#he’s in the episode a bit more but i want to move on to 7x02
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louferrignojrofficial · 18 days ago
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DONOVAN ROCKER S.W.A.T 7x09 - "HONEYTRAP"
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study-coffee-chicago · 3 years ago
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For the car ride 😉: I've wanted to ask you this for a litte while nowww...... What do you think the crossover would be or what do you want to see more of.....for example, Platonic relationships between the three shows or 2 characters that NEED some screen time or something elsee?? I'm curious 🙃✨
I LOVE THIS ASK
I'm going to answer this in terms of platonic friendships because I really haven't thought much into a crossover for next season. Without further ado, I give you three friendships I need in the One Chicago universe. (Also, leaving this under the cut because this is long.)
1. Kelly and Jay
We got a bit of this in Fire 7x02 and PD 6x02 when Kelly helped Jay find the guy who killed his dad in the arson fire because Voight threw Jay off the case. But, I need to see them doing bro things together, like taking the boat out and going fishing (and hopefully the boat still works and they don't have to be rescued like in that Fire episode when Kelly and Stella went on a date in the boat). Also, I want to see them riding motorcycles together because Jay has a motorcycle, we saw it in Fire 7x02 and never saw it again AND I NEED IT BACK. Finally, Kelly's basically an honorary detective himself because of how good he is at investigating arsons, so I need him to work a case with Intelligence and get paired up with Jay and Hailey.
2. Hailey and Stella
What can I say about these two? They're both total badasses, so imagine them TOGETHER??? Holy shit, they'd make a kick ass duo! Also, I need a scene of Stella saving a kid in a fire, and Hailey and Jay being on scene, and Stella and Hailey comforting the kid...because that'd be fluffy and cute af. (Also, because I want more Kelly and Jay moments and more Hailey and Stella moments, I propose an upstead and stellaride double date.)
3. Kelly and April
We know that Kelly moved in with April for a summer because his parents were having problems, but we don't know much about it, so I'd love more backstory on that and their high school years. (AS I'M WRITING THIS I REMEMBERED YAYA IS LEAVING. FUCK. SO THIS IS JUST THINGS I WANT TO HAPPEN AND NOW THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN BC SHE'S GONE.) I also want him to talk to April about how in love he is with Stella, maybe he asks April's parents to make frito pie for like a side or something for the stellaride wedding (I'm pretty sure it was frito pie that he asked if they still made when he went back to April's childhood home to see her parents in some episode. I forgot the episode though and can't find the scene on google for shit. So, don't come at me if I'm wrong).
Anyway, there's my three duos I'd like to see more of...even though I know we won't see any Kelly and April because Yaya's not coming back to Med 😥
(PS. There needs to be more Will and Jay scenes because we ALWAYS need more of them together!)
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icedteaandoldlace · 4 years ago
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The Westallen fandom's reaction to 7x02 has been really disappointing, I must say. Normally this side of the fandom is the more reasonable side, but vilifying Cisco for trying to stop Barry from leaving Kamilla trapped forever, on the grounds that Barry "did nothing wrong" because he was "just trying to save his wife" is incredibly hypocritical, inaccurate, and frankly, disturbing. It's one thing to think they're both right (I don't, but I can sympathize with Barry's predicament and understand why one might think they are), but there is NO WAY IN HELL that Cisco is in ANY way in the wrong here. You cannot fault Cisco for looking out for the woman he loves, while defending and praising Barry for doing the same thing. And as a matter of fact, it's not the same thing, because A) Barry wasn't acting out of love, he chose to save Iris over the others as a tactical move against Eva, and B) even if that wasn't entirely the case, Iris didn't actually need Barry's protection. Cisco wanted to wait a little bit and save their resources, and come up with an alternative solution to save all of them, not just save Kamilla and Singh and leave Iris to rot. Iris was never in danger of being left behind, Barry just assumed that Cisco (and Frost and Allegra) would be willing to give up on her to save Kamilla--and Cisco made it clear when he found out about Barry's little daydream sequence that he was dead wrong and that he would never do that to her. Barry, on the other hand, was willing to completely abandon Kamilla and Singh to save Iris, and I don't know how anyone comes away from that episode thinking that Cisco is the bad guy for not wanting to let that happen.
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travllingbunny · 4 years ago
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The 100 rewatch: 5x02 Red Queen
Note: I’m afraid that I’ll have to delay my review of 7x12 The Stranger a bit longer - maybe till Friday (because I’m busy with work, and I think that one may take a bit more time to finish), but in the meantime, here’s - finally - a continuation of my season 5 rewatch reviews. It happens to be the only seasons I haven’t covered yet - except for 5x01 Eden, which I rewatched a few months ago after 7x02 The Garden, because I wanted to compare the two. I was planned to do Red Queen right afterwards - it’s interesting to compare and contrast Octavia’s character transformations in season 5 and season 7 - but it didn’t pan out that way. But now, @jeanie205 and me have started another joint rewatch during the hiatus, this one of season 5. (She only saw it live, week to week, and hasn’t rewatched it yet, I binged it and this is my second rewatch.)
...............................
I’ve always thought of season 5 as a season with a really strong beginning - the first 3 or 4 episodes are fantastic - which drags a bit in the middle before ending a very strong two-part finale.. The 6-year jump, in terms of storytelling, had both good and bad results. These two opening episodes, Eden and Red Queen, really make the best out of the time jump, with flashbacks about Clarke surviving on her own on a desolated Earth and meeting Madi, and flashbacks of what happened to Wonkru in the bunker. It says a lot that we got half an episode of Clarke surviving on Earth, a full episode plus a bunch of flashbacks in 5x11 about the bunker... and nothing about the Ring (till that one flashback in season 7). It’s because the life on the Ring was so boring and uneventful that the show didn't care to show anything of those 6 years. Clarke’s peaceful life with Madi in Eden also happened off-screen - we only saw their first meeting and their later relationship in the present - but Clarke’s two months of terrible hardship got covered in amazing 20 minutes. But the bunker is where things were the most intense. 
If the Ring seems to be just boring everyday life of 7 people who can’t go anywhere for 6 years, and if Clarke got to live in Eden (paradise) with Madi after the purgatory of 40 50+ days in the desert, the bunker is clearly Hell. It is a claustrophobic underground world full of anger, conflict and violence that certainly looks like Hell by the end of the episode.
The last scene, with its horror imagery, reminded me of the current Sanctum storyline in season 7 (both Blodreina and Sheidheda like using skulls as decoration), and the comparison shows exactly why the bunker/Blodreina story worked so well, and why the S7 Sanctum story does not. It’s all about moral ambiguity and keeping the audience on its toes, pulling the rug from under us by making us unsure how to feel about characters and their actions, which Red Queen does so well (and which S7 Sanctum storyline completely fails to do, being very predictable and black and white). Red Queen is so well done and intense that I don’t even mind that Clarke and Bellamy and some of my other favorites aren’t in it.
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Timeline: The episode starts 42 days after Praimfaya and ends 46 days after Praimfaya.
The opening scenes take place at the same time when Clarke arrived in Polis and tried to open the door. Clarke's only listed as appearing in this episode because of this repeated scene from Eden. (It’s weird that apparently not just the Temple, but the Tower also apparently fell on the entrance. The Tower is next to the Temple, but I’m not sure if that would really happen?) I’m not sure what exactly caused the rubble to fall down, but this is the moment where everyone loses hope, since they know they probably can’t get out, even though they have 5 years to try to think of the solution.
Niylah has found a bunch of books and some other stuff in the bunker, and one of the books was Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which we now know was Callie Cadogan’s book. (That was a nice Easter Egg in 7x08.) Niylah knows Bellamy used to read to Octavia about Ancient Rome - she must have heard it from her or from Clarke or someone else in Arkadia over the last month or so that she spent with them. It is still surprising she knows about Ovid, specifically. What she doesn’t know when she gives Octavia the book is how symbolic it is of what happens to Octavia throughout this episode - her metamorphosis into Blodreina. (We even see the opening line on screen: “ I intend to speak of forms changed into new entities..”).
Octavia Blake is a character who has undergone more dramatic transformations than any other character on The 100. I wasn’t a big fan of her in some of the early seasons, but now I think that, after what the show has done with her since season 4, she has probably had the best character arc of any character on the show. (Some would say it’s Murphy, but that’s because people like to think of character development as going from bad to good, a positive progression - which is a lot more predictable and done quite often. What the show did with Octavia is much more complex and unexpected.) Her turn to the dark side and subsequent redemption were really well done, and Marie Avgeropoulos is one of the best actors on the show (I’ve always thought so regardless of how I felt about her character at any given time) and pulled off her changes in season 5 so well.
What the episode does really well is maintain ambiguity about Octavia’s development as a leader. The first time you watch it, it’s not clear what is she developing into. Is this a story about a well-meaning but still inexperienced teenage girl becoming a great leader? Well, the cliffhanger of 5x01 showed the fighting pits and the new scary Blodreina look, so it’s already hinted it’s not quite like that. But the episode still makes you root for Octavia, who’s up against not just the difficult circumstances - trapped in the bunker, limited resources - but also tribalism of Skaikru and 11 Grounder clans and a lot short-sighted people who hate and keep fighting each other. You just can’t not root for her when she starts forcing them to obey, near the end of the episode (and it’ certainly comes off as a very badass scene - if a bit unrealistic, since Octavia has only been training in Grounder-style combat for about 7-8 months at that point) - but then things may start getting a little ominous as she repeats the mantra “You are Wonkru, or you are the enemy of Wonkru. Choose!” (“You’re either with us, or against us” statements by political leaders are always worrying), even before the ending, where both Octavia and the bunker look like something out of a horror movie. This entire storyline made the point that unity can’t be forced on people, especially not by a single all-powerful leader, without turning into tyranny and oppression.
What’s also morally ambiguous is advice from the mortally wounded Jaha, which ends up influencing Octavia’s decisions and development as a leader. Jaha was always one of the most morally grey characters - he’s not evil, always had good intentions, but his ruthlessness and willingness to disregard individual lives in the name of the Big Picture of saving “his (collective) people” and his complete confidence that this is the right leadership style, were always very disturbing, and made him the villain in the eyes of - and the lives of - all the young protagonists of the show. In season 4, some of them started seeing his perspective. faced with the similar difficult choices. After Clarke in season 4, Octavia also starts seeing his perspective - which is particularly disturbing because it is the same man who executed her mother for just having a child, and locked her up for a year as a criminal just for being born. But Jaha’s actions in Red Queen are some of his most heroic ever in the show, and he gets a heroic death and a moving death scene... while still being kind of a real d1ck, someone who justifies Aurora’s execution to Octavia by saying her mother made herself “the enemy” and bringing them “closer to death”. In the context, Jaha as an unexpected mentor to Octavia can be seen as something good or at least a necessary for her to develop into a capable leader... Or is it? The line between hero and villain can be very thin. Sure, it helps Octavia resolve the situation, save hundreds of people in the bunker, and apparently unite everyone into Wonkru - but as we see by the end of the episode and the rest of the season, it also ends up making her a tyrant who ends up getting hundreds of her people killed in the name of saving “her people” and delivering them to paradise as a messiah. She becomes the same thing she hated, an oppressor like those who forced her to hide under the floor and killed her mother.  
(This dialogue from season 4 is pretty relevant here:  
Clarke: You know, he used to be everything that I hated. Maybe he was keeping us together.
Jasper: When Jaha's looking reasonable, it's time to reassess.)
I have to say, however, in spite of all the moral greyness... I can’t stand Kara Cooper. She’s one of the few characters on the show that just piss me off to no end and I can’t find any sympathy for her. I know that it’s different for others, I’ve seen people say they see her perspective, and yes, the show  gives her a tragic backstory (losing her father in the Culling on the Ark and her husband in the Second Culling in 4x12)... but this time I can’t bring myself to care, because: 
She wants to leave some 1100+ people to die, even though she should be well aware that, even if there is a problem of overpopulation in the bunker*, she really doesn’t have to kill that many people, 
She’s a scientist and gives a speech about how the lack of diversity would lead to a massive die-off for plants... Surely she should know that the same would happen to the humans, and that a human race can’t survive with just around 80 people?! which leads me to
She doesn’t care about the survival of the human race and is ready to condemn it to extinction, just so she and a few others would live more comfortably and wouldn’t be in danger of immediate death, 
She says she wants to save “her people” - but it’s all about tribalism (Skaikru or not Skaikru?) and not love, and she is a hypocrite, because she is ready to leave a bunch of Skaikru outside the door to die, too, 
She is a hypocrite when she acts like Abby did something terrible by opening the bunker door to save Kane (which also saved hundreds of people more than would have otherwise been saved) - basically, she’s like “ Abby, how dare you not prioritize my husband, a guy you didn't even know, over your boyfriend? You're so terrible!" Sure. That makes sense. 
Her arguments about why the bunker “belongs” to Skaikru are rubbish: “ "Jaha found it. It belonged to us" - even if we accept the finders-keepers idea, actually, multiple people helped find the bunker. Yes, Jaha was the driving force, but Bellamy found the coin, and Kane, Monty and Gaia all massively contributed to finding it - without Gaia's info they wouldn't have ever found it - as did Indra, and the fighters from Trikru and their allies who guarded the temple so they could do it. She just ignored all these facts. If they had kept the bunker in 4x11, they would have left most of these people out (including Kane and Monty). Oh, and she is now trying to take the bunker back... and she’s ready to leave Jaha himself outside! 
And after all of that, she saves her own skin by being the most ruthless one of everyone Octavia sent to the fighting pit and killing them all - and then becomes Octavia’s right hand and sycophant. What integrity! 
While many people seem to think that Octavia’s downfall started with the cannibalism during the Dark Year, I think it’s the decision at the end of Red Queen to open the fighting pits and start punishing every crime by throwing people in them. This is her first really bad decision. In practice, this form of “justice” means that you can commit any crime you want if you're good at killing people once you’re in the pit. it fosters a culture of violence - even more so when death matches are entertainment. So, in the end, the guy from Delphi clan who just stole blankets (the Sangedakru delegate Brell demanded death for that - their laws are pretty draconian, makes me wonder in retrospect if Sheidheda was the one who first imposed them) died, while Kara effing Cooper got to live because she was the most ruthless person there. What I think Octavia should have done is - she should have executed the murderers and the leaders of the rebellion and given minor punishments to people who did things like steal blankets. (it's been argued they needed Cooper for the farm - but that was not the reasoning, Octavia left her with everyone else to fight.) 
This was Octavia, sadly, combining not the best, but the worst of the Ark system (death as the punishment for every crime or minor misdemeanor), Grounder tradition (death matches as the solution to everything) and her childhood stories of the Ancient Rome. If you're using Ancient Rome gladiator fights as your role model...you've probably stopped being a good guy.
The last scene, fighting pits 6 years later, is similar to the cliffhanger end of the previous episode, only now we get the cliffhanger of Kane being one of the fighters. Octavia is in her full Blodreina mode now. Not just her outward look has changed, but her facial expressions, too - this is the first time we see that cold, sinister Blodreina smile. Indra doesn’t look too happy, Gaia and Ethan are there. Miller- even after that much time - doesn’t look too happy with Cooper being there, by Octavia's side.
This is straight up horror imagery. There is even some sort of structure made of skulls next to where she's sitting!  Not exactly a throne of skulls like Sheidheda has in season 7 but something similar.
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But here’s why this works so differently than Sheidheda and his throne of skulls in season 7 and why people are bored by the latter. There is no ambiguity in the S7 Sanctum story. Sheiheda is completely, cartoonishly evil, there is nothing complex about it, Murphy is now definitely a good guy, as are Emori and Indra, and none of them are in conflict about how to deal with him (except for a short moment in 7x09, which was OOC for Indra). The only characters that we may still wonder 'what are they gonna do? which side will they take?" are minor, underdeveloped characters like Nikki, or Knight (you're in trouble when your main question is "will Knight change sides?"). It's a very simple black and white story, the kind t100 normally doesn't do and Shady’s throne of . But when Octavia has her face painted in blood, has skulls next to her, and a creepy smile while she’s deciding the fate of the winner, that is genuinely disturbing because it's Octavia. You’ve followed her for seasons, and you’ve spent the whole episode rooting for her to solve the problems and deal with those really awful and annoying people... and then she does, and oh my god, suddenly she turns into a villain, and that’s chilling. 
