#but then there was that episode where Leo says her business is obviously on Tough Times

[red-rover-au]

Friends, fans, freaks, help me out. Share EVERYTHING about how you think the Battle Nexus and Big Mama’s businesses work

Any headcanons about the structure/technology (like about her door that looks Very Krang-Like and what that might mean), your fanfic or your favorite fanfic that has the nexus as a significant plot point and/or goes into detail about how the place is managed, stuff you picked up from canon that gives hints on how Big Mama operates (like that chest covered in bones that her turtle assistant handed her), literally anything and everything you can think of!

If you know anything about economy that would be super helpful too, you should infodump about that as far as its relevant to Big Mama (pleeease)

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

BnHA 84 - 86 | Uchitama 9 - 12 (FINAL) | Eizouken 10 - 12 (FINAL) | Magia Record 8 - 13 (FINAL) | ID: INVADED 12 - 13 (FINAL) | ACCA OVA

BnHA 84

Ey? So Gentle is basically Luffy, only he can do stuff with air too.

“Tokoyami, it’s in lesson 3.”

Eizouken 10

LOL, you can see a name similar to “Rachel Enyoung Choi” in one of the credit lists. Update: Euyoung Choi is credited on one of the other folders.

“Kanamoney” is catching on, I see.

“Well, dough.” - Sarasoju, where soju is some alcoholic Korean beverage.

The back of the clock reminds me of that Skipper and Skeeto game I used to play.

Did Kanamori get a fringe cut…?

You can see the symbol for Eizouken on the (imaginary…?) warehouse.

Uchitama 9

The video got encoded funny again…

I‘ve heard of AIBOs before. They’re robotic dogs, although with newfangled drones, Google Nests and stuff, they went out of fashion years ago.

Aibou (with kanji) means “partner”, come to think of it...

While everyone else is talking in the foreground, I’m staring at Beh in the background…

Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen Kuro and Nora interact all that much.

Natsuki Hanae as Leo, huh?

Uchitama 10

Second-last episode!

Neko (cat) -> Koma -> ari (ant)…isu (chair) -> suika (watermelon) -> tamago (egg, or sometimes it sounds like tabako/tabacco to me) -> ??? -> koi (carp) -> ???? “Kooten” seems to be a nonsense word.

The video got encoded funny again…

…and that’s twice now…

LOL, this is based on Millionaire.

…thrice…

The original quote is (something like), “It is said that heaven does not create one man above or below another man.” (Yukichi Fukuzawa)

The answer was C, obviously.

…4 times.

Bull does his best Thinker impression.

Oh my gosh, they’re bringing that joke back…? (LOL) Update: The portal joke.

“chunk of meat” – Uh…what?

Holy s***! It’s Bull’s dad! Bull time travelled!

Magia Record 8

I like how the anime introduced Gomakashi, then had the proper OP.

Chuo Ward (Chuoku)? In Hypnosis Mic, that’s a sign Ayappe is definitely a girl…but this ain’t HypMic, so no worries!

The greeting is “Kamihama” because it sounds kind of like konbanwa and the host is Mr Hammer because that sounds like the back half of Kamihama, I guess.

Magia Record seems more overt about its lesbian undertones, I see.

I noticed a piano on a poster in the back. Wonder what that means…?

Just reading translations of radio transcripts like this makes me think of the HypMic radio show. I’ve been using that (and all of HypMic, to be honest) to cope in these tough (COVID-19) times, which is why I’m mentioning it a lot.

Mami!

Eizouken 11

So this is how they met, huh? I never knew Kanamori could have such little faith in people, considering how she is now.

ID:INVADED 12

What I don’t get is Hayaseura’s motive…

Uraido…”from behind”? I need kanji to figure this one out…

Whose well is this Bliss background, ayway…?

Momoki and Matsuoka pass a sign saying 大井南 (Minamioi), which is in Shinagawa.

Why does Momoki need drugs…? To subdue Asukai…?

Oh no. Inami is going to have a vendetta after her man was killed!

According to Ramuda, the optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist sees the hole…I think’s that’s important for that moment.

…Welp, when a hole in the brain doesn’t kill you, a shot to the stomach does.

In this time of COVID-19, I think talking about people coming back to life is inappropriate…

Post-credits segment!

Uchitama 11 (FINAL)

According to Ramuda, the optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist sees the hole…

“Tullip” (sic).

