#bs 1x04

[buildinggsr]

William Petersen as Gil Grissom’s Awesome Portraits Collection   ➥ B-Side subcollection (request by anon) CSI 1.03 | 1.04

[thedailydescent]

underrated claudia moments?

Soooo many. These are just from the top of my head:

2x01:

-When Louis starts shouting at Dreamstat and Claudia barely looks up, like "Oh Louis is Louis-ying again whatevs". Bonus points when she dumps the bags into his hands afterwards.

-When she's so excited about finding a vamp she doesn't even care that Louis hurts her while setting her shoulder, and jumps up swinging the arm around while stumbling around him still talking. She's so excited and optimistic in this scene in a way we haven't seen since 1x04. I can picture Delainey joyfully narrating in 1x04 while trying to discover as much as she possibly can.

2x02:

-When Louis and Claudia are talking about getting a "hard meal", and we cut to Louis and Claudia walking towards their new flat. In the previous scene she was wearing boots, and in this scene, she's in the exact same outfit but in heels instead, clearly stolen from her "hard meal". I like that in this season she's trying to find a look that works for her and is experimenting, as you can see in her fashion drawings she keeps above her coffin. And I believe this is the only time in the series we see her in heels? (tap dancing shoes don't count). From a Doylist perspective I can understand: they want to keep Claudia looking as small as possible so the actress can still look like a child, but from a Watsonian perspective I think that while Claudia is stylish, she is also practical and realistic. She can't travel, explore, and protect herself as well wearing the form-fitting dresses and heel lengths of the period.

-When she throws down the man in the murder mansion scene and shouts "Yes!" It makes me so happy for some reason :)

2x03: "What do they know about Cincinnati?"

2x04:

-Claudia was openly sarcastic in this episode which was both great and sad. "Birdie looooves the breeze" (I can never watch that awful performance again but I remember that line delivery) There's also "Still dressing your windows for your German tourists?", "Sounds like a line", "Tell me again how Sam licks the stage after every show, and I'll tell you a job I'd rather do", and "Tuan could play the part".

-I hate the scene for how upsetting it is, but when Armand shoves her into the wall you can see her clasping his wrist while numbly looking down before looking up and widening her eyes in shock at the treatment. It's a nice bit of acting from Delainey- like there's this automatic tendency to check out whenever someone puts their hands on her, but her realization that it's coming from Armand of all people, the one she thought herself safe from what with him being with Louis and by I'm guessing not showing any violent behaviour until now. Despite the warnings from Santiago and Sam about Armand, it's still a shock.

2x06:

-The way she just stabbed that girl through the neck into the wall with scissors lol. Almost a nice callback to 1x07 when she stabbed Antoinette through the heart (I think?) into the floor. You team up with awful men as a woman to attack women, you're getting stabbed with a sharp implement.

-Her reading "How to Win Friends" while Madeleine's reading her diaries. Then insecurely looking up from said book to say her younger writing may come off shallow and uninsightful. Claudia she's reading your victim's last words lol.

-"Pull up a chair. Let's start again." The way she says it too how many times has Claudia had to be the grown-up here??

-That look she gives Louis that says a thousand words after he says, "Does it matter? Got the result".

2x07:

I'm not ready to rewatch that episode yet (or ever), but I loved Claudia's manic, disbelieving laugh when Lestat says some bs about her "being an artful predator, just like me". I also loved how she kept glancing at Madeleine every so often during the trial to see how she was doing, and I liked when she put her head on her shoulder after she gave that speech about it never being about her :(

[drsilverfish]

John is Haunted by Angel Wings and a Spear (hashtag Michael) in SPNWin 1x04 Masters of War:

This image is from 1x02 Teach the Children Well

And this one is from 1x04 Masters of War

Both these shapes in the set-dressing narrative look like angel wings.

1x04 Masters of War has the God Mars-Neto tell John:

and he also says:

“... in your blood - become what you were born to be!” (Neto is saying John has to choose violence to be ready for the war with the Akrida). 

This is very similar to the speech the Archangel Michael, wearing young John Winchester as a vessel, gave to time-travelling Dean in 5x13 The Song Remains the Same, in which he told Dean that he belonged to a bloodline stretching back to Cain and Abel:

DEAN How'd you get in my dad, anyway?

MICHAEL I told him I could save his wife, and he said yes.

DEAN I guess they oversold me being your one and only vessel.

MICHAEL You're my true vessel but not my only one.

DEAN What is that supposed to mean?

MICHAEL It's a bloodline.

DEAN A bloodline?

MICHAEL Stretching back to Cain and Abel. It's in your blood, your father's blood, your family's blood.

http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/5.13_The_Song_Remains_the_Same_(transcript)#ACT_TWO 

Mars-Neto’s weapon of choice is a spear:

 which recalls the Lance of Michael, which appears in Supernatural as the weapon used by Michael to kill Lucifer. We see it in the angelic “Green Room” in the painting of that angelic fratricide in 4x22 The Song Remains the Same:

Image credit: http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/File:MichaelPainting.jpg 

And of course, it makes an appearance in 12x12 Stuck in the Middle with You when Cas is stabbed by it and tells Dean out loud he loves him for the first time: “I love you, I love all of you.”  

We also see the Michael-killing-Lucifer scene in the set-dressing narrative of SPNWin 1x06 Art of Dying in the form of a statue (by the window):

It would seem John Winchester is being pulled by the tides of fate, apparently, into his “destiny” as the vengeful father in Michael’s vessel bloodline, who will raise Dean-the-true-Michael-Vessel to be “Daddy’s good little solder”.