Other observations:
I love the Kabby scene where they're talking while chained up in the farm, while a guy is playing guitar in the background. I think Abby was pretty unfair to Kane when she said he took away her choice to kill herself - because she didn’t try to kill herself, she tried to make Kane kill her, and then she expected him to be able to do it, even though she never could: not only did she open the bunker door to save Kane, she destroyed the radiation chamber (possibly dooming thousands of people) because she couldn’t allow Clarke to risk her life (in 4x08). Kane may be more of a “Head” than “Heart” of the two of them, but Abby should have realized he wouldn’t be able to carry her unconscious body (or even let someone else do it) and let her die of radiation. He loves her and he doesn’t really have anyone else. Abby really seemed to be taking out her own self-loathing out on him. It was still a sweet moment when he finally dropped the pretense that he saved her for being a doctor and admitted it was a Heart decision, and she finally admitted she would do the same and never regretted opening the bunker door to save him. 
But we get a hint about that Abby has already developed a pill addiction, which will strain and almost destroy their relationship. Kabby was a really well written relationship - we saw them falling in love over 4 seasons (which rarely happens with romantic relationships on this show) - but then we also saw that being together and loving each other is not enough to be “happy ever after”, not when you live in f*cked up circumstances and when you both have to deal with all sorts of problems. Love can’t conquer everything, which is more realistic way to depict romance.
Mackson actually have some screentime in this episode. This is actually the first time we see that they are together (after a brief flirting scene in season 4). I had forgotten that Miller says the L word in this episode: "You're a healer, nor a fighter. That's why I love you.” I thought “This was pretty fast” - but when you take into account they’ve been together for a couple of months, it’s actually not that fast compared to most of the romances on the show... It’ just that most of their relationships happens off-screen.
So Level C (which Cooper and her people took over) was where Cadogan planned to be with his family if the rest of the bunker goes to hell. Makes sense he’d do something like that.
Indra was already not a fan of the Commanders at this point, telling Gaia: "Your real Commanders would have left you to burn", "the spirits of the Commanders have abandoned us"
We got two Wells mentions in this episode! One when Jaha was reading a children’s book (apparently The Giving Tree - thanks @jeanie205​) to Ethan, and says it was his son's favorite bedtime story, and another one when Jaha is dying and says “Take me to my wife. Take me to Wells”.
ALIE would be proud of these people: they all keep repeating “There are too many people in this bunker” throughout the episode. Thanos would be proud of them, too. Why not instead say: “There aren’t enough resources in this bunker”? No worries then, they will manage to get 1/3 of those people killed - 814 will remain instead of 1200 by the time they get out of the bunker... What few characters in the show ever seem to realize are too few people for the human race to survive. That is, if they weren't lucky to always be running into more humans, and then everyone blows it away by killing each other, again.
A few lines in this episode feel like dark foreshadowing:
Abby makes the first mention of cannibalism, a dark period in Ark’s history called the “Blight"
"It won't be that easy", says Octavia to Cooper when Cooper wanted to kill herself. One could say the same when Octavia tried to sacrifice herself and die in 5x12
"I'll take care of the boy” - Octavia promises to Jaha to take care of little Ethan, just as Jaha promised to Ethan’s father. That didn't turn out so well in the end...
Rating: 9/10
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ablogthatishenceforthmine · 4 years ago
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Unpopular The 100 Season 7 Opinions
1. People are too harsh on Echo. Yes, I think she was a poorly written character in seasons 5 and 6, but the character for her writing has much improved in Season 7. And the hate for her character has been far too venomous for just being a poorly written character. I feel like fans of the show never give her character a chance. Like when it was revealed that we we going to see an Echo backstory flashback in season 6. BEFORE THE EPISODE EVEN AIRED, people decided that they hated the flashback, and that it was going to be boring and a waste of time. I actually think the flashback was quite interesting, but think the show had problems framing it in context of the themes of the season. I feel like the same is happening in season 7. People aren’t giving her a chance, even though they are doing some really interesting things with her character this season.
And i think people put too much emphasis on “liking” and “agreeing” with a character. To me, it’s more important that I find a character interesting and engaging: I don’t have to agree with all, or even most, of their actions. I also don’t think the show is framing Echo’s actions this season in a positive light. So I really don’t get the complaint, “How am I supposed to like Echo when she does XXX bad/morally dubious thing.” I don’t agree with most of her actions either, but they make sense with her character, and I always understand why she does what she does this season. And I get it, emotional investment in a character is built. The show has done a poor job creating emotional investment in Echo in Season 5 and 6. But i think investment/engagement can work on two levels: emotional and mental. Mental investment is when you find the character, their storyline, and the themes explored with that character interesting. For me, in seasons 5 and 6, I wasn’t emotionally or mentally invested in Echo’s character. But in Season 7, I am mentally invested in her character. I am still not emotionally invested or care too much about her pain or if she survives because of the shoddy character work the show did for her in the previous 2 seasons. But I am interested in her character, and am excited to see her journey this season.
The show is doing a lot of interesting exploration or Echo’s character this season. But it seems to me like some people came into the season determined not to like or be interested in her character. They never gave her a chance to be interesting to them this season, which I think is a shame.
2. I don’t want Echo to be a spy; I want her to believe in Bardo and their teachings.  I think it’s wayyy more interesting if Echo has actually drunk the kool-aid. And it makes sense for her character to actually believe in Bardo’s teachings. They have a lot in common. They both value loyalty to a troubling degree. They both believe in suppressing and having complete control over one’s emotions. After believing that Bellamy has died, I can see her wanting to bet rid of emotional attachments because they are just too painful. A love is weakness kind of thing. And I can see her deciding that it’s better to be loyal to the mission of saving the human race than to be loyal to individuals, because loyalty to individuals just brings pain. Honestly, I will be really disappointed if Echo turns out to be playing the Bardonians. If that’s the case, then it just all about the plot and plot twist. If what i described above it true, then this storyline is all about character and Echo’s internal life, beliefs, and transformation.
3. I don’t get why people are mad at the show for the lack of Bellamy. It’s not writers fault that Bellamy is barely in this season so far. The actor decided to take some time off.  I get that it’s frustrating and disappointed, but  it wasn’t the writers’ decision. The show is trying to do the best it can with the hand it has been dealt. And I don’t think it’s been doing that terrible. Bellamy is easily my favorite character of the show; has been since season 1, and every season since. But I don’t think the show is suffering that badly from his absence. Like, I miss him, but I don’t feel the show is empty without him. His disappearance is a mystery I am interested and invested in. And I am so excited to find out where he is and what’s been going on with him. For me, the far more frustrating absence is that of Clarke, who has barely had anything interesting to do this season. She feels completely decentered from the season. I wouldn’t mind her lesser screentime if they screentime she did have was devoted to more interesting things. She has had a few good scenes, but most of her plotlines have not been very interesting this season.
4. This season isn’t bad so far. It’s not one of the show’s better seasons, but it’s not terrible. There’s some very good stuff and some very bad stuff. I really like everything with Bardo and Sky Ring. I enjoyed these kinda self-contained episodes like 7x02. I enjoyed seeing new families and bonds form, and seeing character dynamics we haven’t seen before. Hope is a great new character and I am both emotionally and mentally invested in her in only a short amount of time. I find the mystery of Bardo very intriguing. I am excited for every new bit of information we get on the place and it’s way of life. It was super cool and interesting learning their philosophy and a bit about how they live in 7x09. I just really like the world-building that this season is doing. The bad stuff is, of course, sanctum, which is one of the worst, if not the worst, storylines the show has ever done. It’s boring, especially in contrast to the new and exciting world of the anamoly, Bardo, and other planets. And the Sanctum storyline just seems more of the same, except there are not enough people that we care about in the mix. They are too many new characters, and none are developed well enough. It’s hard to care too much about the warring factions, when we don’t care about most of the factions. Despite J.R. Bourne’s excellent performance, Sheidheda is not an interesting villian. And many of the characters are behaving stupidly and making bad decisions. So, yeah, this season is a mixed bag, but I don’t find it to be nearly as bad as people say it it.
4. I disagree with the “Nothing is happening” opinion. Things are definitely happening. Think about how much we’ve learned since the premiere episode. It’s A LOT. And yes, we have a lot of episodes that are more character driven or world-building driven than plot driven. But I actually like that! I don’t know why people want to speed through the plot. I think the plot can move slowly as long as the episodes are engaging and stuff is happening with the characters, even if its only internally. Think about one of The 100′s best episodes, in my opinion: Season 3 Episode 11, Nevermore. The plot barely moved that episode, but there was soo much good character stuff happening. So i really liked the plot slowing down to show the Octavia/Hope/Diyoza family form, and see Octavia find her peace. I liked the plot slowing down to show us the Echo, Hope, Diyoza, and Octavia’s journey through Bardo training. I liked that it slowed down to explore Echo’s grief and Hope and Diyoza’s difficulties in 7x07. But, that is not to say that this season does not have an issue with it’s plotting because it definitely does. For me, its not in the Sky ring/Bardo stuff, it’s with all the other characters. Clarke, Raven, Murphy, Indra, Emori, etc are soooo behind the viewers in knowledge that it’s frustrating to slowly see them catch up to things that the audience already knows. And the Sanctum plot is moving too slowly too with too much build up. And i do agree with people that yeah, it still feels like we are getting exposition for the season, which is a problem. However, i’ve enjoyed a lot of the ride when it comes to learning this exposition in regards to Bardo, so I do not mind as much.
5. I want Murphy to die. And it’s not because I don’t love Murphy, because I do. He has become one of my favorite characters of the show. And that is why I want him to have a great ending and arc. And I can’t think of a better one than him dying doing a heroic or self-sacrificial thing. Murphy started as an utterly selfish character who would do anything it takes to survive, no matter the cost for other people. Slowly, he has come to care for other people. First, specific individuals, and now, more and more, has has started to care for people as a whole. But, he still struggles with his selfishness and his do-whatever-it-takes-to-survive mentality. That’s why giving up his life for a good cause would be the perfect ending to his story. To go from someone who would survive by any means necessary to someone who willingly died to do something good for others. It would be beautiful and perfect, and i hope it happens no matter how sad it would make me.
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blodreina-noumou · 5 years ago
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The 100, 7x02 - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Good
+ I really cannot think of any single moment in this episode that I did not like. It’s been a very long time since I felt that way about this show.
+ Octavia and Diyoza became the old married couple Diyoza quipped about last season! It’s real!! Together, with Hope, they are my new favorite found family dynamic, and it was so adorably refreshing to see some simplicity and healing and growth in this show. Long overdue for Octavia, and explains so much about her miraculous transformation post-Anomaly.
+ Hope and Echo initially seeming at-odds, with Hope bringing up Echo’s botched attempted capturing of Auntie O - the way that turned into that incredibly heartwarming and cathartic scene of the two women hugging and crying and promising to work together. I was expecting the animosity to stick around, and I’m so glad it didn’t. In fandom terms, I love this new brotp.
+ Hope’s storyline is really interesting, and really sad. I love the echoes of other kids - being raised on stories like Jordan and Madi, being a girl hiding in her own home like Madi and Octavia - those are the kinds of meaningful callbacks that I really, really like.
+ I really do feel so much more satisfied with Octavia’s storyline now. Where she’s at makes so much more sense to me. She’s clearly grown so much. There were just so many parallels and callbacks to her relationship with Bellamy, and her own childhood. It made me really emotional.
+ Diyoza’s storyline, too. When she cries, “I need you too. Is that what you want to hear? Why aren’t we enough?” The vulnerability and need to belong was so strong for both of these women, and the fact that they found a family together is going to keep me happy with this show for a long, long time.
+ There are parts of the “time moves differently on different planets” thing that I really like. I like that it gave a reasonably believable way for Hope to have aged up so quickly. The sort of haven that Planet Beta became was definitely a big plus for me. Octavia is 33 now, y’all!! What!!!
+ The more I see of Gabriel, the more I like him.
The Bad
0 - That being said, it was VERY frustrating to have the sole reason the code slipped away from them be Gabriel’s eccentric curiosity and carelessness. A man as old, wise, and smart as him should have never let that tablet out of his sight, no matter what. Definitely not to get something to write with. I know he’s obsessive and a bit distractible when it comes to the Anomaly, his 200-year-old mystery, but the way we lost the code still felt like a contrived plot point to undoubtedly stick another time-jump in. Guarantee the next time we see AnomalyKru, there’ll be a “Five Years Later” caption.
0 - With time behaving differently, it shouldn’t have too much of an impact on the Sanctum storyline. That being said, I am already having trouble keeping track of who is doing what, when, and where. There’s SO much going on this season. We’ve burned through so much of the trailer footage, and we have 14 episodes to go, so it’s impossible to guess where things will go from here. That’s exciting, but also nerve-wracking. Every time they wipe a world and move on, I’m disappointed with the result. But who knows? It’s still so early.
0 - I don’t know if I totally understand the purpose of having a prison world where you can serve a five-year sentence over a weekend. So you continue to age, but time essentially stops for your “real life”? So they have prisoners returning home to loved ones seriously aged and probably a bit crazy from the isolation. That seems like a flawed system. Do the prisoners get the helmets that allow them to keep their memories? How much did the dude with the countdown tattooed on his arm know before he went a lil crazy? Is he going to become an actual character?? I don’t know how on board I am for all of that, and another time-jump. Just seems like a lot.
0 - Speaking of a lot - this episode was a different show from last episode. We can agree on that, right? This episode was essentially a spin-off. The Sanctum plot with the Primes already feels miles away. I didn’t really care about it before this episode, and I care even less, now. Intentional? Not sure. But this plot is crowded, and I still cannot see how it’s all going to converge.
0 - I felt Bellamy’s absence in this one. It definitely felt like he should’ve been with AnomalyKru. Hope’s line: “If what I know about the two of you [Echo and Gabriel] is true, we’ll be fine.” referencing Gabriel and Echo’s ability to fight, felt like it was a line that originally included Bellamy. IIRC, Octavia didn’t know much at all about Gabriel before she went into the Anomaly. She knew he was crafty, and knew his planet very well, but I’d be surprised if she got the impression that he was much of a fighter. Bellamy was known for being a badass though, especially in Octavia’s eyes. That line felt like it didn’t belong without him.
The Ugly
- No Memori. Not even a glimpse! Incredibly rude way to treat royalty, y’know? I just cannot stand for it!
...
I kid. I mean, I missed them, but I kid.
Honestly - loved this episode, and there really wasn’t much about it that I can complain about. Most of my gripes come from confusion or concern for the future. But I’m actually really excited to rewatch this one, and I’m even more excited to see what happens next!!
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joysmercer · 5 years ago
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Brooklyn Nine-Nine 7x01 Final Thoughts
(7x02)
I want to preface this by saying that I was absolutely and completely against them even thinking about trying so early in the season and I was even more against the idea of a pregnancy scare, but although those things happened, this episode still managed to exceed my expectations tenfold. I loved 99 (heh) percent of it, and the stuff I didn’t was mostly due to me being a worrywart and not because there was something wrong with the ep. Let’s get started. 
First of all, can I just say how happy I am that Amy verbally said that “[they] agreed not to start trying for at least a year”? After what happened in a certain episode last season, I was convinced that the writers had no idea how to handle this storyline properly (more on that later), but the acknowledgment that Jake and Amy mutually agreed to a time frame and had every intention of sticking to it is a really important step in correcting those wrongs, and I’m really glad they chose to include a line about it not once, but twice.