Oh, so instead of “Tama” it said “tanu___”, so the kids assumed it said “tanuki”.

Ooh, cat meeting. This should match the dog meeting from earlir in the season. Plus Nora’s face on the title card.

The video got encoded funny again…

“I’m busy right now.” – Nora, sleeping – Yup, that’s my mood. In fact, I was woken up by a call this morning…

I still think the Momo x Bull ship is stupid…

Nora can talk to crows…?

BnHA 85

…huh? What’s up with Bibimi?

Oh, in La Brava’s room there’s a graduation album. No one translated that.

Seriously, Deku’s gotten kinda creepy these days…

Tobita = essentially “to fly” + “field”. Makes sense when the Quirk is elasticity.

“It’s dangerous to go alone!” – I want to reply with “Take this!”…LOL.

This bouncing around thing was basically done by Sonic in OPM.

Update:  Turns out the kanji for elasticity is read dansei, which is th same rading for the characters for a man (but with characters meaning “male gender” instead and the last kanji being shared betwe the two). That’s why Danjuro is Gentle Criminal.    

BnHA 85

I noticed some of the decorations around the school look like heroes we’ve seen – there’s a Midnight one and a Thirteen balloon.

Why is the crowd chanting for YaoMomo…?

It’s in English, huh?

End of credits segment! Keep watching!

“Guys like you who say there are no do-overs in life…”

Hawks! This is the first time I see him outside spoilers!

ID:INVADED 13 (FINAL)

Was gonna finish this the day I got it, but I got access (limited to 1 week)…to Akira, which is a movie I’ve never seen before.

The sharks are a nice touch…(LOL…?)

Welp, John Walker has his hat back now.

Uraido…Hayaseura. Of course, how the heck did I not make the connection?!

The video got encoded funny again…

…wow, after learning a thing or two about CPR, this part actually makes sense to me now…Amazing. (Also, I learnt about comminuted fractures from Double Decker.)

COVID-19 is entering these notes too…because if you cut yourself off from society, you won’t know about pandemics…

Why do I get the feeling Kiki’s gonna kill herself…?

She…almost did it. (Wow, I should try predict things more often.)

That pool…is basically the one from Minority Report!

Wow, that just did an Eva…

Why did they choose such a lively ending song…? Anyways, that wrapped up really well (no pun intended!). See you next time!  

Magia Record 9

The tower appars to be modelled more after Tsutenkaku rather than Tokyo Tower.

For some reason, the subbers like to capitalise “Magical Girl”.

One of the speech bubbles in the back says koneko no gorogoro, or “the cat’s laziness”.

“Stand alone!” This is probably some kind of wordplay on the Solitude (Hitoribocchi no Saihate), since “alone” is hitori de.

Interestingly, the word for “delete” here is keshite (literal meaning: “to erase”).

The sign that passes Sana by while she’s on the boat says “Futaba” on it.

The blue letterboxing is an interesting effect.

“Sorpredente” = surprising.

Eizouken 12 (FINAL)

“They have their own business to run.”

I’ll miss this OP song when it’s gone…*sigh*

LOL, the contrast between Asakusa’s imagination and reality is huge and that’s what makes Eizouken so fun.

“I’m here to deliver the promised data,” Kanamori says (which I think is a more literal translation, ut works better).

It’s unfortunate Comiket 98 was cancelled…

Hey, why didn’t Anime vs. Real Life cover Eizouken?! That would’ve been so good!

I noticed one of the viewers had a “No Disc” pop-up of some sort. Also, the moving logo exists now, too (LOL).

I like how 1 of the UFOs hits the windshield.

The arrows really bring your attention to what’s the same in the split screens.

Magia Record 10

The Mifuyu in the previous episodes was either a flashback or a fantasy, right?

Mami is wearing a Wings of Magius badge…!

On the titlecard, there’s what seems to be a radio tower with a small lightning bolt above it.

BnHA 86

Hey, Tsu has a sister..?

Ah,so this is Mirko! I’ve heard of her too!

Is it just me, or does Endeavour hav CGI on him…?

Hawks reminds me of Fubuki from OPM…

Wow, even Endeavour’s trying to be funny…the world really is different now. (This humour has a terrible success rate with me, though.)

There seem to be holes in Hawks’ jackt for his wings.

