#fair warning season 2 finale has aired so expect spoilers

[limeskye]

i want to and absolutely will make more will trent gifs. Just don't know quite when.

If you are not watching this show, stop what you're doing and put it in front of your eyeballs.

[thefanbasewhore]

“Mine.”

Summary: Din says goodbye to reader and Grogu but once they are reunited Din has mixed feels about the situation, jealous of Luke.

Warning/content: Angst, Jealous!Din, fighting between Din and Luke and reader and Din, Jedi!Reader. Din accuses reader of cheating. Nothing too spicey unless you guys would like a second part ? But would recommend 18+, Season 2 spoilers 

Paring: Din Djarin/Female Reader

Master list. || Part 2. 

There's a shift on tension in the room, it didn't go unnoticed much like the feeling of your own heart breaking. It's breaking for Grogu, for Din, your Mandolorian, who stands tall, strong despite the crushing feeling inside his chest. He's helmetless in a room full of people for the first time ever willingly, he does it for the boy, the child he loves.

It's the first time you see his face, his hair is messy but it's cute, brown in color with small ringlets that curl against the base of his neck, his eyes are expresso brown, smooth curve of his nose is small but prominent, lips pink and form the perfect pout, small hairs from his mustache curling across his top lip. He is so incredibly handsome, but your sorrow won't let you see that, there is no time to think about. The child presses a soft touch against his square jaw, in his own way of saying, "I see you."

This makes tears even well up in your own eyes as he looks over Din's shoulder, reaching out for you. The last thing you expect when Din head turns over his shoulder to look at you are the matching tears. It's hard to stop, squeezing his eyes shut as he bites his bottom lip, chewing at it nervously. 

The two strides it takes to finally reach them is like the longest walk of your life, your head rests against the Mandalorian's chest piece as you take the small guy into your arms, squeezing him close. The sob that falls from your lips doesn't go unnoticed as Din presses his large, gloved hand to your back, rubbing it in comfort. "Be good, little one." It's whispered as you hold him cheek to cheek. "You're going to do so well."

"Don't be afraid." Din's fingers find the child, placing him on the ground, knowing well you wouldn't be able to.

Grogu's eyes met yours with confusion as the Jedi picks him up. There's an unknown feeling within you, almost like you can feel his sadness but also excitement of learning once again. It makes you worried as his eyes peer at you, head tilting to the side. He's trying to tell you something, but you just can't hear it.

It isn't strong, actually you like to think your connection to the force as a small, annoying dangling thread stuck to the bottom of someone's boot that is always there, no matter how much they pull or prod it just falls through fingers but then again you never had a chance to learn from anyone.

All eyes are on you, breaking from your trance like thought as to look up to meet Din's eyes then Luke's, realizing they were directed towards you. "Did you say something?"

"Are you coming too?" Luke's words make you confused, eyebrows narrowing with a frown. The thought alone is enough to feel a ball in your throat, despite the words you’ve spoken, his intensions were clear from the start. 

 “You need training too." Din's hand stiffens against your lower back, chest momentarily at a pause as he realizes what is happening. He knew about this, even though you were clueless of what the force is, you knew it was in you, had told him and Ashoka questioned it about it only days ago. Never had he thought he'd loose both of the people that mean the most to him on the same day, it was almost..unbearable. A pregnant silence falling between everyone, Din can’t speak, he pauses, words trembling in his throat as he looks to you with pouty eyes.

Eyes meet Din's, shaking your head pressing yourself deeper into his chest. A familiar place that was warm, safe, How could you ever leave him? "No, I'm staying here."

"Go." Din urges, the hand applying just enough pressure toward the Jedi, trying to explain his words, it was okay. His flushes his own forehead against yours as he tilts your face towards his own, kissing the hair line softly. "Don't let me stop you, you need training."

"But --."

"I'll see you again, I swear by it." He promises, hands cup your cheeks, bringing your lips to his own. Fresh, new tears slip past both of sets of eyes. Goodbyes were never easy but necessary, destiny has written it long ago and Din Djarin of all people knows that. The kiss is soft, but you can't seem to pull yourself away pressing a few more in their wake. The movement of his arms wrapping around your waist lifts your feet from the ground as he hugs you close. Lips tickle your ear as he whispers, "I'll see you soon sweet girl, don't forget how strong you are."

"I love you." It's the first time the words are said, while his heart squeezes in joy, but mouth dries at the words he's always wanted to hear, he wishes you never said them, it makes good bye so much harder.

"I love you." He answers back truthfully, using the back of his hand to wipe the sizzling trail of tears from his cheek as you step away. Grogu reaches out almost instantly for his mother, the familiarity is more comforting then the stranger’s arms. You follow the Jedi when reaching the loft and turn around waving at your Mandalorian one more time. Din can't find himself to return it, shoulders leaning forward compensating for the pain he feels in his heart. It's heavy, putting all of his trust into one man but at least you and Grogu had each other.

-

You are barely able to suppress the shriek that is mumbles against your lips as the base of Luke's foot comes in contact with your chest, pushing you from the advantage you finally gained. While you try to reach for him he’s too fast, too skilled as he swiftly moves from the counter attack.

"Ugh!" The sound ripples from your raw throat as the pair circle each other, waiting for the next move, lightsabers in the air, it's a waiting game. "Stop doing that it's not fair!"

"Why isn't it fair? You left it open. Do better."

You huff, "I have boobs! Well who knows anymore? After that."

The last few months have not only been the most terrifying of your life but also the most exciting, borderline exhilarating. At first it wasn’t noticeable, arms would ache for holding the saber in the air for a few minutes but with every passing day it became lighter and lighter until you moved with uttermost swiftness, the saber a feather in your hands. Never had you thought you would love to fight, being able to finally control the owner within. Luke had become family, taking you in and helping you. It has been quite difficult, Luke was a perfectionist at best, he was not happy unless everything was done right, which once made you sore and cry, but looking back at it now, you have mastered so much. The amount of long hours of sitting at the table trying to pass a stupid apple back and forth, learning to be silent, trying to sneak up on an opponent but now it’s easy, all thanks to Luke but still to this day you can't even look at an apple, let alone eat it.

Even though he is picky, you understand. He has made you strong, happy to learn about the very thing you understand nothing about. It’s safe to say you were ignorant, taking advantage of the gift given to you.  

Luke rolls his eyes, the green saber retreating back into the canister as he tucks it back into his belt. "Training is done for now."

Your head tilts in understanding, tucking away the bright light until is clicks into the holder attached to your belt. There's a lingering silence, figuring it’s a  silent dismissal turning to return home but Luke's voice stops you. "Padawan?"

"Yes Master?"

"I sent out word to your Mandolorian." The smile drops from your face almost instantly, serious eyes look over his own for the lie, for the joke as if he would break into laughter but he didn't. He's still as he gives a shy smile, you tense instantly, heart stuttering inside your chest, it must be a joke. Your about to curse, tell him it's not funny but he beats you to it. "I sent out days ago, he is due any day now."

"You're serious? It's not funny --."

"You have done well, you exceeded my expectations. You deserve to have some time off. You and Grogu, it's been months." You squeal excitedly, the smile crinkles eyes, almost hurts because it's been so long since you felt genuine happiness.

"Now come, the little one is waiting."

-

Dinner has to be your favorite time of the day, only because after the relief your aching body gets, sore, black and blue but strong, you’re capable of more than you’ve ever known to be. Luke always reminds you, never lets you falter, never lets you have the chance to doubt yourself, he’s always there to remind you much you’ve accomplished but there is always more to learn. He's a good master, fair but authoritative when need be, he's shown you so much but had given you so much more: a purpose, a friend.

With dinner came relief but also meant you could see Grogu, he hasn't grown much physically but the force has made him powerful, such a small creature to have so much but it is so different with him. While the force only touched you, it seems to run through Grogu's veins, it's so natural to him. 

Luke is right next to you, sitting in the uncomfortable excuse of a chair but happy none the less as Grogu sits in the middle of the table in front of his plate with a coo, large black eyes peering up at his master, head tilting. "What's wrong little one?"

You don't need the force to feel what he's thinking, you communicated with this little guy way before all of this feeling though the force mumbo jumbo. The force was  never needed to feel him, understand the boy.  Reaching over to Luke's plate with a cheeky smile using your own fork to poke the potato. "He likes the hash."

Both of you are so occupied the hole of silence the hall falls into is unoticed, the heavy steps of boots that haunt your dreams. The Mandalorian seems so big in the hall, all the basker gives off the illusion of large broad shoulders, a thick trunk that matches the man underneath, he’s intimidating as eyes shift off him quickly to return back to their meal, no one would dare try a Mandalorian, even trained Jedi. Din eyes meet the back of your head, heart thumping in anticipation of seeing his love again. It's been seven months, seven agonizing, brutal months without his family. Any other man would go insane but this very moment is the reason he continued to fight, when he received the message from Luke he couldn’t believe it. Seven months with no communication, your voice haunted his dreams just wanting to hear it one more time.

But now, he feels his heart drop, his own body filling with dread, anxiety at the close proximity of you and the Jedi, faces inches away in conversation. The way small dimples pop through as you smile shyly at him, Luke's own laugh as he leans closer to Grogu.

The sight of him alone is enough to have Din choked up if it wasn't for the way Luke reached for your fork, feeding Grogu a few bites, whatever he didn't eat was taken into his own mouth. When his lips close around the fork Din's fist bunch at his sides, it was too intimate for teacher and student. That's his girl, his son he is feeding.

You do however notice how Luke's head turns in the direction behind you, but continue talking eyes narrowing to question why. He's not paying attention to your words only smiling, like he knows something you don’t. When there's no answer you decide to look yourself, at first you don't register that Din is only feet away, dead center of the hall. Head snaps back in a double take as anticipation makes your heart flutter, emotion fills your throat making it hard to speak, even move.

Feet register before your brain has the opportunity to, running towards him with a loud laugh of joy. He has to brace himself for the impact when you jump on him, a small 'ooof' leaving his lips as he catches the weight. Arms support you from under thighs, holding close as your legs tighten around his waist.

Your smile is wide, never ending the most as he holds the blushing skin of your cheek, the other hand on the underneath skin of your thighs holding you to the basker clad chest. Beautiful, absolutely breath taking. He's seen this in his dreams, reuniting with you but this is too real, the soft flesh expanding on his palm is too soft. The sight of you after so long is euphoric, its hard to breath with you so close, to concentrate on anything but the way your lips curl into a smile, eyes so lovingly with unshed tears. It's a relief to see you so alive and well, stronger under his own strength but as soft he remembers.

"I missed you Cyar'ika." It's breathlessly whispered into the vocoder, static chokes his words but it may be the tremble in his throat as a hand knots into hair to pull you closer.

"Oh." You mumble under your breath with as realize the stares that follow you, quickly you lower your feet to the ground but your hand never leaves his forearm, clenching the underneath, tunic crumpling in your hands. Now that he's here you never want to let go. "Come see Grogu."

Din can't even get a word out as he's pulled towards the table, he nods, acknowledging Luke despite the tension he manifests. The reunion warms your heart, it makes it harder not to crying as you feel Grogu's emotions run through you. He feels love.. he's excited extending his arms with grapy hands.

With no hesitation the child is once again reunited with the basker clad man.. his truthful father. It's a sigh of relief that falls from Din that makes you smile up at him. Din reaches over with his free hand, cupping your cheek. No words were said, not in the presence of a stranger but it's shown in the way his thumb moves across the smooth skin of your cheek.

-

The moment he entered the room darkness cascades over them, small, familiar hands press against the the basker that covers his head, a silent ask for permission. "Cyar'ika, it's --."

"I can't believe you're here, I missed you so much love." Din's eyes close so tightly at the words, he doesn't want to stop you. He wants to feel your skin pressed against his, he swears he's almost knocked off his feet when the helmet falls to the ground with a loud thump lips brusingly hard against his own.

"Sweet -." He tries to speak against but is met with the softness again, tongue seeking permission against his bottom lip.

"Missed you." Lips press against his jaw, following to his neck sucking softly on the smooth skin. A small, choked moan falls from his lips as you nip at the junction between his clavicle and throat.

The feeling of welted skin has you raising your head up in confusion, fingers taking place of your lips to feel the healing skin. It's not a scar or a wound but purposely put there, as you trace it with your fingers you begin to paint a small picture with the raised lines.

"It's a symbol of leadership along my people." He answers, hands reaching up to gently wrap around your wrist, bringing it to press against his cheek. His next words almost as unexpected as learning he has a new tattoo on his neck. "Would you like to see it?"

"But the creed.." you mumble, eyes roaming over the slightest curve of his face the darkness of allows as he pushes you to straddle his lap, his other hand running over the expanding skin of your thigh.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before my love." He's referring to the moment before you and the child left him, kissing him goodbye. "The creed is broken but I am a Mandalorian, nothing will change that."

"But, I ugh." The words are not of the man you knew almost a year ago, but show maturity, experience has formed him into a new person but nonetheless he still is yours.

It's just dawned on you now, while you were growing with power was so was Din. The lightsaber pressing against your outer thigh reminded you of it, while you have gained one, Din had ruled with one. Every new experience, lesson, moments spent crying Din has had similar, except his people depend on him for survival.

"Oh my God." You mumble under your breath, eyes widening in shock. His words, the tattoo meaning, the new signet pressed into his chest, the thicker tunic decorated with a gold pattern, you were so busy just concentrating the fact he was here, you never bothered to look at the changes, the clues. Two large horns soldered into his helmet you never noticed until now poke against your ankle. "You actually did it? I though you didn't want it."

"It's my responsibility to my people to get our home back. Once you left I had nothing but them, Bo-Katan has been helping me. We are so close Cyar'ika." Din presses his forehead against the skin of your shoulder, breathing deeply. "I can't wait to show you."

"So close to what?"

"Not hiding anymore, to regaining Mandalore." The words make your skin warm, a soft smile filled with admiration, proudness. "I'm building a home for us."

"You have changed Din."

"So have you Cyare. You look so well, feel so strong. You are where you’ve always belonged." He is right, there's something that changes in the air when you are nearby now; a power that follows you, makes everyone fear the presence but he loves it. "I wish I could have been here to see it. I dream of when we will be together again."

"Can I see?" The words are unsure, despite his earlier words old habits die hard, promising never to look unless he wants it, it was his choice, never yours.

"Please." It's soft, tender as you shakily wobble on legs to walk across the room, fingers ghost over the switch before a loud knock against the door makes even Din's stomach drop.

"Padawan?" Luke's voice makes Din scowl, what is it with this guy?

"Yes Master?" The way you answer so quickly with little regard towards Din has him swollowing loudly, jealousy searing his veins, it makes his forehead hot.

"While I have promised you a break the day is still not over, training will continue."

"Be right out." It's quick, the kiss pressed against his lips, it has him reaching out to hold you again but you already out the door leaving him gritting his teeth.

-

When he finds you again it almost an hour of looking for you. He's irritated, it shows in the way he walks, tall and intimidating with every crunch of sand under his boots.

Despite it being evening the sun is still blaring, it's too hot for anything but he manages to power through, though taking off the helmet is an option if is his only line of defense when it comes to be surrounded by Jedis.

It's an odd sight, you're legs are crossed as Grogu sits feet in front of you. Eyelashes fluttering in concentration, frustration clear in the way the junction between your eye brow wrinkles. It's magical, the way the large rock moves across the length of the pair. It's amazing truly, he's watched the kid do it many times but with you, it's different, seven months ago you could barely hold a blaster let alone do this.

He was in complete awe, watching as Grogu takes the rock himself but to him it's effortless. He doesn't even bat an eye as the rock moves higher and higher until it's explodes. The small pieces shoot towards him, the rocks dink against his helmet knocking him forward that he doesn't give you enough time to warn you that there's someone behind you, he feels himself jump forward to protect  but natural reflexes already have you up, your own blue saber flashes with Luke's green one.

It's a relief it's only him but also makes him want to longue and wrap his hands around his throat for even trying to attack you, it's instincts, his own will to protect his family. He was so caught up with his own anger, he didn't notice the small hands tugging at his pant leg.

"Hey buddy." It's the soft coo that warms his heart, the sound he missed so late at night, all by himself. It feels so right to have him in his arms again, it's a distraction for a moment, but the loud shriek that mumbles against your lips as the saber slices your arm breaks the moment.

Din stalks toward without hesitation, hands reaching out to pull Luke by his collar but hand stops half way there; a choking sound falling from his lips as he feels his throat start to close.

"Luke!" You exclaim, hands pulling on his shoulder. "Stop!"

Luke doesn't listen, tilts his head as the Mandalorian's other hand reaches for his own neck, the child falls from his arms but Luke reaches for Grogu as he floats towards him and that is when he decides to let go of his hold on Din.

"She is fine." Luke's tone is accusing, eyes lit up in anger. He knew the reasoning behind the Mandalorian's attack but it irritates him. Din falls to the ground into his knees as he coughs, lung begging for air. "She will heal, it's no wonder she was afraid of the force. You made her feel as if she was weak. Couldn't protect herself. Can't you see she is strong?"

The words sting a bit, you never felt like that with Din but the words of your master, where they true? Had he been the reason you never felt the force like this before? It’s not his fault, he’s always been a protector.

"Yes." Din chokes on the words, it's surprises Luke how quickly he recovers, leaning on knees, visor tilting up to meet his gaze. "I do, I don't need you telling me either Jedi."

The last word is spoken with gritted teeth, disgust as he stands, squaring up the man in front of him, pressing the top of his basker against Luke’s face. 

