#but like can s17 just be this cast again

[inmenanswiththejaffacakes]

OMFG WAIT TODAY IS FRIDAY

[zeravmeta]

Thoughts on RvB Restoration Finale

not really that long just my 2 cents

I wanna say I liked the movie because I did enjoy myself watching it, but honestly I'm very much gonna stick to the RvB17 open ended finale

Overall the movie was... ok? It wasn't unwatchably bad the way RvB Zero was but it also just made a lot of choices that I disagree with fundamentally both with the writing and the core themes of the series as a whole. I've had this take ever since RvB14 on the fanbase and the writers but this movie flat out says it:

The writers are fucking unable to let go of PFL and Chorus in a meaningful way.

For a series thats core message is about saying goodbye, they literally dont let that part of the show die. They are functionally unable to let go of the past peaks of the franchise and write something new. And I get it: RvB fundamentally cycles with its storytelling, but what was so refreshing to me about RvB14-17 was that it actually progressed itself Past those peaks of RvB10 and 11-13 (and honestly people REALLY dont appreciate the good in those later seasons). It felt like a natural (if wacky) progression, and it definitely wasnt perfect but it gave the extended cast more opportunities to shine in ways we didnt appreciate before

This movie just doesnt do that? Honestly the fact that they KILLED Sarge and Doc was so... disrespectful to me? Like not in the sense that it was as bad as how RvB Zero (fake) killed Tucker, but more like it felt like the writers killed them off because they were following a book titled "How To Write Story" and saw 'killing off characters is good writing'. Sarge got a dramatic send off that also didnt feel that impactful? And I did see it coming from the start but having Doc be Washs' guilt haunting him just left a bad taste in my mouth.

Its a really self contained story, a whole bunch of characters outside the main 3 reds and Caboose felt ooc, a good chunk of characters dont even show up (dude where was DONUT??? youre telling me he only has 5 seconds in Simmons' mind in a cheerleading costume?), it was composed of like 3-4 sets total, Carolina, Tex and 479er all just kind of Show Up to be badasses in the way The New Person would show up in an MCU movie...

Honestly watching this movie I kind of felt like it would have a twist ending. Like the credits would play and then itd zoom out to show the Reds and Blues post S17 in a movie theater watching this dramatic finale, because thats honestly what it felt like: The whole movie was a cheap facsimile of RvB as a whole. The fact that Trocadero wasn't allowed/signed on to make the music for this finale really does influence this movie, since they used a whole bunch of songs and osts that felt out of place (though I will admit Vale Deah softly playing as Grimmons said goodbye to each other did make me choke up a little)

Despite my negative review, I do still recommend watching it, since there was stuff I did like: Simmons in a leader role, Tex and the fun reveal during her fight with Tucker-Meta, Grif FINALLY getting to retire, Caboose as a whole was really well written, there IS good in this movie! And again it's not unwatchable bad, it just... kind of leaves a somber, sour taste in my mouth. This movie threw a whole bunch of stuff to the wall not to see what would stick but to break it all and leave for the insurance money. Just a "hey since we're sinking might as well make all these callbacks and break a bunch of stuff along the way."

Welp. Goodbye, RvB. At least this way I know that RT dies without riding your coattails any longer. And hey given that RvB technically has 3 endings (RvB17, Zero and RvB19) you can just take your pick on what you like best anyways. Quick edit no jutsu I forgor to mention there is the sequence at the beginning of the movie where it is implied RvB19 COULD also be one of the simulations in and of itself so. yeah you can in fact just take it as you will

[charmac]

Quick question regarding the Paddy's Pub Blog:

The major intent of the blog is to be a place for resources, references, and information, with blog posts highlighting canon discussion/analysis. The idea, as Season 17 comes around, is that there is a page you can go to for information and updates regarding the upcoming season (as opposed to last year when I was running a spreadsheet that was all over the place, lmfao) and S17 blog posts will begin when we get to a place where we can start piecing info and plots together.

As 17 is on the horizon but basically everything is speculation at this point, I'm wondering if people would enjoy having the blog as a place where they can see early speculation/guesses for the season (i.e. based on Rob tweeting and saying X, it's likely we will see an episode about Y) or if people expect/would prefer updates be kept only to hard/official information (i.e. simply reporting that Danny Devito said "we are going again in September")?

