#by amanda brooks

[safedistancefrombeingsmart]

John Watson and Trust Issues

[covehearted]

She would fit in with the friend group I feel it in my bones

[sweetfridays]

♡ AMANDA DIAZ & BROOKE SCHOFIELD via tiktok ( amandadiaz )

[themonotonysyndrome]

Shaw Pack headcanons, except it's actually involved the rest of the Wolves

Because they deserve the love & spotlight too and I'm tired of seeing headcanons just about the cash cows 😤

-

Brooker

Surname: Montrose

Freestyle with acoustic guitars like a pro, though he only feels comfortable playing either in private or around those closest to him.

Always get confused by outsiders with Brooks. He took it in stride.

Nearly choked on golden mushrooms once and was saved by Christian and Linda. They never let him forget it.

After the Inversion, he continues working with Shaw Security to keep an eye on Miguel and ensure he's ok.)

Is romantically seeing a Misery Demon after his grief attracted him. At first, they made a deal: He allowed the Demon to feed from him and in return, the Demon taught him a healthy coping mechanism and introduced him to several therapists. They got closer after that.

Once it's official, he brings his new boyfriend over during Thanksgiving and introduces him to Christian and a few others, although not the entire Pack.

He's one of the wolves that bullied Milo and thinks that Asher is unsuited to be Beta. But after seeing Asher gift Christian the watch and them slowly mending bridges and how the Inversion went down, he became the second one to step forward, apologised to Milo, and accept Asher as Beta.

Has no idea what Darlin's issues are. He tried reaching out to Darlin' when they were teenagers, only to be rebuffed constantly. Getting the message, he left them well alone. He still does so after learning about the whole Quinn thing, not wanting to be involved in their dangerous drama.

Leshaun

Surname: Vance

Has a raspy, sexy growly voice whenever he speaks or sings! (Think Steven Rodriguez) If Brooker plays the guitar, expect him to sing on the fly.

Linda wants him and Brooker to perform during her wedding.

Aro-Ace, though, gives the best love advice.

Always consult with Christian first about anything that might involve the Pack before going to David because he sees him more as an Alpha first than a friend.

Instead of dipping hot French fries into his vanilla sundae, he dumps them all into the bowl of ice cream and eats them with a fork.

A damn good cook that can give David a run for his money.

Loves off-road dirt biking. He'll race with a shifted Linda, Arden and Kelsey sometimes.

As a teenager, he had a crush on William Solaire, and whenever his soccer practice ended late in the evening, he'd make a stop at a cafe, hoping to see him again. He grew out of it eventually.

After the Inversion, he quit working for David and took some time to heal before working with the Department.

His favourite sparring partner was Amanda, and he helped her move her stuff to South Dakota in Christian's stead.

Understand Gen Z lingo from scrolling through TikTok. Fear him.

Very much into retail therapy and tend to buy basketball shoes.

Linda

Surname: Matvienko

Her father is Ukrainian, while her mother is American. She can curse you out in both languages until your head is spinning.

Her family joined the Pack when she was a toddler.

The best tracker in the Pack, as her nose is sensitive even in human form.

Wears a small diamond bracelet that she has saved up for years. The only jewellery she has.

Has a collection of Ukrainian books that she loans to Brooks.

As a wolf, her coat is lighter in colour, and that makes it hard for her to hide and blend it. Amanda, Kelsey and Arden like to ambush her.

After the Inversion, David told Angel that she had told him she was undecided about remaining working for Shaw Security, but he suspected that she actually had; she just didn't know how to tell him.

Her confidence shakes after the Inversion until she meets someone - a visiting Old Blood who came to Dahlia for the Summit.

They met and hit it off right away.

He helped her regain her lost confidence, and she helped him recover the simple joys in life.

They eventually got engaged, and that's why she decided to leave the security gig.

She announced it in the Pack's group chat, but it was quickly drowned by Darlin's text, stating that they were bringing Sam over for the Solstice party, and then Asher and Angel started teasing them.

It's alright, though. Christian, Arden, and the other wolves close to her threw a celebration and got to know the new Vampire House.

Although she's being treated as the queen she is, she now works as a security consultant for her fiance's clan.

Their wedding would be a small one at the beach at night, attended by a few wolves and Vampires.