I also loved seeing the Sleuth Sisters back on screen together! Rosa’s attempts at calming Amy down and helping her were absolutely hilarious (“you know hat keeps me relaxed? kicking stuff” / “glub glub glub…is this helping?” / etc) and the fact that Amy went to her for help made me so happy. I especially enjoyed the bit where they were sorting through the weird pregnancy tests from a bodega—especially because it parallels a similar conversation they had in Grey Star Mutual.
Lastly, the scene at the end between Jake and Amy was lovely and soft and nearly perfect in how it was written and executed (more on this later, too). The part when Amy told Jake about the pregnancy scare and then proceeded to—convincingly—pretend to be bummed until he brought up his feelings himself was excellent: it’s clear from the way they spoke and acted that neither was feeling any pressure to say something they didn’t truly believe, which is why the end result—Jake saying he’s ready to start Trying—is just about as good as it could have been. 
Miscellaneous stuff that made me grin: 
These two episodes were a clear return to the form/style of seasons 4-5, and I am here for it! 
I didn’t write much about the A-plot above, but it was good, clean comedy. Debbie is amazing, as were her interactions with Holt. The end scene between Jake and Holt was especially sweet, and I’m interested to see how their new dynamic progresses in the future. 
Jake, concerned about his finances (when he asked Charles to download that app)? Growth.
My remaining thoughts about this episode in the context of season 6 and what I think about what will happen going forward with regards to the themes and issues brought up in it are under the cut. The vast majority of them are not criticisms (of this episode), but they’re not exactly glowing reviews either, so proceed at your own risk. 
If we pretend the Joke in 6x16 never happened, this episode would pretty much have satisfied everything I wanted to see regarding Baby Talks. But, as I have mentioned before, I can’t see how that event could have possibly made Jake any more ready to start a family—if anything, it would have set him back a bit. I’m not going to get into why, because I’ve already discussed this issue elsewhere, but the reason I bring it up is that I think that it was—and still is—really freaking important to show Jake’s journey to being ready on-screen, something we haven’t actually seen yet. After such a, well, tumultuous few months, coming to that conclusion couldn’t have been easy, and there’s been too much buildup for the writers to just show this scene and move on. 
When the clips to this episode were leaked a few weeks ago, there were 3 Big Things I was mad about: Timing, the concept of a Pregnancy Scare, and Amy having Second Thoughts.
With regards to the Timing, I still think it is much too soon after Casecation (per my calculations, 1.5 months at most have passed) to feasibly have Jake ready to start a family. This is also why it is really, really important to show his point of view soon: this whole storyline just doesn’t seem complete otherwise, and honestly, it makes me a little worried. 
 Personally, I still think that the Pregnancy Scare plot could have been avoided and that there were other, better ways for Jake to realize he was ready to start trying. While the episode made it clear that he wasn’t pressured in any way to say that he wanted to start trying (see above), hearing about Amy say “I thought I was pregnant” jump-started a part of his brain that probably would have stayed dormant for a little bit more time. I can’t be certain if this was a good or bad thing.
As for Amy having Second Thoughts, that is something Melissa Fumero mentioned in an interview but wasn’t addressed in this episode, and I stand by my earlier statement that this would be a truly bad thing to bring up this late in the game. What they showed in this episode, with Amy concerned that they don’t have a preschool lined up or whatever, is natural, but if they make her seriously question her ability to balance parenthood and her career obligations, I’m going to be really upset. Amy is canonically shown to plan out every single detail thoroughly, and she should have all of that figured out by now. A little bit of panic once she actually becomes pregnant is one thing, but second-thoughts and reconsidering is quite another.
The last bit of worry that I have is that, in a 13-episode season, Jake and Amy will take over a majority of the plotlines. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, except that it increases the possibility of other characters being sidelined in the process. I sincerely hope this doesn’t happen. 
That’s it for now! Read my (much shorter) 7x02 Thoughts here.
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mizuirokandeya · 4 years ago
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Safekeeping
Six times Dean hangs on to the trench coat and that one time he lets it go again. Takes place between 7x02 and 7x17. Note: Well what better time is there to join a fandom than when its show is about to end? So here’s a simple little idea I got the second I saw Dean pick up Castiel's trench coat in 7x02. (Direct Speech in italics is transcribed from episodes 7x01 and 7x17.)
~ 2100 words | Read on AO3
One He's fumbling around, shifting through the trunk of the Impala. He was checking for something yes, but while the motions feel familiar and everything is right where it should be, he's lost track of his movements long ago. Knives, guns, materials for spells and summons, books. All right where they should be. And then there on the left, something not quite at home yet in the trunk of Baby. It's blinding despite fitting in with its surroundings, the dark muddy patches making it look just like any other unsaveable piece of fabric they had to ditch before. And yet... 
He blinks, teeth digging into his lower lip, and forces his eyes away. A book. He was supposed to get that book for Sam and wanted to bring his shotgun in for a cleaning because he hasn't gotten the chance to yet. And salt rounds. He needs to stock up on those, too. "Dean." The slight pain of his lip popping is enough to pull him back, from tugging his mind into the here and now again. He stuffs the last piece of equipment he needs into his duffle bag. The noise of the zipper closing is too loud, even with cars zipping by the motel parking lot. While he shoulders it his eyes flit back to the left of the trunk one more time.   "I'm sorry, Dean." He slams the trunk lid shut and leaves. Two They're at the motel, packing up before leaving. Or more so Sam packing the last of his stuff into the trunk and Dean leaning against the side of the Impala, waiting so they can finally get back on the road. Get away. "What do you say, we grab some grub on the road, Sammy?"   They made other plans. Previously. Not even an hour ago on the drive back to the motel. But suddenly he doesn't feel like staying here any longer than necessary. An itch he can't quite scratch. There's an obvious pause, too long and yet not long enough before he replies, "Sure." The trunk shuts, and he can hear Sam walking to the passenger door.   Dean nods, more so to himself, and pushes off the car to open the door and gets in. He feels impatient, restless, not welcome or comfortable. Driving will make it better. It always does. Sam doesn't try to make conversation, flips through the pages of a book before turning to stare out of the window. There's silence for the first few hours, only broken by the music coming from the radio, not even a single question about when they'll stop for the food they both could've gone for not too long ago. "You kept it." He looks over at Sam, catches his expression and forces his eyes back onto the road. There's a sudden lump in his throat, making it more difficult than it should be to say, "A little more information, Sam." "His trench coat." "Thank you." Eyes moving, unsure. But then focusing on him. Just him.   "Yeah. So what about it?" The tiniest bit of desperation, sadness, need in them. They've never been as deadpan as the rest of him. And Dean feels it hit him tenfold. "Both of you." Silence again. He feels his hands tighten on the steering wheel, feels the simple bundle of fabric reverberate in the trunk, in his head and body. He can practically smell the stale blood on it. And god no, this is not simple. Never simple with- with what exactly even? Sam's "Just wondering." leaves him an opening to respond, to ask why exactly he's wondering here and what about. To continue this conversation, to talk about this - him. Dean doesn't take it though and neither does Sam. And when they turn into the drive through of some burger joint twenty minutes later, he doesn't even dig into him for ordering the most unhealthy option he can think of in the split second he gives himself to look at the menu. The smell of fried meat and grease finally wipes the smell of blood from his mind. Three "Can't believe he's making me ditch Baby. Like who does he even think he is?" He stuffs another gun into the duffle bag, a machete, too, and then some more things. He has a system here. How is he supposed to keep track of everything when he can't see everything? This is so gonna backfire. "Son of a bitch." Sam left the job to him, left him alone so he could say 'goodbye' to Baby. And why'd he even think this would be a goodbye? Hell he's coming back here to get her the second their faces are theirs and theirs only again.   "You got everything?" He can hear the amusement in Sam's voice and he zips up the bag, more vigor in his movement than necessary. The bag's heavier than usually, makes too much noise when he shoulders it. "'Course I do." He squints his eyes at Sam, hand pulling the trunk closed already, when he pauses. Should he? "Dean?" "Uhm yeah. Just, you know, give me another second. Alright?" And there's that look on Sam's face, like he's about to say something, question him, not leave. But then he smiles, shrugs his shoulders, says "Yeah, sure." and disappears. Dean takes a deep breath, opens the trunk fully again and turns to stare into it. The trench coat is lying there, still bundled up the same way it was before. Not folded properly just wrapped up around itself and untouched since it's been put there. It's become a familiar sight, has found its home in his car. And he doesn't really want to disturb that, which taking it – touching it – would most definitely. Leaving it here, leaving it and him behind feels wrong though. He runs his hand over his hair, hesitates. God, this is ridiculous. He's acting ridiculous. It's just fabric. It won't burn him and if he doesn't think too much it won't hurt him either. So he grabs it, presses it against his chest and slams the trunk shut. When he joins Sam at their replacement car – it's an ugly thing – and places the trench coat in the trunk with maybe a little too much care, he's met with raised eyebrows. "Don't say it, Sam." The noise the trunk lid makes being slammed shut doesn't sound as pleasant as the one of the Impala. Four "Here." Dean lifts his eyes from where he's sorting through the weapons in the duffle bag laying in the trunk, putting them back into their place from where some tumbled out when he'd hurriedly grabbed what he needed earlier. He's just not used to this car and set up. Garth is standing there, holding out a knife - one of theirs, must have dropped from his pocket during the fight. He takes it. "Thanks." "Neat collection." Garth grins, eyebrows wriggling in this way he has and Dean feels his own face slip before he can catch himself. What did he ever do for Bobby to do this to him? He nods, lips stretched into a tight smile and drops the knife into the bag. He can feel Garth's presence still, too close, too there, too not his brother or anyone else he'd rather have here. "What's that?" A hand reaching into the trunk, grabbing onto something and pulling. Fabric, beige and brown and Dean reacts on instinct.   "Don't!" He feels Garth wrist in his hand, the bones underneath his skin. Thin and weak and his grip is too strong. But he- "I'm ashamed." Looking down like a child, guilty, caught redhanded with the cookie jar wide open and empty. Just a whole lot worse because this wasn't just about eating something you're not supposed to. "I really overreached." He pushes Garth hand back, lets go of him. He feels too hot all of a sudden, reaches up to tug at his collar. "Just don't touch that. As a matter of fact don't touch anything." "I'm gonna find some way to redeem myself to you." "Sorry, amigo." Garth's hand reaches out, hand coming to close and Dean straightens up, takes a step back. He lifts a warning finger. "No. Not even me, Garth." "I mean it, Dean." The gentle touch of a hand on his arm, then stronger, before slipping away again. Determination in his gaze. And he feels like he's not quite getting something here. This could get weird - well, weirder but Garth just grins, shrugs his shoulders and wanders off again. Leaves him standing there and only then does he realize how hard his breath comes. He's had enough of these moments, memories, to not be frazzled by them anymore. But this. This was different. This was somebody not respecting this...boundary he'd set. One everyone he's usually with knows - two people, just two because when does he ever usually spent more than a hot minute with people other than Sam and Bobby anymore. He swallows down the third name popping into his head and how heavy his chest feels all of a sudden. "How about getting food, Dean?" "In a second." He shakes it off and finishes his work. Five Dean tilts his head back, lets his eyes slip shut. The cold air feels nice on his face, lets him forget the heat of the stuffy motel room, brings on the clammy feeling of sweat cooling on his skin. He's not far from their room, from Sam, just a few steps away in the parking lot, leaning against the side of the car they are using this time. He didn't bother going further, didn't want to go further. Usually he'd stay inside, just turn over again and go back to sleep – or pretend to sleep until he just can't anymore and gives up - but he's been drawn to the car more often lately. And he knows why. Knows why he wants to be next to it. But it's just such nonsense. A flimsy excuse for comfort but still he's here because it makes him feel more at ease after waking up from splashes of memories and nightmares mixed with specks of hope that don't make sense in the slightest. But he's tired and after Bobby- after that he doesn't care enough to pretend that this isn't helping somehow. Some days he feels like he's losing his head. He licks his dry lips, pushes off the car and turns towards the trunk. He hesitates a moment, then pops it open and there it is. Sits right where it should be in its place, next to a few books and still as dirty as it was left behind. Touching is hasn't caught on, except for swapping it from one replacement car to another. But there are days when he's just overcome with the need to have it close by, to sit down on the edge of the trunk, right next to it. And it's not like they actually were like that often - just with each other, no need for immediate action, no tension. Just peaceful silence. But simply the general idea, the feeling of it, gives him comfort. Something he really could use a lot more of. Six Being there, watching him kill the demons, having him look like him but at the same time not at all is uncanny. He's not the same. Why would he be. He'd been gone, missing, dead. And he doesn't remember. "We're friends?" Confusion. Then sudden clarity and something else. "Am I Cas?" It's painful. "I don't remember you, I'm sorry." And Dean is so glad he kept his trench coat. Because even if it's still just in the trunk, it is the one thing constant in his life right now. Plus One Watching him put on the trench coat over that weird old-man pullover is enough to bring a small smile onto Dean's face. And when Castiel glances over, his expression even more sober than usual, Dean has to press his lips together hard. Because for a split second there, he feels the hot pressure of tears behind his eyes. He swallows it down. "That's better now, isn't it?" "It certainly fits." Cas brushes his hands along the front of the coat, straightens the collar. His eyes follow the movement for a second then he focuses back on Dean. "Meet me in Sam's room." Before Dean can open his mouth, he's gone. And Dean drops his head forward, can't help the short laugh bubbling out of his throat. This. This is what was missing, what he could've used at any point in the weeks since this mess kicked off. And he'll get to rejoice in it, take a hot second just for himself to enjoy this. Just as soon as they've gotten Sammy fixed up. So he turns and slams the trunk lid closed, the spot where the trench coat used to sit, pleasantly empty again. 
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verobatto · 5 years ago
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Destiel Chronicles
(Vol. XXV)
It was a love story from the very beginning.
There was no time to say 'I'm sorry'
(7x01/7x02/7x03/7x05)
Hello my dears!! This is a new meta from my Destiel Chronicles. We will start with season 7, is gonna be a short road, I calculated a total number of six metas, so.
I want to say thank you to my friend @agusvedder , she made the gifs for this era and discussed some matters.
Okay! Let's start!
You're Not my Cas
After Cas became Godstiel, Dean noticed the big change. He wasn't Cas anymore, even his voice was different, and he'd said Dean wasn't his family.
In episode 7x01 Meet the New Boss (written by Sera Gamble) he have Dean trying to avoid Castiel's topic by trying to fix Baby (a symbolic representation of Dean's heart). Baby is broken, like Dean (bc of CAS) and he's trying to endure it. And he uses this as a distraction too. That's why when Bobby came to see him, he asked him...
BOBBY: So, you fixin' her or primal screamin'?
This is a great point of view here, if Baby is Dean's heart and he's trying to fix it. He's yelling at it. To get better quickly. To forget about Cas and his betrayal. To recognize Castiel isn't his Cas anymore. And now he's a monster and he has to stop him.
Then they start to talk about Cas, and this is the interesting part...
BOBBY: I don't even know what books to hit for this, Dean.
DEAN: Well, figure it out! I'm sorry. This ain't in no book. If you stick your neck out, Cas steps on it. So you know what I'm gonna do?
BOBBY: What?
DEAN: Imma fix this car. Because that's what I can do. I can work on her 'til she's mint. And when Sam wakes up, no matter what shape he's in, we'll glue him back together too. We owe him that.
Again, the car, his heart. He's gonna fix it, because he needs that fixed and patched, and renewed because he knows what he has to do about Cas. So he needs not to feel a thing about him.
He knows how to do that. How to fix things that hurts his heart... He pushed those things down, and deep... But he won't be able this time ( as he will say it in 7x17), because is Cas.
Then, Sam wakes up and...
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Again to the car. Because Sammy put his finger in that wound... And Dean is still trying to fix it...
And Because you're not him, I'll try to kill you
Ok, now... The News...