Either way I'm gonna post all my thoughts here, so I'd really like to find out if the majority of people are expecting S17 updates on Paddy's Pub Blog to be as "official" as possible or if people are hoping it will be a place they can check/read for any and all information about the upcoming season.

Obviously it's dumb early, this is more-so just a question for the summer (pre-filming) when most things are either hard information or wildly speculative (or both, being Charlie told someone drunk in a bar). When we move into filming I'll re-assess and adapt based on how much info we're getting/RCG are sharing :)

[juneausol]

rvb0 spoilers below as i sort out my thoughts on the trailer and first episode

//

if zero was, say, an entirely new rt show, i’d be 100% excited and optimistic about it. and while i am super hyped for rvb zero - the new characters are super lovable and the villains, cool as fuck - im still worried about how carolina and wash will be handled this season, and if the og reds and blues will appear

one of my biggest issues right now is how wash’s brain injury seems to have been fixed completely, which removes all consequence and meaning of wash’s s17 sacrifice. then again, this was just episode 1 so maybe it’ll be elaborated on more

there also seems to have been a timeskip from the end of s17 to the beginning of zero, since one of the soldiers said wash’s injury was fixed “a long time ago.” i’m really hoping it was somewhere in the vicinity of the s13-15 timeskip (10 months) or s5-6 timeskip (14 months), and not any longer. 

right now, i have very low hopes for any of the other characters we know to appear. i think locus and tucker have the highest chance, because of the temple/alien stuff that was brought up in ep1. though i really want the reds to appear especially....pspspspspps simmons character development...

but i’m trying to remain as optimistic as i can, and the new cast seem really interesting! my fave is raymond, and the other characters are super fun too (though west just seems like sarge 2.0 lol). itd be so awesome to see them interact with the og reds and blues at some point. 

also it sounds like rvb0 is dropping all at once on oct19, which is..gonna overwhelm me. and solidifies zero as more of a miniseries/spinoff of sorts. a temporary break from the og cast before they return, maybe. 

there’s gonna be an rvb0 panel on tuesday, so hopefully more questions will be answered then!

[freelancerfeels]

Damn, an original post? On this blog? Is this real life?? Thoughts on Zero below, there are some spoilers so be warned. This was meant to be my attempt at a critique but honestly it just turned into a long winded rant full of stuff other people have probably complained about already. I apologize in advance for the overall negative tone, but after watching the first 2 episodes twice I’m a little disheartened at the moment.

Alright, so I guess the good things first? The warthog racing scene aside, the visuals are pretty good! The fight scenes, especially involving the villains look impressive. The characters movements are smooth, the physics don’t seem too wild (depending on how you feel about teleportation); so overall I like it.  It’s good to see Wash and Lina again, it seems like the former made a full recovery despite his injuries which I’m a big fan of. Shotgun wielding Carolina in Ep 1 is certified BDE, and my boy copped a sweet promotion to Major in the offseason. So far I’m enjoying our antagonists; they look fuggin sweet, the dynamic between Phase and Diesel is amusing, and Zero gives off a mysterious leader vibe I can get behind. I’m sorry to say that’s about where it ends for me though. I have a laundry list of complaints so if you’re not interested in that I would stop reading here.  

I’m fairly indifferent towards Shatter Squad. The rivalry between East and One just feels like Carolina and Tex all over again, only with less animosity. Axel is the cliche team dad, Raymond is the awkward yet-to-prove-himself rookie, and West is the gritty, battle hardened team leader who doesn’t take any lip but cares deep down blah blah blah. It honestly feels like the writers have forgotten what made RvB so good in the first place. The first five seasons were literally just some idiots fucking around in a canyon with the occasionally plot line thrown in. It wasn’t the most visually impressive thing, but the characters were endearing and that made up for it.  The new cast just feels kind of cheesy and stereotypical, maybe that’s just me though.

Some of things I really hate? How about Wash immediately getting fucked up, tortured, and kidnapped. The poor dude literally just got over a TBI from the last season and they’re already using his suffering to advance the plot again. I’m really worried that we’re going to see either him or Lina get killed off and that would just wreck me. How about the complete absence of the Reds and Blues? I understand that some of the VA’s are gone and the others are busy running the company, but at least mention them. They’re the reason the show has made it this far; to just completely ignore them, especially after the character development Donut went through in S17, is mind boggling. There’s also not even a single whisper about Locus, Kimball, Dylan Andrews, Jax, or the cosmic powers we’ve just spent multiple seasons getting to know. They had so many options to bring back characters people really liked and they just dropped the ball. Like where the fuck is Huggins???