David only realises she's married when William makes an offhanded comment that an Old Blood constantly returns to Dahlia with a wolf spouse.

Miguel

Surname: Romero Iglesias

His family came from Argentina, and he joined the Shaw Pack when he was a pre-teen.

Can't stand the cold, so he very rarely attends the Pack's Winter Solstice party and instead treats himself to a little vacation somewhere warm. Christian keeps him informed, though.

A good marksman since he enjoys spending time at the shooting range. Has an impressive collection of guns in his locked basement. He's thinking of creating a Youtube channel about it.

Always has to recharge his social battery before attending a Pack event because he gets uncomfortable among large, noisy crowds and Asher. The Inversion was utter hell for him.

After the Inversion, David mentioned that while he's still working for Shaw Security, he's more active in the administrative field, which suits him just fine.

He and Christian were classmates together and was the first one to know that he and Amanda were sleeping together. He had hoped that they would be mates because she made him happy.

Speaking of Christian, he understands that he's painfully awkward when conveying emotions and would check him if he's becoming too much of an asshole. He feels guilty that he couldn't stop him from bullying Milo. He apologises to him, nonetheless.

Can't seem to hold a romantic relationship for more than 2 months so he has FWB outside of the Pack instead.

A homebody so his friends would hang out at his place whenever he takes leaves from work. They would watch movies and just drink beer and crash for the night.

A smooth talker when drunk.

Doesn't hate Sam but thinks he's standoffish. He would nod and greet him, but that's about it.

Brooks

Surname: Solace

He is a natural heartbreaker among men and women, though he never cheats on any of the relationships he's been with.

He has the highest body count in the Pack, lol.

Milo likes to think that he's the best-dressed wolf in the Pack, not knowing that Brooks is way ahead of the game. He just lets Milo keep the title because...

"Have you seen Milo? He's pretty proud of wearing that combo today - silver tie with red blazer. He keeps telling Asher that it's the rage among men's fashion this month. Does he know 'cause you wore it for Vogue magazine?"

"Probably not but hey, he looks adorable strutting for that Stealth. Anyway, you're coming to Paris with your Vamp this weekend, Lins?"

After the Inversion, he quit the security gig and got snapped up by an unempowered modeling agency. He's enjoying it so far.

Because of the nature of his job, he constantly travels in and out of Dahlia and often skips Pack events.

Also, he's one of the wolves that bullied Milo and thinks that Asher is unsuited to be Beta. But after seeing Asher gift Christian the watch and them slowly mending bridges and how the Inversion went down, he became the first to step forward, apologised to Milo, and accept Asher as Beta.

While he's not as close to the trio, he would often be seen with Leshaun, Brooker, Christian, and the rest whenever he's around. Always keep in touch with them and send them VIP tickets during fashion week.

A bit of a polygot as he has a habit of learning the languages of the places he visits.

Hates how Leshaun eats his fries and ice-creams and always steals them away from him whenever his back is turned.

He has the loudest howl in the Pack.

The only social media he uses is Instagram; even then, he only posts pictures of scenery.

Amanda

Surname: Remington

Enjoys watching mukbang videos whenever she eats. It helps her unwind.

Has a type and it's jerks with a heart of gold.

Parents divorced when she was 12, but before that, she always hung out at Christian & Arden's house to escape her bickering parents.

Realises that she had feelings for him after they slept together for the first time but only confesses to him after the Inversion.

Road rage whenever she drives. Do not get stuck in traffic with her.

A damn good fighter, both in human and wolf form.

Shifted during late puberty. Was very anxious about it.

Her wolf form is on the bigger side, though.

The only mobile game she plays is Tetris. She likes the repetitiveness of it.

Keeps every present that the Pack gave her. Even when the perfume bottle is empty.

After the Inversion, she stays with Christian, Arden and Kelsey as she can't stand being alone.

Her guilty pleasures are Turkish soap operas.

Once she settled in South Dakota, she entered the Unempowered workforce.

Although she attends the same school as David, Asher, and Milo, she has her own clique.

Always want to do ballroom dancing and wear pretty dresses.

Quick to anger but also quick to forgive.

After Christian tentatively tells her he's seeing Alexis, she's more worried than jealous.