And YET, John has a good friend (and fellow vet) in Losy, who tells him in SPNWin 1x04 that there is another path to take, other than shoving trauma down inside and letting it rage-control you:

And John also has a loving mother who holds him, as he cries in the bath, at the end of this episode (after his PTSD Vietnam flash-backs have been heightened by Mars-Neto):

Neither of these things were available to Dean at John’s age. 

So we are confronted, yet again, in The Winchesters, with the question of fate vs free will, so central to Supernatural.

In 4x16 On the Head of a Pin, Cas tells Dean (back when Cas still believed Heaven’s BS) “It is not blame that falls on you, Dean, it’s fate.” 

Is The Winchesters narrative telling us it is not fate which falls on John, but blame (because he chooses repression and violence instead of sharing and healing)?

Or, is Holy Ghost Narrator Dean trying his damndest to give John the emotional tools (and supportive friends and family) he needs to choose differently this time? Despite the menacing shadow of the Archangel Michael following him in the set dressing narrative?

The episode title, Masters of War, is also the title of Bob Dylan’s powerful anti-war song of that name. And Narrator Dean, let us not forget, is picking the music:

“You've thrown the worst fear That can ever be hurled Fear to bring children Into the world For threatening my baby Unborn and unnamed You ain't worth the blood That runs in your veins

How much do I know To talk out of turn You might say that I'm young You might say I'm unlearned But there's one thing I know Though I'm younger than you That even Jesus would never Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question Is your money that good? Will it buy you forgiveness Do you think that it could? I think you will find When your death takes its toll All the money you made Will never buy back your soul”

[mysteriesofloves]

What would you say are the best gossip girl episodes? the lists I see online are often very chuck-centred….

A DEFINITIVE OBJECTIVE TOP 5 LIST in somewhat particular order (which also happen to be my favs because i have taste):

1. 1x04 bad news blair. NOT just because it’s Thee Dair Episode but because all around it is the strongest episode with the best character work for every character and every plotline is entertaining. it’s grounded and meaningful and beautiful and has multiple scenes that appeal to the thesis of the show (or what should’ve been the thesis of the show) AND ALSO has a wacky and dumb poker scam escapade. that is teen television excellence

2. 1x09 blair waldorf must pie! this is ALSO teen television excellence the drama with the teens and the adults is perfectly balanced it is the only episode that tackles blair’s ed with any sort of sincerity the flashbacks make me want to gnaw drywall it is such a GOOD episode !!!!

3. 1x01 pilot. one the greatest teen tv pilots of all time and just SUCH a good pilot in general. she is lifechanging she is the definition of ICONIC i get chills just hearing the opening whistles of young folks. you’re kind of not invited raised a generation. nostalgia factor alone puts this on top but even that aside it is a very very good episode.

4. 1x11 roman holiday. more of a biased choice i just love this episode it’s cozy and fun and sweet and i think every storyline is well done. it’s just a very good holiday episode and i am a sucker for holiday episodes

5. 1x12 school lies. underrated i think. it’s giving dark academia but in at least a mildly self aware way and i think it’s genuinely one of the most compelling episodes of the show. to me it’s one of those eps that passes just “teen soap” territory and goes into just being a Good Episode Of TV yknow.

these are all from s1 because that’s the only well written season. rest of this list in no particular order is 1x13 (which would’ve made a great finale), 2x18 (THE most entertaining episode and my personal favourite but is unfortunately bogged down by whatever tf chuck is running around doing), 2x19 (just a really good ep. i just love it. crisis blair u will always be famous to me. dan visiting the van der bilt mansion for really no reason other than he was There and Needed something to do u will always be famous to me), 3x02 (SUCH a good episode so funny and does a really really good job at setting up the season that the status quo changes and the characters are tested and evolving! oh wait.), the hamptons episodes and the paris episodes for the VIBES and the AESTHETICS and the LOOKS but not for much else.

season 4 dair arc is obviously my favourite thing ever and also on the entire show but ben (🤮🤮🤮) is also there and raina is putting up with chuck’s bs so it can’t properly make it onto the list because the episodes as a whole are Bad and should be watched through dair youtube clips only/with a finger on the forward button. this applies to s5 dair arc as well.

[purpleplaid17]

Jess Watches // Thu 25 Jan // Day 125 Synopses & Favourite Scenes & Poll

Julia (with mum) 1x02 Coq Au Vin

Facing mounting pressure from station executives, Julia struggles to figure out how to present a complicated recipe. Later, on-set flubs threaten the future of the show--and Julia's career.

Too many cooks in the kitchen. I think she did remarkably well under all that pressure, and with very little rehearsal time too. I, like Judith, would rather be helping Julia than editing books written by boring old men. And is Russ 'advocating' for his friends magazine a hint that he could also be gay?

Echo 1x04 Taloa

Maya finds herself at a crossroads as she faces the shadows of her past and contemplates her future.

Fisk raised Maya as a daughter but still couldn't be arsed enough to learn any sign language. He would rather pay someone to invent that asl translator gadget thingy. This compared to her family, who has had barely any contact with Maya in 20 years, yet are all still fluent in asl. There has been no indication anyone else in the family is deaf (alive that is) so it was literally only for Maya's benefit.