 Another thing that bothers me is the seemingly complete departure from the Halo universe. Have we just completely forgotten about the UNSC? You know, that one organization that PFL and Charon Industries were specifically shown as having ties to for like 11 seasons. What the fuck is AOD? At what point were Wash and Lina recruited into this new super secret squirrel program? There’s no continuity from previous seasons, which is fine if you want to take the show in a new direction, but then why use 2 characters who have been around for the past 12 and 9 seasons respectively? There’s armor, monsters, and weapons that have never existed in the Halo universe suddenly appearing from thin air. For some reason Agent East is able to move at inhuman speeds, not from armor enhancements like Carolina, but due to some unspecified experiments performed on her by some unmentioned till now organization only known as Starlight Laboratories. The  disregard for previously established canon details is just aggravating, and the way they just dumped these new things on us without any explanation feels cheap.

My last gripe for today is about the appearance and movements of the characters when they’re not fighting. The head movements when speaking are stilted and jerky, which didn’t seem to be an issue in previous seasons. One would think that with the fluidity of the fight scenes two characters simply chatting wouldn’t look so stiff and unnatural. The shadows and saturation in some scenes (warthog race) just look awful as well. Not to mention the appearance of the regular “soldiers” in the first episode. ACU-esque digital camouflages were out of style in the 2000′s, let alone the 2500′s.The voice acting also doesn’t really do it for me either, especially for Shatter Squad. In their defense, even Shannon and Jen seem a little off this season. The only characters I’ve enjoyed listening to so far have been Phase and Zero, the rest just don’t seem to mesh with their characters. 

To close this massive bitchfest I guess I’d just like to say it doesn’t feel like RvB anymore. Maybe it’s because RT has grown into such a giant soulless shell of what it once was. Maybe it’s because the people in charge of the show have forgotten where it’s come from and what we as fans enjoyed about it. Maybe it’s because all good things must eventually come to an end. Or maybe it’s just because I’m jaded.  What I do know is that I miss the Reds and Blues, I miss the dynamics that have been established over the past 17 seasons, and I miss how Wash and Lina had become members of their fucked up little family. Part of me wishes they had just pulled the plug and given all of them a happy ending in S17. I’d like to believe that the issue here is just me being cynical about the show going a direction I don’t agree with and that things will get better. At the end of the day, I’m just one salty person behind a keyboard and I hope that you guys are enjoying this season more than I am. 

Also, I still miss CT.

[mrandmrskarev]

I know everyone’s saying it would make more sense for Alex’s character to have died but I think the Greys writers are hoping he will comeback even just for an episode one day and they wanted to ‘leave a light on’ and I hope we do see Alex Karev again. If Matt can take April back after she left him at the alter in the space of like three episodes then Jo and Alex can find there way back to each other.

Well it’s what I hope too, but will Justin come back one day? Mhh who knows, I think they didn’t say all the truth about him, I think something else happened there... I didn’t like how producers and the whole cast handled Justin’s situation but hope I’m wrong, hope he will come back and I’M HOPING WITH MY WHOLE HEART, BODY AND SOUL for a Jolex happy ending. It’s everything I want, It’s my only wish right now before the show ends (and I guess it will end with s17)

[calliecat93]

So... I want to talk about Sarge regarding Seasons 15-17. Why? Well, I’ve talked about all the other Reds (except Lopez, lo siento amigo) so... why not? Plus I brought up on Twitter how I wanted some Sarge development that wasn’t ignored later (ignore the fact that I forgot to put ‘don’t’ in the sentence on there). What did I mean by that? Well, let’s talk about it.