So basically, Hawks is being the Iori to Endeavour’s Riku (but without too much of the homoerotic overtones that come from being close in age, since Endeavour is 46 – 7 and Hawks is 22), so to speak.

Oh! That punch is based on All Might’s! Same framing and everything!

Hajimari no doesn’t suggest a pronoun, so they must have chosen that based on the manga or the production company or something.

Magia Record 11

Shaft headtilt!

This Witch…apparently it appears early on in the OG series according to This Week in Anime. It does give off that vibe.

…wow, that fight was fast.

The video got encoded funny again…

Why are all the magical girls Naruto running???  

Hachibey = Kyubey (where kyu = 9), but for 8.

ACCA OVA

Who’s this-oh, never mind.

I don’t remember the OST being so…cool.

Jumo, where ju = tree I guss.

Nino! Who’s the blonde though? I forget…

Jumo for Jumoku…right. I forgot.

Shinro, literally “path of advancement”. I’ve grown a lot since I last watched ACCA, but I only feel I’ve gotten dumber since then…to be honest.

I like how the flashback is saturated in blue…actually, that reminds me of Given, now that I think of it.

Where’s Grossular? I liked him the best because he’s basically older!Kyosuke Kuga. Update: Spoke too soon.

Now that I’ve learnt keigo between the OG and now, I can understand more of what Mauve says.

Magia Record 12

(no notes, sorry!)

Magia Record 13 (FINAL)

Is it just me, or can I see a feather-like object floating down the screen…? (Or is that static?)

You can see one of the hooded Wings (on Touka’s left) has dark blue hair – roughly Sayaka’s shade.

Ooh, Mami and Sayaka fight! (I’ve never been one for catfights, but this is certainly a match-up I want to see!)

Mami’s fate really sucks, huh? Her head came off in the OG and now she’s a tool for the Magius…

Yachiyo does look a lot like Togo from Yuki Yuna, doesn’t she…?

Anyways, this is all for now. There’s an s2 on the horizon, but COVID-19 means it could be years down the line…see you when s2 arrives.

[doof-doofblog]

"We've Got Him!"

Monday 16th March 2020

Good evening folks! How are we all doing? How was your weekend? It's a brand new week and once again I have some #SPOILER news for you! I'm sure the majority of you have already heard by now, but EastEnders have revealed that Mick and Linda will be leaving ...... (Hold your breath! Not the soap!) .... the Queen Vic! Yes, it has been made known that Mick will be selling the Vic in an attempt to help support his wife overcoming her alcoholism. We know Linda is on the road to recovery, but obviously Mick feels living under in the legendary pub is only going to be harrowing reminder for Linda, best case scenario, get her away from temptation as soon as possible! So the question that will be on viewers lips will obviously be ... Who will be the new Landlord and Lady of the Queen Vic?! Now I've been thinking about this ... I know a few names have been thrown into the hat, but my thought strategy was ... Sharon?! Think about it ... She's currently homeless right now, she's been thrown out of the Mitchell house hold, after the revelation of Keanu being her baby father, she's currently living with Ian and Kathy as they have very kindly put her up until she's back on her feet, we know she's currently grieving for the death of her son, and she's due to make a heartbreaking decision ... what if it she gives up her new born son, then decides to make a new start for herself and return to the one place she felt safe, the place she spent her childhood, the place she used to call "Home" .... The Queen Vic! Plus of course Linda is best friend's with Sharon, she will trust her to make sure The Vic stays a running success! Who else could possibly come close?! To me, it seems like a no brainer, but then again ... I could be completely wrong! .... Who do you guys think should/could be the new Landlords of the Queen Vic?! I'd really love to hear your take this one!

Also, new pictures have been released of Phil's return, viewers will know that the last time we saw Phil, he was a passenger on a rescue boat, during the boat crash, and he watched from a far as young Dennis was pronounced dead. New pictures reveal that he will return to the Square on the day of Dennis's funeral wanting to speak to Sharon. Where has he been? And what has he got to say to her?!

In other news, Shelley makes an appearance at The Vic, on the looks of things to cause a bit of trouble. Fans will know that Linda attempted to befriend Shelley outside the school gates of Ollie's school, but it soon turned sour as Shelley looked down on Linda! Will Linda now take a charge and stand up to Shelley?! Do you feel for Linda or do you think she kinda brought it on herself after the way she acted, due to her alcohol addiction?! I'd love to hear what you guys think! 