"Then do her a favor and never, ever underestimate her again." Din doesn't like what the Jedi is insinuating, hands balling in fist, finger coming to poke the Jedi's chest as he speaks. "Respect her Mandalorian."

"I do." You're about to squeeze between the two men but Din speaks too fast. "I don't need any magic tricks to beat your ass either."

"Din!" You hiss, the helmet pointing in your direction as a growl admits his chest.

"You're sticking up for him?!" Then once again you're minded how immature Din Djarin can really be. He's protective, overbearing but you expect more from Luke as he speaks. "You're just taking out the fact that Grogu and the girl are in my care, they are with me."

"My son, my girl." Then it hit you, all so sudden he wasn't an asshole, maybe a little immature, but he was jealous. The growl that rumbled his chest made even you shake. You couldn't find yourself to blame him either, both of the people he's ever cared for pulled from his arms, seven months spent with Luke. It made him insecure, dear the worst.

"Enough!" A hand presses against each other their chests, meeting Luke's first. Eyes warn him, "I expect more from you."

Then they move to Din with a scowl, "And you have no reason to be like this, Luke is my friend. He is helping me! I am strong now because of him."

"You have always been strong." The words make you pause, heart dropping. Guilt dropping your shoulders instantly. "You never needed to hold a lightsaber for me to see that."

A strong, confident finger lifts lifts towards Luke's direction, it looks like he's going to say something else judging by his stance, looks over you one more time then Grogu before stalking away towards the direction of the hall.

-

It's only an hour later, and Din is no where to be found. Luke has told you he's taken the child for a little bit, you can only imagine how that exchange went but respectfully allow him to have time with him, besides you doubt he wants to see you right now.

He was right, it was a force of habit trying to protect you but he has never doubted or hesitated for one second when it came to you. There has only been one person who has ever believed that anything was possible for you and it's the one you managed to chase away.

The room is dark, the only light comes from the gasps of the curtains the moon allows in. You have given up on waiting on the bed, instead curl up on the large longue chair in the corner, book open but you wouldn't even notice if there weren't any words. Too deep in thought over your Mandalorian.

What If he leaves without seeing you? Surely, he wouldn't, it was stupid fight, it shouldn't have happened but you shouldn't have accused him either. The rattling of the door knob makes you pause, daring not to breath that it might scare him away. He's quiet as the silhouette of armour makes it through the doorway, shiny, the darkness of his visor camouflaging him throughout the door.

The light flickers on, you want to squeeze your eyes shut, away from his gaze out of fear he might leave again seeing that you aren’t sleeping, waiting for him.

He doesn't speak, only stiffens his stance, arms crossing his chest as the helmet tilts down in your direction. "What are you doing?"

"Reading."

"In the dark?" You have been caught there's no reason to argue with him just turn a dark shade of pink as the book is closed with a loud echo. Tension fills the air, you're torn between apologizing and expect one first, his behavior was inappropriate.

"Are you happy here?" It's surprising watching the Mandalorian walk close until he's between the V of your legs, a soft breath caught through the static as he uses your thighs as an anchor for his hands as he slowly lowers to the floor in front of you. His force his horse as leans over, pressure pressed against your chin, it's not enough to hurt but enough to show he is angry. "Is there someone here making you happy? That isn't me?"

You don't like what he's insinuating, brow furrow with a deep frown and a scoff, "If you have something to ask I suggest you come out with it Din."

"Are you fucking him?" The words make you huff, pushing the warmth of his skin away but he reaches out to touch you again. He wants you to look at him, he wants to see the truth your eyes will tell.

The fucking nerve he has to knot his fingers into your hair, keep your head still as the visor moves up and down the soft features of your face, it's soft but shows meaning. At this very moment you here the way your body reacts to him, wanting to move closer, wrap the other hand around your neck at his tone, the authority in his voice. "I asked you a question."

"Really?" The way he stares just irritates you. Spending all your nights longing for him, all the tears wasted on missing him just for him to believe you were unfaithful. "I can't believe you just asked me that."

"Don't act like it's all me! I can see it, you sit so close that you're practically on his lap. He ate from your fork. He comes to your aid like I don't know you can take care of yourself, tells me of all people to respect you, never undermine you. When have I ever? He seems to forget that I was the person who first trained you. So, I'm going to ask you one more time. Are you fucking the Jedi? Do you like him?"

"Get out of my face Din!" The heat of his visor, the blackness hides any kind of emotion, all you see is the anger that comes from his throat, words stinging cheeks. It's impossible to concentrate with him so close, pressing his entire weight against your thighs.

"Tell me now." The words harsh, he needs to know, hear the words from your lips to know they are true.

"No! How dare you even accuse me of that? I have been waiting for months to see you again and you accuse me of being unfaithful?" The tears sting, almost hurt as much as knowing Din has little trust in you. His chest is raising fast, deep, quick breaths against your knee, showing just how worked up he is, he's frustrated, the throbbing in his pants gives that away and makes you think if there’s a different reason. He's insecure, jealous, absolutely pissed.

The harsh fingers leave your hair only to meet the edge of his helmet, you don't even get time to register before it falls to the floor next to you. Seeing is face is.. different this time.

It's clear, the first time was rushed, tear filled but now he look so.. good.

His brows furrowed in anger, nostrils flaring, hair thrown messily across his forehead, you don't even get time to look at his lips before his hands touch your cheeks pulling you into a bruising kiss, fingers nails forming small crescents on hips as the words are moaned against your lips, rushed with how desperate the Mandalorian is.

"You are mine." It's not the words that make you gasp but the hand that tugs the tips of your hair, pulling your head down more to accept his crushing lips. "Mine."

tags: @remmyswritings​, @b0nnyzz​, @heavenlymistake​, @mcueveryday​, @phantomofthewapera, @dindjarinswhore​, @hellothereobi​, @mudhornchronicles​, @alwaysreading1019, @stepintothelightz, @pepmintmocha​, @charlottemcgrace​, @the-last-twin-of-krypton​, @disgvst-d​, @atrxdixs​, @cal-ifornication​, @acourtofsnakes​, @waiting-for-motivation​, @that-sarcastic-pieces, @writings-of-a-fool​, @theocatkov​, @itsfangirlmendes​, @maileecabudol​, @ghost-lantern​, @mandoandyodito​, @sleep-deprived-things​,  @maddie0w0​, @bluegalaxyprime​, @stilledimperfections​, @altarsw​

[cocogukkie]

2020 in review: kdramas (the heart fluttering, the disappointing, the saviors of 2020)

it’s december 31st! the new year is quite literally upon us (some of y’all are already in 2021) and my procrastinating self has chosen to upload this today. i’ve always loved these rec lists and I wanted to do one for 2020! this year was a rollercoaster for kdramas with some excellent ones and some not so excellent ones. i watched all of these in 2020 but not all of them were released in 2020.

if you want to use my questions to make your own list please do!! or give your favs in the tags, i’d love to read them. (fair warning, some of these have multiple answers bc i just can’t choose one!!)

drama that made me laugh

When The Camellia Blooms (2019)

i finally got around to watching when the camellia blooms this year and it. was. so. funny. oh my goodness, the comedic timing in so many scenes was pure excellency and im kinda mad at myself that i didn’t watch this last year. this isn’t just a comedy for those who are interested, its a thriller/romance but its also so fucking funny. definitely watch this if you want to laugh (and be touched bc the emotional scenes in this one are beautiful)

drama that made me cry

Sweet Home (2020)

hahah….. um this one is gonna go to sweet home friends. i went into this one with zero expectations and the first couple episodes didn’t really wow me? but i kept watching and holy shit fam. this show really picks up story-wise around ep 4 and makes the viewer love a lot of these initially unlikable characters. all i can say is that the end was devastating for me and i cried quite a bit. (warning, there are a lot of mature themes in this one so make sure you look for trigger warnings or send me an ask and i’ll list them all out for you) 

best OST

Itaewon Class (2020) 

i loved the ost for itaewon class!! the music is just so inspirational and pump up music, its so good. my favorites are ‘you make me back’ by woosung and ‘start’ by gaho.

drama with chemistry royalty (aka the best couple) 

i have three for this one because i just cannot choose one. 

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)

we recognize this one as one of the best things to come out of 2020. go moon young and moon kang tae have some of the best chemistry i have ever seen in a drama couple. i waited on the edge of my seat every single week for the next couple of episode just so i could fawn over these two. they work so well together, lift each other up, and so fucking funny together and support one another. while they’re not the chillest couple (lmao) they’re most certainly one with the most personality. they’re so cute and bicker and they just get each other. who could ask for more.

Flower of Evil (2020)

our badass mom and dad 😭😭. this was another peak drama that came out this year and our married partners-in-crime-but-not-really had amazing chemistry. baek hee sung and cha ji won were so cute as a married couple but they were even more precious later on in the drama after certain things unfolded (no spoilers). they both just get each other and protected one another as well as on the most precious kdrama children this year, their daughter eunha. they were so wholesome, flower of evil is so very worth a watch.

Into The Ring (2020)

this was one of the more underappreciated kdramas of the year but hoo buddy was the main couples chemistry top notch. they were so friggin cute and i just couldn’t. goo se ra is highkey one of the best female characters i’ve ever seen, she’s absolute chaos, lawful chaos, but chaos nonetheless. her other half, seo gong myung is opposite from her as lawful neutral. he’s just along for the ride that is se ra and loves her. they’re both so very fond and protective of each other and back each other up!! very very cute and you’ll definitely replay more than a couple of their scenes together.

most disappointing

Record of Youth (2020)

it’s sad but true… i went into this one with so much hope and excitement (i was riding off that ‘psycho but its okay’ high) and i was vastly disappointed. the plot mostly focused on the male lead, and there wasn’t much characterization for the female lead which i didn’t like. honestly, i only cared about maybe 3-4? characters in the whole drama. the rest were absolutely terrible or plain boring and i ended up skipping eps 14 and 15 and just watched the finale. i would not recommend tbh.

drama you can’t really get through

Crash Landing on You (2019)

this one is absolutely on me, i want so badly to love this one. but i just… can’t seem to get past ep 2? i’ve tried!! i swear, but i just cannot get through it. maybe in 2021, i can try again and i’ll enjoy it more.

drama everyone else liked but was meh

Kairos (2020)

i though kairos was a bit predictable tbh. i know those of us who did end up watching it really liked it but maybe its because i watch so many crime/mystery shows that this one didn’t really do it for me. the writing is quite solid and everything connects well, i would recommend that those who don’t really watch thrillers, to watch this one. (also the friendship between the female lead and her two friends is suuuper cute and worth it alone to watch kairos)

favorite romance

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)

yeah… this one wins again lol. what can i say, i just loved it so much and the main theme of the show is romance (its also a comedy and a mental health/healing drama) all i can say is watch this if you haven’t yet, its definitely worth it!! 

favorite mystery

Memorist (2020)  & Watcher (2019)

i really enjoyed these two mystery dramas. both were super fun to watch and very kinda unique in their own ways. i liked memorist because it was lowkey funny and i liked the relationships between the characters, but most importantly i couldn’t guess the main antagonist by the end! i really thought i knew who it was and then i was completely wrong lmao. watcher was also very good, the main trio had really good chemistry and i really cared about all the characters. (also i’ll never say no to watching seo kang joon) plus the plot twists threw me a bit at the end which is always a feeling i welcome, i love being surprised and wrong (as long as it makes sense)

favorite slice of life

Hospital Playlist (2020)

oh my goodness, i was late to the hospital playlist party and i regret it because this show is so. so. good. its just a slice of life following 5 friends who are doctors and work at the same hospital together but its so much more than that. this is honestly one of the first shows i’ve seen that are optimistic? in the show, every time i thought a plot was going to play out a certain way (usually negatively, as tends to be life unfortunately) it surprised me by taking the more optimistic wholesome route. characters in subplots changed for the better, became more understanding, chose to do the right thing, etc. if you want a feel good drama where the main characters have wonderful platonic chemistry and just care about each other but is also super funny, watch hospital playlist!! (season 2 is coming out early 2021 and im so pumped)

favorite fantasy

The Untamed (2019)

this one is a cdrama but i watched it in 2020, mostly because of how many people on the internet were adamant that the rest of us watch this and ngl they were v right. the untamed was very very good and im really glad i gave it a chance and watched it, its also my first cdrama ever. the chemistry between the male leads is honestly what makes this show and its worth the 50? i think? episodes. to be completely honest the fanfiction for the show are peak and if you do watch this, go straight to ao3 and you will not be disappointed.

dramas that saved 2020

The Uncanny Counter (2020) & Run On (2020)

these two dramas are among those that started airing at the end of the year and will go into the beginning of 2021 and absolutely saved the end of 2020 for me. while neither of these are finished, both have been excellent so far and worth starting. uncanny counter has the best use of the found family trope i have ever seen. i fucking love the four counters and their relationship with each other, how protective they are of one another. they all have amazing chemistry and the actors have amazing chemistry in the making films.

run on has one of the cutest couples that will definitely make my best chemistry list for next year. i didn’t put them on this list bc they actually haven’t gotten together yet but once they do, they’re gonna be freaking adorable, i can already tell. there’s no specific grand events propelling the plot forward, but just following the lives of these unique, interesting and relatable people who have casual yet entertaining conversations with each other. the show is super soft and the main couple are so straightforward and honest (plus theres mutual pining!!)

best dramas of the year

here are my best dramas (and one movie) watched this year, no further explanation given lolol. just watch them and enjoy because these are fucking excellent in the feels department. trust me 💞

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)

Flower of Evil (2020)

Itaewon Class (2020)

Hospital Playlist (2020)

One Spring Night (2019)

Midnight Runners (2017)

Hot Stove League (2019) 

I hope this gives you some fun stuff to watch!! or convince you to start that drama in your watchlists! 

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

June Picks!

And just like that we’re at the end of yet another month. I seriously do not know where these months are going. I think they’re going by faster now since we’ve been socially distant. I hope everyone is staying safe out there and can enjoy the start of summer while also being smart. It’s good to know we can always escape into TV and movies at home. Without further ado, here’s my monthly wrap up. 

You know spoilers are coming....

DC’s STARGIRL

I gave some quick thoughts a few weeks back when the first episode of the latest DC TV show premiered on the CW. I really liked this episode and it got me pumped for the series, but since then I feel most of the episodes have dragged for me. Because this show has the DC streaming service feel, it makes you want to binge all the episodes, which is something you can’t do when CW airs it on a weekly basis. Most of the action occurs at the beginning or end of the episode, which serves as a great cliffhanger, which works well in this streaming format. Due to this format, the middle can drag...a lot. Going in I didn’t know much about Stargirl or the JSA. (My main knowledge comes from that special the Justice Society had in that one Smallville special all those years ago. There it was a bit of an overload of heroes, unlike here.) I love Pat and Courtney’s relationship. Every episode they bond more and I especially liked when she was complaining to him about how the other teammates don’t listen to her. He understood that really well. I am also just loving Luke Wilson as Pat. I think he works well for the role. Feels believable. I’m ALWAYS a fan of a new generation of heroes. While it was slower getting the team together, now that we have the core group I am especially excited. The latest episode (6) was one of the strongest for me and I am very excited to see this up and coming team train and get stronger. I’m also interested in learning more about the villains. I think it’s interesting how we are also meeting a lot of the villain’s kids who seem to not know their parents’ true identities. I wonder if we’ll be able to turn any of them. (Feeling it for Icicle Jr.) For our team, I’m really loving how it’s three girls and one boy. I think that’s a dynamic we don’t often see, especially in a group of superheroes. I’m still working out who to ship, but I’m really loving Rick. Can’t wait to continue watching. I hope we get more of these epic stance moments.

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

Let’s continue on this superhero thread with another one of my favorites, which wrapped up its 5th season (crazy it’s already the 5th!) at the start of the month. I’ve said this before and I will continue to do so, Legends is THE BEST SHOW IN THE ARROWVERSE. It has been the most consistent and that’s not only because of a strong cast, the freedom to do basically anything they want with the plot and also being a mid-season show. I think where the Flash and Arrow often get tripped up is having too many episodes to fill, which forces story lines to be dragged out and filler episodes. With a 13 episode season you don’t get that.  WARNING I’m going to jump into season 5 spoilers now!!

So, some of my overall thoughts for this season: 

The Wave-rider has always been a revolving door for characters. This show probably has the most turn-over than any other show I watch. And it works, but for this season especially it felt like a lot of coming and going as I look back. 

It was sad to see Ray leave. Not only is he one of my favorites, but he was one of the core crew that was left. He brought great humor and heart to the show. I loved his bromance with Nate over the seasons. I wish he could have come back for the finale. While I like that he left with Nora (because they are adorable) it just felt too fast (and that was with me knowing how many episodes he had left). 

Charlie’s exit. I know she had a large part of the plot with her sisters, especially in the second half of the season, which means she’ll be missed even more next season. When she said she was staying in the finale I was like WHAT! It just felt so sudden and I didn’t see it coming. 

The lack of Sara on the ship this season made me feel like she had other projects in the works. When she became blind I was like op this is it for her character. Now of course, I see how that worked into the overall story line, but with her abduction at the end of the season (meaning another absence) I’m curious if she is working on other things. I do love seeing Ava at the helm though. She makes a great captain. I just wish the two could be co-captains on the screen more often in future seasons to come. It hurt me too much to see Ava’s reaction to when she knew she was going to lose Sara. 