S15 seemed tried to give him some development, and I think ti was mostly done well. He was still desiring to be able to fight and die heroically. He’s so engraved in military life and wants to fight something that he has zero ideas about how to function outside it. Temple gave him a fight and the structure that he was used to, so it makes sense that Sarge would fall for it. But ultimately, he cares too much for the others. Yes, even the Blues. Plus while he won’t hesitate to kill his enemies or Grif, killing civilians like Dylan and Jax is probably going too far for him. The only real issue is that he couldn’t promise that he wouldn’t betray the others again, but at the same time he did take responsibility for his actions and could at least recognize that he couldn’t make promises. And his final confrontation against Surge gave some nice closure while being as ridiculous as we would imagine. IIRC Joe was originally going to give him Vic’s subplot, which I’m glad he changed it. Going this route feels much more appropriate for Sarge imo.

But then we get to S16. The Sarge and Simmons subplot kind of highlights one big thing for me: Sarge cannot accept guilt. There was his refusal to accept fault about the Battle of Broken Ridge, even when Simmons outright pointed out why it was his fault. Which seemed like a joke... and it was. But then we get to the next episode, where Sarge wants to assassinate Temple, Why? because, in his own words, one of them betrayed their life-long friends. 

Simmons: One of us? You mean-?

Sarge: One of us!

Then there was Sarge trying to express guilt over shooting a civilian... but the s3ntence was awkward as he tried t not put the blame on himself. Then at the end, where Private John gets the role he wanted and that wouldn't have happened if Sarge didn’t try this ridiculous scheme to begin with, it looks like Sarge is about to have his epiphany... before blaming Private John and giving up. This is both interesting... and annoying. Interesting because this really highlights how much Sarge does NOT want to admit guilt for things. He can clearly recognize it since he still felt so guilty about his betrayal that he wanted to kill Temple before it ever happened to correct it. But he very clearly does NOT want to acknowledge it as much as possible. 

But then we get to the annoying bit. After Episode 5, this bit of insight is dropped completely. I mean even Simmons giving up on science was kinda still there. Not by much, but it was there. But Sarge gets his cameo role and... doesn't do much else after. At most there’s his visible concern for Wash, but that applied to everyone. It feels like there was something there... but then they realized ’oh shit, we don’t have time to do anymore’ and dropped it. And because he and the cast got shafted for the most part in S17 outside Donut and Wash, there was even less to do.

Which of course, brings us to S17 where Sarge utterly pissed me off. So it’s Episode 7. The guys remember that Donut betrayed them and Sarge essneitally wants to execute him. This feels... increidbly hypocritical. Because just two seasons ago, SARGE BETRAYED THEM TOO. Yeah, his didn’t doom the universe, but it was still a pretty massive betrayal. I know that Sarge is an asshole and all, but it really felt dickish. Maybe it was meant to be funny, but it wasn't. Grif’s anger was understandable because Donut DID cause problems with his betrayal, and he wasn't trying to have Donut blown up by Shelia.

 It really feels like the staff doesn’t know what to do with Sarge. It feels like they’re afraid to have him develop or act differently from ‘crazy drill sergeant who likes to shoot everything’ because if they do try, he won’t be Sarge anymore. Which I kinda get. For a show liek this, you don’t want to change the character too much because it risks taking away what made them likeable. We liked Sarge because he’s uttelry insane. But they were able to get him over his hate/desire to kill The Blues... well okay, he has the occasional relapse, but overall he’s past it. And that didn’t ruin his character at all. He still occasionally insults Grif, but it’s a LOT rarer nowadays, and he’s still stayed funny. You can still have him be shotgun happy AND let him say... start admitting when he is in the wrong, for example. 

Going back to the analysis though, let's talk about The Labryinth... and of all things, a PSA. The Hard Truths PSA. Why? Because both of these do bring up something interesting. And since both were written by Jason Weight, I don’t think it was just a coincidence. In the Hard Truths PSA< when he has his breakdown, he brings up how he hasn’t lead a civilian life since he was a boy and that he wouldn’t know what to do without the structure of military life. Which... makes sense, especially when you look at the PSAA. He couldn't handle retirement at all, but he could handle the structure that Temple offered him. Then we get The Labryinth, where he’s at a desk job and clearly craving the brutal military life. So he gets it... and immediately regrets it. He can’t handle brutal military life either. Sure he used to be an ODST and has been in the military since he was old enough to be. But he probably hasn’t been in the heart of a true war in a looooong time and reliving it would remind him that it’s not quite ’the good old glory days’ like he thought.