Now, tonight's episode ... ooooh so much to focus on, it seems a few of characters are struggling to move forward, to name mainly, Sharon and Keegan! Okay, so, let's start with Keegan ... I am feeling a little sorry for his character right now, I get he feels like people look at him in completely the wrong way due to the colour of his skin. He gets treated differently by the police, receptions and now solicitors. Is he ever going to get the loan he desperately needs to get his business off the ground? I'm starting to feel sorry for Tiffany too, as she's having to try and console Keegan as much as possible, and support him in the best way she can, being the doting wife, but for Keegan, it just isn't enough. He seems to think that Tiffany just doesn't understand, but I think she really is trying to. The conversation Keegan had with Denise, I found it very sweet. We haven't seen these two characters come together this way and share a very meaningful conversation. Denise clearly understands Keegan's frustration, I think it was nice for him to have someone there who actually gets it! With Denise being the same colour as Keegan, she's experienced exactly what he is currently going through and can shed some light on it for him I guess. I, personally, never released that (some) coloured people still suffer racial abuse, it's the 21st century, we should be well and truly passed this! I hope Keegan will try and move forward and eventually get some luck, he's been through a tough time and deserves to make something of his life!

Oh, so Ben is going to go ahead with the operation?! Let's hope to god it brings back his hearing, or at least helps to some extent. I don't believe he'll fully recover but I do believe he'll able to communicate a little better even if his hearing ability increases by just the smallest amount. I still think EastEnders are portraying this story-line brilliantly, still showing Ben hearing muffled sounds, it really puts it into perspective. Oh no! Danny's back! What could he want?! He knows what happened at the boat crash and he knows Phil is currently away ... what on earth could he be back on the square for?! I really hope Ben doesn't make a huge mistake and get involved in some dodgey deals because he basically couldn't understand what Danny was saying!! I think Danny obviously knew Ben had lost his hearing, otherwise he would never have shown his face, I think he's taking advantage here, Phil isn't around and Ben is vulnerable ... kinda makes the Mitchell clan look weak, and we all know that the Mitchell family has a history of hold up a reputation. I can see it now, Ben being dragged into a dodgey deal he can't get out of, Phil comes back while everything is going on and there'll be nothing he can do to help but try and get revenge on Danny .... what do you guys think could be in store for the Mitchell's now? And what do you think Danny could be back for?!

I just want to put it out there .... Max and Isaac?! Who thought of those two becoming pals?! I feel sorry for Patrick, the more we see of Isaac, it seems the more disappointed Patrick is of him. Would it make much difference if he knew he was his Dad? I'm not so sure, I think we'll see more anger coming from Isaac. Although, it was a really sweet gesture from Patrick to celebrate the life of Isaac's "Dad". Maybe this could be the turning point? Could Isaac now warm to Patrick? Guess we'll have to wait and see!

Awwww man, I just want to hug Sharon. She looks so run down and depressed and as if she's had no sleep at all! She looks a white as a sheet! I know I've said it before and yes, i'm going to say it again! She just doesn't want her new born son does she?! She had to be forced to go and register him, she asked Linda to bathe him for her and she got so upset over a twisted wheel on the pram. I get she's grieving, but Linda is right ... Kayden also needs his Mum! I can't see her carrying on to be honest, I still believe that she's going to give up her newborn, what else could her heartbreaking decision be? She's just too soaked up in grief, she can barely interact with anyone. I was beginning to wonder whether EastEnders will show Dennis's funeral, I mean it would be cruel not to I think, in the circumstances the character passed away. It would only be right to give Dennis a good send off, right? Or maybe it should be very quiet and very personal, what do you guys think? Can Sharon ever move on from this agonising grief?

