#his dad is an insanely good detective and his mom is an insanely good actress that also knows

[aria0fgold]

Okay last post before sleep cuz ngl though I'm not gonna put Conan in p5 simply cuz there's Too Many Things going on with him that I'd have an easier time with Kaito instead which also, can yall see the problem then? Conan and Kaito is similar in that they're both pursuing and being targetted by a dangerous organization, Kaito is at risk a lot more considering how he's practically putting himself out there with his heists as Kaito KID while the times Conan gets in danger is when he tries to get closer to any of his org nemesis' henchmen for evidence, which doesn't happen often.

But despite that Conan has A Lot of reliable allies, Kaito included (not really on the "reliable" part but more on the "ally" part). While Kaito only has Jii-san which is the same guy making the KID gadgets for him and Conan (again not a "reliable" one for Kaito but still an "ally"). And like???????? What about Kaito's other allies? I'm not counting the group Kaito got pulled into by his childhood friend which is a group made to Catch KID and not help 'Kaito.' Like, what kinda allies are that, Aoko only wants to catch the magician thief, Hakuba is... Hakuba (he can be an "ally" but like Conan, not a reliable one), and there's that... witch who never really does anything much to help but give out warnings. (I forgot her name holup... AKAKO! There we go).

Compared to Conan who has like, a lot, and most of em are spoilers so if whoever reading this wanna get into dcmk, feel free to skip. There's Agasa that's the one creating the gadgets for him, Ai who knows his secret and is practically in the same boat as him (since she was a scientist from the org that wanted out yet shrunk too), Heiji which is like his bestie who's a fairly good detective, THE AKAI FAMILY (That entire family is a mf unit bro, there's a FBI sharpshooter, a mom that's a mi6 agent, another highschool detective with skills on par with Conan that knows jeet kune do, a shogi master that's also insanely good at strategizing in general. Like bro, wtf), Furuya Rei aka Amuro Tooru aka Bourbon-- Also a wtf moment there. CONAN HAS PROTECTION FROM VERMOUTH, one of the most important members of that same organization he's pursuing. Vermouth refuses to hurt and especially kill Conan and Ran.

Like, that kid has it all meanwhile Kaito DOESN'T HAVE ANYONE??? The treatment here. So yes, I'm only putting Kaito in p5 cuz he deserves ppl to be there for him if there's barely anyone in his own source material. (Maybe I'd even put Hakuba in p5 too, as a treat, cuz he's also gotten the short end of the stick too). Hakuba can be with Akechi to put some load off his back with the addition of Another thief getting added in their universe except Hakuba is also a menace of his own way so honestly, good luck Akechi.

[hobbitsetal]

Prodigal son s1e1 live-blog, for @loubuttons and @thisbibliomaniac because the fact I’m watching this show is y’all’s fault. But under a cut, because I’m nice like that.

his dad looks a bit manic...and saying “we’re the same” doesn’t bode well, given what I know about the show. also 80% sure he’s got gum disease, going by how red his gums looked in that smile.

Serial killer! Makes sense!

He’s distracted by the cicadas. Five seconds and I see what the fuss is; this is one precious boi.

Brrzap; that taser looked painful. Ooh, and cue the freaky childhood flashbacks! His dad is clearly the worst and this poor baby needs a better relationship than this to cling to.

YOU LIE, YOU SICK THING. THERE *ARE* MONSTERS AND YOU ARE ONE.

faces in a jar. That’s no bueno. Bad guy with a gun, also very no bueno. “Someone breaks us.” tbh my friend, I believe too strongly in original sin to agree with that.

oh yikes, the sheriff. Even bad guys have humanity.

“I get it, you don’t punch a sheriff.” He is a baby, but yes also a little stupid.

Oh hey, Lou Diamond Phillips is in this!! AND Michael sheen! LDP was one of the best parts of “Stargate Universe.”

He’s still friends with his dad. This is heartbreaking and extremely unhealthy. I feel stupid for just now recognizing Michael Sheen is the dad. He plays warm and sympathetic and psychotic equally well and it’s frankly impressive. plus that’s an A+ beard.

Soooo homebody has Severe Issues. That was not a good nightmare. But “I can see clearly now” is a fabulous song.

His sister seems like a good egg. I am HERE for good sibling relationships!! Plus she has a killer outfit on. If I could be an actress, I would be one for the wardrobe alone. She has gorgeous eyes, too.

Oh heyyyy it’s LDP! “Spooked puppy dog look” yep I like him. But his sister lied ;_; so much for good sibling relationships. I mean, yeah she’s trying to protect him, but still.

“psychologist, forensic profiler, acquired taste.” I love Gil and I love Gil’s relationship with Malcolm and I already love JT’s relationship with Malcolm. “So you’re a necrophilic?” Iconic. We stan one rude boi.

also can I just point out that Gil’s outfit is frickin classy?

A copycat killer...copying his dad. Welp, let’s just dive into the emotional anguish, shall we?

Gil, you trash bucket, you KNEW. you KNEW the killer was copying his dad! And now you’re saying you’re not asking him to talk to his dad, but you’re definitely asking.

“It wasn’t a healthy relationship.” Okay, at least you know it.

His mother does not look old enough for two kids in their late 20s. Aaaand she’s trying to rub his life. Rude. He’s a grown man, woman, mind your business and shove your pills where the sun don’t shine.

Don’t drink the tea, Malcolm. Pls. I beg.

Oooookay, the coroner is mildly insane. Which makes she and malcom would instantly get along.

welp, we’re diving into BDSM. I am Uncomfortable™️. And I’m pretty sure the killer is at the dom’s apartment, if not the killer himself.

“My profile’s wrong.” Whoopsie.

Nico is a victim sitting on a bomb. Well that’s dandy. God bless Malcolm and his complete lack of social skills.

“I’m gonna chop off your hand!” UM??? Aaaand the bomb just went off. A’ight, I’m hooked.