At first I REALLY missed the original Zari. She’s the one we knew for a few seasons and now she was gone. That’s the main reason why I had difficulty liking Behrad right away. I do appreciate that they didn’t drag out the plot of discovering something in the timeline had changed. I liked how Nate had some memory and got that message from Zari. When Zari 2.0 showed up I missed our original Zari even more, but the more episodes she was a part of, she grew on me and I suddenly was worried to lose her. I was completely fine with having both Zaris on the Waverider (ha, ha, ha, but seriously). I think Tala did a great job of bringing two different incarnations to the character and seeing how Zari would have grown up if she didn’t have such a tragic backstory. 

I can seriously go on and on about this season, but I think it’s best to leave for another post. 

THE 100

If you follow me or have read other posts on my page you know I’m a 100 fan. If I’ve had strong feelings about an episode (positive or negative) you will probably see a reaction post. I haven’t watched this past week’s episode yet, so this will mainly relate to the first five episodes of season 7. I’m having a love/hate relationship so far, which honestly I’m not shocked about. The first few seasons of this show were definitely the strongest, but I’ve remained a loyal fan and supported it throughout. When the first episode of season 7 aired a few weeks ago, I instantly felt it wasn’t going to be a strong ending. I kept saying that the true ending happened when our characters went on the ship to look for a new planet and “ended book 1.” Since then the feel of the show has shifted and that’s especially true with this final season. It’s always been a sci-fi show, but now with the anomaly and this jumping multiple portals and planets it feels VERY SCI-FI. Like at times I don’t 100% understand how what they’re doing is possible. But I’m okay with that. I’ve watched Doctor Who and felt the same way and still had a good time. Going into this season, I thought the anomaly plot was going to be the one I disliked the most. But for me now it’s what’s saving this season. I am loving that story line over the one we’re having at Sanctum (where they are FAR too many new characters that I don’t care about). I absolutely LOVED the Octavia/Dioyza/Hope backstory episode. There were so many great parallels to Octavia’s own childhood and I was able to appreciate how much her character has developed. After seeing this episode, I instantly grew to really like ‘adult’ Hope as well as her dynamic with Gabriel and Hope. (It hurt me so much when Echo killed the man who was helping them get back.) I can’t wait for Hope to find her mom. (I saw pictures of the three of them together again, so I know it’s going to happen.) Speaking of not liking new characters, I DO like Levitt so far. That could be mainly for the fact that he’s also a fan of watching the 100. I was NOT expecting to see Bellamy at the end of episode 5. It brought me so much joy. I hope we don’t have to wait so long for the next time. (Because, come on-we know he’s not really dead.) I am upset that Bob is barely in this season. It’s not fair to him or the character. Even thought the Sanctum plot is bothering me I am loving the scenes Murphy is in. Talk about character development. He better make it out of all this at the end. I also enjoyed Raven’s story line with the radiation. I agree with a few people’s posts I saw about her not having a large plot last season and not being the Raven we know. I’m happy to see her being one of the main characters again. We might not get the ending we deserve, but I hope it’s one that isn’t horrible.  

MARVEL RE-WATCH

What’s one way to spend your quarantine/social distancing? Why ranking all 22 movies in the MCU and then re-watching all of them (one a day) and re-ranking them with your new thoughts. With seasons ending early and less being on TV now was a fantastic time to do this. (Plus, I knew a few other people doing it so I felt inspired.) For some of these films, I think I had only seen them a few times and it was hard to remember what happened in certain ones over others. (I kept thinking stuff that happened in Captain America Civil War was actually in Captain America Winter Soldier.) I really enjoyed the experience and highly recommend it, whether you’ve watched these movies a countless amount of times or only once. Watching them in order of their release really made me appreciate all the Easter Eggs and planning that went into it. I longed for some movies and was not excited for others (I’m looking at you Guardians Vol. 2). It also made me feel a deeper connection to Iron Man (which made the ending even tougher-and I knew what was coming). The nostalgia was strong and I’m so happy to be a part of this fandom. 

Sneak peak at my re-ranking that is still in the process:

Top 3)

Avengers Infinity Wars

Avengers Endgame

Spiderman Far From Home

Bottom)

Guardians Vol. 2

Thor the Dark World

Iron Man 2

AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER

Avatar was released on Netflix this month and something in me said now was the time to watch it. (That’s right, I haven’t watched it before). The hype for this series is crazy! I remember it being on Nickelodeon as a kid, but I had never watched it. I didn’t know much about it other than the main character had an arrow on his head and was the last airbender. (Yep, so not a lot.) Currently, I’m still very early in-I think about episode 9-but I already feel very invested. I like that the episodes are only about 25 minutes long. They’re quick watches, which allows me to watch a bunch without feeling guilty. After watching the first two I already felt like I wanted to learn more about this world and its characters. I think it’s really interesting how the elemental bending is used and how some characters can do it while others can’t. I also like how the avatar gets rotated within each bender and how the one before Aang was a fire bender seeing as how that is our main opponent in this first season. Coming into the show I was told by a friend that this is some of the strongest character development he has seen. That was such high praise and I cannot wait to witness it for myself. One of the reasons I love watching TV/movies and reading is because of the characters. I love bonding with them and feeling like I know them. I can already hypothesize who will change the most (my mind automatically goes to Prince Zuko), but I’ve been really good about spoilers, so that way I can witness it myself. Because I’m still so early on I can’t say much, expect that I’m enjoying it and will keep you posted on how my journey with Aang, Katara, Sokka and Zuko go. 

VIOLETTA SEASON 2

I was ECSTATIC when I found out that season 2 of Violetta had FINALLY come to Disney Plus. It had felt like FOREVER since I had finished the first season (of 80 episodes. You know a show is good if after 80 episodes you’re like where is the next season of 80 more episodes!), but it was really only a few months. It feels great to be back at the Studio with Violetta and the crew. There’s a few new faces this season both with the students and the faculty. It always takes adjusting with new seasons/characters, but some of these characters I really don’t like. I know that’s good because you’re not necessarily supposed to like them, but I really want some of them gone. (I’m looking at you Jackie.) But with a show that has so many episodes, a lot of the story lines often get dragged out, so I don’t know when that will be. Again, Violetta has found herself in a love triangle (just like every other teenage girl, lol). This time Diego opposes Leon and is much different than Tomas in season 1. Where Tomas was passive and always wore a face of uncertainty/confusion, Diego is bold and won’t take no for an answer. At times I feel he borders stalker territory. 

So far, I’m up to episode 20 and am getting more into it. I was missing out on the performances/ songs and now there’s starting to be more, which has me excited. I’m hoping not to watch this one as fast because I know most people say it is the best one, plus who knows when season 3 would appear on Disney Plus. For anyone unfamiliar with my first post about Violetta earlier in the year should check it out if they’re looking for a telenovela full of drama, misunderstandings love triangles, angst and music that will get stuck in your head. Definitely worth the watch! 

WORLD OF DANCE

My favorite dance competition TV show is back and I could not be more excited!! There’s just something about World of Dance that puts me in such a good mood and I can’t wait for Tuesday nights. I’m just upset at myself that I watch the latest episode too soon and then have to wait another week. This season the judges switched it up by coming to the contestants last audition with the producers...or so they thought. I loved seeing their reactions when they walked into the room and Ne-Yo, Jennifer Lopez and Derek Hough were there. It was priceless. While I don’t have a dancing bone in my body, I still am able to appreciate this talent and love watching the contestants perform. What I really like about this show is the range of ages and types of dancers from soloists, duos, trios and groups. I like how each competes within their group until the final episode when they have won their category. The talent is already so strong as they finished the call backs (which was a new feature this season too). Some of my favorites are below. I can’t wait to see what happens for the rest of the season. I just hope the pandemic didn’t interrupt the filming. You can catch up on all episodes by watching NBC on demand!

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST....

BEECHAM HOUSE

Ending strong with yet another Masterpiece Classic, Beecham House. This series, which aired earlier in the UK, premiered about two weeks ago here in the states on PBS. While I’ve heard that there will not be a second season and the outrage of that makes me worried for how this season will end. (After watching Sanditon earlier this year you really don’t know what to expect.) Despite knowing this already, I will continue to watch the show and enjoy what we have. Which I am so far. While only the first two episodes have aired, I already feel very invested. The first episode, specifically, leaves a lot of questions unanswered, which is understandable because they want to draw you in to watch the show. I was making a lot of speculations, but refrained from going into too much spoiler territory. (Surprisingly, I’ve been good! That’s impressive for me!) Some of my questions have already been answered in the second episode (but of course, there are more to go) and I was happy how I guessed. There’s so many characters and it feels like we’re gaining more with each episode. Despite, there being so many, I am able to keep up and like seeing new characters interact with one another. I also enjoy seeing a lot of familiar faces from Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) in a very different kind of role compared to Downton and Leo Suter who has been in a lot of my recent Masterpiece watches (Victoria, Sanditon). I love how he plays such a different character in each project he’s in. Really shows his range. With four more episodes to go I can’t wait to continue learning more about what’s going on in Beecham House and what their futures will be. I don’t know if the US numbers will help a chance for a second season, but I hope so! 

Speaking of my previous Masterpiece watches: I really enjoyed World on Fire overall. It ended with some big cliffhangers and I am very excited it got a second season!! 

What are you watching? Any requests of what I should tune into next? 

[lovesquareshippingtrash]

Chameleon Reaction

An episode that had the fandom up in arms before it aired based on its preview. But did any of it matter?

(Warning: LONG POST. Spoilers below the cut)

I mean you know it didn’t.

So we start straight off with the scene from the preview clip. Marinette is excited to find that many people have swapped seats. From the explanation we’re given, this was a plan made before that school day. So why didn’t anybody tell Marinette about it, especially when the changes affected her more than anyone else, moving her to the back of the class to sit by herself? None of the people actually involved in the plan felt like volunteering then, huh?

Let’s talk about Marinette’s reaction to Lila and everything else going on here. She is a little aggressive towards Lila, pointing out the holes in her story, but she never makes a comment suggesting that she shouldn’t be able to sit at the front. All Marinette asks is why she should have to sit at the back. She’s pretty loose on the details, so it’s hard to read much into what the actual complaint would be there beyond literally not wanting to sit at the back of the class. She says nothing about sitting by herself, and while we could read into her not wanting to be separated from her friends (which is most likely how her classmates take it), I think if someone genuinely needed to be at the front, Marinette would gladly volunteer to move.

This is Marinette. We’ve all seen Copycat and Volpina. We know what this is about. This is about Lila lying. The show has gone to painstaking lengths to show Marinette hates lying. Which would be all well and good, a strongly developed piece of characterisation... except we’ve just had the season 2 finale. We’ve just had Catalyst & Mayura, where the major plot thread in Marinette’s civilian life was her LIE about having a grand picnic prepared for the whole school. And she decided to try to work hard to make it not a lie, and the class forgave her, but we have just had a TWO PARTER that had a plot thread about Marinette lying for no reason other than saving face in front of Chloé. She could have just accepted that people thought her good deed was a little weak - although of course, her classmates would no doubt have remember all of her many good deeds that she does for them constantly, as Adrien pointed out at the end. Marinette just told a giant lie for the most meagre of reasons, and in the multipart story you’d think they’d build on this, have it be an identity crisis for Marinette - but this is Miraculous. We don’t get that level of depth. We aren’t even shown Marinette’s apology - just everyone accepting it and moving on.

This is supposed to be about Chameleon, not Heroes’ Day. The point is, after just giving us a story in which Marinette tells a pointless lie without her suffering any repercussions, ever being expected to make amends, and in which her hatred for lying is directly highlighted by her interactions with Lila, how are we ever expected to care about this part of Marinette’s character again?

Moving on. The already infamous moment of everyone turning to Marinette, featuring Adrien’s absurd look of disgust that is, apparently, an animation error. I’m not concerned about that though. What I am concerned about is the gasps of horror from the rest of the class in that moment. Lila offers to give Marinette her seat - but Marinette never asked her to do that. She never said Lila should have to move, only complained that she should. She didn’t accept Lila’s offer, either. I can understand the class looking at Marinette for her reaction, but they acted like Marinette personally gave Lila tinnitus right there. The reaction was totally uncalled for, and is SUCH an easy audio fix to drastically improve the entire episode. People’s problem with this story going in was the idea that Marinette’s friends would turn against her so easily, and it’s such an easy fix that changes the story in no way to turn that around.

Brief aside (boy I really didn’t think this post would be this long already, sorry...); this episode seems to be setting up Lila to be Marinette’s every day antagonist now that Chloé is getting her redemption. How great would it be if Chloé, trying to be nice and deciding that after what Marinette has done for her lately she dislikes Lila more than she dislikes Marinette, Chloé stood up for her? She could be the one to point out that Jagged has a crocodile, not a kitten. But, of course, again, that would require character and relationship development, and we wouldn’t want that now, would we... Still, with the set up for Lila to be Marinette’s every day villain, maybe this will happen later. It’s notable that Chloé doesn’t have a line in this episode; she’s never fawning over Lila here, even when Sabrina is, and we get no indication that Chloé wants to be her friend, unlike in Volpina. But I digress...

Marinette proves how much better than all of this she is, however, by calming down enough by herself to resist the akuma before it could reach her.

Lunchtime. Nino glosses over Marinette’s story about Lila being a liar to point out the flaw in Marinette’s behaviour. And sure, it wasn’t a great choice, but seriously? And then Alya decides she’s a journalist first and a friend second. Of course, Marinette’s counter here should be that she was in the park and heard Ladybug calling Lila out, but it’s fair that she wouldn’t think like that in the moment - of course, she didn’t overhear that, she said it. Alternatively, Adrien could have popped up here to support Marinette, but we gotta have DRAMA.

Not sure why we should expect any of Marinette’s classmates to think about anything at all, however, because first they think nothing of Lila failing to react in pain until after Marinette speaks, and then they fall for her utter nonsense about the terrible dangers of particularly soft paper. Yeah, Myléne and Kim then yell at Marinette like she’s an enemy instead of just expressing disappointment in her out of character action like a friend, but what does that matter any more. The class aren’t being allowed to have any independent thought in regards to Lila.

Now we get to talk about something that the episode does really well! Hooray! Adrien’s interaction with Lila in the locker room is great. He knows Lila is lying, but when not transformed he has a cool head. He doesn’t know the depths of Lila’s vindictiveness. As far as he can tell, she’s a compulsive liar who could be brought around, not someone who will say whatever it takes to get what she wants. He won’t just blindly trust her after what has happened, but he has such a good heart, he wants to help. Even after Lila throws it back in his face, he’s still willing to help her.

Then Marinette (with Tikki’s encouragement) resists the akuma again, because she is also wonderful. Between this and Zombizou, Hawkmoth should really be getting suspicious about her.

Lila’s response to the akuma is fantastic. Not only being unafraid, but straight up grabbing it out of the air, and then HER giving the introductory spiel back to Hawkmoth. That’s just great. A bit weird that she acts like he wouldn’t remember her after specifically calling on her a second time, and weird that he acts like it’s a big deal that he remembers her. But that’s so minor. It’s also just so thematically strong that, once again, Lila’s powers are based on being fake, this time lying about herself rather than what’s around them.

Plagg decided that Adrien needs an enchanted kiss is such a WONDERFUL moment, it’s so out of the blue, such a diversion, and it’s hilarious. Whoever wrote that scene, assuming they didn’t write the rest of the episode, give them a raise. We need more moments like that.

Cat Noir once again taking the hit for Ladybug and being taken out of the fight. This episode definitely need to have Ladybug be the one in the fight, but one day I just wish they’d let Cat Noir take the spotlight.

A good villain is one who doesn’t just lose or fail for the sake of it. Lila had the opportunity to get a Miraculous, but chose not to due to her own personal feelings about Ladybug. That’s great. What’s not great is that Hawkmoth doesn’t try a similar akuma with a more obedient host.

Frankly, the whole actual fight is great. One thing at which this show always excels is its choreography. The defeat of Chameleon is just sublime, one of the better take-downs of a villain in the entire show. But HOW does Cat Noir not react to Ladybug’s pun here?? Miraculous is always so rushed, especially towards the end of episodes, not letting us have little character moments like that.

Nino completely falling apart without his hat is ridiculous. Alya being more concerned about him falling apart than anything to do with Marinette here is so much more so.

And now we get to the resolution. If Miraculous is bad at its openings, it is appalling at its resolutions.

Hawkmoth gives a speech about how Lila will still help him like this isn’t the third time he’s akumatised her. The specifics of this plot and the dialogue here strongly hint at the setup for Lila to ultimately see Ladybug actually akumatised, but we’ll see if that pays off. One of my predictions for this season going in was that Lila would essentially gain the ability to call on her akuma at will to become Volpina and fight as a recurring enemy in the field. But that would, of course, be far too much of a shake up to the status quo.

Adrien talks to Marinette about Lila! They’re able to talk about how they both know Lila lies. Adrien helps Marinette to understand why what she’s doing won’t help, and able to help Marinette grow as a person! This is great! Already more than I expected to get here! Good start! From how everyone else is acting with Lila, it seems like they might not be apologising any time soon, unfortunately, but Adrien letting Marinette know he’s on her side is good.

And you know, I wouldn’t have been surprised if that had been it. I wouldn’t have even minded that ending. But then THEY RAMP IT UP. First, Adrien gives Marinette such a LOOK. A seeing-her-in-a-whole-new-light kind of look. Of course, he’s given her some similar looks before, I’m definitely not expecting it to mark a change in their interaction. But it makes for great gif/photoset material, you’ll certainly see it on this blog soon.

