#god i loved how flawed and fucked up s2 went with her storyline.

[courtillyy]

dude i was so excited for bela's arc this season... but the way they are going with it.. god i just could not care less

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Dearest Ange, the final episode is upon us.

I too was victim to the spoilers via leaks, and I was really, really praying it was just a bad fever dream. I've accepted that at this point I will continue watching for a love of the actors and the characters, rather than for a meaningful, coherent storyline. There are so, so many things wrong with this episode, much of which we've discussed over the course of season two;

The horrible, horrible way that Ryan Condal and Sara Hess dealt with the greens. My heart really went out to Aemond in this episode because despite the fact that he's so, so messy, and flawed, he's the only one left of his family who's actually trying to keep them alive, to protect them even though he's not going about it the wrong way.

The way the show dealt with the aftermath of events

The horrible character development of so many characters

The terrible pacing

The annoying inclusion of the whole ASOIAF from the main series- please, please, please stop reminding me it exists

Aemond trying to kill Aegon on purpose.

And so much more

And while I'll get to the (few) positives, as I always try to do, there is one thing that made me have to pause my tablet in pure agitation and just being fucking fed up, and that, dear Ange, is that scene with Alicent and Rhaenyra.

What. the. Fuck.

Alicent just sacrificed Aegon for her own freedom, after forcing Aegon to claim a throne he didn't even want? Why is Rhaenyra still bringing up a son for a son? Did Jaehaerys's death mean nothing? Alicent only cares about Helaena and Jaehaera, but what about her sons? Daeron? Aemond and Aegon, despite their flaws, they are her sons, her children- where is the Alicent in s1 who screamed at Aegon that if Rhaenyra became Queen, they will die? It's more than butchering her character, it's just utter bullshit. I remember in season 1 I was such an Alicent sympathiser, I felt like the complexity of her character would be so interesting to see in s2, but my god was it a shitshow. Alicent takes one solo camping trip and she's ready to offer up her sons on a platter so she can try and absolve herself? What about her father? Her brother? All of whom are fighting for her son's cause? They don't have the luxury that Alicent seems to, if the greens lose, they will lose their heads. No question.

My heart ached for Aemond when he tried to reach out to Helaena hat one last time- yes, she has every right to be angry, because she's lost so much because of Aemond's actions, and yet, the look on his face broke me. He's trying so hard to fight for their survival, and not one member of his family cares. I've ranted on a bit about the negatives, so here are my few positives-

Daemon and Rhaenyra reunion, seeing them together again

At this point, any Aemond or Helaena screentime is a blessing, no matter what Ryan Condal's trying to do.

Daeron sneak peak

Rhaena and Sheepstealer

Helaena is so fucking pretty <3

Sharako Lohar (I wanna be one of her wives, thanks)

Ngl after Aemond burned Sharp Point I was ready to let him take out some more frustrations on me, hehe

I wanna say Bloodraven, but....that's not what I expected him to look like

Anyway, Ange, I've enjoyed our little weekly tradition. I'm looking forward to how the show is going to inspire the fandom for the next two years. I'll try not to disappear into a void, I'm still gonna hide behind anon for a while longer, but maybe by the time s3 rolls around, I'll be able to come out from hiding. I've written my own fics, though admittedly I'm only somewhat proud of one of them, that I'm not finished uploading from ao3 to tumblr. I feel some inspiration to write again after some time of no inspiration, so perhaps if I'm granted any time, I can finally write again. As always, look forward to seeing your takes, Ange <3

-🦋 anon

Hello, my love! I can't believe that after eight weeks of doing this, this will be our final one (until season three, anyway) - I hope you won't be a stranger until then! I will wait patiently for your first fic to post.

Anyway, on to my thoughts...

A lot of people’s gripe with season two of House of the Dragon has been its deviation from Fire and Blood.

I do not mind that. They did it in season one. My issue is that there is no consistency between the characters as they were presented in season one and how they behave in season two.

Alicent that put herself between a dragon and her son, that replied “you imbecile” to his question of “do you love me?” now offering up his head.

Aemond that toasted with his brother at the expense of his bastard nephews, and looked on in annoyance as Helaena danced with one of them, burning and torturing his brother and manhandling his sister.

This isn’t character development, it’s character assassination. Where is the family unit that closed ranks and defended one another when Viserys demanded to know which of them called Rhaenyra’s sons bastards?

The writers tore up the script for season one and said “actually, they all hate each other”. I don’t recognise these characters. They are trying to make the audience hate Aemond when he is the only one with any integrity, still fighting for his family’s cause.

And Daemon - Daemon’s defining quality has always been his ruthlessness, how cutting he is. They’ve softened him up to make Rhaenyra’s cause seem more sympathetic. Give me back the man that sat at the top table during a wedding feast and called Lord Royce an “old bronzed cunt”, the man who single-handedly took on the Crabfeeder’s army rather than accept help from his brother.