Heartbreak High 1x06 Angeline

Quinni and Sasha begin to notice the cracks in their relationship. Meanwhile, Harper crashes a party to rescue her ex-friend from a sticky situation.

I had to ff some of the scenes with Quinni and Sasha because I became so enraged at Sasha for ruinning something that Quinni loved. She had put so much effort and prepaation into being able to enjoy the day to the fullest and Sasha could not have made it clearer that she would rather be anywhere else. I was so proud of Qunni for eventually calling out her bs. Anyhoo, Harper practicing saying she has chlamydia was funny, so there's that I guess lol.

[rebeleden]

Watch "Jenny And Marina Talk About Tim - L Word 1x04 Scene" on YouTube

CC FATAL POLY BS

[alaffy]

Nancy Drew, Ep. 1x04 – The Haunted Ring

Still not sold on the characters yet, but I do feel as though I’m not as annoyed by them anymore. I do like how we seem to have these two mysteries going on.  I wonder if they will somehow have a connection in the end.  It’s just strange that Lucy would be so present just as everything else is happening.  

The episode starts with Nancy wondering about Bess and if she’s the killer.  However, strange things begin happening in the house. First the two hear the crackle of electricity and they find the source of the sound is coming from the front porch light.  Then, the microwaves turns and the glass panel breaks.  Then a light turns on, which they go towards.  The light turns off, but the tv turns on.  On the tv is the video Nancy recorded of Tiffany.  The video plays and then the tv’s screen breaks. Nancy’s dad comes downstairs and asks what happened to the tv.  Nancy says it might have been a fuse.  Nancy and Bess go upstairs.  Bess believes Lucy is trying to warn Nancy, like the day at the morgue.  Nancy says it was a glitch; but that’s because Nancy’s other theory is that Lucy is warning Nancy about Bess.

Nancy has a dream about her past.  Nancy’s mom, who’s clearly in the final stages (well, tv version of it), wants Nancy to go to her Winter Formal, although Nancy would rather stay home.  Nancy kisses her mother goodbye and suddenly she’s in front of her mother’s grave.  Nancy wakes up.  

She goes downstairs and Carson asks her about Bess.  Nancy says she’s here visiting her aunt and that she’s a Martin.  Bess comes downstairs and Carson asks Bess about Diana. He then asks her how Diana’s surgery went, which Bess says went well.  But the way Bess says it makes Nancy perk up, as it sounds a little too hesitant. Carson says he’s not going to be home until late, as he will be with Ryan. Today is Tiffany’s funeral.  Oh, and here’s an interesting thing, turns out that the coroner’s report is back and Tiffany died of natural causes.  You think a father would mention that earlier to the daughter who’s CONSIDERED A SUSPECT IN HER DEATH.  Oh well, we all know it’s bs; even if Carson says there’s no conspiracy.  

Bess is happy because this means they’re not suspects anymore.  Of course, Nancy knows better and she’s afraid that it might be Bess.  Because this is how we’re getting to know our characters; false accusations that somehow people just forgive.  In Ace’s episode next?

So, Nancy goes to the Marina and talks to someone who works for the Marvins and has done so for 20 years. Nancy says Bess stayed at her house last night, which leaves him confused.  Turns out the Marvins haven’t mentioned any Bess (which we all knew was coming).  

Nancy calls Nick, who’s busy setting up a hidden camera that’s pointed directly at a safe in his loft. Nick still has the bonds, because he’s afraid he’ll look suspicious as he can’t really tell anyone where he got them from.  Both Nick and Nancy agree there’s no way the autopsy is real.  However, while Nancy still wants to investigate, Nick knows that this may be the only way to make sure none of them have to worry about going to jail.  

Nancy buys a newspaper and is about to read the headline, but the paper is snatched out of her hands by…oh, for God’s sake…Tiffany’s sister and the last living Tandy.  Laura is on her way to the police station to complain about them not solving her sister’s murder yet.  Laura clearly doesn’t understand how any of this works, which is weird because she’s clearly seems like the type to use money to get away with crime. But she is right that the whole husband being broke and cheating on his wife is suspicious.  

The McGinnis calls Ace and tells him he wants Ace to follow Laura.  Ace points out that McGinnis should have trained people to do this. But McGinnis reminds Ace that Ace has a history with Laura and a deal with McGinnis.  

Couple of quick things. Bess is in the restaurant’s locker area, where she starts to hear whispers. Nancy tells George and Bess she’s still looking into Tiffany’s death, which they aren’t happy with.  

Bess goes into the freezer and shuts the door.  She slips on Tiffany’s ring, and it seem to relax her (indicating that maybe her theft has some psychological issue attached to it).  At this point, Bess hears the whispering coming from the vent. Bess gets closer and the vent cover bursts off. In the main area, Nancy and George hear Bess scream.  The find her on the floor of the freezer, crying. There are long scratch marks on the back of her legs.  

Nancy and George get Bess over to a bench to attend to her wounds (and immediately forget to do anything about them), George realizes that Bess is wearing Tiffany’s ring.  Bess said she found it in the parking lot that night and she kept it.  By the time she realized it was Tiffany’s ring, she was a suspect and couldn’t give it to the police.  Also, she says sparkly things calm her down, which does make it seem like there’s a psychological factor to this.  

George, who now believes in ghosts after last episode, wonders why a ghost would randomly attack a person.  Nancy doesn’t think it’s Lucy.  George wonders if it might be Tiffany since Bess has the ring.  George thinks she may know someone who can help but needs to go find her.