Then he goes the next step and MOVES TO SIT WITH HER! YES! Adrien ensures that Marinette won’t be left on her own, making a physical statement that he is literally on her side. He makes clear to Marinette both that he is proud of her, and that he is happy to be at the back, giving us a spectacular new status quo set up.

Things seem great! So, of course, we can’t expect it to last. Marinette misses her name on the register, but it hardly seems like her fault, no doubt she’s just confused because Miss Bustier is reading names off in a completely random order. It’s a shame, in Stoneheart the register was read out in proper order; Agreste, Bourgeois, Bruel. But for some reason here it’s going Rossi, Agreste, Kanté, Dupain-Cheng.

Now I’m not sure if Miss Bustier genuinely thinks Marinette couldn’t hear, or she’s using that as an excuse because she knows Marinette is distracted by Adrien - but she was utterly clueless about the social dynamics earlier in the episode. A teacher wouldn’t move a student for mishearing something literally once after they’ve said there’s no issue. If it repeated, yes, but not once.

Still, as disappointing as this is, Marinette being forced to sit beside her enemy could be inte-

OH SORRY COULDN’T FINISH THE SENTENCE BEFORE THAT POTENTIAL SHAKE UP WAS RUINED. Lila claims her tinnitus is cured. And everyone just accepts it. Seriously? That’s the moment everyone should be looking at her with scrutiny, realising that they’d been duped and they should have trusted their “every day Ladybug” after all. Some actual APOLOGIES offered to Marinette. But they all just ignore it. This show’s refusal to use the word SORRY is just awful.

Now Alya... Alya takes it upon herself to act, finally...

“You didn’t think I’d let my BFF sit all by herself, did you?”

EXCUSE ME!? Yes, we most certainly did think you’d do that, because YOU LITERALLY DID EXACTLY THAT. ADRIEN is the one who made sure things changed, he was the one who decided not to leave her on her own. You made the choice on Marinette’s behalf that she would sit at the back so you could sit with Nino. Miss Bustier vaguely mentions people with vision problems needing to sit closer - except that’s exactly what their glasses are for. I’m a teacher, if we have a kid who can’t see the board we’ll move them closer, but that never happens with kids wearing glasses - typically that’s with kids who need glasses but have lost or broken them. First there was her deciding Marinette was clearly just jealous of Lila being close to Adrien in Catalyst, despite the fact that Marinette was much closer to him and showed in Frozer that she wasn’t ruled by jealousy, now this. Do the writers want us to turn against Alya? I’ve seen a theory going around that this episode was going to set up Marinette and Alya having a major fallout. But Alya acts like there’s no problem, and ONCE AGAIN FAILS TO APOLOGISE.

Adrien is great and moves back to Nino, to again say clearly to Marinette and Lila that he is on Marinette’s side. Frankly, I don’t know why Lila even wanted to sit with him again, she knows he’s wise to her crap. But this is followed by literally everyone going back to normal - and they’re all given closeups like they’re in on some great conspiratorial show of support for Marinette, while NOT. SAYING. SORRY. Cannot stress this enough. So now everything is just the same as it was, except Lila sits next to Nathaniel. We had a potential to mix up character and relationship dynamics, but we can’t have any progression now, can we.

This episode had some excellent moments. Adrien was wonderful, and the akuma fight was great. But it was bookended by utter crap and Marinette’s friends were unbearable. Yes, they’re teenagers, they’re not perfect, but this is a kids’ show. If you want to show something like this, impart a life lesson! Have Tikki point out people change as they grow up, or have everyone apologise and realise their mistake, or SOMETHING. But like I said, this show refuses to offer good resolution or progress of any kind besides new teammates and power ups. Its refusal to bend from its rigid episodic structure with monsters of the week keeps it utterly stagnant, and means that many major plot points get ignored for extended periods - I found it rather jarring that Hawkmoth didn’t have his own actual plot in the episode. No development with Gabriel and Nathalie, no suspicion raised about Marinette.

Of course, the dumbest part about the whole episode is that those benches can EASILY fit at least three people, nobody actually needed to move at all.

As ever, my feelings about all this are just that this show has such great potential, wonderful ideas, and strong characters. But it squanders it all, time after time, and I doubt it will ever change... but that’s why I love this fandom so much; because we take all of that, and turn it into so much wonderful art, so many wonderful stories...

[webcricket]

Looking Glass

Chapter 1 - Of Monsters and Heroes

Pairing: CastielXAU!Reader

Word Count: 1298

Summary: A summer hiatus series. The reader is a refugee from the apocalypse AU where angels pursue humans with righteous wrath under the rule of the archangel Michael. Against all odds, the reader awakens in a world where the apocalypse never happened and not everyone is who they seem to be. Does her heart truly long to save her world, or does it belong now to the last person she ever expected to give it to?

A/N: Chapters will be 1-2K a piece, bridging episode 13X18 Bring ‘em Back Alive [original post said 13X22 Exodus in error] through the finale and its aftermath (warning for SEASON 13 SPOILERS). The plan is to post an update every Thursday through the summer. Expect a smidgen of everything - angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, episode insert/coda, and smut.

Have a Masterlist Link!

Hot grit of sand between toes. Brown ridged swirl of a sea shell somehow cool to the touch on a day when everything else shimmers beneath reflective heat. Clean brine scent of breeze tangling salt-laced locks. Buttery soft taste of salt water taffy melting on tongue. Running into a wave. Twisting to brace against the impact. Limbs wild, body weightless, diving below the surface into enveloping silence – the endless blue sky and golden halo of sun an iridescent blur from this watery vantage.

When you break from the sea in a bubble burst of laughter to inhale a lungful of life there’s a man waiting. You’ve seen him before, but not here. He doesn’t belong here in his blackened overcoat, thick mass of chestnut hair parted in a harsh line to one side, a greased apparition of malevolence lurking in your happy haven of a summer day and bringing ruination to this bastion of safety in a bleak world no longer safe. Lazy sun-kissed weekends do not exist in this realm, his realm.

He leans in nearer until the ocean tide rolls back in fearful retreat from his rasping breath and you are left exposed and thrashing, shriveling in the unrelenting scorching rays of the sun.

He cups your cheeks, touch soft and tender as you recoil in repulsion. Pressing his forehead to yours, he whispers, “Be still,” in a language you do not comprehend and through no will of your own you go limp and feel a sense of comfort flowing through your veins – a spreading sort of numbness and tingling warmth to which it would be inviting to succumb.

You fight the soothing sensation, rallying your parched throat and tongue to quiver a meek protesting moan – a practically inaudible gulp denoting your crumbling resistance. You know what he offers is false. The reprieve will be fleeting – just long enough for you to regather your senses so he might sadistically smash them once more.

Features a collection of uncontrollable chaotic convulsions verging on fondness, he nuzzles his nose to your cheek, the gentle and intimate act in stark contrast to his dark demeanor and the unforgiving manner with which he treated your dearly departed comrades, one of whom is rotting in the far corner, mouth agape in awe. Working his way toward your ear, his words emerge as a lilting hum that raises the hair on the back of your neck. “Have you had enough of this yet? Will you talk? It’s simple, little one. Tell me what I must know and all of this will end. Yes?”

Your gaze flits from your dead friend opposite to the glossy pair of black leather gloves carefully laid out on the table behind your tormentor. A single beam of sunshine streaming through a boarded window illuminates them and the haze of dust hanging in the air. Forced to remove them to ply his trade of torture, you wonder briefly about the caged anger that must be provoked by the ritual and unleashed in this celestial creature who wears them to avoid begriming himself of the earth.

Grasping you by the jaw, rough fingers digging into your flesh in mounting impatience, he snaps your chin to the side to study your expressionless aspect. “Or do not tell me, and I will crack your skull to find the pretty pearl of knowledge you contain.”

Blinking, vision blurred by salt you’re certain came not from tears but from that long ago sea, you look into his milky white eye – opaque and dull like a dead fish – and the other shining sinister blue. You slowly shake your head no.

“Very well, my little one.” His upper lip skips and starts into a satisfied sneer. His fingers glide to encircle your brow.

Someone is screaming. Your brain feels like bursting with a pressure building from the inside out. Lava, molten and oozing, edges to erupt at the temples. Your teeth grit until every root rebels against the jaw, a mouthful of smoldering coals you cannot spit out. The metallic tang of blood from the chomped flesh inside a cheek chokes your vibrating throat.

The memories surge all at once – in a single second, less than a second – too much for a human brain to handle as he sifts through them. Nuances of the past rise and assert themselves in no particular order and the screaming grows louder. The man rips through every one of those recollections and sets the shattered remnants ablaze. He does not find what he seeks in this corner of conflagration, and so he delves deeper still, igniting the awkward remembrance of a first kiss at the county fair at the peak of a Ferris wheel.

A patter of gunfire, the displeased gravel growl of your angelic persecutor, and the tentative brush of lips coated with the sticky sweet residue of cotton candy to yours are the last things you experience before everything shifts to nothing.

“Over here, she’s breathing!” Dean shouts and stoops over your folded form, two fingers pressed to your jugular. He squints at your blanched lips, concerned greens roaming your pale skin, spattered purple and raw in more spots than not and caked with filth. He feels a persistent ragged pulse and begins to untie you from the chair to which you are bound. He winces as he unlashes cords buried deep into sinew and bone – evidence of your struggle.

Arthur Ketch stows one of his two withdrawn guns and steals up behind the hunter to examine his finding. Excluding the angel who managed to escape them in an armored truck, you are the sole survivor, barely flush with life, in a blood-saturated cabin significantly smaller than the mass grave of bodies heaped outside and the singed wingspans of the two dead angels out back. Humming his critical nasal summation of the scene, he eyes the jagged end of green-tinged bone protruding from the sopping wet crimson stained fabric of your pant leg and curls his lip in aversion.

Dean glowers over his shoulder at his unhelpful cohort, asking, “What?”

Ketch gestures the business end of his gun in your general direction and shrugs. “Look at her, she’s beyond saving. That fracture has festered too long. Best put her out of her misery and keep moving. We haven’t time for charity.”

Dean reaches out to swat away the smooth steel barrel of the gun and, repositioning himself between you and the itchy trigger finger Englishman, continues working on your binds, muttering, “You really are a heartless bastard.”

Ketch arches a brow, correcting, “I prefer the term pragmatic. Being a hero gets you killed.”

Dean slices through the final coil of rope around your ankle and snorts, “What about being human?”

Ketch’s heightened brow sinks into a fissure of forehead. “She’ll only slow us down. Even if she was conscious, she can’t walk.”

“I’m getting her out of here.” Dean winds one hand behind your waist and the other beneath your knees, trying his best to be delicate in his movements so as not injure you further internally or exacerbate the visible wounds.

“And then what? What’s the plan? We’ve less than two hours to get back to the rift. I don’t recall any hospitals on our route of return.” Ketch shuffles aside, watching Dean do all the grunt work of lifting your broken and bloodied figure.

“Then I take her to the bunker and figure it out from there.” Dean hoists you, cradling you in his arms. He marches forward, kicks at the door, and sunshine swallows your shared silhouettes as he steps outside.

In the brightness spilling into the cabin, Ketch admires the burnished leather gloves forgotten in haste on the table. He tucks them in his pocket for safekeeping and follows Dean into the fray.

Next: Ch. 2 - Welcome to Bunkerland

[phenomenalcosmicpowers]

IMPORTANT INFO/THOUGHTS ON THE RECENT BIG MLP LEAK

NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO SPECIFIC SPOILERS IN THE INITIAL PART OF THIS NOTE THOUGH SOME IMPORTANT FUTURE STUFF THAT I THINK IS WORTH MENTIONING SO WE CAN PREPARE FOR IT WILL BE OUTLINED. IF YOU WANT TO AVOID ANY KIND OF SPOILERS REGARDING SEASON 8 AND/OR EQUESTRIA GIRLS. DO NOT CLICK AFTER THE BREAK.

Hey everyone, this weekend we surely got a big shake up in news recently with a huge leak that contains plans for the future of MLP from as early as next year for Season 8 to as late as 2020-2021. Now I won’t mention any specifics right out in public view. I’ll keep some thoughts on what I know for after the break. So if you don’t mind delving into what was revealed and are curious of what my impressions are on things. Then feel free to check after the break. Otherwise, ignore it if you’re in no mood for any spoilers right now.

There are however a few things we now know from this leak that I think is especially important to know. I don’t count it as a spoiler because this is the kind of thing that’s always in the back of our minds especially with a show that’s gone on for this long so we can prepare for it : The question of when will it end, and furthermore... what will come after?

According to plans laid out in the leak. Season 9 will be the final season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

And that’s not all, it might very well be the end of Generation 4 as a whole. As concept art of what looks to be the beginnings of a Generation 5 coming in 2020-2021 were revealed as well.

So as it stands, we have at least 2-3 years left of the current show/generation we’ve come to enjoy. With an uncertain future ahead as from what we can gather, already looks to have some odd changes that will certainly at least take many people some time getting used to for those most familiar with G4 (Specifics on why that is will be mentioned below the break)

This is absolutely the biggest takeaway that I think needs to be spread amongst the fandom. So we can properly prepare for the show’s ending. It’ll be sad when the final episode has aired. But I think by then in our hearts we’ll know it had a good run.  9 Seasons, a feature-length movie, and a decently successful spin-off series is going to be a tough act to follow even if G5′s show turns out to be good. The only regret I’d say is I wish the MLP movie we got came sooner in this generation’s lifetime so there could of been a chance at a 2nd movie that could of improved on some things. Or at the very least have a 2nd movie be G4′s true finale to really go out with a bang. Instead, the next movie will serve as the pilot for G5 which will come with some amount of uncertainty.

As for how this effects Genie Twilight related matters. I fully intend to ride it out to the final season and final episode response. And definitely last at least a little after the show has officially ended. I just can’t be 100% sure if I’ll be still going by the time Generation 5 begins. With the end of G4 incoming, I do have to start thinking on ending this blog eventually too. This won’t be until at least 2-3 years from now, alot can change in that time. But nothing lasts forever. I’m full of uncertainty myself about it. I’m not so sure what I’ll move on to after I’m finished. But at least I have a fair bit of time to figure that out.

Now, I’ll leave off to after the break that will contain impressions of some of what I know from the leak. So if you’re avoiding spoilers this is where you can feel free to leave off here. If you want to talk about any of what I mentioned, however. Feel free to drop off some asks over on my mod blog

LAST WARNING: SPOILERS FOR SEASON 8, EQUESTRIA GIRLS, AND EVEN A BIT OF GENERATION 5 WILL BE MENTIONED

(BIG SPACE TO MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE HARDLY ANYONE ACCIDENTALLY READS THESE)

SEASON 8

- Spike will grow Dragon Wings: I ACTUALLY CALLED THIS BACK IN SEASON 4! (Check at about the 4th frame) I personally think this is cool. I’ve always imagined a fully grown alicorn Twilight riding Spike as a giant flying dragon places

- Twilight starts a friendship school of different species: I think this is a pretty neat idea. I’ll be interested to see where that goes

EQUESTRIA GIRLS

- Sci-Twi will visit Equestria: Oh I am definitely hyped for this, I did kinda want to see a vice-versa of the situation of Twilight in the first EQG movie learning to be human done with Sci-Twi. Glad it will happen. Sci-Twi will even be a unicorn, which is the right call. Even if that will be a little strange since she gets wings when she ponies ups, but in all of making sense she should just be a regular unicorn.  It’d be some strange logic that because one Twilight ascended, her alternate self does too. The only other explanation would be the magic that transformed her into Midnight Sparkle also ascended her. But then Sunset would also have to be an Alicorn after the angel form she got. And that wasn’t exactly the case when she returned to Equestria in the special where she met Starlight

GENERATION 5

- Character design/changes: Now there isn’t much of G5 revealed but just from the character design we can see how this could differ from what we’re familiar with from G4. It looks like the Mane 6 will be back as the concept art showed 4 of the 6. Rarity seems to have been kept in tact. Applejack... certainly has been spruced up quite a bit. And probably not in a way that G4 Applejack would approve of. However the strangest changes seem to be outright race swaps. G5 Fluttershy will be a unicorn. I suppose they wanted a Fluttershy for every main type. Fluttershy’s G1 counterpart was Posey, who was an earth pony. G5 Twilight will go from Unicorn-turned-Alicorn to an earth pony. Also for some reason her eyes are light blue instead of what they usually are. Of the colored concept art we have, Fluttershy and AJ have their previous eye colors but Twilight doesn’t. It’s making me think like if they are merging Twilight and Pinkie in G5. I doubt it as I think Pinkie is probably one of the more marketable characters. But this change might be even more jarring then Applejack’s new design in transition from G4 to G5. It’s also making me think Twilight may not exactly be the MAIN main character in G5. She’ll definitely still be an important character, but probably not the one most focused on. Of course this is all speculation on one concept art pic. And since G5 is still in the conceptual stage alot can change but this will be something that could worry fans jumping from G4 to G5. Feel free to judge for yourself though.