HOLY FRICK HE ACTUALLY DID IT, THE ABSOLUTE MADMAN. “I’ve got to give them a hand.” What even is this show, holy merciful smokes.

Oh no, his hand is shaking. MAYBE HES THINKING ABOUT CHOPPING HANDS OFF, GEEZ.

His mother is trying to set him up. Hoo boy. This is an awkward family dinner. And ainsley sold him out without hesitation, nice. No don’t say he’s a copycat!! Ainsley is a reporter, don’t say—heck. This is going to end Very Badly. Pls malcom no.

oh gee, mom knows the victims’ names. That’s heartbreaking. I will give this show major points for exploring the fallout of a serial killer’s actions for his family.

Screw his father to hell and back for being a kind and gentle dad while also being a serial killer. That’s just messed up.

And we get another nightmare, that’s splendid. That poor detective who just got clotheslined. Bless her for hugging him till he’s awake again.

Poor Gil, dealing with a hyper frantic boi who is Not, I repeat, Not in Control whatever he thinks.

Oh here we go, he’s off to talk to daddy dipstick. This is gonna be a thing, clearly, where he has to ask his dad for help solving cases.

Do not, you horrible waste of humanity, look so pleased about your copycat. Is it a prison guard copying him...? How did he know so quickly the pages were stolen?

HE’S STILL SEEING PATIENTS?! How did he not get his license revoked for KILLING PEOPLE?! This is stupid. He’s enjoying this. I hate him. I hate him for being charismatic and charming and interested in his son.

Huh. He’s scared his son won’t leave. Welp, there’s our series hook: he promises to come back and see his dad. At least he got what he needed.

Malcom running into his mom at Berkhead’s party is frankly hilarious. Also I suspect the wife rather than the husband. She’s probably jealous.

Oh yep, private conversation upstairs AND her husband’s upstairs! So I was wrong, the wife is the fourth victim, which makes sense given Malcom’s refined profile. Okeydokey, I can work with how this show handles plot twists.

Dani’s in danger. How do we fix it? By strolling in like a boss. Malcom, you absolute nutcase. “You’re still in control.” Bro. Broski. Bromonid.

Is that a knife?? Aw Dani, you were so close! MALCOM NO threatening to use the paralytic on yourself is...I mean, it’s working, but also BRO YOU ARE NOT OKAY. why are you looking at Dani as you confess your motivation for being a profiler? Why are you begging Carter to kill you. This is bad. ooh also title drop!

Enter Gil!! Intriguing bookend with the beginning; also props to the guy playing Malcom for capturing that bitter disappointment at not dying.

Oh yikes, Gil was almost a Surgeon’s victim. And Malcom was the one who called him...makes sense with the nightmare and Gil and Malcom’s connection makes sense.

Does he eat a candy every time he solves a case? That’s adorable ;_;

Hmm, so his dad is pulling strings behind the scenes. Yep, I hate him. Aaaand now he’s emotionally manipulating his son and offering him help to maintain that phenomenally unhealthy relationship. Ugh. Smug piece of dirt.

Heck. This is my quarantine binge now.

[lambourngb]

So I was tagged by @ninswhimsy​ to name my 10 favorite male and 10 favorite female characters

I have done this one before- but I thought I would switch it up and only list current shows I’m watching. And NOT IN ORDER.

Female- 1. Agent Maggie Bell - on FBI - oh man I love a good procedural, and I’ve been a fan of Missy Peregrym since Rookie Blue. 2. Kara Danvers - Supergirl - I didn’t expect to love this show the way I do, but I do. It’s a good CW superhero show. 3. Sarah Tanner- Bulletproof- the boss of two insane East London detectives- she is a great ma’am but also fiercely protective of those idiots under her charge. 4. Michaela Stone - Manifest - this show is a little nuts right now. There’s another love triangle, meh, but Michaela broke my heart first season when she came back to find her fiancé married to her best friend. 5. Athena Grant - 911 - Athena is the best and she’s why I still watch that crazy show. 6. Maya Bishop - Station 19 - Type A personality who was messed up by her parents and strives to be perfect at the cost of her personal relationships? Err, I might identify too much with her. She’s a bisexual disaster and I love her. 7. Mina Okafor - The Resident - Another type A personality that is too involved in work, with a complicated relationship with her mom, but under it all is just a good person? Yes please. 8. Lucy Chen- The Rookie - oh boy the first season was hard to get through because of the power dynamics, but her later bond with her training officer Bradford is so good. 9. Dr Claire Browne - The Good Doctor - I am so upset after that season finale, but Claire always speaks to me as a high function child of a mentally ill person. And then her mom killed herself in a car accident, and wow, my heart! 10. Tali LaCroix - FBI Most Wanted- a child actress ! Yeah I never like kids in shows, but Tali is great- smart, empathetic, dealing with a dual heritage and the death of her mom. She makes me like her dad, the lead, Jess LaCroix a whole lot more.

Male-

1. Agent OA Zidan - FBI - the other half of the great partnership with Maggie Bell. He was a bit of a cowboy in the beginning, but now I just love how deeply he cares for Maggie and what a team they make.

2. Aaron Bishop- Bulletproof - oh man, kid from the streets, finding his family in his work, his bond with his partner, his very reasonable complaints about dying in a car because of his partner’s crazy driving. Season 2 killed me with how deeply he got involved in undercover work and thought he had found a father figure.

3. Ronnie Pike - Bulletproof- the opposite of Bishop, from a very nice family, married with kids, and he’s a crazy man behind the wall. His deep love for Bishop is so great. These two are my favorite buddy cop duos.

4. Jared Vasquez - Manifest- I mean this guy makes bad decisions because of how deeply he loves Michaela. Definitely the cautionary tale of falling love with your work partner because he has a hard time comparmentalizing. He’s a dumbass.

5. Malcolm Bright- Prodigal Son - I love his brilliant and naive brain at work. The episode where he reconnects with his only friend- oh man break my heart with the feels.