Meanwhile, Ace is following Nancy who’s…buying Gusher’s at what looks to be a fundraising table?  Ace needs to learn how to tail people, because Nancy knew he was following her for a couple of hours.  And the gushers, plus an album, is for him for his effort. Ok, maybe she’s not as bad as I thought.  Of course, she wants to know why, after no contact for a year, he’s suddenly following her.  He makes some excuse, and they start to catch up.

We find out that Laura’s last call with Tiffany ended in a fight.  Tiffany was working up the courage to divorce Ryan and Laura told her to suck it up (Which I’m not sure if she meant suck it up and divorce him or stay in the marriage).  She asks Ace if he knows anything.  He tells her about how some of his coworkers were brought in and about the 911 call. She asks if he can hack into the system so she could hear it.  He says he doesn’t do it anymore, but…doe eyes.  

Carson is with Ryan, having him sign some papers.  Apparently, Ryan’s family is setting up a fund in Tiffany’s name.  Ryan asks about the next steps in getting Tiffany’s money, which Carson isn’t comfortable with.  But Carson tells him he just needs the autopsy report and death certificate, and he can file them in probate court.  

Nancy breaks into Bess’s locker and finds a British Passport under the name of Bess Turani.  Bess catches her and Nancy demands that she tell her who she really is.  This is broken up by George who calls a team meeting.  It turns out the person George was looking for is her mother who’s a clairvoyant and an alcoholic.  

Bess shows the mother the scratches she got and…what the hell?  I think some of those may need stiches.  The mother says that the scratches are the work of a new ghost. She says that the ghost doesn’t know what it’s doing.  It’s probably Tiffany but she’s not trying to hurt anyone, she just wants help.  But she probably wants the ring back because it’s special (really?), so they need to put it back on Tiffany’s finger.  That will get Tiffany back to her body.  Then they need to place a mirror over her heart, so that she knows she’s going into the right body.    

So, the three come up with a plan to get the ring on the body.  Nancy will be there to let George know when the coast is clear, and George will put the ring on Tiffany’s finger.  And Bess will be there too.  Nancy talks to George after they make the plan.  It turns out that George wants to do it as she realizes her affair was Ryan was wrong and wants to do whatever it takes to give Tiffany peace.  

Nancy goes home to change and, uh, what the hell is this scene?  Nancy finds the autopsy report lying on Carson’s desk (WHY?!) and she reads it.  As she finishes, Carson comes home.  Nancy tells Carson that the autopsy is a lie because it doesn’t mention a needle puncture wound.  Carson asks why there would be a puncture wound and Nancy tells him because she stole some of Tiffany’s blood (Carson must really regret taking on his daughter’s case by now).  Understandably Carson is upset.  But Nancy argues that she’s only looking out for Tiffany, not the Hudson’s like her father. Carson points out that he’s only doing it because of the medical bills and because on Nancy’s bail; to which she replies that he’s using his daughter and dead wife as an excuse to be a hypocrite. Look, on the one hand I understand that Nancy is still grieving the loss of her mother; but on the other hand, damn girl you are getting on my nerves. (And is it bad that, as I was editing this paragraph, I could not stop laughing because of how ridiculous this sounds?).

At the funeral: Ryan won’t look at the casket; Bess is trying to avoid the Marvins; and Nick is understandably upset.  And, yeah, maybe Laura isn’t so bad as she comes up to Nick and thanks him for being a good friend to her sister.  Ace tells McGinnis that he talked to Laura and that she doesn’t know anything that McGinnis doesn’t know.  Diana Marvin does speak to Bess, but she clearly doesn’t know her.

George tries to put the ring on Tiffany’s finger; but is interrupted by Ryan and his father coming into the room.  She hides under the catafalque.  Ryan’s dad is an ass and pretty much saw Tiffany as a piece of meat.  They leave and George is able to put the ring on the finger, but doesn’t put the mirror on her chest.  

At the end of the funeral, Nancy confronts Bess about her lies.  Bess is British and she isn’t staying with the Marvin’s; but she might be telling the truth she is a Marvin.  Maybe.  Bess grew up in London and her mother used to tell her that they were descendants of this family.  But, as they were poor, Bess wasn’t sure if this was true or something her mother made up (I’m guessing if it were a lie she would’ve picked something more regal then some American family, but that’s just me).  And so Bess decided to cross the Atlantic to GET THE DNA of one of these Marvins to find out if it’s true.  (Oh boy, another show where all the main characters need therapy).  And, if it turns out to be true, she’s going to let the family know. Sure.

At the graveside Ryan’s father, Everette, starts to give a speech (no way in hell I’m calling it a eulogy); when suddenly the 911 tape is played over the speakers.  This is Nancy’s way of saying that Tiffany was murdered, and the Hudson’s are covering up.  She tells everyone she going to prove it and she storms out of the service, as she puts on her sunglasses (all we need “Won’t Get Fooled Again” to start and…).  

McGinnis believes that Ace stole the 911 call, though Ace says he didn’t, and it’s clear that the deal probably involves Ace being a snitch so as not to be prosecuted for some hacker stuff.  