- CGI Animated: I’m a bit sad about this admittedly. It’s not that I hate 3D animation it’s just there’s so much over exposure and would like some degree of 2D animation still around. I just hope that it will be good looking 3D animation. Part of the appeal of FiM was the flash animation we got had appealing enough design and movement that even got better with each season. And of course there was the gorgeousness that was the MLP Movie’s animation. 3D Movies can look good, but I think there’s a lot more cases of it being rather jarring then you get with 2D Animation. We’ll have to see how it’s all executed later. But definitely put this on the list of reasons G4 fans might be uncertain about G5

That’s all I have for now. Overall excited to see what’s coming up in Season 8 but quite uncertain when it comes to many things about G5. This is still a little ways from now, and some things could certainly be subject to change. But given this concerns the end of a show that sparked the massive fandom it did, it’s kind of important to get the subject of how it’ll all end and what will come in place of it sooner rather then later. I’d rather know now then expecting a Season 10 when Season 9 is in progress and caught by surprise when we get the news that it ends soon.

[ethanalter]

'Star Trek: Discovery' postmortem: Jason Isaacs on fan theories, and taking a knee

Jason Isaacs as Gabriel Lorca and Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham in ‘Star Trek: Discovery.’ (Photo: Jan Thijs/CBS)

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the “Context is for Kings” episode of Star Trek: Discovery.

Farewell, Philippa Georgiou, and welcome Gabriel Lorca. The third episode of Star Trek: Discovery‘s freshman season finally introduced us to the show’s titular ship, and it’s morally complex captain played by Jason Isaacs. Fortunately, there are still a few familiar personnel aboard the Discovery, most notably disgraced first officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), whose actions aboard the good ship Shenzhou in the first two episodes cost Captain Georgiou her life and Burnham her freedom. It also led the nascent Federation into a devastating war with the Klingon Empire. Against this wartime backdrop, Burnham is in the midst of a prison transfer when her ship is re-routed under mysterious circumstances and she winds up on the Discovery.

Make no mistake: Michael is still a prisoner of sorts. But instead of a jail cell, her sentence is serving Lorca on his mission to find a way to defeat the Klingons by any means necessary. It’s new territory for Star Trek, which previously was known for offering a utopian vision of the future where war is waged honorably. As Isaacs tells Yahoo Entertainment, though, Lorca doesn’t have the freedom to be honorable. In a spirited back-and-forth, the British actor defended his character’s actions, poked holes in some of our Discovery theories, and enthusiastically endorsed his crewmates’ real-life decision to take a knee.

Before Discovery aired, you teased that Lorca was going to be a very different Starfleet officer, and this episode definitely establishes that he’s a darker character. I don’t know about dark. This is pre-TOS and pre-Federation directives. Discovery is not on a peaceful mission to explore; they’re fighting for survival! It’s an existential battle against a superior enemy. And it’s people like Lorca that you need in times like this. He’s been given license, and the Federation is looking the other way, supposedly. They want to keep their hands clean. But when the war is not going well, we all know that the Geneva Convention gets shoved under the carpet. This is a guy who has been told, “Do whatever you need, hire whoever you want, and behave in whatever ways are necessary.” He’s going to do that because he sees his job as saving the Federation and everyone who lives in it.

I say “dark” in relation to previous Trek captains, who have been a bit more virtuous in their goals. Well, the previous captains haven’t been at war! My captain, Captain Kirk, had a rather bellicose nature when necessary. Had he been at war, he was perfectly capable of firing on people and killing people. There was a macho swagger to a lot of the stuff he did. But he was in a very different situation. I wouldn’t send Lorca to be in charge of an exploratory vessel, but I would send him as part of the tip of the spear when you’re being shot at.

We learn about the nature of the Discovery in this episode, which seems to exist as a kind of “off the books” ship tasked with a clandestine mission. Discovery is ostensibly a science vessel filled with people who signed up during peacetime to be explorers. So Lorca’s going to have to knock them back into shape at some point, because there’s a threat the scale of which no one has experienced before. And that’s frustrating for him. That’s one of the reasons to recruit Burnham, who has already shown her colors, in that she’s prepared to do what’s necessary and strategize out of the box. He needs people like that round him who will be loyal to him when push comes to shove.

That would explain why he stages that jailbreak… Oh, you’re saying he orchestrated the jailbreak? Interesting theory. I’d love to see what the other fans think of that. [Laughs] He certainly takes advantage of it, and he may have brought her into the sector. But I’m not necessarily sure the evidence exists to convict in open court. But yeah, they’re panicking. Remember this is 10 years before the Prime Directives are in place, and alliances are still being formed and the Federation is still forming itself. By the time you meet Lorca, the war has been on for a while, and casualties are mounting. In fact, it looks like the Klingons are going to win! It’s such a different circumstance than any other series has ever been in.

As a science vessel, Discovery does seem to be developing new kinds of weapons for warfare. Burnham even suspects that Lorca is creating a biological weapon. She thinks there’s a biological weapon, but it’s not a new way to kill — it’s a new way to journey. This spore-based network allows you to travel from anywhere to anywhere in an instant. That would make the Discovery completely invulnerable in any kind of attack situation and give [the Federation] the edge we need. It’s not a weapon, so he has no moral compunction against using it, and if it had been a weapon, he probably wouldn’t either. She thinks the worst of him, because unlike her previous captain with whom she had a very maternal relationship, this guy is keeping to himself. She’s suspicious of why someone would choose her and give her a second shot, and what new moral minefield she might be asked to tiptoe through given what happened to her the last time.

Lorca may not be building a biological weapon, but keeping that creature they find on the dead ship suggests that he’s not adverse to expanding his arsenal beyond photon torpedoes and phasers. He’s thinking of how to use anything. The Klingons are a warrior race and the Federation is soft. All the normal rules are suspended for him and his ship’s activities. So you’re damn right he’s going to take anything from anywhere and see if he can get something useful out of it.

Some fans have wondered whether Discovery should have been set later in the Star Trek timeline as opposed to before The Original Series. For you, is there something specific about the series that makes this particular era the right time period? There’s a billion people with great ideas, and any of them would have been free at any stage during the last 12 years to write their own TV series. One of the things [the producers] wanted to do, I think, was go before everything else because they didn’t have to engage in what was part of canon, and instead feel free to invent and have things happen that hadn’t happened yet. So the people going, “It would have been better if…,” that’s an easy game to play, the Monday morning quarterback. What happened is that [CBS] got a bunch of people who love Trek and said, “We’ll give you an unimaginable amount of money to do the very best thing you can that makes it feel like it was a worthwhile venture to make another Star Trek series.” And they have and continue to do so.

Hoping to forget politics for one night and bask in other people’s glory at the #Netflix #Emmys party and who do I spot at the bar late at night but the poisonous purveyor of lies #SeanSpicer. What were the Emmys thinking celebrating this modern day Goebbels, who was the thuggish face of Orwellian doublespeak just moments ago? Three surprising things about him: 1) He comes about up to my nipples 2) He doesn’t think he should hide himself under a rock from shame for the rest of his life. 3) He’s deeply unattractive, from the inside out. Has the aura of a giant festering abscess. Strange, since he was so charismatic at the (elevated) podium. #TooSoon #MuchTooSoon

A post shared by Jason Isaacs (@therealjasonisaacs) on Sep 18, 2017 at 11:34am PDT

I do want to ask about two real-world incidents that crossed over with Star Trek a little bit. On Emmy night, you published a much-circulated Instagram post taking surprise guest Sean Spicer to task. Did you expect that to get as much coverage as it did? I was standing with a bunch of people, and we were saying the same things to each other, so I have no doubt that they went home and tweeted it out as well. For some odd reason, the Andy Warhol “15-seconds of fame” spotlight landed on me that night. But there were many people who felt the same thing. To be fair — not to Sean Spicer, because I have no desire to be fair to him — the thing I was really frustrated about was that Trump had been at the UN threatening to wage war. So Spicer was there as a representative of something that I found morally repulsive and got the brunt of my frustration. I could care less about the minutia of politics, but when someone is trying to ferment hatred and threatening war and boasting of sexually assaulting women — those things I find shocking.

#StarTrekDiscovery #takeaknee

A post shared by Sonequa Martin-Green (@therealsonequa) on Sep 24, 2017 at 10:09pm PDT

The Discovery cast also recently appeared in a photo which showed them joining the “take a knee” protest. You weren’t in the picture, but were you with them in spirit? I posted something saying that, in the spirit of Gene Roddenberry, I wish I was on the set now, because I’d take a knee. I had no idea that all my friends were somewhere else with a photograph of them on their knee!

In the spirit of Gene Roddenberry – If I could take one knee on the bridge I would.#StarTrekDiscovery

— Jason Isaacs (@jasonsfolly) September 24, 2017

What’s hilarious, and also painful, is the number of people who misunderstand what Star Trek has always been about and why Gene Roddenberry created this radical, revolutionary, disruptive TV series. At a time of such unrest, there was a show where women, African-Americans, Russians, and Asians were all working together in a utopian vision of the future. He was all about equality and freedom of speech, so the number of people who have come out of the woodwork online and said it was a disgrace and that Roddenberry would be furious — I’m pretty sure that Gene Roddenberry was all about that kind of collective action and protest. The great privilege we enjoy in the free Western countries is that we can have those debates. When people attempt to shut debate down, I’m stunned. It’s the very part of what makes us great.

Star Trek: Enterprise streams new episodes Sundays at 8:30 p.m. on CBS All Access.

Read more from Yahoo: ‘Star Trek’: The evolution of the Prime Universe 10 ‘Star Trek’ cameos you might not remember The evolving looks of ‘Star Trek’ crews from ‘The Original Series’ to ‘Discovery’

[wendiuh]

Hey hey hey question! 😄 I've been wanting to start the fate series for awhile, and there was one I had watched some time ago, but I've realized there is multiple series? I've noticed you like it so I was hoping you could help me figure out where to start, what order to go in...? Thanks in advance dearie!

You have no idea how happy i was to see this ask omg girl I’m in Fate hell. This will get lengthy, so beware haha. If you have any other questions, feel free to come to me! If it becomes too much reading (I think it’s like 1.5k words oops) just scroll to the bottom for the summary XD. I’ll put my essay explanation under the cut:

If you’re completely new to Fate, then allow me to explain how the story is set up structure-wise. It is split into 3 separate routes that start off from the same point. Each route has a set heroine/love interest and explore different aspects of the story and characters. These routes are viewed in the order of Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven’s Feel. Fate focuses on the character Saber, UBW focuses on Tohsaka Rin, and HF focuses on Matou Sakura.

Now the first thing all faithful Fate watchers would say is to read the original visual novel. I, however, did not start with this, but it is easy to see why people recommend this first. The Nasuverse (the world of Fate and other related series, named after creater Kinoko Nasu) is a very, very detailed world that has so many aspects to it. Reading the original story will definitely provide the most helpful context. I am currently reading the VN now to get a better understanding of the universe, and it is pretty enjoyable, but can get pretty slow.

Fair warning, though. The original VN is an adult game, meaning it is somewhat gory and deals with adult themes (aka sex). There was a re-release of it without any sex scenes called Realta Nua. I wont provide any links on this post on how get the VN, but there’s definitely YouTube videos out there to help.

If sitting through 80+ hours of reading isn’t your thing, and I don’t blame you if it isn’t, then we must turn to the animes. That’s where things get complicated.

There are 3 currently accessible animes out there set in the Fate/sn universe. There’s the orginal anime from 2006 that “covers” the 1st route, Fate, and was made by Studio Deen. I’m going to refer to this as Deen/stay night. I put the word “covers” in quotes because many Fate fans view this adaptation as a disgrace. I didn’t watch it, but many say it tries too hard to cover the story of the visual novel and somewhat combines the routes. Basically, it tried to adapt all of the visual novel but under the cover of the route Fate. However, it does seem to serve as an okay introduction to the Fate universe in general since it is the first anime adaptation out there.

In terms of release date, next comes the famous adaptation of Fate/zero by ufotable. This is a prequel follows the events prior to the beginning of Fate/stay night, and is hands down a phenomenal series in general. Many view FZ as a classic and a wonderful story, but it does have a few spoilers in terms of some big revelations that happen in the Stay Night routes. If you want to watch an amazing series and you’re okay with some spoilers for the main series, start here. As for me, I didn’t start here because I wanted to save it for last because of how many people that praised it.

Finally comes the UBW anime (the series by ufotable. Not the movie!). Commonly known as Unlimited Budget Works for its beautiful animation, this series focuses on the VN’s second route. This was released after FZ, so I do think ufotable made this series thinking fans already watched the prequel. However, I did start with this series first. Though there were some confusing points, I was able to understand most of the anime and it was pretty good. It took a second watch for me to fully understand the plot, but that’s kind of how a lot of animes work. You never enjoy the full scope of the series until you rewatch it. Both this series and FZ got at least 3 times better when I rewatched it, and that is saying a lot considering how much I liked them the first time through.

So, which one do you start with and what order to watch it in? For the sake of chronology, watch Deen/stay night, then FZ, then UBW. If you want to skip Deen/stay night (which is okay to do), then it is up to you what you want to watch first.

In my opinion, watch UBW first, then FZ. This saves the more serious and dark series for last, which will make the transition to the tone of the upcoming Heaven’s Feel adaptation movies more smooth.

But I think either way you watch the series will still get you a good amount of exposure to the Nasuverse. It’s complicated to start, but once you’re in, it gets better. Heck, even if you don’t fully get immersed into the universe, the 2 ufotable animes are still stellar and carry heavy messages as well as are pretty much eye candy thanks to that animation quality.

But what about all those other things with “Fate/” stamped onto it?

There are a couple of other major Fate installments out there, but they are NOT taking place in the Stay night universe. They are AUs that overall expand the lore of the Nasuverse (and also give the creators some more money lol). These include:

Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA - A magical girl AU that is extremely different from Fate/sn. I think one should watch this after they finish the Stay Night series, but don’t feel forced to watch it, for it is completely non-canon.

Fate/apocrypha - This anime is currently airing as of my writing of this post. It follows a parallel universe “what if” situation. If this one certain event in history happened differently, then the events of Stay Night turn into this. This deals with completely different characters and set up. I only watched a few episodes of this anime and found it is probably most enjoyable to those familiar with the Nasuverse.

Fate/extra - Another parallel universe series coming out. Just like Apocrypha, this deals with new characters in general.

Fate/hollow ataraxia - A sequel Visual Novel to the original Stay Night story. Same characters and world, but 6 months later. It is another adult VN game, so it’s pretty much half-lore expansion and half-fanservice. 

Fate/prototype - This is a 1-episode OVA of Kinoko Nasu’s first envision of the series. There are some minor differences lore-wise, and the characters are mainly the same, save for a few design differences and gender swaps.

Carnival Phantasm - Ever watch those “crack” videos on YouTube? Like “Fairy Tail Crack” or “Boku no Hero Academia Crack”? These videos take an anime and make jokes out of its content and have many, many memes. Well, Carnival Phantasm is exactly that. It combines many series of the Nasuverse (mainly the Fate/stay night series and Nasu’s other work, Tsukihime) and makes it into a joyful, cute, hilarious, and downright amazing anime. It is filled with inside jokes of the universe and has some spoilers, so save this anime for last. I did skip the Tsukihime skits simply because I didn’t get the jokes, but there’s a montage of all the Fate skits on YouTube here. This series is the source of many, many fandom memes. You don’t have to watch it, but it is so funny.

Fate/Grand Order - A 1-episode OVA that adapts the first storyline of the famous mobile game with the same name. It is another parallel universe of some sort. New characters with some familiar faces of the Stay Night universe. The game is currently released in Japan and North America on the iTunes and Google Play store. It may be a waifu and husbando collector, but it is so addicting…

To conclude, there really isn’t a right answer that I can give you. But here’s my suggestion (aka the way I watched the anime):

1. Watch the Unlimited Blade Works anime by ufotable.

2. Watch Fate/zero.

3. If you want to rewatch then watch the first season of the UBW anime again, then watch FZ again, then watch the second season of UBW. Totally optional, but a fun way to watch the 2 series imo.

4. If you are okay with spoilers for Heaven’s Feel, watch Carnival Phantasm for the Fate sketches. By spoilers I mean there are some jokes from that series that rooted from Heaven’s Feel, but you may only catch them if you squint. It never explicitly spoils the story.

5. Watch the Heaven’s Feel movies. Only 1 out of the 3 is currently out/coming out internationally in theaters, so I guess just try to watch the first 1 if it is available to you at this point?

Feel free to start the visual novel if you want. In regards to the other series I mentioned, they are optional as well.

If you watch UBW and FZ and feel that there are a lot of unanswered questions, then expect Heaven’s Feel to address those issues. Remember that even though the 3 routes are all different stories, they are written in a way that you don’t get the whole picture until you have completed all three routes (too bad the Fate route anime is completely butchered and unreliable plot-wise. But I think you can manage without it. It’s more of an introduction to the story than anything else.)

Hope you understood what I was saying! Again, please message me if you have any questions or just want to talk about the series with me! I am in absolute hell with this universe so don’t hesitate to talk to me!

[fortunatowrites]

The Reddit Unresolved Plot List and my Rebuttal

A not-comprehensive list of ongoing or abandoned* plotline:

Uldren Sov

Mara Sov

Dul Incaru and the Dreaming City Curse

Eris Morn and the Pyramid Ships

Mithrax and the House of Light

The Traveler being awake/alive again

Ra-ra-rasputin

The Iron Lords (Remember when we became the Young Wolf and started a new tradition of Iron Lords, theoretically?)

Drifter and his gambit

Shin Malphur and his gambit

Praedyth

The entire fucking Cabal Empire. We beheaded them, remember?