Why do I bring this up though? Well... as I’ve said multiple times it feels like they don’t know what to do with Sarge. They want to keep him as the character we all recognize, but any attempts to try and do more haven’t really gone anywhere. S15 had a little, and tbf he seemed more willing to go with normal life before they got the Time Guns. Still, it feels like they can’t figure out how to do any development without changing him. How could they develop him and not sacrifice anything going forward? Well... if we’re sticking to the idea of a lowkey season for S18...

I made a joke about doing an ‘RvB: They finally get some damn therapy’ edition... but I kinda mean it. This is a good time to do some character development and reflection after everything. So why not dig into this a little? I remember in the interview with Jason that The Shizno did, he mentioned wanting to do some Grif and Sarge bonding due to finding them similar and how Grif can try to explain some modern thing to him. That... would honestly be perfect. Especially since Grif is someone seeking structure and having Sarge maybe ramble on about the ‘good ole days’ and Grif pointing out how it was stupid could not only lead to some good comedy but some good bonding moments. Which with these two, is loooooong overdue anyways. Of course, we still have a long time before we know how things will go, but that's my proposal. Just do some talking and maybe have Sarge realize how shit he is with both civilian life and soldier life. Maybe he can find something on Chorus to do that can be a good compromise, especially if they go the Locus Trial route.

IDK. I just felt like talking about Sarge. I do like some stuff that they did with him. Like I said, his arc in S15 made a lot of sense and mostly worked. I feel like there’s plenty of insight to get off these seasons that I really enjoyed. But it’s as I said, it feels like they just... forget sometimes and again, I think it may just be because they don’t want to change Sarge and risk losing what made him... well, him. Hence why going the low-key route may help with that since there are options there. And they can keep him the crazy, shotgun-loving, one-liner spouting asshole that we know and love. Development will NOT ruin that. I think that there are some interesting possibilities. Even outside what I mentioned, Donut’s left and Simmons isn’t a kissass to him anymore. I remember this meta post that talked about Sarge’s feelings about his boys outgrowing him... and it is really insightful and something I’d like to see explored. But only time will tell, dirtbags!

[panther-os]

I posted 603 times in 2021

49 posts created (8%)

554 posts reblogged (92%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 11.3 posts.

I added 64 tags in 2021

#rvb - 28 posts

#agent washington - 9 posts

#dragon age - 5 posts

#locus - 4 posts

#project freelancer - 4 posts

#dick simmons - 4 posts

#agent york - 3 posts

#anders - 3 posts

#locington siblings - 2 posts

#agent north dakota - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#currently im working with urdu as a placeholder bc i called fenris murder bae tan france once and havent been able to get it out of my head

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Is Freelancer real names still a Thing? I've been out of the fandom for forever and the hype seemed to be on its way down when I left.

Carolina: Rebeca Shani Church (Ashkenazi + Mexican Sephardi)

York: Jianhong "Jonny" Elias Rodrigues-Yuen (Macanese)

Wash: David Asher Church (Ashkenazi + Mexican Sephardi)

North: Vesa Kalo (Finnish Karelian)

South: Ansa Kalo (Finnish Karelian)

CT: Iona Blair (Scottish)

Maine: Moses-046 (SPARTAN-II)

Wyoming: Reginald Phillip Charles Prescott Winthrop-Covington IV (Upper Class British)

28 notes • Posted 2021-11-28 21:59:51 GMT

#4

Ngl a good 40-50% of why I love trans!Simmons is solely because of this potential interaction

Someone: Nice name, Dick

Simmons: Thanks, I picked it myself

P much everyone: Your name is a fucking pun?!

40 notes • Posted 2021-12-17 21:39:36 GMT

#3

art idea that will get me instantly assassinated by the rvb fandom: wash with a forget-me-not growing out the side of his neck

follow up fic idea that will get me brought back to life and killed again: wash dies in s15 and the reds and blues pull a director and make a wash ai because they've never met a healthy coping mechanism in their life and also wash is 99% of their collective impulse control (they manage to do it much more ethically but lbr that bar is a tripping hazard in hell)

40 notes • Posted 2021-11-13 20:13:22 GMT

#2

Works that cast Epsilon as a villain because of the Incident squick me out just as much as works that ignore the Incident ever happening.

Yeah, Epsilon was traumatized.

Yeah, Epsilon traumatized Wash.

No, Epsilon was not in his right mind.

And I don't know that Wash could or couldn't have handled it better, we're not given nearly enough information about that for me to draw conclusions.