Okay, time to focus on Chantelle and Gray. Did anyone else see the bruises on Chantelle's ribs left behind after the beating from Gray? I noticed that she was ignoring every word Gray was saying to her while she was doing the washing, Gray was doing all the talking and she didn't respond to a word he said, and yes, I hope that made Gray feel guilty, as he knew he'd done wrong! Poor Chantelle could barely move around the kitchen, I did fear that he was going to lose his temper with her again because she was ignoring him, but it seemed to do the trick, he clearly felt more and more guilty. The way she flinched as well before she left to go to her second job, she's visibly shaken and scared of him. But things could be looking up .... I was literally talking to the TV when Gray was in Whitney's bedroom "Look up! Look up!" and then when he saw it "Yes! Yes, Gray!" ... HE KNOWS LEO WAS IN THEIR ATTIC!!!!! Finally the break-through, literally, everyone has been waiting for! Gray can start to build a case and prove that Leo was stalking Whitney, Whitney will get to have her say in court and hopefully if they have enough evidence, Whitney will be free and Gray will be back at work! ..... Of course that may be false hope, this is EastEnders we're talking about, it is just a start anyway, I'm sure Gray has a long way to go to prove Leo was in Whitney's attic and also stalking her ... I've always said they need to find Whitney's diary ... what ever happened to that? Maybe it's long gone but even so, there still could be a twist and it still could be found?! Who knows? But hopefully, if things go well, Whitney will eventually get out of prison and Gray will be back at work, which may even stop him feeling completely under pressure and stop lashing out at Chantelle. This is of course wishful thinking, I have no idea what's going to happen next but, I feel, it's all looking positive! What do you guys think? Will Gray be able to save Whitney? How long will it be until the Taylor's find out about Chantelle's abuse?! Please leave me any theories or thoughts you may have to any of the current story-lines happening right now, I'd love to hear your input!

Thank you guys for your on-going support! I hope you guys enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it! I'll be back again tomorrow for another blog, looking forward to seeing what happens next! Goodnight ya'll! xXx

[vmheadquarters]

When your favorite TV show returns 12 years after its series finale and five years after its fan-fueled movie, you worry.

Will our plucky heroine still be the beloved character we met all those years ago? Will her reformed, former bad-boy boyfriend still deliver the sardonic one-liners with aplomb? Can the show possibly live up to the anticipated hype?

Well my little marshmallows I’m delighted to inform you that the answer to all three questions is “yes.” The fourth season of Veronica Mars, which premieres July 26 on Hulu, is fantastic. Obviously, I’m a little biased. I gave to the Kickstarter campaign. I own a #TeamLogan t-shirt.

But, in this age of revival-palooza, much has been lost. In the quest for a quick money grab, revivals often leave their characters in a state of perpetual arrested development. I don’t think my heart could have taken another Gilmore Girls fiasco which found Rory Gilmore—more selfish and privileged than ever—acting like she was still in high school, not in her 30s. Or say, Will & Grace, which reset its character to basically where they were in the pilot.

Veronica Mars’ creator and executive producer Rob Thomas has clearly thought about where these characters would be as adults; more than most revivals, the years since we’ve last seen Veronica and her friends feel palpable. So my “yes the show is still awesome” comes with an asterisk. Gone is the happy-go-lucky breeziness of the Kickstarter video. Gone is the assurance the movie provided that almost everyone is living their best life. The result, which is an exceedingly honest look at adulthood, might not be the Veronica Mars we thought we wanted, but it is the Veronica Mars that we need. This is, after all, a show that began with the murder of a teenage girl. It has never been happy, happy, joy, joy—and the pall cast over this season is inescapable.

Picking up about five years after the movie, Veronica (Kristen Bell) is back living in Neptune running the private investigation business with her father Keith (Enrico Colantoni) and living with her boyfriend Logan (Jason Dohring)—when he’s not off on some super-secret mission as a Navy intelligence officer. She hangs out with her best friend Wallace (the still under-used Percy Daggs III) and spars with Weevil (Francis Capra). The status of Weevil and Veronica’s current relationship is epitomized by the show’s theme song, now sung by Chrissie Hynde: “A long time ago, we used to be friends.” Keith is still recovering from the car accident he endured in the movie and struggling with memory issues, but their father/daughter relationship remains one of the best on TV.

Season Four kicks off during spring break in Neptune (don’t try to fight this idea or that spring break seems to last forever, just go with it) and someone is setting off a series of bombs. There are a slew of familiar faces in these episodes, including fan favorites Dick Casablancas (Ryan Hansen), Leo D’Amato (Max Greenfield), Big Dick Casablancas (David Starzyk), Vinnie Van Lowe (Ken Marino) and Cliff McCormack (Daran Norris), all of whom are back in a way that feels organic to the series. Also, let’s be honest, we’d all be upset if we didn’t get to see Leo (who is more charming than ever) and the always sleazy Vinnie again. (Alas, Mac isn’t around as Tina Majorino wasn’t available; all we get is a quick “Mac is in Istanbul” line to explain her absence).. But other character cameos, which will certainly be fun for fans, feel a bit awkwardly wedged in.