I haven’t felt right about Karen since the last episode.  Now, there may be a reason why.  We do find out that Karen was in the same class as Lucy, but she says she didn’t know her well.  And that there was a bloody knife and tire tracks connected to the case.  But Karen’s there to ask Nancy if she’s visited her mom’s grave.  Long story short, we find out Nancy’s angry at her father because he didn’t call her at the dance to let her know her mother was about to die; but he didn’t call her because the mother didn’t want him to.  So, Nancy never got to say goodbye.  It’s one of those things that I can understand both sides.  Carson thought he was doing the right thing, Nancy has a right to be angry, and they both need therapy.  Not trivializing it; just it’s clear neither are handling their grief well.

Meanwhile, George apologizes at Tiffany’s graveside.  As she does so, it looks like Tiffany’s spirit rises from the grave and possesses…George’s purse?  (I know, I know the mirror’s inside).  

So, at the press conference, Carson decides not to go along with the lie and says that he believes the autopsy is inconclusive.  Ryan says Carson made a big mistake and Everette says it won’t be as easy for Carson to leave the family this time (are they the Mafia or something?).  

Nancy tracks down Ace to apologize for releasing the tape.  She also says she did miss him and wondered why he didn’t keep up with her.  It’s because she left, according to him.  But then, he admits it was because their relationship was intense.

Nick comes home and someone has been in his loft.  The bonds are still in the safe, but the box the bonds were in clearly has been moved.

Nancy watches the video of Tiffany and sees that Tiffany did, in fact, drop her ring.  Then we see an image of drowned Lucy and the computer screen shatters.  She and Bess have a heart to heart.  

Afterwards, Nancy realizes the broken glass on her computer, the microwave, and the tv are all the same pattern.  It’s a map of the town and the epicenter of the crack leads her to the high school.  

Nick is able to see on his camera that it was Nancy who went through the box, and it looks like she pulled out a USB?

Meanwhile, at the school, Nancy finds a picture of Lucy and Karen and they look pretty close.  

George leaves the restaurant and is possessed by Tiffany.  

[dimpleskinard]

It bothers you, doesn't it? What they think?

[veganvenom]

Every time Silver smiles: Episode IV

[moon-yean]

black sails ladies meme // favorite scene/moment: miranda enjoying a moment of happiness while gardening

[jaredackles]

[missshezz]

Week four and I’m back with another Ballad of Oh-Kriffin-Sue. I predicted days ago this would be another Oh-I’m-Great episode, and well... I was... not disappointed

Look, folks, I want to love this show. I do love it when Filoni isn’t being a total prat and feeding us how amazing his little godling is. The problem is and remains: Omega kriffin Sue.

She’s not endearing.

She’s not adorable.

She’s literally inserted into the plot for no other purpose than to outshine the rest of the Bad Batch (who the show was marketed to us fans to be about, not some twerp).

Here’s some notes I typed as I was watching the episode:

*keep showing Wrecker having headaches but not a one of them thinks it might have to do with the chips that Oh-Hell-No told them about? Setup for either Rex or the godling figuring out what’s wrong and fixing Wrecker (inclined to see the second given the show’s record at this point)...

*of course, Oh-Kriff-Off figures out who Cid is because Hunter, Echo, and Tech are just dumb as rocks. Echo is a kriffin ARC TROOPER! Dumbing him down like this is a serious insult to his character. And TECH?!? C’mon, now, this guy is supposed to be insanely intelligent. He couldn’t pick up that Cid was playing them? Wrecker I can accept as he is not as intelligent as the other three but Hunter? Echo? Tech? Sorry, but no.

*right, the kid who has had zero training, was oppressed all her life, and knows nothing of the world is the brains of the operation...

*Echo was just sold into slavery last episode, was a slave of the Separatists until the BB and Rex came to save him, and has seen more of the galaxy than Oh-Hell-No but hasn’t computed CLONES were literally SLAVES of the Republic and now Empire?

*also, have we forgotten the Bad Batch are traitors of the Empire? Why do we have nobody hunting them? *coughs* this would be where Crosshair could come in or kriffin Cody but nooooo only Omega is being hunted by a privately commissioned bounty hunter because she’s all that’s important *coughs*

*of course, the BB get easily taken out and captured so OMEGA can make the save. These are elite clones. Why the kriff are we dumbing them down like this? Oh, right, so the damn child can save them... AGAIN!

*great, the godling now has a weapon... she’ll be master of it next episode despite never shooting such a weapon before or having much time for practice what with flying around on a spaceship...

This was otherwise a semi-decent filler episode (the third we’ve been given at this point) that showed the Bad Batch need to adapt if they want to survive. They need friends and credits— something they lack. Them working for Cid actually makes an interesting storyline because it gives them access to things they don’t have and allows them to still be who and what they are (when not neutered for an obnoxious girl child).

We saw Echo get to briefly shine (last weeks episode should have been about him) when he used his replaced arm to hack into Cid’s system to question who Shand is. Hunter was a total badass when he took on the slaver. Wrecker and Mochi was actually adorable. Even Tech had a moment when he said he couldn’t give them information because it wasn’t something they were trained for (showing their limitations and how focused Kaminoan training was on soldiering and not living) and which he had no data to compare it too.

Omega Sue again is what soured the episode for me. The focus as always was on her instead of the Bad Batch. She’s the only one being hunted despite the others being traitors (and yanno, property though we’re ignoring that). Everything was about how awesome she is, how much smarter she is than the others, how they wouldn’t survive if not for her being there to save them. There’s no balance at all. The other four characters are dumbed down for her benefit. The plot is written for her and serves only her. Hunter, Wrecker, Echo, Tech, and especially Crosshair (who has not been seen much at all outside his brief arc in episode 3, which has been the best bit of story we’ve gotten thus far) are merely backdrop characters designed to make her standout. They don’t have any purpose outside of her (literally, remove her and what’s their purpose?) Filoni is treating them the same way he did the clones in Clone Wars: as cannon fodder.