They’ve destroyed so much potential with the insistence on creating good guys. The whole appeal of the Dance is that everyone is shitty. We could have had that with the foundations that were laid in season one. I am so disappointed.

I'm annoyed that we didn't get to see Rhaena actually claim Sheepstealer, and when she does finally encounter him she reacts with wide eyed surprise? Girl, you're really shocked that you're seeing the creature that you've spent the last however long tracking and almost died of exposure for? That's like me looking around the supermarket for grapefruit and then screaming when I find it. That could have been way more badass, I'm not annoyed that they sacrificed Nettles' character for that.

What was the point of Aemond burning Sharp Point? Visually, it was stunning, but what purpose did it serve? Was that in place of him burning the Riverlands? We didn't even get to see him do it, just the aftermath!

Helaena telling Aemond how he dies, as well as Daemon seeing his own death were such dumb moves. Those deaths would have been epic for people who haven't read the book, and now they are spoiled. I am also now sceptical as to whether we will get Alysmond or not. It seems like they've stripped away the very foundation that made that pairing by making Helaena a seer and giving Daemon such a tight knit bond with Alys.

When I first read Fire and Blood I was very much Team Black. What brought me to neutral ground was watching season one and seeing how Team Green were fleshed out and made more complex. Season two has undone all of that. It feels almost like they are trying to turn the characters back to their book counterparts, but are making them into caricatures of themselves in the process.

They could never make me hate Aemond, and I think the only reason for that is Ewan's incredible performance of the character. He adds so much nuance to a personality that the writers are actively trying to destroy. I think if it were any other actor playing Aemond, I genuinely would not enjoy the character.

Anyway, so I'm not ending on a bum note, here's what I've enjoyed this season:

The acting - the cast have been absolutely phenomenal, every performance has been a joy to watch, despite the weak writing.

The lesbian fan service. I very much enjoyed the Rhaesaria kiss, though I am annoyed they never developed that any further. Sharako Lohar also - I know the character is a man in the book and making her a woman is very fan servicey, but I enjoyed her immensely.

Tyland Lannister. He has provided some much needed comic relief this season, whether it's being bullied by Aegon and Jaehaerys, terrorised by Aemond or mud wrestled by pirates, he's fun to watch.

Team Black - I was kind of "meh" towards characters like Baela and Jace in season one. I've grown to appreciate them so much more in season two, and I think that's because of the acting. Bethany and Harry have done an amazing job.

The dragons! I've enjoyed seeing them all, the designs for all of them are so interesting and I really like how different they all look. Caraxes will be my forever favourite, but Syrax has also stolen my heart this season, because of her cute little Boglin face.

I think that's it? My expectations for season three are low, so hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised. I will be knocking around in the meantime, writing fics as always! Lots of love to you xoxo

[thewistlingbadger]

Things I loved about season 2 arcane

Jinx slapping Vi. Oh man was that shit deserved

Ekko and Jayce interaction. I love that they let them interact, especially since they're who started it all. Ekko's tip led to everything.

Jinx and Viktor interaction. I prayed for times like these and we got it.

The scene with Sevika's arm was so much fuckin fun

Jinx's reaction when she saw that Vi was an enforcer. The fact that she couldn't pull the trigger.

The return of Jinx's episodes

The interactions between jinx and Sevika, and jinx Sevika and Isha. I wished we got more of their dynamic they were a highlight

The music and animation of the final moment of the show. That shit was mind-blowing

Mel's new design and her power was the moment!

Seeing Kino!

Certain moments with Jinx and Silco. That opening in ep2 S2 had me sobbing. It's so tender and sad and God can you tell she loved him. Every moment she returned to his office was incredible.

Seeing Vander and Silco's hideout. The jackets. The fucking letter. Oh it hit me like a train.

Jayce mother fuckin Talis. He is everything. I love the focus he got in this season. I loved everything about him this season as well as his arc. This man kept getting more and more attractive as we saw him on screen.

The relationship between mel and jayce. They were so sweet and soft with each other. And in the end they parted on such beautiful and respectful terms.

Certain phrases and vocabulary. "Inextricably Bound" "you will never be a passenger" "you are the wolf" Felicia's monologue and Jayce's final monologue

Seeing grown up Mylo and Claggor was cool.

Jayce's reaction to seeing Viktor after the explosion was heartbreaking

Jayvik, Jayvik, Jayvik. Man did they steal the show for me. Seeing Jayce worry about Viktor, "it should have been me," their first hug, their first separation. All the way to that beautiful finale. Oh man it was everything.

Renni was an amazing addition at the start of the series. Her design, her weapon, and her ability to thrill the audience was amazing. That scene where she was looking for jayce? Chilling. The fact that she landed a back injury on him was crazy

The conclusion to act 1 s2 had my jaw on the floor. The reveal. The presentation. The music

Singed's whole storyline was awesome. I loved getting more information on him

The opening of act 2, with Jinx looking directly into the camera as a match announcer. That was so fun.

