#i could rewatch ahs tbf

[ebisul]

TCW Rewatch: Season 3 Episodes 5-8

More Satine episodes. I don’t even disagree with her like goals and motivations I just personally dont like her personality and methodology.

Tbf i also really dont like the portrayal of Mandalore in general in this series. These notes i think explain my issues with this portrayal fairly well tho.

Episode 5: Corruption

* More Satine episodes oh boy…

* Satine wins neutrality for Mandalore but this brands her an outsider from the Republic and makes it difficult to aid the mandalorians

* Padme goes to Mandalore for a diplomatic visit hoping to alleviate tension as Mandalore is consumed with greed

* In the masses of the Mandalorian people is spotted one (1) person of color in the swathes of blonde or red haired, white people

* Arguing about trade routes and smuggling supplies

* Discussions of war, neutrality, and corruption between padme and satine, padme says she sometimes wishes she could follow mandalore in becoming a neutral planet, she also says she works to overcome the corruption of the republic and that she believes it is possible to do so

* Children are getting poisoned

* She says the terrorist attacks have only been targeted at her and her administration as if they didnt plant a bomb in a populated area and harm innocents if im remembering correctly

* The sterility of Mandalore irks me, I know it’s probably meant to be this like “ooh look how clean and peaceful” but it just looks offputting this is supposed to be a school for children and it looks like a stereotypical mental institution. Theres no color, the children where drab grey uniforms, its so strange

* And again there are only blonde white children in that entire cafeteria

* It took children getting poisoned to admit to corruption? Not the multiple traitors youve had to deal with?

* Greed kills

* Padmes such a badass i love her

* Ah… That Scene… this is another example of what i dislike about Satine bc shes being totally unreasonable her, she wants to destroy evidence for her own investigation, and when someone says “but you’re destroying evidence thats not a good idea” she threatens to arrest him for something he didnt do, effectively framing him for what? Having the audacity to point out the flawed logic?

* Also coming back to the “we sent all of our warriors to the moon” thing, what about your literal police force?

* She understands that her government is corrupt but what is she really doing to root out the corruption?

* Almec says he will investigate

* It is a good idea to take this to the Jedi directly as opposed to taking it to the Republic bc they would just send the Jedi anyway and the Republic will just turn them away for their neutrality

Episode 6: The Academy

* Love that it recognizes that Mandalore is deeply corrupt, instead of doubling down on the whole idyllic peace bullshit facade they have

* Also did they ever actually come to a conclusion on the trade issues? I dont think so but like thats hella important

* Im saying this now but i do not subscribe to the Korkie is a Kenobi theory and actively dislike it for so many reasons

* Ahsoka explains corruption very well, i especially like the “its every citizens duty to challenge their leaders” although Satine probably would disagree all things considered

* Shes accidentally radicalizing the students its great

* Who are these goat guys? They keep showing up

* Ofc the police are corrupt, theyre police

* He totally couldve lost his leg there

* What a surprise… the prime minister is the traitor…

* So was Satine aware of Almec? I assume she was already investigating

* Ok that’s torture

* And coercion but i dont think thats a war crime

Episode 7: Assassin

* Aurra Sing is DEAD??? Since when???

* Do you think someone should explain to her that learning more on the field than at the temple is not a jedi thing? This is another example of Ahsoka being trained as a soldier and commander rather than a jedi padawan

* Is she worried about Anakin? If so thats sweet

* Oh shes traumatized

* “Troubled” Yoda its called trauma

* Or its just a nightmare

* Baby you are a Padawan, a Student, you are meant to study and learn. You arent a soldier

* So Aurra Sing is alive supposedly and targeting Padme

* Bail and Padme are meant to lead a conference on Alderaan concerning refugees from the war. It is nice to see some of the senators genuinely care for the people.

* Padme and Ahsoka have a cute relationship very older sister, or rather older sister in law

* They really dont seem to be teaching visions very well at Jedi school even though it doesn’t seem to be liek that uncommon

* All these bitches got visions why are you not teaching them about said visions? The children are glimpsing the horrors, Yoda!!

* An almost successful assassination attempt

* I do love when padmes allowed to be badass, i totally get why Anakin would be in love with her even if theyre both so toxic

* Oh wait its ziro?? I wasn’t expecting that i swear i watched this show before

* Whats the deal with ziro??