Calus and his plans

The Nine and their plans to try and get some hawt bodies

Savathun and whateverthefuck she's up to

Xivu Arath and whateverthefuck she's up to

No Speaker anymore

Cayde's dead and the Hunters don't have a Vanguard

Petra Venj and the Awoken

The Exo Stranger

And many more...

*abandoned as in apparently abandoned, as in haven't been mentioned, progressed or what have you in some time

=

So this is where I’m typing now. We’re going to assume that “some time” refers to at least two expansions ago. We’re going to count Season of the Forge, Joker’s Wild, and Opulence as one expansion and Season of the Undying will count as part of Shadowkeep’s expansion. So we’ve got several points of talk. Pre-Destiny 2, Destiny 2, Curse of Osiris, Warmind, Forsaken, Seasons, and Undying.

Now let’s crack through that list with what has been the most recent update in these plot lines.

Be warned. Everything below will be a spoiler. So if you’re not caught up in the current Season of the Undying, you run the risk of being spoiled.

1. Uldren Sov. This is by far the easiest of the bunch. During the Season of the Forge, we actually got an update on this guy. Personally, I thought we had reached the end of his story when he died at the end of the Forsaken Campaign. I’ve got plenty more to say on this but will wait for the post dedicated to this one.

2. Mara Sov. Forsaken’s post campaign content was almost entirely about this lady. We’re not sure what she’s currently up to, but it’s been 2 seasons since we’ve heard from her.

3. Dul Incanu and the Dreaming City Curse. Same as Mara Sov.

4. Eris Morn and the Pyramid Ships. This is ridiculous to even be on this list. The pyramid ships were seen at the end of D2 and now we’ve finally gotten a definite answer on that they are part of the darkness. Eris Morn and her moon fireteam have gotten a lot of lore updates from Shadowkeep.

5. Mithrax and the House of Light. I’m not sure anyone even knew Mithrax was important after our first encounter with him on Titan in D2 as part of a side mission. In forsaken, we get lore about him working with guardians and in Seasons (Season of Joker’s Wild) we got this big mission involving him and some more lore. In Shadowkeep we’ve heard more talk of his House of Light from Toland, but not much else. Wouldn’t call it abandoned just yet.

6. The Traveler’s Awakening. To be fair, this has been an over-hyped subject. They made it seem like there was going to be serious change or fallout due to this happening, but we haven’t seen much of what it means. In Curse, we learned it’s messed with the Vex’s Infinite Forest, but other than that, it’s implied that it awoke the Pyramid Ships. So maybe Shadowkeep is the last update we’ve had since it involves the pyramid ships, but overall I feel like there isn’t much more to gain from the awakening. Here’s hoping I’m wrong though.

7. Rasputin. This feels a little abandoned, but also doesn’t feel like there’s more to be explored here. Since Warmind, he’s been awake and apparently launching more satellites to deal with threats and help guardians, but that is a little in the air. There’s stuff about all his protocols that we could learn more about, but otherwise, I don’t agree that there is a hanging plotline here.

8. The Iron Lords. Again, this one feels like reaching. While it would be nice to get an update on the new Iron Lords since there’s apparently guardians taking up the mantle, there isn’t really a hanging plot line either. Nothing foreshadowed to be followed up on.

9. Drifter and his gambit. Season of Joker’s Wild aka Season of the Drifter gave us a lot of info about him. The last update we had was in Season of Opulence (Seasons) where we know he met with Calus and he seems to be against the darkness. There’s more to learn here for sure, but I don’t feel it’s been abandoned yet.

10. Shin Malphur and his gambit. In Season of Opulence we get the Lumina quest and resolution to his and the Shadows of Yor story.

11. Praedyth. We literally just lore books featuring him in Season of the Undying.

12. Cabal Empire. In Forsaken we learn a lot of them are in the Prison of Elders and the rest are scattered like the Fallen’s House of Dusk. Furthermore, in the next season, Season of Dawn, we’re going to get some Cabal plot as they’re trying to use the Infinite Forest to rewrite their loss of the Red War.

13. The Nine. These guys have been a big mystery for sometime and we’ve still got a lot to learn about them I believe. The last big thing we heard about them was Season of Joker’s Wild (Seasons).

14. Savathun. Shadowkeep has stuff in it about her, though not much. We know she’s connected to the Red Keep and trying to become the new Oryx essentially.

15. Xivu Arath. The last we’ve heard about her is Forsaken with her forces being sent into the Dreaming City and an Ogre of hers being within the Prison of Elders.

16. No Speaker. This is one I will agree with. We get lore entries that reference the fact we’re missing one, but no actual plot progressing information. This feels a bit abandoned.

17. Cayde’s Death and the Empty Vanguard position. We’ve actually gotten some updates on these. Cayde’s Death feels done by now but in Season of Joker’s Wild we got updates about how others are reacting to it. Such as the Praxic Order thinking our guardian being a potential suspect in the involvement of such. As for the Empty Vanguard position, it’s almost like the No Speaker position but we have gotten updates about it. Ikora speaks of it in lore in that same Season and mentions viable candidates fled the city. 

18. Petra Venj and the Awoken. Once more, Forsaken handled a good bit of this. I would even say that Petra is just synonymous with the Dreaming City curse plot line at this point. As for the Awoken themselves, we definitely learned a ton about them from Forsaken lore and the fate of the Dispensary seems to tie in to this as well. Definitely seems a bit early to call it an abandoned/forgotten plot or one that’s been going for too long without resolution or update.

19. The Exo Stranger. The last update about the Exo Stranger was in Warmind, but granted that is allegedly. There’s a lot of lore that implies her identity, but there are certainly more questions to be answered about her and the fact she seemed to be working with a group in Destiny’s campaign. Yet, I don’t feel there’s an open plot on the subject. Her main mystery was just who she was.

If there’s anything else you’d like me to speak on or look into, please feel free to send a message. Expect some write ups on these subjects that go more into detail about what we know so far in the coming days. (If i dont decide against it or just get too caught up in playing games)

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 14 -- The Fair Folk -- Review/Discussion

I am so sorry that this review is so late. I had a majority of this review written right after 2x14 came out but there was one part of the review I was really struggling to write. I wasn’t very happy with it and I still don’t really like how it came out but I hope everyone understands where I’m coming from on that part. If you don’t and think I’m a bitch, fine you’re allowed to have your opinion and I’ll respect it. Bitch though I may be, I still ask that you respect my opinions.

Here we are again with another Shadowhunters review. This time it’s Shadowhunters Season 2 Episode 14, The Fair Folk. This episode pretty much marks everything I’ve come to expect with a Shadowhunters episode. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t particularly love it either. You know, I used to enjoy re-watching the episodes when I prepare for these reviews but these days, it’s starting to feel like actual work.

This is going to be an honest review of my thoughts and feelings regarding this episode. If you’re the kind of Shadowhunters fan where you only want to hear positive things about the show, this is not the place for you. If you decide to stick around and get offended by what is said, then that’s on you. I warned you. Just know that if you send me any rude comments or messages, I will 100% ignore you. I find that’s the best way to deal with bullies. I work 14 hour days. Do you really think I want to waste my incredibly valuable free time dealing with derogatory comments? Hell no. This review will consist of my honest opinions. Opinions are never right or wrong. I’m not telling you how to think and feel. I’m telling you what I think and feel. So please, let’s discuss with dignity and respect. If I’m critical about the show, it’s only because I want it to get better. There is, in fact, a difference between hating a show and being critical of it. I do not hate Shadowhunters; I am being critical and analyzing the flaws as I would with any other show. There are positives but there are also negatives. It’s great if you want to promote positivity with this show (and I encourage you to do so) but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t acknowledge the things that are legitimately wrong with it. Also, keep in mind that despite the fact that I do love the books, me being critical of this show has nothing to do with my love of the books. I don’t really care if the show deviates from the source material as long as it’s good and it makes sense. My problems with this show are problems that I would have with any show or book for that matter. I think it’s perfectly reasonable to take issue with a show that has plot holes, shoddy world-building, and inconsistent characters. There will be spoilers for the show and spoilers for the books and movie.

As I said earlier, this episode wasn’t terrible. I feel like that’s something that I can consistently say about every episode that airs now. It was fine. It didn’t completely suck. But on the flip side, I shouldn’t be thinking that. I should be saying, “This show is fucking awesome. Everyone should watch it.” Shadowhunters, when are you going to do that for me? When are you going to wow me in such a way that I literally cannot wait until the next episode? That I’m counting down the days until the next episode premieres. I made a promise to myself that I would stick with this show until it ended on its own or it got cancelled but geez is it getting harder and harder. Don’t get me wrong. Shadowhunters by no means is a bad show. It’s completely passable. But I think therein, lies the issue. The writing of this show does the bare minimum to just skate by. It’s just average and I want it to be more than average. It irritates me because I want to like this show so much and recommend it to everyone but as it stands now, I would never do that. The plot holes bother me, characters are dumb for plot convenience but toted around as if they’re actually smart, and the dialogue gets downright atrocious at times. But enough with my griping about the writing of the show. I’m trying to be optimistic so every week I go into this show hoping that Shadowhunters will surprise me. Maybe one day, they will. Let’s get into this. 

Sebastian/Jonathon Manipulations

Will Tudor was busy being awesome again in this episode as Sebastian/Jonathon. He was all over the place playing mind game manipulation tricks on everyone and it seems to be working really well for him. He’s got nearly everyone under his spell. I think he’s still working on Alec, though. Which was great, by the way. All throughout this episode, we have Sebastian/Jonathon weaving his web of manipulations throughout everyone in the Institute. The only thing I wish would happen is that whatever diabolical plan Sebastian/Jonathon is working on, I wish that Alec would be included in it. Sebastian/Jonathon is hardcore manipulating everyone but Alec and it would be really nice to see him manipulate Alec as well or at least have Alec play some sort of role in his plans. It kind of feels like Alec is just going to be a spectator in this particular plot point.

We have the Jace scene which was awesome. Jace was playing the piano and Jace and Sebastian/Jonathon have this really interesting scene. They talk about Valentine abusing Jace while teaching him to play piano and you can see just the slightest twinge of jealousy in Will Tudor’s face. He’s jealous that Valentine didn’t give him the same upbringing that he gave Jace and hopefully that’s going to be developed more. I really enjoyed seeing that little bit of foreshadowing in regards to Sebastian/Jonathon’s feelings towards Jace and Valentine.They then move on to a Clary conversation. Sebastian/Jonathon is clearly trying to instigate drama in the love triangle. He needs Clary to not be with Simon so he needs Jace to act on his feelings with Clary.

Then we also have him getting close to Izzy again and trying to convince her to come clean to her mother about the drug addiction. That was also a great fight scene they had and I didn’t even mind the techno music they inserted into that scene. Probably because they turned down the volume a little.

Even though it’s not really stated, I’m pretty sure Luke was being manipulated by Sebastian/Jonathon as well. It’ll probably be revealed later. Which, by the way, Luke continues to be the dumbest detective I’ve ever seen portrayed as a serious detective. He gets a phone call in the back of the Jade Wolf. The voice on the phone is muffled so Luke can’t tell who it is. This random person Luke doesn’t even recognize tells him that he can be given the chance to kill Valentine and Luke just takes it. Doesn’t question at all that it’s probably a set up. It was so obvious right from the get-go. It really irks me when characters are dumb for plot convenience. If the plot is dumb, fine, I can deal with that. But if your characters are going to make dumb decisions for plot convenience, then stop toting them around as if they’re actual intelligent people. When you do this, it sends the message that you think your audience is stupid. In the last episode, I praised Luke for finally coming into his own and being the badass Luke that I’ve always wanted but now we’re back to weird Luke. First off, it was weird that Luke even wanted Valentine dead to begin with. We had gotten no inclination, whatsoever, that he was harboring these kinds of feelings in the last few episodes so that kind of came out of left field. Then, we had Luke not wanting to be a part of the Downworlder-Shadowhunter cabinet that Alec is setting up because, “It’s not enough.” And I’m just like, “Well, compared to what you had before with the shadowhunters – which was nothing – this is an excellent place to start.” You don’t win a revolution in one day. You have to take baby steps. Yes, the Clave is bigoted but this is also the first time that the head of an Institute is trying to set up negotiations with the downworlders to get their voice heard. This may be a small and inconsequential step but I feel like it’s going to be integral in getting the Clave to eventually change and it’s really single-minded and weird for Luke to be against it so much. I say weird because his book counterpart even in the beginning, was fighting for this exact thing to happen. To get downworlders and shadowhunters to work together. That’s how the Circle was defeated. Downworlders and shadowhunters put their differences aside and fought together to stop the Circle and Valentine. It was that moment that spawned Luke to believe that it is possible for shadowhunters and downworlders to live peacefully with each other. It’s just weird to me that Show Luke is so against working with Alec when Alec is implementing something that Luke should feel pretty strongly about and be all for.

And then, Sebastian/Jonathon attempts to manipulate Alec but Alec goes against the manipulation without even realizing he did. Sebastian/Jonathon set up Luke to be caught so Alec would have no choice but to arrest him and thus would put an end to a NYC Downworlder-Shadowhunter alliance. But Alec let’s Luke go to prove a point to the downworlders -- that he’s willing to work with them and that was really great. Just the look Sebastian/Jonathon gave Alec after Alec makes his decision was awesome. It was like, “WTF. What’s going on here? You didn’t do what I wanted you to do.”

Sebastian also has someone tied up in his closet which was weird. I’ve heard some people say that it’s Jocelyn but my money’s on it being the real Sebastian Verlac. When Jocelyn was first killed, I didn’t think she was actually dead because the sibling thing still needed to be revealed and Jocelyn was seemingly the only one who could do that. But now that Valentine spilled the beans on the sibling thing, there’s no real point to keeping Jocelyn alive. I can’t really think of anything that would spur the show to bring her back. There’s nothing she can really add to the plot anymore. It would also completely destroy the actual point of killing Jocelyn in the first place. They killed off Jocelyn because 1) she was kind of a useless character and 2) her death would propel Clary’s character arc (even though it didn’t really – that plot point was dropped pretty quickly). It seems counter-productive to make a plot that was meant to push Clary’s character forward only to undo it all at a later point in the same season, nonetheless.  But who knows. Maybe they will bring her back just so Luke won’t be alone. I am sad that with Jocelyn dead, Luke doesn’t end up with her. Maybe they’ll create another love interest for him. But anyway, my money’s on the real Sebastian that’s locked up in the closet. After all, he probably needs the real Sebastian just in case he needs to find out about his life. In case someone questions who he really is. That being said, I still think it’s really weird that this show has everyone in the Institute just blindly accepting someone who admitted he’s a rogue shadowhunter. If someone’s gone rogue, then maybe someone should go investigate that. Find out the story. If you’ve gone rogue, you might not be the most trustworthy person. Again, characters just being dumb for plot convenience.