The blisters and bedrock flashback. I so wasn't expecting that and I was flailing about when I first saw it. Yeah it has its flaws but I loved seeing it. It recontextualizes everything for better and worse and I love that we have it even though it causes problems

Jinx's reaction to seeing everyone rally behind her. Babygirl needed that

Seeing more Sevika was nice, same with seeing more of the undercity as a united front

Designs just went hard this season. Ambessa, Caitlyn, vi, etc.

Ekko saving the day with his Z drive was epic

In ep1 s1 it was really sweet to see the way Caitlyn relied on Vi

The caitvi kiss was pretty cool

The Caitlyn betrayal. I wish they would have done more with this bc it was cool

Maddie saying "I appreciated the warmth." That line was COLD.

The Jayvik fight sequence in the council room

LEST!!

Some of the humor in this season was really funny

I love how they really said without Silco, everything falls a part

Please tell me what you loved about Arcane season 2. What parts really resonated with you on the most fundamental level? What made you feel with your whole soul and body? What parta made you think about the show for days after as you stared at the nearest wall?

The more I think about it, the more I just see the things I disliked about it, and I really really want to love it as much as I see others do, and as much as I loved it when I first watched it

[malyen0retsev]

the duffer brothers got the nuance absolutely perfect with ‘explaining but not excusing’ who billy is, and i don’t see why people aren’t getting this. people are either complaining he deserved better and deserved more redemption, or they’re saying he was humanised too much and the audience was being forced to like him - no, to both of those things. that’s the god damn point. 

when el goes into the void and sees billy’s memories, it’s a way of explaining how billy became who he is. how he went from being a laughing, happy child to the angry, abusive teenager he is now. you get a visual on how much he loved his mum, and how he lost her due to his father being abusive, and how billy just internalised all of that abuse until he started behaving basically exactly the same way. (you could argue his weird draw towards karen is actually because of him seeking out a motherlike figure, so he subconsciously is drawn towards a woman his mother’s age, but anyway) his dark childhood memories are juxtaposed against the mind flayer - both are dark things which have traumatised and affected him deeply. it explains how he is who he is now. and yes! i felt sorry for him! it was impossible not to feel sorry for him, because no child deserves to grow up in fear!

but

what those memories don’t do is excuse the person billy has now become. sure, we can now understand him more, and feel empathy that the abused has become an abuser - but this isn’t over humanising him. billy was a human villain in s2, and he’s still that human villain in s3, he just additionally has the mind flayer in him. seeing those memories doesn’t remove the way he attacked lucas in a racist rampage. it doesn’t remove the way he threw emotional abuse at max for years. it doesn’t remove the racist, sexist, homophobic behaviour we’ve seen from him. all of that stuff is still valid. the memories just remind us that billy is a human, a human who has seen bad shit, and is now being controlled - because black and white villains are untrue and unrealistic. to make billy wholly bad with no explanation would be unrealistic. 

max mourning billy also isn’t a case of billy being too humanised. it’s called a normal fucking human reaction. yes, her relationship with billy has never been close and trusting like we see with will and jonathan, or ‘not super close but i trust you and i’ll stand up for you always’ like we see with nancy and mike. but he’s still her brother. this is the boy she’s grown up with. he’s abused her, he’s emotionally hurt her. i get that. but max isn’t old enough to have mentally estranged herself from her brother. estranging yourself and cutting off emotions towards family members is a very very difficult thing to do, and takes years. it is not something you would be emotionally able to do at 14 years old. 

she’s seen this boy rocking back and forth in the sauna saying “i’m sorry max. he made me do it”, because he clearly knows knows that whilst everyone else hates him, the one person who might listen to him is his sister. his last words are “i’m sorry” to max. because yes. they aren’t super close, and they have a very very complicated, at times abusive, relationship. but max is still his sister. and billy is still her brother. and in his darkest moments, and last moments, billy is reaching to the familiarity - to the person he knows he’s treated like shit, but can’t and won’t judge him in the same way everyone else in that room does. because they’re family. maybe if they were much older, max would have put up emotional walls against billy. but they are fourteen and seventeen. frankly, max not mourning billy is what would be a deeply unnatural reaction. 

billy’s final moments are defined by el reminding him of who he once was, how he was once happy, and it forces the mind flayer out of him. and he chooses to do the right thing, and sacrifices himself to save everyone. this doesn’t excuse his past actions. billy has still been an utter asshole, and he never apologises for these actions. but he understands finally what he’s become, and how he got there, and in his final moments he decides to do the right thing. we as an audience are actually meant to feel very very mixed about this - he’s someone who’s been painted as unequivocally bad for two seasons, endangering and hurting the characters we love (both as himself and as the mind flayer), and now he’s saving their lives. we can’t whole heartedly say we want him to live, but at the same time, we begin to question actually maybe he might deserve it? he’s been humanised to the point we understand how he is who he is; but we still don’t forgive him for what he’s done. and that’s the point. 