* Wait is it bc of the hostage situation at the end of season 1? I dont remember how that ended

Episode 8: Evil Plans

* Is this the cad bane torturing droids episode?

* I just love to see Todo and Bane

* R2 is such a diva i love it

* I know coruscant is meant to be like epitome of corruption in the GFFA but goddamn is it ugly hidden behind the pretty lights

* Does that make sense or is it just the ADHD brain talking

* Bane knows R2 by name? Ok ig

* I actually still havent picked up on what Bane is looking for

* In my defense my brain fog makes my ADHD worse and i dont wanna rewatch the episode

* Why does Jabba need the Senate floor plans?

* Does this episode take place pre- season 1 episode 22? I still have no idea if Ziro was recaptured or not

* Wait why does R2 even have the senate floor plans?

War Crime Counter:

Separatists: 13

Republic: 7

No new war crimes this time only because idk if i should count them considering the guilty parties arent on the board

[coffeelovesdramasalatte]

LITA Ep 3 Rewatch Thoughts

Hi friends! Here we are at ep 3, and these posts are getting longer by the episode so grab a lil snack and some water if you want <3 I had to make a part 2 because the number of images got to be too many (linked here and below)

The opening continues to slap (plus I think I've listened to it enough times I think I can sing along with the chorus despite not knowing more than 8 Thai words)

Recap spanks hehe

Opening the episode up strong with this beauty (am I talking about the bike or Phayu in the folded coverall? clearly it's both)

SCHEMING CUTIE ALERT!!! That's the Sky-is-my-new-favorite-person smile <3

I'm dyingggg - Phayu says "I'm still waiting Rain" but bro, it's only been like 10 hours since the declaration of love-war, please calm down

Oops I realized I haven't been mentioning the episode titles - this one is so cute! 'I like Rain, and I'm not talking about the weather" but tbf this should have been episode 1's title

Live footage of me crying over my schedule as a grad student:

Dang, Sky has got a good poker face

Also Rain and I are equally dumb (I'm including myself here bc if I didn't already know Prapai and Sky were going to have a storyline I probably wouldn't have assumed he liked guys right off the bat) - Sky didn't even flinch when Rain writes down his mission to court Phayu (a guy) and immediately writes down the first tactic. WHICH incidentally is "show up in front of him every day". It's pretty full-circle that Prapai uses this same tactic to woo Sky later on, isn't it? (I also didn't notice that until right now so wow these rewatch posts are helping my analysis skills lmao)

Look at my determined son!! He's gonna get his mans!! (Sky's looking a little skeptical tho)

Ah Sig my beloved other son who has a single braincell bouncing around in his head like a DVD player screensaver

The Rain-at-the-garage montage contains so many cute shots but this would get too long if I put every single one in, so let's focus on the first meeting with the brothers-in-law (P'Saifah and Rain). How much must Phayu have described Rain for P'Saifah to instantly know who he is on sight? Also P'Saifah probably reported back to Phayu immediately and I'm kinda sad we don't get to see that convo.

I didn't catch this until now but they also foreshadowed Rain missing a deadline in the next scene. Sky tells Rain to finish his work but as soon as Phayu texts him, Rain runs out of the room without having done anything.

Listen, I love P'Aon and his matchmaking skills ok??

Look at Rain, he's trying so hard to be polite with the P'Phayu and the khrap - what a good boy! It's taking everything in him tho lmaooo

The conversation that comes right after this between P'Saifah and Rain is pretty interesting. I love how the narrative keeps trying to tell us that Phayu is some sort of dangerous fellow when all he's done is be a model student and mechanic and teach college freshmen good manners. Could he maybe learn a little something about physical boundaries? Perhaps, but maybe it's just how kind-looking Boss is, but I never got any sense of danger from Phayu, and esp not towards Rain. Rain's reaction to hearing presumably about Phayu's past relationships is quite on-point, and really cements the stubborn and determined attitude he takes towards getting Phayu to like him. It's how we as the audience know he's gonna be successful.

Next up, Phayu arrives in all his fashionably-late glory. This part has me smirking every time because he walks in all suave and stuff but approximately 7 seconds into Rain's pouting he immediately drops all pretenses and becomes so squishy and soft

I LOVE this exchange between them - again, we are getting a full picture of their early relationship dynamics. Phayu has expectations that Rain's gonna be different, and Rain's telling him he's gonna meet those expectations, and Phayu's satisfied "ah just as I thought" face makes an appearance.

