#he was a witness and a victim to what bad did in purgatory

[qnpc04]

this clip makes my heart ache so bad and i don’t even know how to explain why it’s just fusosodldk

[a-winchester-fairytale]

Welcome to my Dean x Reader Masterlist. **Return to the Main Masterlist**

FIRST LOVE, LAST LOVE -  An example of how one moment connects us to the next in our minds, especially when its about someone we love.

LEATHER, WHISKEY, & HEARTACHE - A fight drives you out of the bunker and Dean to the bottle. Can the two of you fix things between you or is it too late?

NEVER ALONE - Some days are harder than others, and when your struggles become overwhelming, Dean knows just how to make you feel better.  

THE RIDE - Saying good-bye is never easy

SALVAGE-ABLE (AU) - Driving across the country can lead to all kinds of problems, but sometimes breaking down in a small town isn’t such a bad thing.

ME AND THE MOON - An abandoned place, a lifetime love, and the moon as a witness

VILLISCA - Strange things are happening in small town Iowa, where a family was murdered in their home over 100 years ago.  Can you and the Winchesters work together to solve the mystery behind the Villisca Axe Murder House?

SAVE YOUR HEART - Dean helps you get out of a bad relationship and find yourself again.

LOVE IS A POLAROID - Love can be a lot of different things.  Sometimes it is complicated…and sometimes, it is as simple as a picture that represents a memory.

SOMEONE YOU LOVED -  Loving someone isn’t always enough, but feeling loved is everything

THE TIE - Imagine helping Dean with his tie

DID YOU SAY IT - Sam tries to help bring together the two people he loves most when they can’t seem to find the words to tell each other how they really feel.

THE BEST OF ME - After seven years apart, you come face to face with the one person you never expected to see again and current events have you looking back at your past with a new set of eyes.

I DARE YOU - No one likes to back down from a dare, but sometimes that can be used against you.

31 DAYS - You have one choice, to keep your secret or tell the truth, and 31 days to decide.

A SMALL PRICE - (request) Imagine Dean finds out you are pregnant

SKATES - After a hunt in the National Forest you sneak away to have a little fun, but what happens when you get caught?

SURVIVAL -  Sam and Dean have different views on how you are handling the loss of your family, but you know what you really think will help you survive and you will not stop until you get it.

CURTAIN CALL - While on a case with Bobby and Sam, Dean comes face to face with a woman he has only dreamed about before.

KILLING CHRISTMAS - The brothers pick up a case where 5 murders occurred in one night at a Christmas party.  The case turns personal when Dean and Y/N become victims of the supernatural and time is running out.

THE TEDDY BEAR DOCTOR - You must take your daughter to the hospital, and both of you are surprised by the gorgeous doctor that walks into the room.

FREEZE FRAME - When Dean finds an antique camera on a hunt, he thinks it will be the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. The camera, however, comes with a history.

FIGHTING 4 US - One second you want to ring each others neck, the next second he is racing against the clock to save yours.

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING - While on a case, a witch plays a little trick on Dean, giving him the gift of too much information.

MORE THAN A FRIEND - A night of celebrations leads to a morning of revelations

TAKE YOUR TIME - When Dean shares a secret with you, you realize that sometimes all it takes is knowing the right place to go for comfort to find you.

MORE THAN YOU KNOW - Dean finally asks the one question that has been weighing on his mind all day, and in some ways - for years.

FIRE - When the barn catches fire at your ranch, Dean and Sam do everything they can to try and save everyone - including you.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY - This was written for a Valentine’s Day Gift challenge.  Just pure fluff!

SOMEONE LIKE YOU - Dean begins admitting his feelings for you to Sam, but doesn’t expect you to hear him.

DEMON DEAN - Bartenders usually know their regular clientele, but how much could you really know about a demon?

DARK SIDE OF THE MOON - Dean must travel to Purgatory to save the reader after an altercation with Roy

FIGHT FOR ME - All you want is to start a life with the one you love, but there always seems to be one more uncertainty for TFW to face first.

AMAZING - Inspired by Louden Swain’s song AMAZING

SHIFTER - Dean really hates shifters, especially when one of them looks just like him.

BECAUSE I LOVE YOU - Beka and Sam both know what Dean and Y/N are trying to hide from each other.  Will today’s events finally reveal the truth?

DUST TO DUST - As a bartender, you learn to read people - including the frequent stranger at the end of the bar. Will his ability to see the same things in you give you both the desire to make a change?

SECRETS & LIES - (Between S5 and S6)  Dean has no idea that his brother is alive, but when his sorrow awakens a vision - you do.

LOCKED - Imagine Dean locking you in a cellar to protect you

WHAT WOULD YOU WISH FOR -  A stranger gives the gift of one wish, but all magic comes with a price.

FORGIVE ME - Sometimes the memories you make are worth the risks you take

THE ONE WITH THE ROAD TRIP -  Dean wants to go on a road trip with the girl he loves, but you have no idea all of the surprises he has in store for you.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN - Watching movies with you best friend leads to a surprise ending

HAPPY THANKSGIVING - When the lines of friendship have been blurred, you and Dean must decide where to draw that line again

[firewoodfigs]

we might be made of scars, but we’ll be alright

read on ao3 | song: miho fukuhara, let it out 

For @royaiweek day 3: old wounds - thank you mods!! 💕 y’all are amazing ✨ 

(a/n: it’s my first time trying out the “5+1 things” tag, and I thought I’d experiment with another writing style again xD feedback, as always, is greatly appreciated! <3) 

“This one had it coming, this one found a vein This one was an accident, but never gave me pain This one was my father's, and this one you can't see This one had me scared to death But I guess I should be glad I'm not dead” - Stone Sour, Made of Scars

i.

Lieutenant Hawkeye traces the long scar on the back of her calf idly as she changes out of her military uniform. It’s coloured a faded, nostalgic pink, and it reminds her of the innocent childhood that she shares with the Colonel.

She’d gotten it from a bad fall when she was only twelve, and her father’s apprentice had been terribly worried when he witnessed her limping back home. He had rushed over immediately with a first aid kit in hand, before propping her gently on the couch as he pleaded with her to let him take care of it.

It was hard to say no to such an earnest face like his. Having already suffered enough from the long walk back home, Riza wanted nothing more than to rest at that point. Eventually, she relented, though with a hint of distrust.  

Because they weren’t even friends then, and what business did he have being so nice -?

“It might hurt,” Roy whispered before dabbing the damp gauze pad on her wound.

Hydrogen peroxide on open wounds, of course, stung like hell. But for every wince, every grimace, he’d responded with a soft apology, whispering soothing platitudes as he worked on the gaping wound meticulously to avoid causing her further pain.

It was the first time Riza had felt a touch so tender and kind.

Even then, his compassion hadn’t stopped there. After he was done with the bandages he had practically ordered her to bed and appointed himself as head chef despite her objections.

“You can’t be moving around like that,” he said, ushering her into her room while lending his shoulder for support. He had helped her - much to her abashment, and much to his amusement - onto her bed, before commanding her to stay put while he prepared dinner. She obliged reluctantly, fiddling with her blanket while waiting for him.

Not too long after, he came back with a bowl of hot stew and a delighted, affable smile.

“Thank you, Mister Mustang,” she said shyly.

Roy frowned. “Please don’t call me that. Just… just call me Roy?”

She politely refused, telling him that it would be terribly inappropriate to do so, but something between them had changed. Any tension that might have existed previously was beginning to dissolve, and Riza was starting to treat him less like the plague.

Sensing this, Roy continued to stay by her side despite her proverbial disinclination for small talk, hoping to finally befriend the introverted blonde.

Over dinner, then, he’d regaled her with tales of his unfortunate misadventures with alchemy when he first started out and silly jokes that he often made with his sisters. In turn, she had reciprocated with reserved laughters and hunting mishaps of her own and a budding trust.