Wisely, the series introduces new characters to carry on the overarching mystery of the season. Pizza delivery man Penn Epner (Patton Oswalt), teen Matty Ross (Izabela Vidovic), bar owner Nicole (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), Sheriff Marcia Langdon (Dawnn Lewis), Congressman Daniel Maloof (Mido Hamada) and two hit men (Clifton Collins Jr. and Frank Gallegos)—who act like they just strolled in from a Tarantino movie—all weave in and out. Predictably, J.K. Simmons steals the show as Big Dick’s former prison mate Clyde, but Oswalt is also perfectly cast as the nebbish amateur crime solver, and Clark Duke is a hoot as one Penn’s frenemies.

But let’s talk about Bell for a moment, shall we? Obviously, she’s extraordinarily talented and her career has taken off since she first appeared on UPN. Not once while watching did I think of Princess Anna of Arendelle or Eleanor Shellstrop on The Good Place. Veronica is a character Bell owns wholly. Her performance here is fantastic. Still, there’s a running joke that Veronica and Keith have an ongoing bet about not swearing and who will be the first to break. And while Hulu reportedly didn’t want the new season to be profanity laced (which is cute and leads to lines like “What the cuss?”) even if it wasn’t intended, it’s a little too forking reminiscent of Bell’s other show.

Yet overall, the writing on the series remains top notch. Few shows can so seamlessly integrate the delightful humor (“Alexa, who’s the bomber?”) with the real pathos that all the main characters encounter. For example, one of my favorite moments came when one of Weevil’s buddies extols the virtues of Weight Watchers and its zero points foods minutes before a dramatic showdown.

What’s going to be tough for fans, though, is that an older Veronica is not a happier Veronica. She’s a bit lost and a bit depressed. The pain of her past (murdered best friend, a mom who abandoned her) is evident. And with the first sighting of Logan, while delightful (he spends his first six minutes on screen shirtless) and steamy (TV characters couldn’t have sex like this in high school on broadcast television), the cracks in Logan and Veronica’s dysfunctional relationship are evident. But Bell and Dohring’s chemistry is still crackling even if he does, at times, feel like “Logan minus the Logan”—one of the insults Veronica slings at him during a fight.

There are a lot of threads left hanging as the final credits roll leaving the door wide open for a Season Five. But honestly, I don’t want to say too much more. The joy of the fourth season was watching it unfold spoiler-free and I want the same for you. Check back in this space after the show premieres where I will be PROCESSING this season in full. We’ll have a little support group. Until then, marshmallows.

[nellie-elizabeth]

Grey's Anatomy: Bad Reputation (14x21)

I enjoyed this episode. In fact, for all that I don't usually like Catherine, I actually really like how this whole Harper Avery business is being handled.

Cons:

It was fun to see a character from the way back past of the show reappear. But Olivia is... well, she's really mean. She harps on and on about Alex giving her an STI and it's a little bit much, if I'm being honest. A more subtle reintroduction might have been nice.

I also don't know how I feel about Arizona and Carina's little plot thread. Carina acts weird about Sofia, and when Arizona calls her on it, Carina says she thinks that Arizona is coddling her daughter too much. She then goes on to imply that the only reason Andrew is still so devastated about Sam's departure is that he was coddled as a child as well, and it made him weak. I don't really like this idea, and it sucks that in the end, Arizona basically agrees with Carina. It sounds like Sofia is really growing through something tough, and Carina completely dismisses that.

Amelia is going to move in with Owen, and take in baby Leo's mother, who is a homeless drug addict. I just... no. I think what they're going for is this idea that Owen and Amelia will take care of these two children, essentially, and they will become a dysfunctional family. Eventually Owen and Amelia will end up together as a couple once again. I just can't root for that. I'm not on board at all! They're so annoying! I'm happy that Owen has a kid to take care of, and I think he'll be a good father or whatever... but Amelia and Owen are not a good situation.