6. Conrad Hawkins - The Resident - I mean, he’s almost a Mary Sue this man is so perfect- hot, brilliant, messed up from his military past, heart open and bleeding, and finally learning to be emotionally open? Yeah.

7. Michael Guerin- Roswell New Mexico- I am so into my network procedurals but Michael is my favorite. He hooked me to the show when I probably would have been one and done, but that first scene in the jail, and I was gone. By episode 6 I was obsessed. I love this soft lonely, alien bisexual disaster. I love Alex too, but that love took some time to build because my very first watch I was turned off by the closeted thing. It wasn’t until when the reasons became clear that I got obsessed. But Michael came first. ❤️

8. Ben Shakir - Evil - oh man this show freaks me out and I have to watch with the lights on, but I’ve loved Assif Mandvi since the Daily Show and he’s a real joy to watch as the tech expert in disproving miracles.

9. Mark Callan - All Rise - Tortured past ? Daddy Issues? Bleeding heart wrapped in sarcasm? Extremely protective of his female best friend? A romantic disaster? Yeah Mark Callan checks all my boxes.

10. Sheriff Bill Hollister - Deputy  - I did not expect to like this show. But it really hooked me with the cast. Bill is a bit of a Mary Sue too- always doing the right thing for the most part, devoted to his wife and daughter, supportive of his staff and welcoming. He’s just a genuinely good person who doesn’t like politics. I love the scenes with him and his non-binary assistant Bishop.

[templarhalo]

Templarhalo reviews Birds of Prey. (It’s pretty fantabulous)

HERE BE SPOILERS YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Ok without this movie, I would have not been a Cassandra Cain fan.  I would have not four, yes four ongoing fics with her as the main character.  I would not be emotionally and financially invested in the DC cinematic universe or the comics side of things. 

Which baffles me because this movie is perfect in almost every aspect,...   Except how they treated Cassandra Cain.   Which  is a fucking shame because her actress is perfect, her chemistry and relationship with Harley is perfect, and the idea of Cass growing up as this pickpocket foster kid, taken in by Harley is unconventional, but I fucking love it. 

Here’s a brief summary. After breaking up with the Joker  Harley Quinn has to make her own way as the strong, badass, indepent woman we all know she is, while dealing with the fact that without Mistah J’s  fell reputation as his significant other to shield her, a lot of people want her raped, tortured, killed and left for the crows…  Not necessarily in that order.    

To get these people off her back and save her own skin, from one of them, the infamous Black Mask. Harley agrees to recover the Bertinelli Diamond, a diamond encoded with the info for a source of 30 million dollars, Black Mask needs to fiance his take over of Gotham. Which was pickpocketed from one of his associates by our Lady and savior Cass.   

The problem is, Cass kind of ate it( (I shit you not) and Black Mask’s guys would rather cut it out of her than wait for the poor kid to take a dump   Not to mention Detective tReene Montoya (played by her Gotham Actress, which would have been a nice bit of world building if Gotham was actually in the movie continuity) building a case against Black Mask, with the aid of Black Canary   Plus Huntress is indirectly gunning for him and Harley in her own quest for revenge.   All these plot points converge into  a very satisfying climax and fight scene with a somewhat  emotionally satisfying ending. 

From  a technical standpoint this film is a spectacle.   Gotham in the day is colorful but rundown, with markets, suave evil bad guy clubs, dilapidated Chinese restaurants and abandoned amusement parks.   The fight scenes are AMAZING  with a wonderful tension and energy that makes them incredibly visualising satisfying.  Everything flows, the ladies move with an enthralling  grace that makes them breaking bones, crushing legs,and tearing through people visceral and heartstopping.  (And arousing. Like goddamn Jurnee Smollett-Bell could kill me with her legs and I’d thank her)

The problem, is none of this applies to  Cass, and this is the films major flaw besides how short it is. (One hour and forty five minutes).  If you had problems with how Harley was handled in Suicide Squad, the movie fixes it.  Black Canary gets a short but satisfying emotional arc that feels natural. She goes from a cynical, lethargic woman, content to be Black Masks “Little Bird”; A singer at his club, driver and symbol of his power/dominance over other women until her own conscience kicks in at Harley and Cass’ predicament.  Huntress also has a short but satisfying arc in which she gets her vengeance on the people who murdered her family and clearly finds a new one to fill the hole in her life, in the form of the Birds.  Reene and her portrayal is a love letter to the 80s cop/hard boiled detectives, a pure, simultaneously complicated/uncomplicated woman seeking to do good for Gotham.       

But Cass… Doesn’t feel like Cass and is criminally underutilized except as a walking mcguffin by dint of eating the Mcguffin.   She’s introduced to us a snarky tween, stuck in a cycle of shitty foster homes and a pickpocket to get by.  And that’s it.  T

here are moments where you think she'll get a cool fight scene.  Moments where you think she’ll have an emotional heart to heart with Harley,   moments where you think…she’ll do something besides run from the bad guys and get saved by the Birds of Prey/Her four moms. 

 In the end she drives into the sunset with Harley and Bruce the Hyena, but it doesn’t feel earned, satisfying as the scene is.  There is nothing implying or hinting she’s the daughter of two of the deadliest assassins in the DC universe, nothing about her running away from David Cain, nothing on her learning disabilities/selective mutism  and NOTHING, setting her up to be adopted by Batman and become Batgirl 

And this is a fucking shame, because Ella Jay Basco has a real chemistry with Margert and the rest of the cast.  She’s adorable, funny, snarky and wonderful as Cass. She brings energy and spunk and I would cut off my left hand, to see her act as Cassandra Cain, not this  generic punk kid with the name.

And I feel like this is  a HUGE problem because the movie sets up this Mother/daughter relationship, with Cass being Harley’s motivation to be a better person.  She goes from willing to hand her over to Black Mask to taking the kid under her wing.   Cass is the glue that bands the Birds of Prey together.   These lovely, dangerous, women coming together to keep a little girl safe,  doesn’t feel as emotionally satisfying as it should because Cass isn’t Cass.