In the end, the injury became an insignia of when her loneliness ended, and when their friendship started.

ii.

Then, of course, there were the scars on her back that contained deadly secrets, prolix poems and meaningless apologies. To an alchemist, the intricate, complex array might have been beautiful. A transfiguration of sorts, even.  

To Riza, though, it was nothing but disfiguration in its purest, most unadulterated form. Engraved within were memories of pain and abuse and estrangement, and she would have honestly appreciated being able to live without a daily reminder of those.

He had known he was dying, even before Roy returned from the military, and had called this his parting gift. To her, to an apprentice worthy of its power, to the world. Donatio mortis causa.  

Riza thought it was the furthest thing from a present - it was her father’s curse to her, and it would haunt her even after his death.

And when he’d finally passed… Riza had been terrified to show it to Roy.

It wasn’t so much that she didn’t trust him, but - would anger consume him at the realisation that her father had done this to her? God forbid - would he think of her as ugly, marred? Would he still think of her as desirable?

But he was the chosen one; the one that her father had deemed worthy of learning flame alchemy. Ultimately, her desire to assist his goals, his wonderful dreams and ambitions for the future and for the country had outweighed whatever trivialities that might have deterred her from doing so.

With trembling hands, thus, she had unbuttoned her cardigan to reveal the array to him. He’d been speechless. There was a silence that lingered in the thin, dusty air of the Hawkeye manor, but before it could persist he had crossed the distance between them in two long strides.

“Riza,” he whispered. Her hands weren’t the only ones trembling - his hands were, too. She felt it when he rested them on the planes on her back, tracing the grooves of her spine reverently, affectionately.

The trembling hadn’t stopped even when he circled his arms around her waist to bring her into a warm embrace. He had whispered apologies onto her shoulder, then. Blamed himself for not being there to stop his teacher, her father, from doing this to her, for leaving her alone to deal with this. It was a sincere apology, unlike the ones inscribed onto her skin.

Suddenly, the weight on her back had felt a little lighter - perhaps from a burden shared, or from his sweet reassurances.

Either way, Riza remembers it as the night where her trust in him had developed into full bloom.

iii.

Eventually, though, Riza comes to learn that psychological wounds ached more than physical ones. The latter was temporary, but the former - hell, they were indelible, inescapable. This much was heavily reinforced, at least, by the horrors of war that they had encountered during their time in Ishval.

She’d told her superior officer that a gun was good, because it didn’t leave the feeling of a person dying in her hands. It was a partial lie. One that she was willing to let slip from her mouth placidly if it meant that she could be by his side and utilise her gun as a tool for protection, rather than murder and war and genocide.

Because no matter how much she scrubbed her hands after in the sink, she realised that she could never wash away the red on her hands. While the distance between her and her unfortunate victims meant that blood had never fallen on her hands, the entire experience had stained her soul a deep crimson.

It warped her heart; her conscience and morality, and it was a burden that she - no, they - would carry to their graves.

Nonetheless, Riza finds herself sending a short prayer of thanks to any god willing to hear from a wretched sinner like her as she stares at Roy’s peaceful sleeping form. Dreamless slumbers like these were uncommon for the Flame Alchemist, the Hero of Ishval, but it seemed like they were getting increasingly frequent as they progressed along further with the project after the Promised Day.

(Of course, neither of them had come to forgive themselves entirely. They probably never would - for their burdens and sins and iniquities still remained, and would linger on to their very last breaths.)

But their work of atonement and reparation had assuaged their consciences somewhat, even if only marginally. Roy, most of all, deserved this brief respite. He’d been working himself to the bone ever since he regained his vision, and she found herself having to play the role of babysitter less and less.

Riza allows a subtle smile to cross her stern features as she drapes his coat over his tired frame before returning to her paperwork.

iv.

After the war came the burns on her back. They’re splattered across her upper back in irregular splotches of pink; etched with guilt and reluctance and self-reproach.

To say that asking Roy to burn her back was difficult would be a gross understatement. He had already endured enough, and to ask him to use the power bestowed upon him to burn even more skin was akin to putting him through another round of purgatory.

Riza was disinclined to repeat his suffering, but she needed it. Desperately. She couldn’t bear the thought of creating another Flame Alchemist, and the array was literally a back-breaking burden. She’d begged him once, twice before he relented. Very unwillingly.

They’d gone back together to Tobha to do it, back to the now-decrepit Hawkeye estate that held an eerie resemblance to a haunted mansion. In some ways, it was poetically fitting - ending it where it had first begun. The estate bore apparitions of their innocence, their childhood memories, but now it would bear the ghost of flame alchemy as well.

Riza came to learn, then, that whatever she’d conceived of as pain from having hydrogen peroxide dab at an open wound paled in comparison to fire searing her skin. It took all of her willpower to not scream, but she withheld the urge to do so. Even if it meant biting her lips, digging her nails into her palms until they bled.

Like he had once done when they were children, Roy was quick to come to her aid. He came with water ice-cold and embraces lovingly-warm; painkillers and repeated apologies and constant reassurances.

Riza manages to respond to all of this with reminders of forgiveness through her pain. Because for the first time since the needle had met her skin, since the war, she’d felt free. Liberated.

Libera me.  

Roy had allowed her to be Riza Hawkeye - her own person, her own being - instead of just the bearer of a lethal, fatal secret that could kill thousands. Despite how much it pained them both to burn her back, she's never been more grateful.

Had she murmured her thanks, her apologies? Riza’s not quite sure. The memories after are a blur. She only remembers passing out in Roy’s arms and the tender, apologetic kiss on her forehead before unconsciousness had dawned upon her like a comforting blanket to stave away the unbearable pain.

The cold water falling on her skin in the shower reminds her of his warmth after the flames had died down. Riza can’t help but laugh slightly at the distant memory.

It’s ironic - Roy lives up to his moniker for reasons more than one.

v. / vi.

But none of the scars she’s sustained throughout her life can compare to the ones they’d gotten from The Promised Day.

The only comfort through all the hell they had endured was probably the fact that they were now lumped together in the same hospital room. Nonetheless, the quiet solitude of night-time is filled with unspoken apologies and unshed tears. It’s unbearable. Roy can feel the guilt radiating off every fibre of her being despite his blindness, despite the distance separating them -

- and so he orders his subordinate to come over.

Hesitantly, Riza complies. She crawls into his bed cautiously, careful not to jostle the wounds on his hands. They mark her failure. Roy was nearly killed before her very eyes, and she’d been powerless to stop it as the sword pierced through his palms. She wants to cry, wants to wail out loud and mourn for his loss of sight, for how useless she had been in the face of it all -

- but her vocal cords are strained. The only thing that escapes her throat is a soundless sob. Riza forces herself to hold in her tears - you don’t deserve to cry, no, stop - but Roy knows. He knows her like the back of his hand, and so even if she’s temporarily mute he can already hear what she’s going to say; even if he’s blind he can see the tears beginning to glimmer in her ochre eyes.

With a bandaged hand he carefully finds her face and caresses it tenderly. “It’s not your fault, Riza,” he whispers.

There’s a wetness to her cheeks now, like it’s raining. “Please don’t blame yourself,” he murmurs. “If anything, all the fault’s mine.”

As if to reinforce his point, his fingers make their way down - to her jaw, and then to the dressing on her neck. A sigh escapes his lips as he traces the scar underneath, remorse and regret dripping from his fingertips. 

“No -” Riza croaks. Not your fault, Roy.  

“If it’s not my fault, then how could it ever be yours?”

She’s silent again. There’s so much she wants to say - I’m so sorry, Roy, I should have been there, should have done something, can you ever forgive me, I was so afraid to lose you - but the wound renders it impossible.

