#episode four!!!! it's happening!!!

[iridescentis]

BREAKING NEWS.

WWY WILL BE COMING BACK ON THE 26TH.

SPREAD THE WORD

[novelconcepts]

Obviously next week could prove this all dead-wrong, but I don’t think the trial’s quite over. I don’t believe the end of that episode actually took place, because I’m pretty sure we’re still firmly in the “punish Agatha” phase. Rio’s suddenly gone. Alice seems to be dead by Agatha’s hand, and no one—including Teen, who has always been on her side—seems primed to believe she was out of control. The others have been sucked beneath the power of the surrogate son who not only just told Agatha to fuck off, but went full-Wanda to do it. It just all seems too tailored to cut up any of the character progress Agatha’s made on the Road thus far. Getting harassed by her ghost mother and hearing her son’s voice don’t feel like a complete tear-down. This does. It feels like more trial.

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

OP: Check out. The fully-sexual charged cinematic movement design.

Cnetizens: How did the director come up with the idea to have him kneel on a playing card, adding so much aesthetic energy, is that some kind of genius?

[jonesandashes]

[hyakunana]

BREAKING NEWS: The most miserable man that ever stepped in DPG is winning and about to make everyone as miserable while looking good at it

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

It took 2 people to fully convince Crosshair to do a 180 on the Empire - but neither of those people were Bad Batch members.

They couldn't be. What would a squad of defective clones who had been disobeying orders since day 1 know about loyalty to an institution determined to establish order for the good of the galaxy? What would they know about finding purpose in being "good soldiers"?

Now, I DO think the seeds of Crosshair's eventual defection were planted by his brothers. Hunter pointing out that "Blind allegiance makes you a pawn" and then telling Crosshair "All you'll ever be to them is a number" are statements that are proven later to be true. But it takes Cody and Mayday to drive the lessons home.

Cody and Mayday share several characteristics that place them in unique positions to influence Crosshair:

Both are regs who accepted and befriended Crosshair - Cody says he specifically asked for Crosshair for the mission, and Mayday is upfront and friendly to Crosshair right from the start. (Contrast this to the other regs getting up to move tables when Crosshair sits to eat, or the other clone troopers who walk past Crosshair to get onto the shuttle without even sparing him a glance.)

Both are commanders. (I believe Crosshair ultimately respects authority for the most part: even when he was arguing with and challenging Hunter in "Aftermath," he still deferred to Hunter's orders until his inhibitor chip was intensified and he was then promoted to commander.)

Both are loyal soldiers who have served the Empire well - again, these regs are still commanders even under the new government. And we all know how important loyalty to the Empire is to Crosshair at this point.

Both save Crosshair's life during their missions.

In short, both are regs, but they are still soldiers Crosshair can quickly identify with and trust.

I think it's key that Crosshair encountered Cody before Mayday, though. And despite their similarities, both soldiers drive home different points.

CODY

Cody is one of the few regs we know Crosshair already respected - and still respects, given that Crosshair almost smiles when he recognizes him.

(Some proof in case it isn't apparent: Crosshair goes from frowny face...

...to relaxed almost-happy-if-you-squint-just-right face)

Anyway, while Cody does drop some hints early on that he has doubts about the Empire, he is willing to carry out the mission to rescue "Governor" Grotton, showing he will follow orders to a certain extent. However, he shows more restraint than Crosshair might have: he doesn't attack the civilians despite their obvious mistrust of the soldiers, he comes to an understanding with Tawni Ames, he's NOT willing to follow an order to execute her, and he is clearly dismayed and disappointed by her death.

And so, at the end of a "successful" mission, Cody more plainly reveals the depth of his dissatisfaction with following orders against one's own moral scruples:

Hunter had said "Blind allegiance makes you a pawn." And Cody, unwilling to blindly and unquestioningly be a pawn - or act like a battle droid - any longer, goes AWOL.

But that lesson alone isn't enough to make Crosshair turn on the Empire. Instead, he needs Mayday to give him the final push.

MAYDAY

First, Mayday indicates how appalled he is by the idea of anyone leaving their own behind - which we know is a sore spot for Crosshair. But most importantly, Mayday has demonstrated since he was first introduced that he strongly believes in soldiers being loyal to and looking out for each other (which is far different than just being loyal to the Empire).

Second, Mayday unknowingly challenges Crosshair's belief that serving the Empire provides meaningful purpose. (Remember that one of Crosshair's main arguments to his brothers about joining the Empire was so they could "find purpose again.")

Then, he unwittingly goes for the jugular and rips apart the motto Crosshair had adopted.

And then, in case Crosshair has any lingering doubts about the answer to Mayday's rhetorical question, Nolan decidedly answers the question for him.