Whenever she visits Dahlia, she first visits Arden, followed by Christian and then the rest of the Pack.

Kelsey

Surname: Lennox

Doesn't play video games but watches playthroughs, but only the complete playthroughs.

Her favourite Youtuber is Ironmouse.

Loves riling people up on social media. She's a bit of a troll.

One of the fastest wolves in the Pack.

Listen to metal bands and would annoyed Christian by blasting a song outside of his door before making her dramatic entrance.

Is currently seeing someone but she's not telling.

Used to do ballet but stopped after she graduated from high school.

Can't stand spicy food. Like, even the mildest of spice would have her crying.

Hardcore fan of Epic the Musical. She always dragged her friends to her place for a karaoke party. Her favourite song is 'Ruthlessness.'

After the Inversion, she did her best to care for her cousins and Amanda, burning herself out. Christian and Arden took care of her in return.

In a fight, she's the one who rushes headlong first, giving everything she has so that the worst is dealt with.

Always dressed as a popular slasher during Halloween.

She's the one you want to go clubbing with, as whenever she's on the dancefloor, everyone wants to dance with her.

Whenever Brooks steals Leshaun's fries & ice cream abomination, she buys him a new one.

First crush is Starscream from the old Transformers cartoon.

Arden

Surname: Novak

Has an insane amount of good luck. Gatcha players in the Pack always ask her to pull for them.

Has a pet tarantula for years. It used to freak Christian out until he got used to it and helped her take care of it.

First crush is Jessica Rabbit.

Had an Emo phase and will absolutely smother Christian with a pillow if he brings out the picture.

Has been in a poly relationship for 2 years now. The only people who knew about it were Christian, Amanda, Kelsey and a few Pack members.

Loves to gossip and share the tea.

Although she doesn't outwardly defend Christian, she instead trashes their belongings, and no one ever suspects a thing. Asher may or may not lost a couple of items growing up. Hey, it's her duty as the older sibling to defend her baby brother, even if he's a jerk.

However, she was severely disappointed that he had bullied Milo.

It took her a long while to warm up to the idea that Christian and Alexis were secretly dating.

Good in oil painting and takes commissions. She likes painting for her loved ones.

She always puts on performances when she does deep cleaning around the apartment with noise-cancelling headphones on.

Serial maladaptive dreamer. Expect her to walk around the apartment listening to TikTok edit songs.

A vicious and pragmatic fighter. The kind that aims straight for the jugular at the first opportunity against enemies. It's why she has the second Shades count beside David.

Can't stand wasabi and will prank Christian whenever he swaps her favourite mint ice cream with it.

She also tried befriending Darlin' when they first joined the pack but was disheartened when they ditched her for the troublemaker group at school.

Likes binge-watching classic animes like Perfect Blue and Ghost in the Shell.

Christian

Surname: Novak

Secretly a fan of K/DA. For a while, his phone's home screen has been Evelyn.

Has a sweet tooth and always has a homemade jug of Thai milk tea in his fridge.

Kelsey dared him to get a tattoo when they were in high school. He got a tiny one of a wolf's jaw but then actually liked it. Currently, his entire back is tattooed. It's one of his proudest investments.

Met Alexis 3 months after Amanda moved away. They met at a wine store, fighting for the last bottle of their favourite brand. They had a push-pull relationship but nowhere near as bad as Darlin' and Quinn despite Alexis being... Alexis. As of currently, neither of them confessed, but they're often going on sexcapades outside of Dahlia. Only the ones closest to him know about it.

After nearly losing a leg during the Inversion, he struggles with physiotherapy. Often despises using the cane to help him walk. During his treatment, he hates leaving his apartment. It's the help of Arden, Kelsey, and a few others that got him to use it.

Doesn't realise that most of the older wolves (like, a year or two) look at him and how he interacts with David, Asher and Milo and follow suit. It's why most of them started questioning too when he blatantly questioned Asher becoming a Beta.

Speaking of which, like Leshaun, they would talk to him first for advice and stuff before going to either David or Asher, as they're closer to him than the two.

Good with kids, but he pretends to grumble and complain about it. The younger cubs think it hilarious, while the teenagers count on him to get the heat off their backs and keep them away from Asher and David if they do something they aren't supposed to.

