#but i also found Taylor fascinating too. was she right for Buck? not at that point in her life. I still wish she was around

[laegolas]

hey real quick does Tommy want to date Buck or be Buck?

Because honestly this character has no strong connections, and no one he appears to reference or lean on. And the latest episode made it very clear that he's an outsider who wants to be part of the family that is the 118 - but he missed his chance because of who his captain was, his own actions, and I'm going to lump his attitude in there too.

Even the Eddie bestie-ism of it all - the man was clearly wooing (platonically or romantically, you choose) Eddie with all those trips and activities, and its implied that the connection between the two was pretty instantaneous.

It's very easy to imagine Buck becomming just like Tommy if he didn't have Bobby and the 118. Buck wants to give and give, but you can't keep giving without being fulfilled in return - you become exhausted and closed off and everything is held at arm's length.

[whateverthedragonswant]

So, I know a lot of people wondered why this scene happened in last week's episode, and thought maybe it was to signal the end of BT. They were correct but it goes even deeper now in the wake of this week's episode:

"You don't know what the 118 means to him." "But for Buck that firehouse is his family. When things get messy at the 118, he falls apart. I'd hate for things to get messy again."

Strange wording, right? And why is Taylor's jealousy rearing its ugly head if she doesn't know about the kiss (supposedly) and only saw Lucy comforting Buck when Bobby was being checked out?

Well, now we know why this particular scene happened the way it did and why that dialogue:

First, she lies to him. Which circles back to her saying to him "No more lies" -- "What are you doing?" "Work stuff" (as she attempts to close the laptop on a picture of kid Jonah) after changing her convo on the phone as Buck approaches

And something else that's interesting to note in this scene: "Buck, it's fascinating" "It's terrifying" - not only are their perspectives completely different here, this is the real reason Taylor wants to run the story. Yes, "nothing is more important than the truth" but she only attempts to reason with Buck by mentioning all of the people at risk. The people at risk are not her real reason (plus Buck was the one to mention people would be in harm's way first and she merely jumps onto it). Because if they were, she wouldn't be asking someone to look into the file or doing research on Jonah's past. She wouldn't be telling Buck it's "fascinating" as her first reply when caught (which given her background that we saw into this season, seems a rather odd choice of phrasing, but that's how much the show is pushing forward this story line for her, that it was always going to come back to her job vs Buck/their relationship). She would be working on how to get the information to the authorities so Jonah could be stopped.

Not to mention her smile and response of "I can do something" when Buck mentions Bobby will do something when Hen goes to him about Jonah. (Hero Complex isn't just about Jonah in this episode btw, it's Taylor, too)

Buck: "Promise me."

Taylor: "I promise. I won't run the story."

Then you have this moment right here (after Buck walks away; and also listen to the music during this scene, it gives very ominous vibes):

Secondly, she jumped on the story as soon as the police call went out (and had all the info waiting to go). Hen asks Athena how the police got there so fast and Athena says because Karen called her (which also purposely sets up a contrast between the dynamics of Henren and BuckTaylor btw). Not that it's wrong for Taylor to run with the story once Jonah is apprehended, but Maddie mentions here "They have his name and personnel photo already. How did she get it so fast?" Taylor mentions "sources close to the case" in her report. Buck leaves her a voicemail asking "What did you do?" (which most likely we will find out next week)

This particular incident not only involved the 118 firehouse but also his family member (Chim) and his found family member (Hen). Not only were Hen and Chim in danger, but Chim's life was put at serious risk. If Taylor did something to either tip off Jonah and/or betray the 118 in any way, Buck is not going to be happy. Especially with "Off the record, remember?"

While Buck isn't a saint (with the whole Lucy kiss thing, yes he told her about the kiss but not who it happened with), the show purposely had the Lucy scene happen in 5x16 with "She's a peach" and then the setup in 5x17. This is why they had Taylor confronting Lucy. The surface issue may be jealousy but when you delve deeper, it's the setup of Taylor's betrayal of Buck. While Taylor was set up to be an outside-of-the-118 source for Buck, it didn't change how Buck felt about his found family. That's why they also showed the Henren contrast in 5x17. Karen isn't 118 but is a reliable and positive source for Hen. Maddie is that for Chim (no matter where their relationship stands right now). Athena is that for Bobby. Taylor has been set up and shown to be the contrast to that. (which is why she wore blue in that scene with Hen and Chim and Buck wore white, especially when compared with Eddie's attire in Chris' room, who is outside of the 118 for right now technically, and later on Bobby and Athena's)

The show wanted the audience to know that Taylor is very well aware of how important the 118 is to Buck, and even had her voice it, to a new member of the 118. A new member who doesn't have an in to Buck's emotional vulnerabilities the way Taylor (and his firefam and Maddie) does. Who doesn't know the whole back story or "family history". We've seen Taylor be there for Buck during Maddie's absence, encouraging Buck to talk to Eddie in a silent and subtle way when they went to his house for dinner, and even though we didn't see her being there when Chim punched Buck, she was aware of how it affected him. She's also aware of how much Buck cares for Bobby, Christopher, Jee-Yun, and Hen. How he is off when things aren't right at the 118. How he internalizes and thinks they don't want him around in that one episode this season. Taylor knows how much the 118 affects him (as his girlfriend/intimate partner should). So for her to betray all of that, knowing how "messy" things can get and Buck "falls apart" when they do? Yikes.