I definitely don't think it's healthy for them to be in the same room together in canon, and I definitely do think Wash is right to enforce the boundary of not having another AI in his implants ever again.

But the only villains in that situation are the Director and Counselor and their shitty experimental unethical science.

Wash and Epsilon both have the right to feel hurt and the right to heal as they see best fit - in Wash's case, steering clear of AI and not letting his implants be touched, and in Epsilon's, moving on and going vigilante with Carolina.

Arguably, Epsilon is the one healing faster, but that doesn't mean he suffered less and it doesn't mean it's his fault that Wash isn't healing at the same pace.

It's just a shitty fucking situation all around and they both got fucked over and are figuring out what to do with their lives after the fact.

The best analogy I can think of is if one person (Director, Counselor) shoves another person (Epsilon) down the stairs and that person slams into a third person (Wash) like a bowling ball on the way down and both people who fell down the stairs wind up hospitalized. It's not the fault of the person who got shoved, but the person who got bowling ball'd still got hurt, too - emphasis on the "too".

43 notes • Posted 2021-12-02 05:29:20 GMT

#1

Okay ngl my favorite moment in the entirety of RvB is Simmons' soft little "y'alright?" when Sarge is having his breakdown in S16.

And also, tangentially related, my favorite moment in S17 is Wash's patented Mom Voice "Simmons!" before Simmons technically knows him beyond "that guy we met that one time who just shot my teammate."

73 notes • Posted 2021-12-14 04:20:13 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[poipoi1912]

1. Your ability to balance romance and sexual tension with great character development and plot. Seriously, your chemistry always crackles and the emotions are so so earned. I honestly prefer reading your writing to watching the actual show. (You’re the only reason I went back and watched season 17). 2. Please write the Elementary-SVU crossover we so deserve. 3. Never worry about your posting schedule. Anything you write is a gift.

Dear anon, thank you so much! This practically brought a tear to my tired, it’s friday eye :’)

(also I’m glad you watched S17 because of me, i.e. the last season of SVU ever!)

I’m so happy you enjoy my writing (and, not gonna lie, I honestly prefer writing than watching the actual show lol). I do try to stay true to the characters, even as I write multiple and very different versions of them, and I also try to conjure up enough emotion to make the sexual tension mean something, so I’m grateful you like that :D

As for Elementary... When I think of Sherlock and Watson, all I see is how well-developed they are, and how three-dimensional, and how rich and complex their relationship is, and how well-acted they both are, and how Elementary is a basic procedural, with mostly predictable cases and obvious suspects, just like SVU, and it only has a tiny 4-person cast, again like SVU, and yet, it’s so good! So real! How do they do it? And why can’t SVU do it?

To write a crossover fic between those two shows would really paint SVU in a bad light, is what I’m saying :D

And omg that brought an actual tear to my actual eye. My new job/chedule combined with Sonny’s miniscule screentime and the subpar quality of SVU overall has really put a damper on my inspiration. Maybe, after Raul leaves, I can just quit watching and just keep writing Barisi fic like nothing happened. Canon be damned.

(I do want to post something for you all, but there’s no way I’ll be able to do it by next week, and I suspect the fallout from this next episode will take some time to process, so I hope to take advantage of the break for the Winter Olympics and get some writing done then!)

promises, promises

Thank you so much, again, my sweet anon. Your message was the perfect ending to a very long week ❤️❤️❤️

[poipoi1912]

Carisi-centric thoughts on Ep 19x04

(A little rushed, not to mention late, because this week really got away from me due to a very persistent flu.)

(and my even more persistent need to write fic.)

Overall Thoughts

Eh. A plot we have seen before, a type of “nice guy” perp we have seen before, a case that had pretty much zero twists (the perp was immediately obvious), a tepid resolution. To me, this was the weakest episode of the season.

On the bright side, though, there

wasn’t a huge amount of victim blaming, and we got some wonderful Amanda scenes, and also some intimate Rolivia scenes (I ship it btw! I’m getting S17 Barisi vibes from them this year. I can already tell that S19 will be the Holy Grail for Rolivia shippers, just like S17 was for Barisi shippers. And I’m loving every minute of it.). Also, the ending did have a sappy PSA vibe, but the anti-bullying message was important, and timely, so I didn’t mind it that much.