billy’s actions were explained, BUT NOT EXCUSED. by being given a storyline beyond just ‘black and white villain’, people have been fast to say he deserved better, or that we were forced to like him, when the truth is that neither of those things are true. the duffer brothers wrote a human. a human who is flawed, a human who has seen shit, but a human who has actually done some pretty fucking awful things too. explaining his behaviour doesn’t excuse it, AND THEY DIDN’T EXCUSE IT. we just got reminded billy is fundamentally a human - and even the worst kind of people we know have a back story of how they got there, have people who will mourn them, and are still capable of making the right decision eventually. that was the point, that was what they nuanced, and they did it perfectly.

[catgirlapologist]

what do you think of the main characters? i wanna hear ur thoughtsss

okay so this is probably gonna be super long sgsjsjxg

at first josh felt like the stereotypical white cishet protagonist (ik that's exactly what they were going for but it still kinda annoyed me) so at first i didn't know how to feel about his character but watching the series i started to like him more and more. he makes a lot of mistakes (not only when it comes to his relationships with other people but also when it comes to serious medical decisions that he probably should discuss with other people before committing to it god i hate him what was he thinking????? he really just went and cut off his finger for no good reason what was he even planning? he didn't wanna stay with wes and angelica but he was literally gonna cut off his arm??? how are you gonna survive in the apocalypse with one arm completely on your on still seriously injured bc it's been cut off recently and you're not even used to not having it what a fucking dumbass (also he really went all "but sam i fought so hard for you :( i even lost my finger for you :(" LIKE DUDE YOU CUT IT OFF YOURSELF WTF YOU DIDN'T LOSE IT WHILE FIGHTING FOR HER WHAT)) but he's a genuinely caring person and he grows a lot throughout the season and regrets his actions and learns from them and even though he fucks shit up at the end too i'm excited to see how his character grows in the next season

angelica is literally a little gremlin and i love her. she's so chaotic and she's also an actual genius? iconic. and it all balances out so well. like she's super smart and takes advantage of that and uses it for her own gain but she's still just a child who doesn't think certain things through enough and makes bad decisions. her character is really well-developed. her background story gives us so much insight on her traits and behaviour and i really love that. she's so caring and she always tries her absolute best to keep people who are important to her safe. also i really hope they're gonna explore her trauma and how she deals with it in the next season? i feel like they chose her to show how traumatizing the apocalypse is for children (i know they pretty much showed it with every character but it just felt stronger with her bc she's still so young and doesn't repress her feelings)

I LOVE WESLEY SO MUCH I LITERALLY CAN'T!!!!!! ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC CHARACTERS EVER!!!!! like i know he makes mistakes too but if someone asked me to list his flaws i literally could not list anything. like is he kind of a dumbass? definitely, but in the best way possible. i enjoyed his episodes so much and pretty much every scene he's in. also it's so awesome to see a black gay character be so complex and well-developed, they put so much care into his character and it's so nice to see. i love his background story and character arc so much and i wanna know so much more about him i can't wait to see his arc in s2

ms. crumble is literally an angel. i used to have a teacher who's a lot like her and she was always so nice to me and i really miss her so seeing ms. crumble's flashbacks were really nice bc she reminded me of my old teacher dksjdhdj. ms. crumble is literally so sweet she cares so deeply about the kids she always fights her urges to keep them safe and imo that makes her so powerful?? like she's really just that strong the other ghoulies could never. and she's really interesting in general i'm so invested in the whole not human anymore storyline i'm really curious as to what direction they're gonna take with that? i really hope we see more of ms. crumble and angelica trying to figure out what's happening to the unvaccinated ppl. i love their bond so much it's so sweet.

i know there are more characters who could be considered main characters but this is already so long to i'm just gonna end it here dhskdhd

what do you think of the main characters? i'd love to hear your thoughts too!!

[fymagnificentwomcn]

If you were the writer or season 2 and if "Farya" didn't exist .. How would've you portrayed Ayşe's character and her relationship with murad and with kosem ? (Sorry for my horrible English)

Hello! That’s such a good question, thank you.

I remember how the fandom was divided by “ship wars” when MYK s2 went on air, but personally I wanted to see more of a partnership than an epic love story. That’s way more realistic and interesting to me as a viewer; I think the rivalry and the unnecessary romance was one of the reasons why the plot for season 2 ended up getting wrong in a lot of ways. They had a good show and a rich account of past events, it didn’t make sense to do the ‘history-repeats-itself’ they decided to go for. I mean, when you watch episode 1 you see all the wasted potential in Ayse’s arc, it’s just sad. 