It’s poor writing 101.

And I won’t quit saying it.

This image basically covers it:

[starbuck]

I’ve heard the situation simplified down to Billy’s attempt at Discreet Canvassing being ineffective at identifying potential mutineers while Silver’s more strategic efforts were successful, and that’s true enough. However, it’s also true that, aware of Billy’s making inquiries, the ‘mutiny’ was falling apart until Silver’s seeming to join it emboldened Turk again, as I assume that was the inspiration for the ‘meeting’ Silver points out to Billy later in the episode.

Not to mention the fact that, had Billy never been informed of Morley’s part in the ‘mutiny,’ they would never have had the conversation about Miranda... and thus the name ‘Barlow’ wouldn’t have meant anything to Billy so he wouldn’t have opened the letter he found in 1x05... and then he probably wouldn’t have wound up ‘falling’ off the ship in 1x06... which is what ultimately led to the Actual Mutiny...

I don’t have a Real Point here... I just really like it when attempts to prevent problems CAUSE problems - it’s very fun.

[lukearnold]

[heartslobbf]

let’s talk about perfuma. imo, she’s one of the best characters in the show despite being underdeveloped, and i wanna explain why. she could’ve been extremely average, just some lanky flower girl that doesn’t believe in violence and loves everyone, but she is so much more than that (and it pisses me off that y’all reduce her to that).

in her introductory episode, perfuma is clearly in denial about the horde almost destroying plumeria. she doesn’t want to acknowledge the problem, wants someone else to take care of it for her. she’s scared of change, and that is because change makes you vulnerable. if things always stay the same, there’s a whole lot less danger and uncertainty, and therefore you’re safe. secure. perfuma’s kingdom is dying and she can’t bear to accept it because it is unknown to her. it’s putting her in a position where she is no longer secure. this fear of vulnerability can also be seen at the beginning of 1x10 when the princess alliance falls apart and she literally says ‘being together makes us vulnerable.’

the thing is, perfuma isn’t wrong. look at her choice of words. she says that being together makes them vulnerable, not weak. here, she kind of has the words mixed up, but we see that by s5 she has come to understand the difference. that’s what’s so great about perfuma, her motivation to do better, her hunger for self-improvement. it’s why she’s such an important part of catra’s redemption, actually, because she embodies the kind person catra is or wants to be.

let me explain: perfuma is an angry, impatient, short-tempered character. we are shown this again and again with her passive aggression to others and how easily mermista can annoy her with trivial things (sitting in her seat in the war room, for example). catra is also an angry, impatient character, but perfuma works every day to manage those emotions. she knows she needs them, she uses them as a tool (calling catra out, for example, is a time they were practically pivotal for getting her point across) but she also acknowledges they can hurt the people she loves. we know she does a meditation ritual each morning and we see in 4x02 how quickly she can unravel without it. she wants to be better. she puts the work in. that is such a valuable lesson for a character like catra who has always felt she’s just not good enough, she’s always going to be this angry and unlovable and no one can do anything about it.

so, 4x02. it’s a brilliant episode for perfuma’s character, really, and the first proper development we’ve had since 1x04. we see her anger, her impatience, but we also see her self-doubt. her belief that she’s inadequate, ‘just a flower girl.’ this is also when we get introduced to her little mantra that becomes a bit of a motif later on, ‘i can do this.’ we know perfuma doesn’t wholeheartedly believe this, but she says it anyway because she wants to. perfuma wants to be better. she will do whatever she can to be her best self, whether that be actually conquering her gripes with cacti or realising there’s a loophole with the roots (love that conflict resolution by the way, another good deconstruction of hero bs by spop).

this episode is also significant because it comes back to perfuma’s fear of change, of vulnerability. she’s thrown into a situation she doesn’t want to be in, one she feels miserably unprepared for, and she hasn’t done the one thing that puts her at her best beforehand, but she pulls through in the end because she is surrounded by people that support her, that listened to her and consoled her when she was vulnerable. 4x02 teaches perfuma the power of self-worth and the power of true, mutual, unconditional love, which can only come with vulnerability.

and this is where her character gets really interesting, in my humble opinion. ngl, one of the reasons i love perfuma so much is because she’s a pisces and i am too. i’m not gonna go astrology hoe on you rn, i’m just using this to demonstrate the part of her character that teaches others. pisces, if you don’t know, love to play therapist. we like to help the people around us with whatever strifes they may have because we think we’re fucking great at it. perfuma actually is.

you know how i said perfuma learns the importance of self-belief and vulnerability? yeah, she teaches both of those lessons to other characters in s5. like i said, perfuma is a character who values self-betterment and also happens to be a pisces, so when she sees scorpia, riddled with so much self-doubt and such low self-esteem, her immediate response is just i’m gonna teach that bitch how to love herself. and she does!