I absolutely adore this expression on Rain/Noeul - it's so subtle but powerful

Yay dinner date!! Phayu is taking so many mental notes right here (also pls note this is the same face Rain is making right above)

Phayu is way too good at pressing Rain's buttons omg - he really got Rain to do this with like a single sentence of teasing (tbf Rain is pretty impulsive tho so I'm not surprised)

The poor serviceperson was like pls let me go

Phayu goes through this episode looking wayyy too satisfied imo

But Rain actually does have nice manners - he gave Phayu the utensils and bowl first and does say thank you

This smile should be illegal actually bc it is stealing my heart and soul

And we get another instance of Phayu being very not immune to Rain's pout (this time he doesn't even get to pout for 3 whole seconds before concerned Phayu is feeding him and patting his mouth with a napkin)

We get some more foreshadowing that Rain is going to miss a deadline

ok THIS. These small gestures that Phayu does for Rain have me swooning just as much as their intimate scenes. Something about that sentence is grammatically incorrect but you get my point, right? They could have easily not included them (and idk if these were even scripted) but they make the relationship that much sweeter and believable.

Slightly off-screen headpat alert!!

AND WE GET IT IN POV SHOT TOO

Live footage of us whenever PhayuRain do anything:

Get you someone who looks at you the way Sig looks at his writing utensil (Have I mentioned I adore him yet?)

Also wait he's not wrong!!!

We get Rain's voice jumping like 10 octaves this time lmao (the increase is proportional to how much he loves Phayu obvs)

Look at our smart boy!! He's won design awards, y'know

Phayu you are not allowed to bully P'Aon like this - he's literally on your side??

Rain: I don't want to see Phayu

Also Rain: ignores Ple, the teachers, his friends, his homework to run to the garage to give Phayu snacks

Part 2 here (y'all we're literally only halfway through the episode omg)

[cemeteryflora]

I really need a good series to like captivate me for a while does anyone have any recs

[starbuck]

@ your discourse tags - you really do take the Hits for us by absorbing the takes in the tags huh!! whenever you post about the BS tag I get morbidly curious but then remind myself that you read it so I didn't have to sjsbkdhs

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF it's really not That Bad (although I suppose I can't speak to what's being posted by people I got too annoyed with and blocked so skjfhskffjhdsjgsdg WHO KNOWS!!!).

What I mainly find it helpful for is figuring out what points have already been made A Lot and thus don't need to be repeated by me. And, I mean, it's probably near-impossible to be original in a fandom for a show that ended four years ago but I try my best!

[faejilly]

@beatperfume replied to your post “<p>In regards to the whole Magnus not apologizing and therefore Alec...”

Waiting Game is by bbk! I only wish I had written it. <3

I literally frowned at this reply because obviously bbk wrote it, I even linked to it in the post, why were you saying this? Somehow I both mentioned and tagged you instead of bbk and didn’t even notice? 😳

Brains are the worst, thanks for yelling at mine 😅

(and this got rather absurdly long... )

@vellesian replied to your post “<p>tbf magnus did apologize in 3x15 :D</p>”

3x15? That he said he was wrong and that Alec can talk to friends? That's so minor I forgot about it :/

oh, is that what nonny meant? I really thought there was a dashed off sorry somewhere in the Lilith mess. I guess now I have to rewatch to figure it out! (Oh no, the hardship.)

@quilleth mentioned you on a post “7kpp Prompt Fill: Breathe”

@faejilly it really is such a good moment!

ikr? Ah, such a good game. 

@vellesian replied to your post “<p>That’s actually hilarious how Magnus specifically considers...”

I'm cry

Thank you! Sorry? (BothIsGood.gif)

@ladymatt replied to your post “<p>tbf magnus did apologize in 3x15 :D</p>”

I did! It's why I said Magnus doesn't apologise 'enough' in my tags and not 'at all'! But I knew what you were trying to say!

thank you! Glad I’m at least marginally comprehensible... *laughs*

@lynne-monstr mentioned you on a post “oh crap my family is figuring out there are apps to do video chat...”

yeah I think blaming the wifi is the best way to do this without hurt feelings. (lol I don't do well with video without makeup,even for family)

blame the wifi! always an option

(tho I cannot relate, I’m fine with being a goblin in the semi-public of a video chat. It’s amazing how often the whoops forgot to shower today used to line up with my online RPG night, and I still turned on that webcam every week 🤣)

@angelrtsy95 replied to your post “<p>Ok but what are your Smallville opinions?!?!?! Inquiring minds wish...”