So with this in mind, I still stand by what Margot and I talked about a while ago and she decided to make this amazing post. In details this represents everything that could have been in Ayse’s storyline. Hope it helps. :)

- Mai

 I agree with Mai - Farya brought nothing of importance to the show despite all the screentime she occupied and all efforts of screenwriters to make us love her.

The fact that we know so little about Ayse and Ayse/Murad relations offered writers a lot of creative license and as such opportunity to bring something fresh to the table.

Getting rid of Farya and all her nonsensical plots would be the first step, of course. Show me a Farya-related plot that made sense and had actual meaning for overall storyline - there is none. 

Second, now it is time for small digression - I find the repeated romantisation of slave/master relationships that often includes fairytale elements to be the biggest flaw of both shows. The shows did well in being critical about many aspects of pathologies of that system to the extent that is hard to find in other shows on the Ottoman Empire and which even made Erdogan angry (compare with MBCF with all its super!Mehmed stuff, and I don’t even want to mention TRT propaganda shows), but when it comes to (especially long-term) trauma of women who suddenly lost everything and became slaves used for reproduction and sexually pleasing a man for whom they were captured, they did very badly. They even portrayed the trauma of male slaves better thanks to a complex portrayal of Ibrahim’s character in the original MY, with the lingering trauma contributing heavily to his downfall.

Instead of trauma, we have too many master-slave romances. I can only recall Sadika crying after Suleyman forced her to sleep with him back in MY S1. Usually after a night spent with THE GUY concubines are shown to be on cloud nine. And in some cases it turns into love and if life’s not perfect that’s not because of any long-term trauma, but only because of power struggles. Sometimes they even portray what pretty much has a lot of out-of-textbook elements of Stockholm syndrome to later not acknowledge it properly  because of rushing though the plot and messy execution, see Nasya going quickly from “I’m not anyone’s property” to “I belong to him” because she needed to stay because of pure motives. I get it now more what they wanted to convey, especially in contrast with what we’ve seen later and the darkness of the ending, but still.. you could have done it better. Man, even Christian princesses want nothing more but to become the Sultan’s mistress (lbr Murad wouldn’t have married Farya without the attack). A lot of salt, yes, but this issue bothers me a lot and I had an Anon on fatihdaily expressing such worries too (thank you for an excellent ask, Anon!).

Back on track a bit - even if some of those women eventually developed affection for their masters because it was their only chance for some love or due to Stockholm syndrome (remember Safiye’s “only love may make living in this palace bearable” - if this does not clearly point to Stockholm syndrome than IDK, BUT ACKNOWLEDGE THIS BETTER.

And Murad’s harem is perfect for that because he truly wasn’t the romantic type or one for romantic bonds with women. He was truly the guy who used harem for reproduction and sexual satisfaction, if he managed to even grace it with his presence. Give me Ayse and Murad who aren’t in love with each other, but she’s the one who manages to earn his respect as perhaps the only woman after his mother. Give me Ayse, who in her loneliness tries to get close to Murad because he’s the only person she can truly get close to. He does sleep with her after all, kisses her, perhaps gives her some presents? Who is to quench her loneliness if not this man? Show me Ayse who partners with Murad because she tries to find purpose in this new life, at least for their kids. Show me Ayse who’s aware that she could be much happier elsewhere, but must try to build a good future for herself where she is; who would love to abandon this life if it was possible. But do not show me woman a bitter woman scorned because dude rejects her  first .

Now for character development: give me Ayse who grows bold enough to form her own network of relationships completely independently of Murad. Who, while at first scared of her mother-in-law, actually realises that she has much more in common with this woman than with her “partner”, a “shadow of God on Earth”, who has a lot given to him on a silver platter just because he bears the title of a padisah. And yes, we have practically next to none positive mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships in MY/K, and since Kosem/Turhan has to be antagonistic eventually, why don’t give Kosem a nice relationship with Ayse that would be more than just “we tolerate each other” and that would never have anything hidden, like Turhan becoming close to Kosem to eventually use it against her mother-in-law? Give us something totally genuine, like Mahidevran/Mihrunnisa in original MY, just this time between two historical characters. 

At the same time, Ayse’s relationship with Murad would deteriorate due to his increasing cruelty and alcohol addiction. This guy is definitely not a romantic hero out of every girl’s dreams. Bah, he’s not even a nice guy. And if you show abuse, again acknowledge it properly, without dumb lines like Madame Marguerite, who usually tried to knock some sense into Farya, telling her that “Forgive him he tried to kill you for what was mainly his fault, poor Murad has so many things to worry about”(WTF???). Make her drift away from him as much as she can OUT OF HER OWN WILL, not because he rejects her. I love Margot’s idea about Ayse realising he is trash before other big rival comes along. Since Murad likely had more than one concubine and one more haseki - bring them, but show Ayse not giving a fuck at all at this point. More - why not make them bond over their own misery? Murad descends into alcohol downward spiral that makes him spend much more time on long drinking parties with buds and killing or hurting people sometimes just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, so USE THIS OPPORTUNITY to show scared and disappointed women teaming up to survive his jackass behaviour. 