While I will praise the movie for Harley’s arc of seeking her own emancipation and agency outside her abusive relationships and life of crime,  I feel like Harley’s arc should have been a question of redemption.    Cassandra’s motivation to become Batgirl was her refusal to kill again.  (Hey WB remember how in Batman Begins Bruce refused to kill a man because “I will not be an executioner.”)  

Here Cass is fine with killing. She chucks a bomb at some goons chasing her and  she kills Black Mask with a grenade in the end.

Yeah… Cass “I refuse to kill because my dad made me kill an innocent man at eight years old and killing is wrong” kills people.  

*head meet desk*

Sucide Squad, set up Harley and the squad, for an unconventional redemption arc, spite motivated it may be, yet Harley despite her line to Cass “You make me want to  be a less terrible person”  isn’t seeking to make amends for what she did as the Joker’s henchman.  (Like being an accomplice to Jason Todd’s murder).   

.Cass pickpots and steals to survive, because she’s a kid with no family passed from foster home to foster home, Harley steals because she can, steal a truck to blow up a chemical plant because she can.  Kills because she can.   (granted she does use an M79 grenade launcher with bean bag shells for one scene but besides that.) 

I like the idea of Harley taking Cass under her wing, its an unconventional but fresh idea, but it doesn’t feel entirely satisfying, and Cass not being Cass, not having an arc beyond “Go along with Harley as her apprentice” really undermines the excellent themes and message the movie is trying to convey.

Now maybe in the Suicide Squad reboot with James Gunn or a future DC film , Cass is going to leave Harley because that life of crime and killing doesn’t suit her and she realizes she’s trying to be something she’s not and I’m just being overly critical, but I still feel like “Harley and Cass seeking redemption and moving past their abusers together”  should have been where this movie left off, and it baffles me that it doesn’t from a narrative perspective.

Anway the overall themes and message of Birds of Prey are represented in Evan Mcregor’s Black Mask, a walking talking example of repressive toxic masculinity and misogyny.   A flamboyant, all but stated to  be a repressed Bi, crime lord seeking to take control of Gotham, Black Mask moves with confidence in his loud suits, and charming quirkiness,   He’s cruel, sadistic and repulsive  His mannerisms ooz terror,and insanity. He moves like a love child between Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the Joker, Gaston from Beauty and the Beast and Joffery Baratheon from Game of Thrones.   He’s a control freak, trying to  be a badass. 

 One minute he’s the Godfather, the next he’s a brat.  He views Harley as nothing without the Joker, telling her that she needs him to protect her.   He enjoys asserting his dominance over Harley during her brief capture by having his men beat her while he eats popcorn.  He objectifies Black Canary for her singing voice and beauty..   

Black Mask asserts his power and authority over the underworld by  his control over women.  In one  frightening scene, he believes one of the women at his club is laughing at him for his failure to capture Cass, so he orders her  to stand on a table, then for her boyfriend to rip open her dress with a knife because he finds it ugly.

In summary he represents the patriarchy.  He represents sexist, abusive men.   He’s a representation of social norms and ideals that are repressive and disgusting, and rob women of their agency, and self-worth. He represents the use of violence, not for noble reasons, but as a means to control women and lash out at those that defy him and supposedly wronged him .

Furthering this line of thought are  the costumes. Black Canary’s costumes represent the amount of control, Black Mask has in her life.  When we first see her, Dinah is wearing a long black netted evening gown that accents her legs as she sings “It’s a Man’s Man’s World”. Later she wears  a blue tank top and gold, tightfitting pants clearly meant to draw our gaze to her ass and thighs. When she’s Black Mask’s driver, she’s wearing a Bra/crop top that bares her midriff under a short blue blaze, but when she decides she’s going to defy him, she wears a yellow tank top and jeans with  a gold belt.

Harley’s costumes are as eclectic as she is, with her DIY caution tape shawl, stamped tops and cut up shorts.  Huntress’s outfits are all black leather and punkish athletic wear, utilitarian and elegant in their simplicity while Reene wears  a  “I shave my balls for this” t-shirt reflecting her uncouth, blunt demeanor, as well as button down  dress shirts and slacks for the climactic asskicking montage .  

Cass is a kid,who clearly doesn’t have the funds for super nice clothes. She;s running around in ratty shorts and a worn out hoody with  a red windbreaker, with an orange bandanna askew on her head.  At the end, when she rides off with Harley, she copying Harley’s style.

Speaking of costumes, one thing I appreciate is that instead of the male gaze and sexualisation, we get what I like to call “passive fan service”  What I mean is that instead of tracking shots on Harley’s ass or boob shoots, like in Suicide Squad  the camera just lets these women’s beauty do the talking. 

 Huntress is wearing a sports bra and tactical pants for the climax, but the camera doesn’t linger on her boobs.  A primary example of this is a lot of Padme’s scenes in Episodes II and III of Star Wars.  Lucas knows Natalie Portman is a gorgeous woman and he doesn’t need to remind us by deliberate camera shots.  He lets Natalie herself and Trisha Biggar’s excellent costumes do it for us. 

Also one thing I really… really liked was how in the big penultimate fight, Harley actually passes Dinah a hair tie so she can get her hair out of the way. So for like a minute, she’s beating the ever loving fuck out of goons with her legs as she ties up her hair.  A very nice case of reality ensures.

In conclusion Birds of Prey is another notch in the belt for the DC cinematic universe, a solid, fun film with  an excellent cast with clear chemistry, hampered by character derailment that undermines its sorely needed themes and message it's trying to convey.   The plot is  fast paced, but doesn't feel rushed even though it’s only a little over an hour long.  It’s uncompromisingly  bold, bloody and hilarious. The lack of a proper post credits scene is somewhat annoying and I'm very disappointed how Cass was handled , but this is by no means a terrible film. 