Pros:

One thing that was nice about the Olivia plot thread was how much Jo didn't let it phase her. Alex started acting weird before Olivia showed up, and Jo spends the episode trying to get Alex to open up and be honest with her. She doesn't do the cliche thing where she believes what Olivia says about Alex and starts having doubts. Instead, she is very mature and she demands answers. Turns out, Alex's mother hasn't been cashing the checks he sends her. He's distraught that he's just been throwing money at a problem without really giving it his attention. I really like Jo and Alex. There were stretches of time where that wasn't the case, but lately I really like them, and their open communication. And I can't wait to see what's going to happen as we get towards the finale.

The bulk of this episode is taken up with the fallout from the revelation about Harper Avery's sexual assault, as dozens of women come forward against him. I love that there's no real thought of trying to discredit these women and smooth things over. There's a PR woman who tries to suggest doing just that, but both Catherine and Jackson shoot that idea down immediately. Jackson is worried about public image. He doesn't forgive what his grandfather has done, but he's thinking about the 70+ hospitals that are a part of the Harper Avery foundation, and what happens if that foundation goes under. It's interesting to look at it from different angles, but the episode always brings it back to the central point: these women were abused and silenced, and it's wrong. Jackson and Meredith come up with an idea: dissolve the Harper Avery foundation, and set up a new one - the Catherine Fox Foundation. Catherine will take back her maiden name and reap the rewards of the legacy she once helped to uphold.

Lots of great material with Jackson and Meredith. They aren't a pairing we see a ton on this show, but they've known each other for a long time and they've been through a lot. They have some great conversations about legacy. I really liked what Meredith said about how these women not only lost their careers, in many cases, but they also have to see the name of their abuser plastered across the country on so many top hospitals. Harper Avery's name is celebrated, while his victims are silenced. Catherine attempts to take the fall for all of this, so the foundation's name can be salvaged, but Jackson says he doesn't want his mother to be silenced by his grandfather just like he silenced all of those other women. He specifically says he won't let a strong black woman get taken down because of the actions of an old white man. Hell yeah, Jackson.

We'll have to see how this whole "Catherine Fox Foundation" thing plays out. While the PR rep was obviously the villain of the day, I will admit she might have a good point... I know that their hearts are in the right place, but Catherine helped to silence these women back when it was all happening. Are they going to be able to forgive her for that?

I'm absolutely sure there's stuff I'm missing - we've got Maggie learning to trust Jackson, everybody finding out that he funded the contest, April deciding to plan Jo and Alex's wedding, a kid with a huge tumor on his face that Jackson and Meredith remove... this show always has a ton of stuff going on at once. But usually it's in a good way - I like that the world feels lived in, that the characters all have inner lives. Even when we only get a few minutes with someone, like April, we're still able to check in with how she's doing. I'm going to be sad when the season ends and we have to say goodbye to some of our longest running characters!

9/10

[jerepars]

Steady Extended Story Notes

1/1 Empanadas and Churrasco

Hyperlinks appear in blue (underlined on mobile). The story is posted here.

She’d come to after that, sitting up from the floor of El Santo’s sanctuary gasping, like all the oxygen in the room had been burned up. It had been terrifying and Güero had her in his embrace no more than a few seconds after. Her first words had been where’s James?

There’s a part in “Sinking Ship” by The Backseat Lovers that goes: Did I put the fire out? Did I walk away? Did I burn up all the oxygen and throw the rest away?

Because Teresa wakes up gasping, and because later they’re on a ship in international waters, it felt like an appropriate reference to make. I listened to the album When We Were Friends a bunch while writing and editing this.

She’d seen it when they were rushing to the airport. He’d taken his sunglasses off and tried to get her to throw up the bags of coke she’d swallowed for the job, saying I am not having that again, because Aveline wasn’t the first girl who died before delivery could be made. He’d said it like a threat or dare, as if dying would be an act of defiance that he wouldn’t tolerate. James hadn’t cared about Teresa then, but she saw it in his eyes—he’d been scared. Scared for her. Scared that trying to get the job done would mean killing someone else. She got it then, that despite how tough and guarded and cold James could be, despite working for Camila, he hadn’t lost his humanity. He buried it, deep down, because he always had to make decisions that went against it.

But it was still there.

In the very first scene of Teresa and James together that’s just them, in the car on the way to the airport, we see the first crack in James’ composure. The look in his eyes when he says “that wasn’t the first girl who died, okay, and I am not having that again” (2:03) is everything. Like it’s immediately clear that James has depth. He’s not ruthless and it’s not true that James doesn’t care--actually he cares way more than someone in his position is supposed to.