Hunter had said "All you'll ever be to them is a number," and he is proven right in the most heartbreaking way.

Crosshair had accused his brothers of not being loyal to him; unfortunately, now he sees what true disloyalty looks like. And for Crosshair - severe and unyielding - realizing that he has misplaced his loyalty by giving it to an entity that mocks him and casts him AND those he cares about aside for doing so... this is the final straw.

Thankfully, Crosshair has now rediscovered the people who are worthy of his loyalty.

[agnesandhilda]

watched a (pirated) mr. birchum episode out of curiosity and in it the asshole conservative protagonist has a homoerotic daydream about the other teacher who's a stand in for the ""woke left"" that he hates, which is the opener for the episode and is also never referred to again, gets his sleeve caught in a machine in his woodshop at work and spends days contemplating his life and regrets while he's trapped (or so he thinks). this montage includes how he met his current wife who he doesn't respect and who isn't honest with him (the b-plot expands on this), how his ex-partner left him after coming out as a lesbian and was repulsed after he tried to persuade her to stay with him, reasoning that her being queer meant they could just share a girlfriend now (that was not what it meant), and culminating in a marlboro man-esque image of commercialized rugged usamerican masculinity telling him to chew his own arm off to escape, before one of his students comes along and frees him by just cutting off his sleeve. all that and he thought to chew his own arm off before he considered just tearing his sleeve. and it's all played as a comedy. fever dream episode

[artfulacrostic]

memes for The Bad Batch, 2x03 "The Solitary Clone"

*SPOILERS*

[maxthesillyy]

uhh yeah

[newgameplus]

be not afraid [ID: A digital illustration of Vash the Stampede based on the later Trigun Maximum design. He stands among clouds in varying shades of yellow, bending back slightly, his red coat billowing around him. His silhouette is a stark black, his orange glasses the only distinguishable feature on his face. A single white wing sprouts from his right shoulder, arcing upwards and behind him. Grey smoke emanates from an unseen source level with his mid-back, spanning the illustration and eclipsing the clouds. The sky behind Vash is a yellow-to-purple gradient. The illustration is colored mostly in flat colors, the only shadows and highlights placed on Vash's glasses, the underside of his coat, and his left arm prosthesis. end ID] (image description by @laevateinn ) lineless version + id under the cut bc i cldnt decide which one i liked better

[ID: The same illustration lineless. The black of Vash's silhouette and prosthesis are muted red rather than black. end ID]

[moeblob]

Honestly? Good anime imo! I really enjoyed Aileen. I enjoyed Claude. I enjoyed Isaac and Keith and Rachel and Almond and Ribbon. I enjoyed Belzebuth and the flock of ducks (Walt/Kyle/Auguste) and Jasper.

[okaydays]

I’m fully aware that this may be a huge reach but-

Perhaps foreshadowing??? A red-headed son???

[vultures-yay-or-nay]

Has anyone else noticed that Jammer has only been referencing one mom this season

[typicalopposite]

Oh but imagine… if they do get back together… right?

The streaming views on 8x06 and then 8x07 (and really all the episodes that will just be the BT pining era) are going to SKYROCKET! Like, they will be out of this world… out of the galaxy! ABC will be so confused and we will be so happy hurting ourselves with that angst because we will know it has a happy ending!!

[prismartist]

session six was SUCH a good episode for bigb. he went red. got TWO kills. he's on proper good terms with cleo FINALLY. he broke up with ren. he killed TWO PEOPLE. gem called him the best killer on the server right now and that is vindicating. this is the first time he's properly gone out and been Red. and i am so happy for him. praying he survives til the last sesh 🙏🏼

[mischiefbuckley]

another point I found interesting from the preview clip of Eddie and the confessional with the priest is that the priest himself had said it has been 23 years since he had gone to confessional like again this would have been around the same age if Eddie did go through and do his first communion which again is really interesting in the sense of we know that Eddie goes on to attend a Catholic high school as it was mentioned in the crossover episode and again it seems to be around the same time that Eddie mentions Ramon having a conversation with him telling him to man up and be the man of the house like so many so many so many details and Eddie in that same scene saying in regards to Christopher “I couldn’t protect him from me. Put my desires before his needs. I traumatized my son, father,” like again the ‘my desires before his needs’ line is such peculiar wording coming from him in the sense of that line is such a queer coded line with him coming to terms with everything at such a time in his life like he has a 14 year old son now and he hadn’t been to confessional at all for almost two decades because of his complicated relationship with the religion itself and now going because he doesn’t know what to do anymore and he’s finding comfort in the place where he least expected to find it