Overall I give it a 8.9 out of 10.  Highly recommend you go see it. Drag your friends, smuggle in as much candy and drinks as you can.  Buy it when it comes out on DVD.   If you’re a Cass fan, reread the Puckett run or pick up her new graphic novel Shadow of the Batgirl to wash out the bittersweet taste this will give you.  Speaking of Kelley Puckett, he was actually listed in the “Special thanks to…”  in the credits, which i’m sure many will appreciate.

These following posts and thoughts on the film I recommend.

https://dcwomenofcolor.tumblr.com/post/190693985900/how-would-you-fix-bop-cass

https://wits-writing.tumblr.com/post/190718974642/birds-of-prey-movie-review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YeFJjoQoec

[tarysande]

You mentioned previously issues Chloe definitely has regarding self-worth and being worthy of love. Would you be willing to expand on that?

In a heartbeat.

Some of this is inference, but I do think there’s some pretty significant support for everything in the show. I’m going to try and break it down into eras of Chloe’s life.

Chloe, her parents, and her childhood/youth: Chloe is an only child who was born to parents who had essentially given up on having children/believed they couldn’t have children. While this means she was doubtless loved, I think there’s also a strong likelihood that love came with a side of relief that bordered on desperation. From things she’s said to Lucifer, we also know Chloe would’ve liked to have siblings; this indicates she felt lonely, always wanting something she couldn’t have. 

We know Penelope is dramatic; there’s no reason to believe she was any less dramatic about her precious miracle child. John was definitely the stable one, but he worked a dangerous job–every family connected with law enforcement knows, on some level, the day may come when the parent doesn’t come home. So, Chloe grew up with a kind of low-grade fear in the background of family life. We also know Penelope was (because she still is) constantly either working or trying to get work as an actor. Chloe’s response to her mom “using” Trixie as a prop indicates that she still, even years later, has a lot of strong feelings about that side of things. To me, this indicates that Chloe being an actress wasn’t so much about what she wanted as what Penelope wanted–I think this is supported by the fact that her first movie is what can perhaps generously be termed a B-movie, and one where her breasts were bare no less. In other words, Chloe looked to be following in her mother’s footsteps.

So, I need to talk about acting and self-esteem for a second. Given what we know about Chloe as an adult, I don’t think she was thrilled about Hot Tub High School… but it was a means to an end. Do the crap movie so you can maybe get a better one and hope you don’t get typecast as the actress with the boobs (guys, there are a lot of reasons actors insist on nudity clauses in their contracts). Acting, especially in Hollywood, focuses a lot on looks. You cannot avoid it. So, doubtless there was a lot of pressure on young Chloe to look a certain way, be a certain size, be pretty, don’t be too clever, be likable, do what they say. Chloe was conditioned to think this way because of the world she was traversing from childhood.

And it was a mask. It was something she put on to please her mom. It was a way of receiving praise. And of course she wanted praise. She had few friends (another trait that has carried into adulthood), didn’t have a “normal” life. And Chloe is sensitive. We see over and over how sensitive she is, how she’s the first to touch someone’s shoulder when they’re in pain, how she can step into the shoes of someone to see things from their point of view to talk them out of shooting a gun, for example. I don’t think it’s a stretch to imagine she was very lonely. 

But she had her dad. Kind dad, loving dad, stable dad.

And then she didn’t.

We know this loss is the catalyst for her leaving acting and joining the police force. She was only 19; in a lot of ways, she stepped off her mother’s path and immediately onto her father’s—I don’t know if Chloe has ever truly figured out Chloe’s path. I think she becomes a cop for good reasons, but there’s no doubt her father’s death—and wanting him to be proud of her the way she wanted her mother to be proud of her as she pursued acting–is a huge motivation. I suspect she put her nose down and studied and excelled and didn’t make any friends at the Academy because Chloe can be intensely single-minded.

Chloe and Dan: We know Dan is the first friendly face Chloe sees when she joins the Department. In a different story, of course that would mean theirs is a match made in Heaven (groan)… but this show tackles psychology more realistically than that. Chloe, still looking for praise and for guidance and for someone to be proud of her, throws herself willingly into Dan’s orbit. She takes all the years of loneliness and the disconnected life of an actor (acting is strange because for a few weeks or months you are intensely close with everyone around you and then you disperse and chances are most of those super-close relationships fizzle) and she devotes herself to the first man who shows interest and is kind to her. For a while, she follows Dan on his path: Dan becomes Detective, Chloe becomes Detective. But, as we see, Chloe isn’t a detective like Dan is. She isn’t about open-and-shut or following the rules if the rules are stupid and her gut is telling her something else. She follows her gut and luckily that often leads to evidence she can use. Still, she’s a woman in a man’s world; she says as much. Nothing is easy and, I suspect, she still feels lonely. She still feels like it’s Chloe against the world even though she’s just trying to help people. Which brings us to…

Chloe and Palmetto: Probably just as Chloe’s starting to feel like she belongs–she and Dan are married, so that’s an identity; she’s a mom, so that’s an identity; she’s a detective, so that’s an identity–Palmetto happens and she is suddenly *cough* kicked out of Heaven and left to a personal Hell. Everything (except Trixie–but of course she worries about Trixie and all these changes) starts to fall apart. People at the precinct range from dismissive to outright cruel. She doesn’t have a partner; no one wants to work with her (she’s lonely again, and also stung that people who previously claimed to like her immediately turned their backs when she didn’t fall in line even though she’s certain the line is based on a lie). Chloe may not be as dogmatic about not-lying as Lucifer is, but she still hates dishonesty.