Regardless, they’ve always had a knack for understanding each other, even without words or eye signals.

He searches for her face again, using it to guide his lips to her forehead. “Not your fault,” Roy says once more for added emphasis. His voice is louder than a whisper this time. It’s filled with conviction and relief and affection, and in their close proximity he can’t help but press a chaste kiss on her messy fringe.

“I was so afraid of losing you, Riza. Nothing scared me more than seeing you bleed on the ground, watching you almost… almost dying.”

They’re both crying uncontrollably now.

“But you’re alive, and that’s all that matters. I might never get my sight back, but I have the Hawk’s Eye with me,” he manages to quip through his sobs. “With you by my side, I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine, Riza. As long as we’re together.”

Riza manages a slight nod under his chapped lips, before reaching for his hand to place a gentle kiss on it. It’s a soothing salve to the dull ache underneath and a promise, a vow. I’ll always be with you, Roy.  

Roy retracts his hand to wrap his arms around her, pulling her body to his chest in a tight, haphazard embrace. Riza feels his heart beating against hers, all life and strength and fervor, and she thinks he’s right.

“We’ll be alright, Riza. I promise.”

[go-diane-winchester]

Could Travis and Ty's scandals be linked to Misha?

Thank you for the ask.  Let me point out that these are merely my theories.  Although there is information that is unavailable to the public because in Travis's case, the investigation is still ongoing, my theory is based on the information that is available.  I am also a victim of abuse, so I am not being unsympathetic to Ty's victims, because Ty's victims really are victims.  Travis's victims are a little suspicious.   

Travis Aaron Wade:

I know what predators are generally like.  Because of being a victim myself, I was on the side of Travis's victims until I looked into the case.  There is more issues to pinpoint, but I am keeping the topic only to Misha here, because I have dedicated a few posts to both Travis and his ''victims''.  These are some notable points in the case.:

They were claiming that he was abusing them during breakfast panels and Saturday night concerts, in front of too many people, and yet they had no witnesses.

Two of the victims confessed to lying. 

All the victims were destiel shippers and Misha minions.

Misha, Briana, Kim and Matt Cohen know a few of the people involved personally, follow them on SM and leaving voice messages for them.  I heard Briana's voice message. 

One of the victims, Sara Burnhope, who knows Misha and his parents personally, told Travis on social media, that Misha hates him. 

One of them, Lua James aka Theresa Cotter [@Poptivist on Twitter], stabbed a knife into Travis's door and then fled California.  She is Kim's friend.  They were spending time outside of con. 

Why did Misha hate Travis 

Misha has two babies as far as his work on SPN went.  One is Destiel, and the other is the Wayward daughters.  These two babies ensured that he was always employed on a show that kills off every other non lead.  One of them, Wayward Daughters, derailed because Misha is wrong. 

Destiel

Travis threatened destiel because he was gushing over J2's friendship during his panel saying that he had never met two people more in love.  He described their friendship so much, that he was pulled out of the next con by Clif, the resident drama queen.  Way to be suspicious, Clif.  That is exactly what you do when you don't J2 Tinhats to become alert, blithering idiot.  In none of the gushings did Travis say anything regarding Jensen and Misha or Destiel.  Misha didn't want that.  Notice how destiel-positive Osric and gang are.  Even Alex is becoming destiel positive now, because when he wasn't, the hellers bashed him on SM.  They did the same thing to Samantha Smith.  But Travis not only didn't acknowledge Destiel.  He was elevating J2's friendship above all the other relationships on SPN.  And Misha was getting livid. 

Wayward Daughters

Wayward Daughters was something that only Misha and his hellers pushed.  I always wondered why he did it, because I consider him to be a liberal poser.  He pretends to supports something if it benefits him or his reputation.  Crusading for women's rights and then calling them perverts for having a love for shipping, seems hypocritical to me.  I think he pushed Wayward to secure a future for himself.  There is rumor that's been going on since last year and the Js want to finish of with SPN completely.  They want to long hiatus from acting.  Nobody knows when.  If that happens, Misha doesn't have a job, and we all know that other than the hellers, nobody else is impressed by his acting.  He gets laughed at.  If there is a spinoff, Castiel is likely to have a home there, because most of the fans will be Misha fans.  Misha would have still been able to bait his fans, by 'reminiscing' about Dean in a suggestive manner and if CW was on board, showing scenes between Dean and Cas.  He might have even confirmed Destiel because Jensen wouldn't have been around to stop him.  The bottom line is he would have used destiel to keep that job as well.   

Kim and Briana were on his side, because they had vested interest in the project and are fake militant feminists.  Unfortunately, Cole [Travis's character] became so popular that some fans wanted a spin off for him, and when Cole was pitted against Jody and Donna by Geekiary, for best spinoff candidate, Cole won.  I can just imagine how angry Misha and gang were.  And it now makes sense, for Kim and Brianna to know the accusers and the implicated parties personally.  My theory is that they all got together and set Travis up to get him out of the way.  Until the case goes to court, and reaches a conclusion, that is all my assumption will be.  A theory. 

Ty Olsson

In his official response, Ty admitted that what he did was 100% wrong.  And he was.  Fans had cause to complain and feel violated.  I am not taking away from their grief.  They really are victims.  I think that, just like Travis, this guy is a complete idiot.  Travis was causing too many ripples because of his big mouth, and Ty was sipping from other people's drinks.  He said it was not enough to get drunk with.  He said that he was roofied.  Why do I believe him?  Because someone who had such habitually bad behavior would have a reputation to match.  He would have misbehaved at other cons and set environments.  Consequently, he would have not gotten hired for projects.  He would be blacklisted because he would cause terrible PR for any studio.

Ty has worked on SPN before.  He played a bartender during the earlier seasons.  That means, that J2 and co have known Ty for years.  There are women on that set too.  He has never misbehaved with any of them, but he chooses one event, especially when there are witnesses and victims have cameras and can film his bad behavior, to just go nuts?  Does that make sense?  Ty has also worked on other projects before and since.  In fact, after the scandal, he worked on 14 projects and even won an award in 2017.  He's around women on these projects too.  How come he isn't misbehaving now?  How come he lost total inhibitions and professionalism on one night?  And how come nobody is stabbing a knife in his door?  How come the fans are all a mixed group of people, and not just Misha's fans.  Who would roofie him and why? 

There are only two drugs that he could have been roofied with.  Rohypnol and GHB.  Rohypnol can cause euphoria, reduced inhibitions and reduced ability to make judgments.  Users may slur their speech.  That is why people thought Ty was drunk.  GHB effects begin 15-60 minutes after use [like in the Green room] and typically last up to six hours.  Just about enough time to do photo ops.  It can be detected in the urine up to 12 hours after ingestion.  This is why I agree with Ty, that he is a completely idiot.  He only guessed that he might have gotten sick [symptom of both drugs is nausea] because of roofies and only then did he do a urine test.  By then the GHB was undetectable. 

Ty guessed that one of that one of the fans roofied him.  But they were all drinking from their flasks, and none of them exhibited the same symptoms that he did.  So it had to be someone who had access to the Green room and Ty's beverage.  Time wise that would make sense. 

So who would benefit from Ty being out of the way.

Misha, is my guestimation.  Why did Ty bother Misha so much?  Because of Destiel.  Destiel is Misha's floatation device.  When Benny came on board, he had a strong connection with Dean.  And Jensen enjoyed working with him, according to what he said during his panels.  Ty even got to do a panel with Jensen.  Misha only gets one panel a year, on average with Jensen.  No other person, neither Rob nor Richard, has ever shared the stage with Jensen.  Ty got that chance.  I think Jensen was missing Jared but then why not get Misha to join him.  Why choose this guy?  That must have bugged Misha.  And no, he doesn't love Jensen.  He is not obsessed with Jensen.  He just loves riding Jensen's coat tails. 

