fitzsimmons, when clearly he would know more about Inhuman biology and medicine in general THAN THE BIOCHEM PHD (sorry that one will always bug me). Like they make some work on him with Coulson and May, and that’s good, but overall he is not allowed to have a solid relationship with anyone but Daisy. I think the writers 1) knew he was gonna die and decided not to invest in him or his relationships. 2) were trying to get a moody bad boy in the cast, and decided to cast him as it when it didn’t really make sense. Also, while talking about Lincoln, I really wish they did some more interesting things with his powers than lightning blasts. He has electric powers!! There’s so much you can do!!

-Okay, this one is just real personal. LINCOLN IS A MEDICAL DOCTOR. Or at least a medical student or resident or fellow (I mean, he’s in the hospital doing rounds). TREAT HIM AS SUCH. HE WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE, LET HIM HELP PEOPLE. LET HIM DO THE SURGERIES AND KNOW THE STUFF ABOUT BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE. LET HIM RETURN TO HIS OLD LIFE AS A DOCTOR. You had such a good character who turned himself around from addiction, dedicated his life to saving lives, got thrown multiple curve balls, and now has to decide how will he continue to serve others. Yes, he’s a hero in the end. But all that in between time, he could have been saving lives too.

Pros (because there is good stuff, I promise) 

-Someone mentioned that this is the first season to have a unified storyline throughout, and that’s so true and it’s so well done! 

-There’s a good natural continuation of the HYDRA and Inhuman storylines from S1 and S2. I think we can look at AOS as two large arcs: S1-S3 is about powered people and HYDRA. S4-S7 is about bending the limits of reality with Ghost Rider, LMDs, Framework, Space, and Time Travel,. S1 was about introducing us to powered people and HYDRA, S2 was about developing the history and politics of them respectively and how they relate to SHIELD. S3 is when Inhumans get involved with SHIELD and with the world directly and the fallout from that. For HYDRA it’s when we get the history and reasoning of the group, and even if it’s a retcon, I appreciate that it introduces the background of HYDRA as a way to end this arc

-Overall, I really do appreciate how this season fills out a lot of worldbuilding. We get a complete history on HYDRA, and we get way more info on Inhumans, but we also get to see how the human world is reacting to and divided on Inhumans, which carries over into the net season

-On both lists: It’s good that they take HYDRA out so quickly and quietly. That plotline had run its course, and it was so bittersweet because they finally had defeated their biggest enemy, but now they had even bigger problems to deal with it. That scene of Coulson and May watching HYDRA fall is one of my favorites because it mirrors that S1 scene of watching HYDRA takeover, but it’s so quiet and not celebratory like it should be.

-Like I said, I hate revenge arcs, but I do appreciate how it came full circle at the end with Coulson admitting his mistake and regret in seeking revenge. That’s much more on brand with Coulson and MCU even I had to sit through a painful arc just to get to that point. 

-Episode 1, Daisy’s entrance and, for that matter, Fitz’s entrance. HOT DAMN.

-One of my favorite things about AOS is the way that they mix up pairings and everyone feels like friends and family. This season did a fantastic job on that with like Fitz/Bobbi, Mack/Daisy, Hunter/May, and way more.

-I complain that there wasn’t enough Inhumans to suit me, but also I really enjoyed the ones we got. I expected them to do Inhumans with basic powers like water, fire, plants, shrinking. But AoS writers were like nah, how about a guy who melts metal?? How about Medusa eyes?? How about a guy who can predict deaths? Like they just went straight to the extremes and I respect that. And yes, we have our typical speedster and fire guy, but the sheer joy that comes from those characters makes up for the predictability of their powers.

-We get Joey and Yoyo who are the effin’ best and deserve the world. And with Lincoln and Daisy we got SECRET WARRIORS!!!!

-First time, we get introduced to Charles and Robin and manipulating time, which obviously becomes important later, so I like that they introduce it so early in the show.

-I also love the way things come full circle with Lash. I wish he didn’t die, but the reveal of his true purpose was amazing 

-THE FITZSIMMONS KISS. THE FITZSIMMONS SEX SCENE. Do I really need to say more?

-THAT FITZ vs MONOLITH SCENE. That is top like five moments of the show for me, and I’m gonna need the Emmys to give Iain de Castecker his belated Best Actor award any day now.

-4722 Hours was a work of art, and Elizabeth Henstridge, I will be getting you that Best Actress Emmy one way or another. 

-Brett Dalton’s acting. This rewatch served to highlight how brilliantly he developed Ward’s evilness over the course of the three seasons and then the way he flipped the switch and played a completely different character as Hydra. You can feel it in his voice and mannerisms, it’s a totally different person even if it’s still technically Ward’s body. And to top it off, that finale where he pulls of a brilliant two-minute psychotic breakdown and a kickass fight scene. Standing ovation, good sir. I miss you.

-After S2 fridged three women of color, I do appreciate how this season chooses to take out four of its white characters even if I’m sad that they had to go.

-The Star Wars references were so effin’ funny

-Spy’s Goodbye. I will never be okay about this.

[leojfitz]

agents of shield + reddit comments (2/?) + bonus: 

[cheswirls]

back on my aokuro obsession except this time the dynamic is long-suffering-siblings. give me the two that have been friends for so long that theyre practically brothers (+ poss. older sis momoi.) give me aomine and kuroko ready to brawl inside the corner combini for possession of the last icepop. 

[imaslowlearner-butilearn]

I will never be over the season 3 finale and the moment you realize that the first three seasons of the show have all been leading up to the origin story of Quake

[marvelsaos]

Daisy Appreciation Post (3x02)

[moonlayl]

Season 3A of Agents of Shield was one of my least favs, but upon rewatch, it’s actually really good as long as I skip all the FitzSimmons + Will love triangle/jealousy/uncertainty drama, and the overused Grant Ward man pain side plot.