I know I’ve made a lot of complaints about idiot plots in this show and characters being dumb for plot convenience. But keep in mind, I really don’t have that big of an issue with idiot plots. There are certain scenarios that I can stomach characters being dumb for plot convenience and idiot plots. Well, really only one scenario. And that’s, “It makes sense for the characters.” I can let a character slide with making a dumb decision if they have a personality that supports them making that kind of decision. An example of this is the anime, Dragonball Z. Yeah, I’m about to get really nerdy on you non-anime fans but bear with me here. I promise there’s a point to this. There is an arc in Dragonball Z where the entire arc revolves around an idiot plot and characters being complete idiots and making really bad decisions. But I could let that slide because the decisions the characters were making made sense with their personalities. The arc I’m speaking of is the Cell Saga arc. It starts off with the group being warned that they are going to be killed in 3 years by androids. One of the characters comes up with the perfectly logical plan of, “Let’s go find the scientist who makes these androids and take care of him before he even has a chance to create them.” But the main protagonist, Goku, is all, “No, we’re not going to do that because I really want to fight these androids.” It’s a dumb decision but it makes sense with Goku’s character. Goku is always looking for the next big challenge. He needs the thrill of the fight. Another moment in the plot is the anti-hero, Vegeta, is about to defeat the big bad, Cell, but ultimately decides against defeating Cell because he wants to defeat Cell at Cell’s strongest. In order for Cell to reach his “perfect” form, he has to absorb Android 18. Vegeta allows this to happen and no surprise, Vegeta is now no longer strong enough to defeat Cell once Cell becomes “perfect”. Again, a dumb decision, but Vegeta is a very prideful person so it stands to reason he wouldn’t consider a win against Cell a real win unless he defeated Cell when Cell was at his peak. Then, Krillin/Kuririn (depends on what version you watch) has the chance to destroy Android 18 to stop Cell from achieving the perfect form he so craves but ultimately destroys the remote that would destroy 18. Dumb decision, again, but it also makes sense because Krillin/Kuririn is starting to fall in love with this android. He sees her as not this machine that everyone else is seeing but this innocent girl who ran into some bad luck and was turned into an android against her will. He can’t bring himself to kill someone who is, for all intents and purposes, human in his eyes and doesn’t deserve to die. It’s very much in line with his character. Then nearing the end of the arc, Goku sends out his 10-year-old son, Gohan (who is my all-time favorite character, BTW), to fight Cell which appalls everyone. Everyone else believes Gohan doesn’t stand a chance against Cell and that Goku has lost it completely but Goku is so adamant that Gohan can do it that before the fight begins, he gives Cell a sensu bean to restore Cell’s energy. It’s a dumb decision and it would appear Goku is setting Gohan up to die. But again, it makes sense for Goku’s character. Goku spent all of this time training with Gohan in a different dimension for an entire year. During that year, Goku saw the true extents of Gohan’s power and knew that if Cell pushed Gohan far enough, Gohan would eventually have no choice but to unleash that hidden power and when that happened, Cell wouldn’t stand a chance in hell of defeating Gohan. So his decision, albeit a bad decision, makes sense for his character. Of course, in this moment, Goku failed to take in account Gohan’s personality, as well. That being Gohan is a bit of a pacifist and doesn’t fight for the glory or the challenge. It wasn’t that easy for him to unlock that power because he really didn’t want to take part in a fight that he thought was meaningless and didn’t have to happen. He’s not a killer and he didn’t want to become one for a fight that he saw a way out of. He eventually does access his hidden power in all its bad-ass glory but as a consequence, he also falls into the idiot plot as well. He’s kicking Cell’s ass just like Goku predicted he would but when he has the chance to defeat Cell for good, he doesn’t take it. He doesn’t feel that Cell has suffered enough for all of the horrible things he’s done. Gohan wants to continue beating up on him a little more and making him suffer more. Bad decision and a little out of character for him. That’s the interesting thing about this moment, though. He’s out of character a little but still kind of in character at the same time. When he unleashed his hidden power, it was done in a fit of rage so it stands to reason that Gohan isn’t thinking logically at this point. He’s 100% being controlled by his emotions. I’ve often thought that the power drove him to slight insanity in these moments. Even earlier on in the series, every time Gohan’s hidden power came to peak out and say hi, it was because Gohan was in a fit of rage and every time it happened, he would black out. He couldn’t remember a whole lot about what he did. So yeah, it’s a dumb decision but it makes sense. It makes sense that a 10-year-old unleashing that kind of power in a fit of rage probably wouldn’t be able to think as he normally would. See where I’m getting at here. The entire Cell Saga is one big, huge idiot plot but I still feel like it works because the decisions that were made were still very much in line with the characters and their motivations. I can’t say the same thing about Shadowhunters. I don’t have a problem with idiot plots as long as they’re done well which is not what is happening with Shadowhunters. Luke’s character should not be trusting some voice on a burner phone. He should be trying to figure out who this person actually is before putting his freedom in this unknown person’s hands. Someone should be looking in to the London Insititute to find out some more information about this Sebastian. There was no reason for Azazel to go up to random shadowhunters asking for the Mortal Cup. All he did was alert the shadowhunters to his presence in the first place. If he had kept quiet, he wouldn’t have been sent back to hell. No one would’ve known he was in our dimension. The characters are dumb simply because the writers can’t find a way to write their idiot plots in a manner that makes sense for the characters and that’s the real problem I have with the plots in this show. It’s the problem with the show not always writing the plot to fit the characters. They keep on trying to make the characters fit the plot and as a result, it kind of comes off condescending. It’s like the show is saying, “The audience won’t pay attention to this. We can totally get away with it.” It comes off like they think we’re dumb. The Cell Saga was an idiot plot in its entirety but I never felt like Akira Toriyama or Toei Animation was treating the audience as if they were dumb. Shadowhunters writes their plots and their dialogue as if they think the characters are smarter than the audience when they’re really not. It can be very tiring watching a Shadowhunters plot when every single scene I’m asking, “Why?”

Shadowhunter-Downworlder Cabinet

We get introduced in this episode to this Shadowhunter-Downworlder idea that Alec has where representatives from the NYC Institute and the different factions of the downworlder community get together and talk about issues. And this idea got me right in the Alec feels because Alec from the books actually does something similar to this in Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy and it’s kind of awesome for his character. He’s not the head of the NYC Institute but this is a position that he created and takes very seriously. I actually really liked the parts of the episode that dealt with this aspect. It wasn’t perfect. There were a couple of odd ends. I’ve already mentioned the Luke thing. And then there was the Malec phone call where Magnus tells Alec he’ll be there by his side and Alec tells asks him not to be. That during this meeting, they need to be professional and keep their distance which makes sense. Alec needs to put up a stance that he is professional and that he won’t have any sort of bias towards one faction of the downworlder community. Of course, Magnus doesn’t see it this way. He gets all insecure and takes it to mean that Alec might be ashamed of him, I guess. Just a weird character moment for him. Their relationship is already out in the open. Alec kissed him in front of the entire Clave leadership. They haven’t exactly been low-profile with their relationship. Everyone knows about it. It’s kind of pointless to have Magnus being all insecure about this because I don’t believe he would be. Alec has already shown he doesn’t care what the Clave thinks of him anymore. It’s perfectly reasonable that two people in this situation should put some distance between each other in a business setting. Office romances are a perfectly common and natural thing that happens and depending on where you work, it’s not really treated as something bad unless the couple in question proves that they can’t stay professional. Leave the home stuff at home and all that jazz. Same logic can be applied in this scenario. When they’re working together, it needs to be kept professional. For me, it was perfectly reasonable that Alec would ask this of Magnus and it was weird that Magnus was taking it as an affront to their relationship. Professionalism is key into making an idea like this work. I get that Magnus is still hurting from the switch but I really feel like the show might be over-reaching just a little with the Malec drama. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be Malec drama based on what happened. I totally get it. Magnus is definitely still hurting from what happened and he should be. But I just don’t like the way the show is writing it. AGAIN, I’M NOT SAYING MAGNUS ISN’T JUSTIFIED IN BEING UPSET ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM OR THAT THERE SHOULDN’T BE MALEC DRAMA ABOUT IT; I JUST DON’T LIKE THE WAY THE WRITERS ARE APPROACHING IT. The Magnus insecurities are coming out in a way that I just don’t feel is genuine and consistent with his character. I didn’t like that Magnus didn’t even try to understand Alec’s position in the last episode. That Magnus accused Alec of not following his heart and following the Institute blindly. Which is all well and good but it does beg the question – What should Alec have done? If he had decided to not pursue the DNA test, it wouldn’t have stopped the Clave from potentially suspecting Magnus anyway. Magnus isn’t giving any other ideas on how to get them out of this situation. It’s really easy to complain about something but you’ll be taken much more seriously if you give an alternative when you complain. Remember, step up or step aside. You don’t get to complain unless you’re willing to do something about it. I’m not saying Magnus shouldn’t have gotten angry but he also wasn’t really trying to understand the position Alec was in. Then in this episode, I don’t feel like Magnus would’ve gotten so weird about Alec wanting to maintain professionalism. The show tries so hard to put in Malec drama and it always falls flat and it never feels genuine. The fights, to a certain extent, always feel kind of petty, I guess. But I’m not ragging on them completely. I did enjoy that little scene where they’re greeting each other and attempting the professionalism. I could tell Matt and Harry had a lot of fun with that scene.

Another underlying issue I had and it’s just something I wish the show had written a little more differently. This antagonism the downworlders and the shadowhunters have is just very black and white. I’ve been noticing it for a few episodes now and I’ve decided I want to bring it up. The downworlders are playing up this whole “wronged party” angle where the shadowhunters are being played as the enemies. Now, the downworlders are perfectly justified in being the victims. I’m not disputing that. Valentine massacred them and then the Clave crossed the line with that whole tracker thing. I understand the downworlders’ angle here. However, I kind of wish the show wasn’t portraying that downworlders are the good guys and shadowhunters are the bad guys. The Shadowhunter world has always lived in a “shades of grey” type of existence. There are good shadowhunters and there are bad shadowhunters. There are shadowhunters that do care about the downworlder community and don’t want a war and there are shadowhunters who believe downworlders are beneath them and are no better than the demons they’re related to. On the flipside, there are good downworlders and there are bad downworlders. There are downworlders who just want to live peacefully side by side with the mundanes and shadowhunters and there are downworlders that have no qualms about killing mundanes or shadowhunters. See where I’m getting at here? Just like the world we live in, there are shades of grey to this world and I don’t like how the show is portraying this world as something so black and white. Right now, it’s made like only the Lightwoods and Clary care about the downworlders. As if they’re the only “good” shadowhunters around and everyone else is evil and I’m not really a fan of all that. And we have the downworlders depicted as these beings who never do anything wrong and are having this great injustice done to them. Which I admit, what was done to them was terrible. I’m not disputing that but it feels like the show is kind of ignoring the idea that not all downworlders are good people. I don’t typically agree with a lot of things the Season 1 writers were doing but I did like one idea they were starting to implement before the showrunner change. That there are downworlders who don’t follow the law and they do attack humans and they do kill shadowhunters. I thought the scene was really interesting when Valentine was trying to convince Jace that downworlders are evil because it is a shades of grey scenario. There are downworlders who do horrible things as we saw in that first episode when Jace found that vampire den that was feeding on humans and killing them. It really kind of made you look at Valentine’s side of things and think, “Hey, I don’t really agree with you but you make a fair point. I could definitely see why people might want to follow you.” Unfortunately, the show dropped that angle but ultimately, it was something I wanted them to implement more into the world-building. It’s pretty much been dropped completely, sadly. Maybe they’ll bring it back at some point. I would like the show to have less of a cookie-cutter outlook to the world. Again, I’M NOT SAYING THE DOWNWORLDERS DON’T HAVE A RIGHT TO BE ANGRY WITH THE SHADOWHUNTERS. I’M JUST SAYING IT WOULD BE NICE IF THE SHOW TOOK A MORE REALISTIC APPROACH AND WROTE THESE DIFFERENT FACTIONS OF THE SHADOW WORLD IN A WAY THAT THEY DON’T ALWAYS FIT SO CLEANLY IN ONE PILE. There are good people and there are bad people and it would be nice if the show explored this aspect of the shadow world more. 

Maryse Mending Fences

Another thing I enjoyed in this episode was pretty much any scene with Maryse in it. I loved her so much in this episode. She’s slowly going through everyone trying to mend fences and fix the problems she created with her family and friends. She goes to Alec in the beginning of the episode and tells him how proud she is that he finally became the head of the Institute. She used a cute little anecdote about Alec, as a kid, sitting at the desk and pretending to be the head. Come on, Shadowhunters, where’s that flashback scene? That’s one I wouldn’t mind seeing. Alec also tells Maryse that she shouldn’t still be with Robert since he cheated on her. Alec wants her to leave Robert. He also urges Maryse to tell Izzy about the affair. That it’ll be even worse if Izzy hears about the affair from the Clave gossiping about it. It was a really nice scene.

She attempts to mend fences with Luke as well but Luke is still very much on his “kill Valentine” vendetta so he doesn’t really want to listen to Maryse. But I like that Maryse brings up Jocelyn and laments how bad she feels about what happened.

Later on, we probably had my favorite Maryse scene where Izzy confesses to Maryse that she has a vampire venom addiction. Nope, I’m still not calling her addiction a yin fen addiction – no matter how many times the show uses the term “yin fen addiction.” I am no longer humoring the show in that regard. But it was a really powerful moment. Izzy comes clean and for a second I didn’t know which way Maryse was going to go on the reaction spectrum. She could’ve rejected Izzy or she could’ve been supportive. And it was really nice to see her supportive when in the first season she treated Izzy as if Izzy was a massive disappointment. It was nice to see that under Maryse’s political bravado, she really does love her children more than anything. Maryse then chooses to come clean and tell Izzy about the affair in which Izzy responds that she already knew about it. She had eavesdropped on a phone call about it. My big question is when did she find out? All throughout Season 1, she worshipped her father and if she knew back then, I find it hard to believe that she would be as receptive to Robert as she was. Particularly since her book counterpart turns very cynical and skeptical about her father and love as a result of finding out about the affair. But she doesn’t seem to harbor those same kinds of feelings in the show which isn’t really a bad thing. I’m not opposed to the show devbiating from the books. I just find it weird that there isn’t a change in her personality from not knowing about the affair to knowing about the affair. If I found out that my father had cheated on my mother, there would definitely be a noticeable change in my attitude. Particularly considering how much I love and look up to my father much in the same way it was implied that Izzy did. I’m thinking this is an attempt by the new showrunners to retcon the first season’s idea of not having Izzy know about the affair which is good. I’m glad they did it and didn’t turn it into this big, huge dramatic reveal, I just think it could’ve been implemented and fore-shadowed a little bit better. I also really liked what Maryse said. “I want you to fight for love like your brother.” Which was really nice. She just wants her children to be happy and it was great. Their entire interaction was so nice. I actually started tearing up a little when they were hugging each other. Shadowhunters isn’t really a show that moves me to tears. The only other time I got teary-eyed with Shadowhunters was in Parabatai Lost but I really want more scenes like this one and the one in Parabatai Lost. I want a show that does move me. Shadowhunters has the story to be able to do it, the writing just needs to get up there. 

The Middle School Plot

So now that I’ve finished talking about the adult parts of the episode, I guess now I have to talk about the childish bits of this episode. I refer to this section of the episode as The Middle School Plot. And not only because they made the “middle school” joke in every other scene but also because this side of the episode really was like middle school. We have the adults at the Institute dealing with real adult problems and then we have the kids dealing with their love triangle BS. The seelie court scene is not my favorite scene in the books but I do allow it because it works for the characters and the story…at least in the book format. A lot of fans choose to see the seelie court scene as this great ultimate Clace scene where Clary finally acknowledges her feelings for Jace. And while that is true, it is not the only purpose of the scene. I always felt that the purpose of the scene wasn’t necessarily meant to showcase Clace as much as it was meant to showcase that Climon just cannot work. And I feel like the show kind of missed its mark in this scene. In the book, this scene highlighted that Clary doesn’t feel the same way about Simon that she does for Jace. However, in the show, the scene came off highly cliché and melodramatic – all I have to say is that context is everything. The writers changed the dynamic of Jace/Clary/Simon so much that I don’t think this scene could ever have really worked anymore without it becoming a teenage melodrama that I feel compelled to make fun of. I could not take this plot point seriously, at all. I was honestly worried I may have caused siginificant damage to the nerves in my eyeballs because I was rolling my eyes so much. What I originally found bearable about the Jace/Clary/Simon love triangle in the books is that it wasn’t really a love triangle. It was always fairly obvious that Clary did not have any kind of romantic inclination towards Simon. When she kissed him, she felt nothing. It was nice but it didn’t give her the “fireworks in the background” feeling like kissig Jace did. She continued on with the relationship because she desperately wanted to get over Jace and hoped that if she gave it some time, she might develop romantic feelings towards Simon – thus losing the aforementioned feelings for Jace. Up until at that point in the seelie court, Clary was refusing to acknowledge her very real feelings for Jace because she knew it was wrong. But unfortunately, she was pushed into a situation so desperate, that those repressed feelings were brought to the front all at once. Simon also knew Clary didn’t love him. He knew she still harbored feelings for Jace. He just loved Clary so much he was willing to overlook what he knew to be true. That if he clung to her as tightly as he could, maybe she would come to love him. In the seelie court, it backfired and Simon was forced to acknowledge the truth in the most horrible way imagineable. The scene in the books was written with very specific emotions in mind and I don’t think the show managed to pull scene off on an emotional level. Yes, the scene exists and the Clace kiss happened but that’s about it. I didn’t feel anything from it. The show just changed so much with the trios’ dynamic that the seelie court scene does not work in the way it was originally meant to. Now, that on it’s own is not the issue. I understand the tv show and the books are different and that Freeform is going to do it’s own thing. The problem is that they changed they dynamic of the trio without changing the scene to match the new dynamic. The scene from City of Ashes reaked of desperation and emotion while the scene in this episode just felt childish and unnecessary. The show had turned Climon into this epic love situation where it was implied that Clary seemed to genuinely like Simon in a romantic fashion and it never felt like she was dealing with any residual feelings towards Jace. The show, very obviously and understandably, wanted to stay away from the incest intonations. Which is fine. I didn’t really care if they went for the incest plot or not. But Clace did take a hit as a result. The show so desperately wanted to steer clear of the incest plot and wanted to get the incest plot over and done with as quickly as possible. Which meant they had to steer clear of Clace during that period. The problem is that in doing so, the Clace romantic tension was never really established. It didn’t make sense that Jace’s kiss was the kiss Clary most desired when they spent the last season pretty much ignoring each other. And not in an angsty way. It straight up felt as if they didn’t really care that they both were once interested in being romantically involved. I felt nothing when they kissed in this scene and I certainly didn’t feel like Clary had anything resembling repressed feelings towards Jace.  Because there was no prior romantic tension for them to call upon. This also kind of makes Clary look like she was stringing two guys along. You can interpret that in the books as well but it’s so much worse and so much more pronounced in the show. I don’t say, “Poor Clary” in this scene, I say, “Poor Simon.” I feel really bad for Simon here because he was all in and genuinely thought Clary was all in, too. Based on her actions in the previous episodes, there was nothing to support that she wasn’t. The show does try desperately to make me feel for Clary when she runs after Simon and begs him to let her in. That she wants to be with him and I’m all, “Oh, please.” Clary, this isn’t about what you want anymore. You gave Simon a chaste peck on the lips while giving Jace this huge makeout session. This is now about Simon realizing he’s not going to be able to get past what he just witnessed. It doesn’t matter anymore if Clary really wants to be with Simon. He will always have this in the back of his head. Would you be comfortable with dating someone who you knew had romantic feelings for someone else? Clary couldn’t even manage a passionate-ish kiss with Simon to save Simon’s life. Just a peck on the lips. Which when you think about it, also doesn’t really make sense. With Climon being built up to be this epic love and it’s highly implied that they’ve had sex, I find it really hard to believe that she would just gave Simon a peck on the lips. Were they taking a Goku/Chi Chi approach to the Climon sex life – in Dragonball Super, it was heavily implied that despite being married to Chi Chi for over 20 years and having two kids with her, Goku has never once kissed her. I really don’t think Simon would be okay with that kind of relationship.  In the book, Clary’s kiss made sense because kissing Simon felt unnatural to her and she was being forced to do it in front of everyone but that’s not implied in the show. I don’t know. Maybe in the show, Clary did feel self-conscious about kissing Simon. But since it’s never stated that’s why it happened, I’m just making excuses for lazy writing. Another thing I noticed with the seelie court scene was that it lost its sense of consequence. In the books, after this scene occurs, it spurs Simon to give in to the compulsion he had been feeling to go back to the Hotel Dumort – where he was subsequently killed by the vampires and then transitioned into a vampire himself. Clary feels an insane amount of guilt about this. She believes that what happened to Simon as a result of the kiss she had with Jace is her punishment. Obviously, that can’t happen here because they sped up his vampire transition in Season 1. I’m sure the show has some sort of plan to spur some sort of consequence from this plot but whether those consequences are actually going to be impactful or melodramatic remains to be seen. But with all of that said, I am interested to see where this is going to take Simon as a character. Simon’s storylines have always centered around Clary thus far and I’m hoping that with this episode, we get some Simon-centric stories that don’t revolve around Clary.