We all know Ayse would eventually lose her sons, but I would love for her to also have daughters, so that she wouldn’t be so  alone because historically she lived really long. And yeah I wouldn’t mind to see her being happy to leave Topkapi eventually, I don’t mean here being happy upon a death of man who after all was the father of her kids, but relieved to be free of this palace at last. Challenge the “Palace of Tears” concept.

As for her personality… pretty much what Margot described. I would love her to be more quietly strong, to contrast nicely with the imposing presence of the powerhouse that Kosem is. Clever and perceptive, but not a schemer. I’d love to see her use more emotional intelligence than pure cunningness. And I honestly feel Leyla Feray would be good to reflect such personality.

Oh, all the dreams *sighs*

Thank you once more for a great question :)

- Joanna

[dailyironwing]

Is it just me but I was sooo impressed by s2 iron fist. Im asian american, and i totally understood the criticism danny and iron fist faced, but i held out for the show cuz i just loved the characters so much. I think they really came back and killed it with every aspect of the show and responded to every complaint they faced in s1. Like first: the fight scenes were soooooooo fucking fantastic, like i can tell they went 9999999% harder for this season cuz last season's fight scenes were eh (1/?)

(2/?) and like second: the writing was soooooo good like I was continuously drawn in and it never felt dragged or slow (like last season) and the way they balanced the cute/funny casual scenes with the characters with the intense plot-heavy scenes I feel was executed so well. Third: the charcter developement that everyone had was. just. phenomneal. Imma start with colleen cus MY GIRL GOT THE ARC AND DEVELOPEMT SHE DESERVED. like i screamed when she got the fist cuz it was so unexpected but so..

(3/?) it was so unexpected but at the same time so perfect, that i ended up being like duh??? why wouldnt she get it?? which is impressive cuz i feel the defender's and marvel shows have a bit of trouble with being predictable, but with iron fist i was shocked and so satidified. With Danny, my precious golden boi, I was so happy too. The way they handled his character, the white washing, the white savior trope, and his obvious white billionaire priviledge was the biggest hhmmmm for me in S1 ...

(4/?) But the fact that they continuosly pointed out and commented on his privilege, and how they explored the idea that he shouldn't have the fist and and that he had to work to earn it, I felt was SOO important. I love danny, and his sunny kind of child like personlaity is what drew me in, and I hope with S2 ppl can really appreciate him as a complex character that you can leanr from. Like for me personally, i relate to him and his tendency to be emotional and how he handles it, for me it...

(5/?) ... was so comforting to watch and to relate to. PPl gotta stop witht the quick assumption and hate and learn to rlly appreciated stories and characters that dont fit to the perfect mold of what ppl want or think is correct. As for the other characters, I felt the same satisfaction. Davos, although scary and extremist, a part of me cared for him and understood him, and seeing sucha complex antagonist was so refreshing considering the other villains in marvel...

(6/?) also with ward and joy, seeing them part from one another and seeing who they are as individuals was so great to see. I love ward now and his character developlment is sooooo good. also his new relationship with danny makes me cry and evertime he called danny his brother my heart swelled. Also with mary walker, i was a little scared that she would feel out of place in the show, but the way they integrated her storyline I felt was rlly creative, and im rlly excited to see where they go...

(7/?) ... with her character in the future. Overall, the show just felt perfect, which was a releifi cuz personally for me the 2nd seasons for Daredevil, Jessica JOnes, and Luke Cage felt a lil dissappointing. Like I saw the trend with destroyed relationships among the defenders and hated it. Ik colleen and danny arent together for now, but the relationship was nt unneccassarly destroyed, and i still feeels like they'll be canon and that this is just for them to grow as indivifuals.(8/8) Im praying to god w get a s3 cuz th potential for iron fist just fucking tripled in my opinion. With the new first powers, character dynamics, and plot lines, Im sosososososo excited for wats to come. Im just begging that it doesnt get canceled cuz ppl be sleeping on season 2's fantastic comeback from was was admittedly and mediocre season 1.

Hello anon! What can we say, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us! We were very satisfied with this season too, possibly in ways we didn’t expect we would. Every character development was very on point and Colleen getting the fist managed to be both surprising and inevitable for reasons that weren’t just in-universe. It’s a brilliant move to give Danny the chance to start from scratch, find himself and earn his powers back knowing full well what it is about and how to use it. At the same time, Colleen gets to be the Asian IF so many people asked for and while I’m baffled at the idea that heroes have to be super-powered I certainly won’t complain if she of all people has a glowing fist of her own. It was very well thought out and I think it made a lot people very happy. I know some thought Danny was undermined in the process but I’ll disagree because it was, after all, his choice.