Overall, this was a somewhat uneventful episode which I moderately enjoyed but won’t be rewatching.

Sonny and Continuity

Sonny has come so far. He’s been doing this a long time! 3 whole years I mean, a really long time, and he doesn’t ask questions he doesn’t already know the answers to :D Which, by the way, is a lawyer thing, not a cop thing. (and a To Kill a Mockingbird thing, of course). I don’t know if that was a subtle nod to Sonny’s lawyer side, or just a cool way to show that he’s a confident detective now, but I loved it all the same.

Just like I love this Sonny upgrade we’ve been getting. We (and Sonny) were long overdue. Season 16 was the “he’s got potential but he still needs training wheels” period, Season 17 was the “he’s learned a lot but he’s still rough around the ages” period, Season 18 never happened and Season 19 is the “Sonny Carisi, experienced SVU detective and licensed attorney, at your service” period.

The truth is, Sonny has been doing this a long time. Three years at SVU is no joke. Anyone would learn a lot, let alone someone like Sonny, who’s always been so eager to educate himself. I love how we’re allowed to see that confidence, this year. That’s Sonny’s main trait, now. He swaggers into Liv’s office and explains complex jurisprudence, he sasses Barba, he interrogates witnesses or perps with the gravitas of a cop who knows what he’s doing.

This development has been earned. Sonny has gone through a lot of shifts as a character, but finally we’re seeing it all pay off. Finally, the subtle shifts in his attitude are consistent with his character arc; he’s gained experience as a cop, he’s got his law license, he’s older, and he’s seen things, and he’s finally moving forward as a character. He’s where he’s supposed to be.

And the best thing is that his core personality hasn’t been sacrificed. He’s still funny, just not in a (totally) goofy way. He’s still empathetic, just not in a naïve way. He’s still whip smart, just not in a way that’s meant to surprise us. We know who he is now, and he knows who he is, and it’s great to watch.  

I suspect it will be just as great to watch him mess up, too. Somehow. Or get compromised. Over-invested. We’re all human. I’d like to see that. Maybe we will.

The Barisi Corner

Stray Thoughts

When Fin is not in an episode, it becomes almost hilariously obvious how short-staffed the 16th is. There are literally 2 detectives, Amanda and Sonny and Fin who is a Sergeant except not really so I don’t even know if he counts. I like that they’re bringing in another ADA (provided it allows for more Barba drama) but why not also bring in a new detective? The cast is small enough for 2 new additions. I’m not talking Season 9 levels of “we can’t fit our 18 regulars in the same frame,” I’m talking about one more cop. The show needs it.

My guy! The defense attorney! He’s my favorite. I love that the show keeps having him back.

"On that hilariously unrelated note, Noah's grandmother showed up!" Man, why do I even bother coming up with organic segues when I write fic?

I couldn’t believe my ears when Amanda mentioned an actual case from her past, but it wasn’t that random thing SVU does, where detectives reference “old cases” which were solved offscreen (like in the premiere). We had actually seen Amanda’s old case! Pink clouding! I applaud the writers for actually giving a damn about continuity this season. It really makes a difference.

Sonny and Continuity Vol. 2: I loved that we saw, yet again, how sensitive Sonny is when it comes to younger victims. The way Peter conveyed Sonny’s disgust when talking about the incident, even before they knew a rape had occurred, it was so beautifully consistent with Sonny’s reactions in previous seasons. Again, continuity really makes a difference.

[poipoi1912]

Season 19 Renewal

As Season 18 went on, and I kept getting disappointed, all I could think was, “do the old writers and the cast also think the quality of the show is declining, or do they think everything is fine?”

Guess we have our answer.

The fact Rick Eid is leaving after just one season tells me that we were right all along. He was a bad fit for this show. Forget the scheduling mess, partly caused by the inability to produce episodes on time. He tried to turn SVU into a generic cop show, which is actually why I think he might be a good fit for Chicago PD. SVU was never generic. It's an institution, and it was always about the characters, as much as it was about the cases,  as well as teaching the audience some sorely needed lessons.