Lucy was the foil to Taylor in this episode but also to illustrate just how much of a betrayal this will be. Because the 118 is a no go zone with Buck (plus the broken trust) and that is what eventually is going to be the demise of this relationship, on Buck's side. If Taylor really betrayed Buck's trust and it somehow led to what happened with Jonah or contributed in any way, she just made a big boo boo.

Bonus:

I said Dosed (2x06) would come full circle and in a way it did. Here we are back to Taylor's drive not only for the truth but also the drive to catapult her career.

[inawickedlittletown]

The Blackout Arc - 9-1-1 Thoughts/Meta

I love the 9-1-1 structure of starting seasons with a big emergency/disaster and I didn’t want to write anything up until the whole arc was complete. I think they had a lot up in the air from the get go and that for the first two episodes the storylines were split in a way that gave nuance to the pace of the story and that allowed us to reconnect with all of the characters and everything they’ve been going through. They were well balanced so that even when some part of the story fell flat or wasn’t as interesting other parts picked it up. The blackout made for a good background for these three episodes, but I do think that by the third episode it doesn’t much matter that the lights are out. 

We got a focus on Eddie in these three episodes. I found using panic attacks to introduce Eddie’s concern about his relationship with Ana fascinating because out of all the characters, Eddie is not the one that we would ever expect to panic and yet he does and it isn’t about the numerous things he’s been through. It brings us back to the root of all of Eddie’s difficulties. After all, it was the loss of Shannon that once put him onto street fighting. For Eddie who was in the Army, situations where he could get injured or where he does get injured do not phase him, but the emotional things (for someone as repressed as him) that’s where he can’t handle it. 

The Ana/Eddie relationship has always been portrayed in a way that didn’t endear it to the viewer. Not enough interaction between them, them moving too fast, and Christopher’s involvement. Last season Eddie was already told by Carla that it shouldn’t all be about Chris. And I think that was the moment when Eddie started to really realize that his feelings for Ana were not as strong. But as for Ana, she was jumping right on in and look I didn’t like her because her character just wasn’t developed at all, but I think what the writers did manage to nail was her emotional investment both with Christopher and with Eddie and yet we also see that she’s smart and she can tell that Eddie isn’t all in. 

I loved the focus that this also placed on Buck while Buck is trying to figure out what happened to Eddie. Their conversations have been so vital and important and I think Eddie needed Buck to say it for him to realize that things couldn’t keep going the way they were between him and Ana. Not just because Eddie is having so many issues with it, but because to continue it on would make it so much harder on everyone involved. Ana and Christopher included.  

The other large storyline is of course Athena’s. And it is the weakest. The least interesting, and the most infuriating. The problem is that it works so hard to make cops the good guys. And as fun as it is to watch Athena be the boss ass bitch that she is, it rubs the wrong way all throughout 5.01 and 5.02. By the time that we arrive at 5.03 it’s already tiring and made worse by having most of the episode be dedicated to finishing that up. Using the autonomous zone and having Athena pretend to not be a cop to get in is all kinds of wrong too especially since this is all painted in a way that makes her actions alright because her son was kidnapped. On top of that there are parts of this storyline that are flimsy and hand-wavy such as a detective being missing for four days before anyone realized. 

The third thing that comes into focus is Maddie and her postpartum depression. It plays a smaller role in the three episodes and yet every moment is heartbreaking. And it is just such a powerful and important arc because postpartum depression is real and it isn’t easy to handle and we’ve seen Maddie in the depths of that from the start of the season. How inefficient she feels as a mother and how tired she feels as a person is so palpable and while I was surprised at her decision to leave, I completely understand. She is not fully mentally there to make good choices and yet her choice is an act of love. Love for herself. Love for her baby. In her head she doesn’t believe that she is the best thing for Jee-Yun because of what happened with the tub and how out of it she is, and maybe she’s right in thinking that in her mental state she might make a fatal mistake. I cannot fault her for taking that step back for those reasons. And I hope she’s going somewhere to get help and get better and that when she returns Chim won’t be too hard on her despite how much this has hurt him. We have to remember that Maddie has had such a traumatic life from the way she was raised to her relationship with Doug and everything that came of that and who knows how much of that plays into her depression. 