Thanks for answering! I really loved some of the plot arcs, but some that I liked just seemed to get dropped? Like, Zatanna could have been such a fun character to bring in more of, but she only had a handful of appearances?

I HAD FORGOTTEN ZATANNA ENTIRELY

so clearly, yeah, there should have been more of her!

(The show didn’t seem to ever have a plan, tbqh, and for long-form storytelling, even the relatively stand-alone kind you get in an episodic TV show, is a really glaring flaw.)

@firstaudrina replied to your post “Fic Writer Game”

YAAAAS I accept the blame!!! I was hoping you'd do this! And WOW you've written so much, I'm so impressed!!

awww, thank you. 

I have a lot of issues watching other writers continue to post things, and finish things, and get a little hung up on it, so it’s nice to be reminded that I do actually write quite a bit, even if I can’t maintain anything like a schedule 😅

@silver-latin-and-salt mentioned you on a post “.”

<3 thank u! I'm getting there

AND YOU DID IN FACT GET THERE AND IT’S LOVELY <3

@leahazel reblogged your post and added:

For your consideration: edgy florist is a hardcore variation on the person who hangs out with animals because they can’t seem to manage to get along with people. What’s even less socially demanding than a dog or cat? A vase full of flowers, is what.

Conversely, a tattoo artist can’t make their tattoos in the back of the shop and then present them completed to the customer. They have to spend hours with each customer, working together and making sure it all comes out right. Tattooists have social skills up the wazoo.

EXACTLY.

You get me, Hazel, you really do 😅🥰

[girlbookwrm]

BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH MIGHTY ENDGAME REWATCH MEMECEPTION 2: MEMIER AND CEPTIONIER

yes i HAVE been keeping up with the rewatch but i HAVEN’T been keeping up with typing up my notes from the rewatch but BOY HOWDY I AM RUNNING OUT OF TIME AREN’T I.

Ok so here we go with Guardians 2 --

today we mourn the passing of an icon. farewell old marvel logo. ye shall be missed.

MISSOURI. EARTH. 1980.

so whose music taste does starlord actually have? his own? his mom’s? 

My Boss’s, in fact????

be it known that i work retail and the station we listen to is basically the guardians soundtrack which might sound neat but basically all these songs are dead to me now.

digitally enyouthened kurt russell must be mentally re en agened so i don't go mad like some sorry sucker faced with a lovecraftian horror tbh

34 YEARS LATER

which means 2014 confirmed which means we're actually watching this out of in-universe chronological order

our bad

this is the REAL opening. slipping back into their flashback ways i see.

Is groot dancing or fighting? both?

i love that all the action is out of focus, what we really want is Cute Groot Content and they know that.

“IT’S THE SAME THICKNESS FROM THE INSIDE AS FROM THE OUTSIDE” they said

in deliberate defiance of anthony tedward ‘you know the story of jonah and the whale?’ stark

none of this info is important or relevant

good hermit look nebula. solid hermit attire.

how does no one figure out the obvious battery thing faster? they’re not even out of the hall when he tips his hand

awwwwhwhwhh groot

~this one’s for the ladies~

i honestly can’t remember the context for that note i’m gonna assume that peter took his shirt off

it’s worth noting that drax is actually sneaky

“i will kill you”

all the ppl with siblings: *nod sagely* solid sibling interaction there.

i do love that it’s like an arcade

Just In Case You Were Wondering, The Guardians Have Not Grown Up At Alllllllllll.

sooooooooo drax going out the back -- that was the plan?

And drax is dead now, right?

and gamora?

and nebula?

and.... everyone?

BERHART

Gamora: LOOK AT THIS!!!!!!!!!

all of us: mood.

nebula is also very bad at lying. 

Kurt Russell is here

“yeah my name is very on the nose. That’s comics for ya!”