People were even shipping Benny and Dean together, which is baffling because Benny and Dean were on screen while Cas was still there.  Purgatory was supposed to be a big moment for Misha and Destiel because Misha would have had Jensen all to himself without Jared being around to take the limelight away from him.  Misha probably assumed that this vampire was not going to pose any problems.  Misha doesn't know how slash works, does he?  At one point during Jibcon, Ty tried to make Jensen laugh, very provocatively.  He felt bad about making Jensen feel uncomfortable so he came back awhile later and apologized to Jensen in front of all the fans.  Jensen was shocked [as I was] and quickly said: '' You don't have to...are you kidding me?  I loved it.''  He sent him off with a butt smack and a ''I love you, man.  No worries.''  

Misha apologizes for none of the horrible things he has done, no matter how uncomfortable he makes Jensen feel.  Watching that footage again, especially Jensen's genuinely shocked and moved reaction, actually made me tear up a little.  Whoever roofied Ty, acted alone, did it in the Green room and the effect lasted a solid six hours or so.  So who has access to the Green room other than the actors and their handlers?  I will leave that up to debate.  Roofieing someone is dangerous because it can kill a person if mishandled.

I hope this answers the question. 

Below are citations and links

Ty apologizing to Jensen - 2013 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NutNcJH4JbA

Citation for roofie drugs

https://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/signs-symptoms-rohypnol-use.html

Complete investigative report on Travis Aaron Wade

http://www.spntrollsvstravisaaronwade.com/

Ty's official response

http://ty-olsson.com/response.html

[mtvswatches]

Wynonna Earp 1x11 Landslide

Spoilers disclaimer (please read before sending messages or writing comments.)

Click here for previous recaps!

Stray thoughts

1) So, they’ve done a DNA test and it is Willa. Dolls basically spelled out my train of thought at the end of the last episode. There are two heirs now. But Wynonna is more concerned about Willa as her sister, and the fact that they simply assumed she was dead and stopped looking for her. But how were they supposed to know? They were just little kids dealing with a lot of shit.

2) How old was Willa when she was taken, though? I thought she was eleven or thirteen. Can a girl that age really forget everything about her identity? I mean, if you’re traumatized enough I guess you could forget. But everything?

3) Who are these two idiots letting out?

I immediately got the feeling they were like mermaids, luring them in so that they could take advantage. But these two dudes deserved to die – they knew they shouldn’t make eye contact and yet…

4)

Seriously, though, how can she not see it?

5) What is a Poker Spectacular?

6) I don’t know what these are…

…but they look as if they were taken out of a video game.

7) I love that in her opinion this is a good enough reason to try to burn down her classroom…

She fucking handcrafted little papier-mâché demons…

8) Well…

…the judge did say the hotel was to die for.

9) Oh, wow, their parent doesn’t seem like the most stable influence in the girls’ lives…

He was training her but he was so aggressive about it, and he was drinking and shouting at her. Now it makes more sense that he would strike up a deal with Bobo, for some reason.

10) Of course, Doc’s car broke down. He wouldn’t know how to fix it…

And I think the dude who stopped to help him knows what’s what in Purgatory. He could totally tell why Doc was sending him to look for the keys over the mark – to check whether he was a revenant or not.

11) Oh, ouch. Waverly didn’t deserve that…

WILLA: You kept my death certificate.

WAVERLY: Yeah. To remind myself it was actually real. You know, that you were actually gone. I was 6, right? I saw the little white coffin, but I knew that you weren't actually in there. They'd filled it with sandbags.

WILLA: Was it a nice service?

WAVERLY: All I remember was a lot of crying. And the food. The grown-ups let me eat as many marshmallows as I wanted. I threw up all night long.

WILLA: Gee. That must have been so hard for you. I'm sorry. It's just it's really intense. You guys killed me.

I understand how Willa feels, but she’s making Waverly and Wynonna feel responsible for something they couldn’t have possibly been responsible for! Waverly just mentioned that she was fucking 6 years old! And Wynonna was how old? 10 or something? They were kids. None of the decisions that were made regarding Willa were their responsibility! They just had to deal with the consequences of the decisions made by the grownups. It’s a bit unfair because they were all victims.

12) Oh��

That doesn’t make things better…

13) Wynonna is feeling insecure about her being the heir. It kind of reminds of Buffy and Kendra, in a way. Wynonna saw the curse as a burden, but even if she didn’t allow herself to admit it, it makes her feel powerful and worthy, and it gives her a sense of purpose. Now that Willa is back, not only could she be replaced, but she may find that someone else is better at her job than she is. Willa also mentioned earlier how Wynonna seemed to hate having to do the heir’s work, and I know that on the surface, that’s what Wynonna claims. But we know that in many ways, becoming the heir saved her, and she actually enjoys kicking bad guys butt. I always find this type of journey absolutely fascinating – Wynonna did start as a reluctant hero, but I know she wouldn’t want to be anything but a hero now… Can’t wait to see where her journey leads her.

14) omg she sounds like me!

Also, was she able to shake the glamour off because of her heir status or was that just a Wynonna thing?

15) Are they going to bite Doll’s dick off? Weirdly, I think I’d like to see that.

16) Oh, Dolls, you dirty pig…

17) Me, talking to my students…

Has Doc found his soul mate? They are like two kindred spirits.

18) Juan Carlo? Really? That’s possibly the most ridiculous name they could’ve come up with. That being said, I really like his conversation with Doc and what it could mean for the story. It seems that J.C. – I’ll call him that – is part of some sort of PTB group and they’ve decided to interfere. He warned Doc about the fact that in four days the doors will open – I’m guessing some kind of Hellmouthy doors – and that if that happens, it will be the end of Wynonna. He urged Doc to face the darkness with Wynonna by his side. Tbh, I think he just ships them. But it all sounds super promising either way.

19) Well, she is an Earp after all…

20) Uh-oh…

WILLA: He told me I had nothing to worry about, to just stay calm. He knew the attack was coming, Wynonna.

21) She most definitely is an Earp…

22) Willa is not messing around, though…

WILLA: I'm sorry, maybe I'm unclear about this whole curse thing. There are revenants; there are Earps. The Earps - that's us by the way make sure all the revenants get a bullet to the brain from Peacemaker, or die trying. Am I missing something?

DOLLS: Yeah. Civilians. And as far as human witnesses are concerned, you just shot a random person in a bar.

WILLA: Ah! In Purgatory, that's old news.

DOLLS: Yeah? Well, that's the type of thing that can get Purgatory on the wrong side of the nuke.

WYNONNA: She didn't know. I made the same mistake.

WILLA: Wynonna, why are you listening to this buzzkill in army boots?

DOLLS: Buzzkill?

WILLA: Yeah.

DOLLS: Buzzkill? I'm a U.S. Marshall with Black Badge, you hear me?

DOLLS: He's been helping us.

WILLA: You mean, you're following his orders, and not  your own instincts.

DOLLS: Aw, come on.

WYNONNA: We're a team.

WILLA: I thought I was the brainwashed one.

23) Excuse you?

WILLA: We were two peas, you and I. It's always been you and I.

WYNONNA: Yeah, I remember.

WILLA: It can be like it always was. And different too in all the right ways. You're not alone anymore.

I really was expecting Wynonna to tell Willa she hadn’t been alone because she had Waverly. I feel personally offended by this.

And I don’t know how I feel about Willa. Something’s off about her – and it’s not the I-was-kidnapped-and-lived-my-whole-life-in-a-cult thing…

I’ll have to trust my girl Waverly on this one. There must be a reason why she was afraid of Willa touching her…

24) Yes, Bobo, three Earp girls…

25) Why are they being attacked by S.W.A.T. or something? I don’t understand!!!

