#diego doesn't want pity. he wants to *move on*. but here it all is. out in the open whether they want it there or not.

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gosh, wow, actually. i know it's so obvious because clearly that's one of the big reasons diego was so furious at viktor for publishing extra ordinary but how INSANE would it be to know that anyone--friends, coworkers, exes, partners, strangers--literally anyone in then entire world with the right access could pick up a book and read several hundred pages detailing everything about you and your family.

diego is such a private person. he has a really high eq, all things considered, but when it comes to being vulnerable, he struggles because he has to be tough, he has to protect, he has to be a hero... and now there's this book where anyone and their mother can read about his trauma? his severe childhood stutter? his petty squabbles with luther? his anger issues? the inhumane experiments performed on him by their own father?

never mind that the book undoubtedly also talks about ben's death, which was the catalyst for diego leaving home in the first place. that's wildly personal and not something that i think diego would want anyone to know, maybe even less than his childhood tantrums or bed wetting or whatever other embarrassing thing viktor could possibly tell the world.

i'm sure there's some nice things in there about all of the siblings, but none of that would matter. the damage was done the second viktor decided to tell all their secrets without consulting them.

the exposé must have felt like ripping open an old wound for diego. i can totally see why he'd be so furious with v. i would be too lol.

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I've been thinking a bit about what alternative beginnings of the season they could've given the siblings, and here's some ideas I've had:

Luther was always number one, not necessarily because he was the strongest but because he was always the one most willing to please and be there for Reginald. He cared about his siblings, but he also cared about following protocol more. I think he'd want to be a part of a team, and therefore maybe he works in construction or something. He's not as strong as he once was, showcasing a life without powers, while still giving him something that felt meaningful to him. It ain't much, but it's honest work - and maybe that's what he needs. Also, he doesn't live in their old house obvi.

Diego always wanted to be a cop. Ik, Ik, ACAB, but it still would make sense for his character that despite his erratic behaviour, having kids and a wife and realising he needed to take care of them would calm him down a bit, leading him to a police job. It wouldn't be glamorous, and he could still want more. It would also showcase how he isn't as precise as he was without his powers, but still given him something that felt more meaningful.

Allison being a less successful actress feels correct. But having Ray walk out felt like such a disappointment. Perhaps instead either he died or she left him, showcasing that the Raymond in this timeline wasn't the same, and nothing was as it should. It would also make sense if she was really estranged from her siblings out of guilt. They try to pull that one, but they don't actually show it completely. Maybe she thinks they're madder at her then they actually are? Who knows. More self-reflection at the time-line she helped create.

Klaus being scared of everything was kind of interesting, considering he was once immortal. He didn't know it most of the time, but he also did drugs because of his powers. I like him starting this season off being clean, and also him just being extra careful. I don't think he would've gotten a job, he'd definitely mooch off of someone else, but perhaps not Allison. What if it was Luther instead? It feels like something he would do. Or Diego who forces him to babysit. They've never liked his bullshit, but I feel like Luther would've taken pity on him.

Five retires. Idk how, but he'd find a way. It would be a lot funnier seeing him just chilling out at an old persons home then have him be an agent. He's already done that shit, he's finished with all that.

Ben being a crypto-bro is so funny tho, idk, that can stay the same. And Luther picks him up from prison, and he's like "btw , Klaus lives with me" and we get some Ben and Klaus shenanigans.

Victor moving to Canada also feels correct.

I don't even know what I want Laila to do. I kind of enjoyed her being a stay at home mum, trying to do better than her own upbringing, but also showcasing how it's slowly killing her. Or perhaps she it content with it. Because just like five, she's spent her entire life running and flashing through time, maybe she enjoys settling down.

All this leads me to this - I don't like Ben spiking their drinks and forcing their powers back. I think it would be better if a real threat presented itself and they chose to get them back. Maybe Ben found the marigold and tried to talk Luther and Klaus into taking it. They tell him no, then someone, maybe Klaus, dies, and just like in the beginning, it's the thing that brings them all back together.

I love Klaus, and it would suck without him, but maybe seeing someone who has constantly escaped death so many times actually face mortality would bring a certain perspective. There's a threat (idk what that would be, something something, wrong timeline), and they're just not strong enough to defeat it without their powers. They don't want them back, they're content with their lives as they are, but they have to get them back now to save the world one last time.

Idk, that's just some thoughts. I think seeing them content and have shit ruffle up their lives one last time would've been an interesting way to return to. Alternatively, them being unhappy in the beginning, getting their powers back and then losing them again, because they recognise that they're happier without them. Just, any semblance of a character arc through the season and some introspective you know?