i’ve seen some people say they don’t like scorfuma because it seemed as though the writers just decided to ‘fix’ all of scorpia’s problems by giving her a girlfriend. that’s very dumb, first of all because they aren’t even together by the end of the show, they’re just interested in one another. second, the whole point of she-ra is that we’re stronger together. scorpia doesn’t go through growth in s5 because a girl likes her, she goes through growth because someone is showing her support and love for the first time in her life and that empowers her. you know, the worth that scorpia finds in herself doesn’t hinge on perfuma, like it did with catra. it’s about her as an individual, and perfuma so clearly makes it about that when her big lesson revolves around singing. scorpia loves singing. perfuma tells her she should do it because she enjoys it, a sentiment you’d never hear in the horde, and when scorpia does sing, she is actively rejecting the people who did make all her self-worth hinge on them catra. she’s doing something for herself, because she enjoys it, because it makes her happy, because she can.

it’s that same mantra: i can do this, i can do this. i really love how this was brought back from 4x02, how perfuma repurposed something that taught her such a valuable lesson for someone else. perfuma and scorpia are great foil characters actually, both constantly underestimated and thought of as weak by their groups, but some of the strongest characters in the show due to their deep value of love and self. i can do this, and i know i can because you believe in me, because i believe in myself. it’s brought back again in 5x10, when the last thing perfuma says before scorpia breaks the beam is ‘i know you can [pull through]’. she tells catra she believes in scorpia. it’s that belief, that support from other people that empowers the self to believe it too. we are stronger together, you know??

anyways, onto vulnerability. return to the fright zone is in my top ten episodes of the whole fucking show and you might think that’s a bit weird but i don’t. 5x10 encompasses so many important themes of spop so well and tells them with scorfuma and spinnetossa, our two side lesbian couples. this is significant since perfuma literally draws a parallel between her and catra at the end of the episode, and catradora and spinnetossa have always been significant to one another. i’m gonna say it, perfuma is the reason catra is finally able to confess to adora in 5x13. i’ve already talked about how important perfuma is to catra’s motivation to improve, but she literally makes catra rethink everything about strength and vulnerability, two words catra has a lot of feelings about.

catra fears vulnerability. we know this. she has such a deep love for those important to her but is never able to articulate it because she worries she’ll be taken advantage of, shot down, laughed at, whatever. all of this stems from the abuse she suffered at shadow weaver’s hands and her attachment issues, and it’s also why catra pretends to hate scorpia’s very open displays of affection and love: she sees it as weak because she has been taught to, but it’s all she ever really wanted to be.

we also know perfuma used to fear vulnerability. she doesn’t any more. the entirety of the episode leading up to her and catra’s heart-to-heart is her being vulnerable, putting herself in a position where she’s in danger but believing it’s worth it. and it is. despite what everyone said to her, perfuma is right: it was worth it. she got through to scorpia, even if it was only for a moment. she literally spells it out to us and catra with one of the best lines in the whole show: it’s hard, keeping your heart open. it makes you vulnerable, but it doesn’t make you weak, and i have to believe it’s worth it.

back in 1x10, perfuma was right: being together makes you vulnerable. horde prime tries to use people’s relationships against them, that’s literally the plot of save the cat, the point of pitting catra and adora against one another. he sees them as weak, just like shadow weaver deems adora’s feelings for catra ‘confusing’, just like light hope insisted adora was a danger to her friends as long as she was around them. they were all wrong. yes, they’re vulnerable. perfuma acknowledges that vulnerability puts you in danger, that it’s difficult to do that, but she knows it doesn’t make you weak. weakness vs strength is a big conflict in 5x10 literally introduced to us with netossa’s theories on everyone’s weaknesses in the first few minutes.

like perfuma says, friendship isn’t a weakness. it’s her greatest strength. her belief in love is literally what saves her and adora’s lives, it’s what saves everyone who got chipped, glimmer, bow. belief in love, both of others and yourself, is what saves adora in her dying moments. perfuma summarises she-ra’s entire fucking message to us repeatedly in 5x10 and she tells it to catra because catra is the one who will do the most with it. that glance at adora, it’s obvious what it means. perfuma is telling catra she should be open with adora about her feelings because you have to believe it’s worth it.

you won’t get anywhere waiting for other people to make the move. she-ra couldn’t heal plumeria’s lands, so plumeria had to fight their own battle alongside her no matter how much they felt unable to. the rebellion couldn’t move mara’s ship, so perfuma had to despite thinking she wasn’t strong enough. the reason they always win in the end is because they have each other, they have love and support and people motivating them to do better. just like perfuma motivates herself to do better.

it’s the mantra. i can do this. i can be vulnerable and still win, because i have love. and it’s hard, it’s so fucking hard to be vulnerable when you’ve feared it all your life and you’re so angry, so hurt, but you have to believe it’s worth it. and it is. it is, it is, it is, love is stronger than anything and being vulnerable for the people you love is the only way you can ever get what you want from them. perfuma as a character embodies that, having learnt it herself, and teaches the lesson to one of the characters who needs it the most.

adora is dying, and catra loves her, and she knows she does, and she just has to believe. adora is dying, and she loves catra, and she knows she does, but she doesn’t believe. not until catra teaches her too, in that moment, to realise they were all wrong, light hope, shadow weaver, horde prime. adora doesn’t need to let go, she needs to hold on and believe she will be pulled back up by the girl she loves. she needs to believe she deserves it. that it’s worth it.

and it is.

[skloomdumpster]

Can we talk about the cinnamontography of Fate please

I

Anooon! What's up with anons spoiling me lately to hear my bafoon takes? Anyway, obligatory disclaimer that I'm REALLY bad with cinematography and it took me three years of movie school to understand what I should've learned in the first semester :)) Read this bs at your own risk >:)

Unlike costume design and plot where I had this huuuge huge rant, I think I cam summarize my feelings here as "not interesting enough". As far as my understanding goes cinematography is how you place your camera, or rather, your characters/world before your lenses and what you're trying to communicate with that.