26) Dolls is fucking badass, though, he just picked that grenade and threw it out the window!!

27) So much is going on and I don’t understand any of it!

28) Did that asshole just shoot Waverly???!!!

29) Now I can get behind this!

30) Ugh Waverly was shot and Willa couldn’t give two damns and now Wynonna is torn between her two sisters!!

31) WTF!!!!

Why did Bobo save Willa???

32) And Willa saved Bobo???!!! What the fuck is going on??? What does this mean? Does it mean that the attack was actually Bobo trying to protect the girls’ dad and Willa? Was that the reason they took her? Was it all a set up? I don’t understand!!

33) I remember this quote!!! Someone sent it to me when I play the “making fandoms collide” game…

Is Wynonna that thick, though? When will she figure it out? Does she need Waverly to spell it out for her?

34) And the SWAT dudes were after Dolls…

35) Will Willa fall in love with Bobo? I think I might want to see that…

36) So the judge sent those dudes… and now Bobo wants the judge to throw him a party?

37) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Do not fuck with Doc!!!!!!!!!!

38) This was definitely an interesting episode, shaking up the sisters' dynamics with the arrival of Willa and setting up a lot of stuff that I hope will come to a head during the finale, which is only two episodes away! I can’t believe I’m almost done with season 1, but I seriously can’t wait to see how they wrap up this season!

39) Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi.Thanks!

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Superhero Spotlight: #SaveLucifer (Spoilers)

One of the biggest shocks of 2018 so far is the announcement made at the end of last week that Fox have cancelled Lucifer after 3 seasons. Not only was this a shock for fans but also to the cast including star Tom Ellis who started the #SaveLucifer campaign. So I thought I would offer my reasons as to why the cancellation is a mistake and also offer my suggestions to Fox for where they can take the show going forward.

Also as a disclaimer, this post will have spoilers for the entirety of the show so if you haven’t see the series finale of Lucifer, don’t read on.

Reasons to #SaveLucifer:

#1. Tom Ellis is Fantastic in the Role

Like many Brits who have watched this show, I knew of Tom Ellis in British TV roles prior to this such as EastEnders, Merlin and most notably Miranda. So prior to becoming the devil, he was diverse in both comedy and drama, however nothing to this level.

Lucifer as a character is charismatic, charming, hilarious and relatable as someone who is a genuinely honest person and essentially a fish out of water as of course he is used to either Heaven or Hell. All of that is obviously partly down to the writers but mostly down to Tom Ellis’ acting as he is almost unrecognizable in this role compared to those previously mentioned roles.

I think the difference is with roles like EastEnders and Miranda, he is playing the typical “nice guy” and with Merlin he was a stereotypical “arc villain”, but as Lucifer Morningstar, he is a fully-rounded, complex character and that, I feel, is why the show works at its core, because of Tom Ellis’ acting.

#2. A Different Type of Comic-Book TV Show

Believe it or not, Lucifer is based on DC Comics! Officially the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics but Lucifer Morningstar is a supporting character of The Sandman, who is a creation of Neil Gaiman. Now yes, Lucifer in the comics is blonde, Gothic and has different adventures to what he has in the show, but the very fact Lucifer is officially based on a comic-book property makes it a very different type of comic-book show compared to the likes of the Arrowverse shows or even the Marvel Netflix shows.

Because of this it is in a unique space of being a relief to both fans and non-fans of comic-book shows that may be finding the genre saturated at this point with the same type of show.

The only powers featured in Lucifer are divine powers which are either the effects of heavenly weapons or flight. Also the show is in that unique position of not needing special effects or powers because that isn’t what the primary focus of the series is.

#3. A Lovable Cast

Aside from Tom Ellis, this show has one of the best supporting cast in any show currently out there. I would list my MVPs but I do really like them all; I didn’t care much for Kevin Ranklin as Malcolm Graham in the first season but other than that I have loved watching all of these characters and obviously the acting is a huge part of that.

My two favourites aside from Tom Ellis are Lesley-Ann Brandt and Rachel Harris as both were just so compelling to watch whether with Mazikeen’s bad-ass nature or the journey of Linda discovering Lucifer’s true identity.

Also Scarlett Estevez who portrayed Dan and Chloe’s daughter Trix was fantastic, for a child actor (she was seven at the start of the series so by now she must be 9/10) to steal a fair few amount of scenes without diminishing the roles of the other actors is a gift, this girl I see a great future for if she pursues this as a career.

#4. Equality for Both Genders

There is a slight imbalance in genders as there has been one more female main cast member than male, but that’s not to say they push a feminist agenda or even make it about girl power like Supergirl. In fact the cast is very well-balanced both in terms of gender roles and ethnic diversity.

Also the victims and culprits every week or story have an equal mixture in both male and female showing that anyone can be a murder victim and anyone can be a murderer if given the right motive.

#5. Inventive and Creative Plots

So yes it is essentially a police drama with a divine twist but that is not to say that every episode has that formulaic “murderer of the week” angle, in fact while a lot of the cases are a simple murder investigation plot, the story around said plot is what becomes inventive and creative.

For example, in Season 2 there is one episode where Azrael’s blade is the murder weapon, Azrael’s blade is a divine weapon originally owned by the Angel of Death which forms the Flaming Sword when combined with a medallion and a key that Amenadiel always wears around his neck. In its debut episode, “The Sword of Death” is wielded by mere mortals which brings their inner anger to the surface and causes a mass stabathon.

This was inventive because it was the first and really only time that a weapon of the divine had been used by mortals without anyone aside from the divine realizing what the weapon was.

Which brings me on nicely to the series-long plot of Lucifer’s true identity, this was a very creative plot because...he was completely honest about who he was from the very first episode. Every opportunity Lucifer had to refer to himself as “the devil” he took it, even some random prostitute calling him “the devil” and him going “you have no idea”. The greatest part of this entire plot was that it took 3 seasons and 55 episodes for Chloe Dekker, who was the secondary protagonist and Lucifer’s main love interest, to finally realise that Lucifer was in fact the devil. How was this revealed? His devil face finally returned after a season-long arc of losing said face and Chloe finally saw it.

Honestly, and no disrespect to blondes, but Dekker is the definition of a stereotypical dumb blonde because while she was brilliant as a detective, the woman had literally every other episode with Lucifer telling her who he is and yet, a lot like Linda used to do, she compartmentalized that into Lucifer using metaphors.

It has been a fantastic long-running plot because, again, with traditional comic-book superhero shows it’s all about protecting the hero’s identity, like on Arrow this season, yet here Lucifer makes no secret as to who he is it’s just a question of no one actually believing him.

#6. Responsible for Bringing Tom Welling Back

This point was a personal bonus addition for me because I grew up in the noughties watching Smallville, which was the origins of Clark Kent becoming Superman, which starred Tom Welling in the main role of Clark Kent.

I was very happy when he was announced as a main character for the third season and hoped he would have a bigger role outside of just being Dekker and Dan’s lieutenant and fortunately he was. Not only was he the criminal known as the Sinnerman but also in a mid-season twist he was revealed to be Cain from the bible.

It has been great because to see Welling go from playing one of fiction’s greatest superheroes to supposedly the world’s first murderer shows a good range in acting from Welling despite the fact his two best-known TV roles are both with DC Comics.

Ideas for Future Seasons: 

Alright so I have said why the series is so good, now I’m going to say why I think the series should come back with some suggestions for future plots.

#1. Introduce God

We’ve met Lucifer, we’ve met Amenadiel, we’ve met their mum who I am going to call Goddess and we’ve met one of their other siblings Uriel, but where the hell is God himself. i’ll admit that I am an Atheist/inactive pagan so believing in a higher power or deity for me only applies to the Greek/Roman/Egyptian mythologies but in a show that deals with angels and demons I do want to see the king of angels as I have seen the king of demons.