CONTRAXA

The Roommate: There’s something extra unsettling about robot prostitutes not sure what...

prostitute: *turns herself off*

The Roommate: Yep. it’s that. 

that’s extremely rude of you rocky

honestly how dare this movie make me feel feelings about yondu

The Roommate: oh hey it’s laserface

me: it’s taserface actually

The Roommate: ........ that’s so much worse?

this carpet gag deserves more appreciation

Star-Lord’s “IT’S HAPPENING” face is just

Yup, that’s ur dad

Query: is Mantis one of Ego’s kids?

“what if this man is your hasselhoff?”

git ur daddy issues

git ur daddy issues here

hang on why was gamora so pissed if they can just grow new ship parts no problem???

Mantis is so cute but more importantly

HER EYE MAKEUP GAME IS ON! POINT!

i love rocket, always, but especially here with all the singing

but not that

nope

don’t like that

Just gonna kevin mccalister this whole forest huh

these guys are also dead, yeah?

yeah.

EGO’S PLANET

good job drax excellent grasp on humility

he’s built a museum to himself here

“yes, i have a penis.”

Gamora’s FACE here omg

what did Ego look like? pre Kurt Russell? did he go around seducing alien ladies with tentacle faces all the while looking like Kurt Russell? seems unlikely, since he can make himself look like Whatever. more likely he’s just pasted the Kurt Russell face over everything now because he’s got his Kurt Russell kid here, right?

A Very Smart Question We Never Get A Real Answer To. 

literally the most unrealistic thing in this movie: how could anyone be mean to baby groot?

can we take a moment to acknowledge that this is all like hella hella dark?

y i k e s

Ok but if Nebula doesn’t kill thanos then What Is The Point.

The Roommate: Peter and his dad play catch is so predictable i’d have felt robbed if they didn’t tbh. it HAD to be in slow mo.

me: ....

me: i just thought they were throwing it real slow

we still don’t have an answer here incidentally

Mantis is at least an adopted sibling then, right?

“No Gef. It’s Too Adorable To Kill.”

them all chanting mascot is terribly on the nose

this sequence made the full funny loop. went from funny to not funny and then pushed on through back to hilarious

They knew about the fin? and just?? Left it???

EXCELLENT use of slo mo

Yondu: Too Powerful to Live

Kraglin: Keepin it tight in those leather pants

TBF i don’t even know how she WALKS in those shoes much less dances in them

The Roommate: This scene makes me sad now... given...

Me: AH GEEZE

“you like when i’m the weak one.”

me and The Roommate: *exchange looks* 

Me and The Roommate: *sweating*

Me and The Roommate: she’s one of us.

Gamora: *my sister senses are tingling*

all the ppl with siblings: *nod sagely* Solid Sibling Interaction There.

stop giving me feelings about these characters That Is Rude

Nebula and Bucky would get along i feel

“I’M GONNA MAKE SOME WEIRD SHIT” - fandom

I love this very Non Romantic Relationship

PETER are you even LISTENING to what he’s SAYING???

aw man eyes Doing That is never a good sign

y i i i i i k e s 

oh hey it’s pooter

groot even pukes adorably wtf

this film gets real fast real fast actually

ego

ego that’s gross

that’s gross ego

Gamora: NO ONE MAKES ME FEEL MY OWN FEELINGS HOW DARE U

“we’re family”

i’m sobbing

Peter goes from zero to FUCK YOU in .00002 seconds i love that sm

we love this even more

for reasons.

“That was Bein Funny.”

nOT to ME

really? all this for like? three batteries?

batteries are actually a real #theme throughout this piece aren’t they.

i LOVE THIS SONG

superhero landing

“i don’t fly the arrow with my head, boy”

“yeah. i murder from the heart.”

You know, tbh yondu and gamora had to die for p much the same reason

too powerful

aaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Y I K E S

 ugh it’s like he’s being de-Raider-ized

i just don’t like it okay

i would like to thank whoever was responsible for cutting that line off mid-schmaltz

again, a+ music cue

AND IF YOU DON’T LOVE ME NOW!!

damn. iconic.

tho how dare this movie  tbh

this is somehow a hard turn

NOPE DON’T CARE FOR THAT NO THANK YOU

listen this is a very sweet scene completely ruined because

DADDY

yondu’s accent? not a good enough reason to say daddy in this context

gosh i came out here to have a good time and i’m honestly feeling so attacked right now.