Fate feels pretty standard and generic regarding this. I think they have only a handful of beautiful shots and that actually communicate something deeper than just simple back and forth, and they also have a handful of disgusting shots that make me, a self declared stupid individual on this matter, look at it like ??? the FUCK.

I don't have long coherent thoughts, so I'll just paste here the pretty and the ugly ones and ramble a bit:

The Pretty Ones

1x01 - The Specialist's training grounds:

I really adore this entire sequence. Camera wise its very purposeful and beautiful. It shows us how the training grounds integrate with the school and I like that it shows all of them actually exercising in different ways, having their own matches and going off on their own. I can really get a feel of how Silva commandeers and oversees their training. Also really adore the rhythm on how they cut between wide shots, to full shots, then medium shots then a back and forth between medium shots and close ups. It makes the scene feel dynamic, the close ups are used to convey familiarity between Sky/Riven and it just flows very quickly, despite being a long sequence.

1x01 - Bloom's face off with her parents:

I think this is a GREAT example of good cinematography in the show, because I fucking hate this scene. Bloom's anger feels real and this is largely because of the framing in this. B starts telling the story to Aisha and we cut to a super close up, we're in Bloom's mental state. We don't know yet what is happening. I like that we zoom out to set the scene, but not enough to remove us from Bloom's deep concentration. Then the harsh cut to Mike removing her door, medium shot, very jarring with what we were just watching, which makes sense because it takes Bloom by surprise! This entire scene has amazing face acting, both Bloom and Vanessa's actresses are talented enough to show their emotions on their faces and they edited with all the audio overlapping, so when B is speaking it's Vanessa we're seeing and vice versa. It's just a little bit more spicy than the average of the show which is to show us the character that is speaking and then so forth and I think it really adds here! Also adore that the camera stays in the hallway when Bloom enters her bedroom, showing us the day turning to night, instead of just harshly cutting to a dark scene! I like the camera, the audience, entering her room slowly, we're prying those memories out of her! Just overall beautiful framing and acting here.

1x01 - Bloom watching her parents:

This fucking scene. Okay this is NOT the greatest example, I think of all the ones mentioned so far is one of the worst. But it does have some pretty cool ideas: Bloom standing outside her family home, having her parents appear very tiny first and hammer in that she's an outside, she's looking at this life through a window. When her parents say "we love you" and we don't see their face, we only see Bloom's in a medium close up, giving in to a full body shoulder, hanging up and choking down the tears. Standing there gazing out to this life where she doesn't belong anymore, where she's just been told she doesn't belong. All while not moving the camera, all in Bloom's face and body acting!! Beautiful. Really beautiful, a trust vote for the audience. Bad point of the scene: giving us the inside of the house, especially showing Vanessa's burn marks up close. If they hadn't been cowards and given her actual full body burns, then we could've done this entire shot far away and outside the place and it would've been 10/10. It's a 7/10 as it stands.

1x02 Saul and Farah walking together: beaaautiful shot, so haunting, so in synch. Oof

1x 02 - The girls find the Burned One's destruction: this shot right here and how haunting it is! How the camera makes it look like this large battle field, when it's actually just five fallen people and probably no distance at all! Literally going over the girl's head! Making them smaller in comparison to the stretch of destruction they just walked in. Pretty!!

FINALLY, the prettiest shot in the entire show:

1x05 - Terra and Riven talk

The DISTANCE between them, the fixed camera, the awkwardness. Riven fully emotionally open and disarmed, legs open, chest open, hands out. Terra holding herself tight, hands clasped, legs shut, arms squeezed in, looking away. A literal friendly battle going on as their background!! God, I don't think i've seen a shot that wordlessly communicates so much so easily in a WHILE. This is the fucking highlight of the entire show, I'm not taking criticism on this one.

The Ugly Ones

Okay this post is pretty damn long, so I'm just going to include two scenes. But there are plenty more :))

1x05 - Sky facing off Silva

This scene is a "framing mistakes 101" . Sky is not the illuminated one, he's not the one who should be under the light. He's metaphorically the one in the dark! And yes, words could be said about this actually meaning Sky is innocent vs Silva's not, but I think it would be much more meaningful if we went with the different approach. Also, in this scene they overuse super close ups so much, it gets boring to watch, none of their facial expressions are groundbreaking and telling us anything new. In the two previous scenes with Bloom's close ups, Bloom snarled and nearly jumped her mom and the other one she was literally in pain while pretending not to be. There are so many things being said through her face. In here Sky is just confused and we know this by the plain dialogue, why do I have to keep seeing his face and then Silva when he speaks and then Sky- It's just boring.

1x04 - Sky and Riven's face off.

There IS such a thing as trying too hard. This scene tries so badly to be edgy and artsy, to be creative! All it manages it's to be nauseating to watch, difficult to comprehend and poorly executed. These two are best friends fighting over something that's been brimming since the pilot of the show, implicitly since before s1 starts. Riven straight up says more than one deep insecurity of his. And YET we have this weird stiff camera, a whole half a yard between them, zero emotional impact. Riven goes on to throw on Sky's face that he's a hypocrite and nothing NOTHING lands! We're so caught up with the camera twirling around that all the emotional punches fly out of the window.