Amanda was supposed to be his proper romantic relationship, but it's turning out to be Alexis.

He and Alexis enjoy arguing, but they care about each other, too, in their own awkward way. He calms her down while she gives him a good fight whenever he's spoiling for one.

After the secret's out, Darlin' confronts him about how much Alexis hurt Sam. Christian had to hurry and drag Alexis away because she couldn't stop laughing at how pissed off they looked.

A switch in bed.

Hates horror movies with a passion and always blames Arden for traumatising him with the first Hellraiser movie when she forced him to watch it with her when they were 12.

Took a long time apologising to Milo because of his ego, pride, awkwardness and shame.

-

This was fun! Here's a google doc that I compiled what I can find about the side characters. Feel free to fact check them if I missed anything. AND THANK YOU @thegoldenlittlerose FOR HELPING ME COMPILED THE INFO AND YOU TOO @moonandstarlightsposts FOR HELPING ME FLESHED OUT THE THE CHARACTERS!

[paraesol]

Watched all of LPS Popular recently, apropos of nothing

🐶 Ko-Fi | Commission info 🐶

[rawsmackdownnxtdivas]

Ash By Elegance & Amanda Saccomanno 💞

[capitalisticveins]

Shaw Pack Hcs Part 4 (i think?) (Ft. Sam)

These are 3 pages long on Google Docs wow um

- Tank has smoked once, but didn’t exactly get into it.

- Asher and Christian put things they KNOW Milo will need on the top shelf of whatever house they’re in.

- Baaabe has freckles. Whether they're faint, or there’s tons of them, it doesn’t matter. They HAVE freckles.

- Angel may not be able to cook, but for some reason they can really fucking good. Cake, cookies, macaroons, brownies, lava cake, hell, Creme Brulee. They just find baking and cleaning everything up tedious, so they don’t do it often.

- As kids, whenever Kelsey came over with her mom to visit Arden and Christian, Arden and Kelsey would do anything and everything to scare the shit out of Christian.

- The only game Sam and Tank can play on equal grounds with no advantages towards each other is Just Dance 2018.

- Ansel and Bailey work on their upper arm strength more

- David doesn’t shave often, but his face somehow remains slightly shaven? Which is weird because he grows facial hair like crazy.

- David sleeps like a fucking corpse, that man does NOT move.

- Angel likes to shave David’s face when he’s asleep and keeps the hair in a jar under the bed in a box.

- Asher eats Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese.

- Tank LOVES frosting on cake and cupcakes. They lick the frosting off of those mini-cupcakes and eat the frosting first off normal cake.

- Angel used to believe in Herobrine, but instead of being scared or not playing the game until he was “removed”, they’d actively seek him out.

- Sweetheart’s impulsive thoughts have once led them to go tangible while in between a wall. It was excruciatingly painful and they don’t know how they didn’t get split in half.

- Milo would sharpen his teeth if he could.

- Ansel eats Crumbl Cookies, much to Christian’s dismay (he believes they’re undercooked).

- Asher and Baaabe don’t get out of each other’s arms until both of them are awake. If one wakes up first, they just lay there until the other wakes up.

- Baaabe didn’t go into elevators for a week after they met Asher. Not because they didn’t want to see him again, but because they were deathly afraid of being stuck again.

- When he was a kid, Marie would aggressively pinch Milo’s cheek whenever he did something bad.

- Baaabe took it surprisingly well when Asher first admitted  to being a werewolf. Not because they were shocked or in fear, but because it explained a LOT of weird shit he would do.

- Once, when they were a kid, Tank got into a frosting container their mom used to ice cakes she’d make, and ate all the frosting out of it. They would’ve been punished if they didn’t vomit an hour afterward, since it was “punishment enough” in their father’s words

- Madelyn and all of the older pack kids (only girls) would have sleepovers almost all the time. Kelsey, Bailey, and Arden were invited, but not so often since they were younger.

- Sweetheart likes to buy square pillows so it can support their neck better.

- Asher, David, Milo, and Christian would try to sneak in or see what the girls were talking about, much to Madelyn’s dismay.

- David has a vase full of honeysuckles in his bedroom.

- Sweetheart can NOT hopscotch. They’ve tried and they keep tripping by the time they reach 6.

- Angel has once laughed so hard they passed out.