We agree, Danny is a sunshine puppy who deserves the best. We were never on board with the harsh criticism he’d been getting, but we were always aware that he needed to grow up and we trusted that the writers, whichever he got, would do him justice. And while I’ll concede that he’s privileged and there’s some undertones of white saviourism about him, I also thought he was sometimes unfairly attacked both on and off screen. It’s certainly more convenient to be born rich and powerful, and anyone can call him out on that if they will, but I don’t think anybody has mentioned enough how traumatized, abused and mistreated he has been for 15 years. He is a billionaire, but he’s also a 26-year-old who lost his parents at 10 and lived in terrible conditions ever since, and yet he manages to be kind, decent and hopeful. Harry Potter taught us that it’s ultimately our choices that define us, and I think Danny’s make up for his privilege pretty well. I acknowledge his flaws and faults, but I wish someone would also aknowledge the good in him.

Davos, then. I couldn’t wait for the show to be back to see what he had in mind: my guess is he did what many abused children do, repeating the pattern they themselves lived. There’s also a hint of fanatism to him that I find interesting, it feels very real and sometimes scarily so. Joy’s observations about him were very on point. I still hope he can be redeemed and he and Danny can be friends again, it was a beautiful relationship I wish I’d seen more of.

Ward is a fan fave with very good reason (I liked him with Misty a lot, with Bethany.... not so much) and Joy proved to be an asset for the show this year, I’m very happy with that! Her dynamics with both Mary and Walker were very interesting and I’m glad they’re not over (though Joy probabily isn’t). For the Meachums in particular, but for everyone, this seaso has been about finding purpose. Ward’s arc was possibly the most relatable, but really every character was out there trying to find themselves, which is very important for a show that targets, I assume, younger people than any other Marvel/Netflix does.

Last but not least, we too are optimistic about Ironwing! They did break up, but definitely not in a way that seems impossible to fix, and frankly that’s already more than we were expecting! It’s been a very strong, tight and entertaining season and we can’t wait for more.

[dustydreamsanddirtyscars]

“Do You Believe in Miracles?“

Short answer: No. Not in relation to “the Future”. Not when it comes to Supernatural. Not when it comes down to exactly this phrase, these words, this question and the “miracles” it entailed. But believing and belief played a huge part in this episode and after having re-watched it when not being just about to fall asleep I have to say I really have a couple of issues with the story and narrative of this episode. I may get wanky in the following, you have been warned!

I hadn’t exactly been excited about this episode yesterday during first watch, but rather indifferent. Today however, I see the flaws of the episode - and there were a few - in much more colour. It’s no secret that I have my fair share of issues with this season and that I am sad and disappointed about how little Dabb has used the potential of the general set up, but I don’t mean to go into that again. I do however feel the need to type out my frustration with the most recent episode anyway. So fair warning ahead, just skip the rest of this post and don’t continue reading past this, because it will be very critical and quite possibly may contain some slightly angry wordings on my part. You have been warned.

So with that out of the way, here goes nothing.

“Cas Ain’t Cas”

I think the main thing that really truly annoyed me even more on second watch than on first watch is how we are just watching a repeat of a repeat of a repeat when it comes to Castiel’s story and it is enraging, because essentially we are back in S6/7 with Cas making decisions on the Winchesters behalfs in order to keep them save and “going dark” in the process as Dean so expositionedly said in their conversation right before Cas betrays him again to steal the Colt. We have had this over and over and over again and it just keeps Cas from ever growing or even reaching some semblance of closure or healing, because he tries finding purgatory to keep the Winchesters save and unleashes leviathan into the world, he tries to save the world from Amara by saying yes to Lucifer and now once more Cas - just like Kelly - is losing his free will yet again (and yes, that is of course the reason why the writers absolutely needed to name drop the “Team Free Will”-phrase as the last 15 minutes of the episode see Cas reverting back, back to a time where he used to believe in destiny and a plan, all of which he abandoned and had grown out of, something he had overcome, which is why Cas’ almost drugged out smile and his lines about him now no longer feeling lost and having a mission and faith again is so upsetting) and is brainwashed by an unborn nephilim child. Essentially Cas once more isn’t really Cas and ends up hurting those who really care about him most: the Winchesters. To put it plainly: I am tired of this charade, of the same story over and over again. Especially as the rest of the season had made such a point about Cas finally seeming to truly move to a place where he’d chose to become human even maybe, which still to me will be the only arc to make sense for Cas.