Season 18 and its Struggles

In Season 18, the show lost track of that message. It's not enough for Liv to sprout platitudes and give us Hallmark moments every week. A certain sensitivity and nuance is required, if you want to tackle SVU cases. Rick Eid lacked that sensitivity (if some episodes displayed it, it was because of the old SVU writers, in my opinion), and he couldn't find that nuance. That's why he effectively rewrote the same episode so many times. Rich white powerful man assaults rich white pretty lady. She is unreliable (or a liar, or a criminal, or it's somehow her fault), and he is troubled. That's it. We watched a variation of that, literally 13 times this season (I counted).

The T*rump episode alone perfectly demonstrates why Eid was a bad choice for SVU. The casual way in which Ice-T said it wasn't one of their best, even though the (then) current showrunner had written it, that said it all. Showing women as liars is not what SVU is about, for me. Nor is it about showing rapists as sympathetic, or troubled figures, or innocent. Both can (and should) be done in moderation, in an individual episode or two, for the sake of a twist (or even realism, sometimes), but not all the time.  

Problem is, Rick Eid clearly didn't know what else to do. What else to write. He didn't know how to expand into non-rape cases, he didn't know how to send the right message (and sometimes he'd even send the wrong message entirely), and (most curious of all) he didn't know how to properly work the courtroom angle, despite the fact he's apparently a lawyer, and the trial scenes increased tremendously in screentime. This season, despite its faults, could have given us a strong, take-charge Barba. If nothing else. Instead, he turned Barba into an afterthought who wouldn’t prosecute a single perp unless Liv told him to.

Season 18 and the Characters

This entire season, it felt like neither Rick Eid nor the other new writers ever watched the previous seasons. They totally misused Carisi, Rollins and Barba. They altered long-established portrayals. They changed these characters into generic cardboard cutouts, eliminating everything that made them unique (yet again, that's another sight Eid might have better luck with Chicago PD). I won’t bore you with the details, but I've written about this many times, most recently (and extensively) here.

I mean, I remain baffled by that one interview, when Eid kept saying "the Carisi character" and "the Barba character," like he had never watched his own show and he had zero emotional connection to his "own" characters. Which was obviously true, as it turns out. He never connected to any of them, except maybe Liv.

Season 18 and Liv

Which brings me to this. To me, it's clear that another showrunner change would have to be okayed by Mariska (if not demanded by her). This season had some very strong Olivia moments, but overall it was not the best for her, in my view. The focus was on Liv, but what she was actually doing, it wasn't always something I could root for. I didn't like that feeling.

It's one thing if she does something that's supposed to be questionable (like Season 17's Black Lives Matter episode, and the way she instinctively wanted to stand by her fellow cops at first) or "flawed," but it's another thing to have her badgering witnesses and victims alike into testifying, for an entire season. Or telling Barba how to prosecute his own cases. Or thinking she can't have a personal life and a child at the same time.

That's not who Liv is, to me. I hope we can find that Liv again. And I'd like to think Mariska agrees. The fact she wanted (or at least she agreed to) a new showrunner despite the fact this season was "all about her" is a good sign. She's the star, and she's the reason most people watch, but she is also self-aware, and she must have known how Liv was coming off, at times. She must still want the best for Liv, like we all do, and I'm happy to know that.

Season 18 and Sonny

Lastly, when it comes to Sonny, I just hope we can find the old Sonny too. The one with the personality, and the whole bunch of sisters, and the niece who drools on him. The Sonny who is fantastic undercover, and has great instincts, and uses his affability to nail perps during interrogations, and thinks outside the box to solve a case (actually that last part is still there, even in S18, thank God). The Sonny who is empathetic and hilarious and quirky and interested in medicine and photography and Möbius strips. The Sonny who came into his own, and turned into a confident and experienced and badass detective. The Sonny who has some darkness inside him, but doesn't let it turn him into yet another violent cop. The Sonny who is real, and has real relationships with his friends and colleagues, and isn't just "Cop Number 1", only there to deliver exposition.

Peter deserves better, much like all the actors. It’s a shame to have this great cast, and this rich history, and fail to utilize either of them properly.

In Conclusion

I've said it many times. SVU has had terrible seasons before, but it has always bounced back. So I hope we can all just all pretend Season 18 never happened, even though that may not be eas...

Wait, that's very easy, actually, because literally not a single thing happened in season 18. All the characters are pretty much where they were at the end of S17, except Fin, who is an almost-Sergeant, and has an offscreen twitter-grandchild.

So let's just start over, huh?

:)