I want to lastly touch on Buck and Taylor. We didn’t see much of them together, which I guess makes sense because they’re both busy with their jobs, but in the one scene where they are together Taylor’s mind is not there with Buck. When Buck finally goes home once the blackout is over, he arrives to an empty apartment and Taylor is on his screen instead of with him. I just wonder at the investment that both Buck and Taylor are putting into it, if any. 

Overall I really enjoyed the three episode arc. The blackout was a setting that worked really well both as a metaphor and as a way to make things more interesting for everyone involved. It forced all of the 118 to stay at the station, and it made the few calls we saw them go on all that more interesting. I do think there was too much focus on the rapist and Athena but I’m also glad to be past that as the season continues although I’m sure we might see Harry, Athena, and possibly even Bobby dealing with some trauma of that in the aftermath.

[madsrocketship]

“Lovett or Leave It” transcript for episode airing 8/26/2017 titled “Look What You Made Him Do”

Lovett: So, some other stuff happened this week. Alright. Some of it less dire and world historic but no less interesting and important I suppose. Guys, give it up for Ira Madison. He is a writer for The Daily Beast and Ira is gonna help us break down a little bit of news this week about someone who loves to trash their exes, blame the media, and never take accountability, who is constantly saying that other people are treating them unfairly and who has made a little bit of a career out of attacking their black competition: Taylor Swift. 

Madison: You loved that joke. 

Lovett: You know, that’s unfair. I thought it was OK but I never found the exact right way to say it without feeling uncomfortable as I did it and I don’t think I ever landed on it but I’m gonna leave it in. I’m gonna let people see how it all comes together. Ira, what do we think of Taylor this week? What do we think of this song? What do we think of Reputation?

Madison: Well let me tell you, Breitbart loves it. (audience “whoas”) Did you not see that?

Lovett: No?

Madison: Breitbart today all of their news stories, they tweeted the lyrics to Taylor’s song. Instead of like writing what the story was, all day they tweeted her lyrics. 

Lovett: What does it mean?

Madison: She’s white and blonde? And they love her. And she didn’t say who she voted for. 

Lovett: Am I crazy to say that there is something a little Trump like about an album cover that is just her name in headlines re appropriating the snake, which of course was something she was called for lying visa via her-one of her many feuds? You’re up on it.

Madison: Yeah, no it was...it was certainly weird to be like “this is the time for me to call the media fake. (laughs) Like this political climate is perfectly the time for me to lash out at the media for writing about me and my fake relationship with Tom Hiddleston. (audience “whoas”)

Lovett: Wait, what?!?!

Madison: Being carried out of your apartment in a box, maybe?

Lovett: Everything you’re saying to me is new. (audience and Madison laugh) There was a box?

Madison: Allegedly, she was hiding in a box that was carried out of her apartment building. 

Lovett: Why?!?!

Madison: She wanted people to think she was in it.

Lovett: There’s some FURY in the front row.

Madison: I mean, this is the same woman who like walked her cat on a leash in New York just so like the paparazzi-

Wetterlund: That’s not a crime!

Madison:-to take photos

Watkins: That’s dope. (Madison laughs)

Lovett: Now Ira, I also want to say something else. I love this song. (audience “ohs”) And we played it at Crooked Media HQ today and Elise and I were really enjoying it and Elijah did...not comment. (audience laughs)

Madison: You know...it’s not bad.

Lovett: It’s not bad!

Madison: It’s not bad.

Lovett: It’s kind of nice. 

Madison: Well you know it samples Right Said Friend and Peaches. So-

Lovett: Which is great! 

Madison: Ha, yeah (laughs) which is funny because that Peaches song is in “Mean Girls”.

Lovett: I’m sorry, hold on one second. You’re very animated (Madison laughs as Lovett turns to audience) and you’re wearing “a friend of the pod”. You seem to have so many opinions from the front row and no microphone-

Madison: Let it out honey, put it in the book! (audience laughs)

Lovett: You can go...Are you ready? He said put it in the book. Just say what you want to say about the song, about this album, where is your head at? You are shaking your head. You have ten seconds.

Audience Member: She’s just a victim. She’s not- (someone in the audience shouts “what?!?!”) She’s just...She just needs to stop. 

Lovett: Hold on, hold on. (audience is clapping). 

Audience member: I wasn’t sure where this was going but she’s not a victim. She’s a horrible nightmare.

Lovett: Oh man! Hold on.

Watkins: I don’t know. She sued a guy

Lovett: This is the most animated the house has EVER gotten. Now hold on a second and listen. Listen, this is a show, this is about, this company is about a noble conversation about Taylor Swift. Is there someone here on the other side of this argument who is very pro Taylor?