- Bailey likes to blow bubblegum, but it’s hard to pop them. Meaning if they grow too big she has to use her fingers to pop them, but then sometimes it gets stuck to her hands.

- Brooke has seen Bailey get tangled up in gum during a pack meeting, and had to go over and help her, but then he started getting stuck in the gum, until Amanda saw him.

- Long story short half the pack got stuck in 5 pieces of gum until David had to use scissors to cut them out. That night he prayed for a normal pack.

- Sweetheart was once compared to Sherlock Holmes. That’s the best compliment they believe they’ve ever been given.

- Baaabe always has a stupid and goofy smile whenever Asher walks into the room. 

- As a kid, Milo was often left out of fun activities with the other kids. Bailey was the only one that stuck around him when they forgot to invite him.

- I.E: Brooke forgot to invite him to his 10th birthday party, and when Bailey found out, she and her parents took him to Six Flags.

- Other than the literal stealth in the pack, Brooke is the most stealthy member of the Shaw Pack. He can stop breathing for up to 5 minutes and cloak his aura enough for any normal empowered person to not sense or notice him.

- Tank has put mentos in coke and shoved the bottle in their mouth, Milo had to snatch the bottle from their hands after soda started spraying from their nose. Asher gave them 20 bucks to do it.

- David would stay up until 2am studying for ANY test they were given back in high school.

- Asher tried getting a tattoo in high school and told David, but David said if he ever finds a tattoo on him, he’d tell Asher’s parents immediately.

- Arden is the reason unempowered people in Dahlia believe wolves howl during a full moon. She makes sure that during ALL full moons, she’s at the highest peak possible in the town, shifted and howling as loud as she can. Only Christian knows she’s the one doing it.

- Tank has forgotten to put water in a cup of noodles once before microwaving it.

- Sweetheart has scared Baaabe before and this led to Baaabe cursing them out in a different language.

- Angel had braces from elementary school to high school, and keep unknowingly licking their teeth.

- David is NOT flexible, that man is as stiff as a floorboard.

- When Tank and their family first joined the pack, Tank was pissy and distant because they missed their old pack with their old friends.

-Milo has said “I’m walking ‘ere!” once, that’s the only reason Asher and Christian say it whenever he’s around.

- Bailey eats waffles with her hands.

- Kelsey and David fold their pizzas.

- Arden used a fork and knife to eat hers once to piss everyone off.

- Asher, David, Christian, Arden, Amanda, Brooke, Miguel, and Bailey have done the cliche “break a window with a baseball” in Amanda’s backyard once. Bailey broke it and was going to come clean, but Christian panicked and blamed it on Kelsey, who wasn’t there. He then tried to backtrack and blame it on Milo, who was in the corner playing with dandelions because they forgot to ask him to play. Bailey got away with it because Amanda’s mom believed it was him due to his lying, and no one backed him up.

- Asher tries to laugh more “cutely” or “manly” but whenever Baaabe says a joke he can’t help but laugh genuinely.

- When David was scolding Tank in “Confronted but your Pack Alpha”, Tank had a scowl on and kept looking at the ground. They didn’t make eye contact until the end.

- Sweetheart can throw it back

- David can be DEATHLY silent when he wants to be. This is why Sam didn’t hear David from behind him during the pack Solstice, despite his advanced hearing.

- Whenever the Sunbound Solstice comes around, and none of the wolves feel good or energized enough to do anything, the mates do everything in their power to pamper and take care of them until they feel better. The only exceptions are Tank, Sam, Milo, and Sweetheart since they’re all Moonbound. In this case, Baaabe and Angel wait until David and Asher fall asleep to help them out.

[amandapalmer]

Coming to Martha’s Vineyard this summer to play in a nice place with some nice songwriters for a good cause.

The songwriters are all going to play "in the round", meaning we'll sit in a circle on the stage and take turns playing songs for one another and the audience, and ALL the money goes to benefit for affordable housing for the Martha's Vineyard's elderly and disabled

The tickets are $25-300 and here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/songwriters-for-island-elder-housing-tickets-893692156297?aff=oddtdtcreator

If you've never heard Willy Mason play...he's phenomenal.