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And Dean shutting down the TV because, he knows Cas is young and sexy, he knows more than anyone, because he feels sexually attracted to him, but that, isn't Cas, so... Stop saying things I know about my Cas, I know he's hot, but this one, isn't my Cas.
He shuts the TV, angry and hurted, and he goes to fix his Baby/Heart again.
But while he's fixing Baby, he's hearing the new on the radio, to follow Castiel's steps... Godstiel is targeting motivational speakers.
SAM: Motivational speakers?
DEAN: Yeah, I'm not sure new Cas gets irony any better than old Cas. Of course, old Cas wouldn't smite Madison Square Garden just to prove a point. He is off the deep end of the deep end. And there's no slowing down.
Dean was able now to separate OLD CAS (his Cas) and NEW CAS (the monster they have to kill). His brain is doing this to help him to take the hard decision.
But Sam is the one here that can't lose his faith on Cas, he tries twice to convince his brother to speak again with Godstiel, and Dean explodes, because he was trying so hard to take this decision, and he doesn't need hopes or faith in Cas again.
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SAM: Okay.
DEAN: Hand me that socket wrench.
The car again. His heart.
Dean is spilling the very hurtful thoughts he was ruminating the whole time while fixing his car/heart, yeah, that's the thing that huts him so much, Cas isn't coming back. This is not Cas. He betrayed us.
And then, when he vomited all that, he came back to fix his heart, trying hard to do it. The symbolism is exquisite and sad at the same time.
Then, Dean devised a plan to kill Godstiel by slaving Death. They asked Crowley's help, and they summoned Death.
And Godstiel enters in action again. And when se sees what Dean was doing... He said this...
CASTIEL: I didn't want to kill you, but now...
DEAN: You can't kill us.
CASTIEL: You've erased any nostalgia I had for you, Dean.
So... Godstiel had some nostalgia about Dean, because when he was CAS, they shared something profound. Is like someone remembering his ex.
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But he gets more mad at Dean when the hunter orders Death to kill him, look at Godstiel's face. And look at Dean face. He's able to do that bc he had in his head a voice repeating him He's Not My Cas.
He can't believe Dean wants to kill him.
He vanished, and Dean's hopes to defeat him too. Even with Death giving them another plan... Dean is devastated.
Sam still believes in Cas
Then Dean is drinking, because he lost any hopes, but Sam, He's trying hard. He still believes in Cas, he has hopes, so he prays to him...
SAM: Hey, Castiel. Um... Maybe this is pointless. Look... I don't know if any part of you even cares, but, um, I still think you're one of us, deep down. I mean, way, way, way off the reservation, but... Look, we still have till dawn to stop this. Let us help. Please.
Sam believed Cas is still there, his part of the Team Free Will. And he had right there.
Castiel came back to his senses when he gets possesed by the Leviathans he carried inside of him. He lost control and kills innocent people. That's what makes Cas coming back. His vessel is very damaged, but he listened Sammy's prayers... And he went to him.
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Dean is there too, look at his worried face, looking at Cas in that shape, and the camera focused on him immediately after showing us Cas. Is because his reaction is more important than Sammy's. But Cas was answering Sammy's prayers, so he named just Sam. Because Sam still believes in him. And Castiel asks for help.
There was not time
When they were about to re open the doorway to Purgatory, Castiel is ashamed and he wants to ask for forgiveness, but there's not time.
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CASTIEL: If there was time, if I was strong enough, I'd -- I'd fix him now. I just wanted to make amends before I die.
DEAN: Okay.
CASTIEL: Is it working?
DEAN: Does it make you feel better?
CASTIEL: No. You?
DEAN: Not a bit.
A huge thing like this doesn't fix in seconds, or minutes. It requires time to talk. But they didn't have that. Cas was trying to use the few seconds he knew he had to give a good end to that. He knew he was about to die. So he tried hard, but human's feelings are not that easy to fix. Even Cas was experimenting those human's feelings too.
When they opened the gate, and Cas was about to expell the would into the Purgatory, he gave what they thought was one last look at Dean... And he said it...
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With such sorrowful face, Dean echoing the sadness in his face too. A painful ending? Not... There will be more ...
Castiel's Death
Cas fell to the ground, and Dean is terrified.
DEAN: Cas?
BOBBY: He's cold.
DEAN: Is he breathing?
BOBBY: No.
Okay, this is Dean denying Castiel is dead. Bobby said HE'S COLD, and Dean was like is he breathing? And when Bobby said he didn't, Dean went with that excuse... And Bobby had to be more specific. Cas is gone.
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And Dean breaks in anger again... But not for so long... Because CAS wakes up.
DEAN: Damn it. Cas, you child. Why didn't you listen to me? Cas?! Hey! Hey! Okay. All right.
The reproaches again
CASTIEL: That was unpleasant.
And again, for a few seconds before the Leviathans take control over Castiel's vessel, he tries to enmend things with Dean. Is the only thing he had in his head an heart.
CASTIEL: I'm ashamed. I really overreached.
DEAN: You think?
CASTIEL: I'm gonna find some way to redeem myself to you.
(And he will by the end of this season 😏)
DEAN: All right, well, one thing at a time. Come on. Let's get you out of here. Come on.
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Dean is not saying he won't forgive him. He just need him to be safe. He died and now he's back. He knows they can fix things... But is sad... Because the Leviathans made his entrance right in that moment.
In episode 7x02 Hello Cruel world, Castiel dies.
We had Cas dying in that river... And the scene with Dean taking his trenchcoat. He lost Cas again. This time for real.
He breaks...
And Bobby tries to comfort him, as he will do through the whole season...
DEAN: Okay. So he’s gone.
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The sadness in Dean's face is huge.
BOBBY: Well, he was friends with us, wasn’t he? Can’t get much dumber than that.
After this, Sam and Bobby are worried about Dean, and Bobby tries to talk with him, but Dean avoids the topic faking he's ok, as always.
DEAN: (...) I’m not Sam, okay? I keep my marbles in a lead friggin' box. I’m fine. Really.
BOBBY Of course. Yeah. You just lost one of the best friends you ever had, your brother’s in the bell jar, and Purgatory’s most wanted are surfing the sewer lines, but yeah, yeah, I get it. You’re – you're fine.
Then Sam and Bobby sent Dean to a hunt alone, because they knew he needed some distraction. They knew Dean was grieving, in his weird way to grieve.
We will see Dean drinking a lot of alcohol in the nexts episodes as a scape from his thoughts. This Will be very recurrent in this season.
Mirroring Destiel
I'm gonna talk in this last section about two Destiel mirrors in the following episodes to Castiel death.
One was settled in episode 7x03 The Girl Next Door.
If you recall this episode was Sammy's first love when he was a teenager and he was hunting.
But first of all I want to mention some interesting scene, Dean had a fracture after fighting with one of the strongest Leviathans (Edgard) in Bobby's place. His house was burnt and they thought Bobby was dead (foreshadow of it ofc), but when they were in Rufus's cabin, Dean was watching a Latin novel, and Bobby enters and this was the peculiar dialogue...
DEAN Dude... Ricardo.
BOBBY What happened?
DEAN Suicidio.
BOBBY Adiós, ese.
DEAN looks very moved at what has happened on the screen.
Ok, why would I put this here? There was a woman embracing his dead lover in her arms, crying bc he had committed suicide. And Dean was moved about that.
Lovers separation by death of one of them... Suicide specifically, like Leviathan!Cas killing himself in the river... Do you got the picture here?
And btw Sam goes to the groceries shop, Dean asked pie but. .
DEAN Where's the pie?
SAM I got cake. It's close enough, right?
Okay... Dean ate the cake... If we know the cake represents Dean's queerness and hanger for CAS... 😏
Okay, back to Sam again...
He was hunting a Kitsune, but he fell in love with the Kitsune's daughter.
When her mother discover that she tried to kill little Sammy, but the girl stabbed her in the heart. (Hello Destiel recalling).
She rebelled against her mother and her lore for Sam. (Sounds familiar?)
When Dean discovers Sam didn't finish his job again he decides to kill her.
Because he knows how hard is try to kill the person you're in love with, even when that person becomes a monster... He knows.
So he did it instead Sammy. And he lies to him. That will be one of the topics for the whole Wincest subtext (very blantant this season).
Ok... Jumping now to episode 7x05 Shut up Dr. Phil ...
Remember this one, two witches in love, they were a couple for centuries... They were fighting because Maggie Stark (the witch) thought Don Stark (his husband) was cheating on her (misscomunication) and Sam and Dean get in the middle and they decided to interview. And read what Dean said... People... He's talking about his experience with Castiel here...
DEAN:Look – obviously, you two are capable of wiping each other out, right? But you haven't, huh? Which means that you two – you still value whatever it is you got. A-and you want keep that dance going. Maybe it's – maybe it's punishment. Maybe it's – it's sick, messed-up, erotic, kinky, clamps and feathers kind of love.
What-the-hell!!???? I said to myself... Do I need to add something here? He said fighting is sick, messed up erotic/kinky/feathers and love in the same sentence!
Ok Dean... Tell us more... 🤣🤣🤣
This line was juicy...
To Conclude:
Castiel's death was a huge traumatic experience that leads him to depression and alcoholism, but he pushed that down and avoided it as always.
There was two Destiel mirrors in the two following episodes after Castiel's death reflecting their story and Dean's inner truly and repressed feelings for him.
I hope you enjoy this first meta from season 7! C-u in the next Chronicles!
Tagging @weirddorkylittlediana @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @angelneedshunter @trickster-archangel @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @mishka-the-angel-of-saturday @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @foxyroxe-art @authorsararayne @anonymoustitans @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @wildligia @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-is--endgame @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper
@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73
If you want to be tagged in this metas just let me know!
Buenos Aires August 21st 2019 8:48 PM
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miss-musings · 5 years ago
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Four episodes into this season and The Blacklist is already in a slump
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed getting these Aram-centric and Cooper-centric episodes back-to-back, but I sadly feel like it’s too little, too late. The show has punted these characters to the side for so long to focus on the Red/Liz drama, that now that we’re actually getting some character development out of them it’s like ????
I guess the Aram thing kind of made sense, since the big thing for him last season was losing Samar. So, as annoying as it was, I guess it made sense to see him starting to get over her and get a little adventure of his own, since Liz and Ressler have to do so much of the heavylifting when it comes to undercover work, etc.
But, the Cooper thing is just so hard to handle. I really liked his little bits of development in early Season 6, when Red was in prison, and Cooper was having to decide whether it was worth trying to save his life. That’s the kind of introspection that really worked to give him a personality and a character, given that he’s been shunted into the background so much since ... ever. Harry Lennix is so vastly underused on this show, and I really appreciate that he got a chance to shine in tonight’s “Kuwait,” but I feel like it’s a hack way to give him some character development. It was so out of the blue and so forced. Ugh.
Here’s maybe a good way to describe it:
Earlier today, I went to the grocery store to get a few things. Since it’s been getting colder, I’ve been making hot chocolate a lot lately, but I never buy milk, because I don’t really drink it. So, I use water, which isn’t as good for cocoa-making. When I went shopping I decided to get a half-gallon of milk, which -- as I said -- is unusual for me. It’s like “Oh, I have milk in the house now..... okay.” I have it so rarely, that when I do, it’s really an adjustment.
That’s what Cooper’s character development was tonight. We get it so rarely, that it’s kind of like “Okay.... what do I do with this???”
Again, I wish Lennix got more to work with than just bland nonsense most weeks, but this is not the best way to give Cooper character development.
Also, I gotta say that I saw the whole “Hutton is the Simoon” thing a mile away. The minute Hutton said “the Simoon” and Cooper said “He’s been an intel leak in the Middle East for years,” I swear I did a ‘look into the camera like I’m Jim on the Office’ maneuver, because that was super obvious.
The whole ‘Katarina as Liz’s neighbor’ thing continues to bug the eff out of me. It’d be great if we had a sense that the show will eventually go the ‘Liz knew it was KR all along route,’ but I think we all know that isn’t going to be the case. No hate toward Laila Robbins, who seems to be a great actress, but I do hate KR so much in the present-day appearances we’ve had from her so far. I enjoy the KR in the flashbacks infinitely more, but Robbins’ KR -- IDK what it is, but I can’t stand the character. I think it’s partly because she’s so disingenuous and is never sincere. The few times I’ve thought “Okay, maybe she’s not so bad” is whenever she’s talking to Liz about wanting to reach out to her daughter. THAT’s the only part that seems sincere, but even that appears to come and go. I felt like when KR first met Liz and Agnes in the hallway in 7x02 that she really didn’t care about them, and almost looked at them with contempt. But, who knows. I’m sure it’s all mega-complicated, and we’ll get some bullshit explanation as to why in the mid/season finale and/or premiere.
One last little bit of food-for-thought is that I’ve been rewatching Once Upon a Time recently, which is a show that I watched the pilot when it first aired in 2011, and basically watched Seasons 1-5 as they were airing. I fell off after the Season 5 finale, and never really watched Seasons 6 or 7. And, as I’ve been rewatching Season 1 and now Season 2 on Netflix, I’ve been going back and re-reading Lily Sparks’ reviews on TV.com, which I read as the episodes were first airing in 2011 onward.
And, I have to say that my viewing experience at the time the episodes first aired -- which Lily captures in her reviews -- is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO different than rewatching the series now. It’s partly because I already know where the show is going -- even if I don’t remember all the little plot points and small details from episode-to-episode. But it’s also because NOW I’m able to watch them 2 or 3 or 4 episodes at a time, in a single day, and watch another few episodes the next day or a few days later. I’m not having to wait for a new one every single week.
And, as I’ve learned from re-reading Lily’s reviews, that makes a HUGE difference. Lily often complains about how the show moves at a snail’s pace, and we have to wait forever to get little crumbs of backstory or revelation or how annoying it is that the characters continue to point to a bigger story arc that hasn’t been revealed to us, the audience, yet. (ie, plot coupons). And she often half-jokingly, half-serious says that nothing happens on the show outside of mid/season premieres and finales. (Sound familiar?)
I honestly wonder whether I would feel this way if five years from now, I started rewatching The Blacklist from the very beginning in 2-4 episode increments. Would I also feel that the show was dragging its knuckles and treading water in between finales and premieres? Or would watching more episodes in a single sitting and with shorter intervals in between help me overlook so many of the flaws I believe it has?
TBL, I think, is a show that seems to lend itself better to multiple episodes in a sitting. Whenever we had those back-to-back episodes in the latter half of S6 this winter, I thought that was a much more enjoyable watching experience than something like tonight’s eyeroll fest. If it was a show that was like Stranger Things, where Netflix dropped all the episodes at once, so people could watch it at their own pace, I think it would help us to see more of the good and less of the bad. But, because we have to wait an entire week in between episodes, sometimes we’re more prone to be disappointed than satisfied when that Friday’s episode is over and we have to wait ANOTHER week for the next one. In a manner of speaking, it feels like we’re living off breadcrumbs that we get a week at a time.
I have a friend who binge-watches the Blacklist whenever a new season is uploaded to Netflix, and while he is also frustrated with the show, he seems to less frustrated than I am with it. I feel like I’m constantly complaining about it between September/October and May, and he gets a three-week span in August or whatever where he’s like “Yeah, this show is really weird.”
In any case, it’s just food for thought. As much as I’d like to, I don’t think I can wait until August or whenever for S7 to be uploaded to Netflix. I’d tear my hair out wondering what’s been going on with the show, and plus, being on Tumblr is just asking for spoilers, even with blacklisting tags.
And, for the record, I really hope S7 is the last. I don’t want this show to get an eighth season (or if it does, maybe it could be an abbreviated 13-episode one). It’s already overstayed its welcome, I feel like it’s a vampire or some other monster -- draining the life-force out of me until I’m old and tired and don’t have the energy to invest in a stupid hour-long drama on network television anymore.