It’s heavily implied that her relationship with Dan starts breaking down around this point. We know it’s likely because Dan is being torn apart by the lies he’s telling her, but Chloe doesn’t have any idea; with her intuitiveness, she picks up that something is wrong, but she blames herself. Chloe doesn’t have a circle of friends; she doesn’t have people to lean on; her dad left (not by choice), her mom fell apart (leaving her to be the grown-up way too young) and is often gone. Eventually, Chloe and Dan separate and we know Chloe sees this as necessary but also a failure; she takes things personally and doesn’t have a support network or family or history of shrugging things off. She is sensitive and perceived failure, perceived rejection, hurt her deeply. She puts on a brave face because she’s Chloe Decker and she is strong and independent and tough (she has to be) but inside? Inside, she’s thinking “Of course, he left. They always leave. There’s something wrong with me.” (Which is corroborated by her reaction when Pierce leaves her so abruptly: more on that later.)

Chloe and Lucifer:

So, Lucifer enters Chloe’s life. He’s… totally insane, in her opinion. But he gets results. More than that, he wants to work with her. She doesn’t trust all the attention he lavishes on her (she’s doubtless thinking “Ugh, he only wants one thing.”). This is important. After everything she’s been through, Chloe doesn’t open up easily and she doesn’t trust easily. Even though he’s weird and has his stupid metaphors and thinks he’s the Devil, Lucifer appears to like her more than anyone else has in ages.

Here’s what’s even more important: he looks to her for guidance. He trusts her as an expert worthy of listening to. He doesn’t always understand why she wants things done certain ways but he values her opinions. At this point? I don’t think Chloe has felt her opinions were valid for a very, very long time. If ever. I love Dan now, but in the flashback ep, we see how dismissive and Dan-knows-best he is; that was unhealthy for her. Bad conditioning. Because at the heart of it, Lucifer’s bad childhood conditioning may be more dramatic and obvious, but Chloe is actually hurting and broken just as much. 

Suddenly, she’s not as lonely. She’s got Lucifer around to bounce ideas off of and sit on stakeouts with. Yeah, he comes with a side of sexual innuendo and some mind-boggling bad decisions but she starts tentatively feeling like she’s part of a partnership. And, time and time again, Lucifer sticks up for her, tells her how great she is, makes her feel important and valued. She’s sensitive and she’s intuitive and even if she rolls her eyes, she knows he’s not lying to her. She just doesn’t know how to process everything; no one treats her the way Lucifer treats her. No one listens to her the way Lucifer does. Lucifer doesn’t brush her aside. He’s aggravating and annoying and funny and clever and from the moment she sees the scars on his back she wants to protect him from whatever hurt him so badly. 

So, yes, of course she lets herself be vulnerable. It’s been so long and she’s so scared and… and we know what happens. Chloe runs smack into Lucifer’s problems without really understanding what they are. The (sometimes massive) stumbles in their relationship come from not clearly communicating, which is the slow death (or stillbirth) of any relationship.

Chloe and Lucifer and Heartbreak:

This is the hard part. This is where the writers did not pull their punches even though so many others would have. The audience gets a more intimate peek inside Lucifer’s head because we see him so often with Linda. But here’s the thing: When Lucifer left Chloe without a word, his actions destroyed all the progress she’d made since meeting him. Suddenly, she’s unlovable again, she was left again, she was replaced instantly, she very literally was kicked out of a personal Heaven into an unrelenting Hell-loop where every time she turns around there’s Lucifer but he’s different he’s not the Lucifer who told her she was special. We, the audience, know Lucifer’s reasoning but Chloe does not. From Chloe’s point of view, Lucifer is hot and cold constantly and she never knows which he’ll be. He cares but not the way she wants. He cares but won’t let himself say he cares. He cares but pretends he doesn’t. He is a goddamned mess, and she cares about him but it is so unhealthy for her. Even though Lucifer claims he doesn’t ever want to hurt her or lie to her, in a lot of ways his treatment of her borders on emotionally abusive. He just doesn’t know it and she thinks, because of her poor self-esteem, she deserves it. I think it is vitally important to understand that from the end of 2x13 and throughout the entirety of season 3, Chloe is dealing with heartbreak. But she’s Chloe Decker. She can’t just quit. She can’t cry all day and stop going to work. She has to help people. 

Chloe and Pierce:

Obviously, Chloe never really loved Pierce. She’s been in love with Lucifer the whole time even though I’m sure no one wishes she could get over him more than she does. But let’s talk about Pierce: Chloe starts out with a bit of a crush. He’s handsome, sure, but again, here’s the most important part: when he tells her she’s his best detective, when he tells her she can’t have the union rep job because it’s for washouts, when he compliments her solve rates, he’s pouring his praise and pride into the dry well. Chloe doesn’t trust Lucifer’s praise anymore, since he hurt her. But Pierce’s praise substitutes and it’s the praise she craves; the pride he claims to feel for her and her work and her specialness.

Pierce still messes with her self-esteem though. She asks him out, and he rebuffs her (she’s unlovable, there’s something wrong with her). When he asks her out (sort of), she dives in headfirst because she is so desperate to feel loved, to feel connected to someone again. And Pierce feeds her every morsel of ideal romance he can manipulate. He tells her he’s all in. In every way, he gives her what she thinks she wants: stability, normalcy, not Lucifer. 

Everything about the Pierce breakup is about Lucifer breaking up with her, leaving, and coming back different and, apparently, no longer interested in her. Just like Lucifer’s rage at Pierce in the aftermath (”How could you hurt her?”) is 98% displaced rage at himself because in that moment Lucifer realizes what he did to Chloe and how much he hurt her. She speaks the heart of her issues herself: “I’m just trying not to take it personally, because it’s not like it’s the first time this has happened. So, I just wonder if it’s something I’m doing.” Of course she thinks it’s something she’s doing; again, some part of her thinks it’s what she deserves, somehow. (Which makes her tearful confrontation with Lucifer later in the episode all the more heartbreaking.)