Introducing God I did always feel would be an endgame for the series of the build up he has had but even if they brought the series back for a final season just to give the fans a feel of closure then to bring in God for that final season would be a great idea.

#2. Crossover With Other DC Shows

Even though I know it is ending, I would really like Lucifer to crossover with the likes of Gotham because both shows have the same type of genre and both do not usually go so far into the comic-book genre that it becomes fantastical.

Failing that I would love Lucifer and Mazikeen to meet Constantine because Constantine is all about banishing demons and the next season of Legends of Tomorrow does seem to be a demon hunt so why not bring Mazikeen in for that?

#3. Crossover With Shadowhunters

This is a personal favoured choice of mine but again much like Constantine, the Shadowhunters are all about destroying demons and with that in mind I would to see a full on fight between Mazikeen and Isabelle. I also think both Lucifer and Dan’s egos vs. Jace and Alec’s egos would be a fun battle to witness within itself. Think Star-Lord and Thor in Avengers: Infinity War.

Now I know people are probably going to say “What are you talking about? Shadowhunters is on a completely different network to Fox!” Yes well because Fox has dumped Lucifer, it makes sense for it to be picked up by another network, now with Shadowhunters I think being broadcast on ABC in America (If I am wrong correct me please) but being broadcast by Netflix worldwide, it does make sense just to move Lucifer from Amazon to Netflix.

Also in regards to the different networks, the Supernatural boys just had a comic-book crossover with Scooby Doo, I think this is doable.

#4. Show Heaven

Quite simple for this one, we have seen Hell and purgatory but we have yet to actually see Heaven. Amenadiel took Charlotte to Heaven when she died in the penultimate episode but we never actually saw them go there, even just to have see them fly up towards it and see the golden gates or something would have at least maybe given us a tease for something potentially to come.

Also visiting Heaven would hopefully introduce God as I stated before but also allow for returning characters like Amenadiel and Charlotte but also, now that Chloe believes all this Heaven and Hell stuff, if Lucifer was to somehow take her there then she may be reunited with her dad which would make for a great dramatic and emotional scene.

#5. A War for the Earth

Alright so this one is kind of a follow-on from the last one but also a throwback to the very first episode. Right at the end of the first episode in a conversation between Lucifer and Amenadiel about how Lucifer defying both their father and Amenadiel would start a war, something Amenadiel was okay with.

Now while Amenadiel is currently on side with Lucifer, that doesn’t mean God will start a war either with Lucifer, Earth or Hell to get what he wants, and that could be the main story-arc of Season 4...a war either between Heaven and Hell or a War for the Earth. After all, god supposedly created the Earth so logically he can also destroy it.

This doesn’t even have to be a series-long war like Arrow has been known for, it can simply be a villain of the week or couple of weeks and then God interjected at random moments in the season until the big confrontation at the end. Wars don’t just have to be physical they can also be intellectual.

Overall I think I have made some rather good arguments as to why Lucifer is a fantastic show, why it should remain and what the potential storylines could be. There are still talks about the show trying to find a new home so hopefully we will see it back. #SaveLucifer

So that’s my Superhero Spotlight on the current state of Lucifer and the possibility of it going forward, what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Superhero and Supervillain Spotlights as well as other posts.

[hikerlady]

5.5 Recap

This is for @seven-dragons since she did the same for me when I was in purgatory at my mom’s house out of town and did not have an Internet connection. In case the title does not make it obvious, this post is full of *SPOILERS*

The show starts off with Ethan Young, a Jehovah’s Witness knocking on doors, or ‘witnessing.’  Apparently, the hatred of having random people knock on your door in the middle of the day is universal.  He keeps getting the door slammed in his face, which lets us see he has a bit of a temper. He runs into the victim and it is obvious they had planned to meet about something, but the victim tells him to come back later (he’s angry too).  Some people, who turn out to be the victim’s niece and her husband stop by the house and find Ethan, covered in blood and kneeling over the victim’s body.

*Roll credits and awesome DBM theme song*

Lucien joins Charlie in the victim’s work shed. The victim’s name is Vern, and he is a retired carpenter who was stabbed repeatedly...as acted out by Lucien.

Back at the Police Station, Charlie and Lucien interview Ethan. Ethan tells them Vern was still breathing when he got there, and insists he tried to find something to stop the bleeding. When asked why he was looking all creepy and kneeling over Vern’s body when the niece found him, he tells them he was praying for Vern because he had not been able to convert him.  He did tell a little lie during the interview, but it’s really not that important.  I did learn more about the Jehovah’s Witnesses during this interview than I have ever learned before, so that’s something. This show is so educational. 

Funny Scene - Alice is not in the morgue when Lucien gets there, so he starts without her.  Alice is NOT happy. She actually seems wounded that he started his talking to the dead body bit and didn't wait for her. Anyway, they find a weird fragment in one of the wounds.  Lucien makes sure it is okay with Alice if he brings it home to test it, which is kind of sweet. 

*Going to pick this up a bit or this will take forever*

Charlie and Lucien go to the niece’s house, where the main takeaway is that her husband is a hot tempered jerk.  

Back at the police station, Ethan’s mother is having a meltdown. Her friend and ride to the station, a guy named Percy, tells Lawson that he worked with Vern. He also tells Lawson that Ethan is his apprentice. Ethan’s mother, who needs a serious intervention about her overuse of rollers for her bangs - is scaring the crap out of poor Ned. Important takeaway, Ethan’s mother is a bit on the high strung/pain in the ass side. She is not happy they are keeping her son locked up and insists on spending the night in the corridor.

Lucien visits Ethan in the cells to make sure he is okay. I love these scenes, where Lucien shows compassion to people who probably have not received much in their lives.  Charlie interrupts them to say that Lucien “better come quick” because he is needed at home.

HUUUUH? What happened?

Jean burned her arm because she thought she saw someone outside....a hot potato accident.  Lucien is concerned about her seeing this someone, but she just shakes her head and says she was not sure anyone was there. We get to see Lucien bandaging her arm, and Lucien apologizes and acknowledges that the divorce and the business with the church must be weighing heavily on her mind. Jean seems touched that he has noticed, but insists she's fine and he needs to go back to work.

Lucien and Charlie are back at the scene of the crime to see if the killer could have murdered Vern and escaped in three minutes. The important thing about this scene is that Lucien has rubbed off on Charlie, who is now acting out the crime scenes too. Oh, the murderer could have killed Vern and escaped in time. Also, there are some discrepancies which leads them to believe that the killer looked for something that was hidden in the work shop. They do find a bag from a bakery and over 2000 pounds hidden all over the place. 

This leads them to a secret gambling ring, which is this week’s red herring.  It seems like Vern was murdered because everyone thought he was cheating them out of money.  The big thing we learn is that gambling brings out the worst in people and the niece’s husband is still a big jerk. The most important thing we learn is that Lawson’s dad was a gambler and he was not much fun to live with as a boy.

Rose drops by the house and Jean’s spidey senses tell her that something is on Rose’s mind. Turns out Rose thinks she is pregnant with Charlie’s baby - it’s ultimately a false alarm.  Rose isn’t exactly excited about something ruining her career.  The BIG REVEAL - Jean was pregnant at 19 before she married Christopher.  She had a miscarriage and it was a girl.  She never told anyone else and felt her miscarriage was her punishment for their transgression against God. Will she tell Lucien at some point?????

Charlie gets hit with a tool box by the niece’s jerk husband, but the husband runs into Lucien who pushes him down like he is a feather lite bowling pin.  I’m skipping over a bunch of gambling stuff.  

Jean and Lucien are back in the lab and Jean is being all sciency again! I love how Lucien is teaching her all this lab stuff. They identify the fragment that was found in Vern’s neck as copper.