I mean, it really says a lot that -- earlier today -- I was more excited about next week’s Good Place episode than I was about tonight’s Blacklist one. My interest in this show is taking a sharp nose-dive, and “Kuwait” honestly didn’t help much with that. And, the promos for next week look equally snooze-worthy.
I guess I really just need to find something better to do with my Friday nights and then just watch the episodes on the NBC app later, since this show seems determined to slump only four episodes into the season.
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theatresteph · 5 years ago
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7x01 Thoughts
Okay, so I’m shamelessly copying from the twitter thread I made after I first watched the episode. This was before I saw the sneak peaks, and I still haven’t seen 7x02. If I sound angry, whiny, irrational, tired and bitter, it’s cause I kinda was. If you want a proper review, check out @travllingbunny’s review below. She made GREAT points!
So yeah. If you love logical and tries-to-be-unbiased-Steph, she’s not here. She’s too busy to care whether she sounds smart right now. Her smart vocabulary is being used for essays right now. Otherwise, here’s what I thought.
Okay, so basically, I’m very annoyed about the lack of Bellamy. I don’t care whether there’s a larger point to it. Bellamy’s the leading man and Bob’s one of the best actors on the show. Not using him is a disrespect and I have every right to feel that way.
Aside from my Bellamy feelings, I was rolling my eyes a lot at the political and religious mess that is Sanctum. It’s a whole bunch of crazy and violent people with military-grade guns in the mix. So... basically the U.S. 😂 seriously though, I can’t STAND fanatics and I’d like to stop seeing them in my favourite dramas 🙄.
Ngl, I was throwing shade at a lot of characters, but Echo actually received none of it! I was surprised too, but I loved what I saw of her and Gabriel working together, and once I stopped being annoyed at Hope for attacking him, I liked that she teamed up with them too.
Also, ROAN WAS BACK!!!!! WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME!!!?? I LOVE ROAN SO MUCH!!!!!! And seeing OG Echo was cool! Them saying that she was useless without Bellamy or something like that was so compelling and I’m actually excited to see her story this year! But I’d still rather see Bellamy!!! Seriously, WHERE WAS HE!!!???
Ugh, but moving on, yeah, I was annoyed at characters I love a bit today. I hated watching Clarke continue to pretend like everything’s fine when it’s not and she should actually grieve. I’m definitely going to see that soon though, after that fire! But this is Clarke’s way and I’m used to it.
I did feel good watching Murphy feel bad about Abby. I don’t care about his reasons or whether he thought he was doing the right thing or anything. I don’t blame him for Abby’s death, but I don’t really know how to not be mad at him for Clarke’s near-death. I know I’m holding a grudge, but I guess that’s where I draw the line at forgiveness for him. Making a deal with the people who murdered your friend who repeatedly sacrificed herself for you is one thing. Assisting in her murder when you know she’s actually alive is something else entirely. I don’t care that he helped in the end when he had a knife to his throat. I judge Emori less because she told Bellamy.
In general, I still judge both Murphy and Emori for choosing to become bodysnatchers altogether even though they’re not Primes and I care about them. It really doesn’t matter to me how you sell it; murdering someone else so you can live in their body is wrong, and not wrong as in “morally grey”, as in indisputably selfish. I won’t be convinced otherwise about that. Of course, I still love and care about them as characters because I know them so well, I just can’t get past this. Whatever.
I loved Miller, Gaia, Indra, Madi, Jackson and Gabriel completely this episode 😊. Madi’s story of her birth-Mum had me crying so much! She was only 6! 😭 I want to hug her and Clarke so much! I want BELLAMY to hug them so much!! WHERE IS BELLAMY!!!!???
I called it about Murphy’s “have we learned nothing!?” line being him playing his Prime role! And wbk about Sheidheda possessing Russell. So Russell’s FINALLY dead-dead. I’m excited about where this will go!
As usual, I’m worried about Jordan 😬. I can’t tell if the woman holding a knife to his throat was Nikki Bang-Bang or some other random criminal, but I hate her either way.
Also, Hope saw Octavia! Clearly Octavia was around when she was growing up. We already guessed that based on the trailer and other stuff, but it’s still nice seeing it confirmed.
I don’t want Clarke to lose herself in her grief and Sheidheda’s manipulation and all the chaos, but I do want her to work through her feelings! No one deserves therapy more than her!!!!
Also, the Anomaly stuff was weird, but what else is new? All I care about is saving Bellamy and finding out whatever the f*ck happened with Octavia and getting Bellarke to confess/kiss/sex scene. It’s what we deserve and why I started the show.
I ended it there with a Miranda Priestly gif 😂. So that’s what I thought. I’ll watch 7x02 soon, and will probably give my thoughts in a similar format. I’m very scatterbrained right now cause of assignments and exams. I’ll be finished in about a month, so I’ll be more invested then. I know Bellarke’s not happening until at least after 7x04, so I’m okay with missing out on things here and there until 7x05. Anyway, hope you enjoyed that 😘.
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killian-whump · 6 years ago
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I just saw your thoughts on Killian/Colin crying. I honestly haven't seen enough of Colin's non-Once work to comment on his acting either way, but I do think its in character for Killian not to be a crier. I seriously doubt his masters would have put up with a sniveling child and would have beaten the inclination out of him, in the navy it would have gotten him laughed out of his commission and as a pirate captain that show of weakness would have been an invitation for a dagger in the back. ...
... It would take something extreme to break a lifetime habit and break into tears (and since his life is all extremes something hugely bigly extreme). I think his first response to most situations is to think 'this is my fault, I deserve it', but in the elevator scene he'd accepted he deserved to go home and had nothing to do with the ambrosia being gone so this wasn't on him and the whole thing felt very final, hence the manly tear. *Shrugs* just my thoughts, you might see it differently?
No, these are all totally valid thoughts! And I actually agree with you entirely.
However, there are “extreme” scenes in the show where we’re shown what is clearly intended to be Killian crying - but with no visible tears.
First, there’s Liam’s death in 3x05:
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You can tell from Colin’s facial expression that Killian is meant to be crying right here - and, obviously, holding his dead brother would count as an extreme situation that, even given his background and personality, would (and clearly does) move him to tears.
...and the distant shot allows the viewer to see Killian crying without it being noticed that Colin isn’t actually shedding tears.
Then we have that time he should be crying in 5x14:
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Personally, I count the moment above as a “crying Killian” moment. It feels like that’s exactly what he’s doing when Emma pulls him to her and he collapses against her shoulder. After all that he’s been through, and after thinking he’d said goodbye to Emma forever... I honestly can’t imagine him NOT falling apart a little in this moment and pretty much just bawling on her shoulder for a bit. And, to be honest, I’d want that for him. If anyone deserves a good cathartic cry, it’s this guy right here T_T Let it out, baby.
...but notice the camera focuses on Emma’s face and not Killian’s. By showing him from the back, we can infer that he’s “letting it out” without Colin needing to actually shed tears for the camera.
The next time we see Killian (not) crying is in 5x15:
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Again, it’s an extreme situation, but one that would believably move Killian to tears. Now, don’t get me wrong, this scene absolutely works even without literal tears being shed, but when you’re looking for such things (as a whumper or just to determine Colin’s ability to cry on demand) you DO notice that no tears are actually being shed. Now, it could be that Killian’s only meant to be on the verge of tears in this scene, but Colin’s facial expressions say “crying” to me more so than “fighting back tears” - and because I DO believe that crying on command is something he has difficulty with, I tend to go more so by his expressions than the presence (or lack) of actual tears.
Then we have some actual tears here in 5x20:
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...and BOY does the camera make love to each and every tear that man sheds. I would honestly guess that every single tear Colin shed during filming made it into the end scene - and each one was filmed for the entirety of its journey from eye to beard.
Now, some people might think that by having Killian cry elsewhere, it lessens the weight of the moment above, when we actually SEE tears. I’m fine with that interpretation, though I don’t share it. I think he clearly IS crying in 3x05, and I think the extreme duress of 5x14 and 5x15 driving him to tears wouldn’t lessen the power of these tears, brought on by pure emotion alone, in 5x20. It doesn’t NEED to be the only time Killian’s cried to be important or poignant. The fact that he’s baring his soul, quietly and trustingly, is what makes it so.
Now, this isn’t OG Hook, but Wish Hook cries in 7x02:
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On very close inspection, there's actually two tears shed by Colin during this scene, where he’s dying and gets saved by Emma
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...and I think some tears are implied here, as well, in 7x13.
But Wish Hook feels like more of a crier than OG Killian, tbh XD
As for Colin’s other work, well... Here’s him crying in The Rite:
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Not a tear to be seen, but it’s cleverly covered by the camera angle and his hands covering his eyes, and his audible sobs, actions and facial expressions are all totally convincing even without actual tears.
There’s also a few scenes in The Clinic where he’s obviously meant to be crying, but... kinda isn’t? When he sets himself on fire, he’s screaming and sobbing the whole time, and there’s some moisture ON his face, but... it’s not all that believable that he’s actually crying. There’s also the scene with Daisy in the airport that feels teary, though none are shed. And the scene when Daisy leaves him in his last episode on that series, where it definitely looks like he’s starting to cry - but without a tear in sight.
So all we have with actual bonafide tears are the two scenes in Once, maybe about five or six tears total - and a bunch of cleverly filmed/acted scenes where tears are implied without ever actually being seen.
Hence my belief that our guy’s maybe got a weakness after all ;)
And part of it is circular logic, because if there’s scenes where he would be but isn’t, it means he maybe can’t... and if he can’t, that means there might be more scenes where he would’ve if he could’ve... which adds more weight to the “can’t cry on command” theory... which means... well, you get the idea.
But given the two scenes of tears we DO have are from the last few seasons of Once and come after ALL of the “(not) crying” scenes used as examples here... it’s very possible he’s getting better at it and it’s no longer a problem :)
So here’s hoping for more precious O’Donotears in the future ;)
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captainswanluver · 7 years ago
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CS FF: This is Us
Summary:  Emma and Killian experience important moments in her pregnancy together.  (Includes some missing scenes from 7x02.)
 Rating: G
 Note: Well, I am mourning CS and I wasn’t all that happy with their last episode.  I was especially disappointed that we never got to see any important moments in her pregnancy and didn’t get to see them with their baby.  I was hoping we’d at least get a few little snippets.  So that’s what fanfics are for and that’s why I wrote this one.  I hope you enjoy it!  ~Steph
...This is Us: Part 1/1…
Emma smiled as she finished lighting the last candle on the dining room table.  She glanced at her watch.  Killian would be home any minute now.  She wanted everything to be perfect when she told him he was going to be a father.
They had been trying to conceive for a long time.  Emma was starting to worry that they wouldn’t be able to conceive naturally and would have to explore alternatives.  There had been a couple of false alarms.  Emma was late, but when she took the pregnancy tests they were negative.  Her doctor attributed her late periods to stress.  
There was a part of Emma that feared she might never be able to have a child with Killian. She worried that maybe she was being punished for giving Henry up all of those years ago.  But Killian, always understanding, had soothed her fears, assuring her that when the time was right, they would conceive a child of their own.  She wanted nothing more than to raise a child with her husband, her true love, right from the start of its life.  
About a week ago, she realized that her period was a couple of days late again.  She wanted to tell Killian, but he had been so disappointed after the last two false alarms.  This time, she wanted to be sure before she got his hopes up.   So she took a pregnancy test and it came back positive.  Two more confirmed it.  Still, Emma wanted to be absolutely sure, so she had confirmed it with her doctor this afternoon.  The joy she felt at knowing she was carrying Killian’s child was indescribable.  She wanted to run and tell him, but she resisted.  They had waited this long and she wanted it to be special when he found out he was going to be a father.  
Emma heard the front door open and then slam closed.
“Emma, I’m home,” Killian called.
Emma smiled at the sound of her husband’s voice. Even after years of marriage, his voice still made her heart race.
“In the dining room,” she replied.
Killian appeared a moment later, a smile on his lips at the romantic dinner before him and his wife in the dress she’d worn on their first date.
“What’s all this?” he asked, placing a kiss on her cheek.  “Did I forget a holiday of this realm?”
Emma shook her head and took his hand.  She led him to his seat.  
“I wanted tonight to be special,” she said, as he sat down.  
Killian cocked an eyebrow and looked up at his wife. “And why is that?”
Emma moved to the hutch on the wall behind him and picked up a bottle of rum. She came to stand in front of him and placed the bottle on his plate.
“This should answer all of your questions.”
Killian looked down at the bottle of rum.  A label had been printed and affixed to it that read:  
DRINK THIS FOR ME.  
I’LL JOIN YOU IN ABOUT 9 MONTHS.  
BABY SWAN-JONES ARRIVES IN FEBRUARY.  
Killian stared at the bottle, his mouth dropping open in shock.  Emma scanned his face, trying to gauge his reaction.  
His gaze finally lifted to hers. “Are you…You’re...We’re having a baby?”
Emma felt tears fill her eyes as she nodded her head.  “Yes, Killian, you’re going to be a father.”
“And you’re sure?” he asked.
Emma nodded.  “Three pregnancy tests and my doctor confirmed it.”
A huge smile swept across his lips as realization finally dawned on him. “I’m going to be a father.  We’re going to have a baby!”
Emma laughed, as he grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto his lap.   She looped her arms around his neck, as Killian’s lips met hers.  They pulled back a moment later, their foreheads still touching.
“I can hardly believe this is finally happening,” he breathed.
“It was the right time, just like you said,” she replied with a smile.
Killian placed his hand on his wife’s belly.  Emma covered his hand with hers.  “Turns out, you were right.  I do have a little pirate in me.”
Killian laughed and then kissed his wife again.  “Or princess,” he whispered.
...
Killian always woke up before his wife.  Life spent on the sea makes you an early riser.  And in those moments before she woke, he would admire her.  Admire the curve of her mouth and the softness of her skin.  He’d marvel at the fact that she was his.  That she had chosen him.  And, now, as she neared the end of the first trimester of her pregnancy, he would stare awestruck at the tiny bump that had risen up from her flat stomach.   
She always moved a lot when she slept, so it wasn’t unusual to find her camisole hiked halfway up her torso, resting just below her breasts.  He’d smile at the little bump, amazed that their love had created life, that in mere months they would be meeting their child.  Eventually, his hand would slide over his wife’s bare skin and come to rest on their unborn child.  This morning was no different.  
He whispered.  “I can hardly wait to meet you, little one.  Your mother and I already love you so much.”
And then he scooted closer to her and propped his chin up on her hip.  
“If I’m being completely forthright, your mother and I are a bit nervous at your impending arrival.  We’ve never cared for an infant before.  But I don’t want you to worry.  If there’s one thing I know, it’s that we make quite the team, always have, and we can do anything together.”
Suddenly, he felt his wife’s fingers thread through his hair.  
“That’s right, we do,” Emma said softly.  
Killian moved his eyes up to meet hers. “Good morning, love.”
“Morning.  Giving our baby its morning pep talk?”
“That’s right,” he said, pressing a kiss to her belly.
Emma laughed as her husband’s scruff tickled her skin.  He moved upwards, trailing kisses all the way up her torso until he met her lips.  He cut off her laugh with his mouth and then pulled back, dropping onto the pillow beside her.
They stared at each other for a long moment until Emma broke the silence.  
“We can do this, Killian.  When I found out I was pregnant while I was a teenager in prison, I was so scared.  I knew that I couldn’t raise a child.  I was all alone and so broken.  But things are different now.  I have you.  We have each other.  And, yes, I am still scared, but in an entirely different way.  Because this time I know I can raise our child and I have the comfort of knowing I will face any challenges with my husband.”
Killian smiled, as she reached out and caressed his cheek.  “Aye, love.  I’m frightened as well.  There was a long time when I believed I had no business being a father.  And for a long time, it was true.  I wasn’t a man who deserved to raise another human being.  But you changed all of that.  You helped me find the good in me again. You made me believe I could be better and now I have everything I could have ever wanted.  I know this won’t be easy.  We will face many challenges, just like we always do, but we will face them together.”