The whirlwind part of the romance–supported by her revelations in 3x22–is that, as Lucifer’s off playing Chloe to solve a case, she’s playing Lucifer to “be happy.” From her perspective, Lucifer takes what he wants, he’s spontaneous, he doesn’t feel guilt or shame, he’s never lonely or alone, life’s always a party and he’s always the star; he’s happier than she is. He’s everything she’s not (in her opinion): charming, lovable, attractive, someone people want to be with. He does the choosing and leaving. The irony, of course, is that in “playing Lucifer” she ends up alone in a party bus, drunk and sad and lonely and regretting her life choices. Which is, as Amenadiel points out so eloquently early in the season, the hard nugget of truth at the heart of all Lucifer’s outrageous behavior. And, I think Chloe starts to realize this, which is why the scene in 3x23 can happen and be meaningful.

Now, Chloe’s not stupid. She’s still hurting and still bleeding but I think Lucifer’s mania about “going back to normal” in 3x23 is eye-opening for her, too. It’s too desperate, and damn if she doesn’t know desperate. Her whole “relationship” with Pierce was her ping-ponging from desperate fix to desperate fix, trying to feel happy and not alone again. It was doomed to fail for more reasons than Pierce being, you know, a villain and a murderer. 

What Next?

Sorry to break it to you, but neither Chloe nor Lucifer is actually in an emotional or psychological place to be blissfully happy right now (even aside from the revelations of the finale). Chloe has to keep figuring out what she wants without reference to the men in her life. Lucifer has to genuinely understand what he did wrong and how badly he hurt her because otherwise they won’t be able to return to the place of love and trust and mutual pride they were about to dive into in 2x13 (which still would’ve ultimately faced the issue that he hadn’t convinced her who he really was; that knowledge is NECESSARY for their relationship. The problem wasn’t that Dad was manipulating her, it’s that Lucifer, by omission, was).

Chloe knows Lucifer has the capacity for so much good, so much love, so much tenderness and kindness and gentleness. She sees to the heart of him in ways he can’t even see himself. That said, Lucifer needs to see Chloe less as a miracle on a pedestal and more as a woman with wounds and imperfections and agency; he absolutely needs to get over thinking of her as someone to be “protected”; she can take care of herself and as long as he’s more worried about protecting her than being her friend and partner and lover, they can’t be in a healthy relationship. They both of them need to get past idealized notions and start dealing with the real guts of good relationships: trust, trust, communication, and trust. Even when it hurts. Even when it’s ugly. Chloe is not something that can “fix” Lucifer any more than Lucifer can “fix” Chloe. They are catalysts for each other but the change has to happen from within. (Linda’s like “Right?? I keep saying that!!”)

Do I think they can get there? Hell yes, I do. Do I think it’s a three-episode arc? Ohhhhh nooooo. Even if they go the “We’re in a relationship” route there are massive hurdles to jump and numerous lessons to learn. It’s definitely a season. It’s going to be fascinating and is yet another reason someone needs to save lucifer ASAP. 

In sum, everyone needs to spend more time on Linda’s great couch and Linda needs to get paid more.

[vivace-joyous]

The Umbrella Academy 1x01-03

okay, so I have been watching this new show cause y’all know I love me some group based narratives. And the premise feels very fun with lots of ways they can play around with it. It’s like Sense8 if Sense8 focused more on worldbuilding and constructing an overarching narrative to connect all the characters too. However, I find these two shows to be inverses of each other even though their premises are similar thematically. UA and S8 (how I will abbreviate them) seem to excel and stumble in a complementary fashion. Before I get too deep in what I mean, I should talk more about just the UA itself and my general impressions over the first 3 episodes.

OVERALL, it’s enjoyable. I feel like the world building and the over arching plot are the two main elements propelling me through the series. Which like... GOOD! That’s what is supposed to happen when watching a show. If you don’t like the story, watching the show feels like a task. But I am genuinely intrigued by the mystery of the show and what will happen next. Five: “The world will end in 8 days.” Vanya “I’ll put some coffee on then.” Solid way to end a pilot and leave me wanting more. Not just for the next episode, but that is a great way to kick off the first season. BOOM! The Hargreaves have to band together and stop the world end of the world. I just appreciate this because it gives a solid foundation for all other storylines to center around. It is something your brain can stay conscious of throughout each episode and I feel that is such a strong element and important element for a tv show to posses to be good. 

Continuing with the writing, I think so far the pace is decent and the writing is competent from episode to episode. The less important, character-driven storylines are given weight but never take too much focus from the main plot. The dialogue is passable. It doesn’t have a very distinct personality to itself though. If the character is not eccentric themselves, then they probably won’t ever say anything interesting. Which ugh ehh. I just wish the dialogue called more intention to itself because that way the writers could infuse more character moments in fun little quibs. However, it does its job so I can’t complain. 

But I will complain about the use of flashback in the show. The flashbacks feel more used to quickly establish something that is happening in the present day storyline than really be anything more than that. Which is.. like technically okay and the POINT of a flashback. But it is so cliche and I believe there are other, more unique ways to deliver information than just cutting to a flashback. Granted, I do love seeing then team as young teens fighting crime. That’s super cool and I wish the show showed more of that. Cause MY GOD does this show need some more ACTION scenes in it. 

I feel like my biggest problem in the first 3 episodes is that the action feels second to the drama and that totally needs to be reversed. I’m so sorry, but outside of whatever Five is doing, all the other individual character storylines are so fucking boring. I don’t care what any of them do when it doesn’t relate to the main plot. I think that’s why I like Diego’s character cause his whole thing is ABOUT the main plot. I mean, I feel like the show will deliver in terms of action. It’s clear that more insane elements will get thrown in and the filmmakers do like the demonstrate the special powers in fun ways. So I am excited to see what action scenes will come up. I just think overall the show needs more cause the melodrama kinda sorta makes the episodes drag. Like, why is Diego constantly in his fight clothes but he has only been in 2 fight scenes? And Five has like what 3 or 4 in just the first 3 episodes? 