Here's one of his tracks, Oxygen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvZIiiIMwbg

[superghfan]

Brook Lynn Quartermaine (Amanda Setton) Wedding photos.

[iintrepidtraveller]

[lo-diehards]

2024 TV Season Analysis – Organized Crime Tops the Franchise, Law & Order Better, SVU Needs an Overhaul

The 2023-24 TV season has been a truncated TV season of 13 episodes, due the ongoing WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes that happened last year. A lot of scripted TV was back burned until the strikes ended. TV writers struck their deal first and were back to work promptly, long before actors/actresses, this should have given time to plan out their already short season. Production crunched for 13 episodes to be shot between late November until this coming week, where SVU and mother ship reboot will be wrapping up shooting their finale episodes.

But where does this season grade in its entirety? I’m going to summarize – as much as I can - my views on where the franchise stands for this season from best to worst. Click below to read.

Organized Crime – The best in the franchise creatively, hands down!

New show runner/executive producer John Shiban (The X-Files) and his writing staff understood their assignment and have definitely delivered. Organized Crime is the most entertaining series in the franchise this season, week-over-week. The storylines are so fleshed out and they don’t drag on as they had since the series started. Shiban has shifted focus to the OC main characters and their backstories as well as expanding on the OC unit in its entirety. We’ve even seen 2 of SVU’s former stars show up (Tamara Tunie, Chief M.E. Melinda Warner / Dann Florek, Donald Cragen) as well as an appearance by Peter Scanavino (ADA Dominick Carisi). We have even been introduced to more of Stabler’s family, his brothers – portrayed by guest stars Dean Norris and Michael Trotter – and while they’ve come in and shook things up for Stabler, one thing I can point out, it’s the first season since OC premiered where I haven’t felt that Elliot Stabler is on a quest for vengeance or retribution of some kind.

The cast has been firing on all cylinders this season, especially with the episode that just aired last week (“Crossroads”), where one of OC’s new team members went missing and was found to be killed, Stabler having the bury his body as he is undercover with the group that found Detective-in-Training Samir Bashir (guest star Abubakr Ali). This story is still playing out so as of now we don’t fully know who killed him but I’m sure we’re about to find out. Stabler’s younger brother, Joe Jr. may have some involvement as the investigation is about to come full circle. Meanwhile, the scene in question in this episode has Christopher Meloni and Danielle Mone Truitt deliver their most powerful scene together yet in the series and they have delivered quite a few, this one stands out though.

Excellent only begins to describe it, and Organized Crime this season. Organized Crime has yet to be renewed for the 2024-25 TV season.

Law & Order (reboot) – It’s improved, but we still have a ways to go.

There is a lot to be said of the mother ship series, both the original and this reboot. But this reboot has seen a lot in its short time on air, in this short season alone the cast has changed twice already. Jeffrey Donovan (Detective Frank Cosgrove) and the series parted ways weeks before production was set to start and veteran Sam Waterston (District Attorney Jack McCoy) chose to depart before mid-season. Sam Waterston is/will greatly be missed and he leaves behind a full legacy on the show, which he joined in 1994! Meanwhile newcomers Reid Scott (Detective Vincent Riley) and Tony Goldwyn (District Attorney Nicholas Baxter) have been welcomed by fans with open arms. The cast of the reboot no matter which season is very solid and they are all very talented, but their talents often seem crippled.

The reboot seems to have an issue fleshing out the characters. Det. Jalen Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) and ADA Sam Maroun (Odelya Halevi) – and add DA Nick Baxter (Goldwyn) to me, week-in and week-out are the unsung heroes as with them we can see depth, we can understand why they make the decisions they make or feel the way they do on certain topics. I’m still on the fence about Riley’s development but he’s definitely has a more solid partnership with Shaw than Cosgrove did, and he certainly is a better character. I think they’ve got a great detective duo here – reminiscent of that of Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin) and Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) in season 18. From about the third episode this season on up, there has been an improvement in the writing, I must say in comparison from where the season started. Most of the episodes this season seem to have one singular writer who stands out, Pamela Wechsler, who also serves as executive producer. Girl power!