“A Sad & Angry Dean!Girl”

But it wasn’t just Castiel’s story that was frustrating, something I am really majorly annoyed by at this point - and yes, I can admit that I am probably biased because I am a Dean!Girl - is how the entire season sees Dean making amends, being compassionate and understanding, showing all the time how empathic he is, how well he can read people and also proves that he doesn’t hold on to grudges all that long anymore even when he would have every freaking right to do so. Dean has been shown to be the one character to be screwed over by any other character the most this season. It’s people leaving him all over again. His mom (as the Woman in White)? Can’t wait to get away from her sons. His best friend? Leaving again and making the same mistake all of them have made before by doing something behind the others’ back to protect them and by not being honest and open with one another making it so much worse. Dean has  shown concern and worry and has talked openly about his issues, but he isn’t met with the same treatment by others, instead he gets walked all over. By virtually anyone he meets. In seasons prior I would have felt content knowing this pattern would be broken and pay off at the end of the season, but we no longer live in Carver Era (dear lord, do I miss him), but Dabb is doing his thing and I don’t think that there will be a pay off in this regard, that there will be a focus on how Dean’s feelings, doubts and words have been rendered “not important” throughout the narrative by various instances, but how exactly that in the end will be the crux of the entire thing. I dont think that will happen, I don’t think there’ll be resolution. And it pains me for Dean, who tries so hard, but ends up hurt all the time by his loved ones - and the fact that they do things out of love for him doesn’t change anything about the fact that some actions still are far from okay.

“The Boyking Reloaded”

And last but not least let’s talk about the elephant, well the nephilim, in the room. I disliked this storyline and everything to do with Lucifer all along, but I just really dread how this storyline will continue to unfold in S13. Sure, I would love it immensly if Lucifer’s kid ended up as I said during live watch yesterday as rebelious as his father and would in contrast to him actually truly be on humanity’s side - it would be the biggest fuck you and lesson learnt for Lucifer and would bring him full circle and to walk in his father’s shoes, but let’s be honest. What are the chances the kid’s future will truly be this “dreamy wonderland” Cas and Kelly seem to see? With hellish squeaky sounds strewn in? And most of all what kind of story would they build from a world where everything’s alright? That doesn’t make for very interesting storytelling, simply because it lacks urgency and imminent danger. So while I’d much rather prefer the child to be at the very least portrayed as innocent, which was one of the key themes of the season, that exactly no child is born evil, but that the way we are raised shape and form us, I don’t think that option is truly anything to count on.

To me the thing they want to do with the nephilim is basically re-telling the Winchester story (and with that loosely playing with allusions that one may read as Sam and Dean not truly being brothers or that Sam may be a nephilim too). We have a mother (said to die soon after the child is born - sounds familiar?), basically called Mary by Daegon and very decidely and not very subtly working in the parallel here between Mary and Sam and how Kripke thought of Sam as a christ figure, etc.

Other Eyeroll-Worthy Moments of the Episode imo

Daegon: Seriously, such wasted potential for what the show could have turned into an interesting character. But I find it deeply infuriating how they basically limited her down to a power hungry fan girl of Lucifer, who just wanted to be with him and rule alongside him. Like... where is the feminism and emancipation in that? She was just following orders and yeah, the fact that Lucifer could torture her with his mind of course should let all alrm bells ringing for what Lucifer’s child is doing to Cas and Kelly no matter if it is honest and well intention or not - it remains mind control.

The fucking Colt: I mean, SERIOUSLY?! Wouldn’t Azael have thought of snatching the Colt from Dean’s hands and melting it into nothing in S2 too? He only needed it for the Hell gates to be opened, after that he could have just... destroyed it too. Like... if they really brought back the Colt to get ridd of it again in this fashion. Just... I have no words for such stupid decisions, not going to lie.

Joshua: He actually reminded me of Michael for some reason, but oh well... whatever. He’s gone now, so... why even make a big deal of the character? That said, maybe the show could bring Michael into the mix finally to get rid off Luci and his offspring. It would be interesting in so far as they also emphasized the “righteous man” bit. Maybe Dean will play an integral role in regards to the kid after all? Who am I kidding lol, the writers wouldn’t ever go there, because they don’t give a flying fuck about Dean focus.

The Impala and the Truck: I know people will say that I am overreading this, but the Impala as a symbol for Dean’s soul is “kidnapped” - lol literally as Kelly’s decision is driven by her child. Dean isn’t in control of the Impala, he has to stand and see his car drive off - kind of like he’s been treated and invalidated by multiple sources the season. So yeah, one may read this as a further possible connection between the kid and Dean, but that’s reaching. In any case, Dean fixing Cas’ truck is also rather symbolic of Dean’s role throughout the series and how he always tried to shoulder others burdens and help fix what’s wrong (even though of course he has helped messing up enough stuff himself of course).

So yeah, my biggest sadness over this season is how hollow it feels, how little emotion it conveys, it feels like the core of the show went missing somehow and I am left here standing at the side of the road desperately trying and hoping that maybe the Impala will pick me up and take me back to the time where I didn’t feel like this, but actually was captured and captivated by the stories of the characters of this small show called Supernatural that I love - which is why this season is so painful, because god, it can do so much better than this. So yeah, basically I am waiting for a miracle, but if SPN taught me one thing, there’s no such thing as miracles...