AND THEN THIS SHIT HOW DARE???????

[awkward sibling hug]

all the ppl with siblings: *nod sagely* SOLID SIBLING INTERACTION THERE.

this song is.

very rude.

Can we talk about how drax is the team dad? like. Drax is everyone’s actual literal dad -- SLEEPY BABY GROOT

single rocket tear is too much

i say to this entire end sequence:

R U D E

these end credits are unfuckingbeatable tho

[queen-boudicca]

Next up in the nuwho rewatch, Aliens of London!

Bechdel test pass: yes

Made me cry: no

Aliens of London

Oh a previously on, fun

Oh is this the one where we get the bag wolf graffiti?

"12 hours" yeah nice job nine

"Where were you" "i spent the night at Shireen's" "365 nights??"

"You've been gone a whole year oops"

BAD WOLF GRAFFITI MY BELOVED

Feel really bad for Rose here

And Jackie tbh

"I employed rose as my companion" nine how did you think that would sound

Like the doc makes mistakes all the time but tbh this was a really bad one

Oh yay the line that's super not homophobic at all

I'm choosing to believe rose meant it as a compliment

"I'm the only person that knows aliens exist" *spaceship flies over their heads into big Ben* "oh that's just not fair" ily rose

I like how they show the traffic jams

Aww yisss the very American news anchor with a very convincing accent

Tbf it could be worse

I love how they just use this same news anchor over at least the next four seasons

Love them all around the tv

Babe how do you know the body is of non terrestrial origin you can't see it and they've not done any tests or anything

Aww the cookin channel

Wait how did he make that spaceship in time? They're still looking at the wreckage how did they change their program, bake a spaceship cake, and then record the whole episode I'm so confused

TOSH

TOSH TOSH TOSH

Love the dramatic music when she pulls away the sheet

Love the reporter speculating why the mp who's in charge of sugar examining is here rn

HARRIET JONES MP FOR FLYDALE NORTH

Ah yes the fart jokes, truly the pinnacle of comedy

Evil chuckling

Blon literally has her hand over her mouth wow

Aww nine's all excited about first contact

Rip

MICKEY

Poor guy he got really mega fucked over

Also wow rtd way to handle that 

Also nine way to be a lying liar who lies

Harriet Jones ily

100% she's like why the fuck did they leave the emergency protocols on the fucking desk here where anyone can walk in and take them

Tosh again!! 

Nine shushing his sonic king shit

Getting some eight in the mortuary flashbacks rn

Love all the unit soldiers just taking orders from him bc he said it confidently

Aww piggie

Nine being so mad they shot it <3 "it was scared"

Ah more fart jokes how charming

Oh the unzipping of the heads

Also the military dude not doing anything until they murder him

Tosh and nine!

The compassion and anger nine has is just *chef's kiss*

Mickey! 

He's completely correct and justified

"He's not my boyfriend Mickey, he's much more important" jfc rose

Nine being a bitch to Mickey is... not a good look when Mickey literally had his life ruined (which also either wouldn't have been as bad or would've have happened at all if he were white) bc of his mistake

Can't even really be mad at Jackie for phoning it in like she was just tryna protect rose

Not sure why the doctor would cause a huge red alert and not just have the unit people be like "oh him"

And back to the slitheen

So it's bc it searches for keywords and they said doctor? What if someone had to make an appointment

Ah back when they were still the United nations intelligence taskforce, before they got told off by the UN for violating the Geneva convention

"They wouldn't recognize me" bullshit they know you regenerate

Oh hello helicopter

Well that's fast

Can't believe none of the soldiers saw where Mickey went 10/10 for perception

"Who's the prime minister now" "how should I know i missed a year" i mean this was before we had a new one every month

Oh an evil cop (sorry that's a bit redundant isn't it)

Love how Harriet Jones just sneaks in there

Harriet and rose bonding!