Emma smiled.  “I love you so much.  There isn’t anyone else I’d rather go on this journey with.”
“I love you too, Swan.”
Emma found his hand and linked their fingers together.  She placed their joined hands over her belly.
“My doctor said we can find out if it’s a boy or girl at my next appointment.  And soon our baby will be kicking.”
“I’ve been on the other end of your kicks, Emma.  If our child has your leg strength, then I certainly don’t envy you,” he said with a chuckle.  
Emma laughed, as their hands remained joined on her belly.  Her laugh slowly subsided and her expression grew serious. Killian knew that look.
“Everything’s perfect except for one thing, right?” he asked.  
Emma nodded.  “I miss Henry.  I want him to know he’s going to be a big brother.  I want to share this time with him.  But, more than anything, I need to know he’s okay.”
“Your son is strong and smart, love.  I am sure he is fine.”
As if on cue, the bottle that they always kept on their nightstand came to life.  Their eyes widened as a familiar voice came from the bottle.
“Help, I’ve been captured by Lady Tremaine.  Send Emma, Regina, and Captain Hook.”
Emma scooted up in bed, alarm written across her face, as she took the bottle in her hands.
“Henry!”  
“He can’t hear you, Swan.  It doesn’t work like that.”
Suddenly, a portal appeared at the foot of their bed.
“Henry needs our help.  We need to get to him,” Emma said, fear swimming in her eyes.
Killian placed his hand back on her belly as she began to move out of bed.  
“Emma, you need to rest.  You can’t go traipsing off to some unknown realm.  It could be dangerous for you and the baby,” he said.
“Killian, I am not an invalid.  My son needs me.  I am not going to sit here and let him fend for himself.”
“Regina and I will go.”
“Killian-...”
“If Henry knew that you were expecting his brother or sister, he would never want you to put yourself in harm’s way.  He wouldn’t have called for you.”
Emma felt tears fill her eyes.  “But he did.  I wasn’t there for him when he needed me for the first ten years of his life, Killian.  After he found me, I swore I would never allow that to happen again.  I would be there for him no matter what.”
Killian brought his hand to his wife’s cheek and wiped away a tear with his thumb.  “How about a compromise?  Give us an hour.  If we’re not back by then, you can come.  Just say my name into the bottle and the portal will reappear.”
Emma slowly let out a resigned sigh.  Her husband had been so overprotective since learning she was pregnant and was constantly worrying about them.  They had waited so long for this baby and they would both be devastated if anything happened to it.
“Fine.  One hour,” she reluctantly agreed.  
Killian smiled in relief and pressed a kiss to her lips.  “Thank you.”
Emma stroked his cheek and whispered, “Be careful.”
“Always,” he replied softly, as he got out of bed.  
...
Hours later, Emma and Killian appeared back in their bedroom.  Emma turned to her husband, but didn’t have to say a word.
“I know, love,” he said, gathering her in his arms.  
Emma squeezed her eyes closed, as she nuzzled her face into the crook of her husband’s neck.  After a few minutes of allowing his warmth to comfort her, she pulled back and met his eyes.
“I’m scared for him, Killian,” she said. “There’s so much danger in those realms and he’s not from there.  He’s already made an enemy out of Lady Tremaine.  And he doesn’t possess any magic.”
“But Regina does.  She will watch out for him.”
“And so will you.  Well, that version of you at least.”
“Aye.  There’s no version of me that would ever allow anything to happen to your boy.”
Emma stepped forward and snaked her arms around her husband’s neck.  “It does make me feel better knowing that some part of you is watching out for him.”
Killian smiled.  “And you, love, get to have the original.”
Emma smiled and kissed him.  “Nothing compares to the original.”
Her smile faded and she brought her hand to her stomach.  “I just wish we could be the complete family I’ve always wanted. I know I should be happy with what I have.  I went from having no one to having parents, a brother, a husband, a son, and another child on the way.  Maybe I’m just being selfish and greedy wanting us all to be together.”
“That’s neither selfish nor greedy.  It’s completely normal to want the people you love altogether, especially after everything you’ve been through.  And, one day, I believe you will have that, Swan.  But, right now, Henry needs to find his own story.   He needs to find his own true love.  Imagine if someone or something had prevented us from meeting.  Imagine how different things would be.”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t want to imagine that.  I can’t imagine my life without you, Killian.”
“Nor I you.  And that’s my point.  If Henry’s true love is out there, be it Cinderella or someone else entirely, then he owes it to himself to find out.  And when he’s ready, he will come back to us.”
“I hope so,” she said softly.  
Killian pulled her back into his arms.  “I know it.”
Emma and Killian sat in the waiting room of her doctor’s office.  Killian was doing a Highlights magazine to pass the time.
“Bloody hell!” he groaned, as he tapped the page with his hook.  “I can’t find the fifth hidden bunny.”
Emma laughed. “You do know that’s for kids, right?”
“You know I enjoy a good hunt, love.”
“Spends centuries finding hidden treasure, but can’t locate a hidden bunny in a children’s magazine,” she said with a chuckle.
Killian frowned. “This is utterly impossible.  They must have made an error.  There are only four hidden bunnies.”
Just then, a three year old girl walked over to him.  She looked down at the magazine on his lap and pointed at the page.  
“Bunny!” she said with a smile.
Killian’s jaw tightened as the little girl easily found the missing bunny.  Emma had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.
“I was just about to circle that,” he muttered.
“Emma Swan-Jones,” the nurse called from the doorway.  
Emma pulled the magazine away from Killian and handed it to the little girl.  They stood and joined hands as the nurse led the way inside.  
Emma lay on the table and Killian stood by her side, still holding her hand.  Dr. Nora Johnston pulled her shirt up and placed the transducer on her stomach.   Soon, the monitor sprung to life and their baby appeared on the screen.  Emma and Killian’s faces lit up.  It would never get old seeing the little miracle they created.  Or hearing the sound of their child’s heartbeat fill the room.
Killian squeezed Emma’s hand and placed a kiss to her forehead.  “So beautiful,” he whispered.  
“Everything looks great,” the doctor said.  “So, Mommy and Daddy, would you like to know if you’re having a little pirate or princess?”
Emma and Killian exchanged a look.  They had discussed it and decided they wanted to know the sex of the baby.  Meeting their child for the first time would be an amazing enough gift.  They didn’t need to be surprised by its gender.  
“Yes,” Emma said with a nod.
“Aye,” Killian replied.
“Hoping for one in particular?”  the doctor asked.
Killian shook his head.  “All we want is a healthy baby,” he said.
The doctor nodded and then pointed to the screen.  Well, Mommy and Daddy, meet your little princess.”
Their mouths dropped open as their gazes met.  Emma felt tears fill her eyes, as Killian placed a kiss on her lips.
“A little girl,” he whispered, as he pulled back, but kept his forehead touching his wife’s.
“A daughter,” she said softly.  
All that mattered was that the baby was healthy, but Emma would be lying if she said she wasn’t excited about having a son and a daughter.  And the mere thought of Killian with their little girl made her heart melt.
Killian stroked her cheek. “I am sure she is going to be as beautiful and as strong as her mother.”
Emma smiled, as he brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it.  
The doctor grinned at them.  “Congratulations.”
One month later, Emma and Killian were curled up on the couch together, watching a movie.   Emma’s head lay on his shoulder and his arm was wrapped tightly around her.  Killian’s hand rested on her growing bump.  
Suddenly, his eyes widened and he nearly jumped up off the couch.  His hand pulled away and he stared at his wife.  
“Bloody hell!”
Emma’s lips turned into a huge smile.  Up until then, she had only felt the baby flutter.  “That was the baby’s first kick.  And you felt it.”
Killian’s shock gave way to awe.  Emma pulled his hand back to her belly and laughed as the baby kicked again.
“Amazing,” he said softly.  
“Yeah, it is.  Can you believe we created this little thing?”
He bobbed his head with a grin.  “Well, I can certainly believe she has your genes.  I knew she would have quite a kick.”
Emma smiled and reached up to stroke her husband’s jaw.  “Don’t worry.  I’m sure she’ll inherit a great right hook from you.”
Killian smiled and placed a kiss to his wife’s lips.
“Emma?” Killian called, as he knocked on the bathroom door.  “Are you alright, love?  You’ve been in there for quite some time.  We’re going to be late for Granny’s birthday party.”
“I’m not going!” she yelled through the door.
Killian’s brow furrowed with worry.  “Why?  Are you feeling ill?  Open the door, Swan.”
Emma threw the door open a moment later and stood before her husband.  She gestured to her belly.
“I’m not going because nothing fits me.  I just started my third trimester and I’m a human blimp!”
Killian shook his head. “Emma, you’re exaggerating.  You have a perfectly normal size baby bump for a woman beginning her third trimester.  You look beautiful.”
She scoffed.  “I don’t feel beautiful.  I have to pee every five minutes, I have acne in weird places, my ankles are swollen to the size of watermelons, I’m starting to waddle, and your daughter is playing my uterus like it’s a set of bongos.”
Killian bit his lip to keep from laughing.  Emma swatted his arm.
“It’s not funny!”
“I know, love,” he said, taking her hand in his and leading her to the full length mirror.
He stood behind her and took their joined hands and placed it on her belly.  
“I wish you could see what I see every time I look at you,” he whispered in her ear.
“A beached whale?”
“My beautiful wife, who is protecting our daughter and providing a home for her while she grows everyday.  You, love, are making sure she grows big and strong by giving her the nourishment she requires.  This lovely belly of yours is proof of what an amazing mother you already are to our child.”
Emma’s face softened and she squeezed his hand in hers.  She lifted her other hand and cupped the back of his head, as she brought her lips to meet his.  
When they parted, she smiled up at him.  “You always know the right thing to say to make me feel better.  I don’t know how you do it.”
Killian shrugged.  “Well, if I’m being completely honest, when your father learned of your pregnancy he warned me this day would come, so I’ve been prepared with that speech for quite some time.”
Emma laughed and shook her head, as Killian kissed her neck.
At 36 weeks, Emma was placed on bedrest.  Her blood pressure was high and she was at risk for preeclampsia.  Her doctor didn’t want to take any risks.  
Of course, bedrest for someone as active as Emma was proving to be a challenge.  She had ceased working in the field when she began her third trimester, but she was still able to assist at the station.  Now, she was stuck in bed with nothing to do.  It had only been a week and she was going stir crazy.  Killian had insisted on waiting on her hand and foot.  He hadn’t left her side, but his overprotectiveness was beginning to drive her a bit nuts.
Emma moved to get out of bed.  Killian, who was sitting in a chair by the bed, whipped his head in her direction.
“Where the devil do you think you’re going?  You’re supposed to be on bedrest.”
“The bathroom.  Do you mind?”
He waved his hand.  “Proceed.”
Emma returned a few minutes later.  “You know, you don’t need to stay by my side every minute of everyday.  I’m not an invalid.”
Killian nodded.  “I’m well aware, love.  I also know you far too well.  And if I leave you to your own devices then you will surely do as you please.”
“I’m not going to do anything to endanger our daughter.”
“I know, but you don’t believe that you should be on bedrest.”
“Because I’m fine.”
“So, therefore, I must make sure you follow doctor’s orders.”
“Okay, fine, but I’m going crazy with boredom. I’m tired of reading and watching TV.  And I can only surf online for so many hours.”
Killian picked up the baby book of names.  “Perhaps we should use our time wisely and revisit potential baby names.”
Emma groaned.  “Really?  It didn’t go so well last time.  We couldn’t agree on any names.  And your choices were...questionable.”
“I think Smee is a perfectly suitable name for a lass.”
Emma laughed and shook her head.  “You’re crazy.”
“As is Roger and Jolly.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Roger is a boy’s name and Jolly is something you name a pet.”
“Tell that to Happy,” he muttered.
“He’s a dwarf.  He doesn’t count,” she replied.
Killian sighed and crawled into bed beside her.  He placed his hand on his wife’s belly.  “Well, I do have another suggestion, but since you already think me mad, perhaps I should keep it to myself.”
Emma lifted her hand and ran it through her husband’s thick locks.  “Tell me.”
Killian met Emma’s gaze.  “Leia.”
Emma felt a smile pull at her lips.  “Leia.  Hmm.”
“Would you like to know why?”
“Because Henry turned you onto Star Wars and you’re proud you can actually understand and use some pop culture references now?”
Killian shook his head.  “No, love.  Because Leia was the name you used during our trip back in time when we attended the ball together.  Things changed for us that night, Emma. We shared our first dance together and when I held you in my arms and looked into your eyes, I knew you saw me as more than a pirate.  For the first time, I believed I could have a future with you.  Before, it had just been wishful thinking with a healthy dose of hope.   But now I could actually see you loving me.”
Emma smiled as she stroked his cheek.  “I was falling hard and fast.  Probably already had fallen, but I couldn’t admit it to myself yet.  I did see you differently.  I could see that good man that had been hidden away for so long.  I could see a future with you and it scared me.”
Killian nodded.  “Aye, and we still had a long way to go, but it was a turning point for us.  It was the beginning of our future.  And everytime I look at our daughter and say her name, I want to remember how it all began.  I want to remember what made all of this possible.”
Emma felt Leia kick and Killian’s eyes widened as his hand jumped off his wife’s belly.  
She smiled as she met her husband’s gaze.  “I think she approves.  Leia it is.”
Killian grinned, as his lips met Emma’s.  
Three weeks later, Emma screamed from their bed.  “Killian!”
He came rushing in from the hallway.  “What is it, love?  Are you okay?”
“My water broke,” she said, as she felt a contraction course through her body.
Killian breathed a sigh of relief.  “Not to worry, Emma.  I’ll simply get you another glass of water.”
Emma gritted her teeth together and lifted the comforter.  “Not that water!”
Killian’s eyes widened at the wet spot that was below his wife.  “Bloody hell!”
“My contractions have started.”
He ran a hand through his hair.   “Okay, don’t panic, love.”
“I’m not panicking.  We need to get to the hospital though.”
“I’ll call 911 for an ambulance.”  He glanced around the bedroom frantically.  “Where is my talking phone?!”
“Killian,” Emma began calmly. “The hospital is only a few minutes away.  It will take longer to wait for an ambulance.”
“You shouldn’t drive in your condition.”
She spoke through gritted teeth.  “You need to drive!”
“Well, Swan, it’s true you taught me how to operate those metal contraptions and I do possess a license, but I’ve yet to use it.  I’m not sure right now is-...”
“Ahhh!” she screamed, her face growing red, as another contraction ripped through her.
“Okay, love, I’ll drive,” he said.
He helped his wife out of bed.  Killian grabbed Emma’s bag out of the closet and then helped her down the stairs.   He tucked her into the passenger seat of their new SUV.  For safety’s sake, Killian had insisted on getting it after they found out they were having a baby.  Of course, Emma still wouldn’t part with her VW bug.
Killian got into the driver’s seat and took a deep breath.  Emma winced, as her nails dug into the armrest.  
“The key goes in this hole,” he mumbled, as he stuck the key in the ignition.  “And then you turn it.”
Killian smiled as the SUV roared to life. He stared at the steering wheel for a moment and then pushed up a lever.
“Those are the windshield wipers,” Emma grimaced.
“Of course,” he said pushing the lever back down.  
Emma groaned and reached over, putting the car into drive.   
“Go!” she bellowed, as another contraction ripped through her body.  “The contractions are coming really close together!”
Killian kept his foot on the brake.  “Love, perhaps you could just poof us to the hospital.  It would be faster and, I’d wager, safer.”
Emma shook her head, as she took deep breaths. “I don’t think I can control my magic right now.  Who knows where we would end up.”
“Fair enough, but-...”
“If you don’t start driving, I am going to have this baby on our front lawn and you’re going to have to deliver it!”
Killian shrugged. “Well, I actually have birthed a baby before.  I helped a wench give birth right on the deck of my ship.  It was a challenge with my hook, but you know how resourceful I can be and I am quite handy-...”