And MY GOD DO I HATE HOW THIS SHOW IS SHOT!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH the cinematography is fucking crap. I hate how it is lit. I hate how the director decided to compose the shots. I hate how there appears to be this like.... haze fliter???? on everything??? Like every scene looks cloudy. It’s like supersaturated. I don’t like it cause 1) I feel it does not help the tone of the show. I feel like we shouldn’t take everything so seriously and have more fun with the premise. But this smoky haze filter makes everything more somber and I think it bumps with most of what actually happens on the show. And 2) it genuinely makes it harder to make out expressions in the actor’s faces. Ugh fire the DP. They are doing a terrible job. 

Let’s talk about the individual characters:

1) Luther. Hate him. Boring white man. Why is he “the leader of the family” after the dad has passed? Like he has not a single interesting aspect about himself. I am honestly so bored every time he talks. And it doesn’t help with the fact that the actor’s head is way too small for the illusion they are trying to create for the character. It’s like “Yeah, let’s put a stale ass, tiny ass white man head on this GIANT 7 foot muscle clad body. He just looks bizarre cause his face says “5′11″ and toned” but his body is that of a bodybuilder. I just wish they found an actor who is just massive like that already for the show. The ridiculous costume they have him in honestly takes me out of it for a bit. And it doesn’t help that they actor isn’t really trying to do anything with the character. Luther says lines. Luther is strong. That’s about it. I will say that despite him being “Number 1″ and “the leader of the family” the show hasn’t given him that much screen time and we still don’t know much about him at all. Which I really appreciate cause it is giving a lot of other (more interesting) characters necessary focus and thus makes getting through Luther scenes that much easier. I don’t know need to learn more about it. Just have him be strong in a corner. 

2) Diego. MY FUTURE HUSBAND!!!!!! HE IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!! I WILL SUCK THE SOUL OUT OF HIS DICK AND ASS HE IS SO FINE OMG yeah badass martial artist who throws knives and has a bit of an anger management problem. I am SMITTEN! I mean eww why the fuck does he have to be straight and keep hitting on that one detective. Honestly, ugh I hate that he is straight. It’s boring and unoriginal. It would have been neat for him to be asexual. He is good looking so people assume that he would be a lady killer. But he is WAY too obsessed with fighitng crime that he literally doesn’t pay attention to his own sexuality. But WAHTEVER! The queer character has to be the eccentric one with the drug problem alkfhadlskfadslkfbdskh ANYWAYS I like hos Diego adds a healthy amount of doubt amongst the group. In terms of constructing group dynamics, he is a lancer AKA the one always playing devil’s advocate. I think he adds a valuable perspective to the team and it will be interesting to see how the family will solve problems with integration of Diego’s help. I don’t like how the show handle showing the relationship between Diego and Mom/ Grace. But I will dive more into that when I talk about the flashbacks.

3) Allison. My god is she boring. But like, in the perspective in how she is an actress, yet doesn’t act like an actress. I mean, yes some actors can act like “normal people” but like... most actors don’t. I say this as someone who lives in LA and knows actors. They have BIG PERSONALITIES. They like to be KNOWN! However, Allison just feels way too subdued and “normal”. Like, okay she must have pursued an acting career of her own violation. So she must be a person who loves attention and strives for their chance to be in the spotlight. Everything needs to revolve around them. But that’s not Allison. She isn’t really anything. She is concerned about her daughter... if feel like that’s the only real thing we have learned about her so far. I wish her narrative had an angle about her being attention seeking. During the scene when all the siblings were reading Vanya’s autobigraphy, the voiceover cut to Allison when the VO mentioned attention seeking. Which, if that is an aspect of Allison’s character, then SHOW it to us. Have her do SOMETHING besides give creepy incest bedroom eyes to Luther. 

4) Klaus. Finally, an interesting character! His powers are unique yet have a direct influence on how his personality is shaped. His is a drug addict because dead people are constantly trying to talk to him. Kinda sorta metaphor for the mentally unwell and how they abuse drugs because “It makes the voices go away”. They just have a lot of things they can do with him and the writers know this. They obviously have some extra fun when writing him. I just wish the other characters were a lot more sympathetic towards him. Like.... maybe try and talk to him about his drug problem? Rather than patronize it literally every single time you talk to him. SERIOUSLY every single scene Klaus is in with one of his siblings, they always HAVE to mention his drug problem AND THEN scold him for it. Like............ that’s not very constructive? Like at all! But I guess that’s just how some families are to one another. Also, it is very interesting to see how they are handling Robert Sheehan’s performance in UA compared to Misfits. In Misfits, he has a tendency to devour each scene he was in, to the point where he felt like the central character of that show. But Nathan was such a great character, that often times you didn’t mind how he would steamroll over others because it was done in such an entertaining way. But in the UA, the director’s have chosen to use Robert Sheehan’s signature eccentric style to flavour the scenes, rather than change the tone of the scene altogether (unlike how they used Nathan in Misfits). Anyways, I am most intrigued to see what they will do with his character. 

5) Five. I don’t have too much to say about him because I feel like there is a lot more to be discovered about this character. Overall, I like the concept around the character and tbh he gets some of the best scenes in the first 3 episodes. I am truly impressed with the actor portraying this character. I think he is doing quite a great job in giving us the nuances of the character. A 58-year-old trapped in the body of a 13-year-old. Like, I get that. I see that. It works and I am here for it. 

6) Ben. WOW so the one Asian one is dead and barely gets any lines. Ugh okay. Really REALLY want to learn more about him. Really intrigued with how he died to begin with. Hopefully the show shares this story element in an interesting way that connects to the main plot in a way other than just thematically. 

7) Vanya. I.... I wanna hold my tongue about her. Cause she is obviously the audience perspective character for this world. So there isn’t much to say about her besides her being a tool to help the audience get integrated into the show’s world. I just... I gotta wait cause I feel like they are going to do something cool with her character and I don’t wanna make any.... undeserved assumptions. I just want more from her which like... I guess is a good thing?