What can help the reboot:

The writers need to get away from talking points and political affiliation when it comes to the characters and even the weekly storylines - looking at you show runner Rick Eid - it makes the characters come off as caricatures and stereotypes. And maybe not directly rip the episodes from the headlines near verbatim. It takes away from it if we already know how it plays out – where is “the Law & Order twist?” They need to deep dive into Vincent Reilly, Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) and Kate Dixon (Camryn Manheim); we have talented actors on here, give them something that makes us stand up and clap and relate to these characters and stop making them one-dimensional, especially ADA Price. I must say I’ve been enjoying the legal side a bit more with the addition of Goldwyn’s Baxter, his back-and-forth every week with Price has a feel of the original series run, where we see multiple points of views on cases and it doesn’t feel/sound like rhetoric. And speaking of that run, it wouldn’t hurt for them to find ways to invest those old characters in the reboot. Just because Sam has departed doesn’t mean we still don’t want to see old faces or even faces from the other L&O series show up. Elisabeth Rohm (ADA Serena Southerlyn) and Milena Govich (Det. Nina Cassady) have directed episodes! Raul Esparza and Hugh Dancy both starred in Hannibal, I could see former-ADA now Defense Attorney Rafael Barba sitting at the defense table and likely wiping the floor with Price! Tony Goldwyn even wants Mariska Hargitay to direct an episode. Let’s make the mother ship enjoyable to watch again!

It was renewed for a 24th season (4th for the reboot). The mother ship has a second chance at greatness and to continue its legacy on television, not a lot of shows get that. It would be wise that those in charge on mother ship remember that.

SVU – The 25th milestone season ranks as one of the worst.

I originally had a two-page long document on this season of SVU alone and I’ve had to shorten it down and it’s still not that short. But if I had to describe the 25th record-breaking season of SVU in 1 word, that word would be “bad.” There are calls on social media for show runner/executive producer David Graziano to be fired from the series. I’m not one to openly call for people to lose their jobs, but clearly there is something wrong and the downward spiral of the ratings mixed with bad press for SVU episodes this season is showing that. Nothing about season 25 jumps out as milestone season and there are only a handful of episodes as of now, that I would consider episodes worth going back to watch again: “Tunnel Blind”, “Duty to Report”, “Probability of Doom”, and “Children of Wolves” which was directed by Mariska Hargitay.

It’s the writing and direction of this season, period. There is no other reason or excuse that flies. There is clearly no investment from the management level behind the scenes at SVU in this milestone season being the best it could have been. The Maddie storyline overtook the season and its resolution didn’t exactly hit the mark either. Where is the retrospective? Why haven’t we gone over past cases? Seen former victims/survivors (other than 2 minutes worth of Maria from “911”)? Why did Olivia stop seeing Dr. Lindstrom (Bill Irwin)? Where is the ‘healing?’ The guest stars? We haven’t seen any former stars, other than Kelli Giddish (Detective Amanda Rollins), and that proves to me that it was a mistake to fire her in the first place. “Where is the energy? Where is the spatter? This is life-less dreck. A cheap knock-off…” (diehard SVU fans; if you know, you know). But seriously, nothing about this season overall screams “25 years!”

With the season opener, I was sure David Graziano and the writers turned the page on the mess that was most of the entire 24th season of SVU. Turns out I was wrong to think it. It seems to be doubled down. It’s proof that despite his behavior, he’s just not a good fit for SVU. He doesn’t seem to understand how to write for this show and be the voice of who women/people look up to and the voice that victims and survivors need. I honestly think he would serve better on a Criminal Intent reboot or something since he seems to like that aspect of the crimes more so than investigatory and the legal side – Peter Scanavino’s screen time has greatly decreased and well as legal scenes.

What can help SVU:

A lot of damage is done, but it’s not irreversible. The best call is to replace the person at the top if they aren’t going to change themselves, (sorry but not sorry David). The popular eras of SVU are seasons 3-7 and again 13-17 and for good reason; Neal Baer and Warren Leight remain the two people who have seen SVU at their peaks. Going into a record breaking season 26, someone who can understand the intricacies of SVU needs to take the helm and get this show turned around. Focus needs to be on steadying the storylines and fleshing them out in a meaningful way to where they connect and not have crucial bits just disappear into thin air. We need to get SVU’s focus back on uplifting the voices of victims and survivors and their journeys, as well as to delve deep again into the world of the NYPD SVU squad. It’s not just about “rape case of the week” the actual SVU deals with kidnappings, crimes against the children, the disabled/elderly, working in conjunction with the Hate Crimes unit/federal govt., trafficking and more, let’s get the variety back in the crimes – and let’s stop showing the crime taking place on screen and in graphic manner. The crime scene analysis, forensics, court scenes and legalese needs to be put back into this series, I’ve honestly felt it decrease even before S24 as far back as some S22.