“DRIVE!!!!” she screamed.
Killian pressed the gas and proceeded to drive haltingly, stopping every few feet and never going above 5 mph.  
“Killian Jones, if you don’t start driving for real, I am going to jam that hook of yours-...”
Killian nodded, cutting her off.  “Aye, Swan, say no more.  I’ll drive.”
He then proceeded to floor it to 15 mph.
The nurse helped Emma get into bed, as Killian stood by her side.   He held her hand and brushed her hair back, as another contraction tore through her.
“You’re doing brilliant, love.”
Emma’s doctor came in and smiled at them.  She performed an exam and then nodded.  “It won’t be long now.  You’re almost fully dilated already.”
Emma squeezed Killian’s hand so hard he thought she would break it, but he simply smiled and whispered comforting words in her ear.
Before long, it was time to push.  Emma screamed, as she surged forward and Killian supported her back.  She lay back, panting, her hair plastered to her forehead.  Killian brushed it aside and pressed a kiss to her forehead.  
“You’re so amazing, Emma,” he said.  “I am so proud of you.”
She pushed again, gritting her teeth together and squeezing Killian’s hook.  A few more pushes and then a scream pierced the air.  
A moment later, the doctor held up their baby girl, as Emma and Killian looked on in awe.  
“She’s here,” Emma whispered, as tears rolled down her face.  
“And she is stunning, just like her mother,” Killian said softly.
Killian cut the umbilical cord and then they placed the baby in Emma’s arms.  Emma smiled at their daughter, as Killian wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders and placed his finger in their little girl’s tiny hand.
“Welcome to the world, Leia Swan-Jones,” Emma said.  
“Your mother and I love you so much,” Killian added.  
Emma looked up at her husband, her true love, and she felt like her heart would burst. Killian pressed his lips to his wife’s.
“You were incredible, Emma.  I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said, as he swiped away a tear from her cheek with his thumb.  “We’re a family,” she whispered.
Killian smiled, as he placed a kiss to his wife’s temple.  “Aye, love, that we are.”
In that moment, Emma marveled at how the lost little girl and boy, who had been abandoned and broken, had somehow found each other and were now surrounded by family, their lives overflowing with love.  She knew in her heart that one day soon they would all be together again and their family would only grow with time.
...THE END...
Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoyed it.  I’d love to know what you thought. ~Steph
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twdmusicboxmystery · 7 years ago
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8x08: TTD and Analysis
Okay, let’s talk about a couple of things on TTD, and then I’m gonna discuss some general analysis and where I think they’re going with all of this. There’s just SO much to discuss, I can hardly keep up with my group. So much going on it’s making us all crazy. But the bottom line is that we have more hope than ever for Beth showing up this season.
But first, TTD:
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1. Gimple was really weird about answering how Carl’s bite will play out on the show. Again, it’s been pretty well confirmed that he’s leaving. So unless everyone is lying through their teeth, I’m not holding my breath for Carl’s survival. And I know I’ll get the question that we think they lied through their teeth about Beth. True, but they’re handling this very differently than they did with Beth. Everyone was just so tight-lipped around Beth’s death. No one would explain everything. Here, they’re being very open and talking about just about everything there is to talk about.
So why didn’t Gimple want to answer? Well, check out this interview as well. He just keeps saying that it will make sense when we see 8b, and that it’s very important—vital, in fact—to the next part of the story. That just screams Beth to me. Especially as in 4x16, Rick picked up the hat when it fell off Carl and actually put it on Beth’s head. For her to lead, I think she has to have Rick’s blessing, and the main reason he’ll hand the reins to her will have something to do with losing Carl.
2. The Quiz. In the quiz, they emphasized the egg in Carl’s book (resurrection symbol as I said yesterday), Carl dropping a rock into the sewer (not sure what to make of that, but I’m reminded of Rick’s Rock in the Road speech. I think the rock always represents a trial to be overcome, and Carl’s death will definitely be that for TF. Check out THIS POST for how it may all relate to Beth) and Jerry’s “lustrous” hair. ;D
3. They talked a bit of Maggie’s turn toward brutality. Just pointing out that they emphasized it, and I’ll talk more about it in my deeper analysis.
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4. Khary Peyton pretty much confirmed Carzekiel will happen eventually. He said Carol made Ezekiel feel human again and helped him “get back up.” Then he said Ezekiel definitely wants to get laid. That’s the second time he’s said that on TTD, the first time being on the TTD after 7x02, when he was introduced. I can’t help but compare it to the TTD after Still, when they kept calling Beth Daryl’s girlfriend. They’re pretty damn obvious about the ships that will eventually sail on the show, even though neither of these are canon yet.
But there was more. After saying the above, Khary looked at Gimple and said, “Was that too on the nose?” Gimple just laughed, not really saying yes or no. So Khary asked Gimple if he’d said too much, which implies he knows they’ll be together and he’s being too obvious about it. Yeah, Carzekiel is totally gonna happen. No way to tell when, but Khary totally knows it and really isn’t as tight-lipped about it as he probably should be. (I’m not sad about that though. ;D)
5. Okay, the best thing by far on this TTD, the thing that made my jaw drop, came when a fan called in a question. The caller asked what Yvette Nicole Brown had written in her notebook when Daryl got his vest back, which sparked discussion of the vest itself. YNB then said something that was very profound for TD, and I’m sure she didn’t even realize how deep what she said was. She made the comment that when Daryl Dixon loses something (she mentioned his bow and his bike) she never despairs very much, because he ALWAYS gets it back.
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What I yelled at the TV: “What about Beth? He lost her too! She’s kind of the only thing he hasn’t gotten back. YET!”
It’s profound because he lost Beth, and YNB isn’t even a Bethylr or TDer, but even she has picked up on the theme. He systematically lost everything, but now things are coming back to him. In the same season tptb randomly put Beth on a fake magazine cover. Just saying.
But that wasn’t even the jaw-dropping part. YNB and Khary started listing things Daryl has gotten back, and Merle was mentioned. (Again! That’s a TD thing! After all the parallels between Beth’s disappearance Merle’s, how can people not see it? We even saw a helicopter this season, which we also saw right before Merle disappeared. So even non-TDers are unconsciously picking up on this.) Then YNB turned to Gimple and said, “What about the poncho? That’s the only one I’m sure about.”  
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Gimple laughed, as though he was surprised by the question. Then he said, “the poncho is the exception that proves the rule.” I had to think about that response for a few minutes. It’s kind of cryptic, but that figure of speech just means that the fact that there is one exception proves that a general rule exists. So 1) he confirmed that Daryl always gets things back. That is the rule.  2) He just confirmed that the poncho is still in Terminus!
Anyone who’s followed me for a while knows I have a head canon about Beth finding the poncho at Terminus and showing up wearing it. Did Gimple kinda just…suggest that? The poncho isn’t just something that disappeared. It’s a big part of the story. Big enough that Gimple still thinks about it and knows where it is. Like Beth’s knife, it’s an important symbol and Gimple has kept track of it. And answer me this, if he knows exactly where the poncho is and is still thinking about it, why couldn’t he give us simple answers about Beth’s body? The answer is he can. He knows them. He’s being mysterious for a reason.
With all the Terminus stuff we’ve seen lately, especially them filming there, this can’t possibly be a coincidence. I was shocked that he said all this.
That’s it for TTD. Now let me briefly mention some more general analysis about where we think this is headed.
Analysis
As of this last episode, TF’s home is gone. There were a lot of ways in which this felt like a repeat of S4. Their home was destroyed. They’re now pretty much nomads. When Carl talked to Negan across the fence, it felt a WHOLE lot like Rick talking to the Governor at the prison. He even said there were children and families inside, which Rick said to the Governor. Almost the exact same wording. 
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Rick fought Negan, much like he did the Governor, though the outcome was obviously different, since neither of them died. But I kind of felt like Michonne going full-Shane on that savior inside the walls might have been a callback to her mental state in S4. Not only when she stabbed the Gov, but when she did her PTSD thing, and then slaughtered all the walkers around her before going to find Rick and Carl.
One follower pointed out that Rick and Michonne meet up in the aftermath and head off together, much like Bethyl did when the prison went down. And Ezekiel used a bus to save his people. (Remember the bus at the prison?) So many callbacks!
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So yeah, we could point out that Bethyl happened in 4b, right after the prison fell, but that’s honestly not even my point. It never occurred to me that Beth wouldn’t see Alexandria as it was. I guess they destroy it in the CBs as well (which I didn’t know) but even so. Blowing everything up suggests they’re moving into a whole new phase. Whenever Beth returns, it will be a new world that will need to be rebuilt.
But I feel like this is all really significant. Alexandria has been the major arc for TF since Beth’s death. I noticed a really interesting shot in the show. When the house Carl is next to blows up, we see a shot of the corner of the porch with the rocking chair as it explodes. 
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That’s the same porch where Daryl sat and was sad and lonely for Beth in 5b. I think it’s significant that they specifically showed that blowing up.
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I feel like the message is that this arc, this Alexandria, this part of the story where Daryl is lonely, is over now. They’re literally burning it down (or just blowing it off the planet ;D).
Another thing we’ve been discussing in my group is Carl’s arc. I’m not going to go into tons of detail here, but the reason they mentioned Lori so many times here at Carl’s end is significant. Of course it’s because of what Lori told him when she died. It’s very poignant and a very big part of who Carl is. But from a story-telling standpoint, it just makes a lot of sense. Just as the sunrise in 5x10 and the sunset in 7x16 book-ended Sasha’s final arc, Lori book-ended Carl’s. His was just much longer and deeper.
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Carl is the sheriff, right? Has been for a long time. He’s heir to his father’s leadership. You could argue that began in S2 when Rick gave him the hat. But Carl’s FINAL arc began when Lori died. She told him he was good and would beat this world. I think by dying heroically, saving Siddiq, he’s done that.
I know I mentioned this before (X) but one of my FB peeps also told me that TV-Show-Carl is really not much like Comic-Book-Carl and he was unsurprised that Carl would die because he just couldn’t see how TV-Show-Carl would ever turn into Comic-Book-Carl. That plays into this too. Lori told Carl he was good, and he honestly has been ever since. So now his arc, started and inspired by his mother, has ended. I hoped it wouldn’t end with his death, but it did.
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But the point is that back in S4, when Beth was prophesied to be the “new sheriff in town,” Carl was still the sheriff. No one was ever going to usurp him. Nor would they or we want them to. But now that Carl’s gone, the position of sheriff is open. (Sorry if that sounds a little flippant. I don’t mean it to be. Just can’t think of a better way to say it.) Honestly, Beth COULDN’T have come back, at least not as the new sheriff, until after Carl’s sheriff-arc ended. We’ve never realized that before. If we had, we probably wouldn’t have pushed so hard for her coming back in earlier seasons. The narrative wasn’t quite there yet. Now, it just makes total sense.
I don’t know what it means for 8b or what episode we’ll see her in, but I definitely feel like she’s coming and soon. I’ll probably do more predictions later in the week. There are a lot of possibilities that we have some evidence for, and all of them are promising.
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Um…the wonderful @doeroseq pointed out that it’s significant that we saw the burning phoenix in this episode, which we think represents Beth, and that Daryl got his wings back in the same one. Remember THIS THEORY? Beth seems to have died physically, but Daryl died emotionally. He needs to be resurrected every bit as much as she does, just in a different way. And it’s something most of the GA is picking up on now too. I can’t tell you how many posts I’ve seen saying that Daryl is no longer open or happy or loveable like he used to be. And surprisingly, even non-TDers are now connecting it to Beth, commenting that it was her death that marked the beginning of the change. The GA is starting to “get” it in a way they haven’t before. So two pairs of wings? Definitely a good thing.
So where’s it going? It’s obvious that AOW will continue to the end of the season. (So all those who hated on TD for saying the war would last all season and there wouldn’t be a time jump can go jump in a lake.) The line that jumped out at me was Maggie saying that it would be up to Hilltop to make the last stand. That was a super significant line for many reasons.
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1) Maggie has lost her hope. She’ll keep fighting of course, as she told Jesus, but if she’s foreseeing a “last stand,” she no longer things they can win, and she no longer believes the other communities are viable. (Which is kind of true when it comes to structure, but many of the people are still alive.)
2) It’s an obvious foreshadow of what’s to come. There will be a last stand at Hilltop at some point. In the sneak peek on TTD, the Alexandrians hiding in the sewers have made plans to go to Hilltop, so we can assume they’ll head there in 8b.
3) Darkness. As I said before, I didn’t think Maggie would become dark and hopeless like many of the others. That surprised me, even if it makes a lot of sense in the narrative. But it’s good for TD. When everyone loses their hope, that’s when Beth will appear. Lots of people also noticed how dark the episode was. I had to lighten most of my pictures, which is why they looked grainy. That was totally on purpose. They shot all these scenes at night, because this is TF’s darkest hour. They’re all in dark, hopeless places. Even the events point to that. As I said in an Ask on Sunday, they’ve effectively lost the war. Obviously it’s not over, and they’ll keep fighting, which is good. But things are NOT going well. And last stands are called such because the people putting them on die fighting.
As slow as they’re moving, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it takes all of 8b for them to simply travel to Hilltop and get their last stand together. I’m thinking the last stand will be in the S8 finale. And what better time for Beth to show up?
I have high hopes that we’ll see her before that (I’m hoping for either 8x09 or 8x10, but more on that later) but I think we, the audience, will see her before TF does. Hopefully. Chances are they won’t see her until the finale. Like Morgan in S5, she’ll show up right at the end. And I still think she’ll come through Oceanside. Which means Aaron and Enid will see her, but no one else will. Hopefully they’ll show up with the Oceansiders to save the day. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for.
So that’s all I have for today. Thoughts?
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lizacstuff · 7 years ago
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Anons 7x06
Lots of anons in my inbox, a few under the cut. The tone of most asks is not complimentary towards the season or episode, you have been warned. 
Anonymous said:Seems like there must not be a lot of Regina fans out there, despite the ER making a lot of noise. Demos held steady. 
I wouldn’t count those numbers before they’re hatched.  Sound like the show was preempted in certain markets (Boston, a huge DMA, for one) so the numbers should be adjusted for that when the nationals come out on Monday. Right now OUAT is getting credit for whatever replacement programming the affiliate put in it’s place. 
Anonymous said:I'm seeing that for some areas the episode got pushed back till early Saturday morning. Do they take into account when figuring out the ratings? I'm already seeing ERs complaining about it and saying if the ratings are bad that's the only reason why. 😒
See above. The overnights (today's ratings) include viewership for whatever aired in OUAT’s place.  Monday they should adjust to reflect more accurately how many people watched the actual episode. They are right, though, in it negatively impacting the live numbers. However, it shouldn't really impact the L+3 or L+7 numbers. 
Anonymous said:Is it bad that I laughed outloud when I saw that Regina gave everything Ivy she needed to cast her curse? Just like the time Regina pushed Lily too far and she turned into a dragon and endanger the town? Or the time she told Zelena to go after Hades and change him and refused to listen to anyone's concerns and everyone almost ended up trapped in Hell? I'm surprised the writer's still don't see the pattern like fans do.
Even without malicious intentions, she’s a disaster who ruins everyone’s lives. It’s bizarre that the writers continually follow the pattern, but never have Regina question her own judgement when she’s doing it. Whatever else happens, Regina makes emotional, unilateral decisions that usually end up biting other people in the ass. 
Anonymous said:Why would Regina stop henry for having a tlk with jacinda to break the curse? they don't have chemistry but they have been written as tl, at least make them kiss to destroy this stupid season one for all
Because Ivy did something, that Regina remembers, that will put the people that Regina “loves” in jeopardy if the curse is broken.  We don’t know who is in jeopardy or how. 
Anonymous said:So the reboot it's all Regina's fault? Why am I not surprised? Having Henry all for her and without snowing and captain swan, obviously a villain like her was behind this
Regina isn’t being purposefully villainous, but her stupid choices have landed them in this position.