Also, when he says “you’re gonna die” (2:30), which he says several times over the series with different words, it’s like he wants to be wrong, because he wants her to survive, and each time Teresa stays alive to prove him wrong...which ultimately is his intention all along.

Teresa thought it was why he wore dark glasses all the time, and why he tended to gravitate to the poorly lit part of any room. It was why he had a different mindset than her, why he’d learned to live in the dark of a cave. Losing focus—letting in too much light—was a risk for a person like James. Situations where James wasn’t in control and cool were rare. But in the heat of a moment, if he let his guard down, his expressive eyes could give him away.

Somehow I managed to work a reference to “Sell My Old Clothes, I’m Off to Heaven” into this.

That had been made very clear to Teresa during their time in Bolivia. James tolerated Güero (barely) for the job, to secure business with El Santo, but mostly for her, because she loved Güero. And because Teresa knew how to read James, she knew how angry he’d been at the bar, when she could have died because of Leo but still begged James not to kill Güero and let him go. Güero didn’t help either. He kept goading James, kept trying to make things personal. When they were on El Camino de la Muerte, waiting for the locals to pick up the spilled fruit, Güero had brought up loyalty and asked if James would take out Teresa if Camila ordered it. The answer from James had been simple, his voice steady and without hesitation: you have no idea what loyalty is.

I can’t help but love how salty James is through the Bolivia episodes. Pissy James is the best James. I laugh every time I re-watch the clip from 2x05 when he tells Teresa that he’s there and that she’s going to be fine, because you can see the switch to how angry he gets when she tells him not to kill Güero (0:36) and he’s so fucking pissed in the interaction with Güero after that, and angry-concerned when he’s taking care of Teresa but she wants to go find Leo. His very-mad-and-very-concerned is so adorable. Peter Gadiot really made the most of that scene.

I named the story Steady, because James’ voice is steady when, annoyed, he says that Güero has no idea what loyalty is (0:54) and also, sticking with the boat theme, after the Hey Ocean! song, “Steady”. It seemed fitting not because the lyrics are a perfect match for the situation, but because throughout S2 Teresa keeps asking everyone around her not to kill Güero since, in principle, she loves Güero. But the whole time she’s doing that, she’s changing, she’s not the same person who Güero left in Mexico, and it’s James that she’s really going through things with.

“Seriously?” James rolled his eyes. “You think if I was planning on killing your boyfriend here, tonight, I would call you over to witness it?”

I really just wanted to write this line of dialogue because of the venom in James’ voice when he says “your boyfriend screwed us” (0:17) on the death road. The tension that Güero’s presence creates is so, so good.

James knew all too well that the way to hurt someone the most was by hurting the people they loved. It was common practice in the cartel world, and pretty much a declaration of war. James was smart and he knew it wasn’t smart to burn every bridge that way, especially when people who weren’t foes were involved. Teresa made working for Camila more difficult, but she wasn’t a foe, and they weren’t just business colleagues either. They could have entire conversations without words, just by looking at each other. Sometimes, it seemed, they preferred communicating that way, because admitting that they cared about each other and what that meant was a much more difficult conversation to have. James had found loopholes to get around Camila’s orders when it came to Teresa. This time would be no different. We’re in this together, he’d told her before, and now apparently ‘together’ extended to Güero.

There are issues with the end of S2 (like how we’ll never know or understand why James put the tracker in Tony’s Gameboy) but personally I don’t think James deciding not to side with Teresa at that point is one of them. I understand why Teresa and Pote insist that James “betrayed” them at the beginning of season 3, when he shows up in Malta. But I also think it’s shortsighted. Sure, Camila betrayed Teresa (like, obviously, that was bound to happen...that’s kind of the whole point) and Teresa offered James to work with them for “a better way” to do things. But being in James shoes...why the hell would he burn his bridge with Camila when he didn’t have to? The notion that he should have joined forces with them as a slap in her face would not have been smart for him. Camila isn’t a foe to James.

Back to this part of season 2 though. James doesn’t make an enemy out of Teresa because he doesn’t kill Güero. If he had done that in canon, there wouldn’t be any chance for the Jeresa we got in S3. There’s no way Teresa could have moved on and moved forward with the non-relationship they have in S3 if the reason Güero died was because of James. Forget the non-relationship, they would have been done as soon as James killed Güero.