We need to see Carisi navigate through these cases and the back-and-forth with the defense as well as in his own bureau. We’ve yet to see Carisi interact with the district attorney (Jack McCoy, Sam Waterston – now Nick Baxter, Tony Goldwyn) much like his preceding ADAs. Benson’s character needs to go back to therapy and deal with her issues head on (Lindstrom, Bill Irwin), she had done that up until EDMR in season 24 became her new way and it’s not working for her, since the writers seem to use it now as a crutch to say “she’s healing” but then turn around and have her do things to suggest otherwise. Benson also needs to be written as a leader and delegator more so than taking every case away from her “squad” and solving them personally. Actually from a story standpoint it would be great to see Benson face repercussions for continually doing this, in the real world that would have consequences as how can she personally investigate cases and run the unit?

And with the unit, their stories need to be dissected more. Velasco (Octavio Pisano) in particular, he had an edge in season 23 as the new guy that might be a snitch for the Chief of Detectives (McGrath, Terry Serpico) but in season 24 they pushed this character into a corner with liking Detective Grace Muncy (Molly Burnett, who departed last season) and the Chilly storyline last season and can’t seem to get him out of that corner. Velasco comes off as “just there” much in the way Fin (ICE T) is starting to. And where is Phoebe (Jennifer Esposito)? Detective Bruno and Captain (to-Detective or Chief?) Curry (Kevin Kane and Aime Donna Kelly) are pretty much holding down the squad and are actually the more I look to, to solve the cases and they are the only ones peaking my interest.

SVU is heading to record-breaking season 26, if they want to reach their goal of stopping at 30. Dick Wolf, NBC and those behind the scenes need to get serious about it if that is what they really want. Otherwise, you’re about to have long-time viewers and new viewers alike turning away. Despite what people believe about ever-lasting loyalty, it does have an end date.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Feel free to respond!

[artofwinniethepooh]

Some photos taken of the construction of the Rabbit puppet built by Matt Brooks for The Book of Pooh (2001-2003)

A small departure from what I usually post, but I’ve always been fascinated by the puppetry in the series and it’s fun to get a look behind the scenes!

Along with Brooks, Rabbit was also puppeteered by Noel MacNeal, Paul McGinnis, and sometimes Tyler Bunch in place of Brooks.

Production photos also give some neat insight into the process behind the puppetry and filming. Take this one featuring Rick Lyon assisting with the Tigger puppet for instance!

On his website, Lyon says:

“… a picture of me with Tigger -- I happened to be assisting with his hands that day. Why am I wearing that freaky green outfit? The puppets are performed Bunraku-style (from behind, usually with three puppeteers performing one character), with the puppeteers in green from head to toe in front of a green background, which is keyed out (like a weatherman standing in front of a weather map). The scenery for the show is all computer generated, in real time, such that wherever the camera turns, the computer-generated scenery shifts accordingly.”

He also shares photos of some of the other folks behind the series. Pictured here is Ronald Binion, principal puppeteer behind Eeyore who also designed and built the puppet, and Amanda Maddock, another principal puppeteer who happened to be performing Owl.

“Per-forming Eeyore is really tricky -- he is, after all, the only quadraped in the cast, and that makes it incredibly hard to manipulate his legs without green rods crossing his body and creating problems with the key.”

Pictured amongst a flurry of puppeteer action is creator and executive producer Mitchell Kriegman. Along with having directed many of the episodes, Mitchell is also the creator behind another show featuring puppets, Bear in the Big Blue House.

Ron Binion also shares some photos that offer a glimpse into the filming of Book of Pooh on his website as well, as seen here.

[bamb-procrastinates]

Ms paint doodles

[a-literal-toaster-wtf]

guess who listened to reluctant persuaders

[archivist-goldfish]

[thedarkmatterbox]

DARK MATTER 1.03 The Box