Uh Oh, Jean is talking to Father Emery again.  Jean tells him the whole history of the Mei Lin ordeal and Father Emery seems to sympathize with their situation, but stands firm on the position of the church. Jean tells him she needs to hear him say it. He tells her she has to choose between Lucien and the church.  When Jean says she doesn't think she can make that choice, he tells her to ask God for guidance.  Greeeaaaat. Thanks for the help Father!  Actually, he does seem sad that Jean is in this position, but he kinda works for a company that has really strict policies, so his hands are tied. 

Charlie and Lucien search Vern’s house again.  They find a lot of things that lead them nowhere, but Lucien works out that Vern was illiterate (comes into play later).  They also find a secret savings account for his niece.

Back to Ethan’s mom’s house. I was hoping they were interrupting the Rollers in the bangs intervention, but the people were just Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

She tells them Ethan is working, which leads them to find him impaled and bleeding.  Lucien has to assist in surgery, and uses saline instead of giving him a blood transfusion due to Ethan’s religious beliefs.  I was surprised and a little impressed that a man who seems to have such little respect for religion, would still respect another’s beliefs so much. That’s our Lucien though. We also get to see Lucien in scrubs as a bonus.

Cute scene where Lawson helps out the niece. They thought she was skipping town, but she was actually running away from her jerk husband. Lawson, who understands what it’s like to live with a compulsive gambler, basically tells her to leave town while her hubby is locked up.  He also gives her the bank account info so she has money for her and her kids.

Jean drinks Lucien’s whiskey again. And, Lucien kisses jean before leaving.

FINALLY! The scene we have been waiting for happens with 10 minutes left in the show. Lucien finds a patent for an electric drill that would have made Vern very rich. Percy shows up and Lucien does his big reveal about Percy being jealous. Percy thought he should be included on the patent too. Ethan told Percy he was helping Vern with he paperwork for the drill, which is why Percy tried to kill Ethan.  He needed him out of the way.  It’s just like the other episodes, where Lucien explains the mystery to the murderer. Buuuut, unlike the other times, there are no police officers waiting in the wings. Oops. Percy stabs Lucien, but Lucien bashes Percy over the head even after he was stabbed. Bravo Lucien.  Lucien has to use his own pen as a chest tube to release the pressure of a tension pneumothorax. Just before blacking out, he sees the silhouette of a man in the doorway. First Jean, now Lucien.  Munro perhaps?

Although I was really hoping we would see Jean find out about Lucien getting stabbed and see her all worried before he regained consciousness, the bedside scenes were very nice and intimate.  When Lucien wakes up, he says, “Ah, Ive missed dinner haven't I?” The best was Alice though. She was soooo excited about Lucien using his own pen as a chest draining tube and wants to ask a bunch of questions after he wakes up. The look Jean gives her is priceless.

Also, as Charlie is walking out, Lucien says goodnight. Charlie calls him boss. His reply is “Night boss.” Ha

Just when you think that Lucien is about to drop some serious bad news (music and all) after he tells Jean there is something he needs to tell her, he just says he is a throughly bad patient. They giggle and then Jean basically tells him he needs to be more careful, that she almost lost him that night. He basically says he will be more careful by replying, “Understood.”  I am a thousand percent certain that he will not change at all.

All in all, this was another wonderful episode!

The End. Thank god. 

[redantsunderneath]

An explanation of the end of Twin Peaks that provides closure

Short version, unpacked below:  The story in the World of Twin Peaks has its end mid part 17 when the lights go out in the sheriff's station (with a farewell coda at the boiler room door).  Coop’s face superimposed on the screen indicates a dissociative episode, one foot on the denouement of the TP story and one in the temptation of solving the only unresolved issue: Laura.  The remainder of the show is a “last temptation of Cooper” fantasy/nightmare where the lesson metaphorically learned through his 25 years in the lodge is played out in the real world and demonstrates the horrific consequences of wasting your life in an obsession with solving other’s problems without facing your own.  After Coop’s nightmare climax winks out, leaving us in the real world as pre-season Coop returns to the lodge.  As farewell, we get the lingering lesson of the whisper, “you can never save me,” which brings us around to the fact that this has been learned before Coop leaves the Lodge – we end at the beginning, and this 1.5 episodes really belong before the first (holla, Infinite Jest fans) and is placed here as a remembered lesson, a real world version of 25 years in the lodge.

So, biases on the table – I needed an explanation that accomplished 3 things:

1. Provides closure – it has to work as a series finale without all the “there has to be a fourth season now”

2. Allows for Coop to not have to have, after the last 25 years, not learned his lesson – no cycle of “never learn” purgatory allowed

3. Saving Laura is bad because it robs her of agency and redemption and Coop’s desire to do it is damaging and reflects his deepest flaw

I bring a couple of preconceptions to the table that are, for certain, not universal.

1 Coop lost his confrontation with his shadow self (s2e22) because of his tainted savior complex.  This is due to the nature of white knight-ism itself (reducing women to grail objects), his repeating pattern of his relationships being structured this way (he tried to break this pattern with Annie, but Windom Earle placed her back in this context, setting him up for a fall), and a general fascination with the dark/morbid aspects of humanity/sexuality (grinning inappropriately at Fleshworld, desiring to see dead bodies at a young age, job enabled obsession with victims of sexual violence after it is too late). But also, the problem to be solved is that of a system that he has internalized, a kind of “bad” pattern of the way males and females relate, and he has not really taken a look at himself (or the FBI for that matter).  Going back to save Laura is the direct but wrong way to deal with his deepest desires and the problem with the world and not only would rob her of her own salvation but has the same cosmic wrongness that is demonstrated by the zombie Kahl Drogo sequence in GoT (has anyone compared that yet?). This is bad Coop – ends justify the means, playing with dark forces, trucking in life and death.  Mr C, another words.

2 In the World of Twin Peaks, things work like TV (the OS like nighttime soaps the Return like prestige drama) but with the symbolic aspects manifested as a psychological space of archetypes spilling in to the ground reality.  Thus, conflicts are played out metaphorically, but one can imagine the real world analogue to any of these.  Coop’s confrontation in the (s2 last episode) Lodge becomes him losing himself to his darker impulses given the situation (Annie possibly being killed like Caroline), killing Earle in rage, and this changing him, his demons taking over.  The current season does a lot to define the TP world against our world, both in implicating a dreamer (not just Lynch and Frost, but the audience which includes “real world” Coop/Richard, see below), placing Audrey/Sherlyn Fenn there (this only makes sense but is too much to broach here), including a real world city limits sign to contrast with the TP sign, and casting the owner of the house as the owner of the house.  

3 The ring represents responsibility for your actions.  Choosing to put the ring on is an act of radical self-determination, taking responsibility who you are and what you have done, enabling a choice whether to succumb to your demons, and dangerously stepping into the unknown world where the will meets the real (as opposed to the self-imagined or the civilized-symbolic).  Having the ring put on you is forcing responsibility and exposing someone to judgement.  I’d love to see a Green Lantern that took this view of the “ring of will,” the unworthy burning themselves out.  Cooper telling Laura “don’t take the ring” is a mistake of someone who has yet to learn the lesson (see savior complex above).  She and maybe some element of the world is saved by her sacrifice which is enacted by owning her actions.

4 I haven’t seen mentioned that, with everybody noting the Wizard of Oz nature of the “last scene in the world of TP,” the superimposed face is an element of going from Kansas to Oz.  Dorothy’s face doubles and the double hangs superimposed over the cyclone.  This is that in reverse, going from the “dream” to the real world.