The seelie queen was also portrayed as a young child in this episode as well. It was an interesting move, I’ll give the show that. I didn’t completely hate the idea behind it. In fact, I kind of liked it. But I do question it from a production standpoint. The problem I have with the seelie queen being portrayed by a young child is the acting quality of the said character. Here’s the thing. When you make the decision to cast a child in any role, really, you run the risk of the child not being able to carry the scene. A lot of times, child actors aren’t nearly as impactful in their productions because they lack experience. Which makes sense because they haven’t had time to hone their craft yet. Now don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of fantastic child actors. I’ve seen some really good ones. But at the same time why would you take the risk if you don’t have to? I felt that the actress here definitely lacked experience. Her acting was very uneven. There were moments when I was like, “Yes, that’s the seelie queen” and then there were other moments when it felt like I was listening to a child recite lines because some adults told her to. There are a lot of facets to the seelie queen. Lots of manipulations. Every word the seelie queen says is an intricate manipulation. You think you’re 2 steps ahead of her, she’s 6 steps ahead of you in actuality. She would be a very difficult role for someone who doesn’t have a whole lot of experience. Now, this child may fall into the role later and I would be very interested in seeing her progress as an actress. But I also think the seelie queen is going to come back as an adult. I feel like the idea behind her is that she can appear how she wishes to appear.

The dialogue in this plot was downright atrocious at times. We have a moment where Simon, Jace, and Clary are walking to the seelie court and Simon touches the kill tree. Jace tells him to stop and says that the tree will “wrap it’s vines around you and tear you limb from limb” in which Clary responds, “Jace, what are you talking about?” Clary, he just told you what was going to happen. Why do you need hear it again? What exactly was he unclear about? Why does Clary say dumb shit like this but yet is still continuously toted around as if she’s an actual intelligent being? How dumb do the writers think their audience is? I’m serious. It is incredibly condescending when writers write lines like these. That 1) they don’t think we’re smart enough to infer what a “kill tree” does and they have to have Jace explain it to us and 2) that they still don’t think we’re intelligent enough to understand it so they need to have Jace explain it to us A SECOND TIME. Whenever I watch this show, I can’t help but face-palm half a dozen times.

That’s about all I have to say. I would give this episode a B-. I found this episode a little uneven. There were ideas that I really liked but executed as per usual with the same kind of illogical finesse I’ve become accustomed to. I can deal with plots being dumb but I cannot handle characters being dumb when it doesn’t make sense with their personality. I will admit that the writers do seem to be getting back into the groove. These past couple of episodes, although illogical, are actually kind of good. They’re right on the border. If the writers could just spend more time working on their execution, I could really find myself loving this show. Right now, I’m only at an enjoyment level but I genuinely want to love these episodes. The show is so close. They just need to hone their focus a little more and they’ll have it.

Again, I am so sorry this was so late. I had a bitch of a time writing the seelie plot part of the review. I would love to hear your opinions on the episode. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Do you agree? Do you disagree? I only ask that you be respectful of not only my opinions but everyone else’s as well.

[eridianshores-blog]

The Walking Dead: Season 6 - Revisited

Warning: There be SPOILERS ahead! If you haven't watched Season 6 of The Walking Dead and want to keep all the twists, turns, secrets, and deaths a surprise, stop reading!

(Maybe one day I'll whip up some fancy HTML to hide spoiler text until the area is hovered over, but until then...)

Looking back at my humble collection of around 8 or so zombie DVDs circa 2005, it’s hard to believe the very same subject matter I sought out would, in a few years time, become one of the highest rated TV programs of all time, constantly setting new records (all in an age where traditional TV is dying out, no less).  The proliferation of zombies into the mainstream is largely a very recent phenomenon, both responsible for and spurred on by The Walking Dead.

I will admit that my interest in the show is patchy - some seasons I religiously catch every episode, while others ebb by with barely a thought.  But when a new season does inevitably pop up on Netflix, I do get a little excited to see what’s happened.  I also think it’s fair to say that The Walking Dead can feel like 2 different TV shows depending on whether you’re getting your season in over the course of a few days or actually watching it week-to-week complete with holiday break.  

Watching the show week-to-week really helps those “moments” settle in.  You’ve only got a finite amount of Walking Dead to chew on for a week or more, so it sticks in your head longer and leaves you to ponder over secondary and tertiary plot strings more thoughtfully and completely.  The drawback is that the lulls and the filler are 10x more obvious.  When processing the season as 16 different chunks, drawn out plot lines, tangential episodes, and even shockers and cliffhangers are much more noticeable and memorable simply because we have more time to ruminate before our next narrative dose.

On the other hand, binge watching a season gives us a much clearer view of whatever arc the writers had planned since we’re sort of able to feel the momentum and the progress in “real time.”  Sometimes the week-to-week stuff is like moving in slow motion, and it’s difficult to see “the point.”  Conversely, some degree of detail and nuance is lost with the binge-watching approach because our minds aren’t spending time going over every single detail over and over.  We see an episode, reach back to remember what we need to, and move forward; it’s much different than sitting around for a week and wondering where every plot thread will eventually end up.

That being said, depending on who you are and also depending on what season of The Walking Dead we bring into question, one approach or the other may be a “better” or more optimal (or worse or less optimal) way to watch the episodes.  However, as the years roll on - particularly from the 4th season forward - more and more I think that binge watching is the way to go, mostly because the writers or producers or whoever seem to revel in audience manipulation.  At least you’ve only really got to put up with the season finale when watching it all at once.

Now with all of that being said, I digested the 6th season more or less in one chunk, maybe 5 sessions over the course of 3 and a half days.  As a season I would say it was maybe...75% successful?  It certainly got off to a good start after the rocky road to (and into) Alexandria in the 5th season.  I can see where the quarry situation may have initially come off as contrived and manufactured, but I think the writers actually did a good job of explaining it - these zombies had been falling in and this was one of the biggest reasons why Alexandria had yet to face any serious threats from the dead.  Of course the timing of the trucks that held the bodies at bay was mighty convenient, I’m ok writing that off as the magic of television.

Most criticisms leveled at the first half of Season 6 focus on the plodding nature of the events surrounding the quarry - in case you’ve forgotten, the group was successful at leading half of zombies away but the other half were drawn towards Alexandria due to a simultaneous assault by the Wolves.  Soon the wall gives way and the town is overrun.  I suppose I can somewhat sympathize with these criticisms, but I also feel like there’s a lot that happens over these 3 days (I think) and that it takes a little time to adequately run through all the events, especially since many events overlap and we’re getting multiple perspectives, plus enough information to know how all the events fit together.

Personally, I found the threat of zombies refreshing.  Our heroes have become pretty adept at dispatching these things and it’s been a while since we’ve seen more than a few quick stabs here and there.  Maybe the group was splintered into 1 or 2 too many subgroups for the show’s own good, but I was still glad to see all the running and cornering and eventual evisceration of several lesser characters.  It reminded me a lot of the show’s earlier days when plots revolved around simple supply runs or fortifying a place to sleep.

As for the attack of the Wolves...meh, I could take it or leave it.  It wasn’t entirely original, it was 100% expected (at some point anyway, and what better time than the worst time possible...), and I felt like it was a forced means for the show to get to this whole “kill or not to kill” theme that ends up dominating the season.  Now don’t get me wrong, I think this is a great question to ask - I’ve been asking it myself for the last couple of seasons - I just thought the whole Wolves attack with “Alpha Wolf” and Carol and Morgan was a weird and slightly unnecessary spark for the conversation.

Morgan’s obvious reticence towards killing has always brought with it a tiny air of mystery, but it wasn’t until this season’s 4th episode that we fully understood the breadth of Morgan’s journey from Atlanta to Terminus.  As a sidenote, I have mixed feelings about these flashback episodes.  Usually the information presented within is interesting, informative, and worth the use of an episode, however, no matter how great it is as a standalone piece, it still interrupts the flow of the season.  I guess it can’t be helped (other than to do away with these types of episodes, though I don’t think that’s the answer) but maybe they could place these episodes more strategically, i.e. not following a cliffhanger.  Oh well.  Back to Morgan and his Odyssey.

When I was finally able to get my mind off of Glenn’s fake death and get into the tale of Morgan (who I’ve always been mildly ambivalent towards as a character) and the one-shot Eastman, I thoroughly enjoyed the renewed interest in morality.  Rick & Co. have continually oscillated between “kill fucking everything” and “we’re all a big happy family” but from very early on it’s been established that killing the living is par for the course and must be done. Via Morgan, we’re finally getting around to, “is it really necessary?”  It’s not only interesting but also a vital component of the equation at this point in time and I kinda dig how it’s rippled outwards from Morgan, eventually deeply affecting Carol.  Daryl isn’t so closely associated with all of that, yet he also seems to have developed a renewed appreciation for human life.

It’s a little early to get into the implications of whether or not killing is wrong and if people can truly change, but I hope we’ll move further into this territory.  All of this Negan shit sort of turned the concept on its head and basically gagged and blindfolded us and dropped us smack dab in the middle of everyone-needs-to-die-NOW land.  I hope that the issue resurfaces somehow and wasn’t merely heaped on just to create the jolt that was Negan...I guess we’ll see before long.

And then there was the fake Glenn death which I feel obligated to mention...it was stupid.  Anyone disagree?  Didn’t think so.  Moving on.

Wrapping up the season’s first half, which thematically runs through the 9th episode, I’d like to add that I especially enjoyed the payoff that was the death of the Andersons.  Don’t get me wrong, I was rooting for Rick and Jessie, but what better way to keep us viewers on our toes than by BAM killing the little kid and BAM killing Jessie and then BAM killing that other kid who also shoots Carl’s fucking eye out.  That last part was a little gruesome and perhaps overkill, but I get that it was adapted from the comics.  Still, Carl doesn’t have but so many lives....and at the same time it’s kinda cool to watch him become battle-hardened and world-weary - a true product, both mentally and physically, of this post-apocalyptic existence.

The back half of Season 6 kicks off on a positive note.  I thought it was great that Michonne and Rick finally got together.  Back on the road to Terminus it seemed like there was a spark between the 2, but once that was abandoned I gave up on it.  To see it happen was an interesting moment for the show...as far-fetched as the pairing seemed, it also totally makes sense.  The cherry on top was seeing that Carl was cool with it.  He and Michonne had definitely established a bond, plus I don’t think any of the viewers are in the mood for some “you ain’t my mama” drama.

Of course this is a very minor plot point compared to the flavor of the next few episodes.  For anyone in need of a refresher, we meet “Jesus,” the Hilltop Community, and learn about Negan.  To hell with morality - the citizens of Alexandria make a decision to launch an all out assault on Negan’s crew, albeit somewhat out of desperation for food (which they intend to trade for Hilltop - exterminating Negan in exchange for necessary goods).  

At first the march of war seemed pretty damn interesting.  The assault itself was pretty awesome, and we also see both Glen and Heath (I think?) struggle with their “duty” to kill other humans.  Some of this guilt seems to subside as they study the Polaroids of smashed skulls pasted to the walls.  Then we deal with more Negan as Carol and Maggie are captured, and then the season sort of spins its wheels for a few episodes in anticipation of the long awaited confrontation with Negan.

Watched as a whole, this string of episodes creates some mild exasperation, so I can only imagine that when viewed weekly the show seemed to absolutely slow to a crawl.  We do get the death of lesbian M.D. Denise somewhere in there, which actually kinda pissed me off.  It seems like - lately anyway - secondary and tertiary characters will continually languish in the background, only to be gradually brought into the forefront.  And then, just when you’re starting to settle in with the new addition, they’re unceremoniously killed.  It actually seems pretty tough for secondary characters to make the jump to the front row.  Either they’re given the axe, or they continue to doddle in the background without being given any real significance.

When we finally meet Negan and ultimately put the pieces given to us in the season finale together, we get what I feel is a wildly unrealistic picture of who Negan and his followers are.  First of all, how has any group out there amassed this many members?  There was the motorcycle crew, the crew at the outpost, the reinforcements that were inbound, and then enough members to create several roadblocks, impassable to even Rick and his well-armed and well-trained crew.  To me, this feels like a huge convenience created just to stymy Rick and Co.  No one we’ve ever seen has had this much of a following, and furthermore it seems that this following isn’t confined to a single location either, as evidenced by the “outpost.”  

I guess it is possible that they just happen to be the ones that made it long enough and stayed well enough off to become so large, but there’s a few problems with this.  For one, there’s the tyrannical nature of Negan.  If this show has shown us anything, it’s that violence begets violence and if you rule with a violent hand, all you’re doing is setting yourself up to be overthrown by the next badass under you.  Pretty soon you’ve got a group with poor leadership and in discord and they get eaten by zombies or whatever.  (Shane, the Governor, Alpha Wolf)  The second issue is how predatory Negan’s group is.  To maximize their spoils, they’d need to keep their numbers small.  They’re not the sort of community that can just continue to grow, especially since they’re relying on the exploitation of others.  Too many mouths to feed.  No no, you need servants, not comrades.  There are just some glaring logistical issues with having a group so big yet so dependent on taking what they need by force - eventually they’re going to run out of people to extort.

Finally there’s the common issue of how many people would seriously pledge their loyalty to a guy who beats people to death with a baseball bat and laughs about it, but that’s more of something to discuss with Season 7.

Any damn way, this big climax with Negan was pretty darn disappointing.  I know that Jeffery Dean Morgan garnered a lot of praise for his portrayal, but honestly he just talked too damn much.  (And if you don’t think so, just wait until you get into Season 7...)  Yeah, he was definitely evil and unnerving and made for some serious suspense, the problem was that it was just drawn out too long.  By the end of the finale we know that Negan wasn’t bluffing and that somebody bit the dust, but in true Walking Dead sensationalism, we got no idea who.

Like so many of The Walking Dead’s biggest moments, this one was also polarizing.  Plenty of critics loved the buildup and plenty others were unsatisfied.  Good TV shows will almost always create this sort of division, though I can’t help but notice that many of these “shock” moments are the target of harsher and harsher criticism as time goes on.  My concern is that the show will become something like Jerry Springer or Maury - a once serious show that ostensibly remains so, but in reality is just out for the shock factor.  What it seems like the writers and producers don’t seem to realize is that a) TV is not a comic, and b) it only takes 1 or 2 severe blows to shatter a viewer’s interest and emotional investment in a show.  (Yes, I’m looking your way Season 7...)  Sure, you can keep pulling the rug out from under us and making us gasp and cringe with the very things we thought would never happen, but there’s only so many times you can play that card before unpredictability becomes predictable; where viewers learn to expect the unexpected, and as a result, go into the show with a degree of skepticism that hinders their full enjoyment.  

Furthermore, the number of possible storylines grows ever smaller with many of these moments - whether it be someone minor like Denise or Noah (huge waste of potential in my opinion) or a bigger player like, let’s say, Lori or Dale - and to be honest, the show has had a difficult if not impossible time when it comes to replacing these folks.  Frankly no one has even come close to replace people like Herschel, or Dale, or Shane (ok, Shane had to die), or even smaller roles like Beth.  Looking back on it, Michonne was really the last great character they introduced; I guess Tyrese was alright once he came into his own.  But the other sorta-newcomers - Sasha, Ford, Rosita, Eugene, Father Gabriel - none of them really come close to hitting the highs that much of the Seasons 1 - 3 cast did.  The Walking Dead has all but become “The Rick Show,” and while part of me can get behind that idea, part of me wishes it was a little more balanced.

So for all these reasons I’m giving the season a 75% success rate.  Obviously we had a stronger first half and though some may see it as drawn out, looking back on it I enjoyed the multitude of perspectives and events taking place.  And like I said, it gets a big “thumbs up” from me for once again featuring zombies as the primary threat.  As far as the second half, I don’t have a problem with Negan and I think that - eventually - it’ll create a fun context to explore the morality of killing people within, but as of the season finale, the road was just too damn long and too damn uneventful.

Currently I’m 4 episodes deep into Season 7, and as soon as my cable’s OnDemand is fully functional again I hope to catch up to the mid-season finale.  Hopefully I’ll feel strongly enough about it to follow up...I certainly have some choice words concerning those first 4 episodes already!

Until then...brains?