Watkins: I would like to say something as a middle aged woman- (audeince laughs) 

Audience Member: I don’t mean she’s a victim, I mean she PLAYS the victim and she’s not. 

Lovett: OK! (audience shouts “yes!) Michaela? 

Watkins: As a woman who doesn’t give two shits about pop culture I only know about her lawsuit, right? Where she sued a guy for a buck-counter sued him for sexual harassment (audience claps) That’s kind of badass.

Lovett: That WAS badass. That was really badass. (turns to audeince) Are YOU on Taylor’s side? I need somebody who is going to defend Taylor. Come up, we’re just doing this. The news is-you’re gonna come up and then you. The person who said they would support Taylor come on, come on, come on. I don’t know if this is gonna edit well. (everyone laughs) Now you’re just standing on the stage with your own microphone. I don’t know even how the hell you pulled that off. (everyone laughs)

Audience Member 2: Lovett, I am fucking coming for you. I’ll tell you what. Here’s the thing, we can acknowledge that she took a suite to get justice for the fact that she was sexually assaulted. However, she is super problematic. She plays the victim especially when it comes to men of color. So you can acknowledge the good that she did with the suite while also acknowledging that she is hella problematic. (audience claps)

Wetterlund: She didn’t file a suite against him, by the way. The guy was suing her. 

Madison: And she counter sued. 

Wetterlund: It was a counter suite?

Lovett: Either way, badass. What was your name? Cause I just want you on the record. 

Audience Member 2: I’m Haley!

Lovett: Her name is Haley and she crushed it. 

Wetterlund: That’s right, that’s Haley. 

Madison: Here’s the thing-

Lovett: I’m so glad we did this. 

Madison: I can admit that I really enjoyed that time Trump fired four people on The Apprentice. It was good TV. I will watch that episode three times. (audience laughs) Now I know he’s evil. But you can still acknowledge that he made good TV. I think that if Taylor had come out with, you know, this powerful song about what had happened to her people would receive it differently. But the lyrics are very much directed at Kanye again and last year she literally instagrammed that she wanted to be excluded from that narrative and then she ignored it. Yeah, that’s victimizing herself. 

Wetterlund: It’s like Taylor, stop appealing to your base. (audience laughs)

Madison: And that’s the thing, that’s the other thing about her. She went on this whole feminist power tour for “1989″  where she brought every single woman in media onto her stage-

Wetterlund: Every skinny model woman.

Madison: -women on her stage at her concerts. The people who are in her squad. She brought Harriet Tubman up. (audience laughs) She was very supportive of women. 

Lovett: Whose most recent last album was lackluster. (audience gasps)

Madison: (laughs) She’s [Harriet Tubman] doing a lot of good work and people should know about it.

Lovett: You know I love-don’t-you were OK. We’re OK. Guys, I want you to know something, I can understand why Taylor brings out this level of emotion from people. It is fascinating. Something to dive into. But I think it connects back to the way Hillary Clinton was treated in the election. Oh...NOW you’re uncomfortable. (audience laughs)

Madison: Does it?

Lovett: A little bit, a little bit. 

Madison: It’s partly because she rode this feminist wave and then she remained largely silent during the election about Donald Trump. As someone who feels so strongly about sexual assault didn’t speak out against a president who bragged about it. And it’s because she knows that a lot of her base are...Breitbart LOVES her! KKK, white people, watching “Dukes of Hazard”, Duck Dynasty, Ina Garten (audience laughs) You know, I love her [Ina Garten]. So sorry, I’m sorry. But like “Barefoot Contessa.” You know, I just can’t tell these white women apart. (audience laughs) She ignored all of that and now she’s just sort of basking in not doing anything.

Wetterlund: It’s pop feminism, right?

Madison: Yeah!

Wetterlund: That’s what pop feminism is. 

Madison: But every other pop feminist said “fuck Donald Trump. Go out and vote.” I mean, Katy Perry gets more people to come to a Hillary Clinton rally than get people to come to her own concerts. (audience laughs)

Lovett: I’m not gonna have that. I’m not gonna have that on my stage. I will not have that kind of talk on this stage. (audience laughs)

Wetterlund: Miley Cyrus was out there too and her dad is Billy Ray Cyrus like there is no reason for Miley Cyrus to be campaigning for Hillary Clinton but she was out there like “I’m high!” or whatever she was doing. (audience laughs)

Lovett: I think I want to rap this up simply by saying that Trump came in like a wrecking ball (everyone laughs) but all he did was wreeeee eeeeck us.

Madison: Do you know the lyrics? (audience laughs)

Wetterlund: And all he did was build a wall. (Madison laughs while audeince “ohs”)

Lovett: Listen, we can disagree about a lot of things, but “Wrecking Ball” is one of the best pop songs of the decade. (audience laughs and claps)