5 Remember when Laura not only screamed at Cooper in FWWM (in black and white, Oz dudes) but then every line she says after that works as if addressed to him?  “Your Laura is gone, there’s only me now” “you want to take me home now.” That was awesome

6 Naido is only revealed to be Diane in the dissociative space while Coop’s real analogue views the dream, starting (seeing Naido is the first “split off” moment). Until then she is the injured, unaware, incoherent feminine who makes monkey noises, firmly in the symbolic space, rescue bait for old Cooper, the agency-less victim.  Coop maps her to Diane but also to the red room (face, Diane’s nail and hair choices).  The red room is a feminine space – vaginal red curtains, Venuses (note the replacement of the Venus DeMilo with no arms with the Venus of Arles with the arms ripped off, a change of nature, Naido to Judy), and the fact that the trial of the masculine entails facing the feminine.  Naido is a figment of the male imagination and being turned into the 3d Diane is the moment Coop shows he has learned.

7 Judy is tough to talk about, but we are gonna. The FBI men have clearly been on a search for something wrong with women (OK, the feminine) they can fix. Being less charitable, the function of the FBI in Twin Peaks the Return is to investigate what went wrong with women since WWII… what with the acting like men, gaining subjectivity, being less nurturing, and all. Charitably, something is wrong in every generation with the masculine and the feminine and the wish to try to find a solution.  Judy as the goddess of negative feminine energy makes sense, but Coop seems to be looking for something more like “the daughter” (Naido identifies Judy as mother just as Sarah is Laura’s mother), the woman in trouble to be saved from her Judy-bred impulses. This is kind of hard to articulate but this goes to my “TP is about Boomers” theory where there is a post war problem with the feminine associated with inattentiveness (Judy and Naido have no eyes), a replacement of the maternal succor with aggression, and a putting a part of its nature asleep.  Naido is the vulnerable, underdeveloped, defanged product of this.  

8 Coop’s 25 year period is a metaphor for the problems of America but, more importantly, is a metaphorical story of a man at war with himself.  Cooper’s fireman nature (strong, silent, problem solving, scrupulous, doing what needs to be done, productive of joy – in the lodge) has been suppressed in favor of his Bob nature (a taker, end justifies the means, all goal - doing what he wants, leaving destruction – Mr C) but it is Dougie (the original) that is the “real” Cooper in that this is the identity that has been manufactured to cover the deeper faces, the one he shows the world.  When the “mid-life crisis” hits, the good starts to reassert, there is a fight, the return of the good fixed the world, and the identity is recreated as a better person.  Note this is the metaphor I’m not claiming this is what “actually happened,” whatever the hell that means.

9 I think Mr C was on a mission to do what the Blue Rose task force set out to do - find Judy – he just didn’t care who died in the process and was an adversary of anything that would get in the way.  He had the same goal as OG Coop did. He needed the coordinates because he wanted Naido who, as above, is a sort of contrapositive of Judy.  The giant flips between the location of the TP embodiment of Judy (Sarah) and that of Naido.  The white lodge was another trap.

10 Diane has, this season, lined up to represent the relationship Coop really needs.  He realizes Mr C has raped her, and the seeing her in Naido is a demonstration in mastery, by making her her in his mind, not a victim.  All the stuff at the end is the failure of this mastery previously in the lodge which maybe “flits through" Coop's mind while the face is up (though the face disappears during the true healing/win moment of the kiss, real recognition, and affirmation of memory).

So away we go. It works like this:  In the “world of TP” Coop has gotten right with his identity (Mr C and Bob gone) and relation to the world (Dougie) has been restored.  Mr C has been brought down by an avatar of weaponized innocence (Lucy) and Coop has faced Bob who has been brought down by an avatar of, well, gumption (determination, enthusiasm, taking a leap of faith).  Then he sees Naido, an avatar of the helpless traumatized woman, the thing his trial is based on.

This brings about the superimposed face – this is a diffracted reality: “Coop” as a real world manifestation as part of the audience (see below) witnessing the end of the show he and all of us are dreaming.  From a TP plot perspective, they have rescued Diane from Mr C’s victimization (rape) and contact with the good Coop brings her back to herself.  He demonstrates that he has learned his lesson by making her a human in his mind.  He sees in her the red room - in Naido/Diane is the nature of his trial, the ugly thing in the room that has a distorted, covered Diane and Judy as part of it emblematic of the taint he has to banish.   He has triumphed, they are both whole.

The dreamer turns away just long enough to miss the real reconciliation and affirmation that they remember what happened.  Everyting is finalized, everyone has arrived, Coop says hope to see you again, and the lights of the world of the show go out – the end.

Lynch and his two lead actors of his career go to the Great Northern boiler room door, Kyle says he must go alone, and goes through.  This is Lynch, finished with his film career, saying goodbye as Lynch’s representative in the world of the show must go it alone.  The face is gone, the dream is over, see you at the curtain call. One could stop here as the show world is over.  Note that the idea of going to get Laura or going to get Judy has never even been broached (it seems like it, but it hasn’t - there is no indication that that's why he is going through the door).

We go back to the past (and I mean Dale in the lodge past), to the fantasy that will haunt everything retroactively.  Dale is allowed to experience his rescue Laura but loses her to the ratcheting sound of the compulsive attempt (the B&W slipping into color, the white lodge being lost).  He should not be doing this and he needs to become the guy who doesn’t.  This is happening again and again while Dale is in the lodge – he is tested, and fails. This failure causes the loss of Laura (to a similar “woosh”) in the red room.  Dale has to ignore Leland (the clear eyed one that killed his daughter, not the dopple white eyed one that never killed anybody) and leave Laura’s redemptive act intact. We witness one such failure in the fantasy space followed by the same in the room itself (shown extended in episode 1, again Dark Tower and IJ).  But there is a version we haven’t seen, the “real world” one that the others have been analogies of.  

OK, we’ve reached a part that has multiple layers going on at once.  The rest of the episode shows a “real” version of Coop living the fact that he will never be the savior, a demonstration of how his obsession drove away the real love of his life, a representation of the time in the lodge as really just 25 years wasted on a tainted dream, a presentation of what the complete un-metaphorically split Coop would have been like those 25 years, and a symbolic depiction of (and middle finger to) fandom.  You could read it as a coda which goes back to dramatize the lodge or a moment of Cooper in Twin Peaks (when the face is up) having the “lesson” flashed through his mind.

It begins. After a third repeat of the red room stuff with Leland, etc., the room appears to let him out into the world, our world.  He gets to live the life he would have lived, beginning with a symbolic marriage to Diane - they say are you sure you want to do this, kiss, and cross the threshold, risk be damned.  The “honeymoon” sex really represents their entire marriage/relationship… he commands, she obeys, their closeness slips into alienation, she loses who he is, as the Mr C part of him is dominant.  There is no rape per se, he violates her spirit.  There is no tulpa, just a person she becomes as a result of the general trauma of being with him.  This is what being married to old Dougie was like for Diane’s “sister,” except she was the fantasy version that could tough it out with resilience, spunk, and good spirit.  After 25 years, she leaves (the hotel is the same one 25 years later, but that’s just shorthand for he’s stuck, never "home" the whole time).  They are literally different people, now.  

Coop is going to finish this.  He shows off how he’s Coop, Mr C, and Dougie at once in the Judy’s diner scene. Finding Laura is the one thing that gives his life meaning (fandom alert).  He finds her, still trapped in the life/cycle her resolve and death freed her from, takes her “home” where the RR is closed (or is it the real diner -Norma's place never closes) and the Laura’s house is owned by the real house owner.  He lets out a wail of wasted time “what year is it?”  as she suddenly wakes up to the vast degree of her (and everyone like her)’s pain.  He has done nothing but create more suffering.  The lights go out, simulation over, and he returns to the red room.

The cycle starts again.  Laura whispers “Jackass, you cannot save me/women in trouble because the problem is in you” and he makes the face of horrifying recognition.  Start the season over, this is just the setup.

Hope this helps.