Anonymous said:So regina thought she never adopted a child and its now forced to live with him not knowing her and can't break the curse?? Also her soulmate still dead and she is away from sb and her "family"&"friends"? Hahahahahaha karma is a beautiful thing!!! So she is alone and miserable and childless? Jefferson, snowing of the early seasons and the whole ef1 is laughing and partying
I suppose she is getting a little bit of karmic retribution, but I wouldn’t consider her knowing Henry is her adult son, and still being close to him even though he doesn't know, as quite the same thing as orphaning Emma and Snowing missing out on raising her or knowing her for 28 years.  
Anonymous said:Its weird since I thought Shoe Believer had an okay start in the beginning. It wasn't anywhere near CS or Snowing but they were still okay. With every episode they just feel more and more dull and forced.
I always thought it was forced, particularly in the pilot, but I thought it might grow as the season progressed. I’m not feeling it.  They are telling us it’s true love, not showing us.  Unlike CS, Snowing or RB where we saw those relationships develop over time, this feels completely unearned, and a TLK would be like  Zades or Red Warrior where it feels like complete out-of-nowhere nonsense.  CS had to go through multiple seasons of trials and tribulations, both proving they would go to the end of the world or time for one another, before the show would even whisper True Love at them.  The writers have lost their mojo when it comes to writing a love story.
Anonymous said:After this weeks episode I'm more thankful than ever that Regina is far away from Captain Swan and everyone in storybrooke. They don't need to suffer the consequences of someone who has failed as a queen and a mayor.
Honestly, it being canon that Regina and Rumple are out of Storybrooke, is the silver lining to S7.  
Anonymous said:I’m kind of confused , since 7x02 I’ve been trying to keep up with show . But I haven’t been paying that much attention ( I usually just put it on the tv while I’m on my computer or something, so it’s really just background noise ) but I do have a question, who is that hag in lady tremaine’s basement thing ? And also ..... can you list the people who are aware that there was a curse / who’s now awake . Cuz I can’t keep up
That’s the witch.  Right now I think the only characters awake are Ivy, Regina, and sometimes Alice when she isn’t on medication.  I could be wrong though, because my ability to stay focused during this show has not been great. 
Anonymous said:I stopped watching s7 after 7x02 but as someone who still watches it/keeps tabs on it do you know if the timeline is explained like now that Lucy is born and is 10 years old does that mean captain swan's child is around that age or is Emma still pregnant cause time moves differently?
They haven’t really answered that question yet as far as I know. My gut is that very little time has passed in Storybrooke and as we speak Captain Swan is preparing for their baby. But that’s my gut, not fact. 
Anonymous said:I'm so mad - this was the last drop for me with this show. I have been watching S7 for Colin (I'm a Nielsen family and my viewing does count for the ratings) but what they had Henry say last night was the last straw. Swan Believer and their amazing dynamic in season 1 was what kept me watching the show (until CS came along ) and to have to see the writers IGNORE what was once the backbone of the original show (Emma/Henry) to prop an abusive mother/son relationship is absolute bullshit.
cont - previous ask about Swan Believer. I feel sorry for Colin and for the cast and crew, but from now on I will not be watching the show anymore. Nothing about it excites me/makes me happy. It feels like a chore. And these writers do NOT deserve to get renewed nor to get anymore chances to ruin their own canon of what was once a beautiful show.
Describing it as a chore is pretty spot on. I understand you wanting to watch for Colin (especially as a Nielsen household) but you gotta do what’s right for you.  That line seemed completely unnecessary. There were a lot of ways they could have had a nice mother/son moment without going there. 
Anonymous said:I just saw a gifset of Regina waking up from the curse. So that's really the reaction she chose to go with? She really hasn't seemed to grasp the subtleties of acting, has she?
No, she has not. However, I have to say that Lana’s acting as Roni in Hyperion Heights this episode was the least of the episode’s problems. 
Anonymous said:Did you see any of Lana's answers to her fans on Twitter? Besides laughing at the idea of her wanting to do a remake of Silence of the Lambs and play Clarice, when she was asked what she's learned from Bex she said that red heads have more fun than blondes. I imagine in this situation you answer these questions quickly and don't contemplate on your answers, but wow did that seem like a dig. And if you look through the comments all of her rabid fans seemed to think so too and were loving it.
I thought a more accurate tweet would have been  “Red heads kiss my ass better than blondes."  ‘Cause Bex has had her lips permanently affixed to her ass for years now, just the way Lana likes it. 
Anonymous said:I'm indifferent about Wish Hook, and I wouldn't mind if his daughter was Alice and they got a storyline together, but they got nowhere in this episode? And going by the promo, the mess of the wish realm strikes again as Wish Hook was realm-traveling apparently. How did a non-wish Rapunzel from a separate realm come across someone who didn't exist until present-day 6x10? This is unexplainable.
Do we know that Rapunzel is from a separate realm and not from the Wish Realm?  It would be unbelievable to think that WishHook left the WISHAU before it was created with EQ’s “wish” in 6x10.  I think looking for any sort of logic or even in-universe fairy tale logic to make sense of anything to do with the WishRealm, including WishHook, is an exercise in futility.
It simply doesn’t make sense, and each episodes they change the rules to accommodate anything they want to do.  Of course I think it’s nonsense, but I’d still rather this and have CS safely tucked away from this ridiculous season, than have them using the real Hook this season.  Because honestly I don’t care about the integrity of the storytelling in S7, I only care about CS. (though that doesn’t stop me from poking fun at it.)
Anonymous said:I honestly was not one bit surprised when Colin said he was still under contract this season, but at the same time I do believe he enjoys playing this character and I'm sure he feels loyal to the show, it has been his big break. But I have to believe with the storylines and the material he's given, if not already, then by the end of filming he'll probably be in the same mind frame as Bobby. 100% only there for a paycheck. I just hope his agent is actively seeking better opportunities for him.
We really don’t know what he’s thinking or feeling, but low ratings have got to affect things on set in some way, so it sucks if he’s in any kind of stressful environment.  Even if it’s just them getting pressured to send out scripted PR tweets for each episode. On the upside, other than 7x02, he’s been in these eps so rarely, that I’d guess he’s not working more than 1-2 days per episode, which probably means a lot of time that he can be home with his family and newborn.  It might be a blessing for them right now. As I said we can’t know, but I just wish the best for him and his future career.
Anonymous said:Was there something wrong with the Rogers' scenes? I thought they were pretty decent, especially his interactions with Alice.
To all my anons wanting to know about Rogers scenes, you’ll have to come off anon if you want to chat about it. 
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shirtlesssammy · 7 years ago
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Hello, Cruel World: 7x02 Recap
Then:
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Castiel accidentally swallowed some Leviathan
Now:
Things pick up right where 7x01 left off. Cas is gone, and his vessel is oozing more goo than normal.
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He wanders off, leaving Bobby and Dean stunned. Sam, meanwhile, is 100% fruitbat, getting tortured by Lucifer. Dean and Bobby save him from his hallucinations, and all three head out in search of Leviathan!Cas.
Cas, now even more gooey than ever, heads for the water. The others reach the water’s edge just as he descends into the lake, like some sadistic baptism, turning into a vortex of black goo.
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o_O uh, no thank you o_O
The good news? The leviathan exploded in in a reservoir that’s connected to the public water supply! Yay!
Dean then notices Cas’s trench coat in the water, and fishes it out.
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He gently folds it, holding it close to his body, caressing it with all the pain of loss and words left unsaid (Ha, Boris can’t write. I leave that heavy lifting to the very talented Natasha.) (Natasha: just key smashes in pain.) Long story short: Dean holds that coat like the last memento of a dead loved one, because it is. Bobby and Sam both watch Dean with eagle eyes, and it’s sad. I couldn’t really see through all the water on my face though. Also, when he squeezes the coat briefly before the camera cuts away? Guh.
Sidenote: I can’t imagine being in the fandom this season!! Like, Cas was supposed to be dead, like dead-dead, like really, really, ‘Jared didn’t spoil this one’ dead. Dark times. (Natasha: I wasn’t in fandom but was watching live since season 5. I never believed he was truly dead so I believe I wasn’t terribly bothered. My heart is a lump of granite.)
And the leviathan make their grand entrance into society via a montage set to the Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water”....a little too on the nose show, but I like it.
Back at Bobby’s, Dean turns to what he does best: looking after Sammy. He makes him hydrate and protein-ate, and he checks his stitched up hand.
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I’m a shallow son of a bitch, but concerned Dean lit like this is A+ aesthetic.
Sam confesses that he’s not doing well --he can’t tell what’s reality anymore. As Dean tries to wrap his brain around what Sam is going through, we get a better glimpse of Lucifer’s fun torture time for Sam. After all, “You can’t torture someone who has nothing left for you to take away.”
Meanwhile, girl!Leviathan finds an episode of Dr. Sexy and decides she wants to be a doctor when she grows up.
Bobby checks in with Dean on how he’s holding up. (Caring Dad feels everywhere!) Dean deflects.
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Bobby calls out Dean with, “You just lost one of the best friends you ever had, your brother’s in the bell jar, and Purgatory’s most wanted are surfing the sewer lines, but yeah, yeah, I get it. You’re – you're fine.” (Their little exchange of yoga and idjit, and their mutual little smiles is just beautiful. #bringbackbobby)
At Stockville High School, the swim team gets a surprise visit from a couple bloodthirsty purgatory monsters.
At Sioux Falls General Hospital, our very own Jody Mills is experiencing her own special kind of torture. While recovering from an appendicitis, she listens to her roommate drone on and on about dubious hospital practices. Dr. Sexy checks in with our favorite sheriff.
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Back at Bobby’s, Sam caught the swim team case. Bobby and Sam convince Dean to check it out.
girl!Leviathan and Edgar (listen, I didn’t explain his entrance, but 6 years on, we know who I’m talking about) meet at a playground(!) and talk about the swim team attack. Apparently it was a bit unsightly, but the girl!Leviathan has an idea. Cut to the hospital. Dr. Sexy finds her and she makes quick work of turning into him. Kids grow up so fast these days.
At the high school, Agent Dean notices black goo and instantly knows what he’s dealing with.
Back at the hospital, Jody wakes to see Dr. Sexy secret off with her roommate. I think she’s starting to suspect her doctor is a monster.
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She sets to checkout what fresh hell awaits her in her small hell-mouth town.
Dean checks in with Sam (and Lucifer) about the swim team. Goo? Check. Dean asks Sam how he’s doing. Aagh. Spoiler: He’s not doing ok.
Hopped up on gooooood pain meds, Jody continues to track her doctor, but when she sees him play a particular nasty game of Operation by eating her roommate’s liver, she runs, and faints in the hallway.
Jody wakes up in her hospital bed to the ministrations of her nurse. She sputters, starting to ask about Doctor Gaines, when he swans in, patting the corner of his mouth delicately. She quickly spins a lie about itching stitches and searching for a doctor to explain her presence in the hall. Doctor Sexy Leviathan leers at her. The moment they leave she rips out her IV and mutters “Kiss my ass, Doctor Monsterface.” Jody. Never change.
Meanwhile, Sam’s still trying to out-logic his hallucinations. If this is a dream, Lucifer should prove it by showing him the cage. Lucifer tells him that the Matrix only ends when Sam ends it...like ENDS it, ends it. Sam shouts at Lucifer to shut up, which really bolsters his narrative of doing fine when Bobby walks in. “You’ve beat the devil before, kid,” Bobby tells Sam. Lucifer, meanwhile, stabs Bobby in the chest. Not distracting at all.
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Jody calls Bobby and tells him that her surgeon is a monster who ate another patient’s liver. “You and I killed zombies that one time,” she reminds him. He can help her. Bobby rolls out to help her leaving delicate flower Sam behind to man the phones.
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At the hospital two swim team members and Edgar meet up with Doctor Gaines. Leviathan!Gaines gives them a tour of the facility. They can eat someone every day here since people die in hospitals all the time. The swim team members jump ship and become hospital staff, preparing to feast. Edgar moves on. He’s got other fish to fry.
Sam continues to clean guns when Dean pulls up. Dean grabs the open beer from Sam’s hand (DEAN) and fills Sam in on the status of the hunt. Dean demands Sam’s help while Bobby goes off to save Jody Mills.
Bobby wheels Jody out of the hospital and shuttles her away into a taxi. (After which, I am sad to report, we don’t see her for the whole rest of the episode.) Bobby then heads into the hospital to investigate the leviathreat level. He finds patients rushed immediately from botched minor surgeries to the autopsy table - a.k.a. lunch counter.
Meanwhile, Dean and Sam drive to the hunt, Dean asking after Sam’s welfare. Dean suggests professional help even though, “You are never gonna be okay, Sam.” </heart breaks> Not the kind of BM scenes we like to watch, dudes.
While Sam’s having his heart ripped out in the Impala, the real Dean arrives back at Bobby’s, calling for Sam. Oh thank god. Dean Bean may be going through a long dark teatime of the soul but he’s not so dark that he’s hurting Sammy. Sam is, of course, gone.
Sam and “Dean” arrive at a corporate building where fake Dean scoffs at Sam’s ability to deal. “You think this is an office building, right?” he asks, leading Sam into a nearly empty warehouse instead.
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Fake Dean chuckles, then turns into Lucifer. Lucifer tries to goad Sam into killing himself to end the hallucination (always, btw, the most horrifying part of the djinn narrative).
Back at the hospital, Bobby falls into a big pile of nope when he’s interrupted by Doctor Gaines. The leviathan immediately recognizes Bobby - he saw him through the angel’s eyes. (MY HEART) Bobby tries to shoot up the doctor but only explodes his head into recombining goo. It’s enough to let him escape.
The real Dean pulls up outside of the warehouse he tracked Sam to and opens the door. Lucifer turns into a second Dean and Sam immediately trains his gun on the real Dean.
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Dean talks Sam down. He reminds Sam that he’s been to Hell. Torture feels different than the pain of the real world. He pulls up Sam’s hand and presses the wound hard. Lucifer begins to flicker. Sam pushes the wound hard enough to make it bleed. “You’ve gotta believe me,” Dean tells him. “You gotta make it stone number one and build on it, do you understand?” Sam nods, still reeling from the experience.
The phone rings. It’s Bobby. He fills them in on Doctor Gaines and the leviathan threat and the boys head back to Bobby’s lot. They’re gonna be okay… And then they get to Bobby’s house. It’s been torched. Nothing but burned books (CRETINS) and no sign of Bobby. They split up to search the junk yard. Dean dials Bobby’s “direct hotline you should not have this number” phone and leaves the following totally okay not at all unraveling voicemail:
“You can not be in that crater back there. I can’t-- If you’re gone, I swear I’m going to strap my beautiful mind brother into the car and I’m gonna drive us off the pier. You asked me how I was doing? Well NOT GOOD. You said you’d be here. Where are you?”
Dean Bean.
Sam and Dean call for Bobby in the junkyard. Sam finds Edgar and Dean shoots Edgar’s head full of lead (but it doesn’t last long for those shifty little guys). Dean drops a car on Edgar just after Sam gets knocked out by a tire iron. Dean’s got a broken leg, an unconscious brother, a dead best friend, and - you know - suicidal thoughts. So season 7 is starting out super great.
Dean calls an ambulance which takes the brothers to - you guessed it - Sioux Falls General. Extra bonus, Lucifer shows up for the ride.
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Back at Bobby’s lot, Edgar recombines...
Mississippi Quotes, Won't You Keep on Shinin' on Me?
Why would the devil holodeck you a whole new life when he could just kick your ass all over the cage?
I keep my marbles in a locked friggin’ box.
What am I chopped brains on toast?
We’ve got a whole lot of NC17 Schizz-nickel right over there.
Having a little bag lady moment?
Bobby Singer. My hero.
This discussion does not require a weapon’s discharge.
It’s like a salad, but with pie!
Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!
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