Lol rose just grabs her arms when she starts crying

Yay nine dominating the meeting 

Well rip the prime minister I guess

I feel bad for the assistant guy i liked him but I'm pretty sure he dies

There's simply too much evil laughter in this

LITERALLY WHY ARE YOU ALL JUST STANDING THERE

Nooo assistant guy whose name is allegedly indra according to the subtitles

Ah okay there's the cliffhanger 

Anyway I'm gonna do WWIII right after this one and post them together so see you soon

[handdrawnfantasma]

Halloween Apocalypse thoughts(tm) part 2 (yes, over 12 hours later, i got distracted LMAO and anyway this is mostly for me :’>)

- ah, Azure’s Arctic Circle prison.......... honestly that’s one thing i WISH Flux had been able to expand more on and i guess this is what got left on the cutting room floor when they have to shorten the serial from 8 episodes to 6 episodes? what’s been left in is just SO tantalisingly interesting. like i can understand why this was one of the aspects of the story that got cut but now i am Haunted by the idea of what could have been. i do like how “wipe their memories, make them think they’re an entirely different species, stick them into what is for all intents and purposes a Comfortable sort of prison” seems to be a Division staple between what they did with Azure (has Married vibes with who i can only presume is her jailer, seems happy(?) in her alter ego, seems to be under the impression that she’s in witness protection or SOMETHING given that she knows the beacon that comes through the door is some sort of warning and proceeds to just smash it with a hammer) and what they did with the Doctor (mind wiped of everything, potentially forced back into being a child, grew up on Gallifrey thinking they were just like any other Time Lord initiate). also speaking of the beacon like, is that how Swarm found her??? was the beacon Also sent by Tecteun deliberately to lead Swarm to Azure so he could break her out of her brainwashing and they could wreak havoc on the universe??? there’s also Something here about the clear parallels being drawn between Azure’s situation with thinking she’s in some kind of witness protection (just my Theory tbf but like. the Vibes) when she’s actually being imprisoned vs the other time in this era we’ve seen the “aliens disguised as humans in hiding” scenario ie Ruth and Lee in FOTJ... the difference being the Doctor willingly hid herself using the chameleon arch to try and shake Division and they were unintentionally found bc Lee just couldn’t give up his service medal (FASCINATING actually how he held on to that even though he and the Doctor were trying to get Out at the time. mirrors new-who Drs 10 through 12′s rose-tinted Gallifrey nostalgia. now i just wanna dissect that entire bit with the medal but this is not a fugitive of the judoon post sgsljg), whereas Azure was placed into this situation against her will and is being very intentionally found and restored via Tecteun’s manipulations. im spitting out a whole load of Nonsense here but ykw i’m having fun

- other commonality connections between Dan and 13: when kidnapped and imprisoned their immediate impulse is to be as Annoying towards their captors as possible. they are in many ways the same kind of idiot

- FLUX HAS SO MANY REWATCH BONUSES........... i was so Confused by Claire the first time i saw this episode but now Everything she’s saying in this first meeting with 13 and Yaz makes complete sense with the knowledge that she’s a Seer and Very Psychic. the rewatch value of this serial is bonkers

- ask me if i’m over how Yaz co-pilots the TARDIS now because i AIN’T like wtf. nobody in-universe in the current era has the context to understand how Big of a deal that is bUT I DO!!!!! honestly a lil bit hurtful how they’re so in sync while piloting and then .5 seconds later Yaz is back to (justifiably!! rightfully!!) Pushing bc 13 said something Concerning, Actually and then immediately tried to deflect and not talk about it in such a transparently dickish way LMF. at least tell Yaz the reason you’re dragging her along seeking mysterious dogmen who dangle you both above lakes of acid is so Personal you don’t actually know how to begin talking about it you asshole!!

- congratulations to Flux for making the Weeping Angels terrifying and creepy again in a way they haven’t really been since Blink. also this entire sequence with Claire struggling to find her keys in her bag just has me going “and this is why i keep mine in my pocket so i can just shove my hand in there at a moment’s notice”. the ANXIETY and tension here... its Good. also love the way they’ve let us know (if we’re paying attention) that Claire is going to have Anything That Holds The Image Of An Angel Becomes Itself An Angel problems with that shot of the angel reflected in her eyes. very nice Show Not Tell folks, very nice indeed

- Vinder!!! gosh i love everything about Vinder’s introduction. the music. the way that we already know that this guy is so Done with whoever he’s sending these transmissions to. his little observation outpost has a similar aesthetic to sanctuary base 6 and tbh that was one of the best Ten-era 2-parters so that is just a little thing that makes me like the design of the outpost on a personal level. ALSO the little close-ups we get to the few things that are His like there’s an empty mug, some half-eaten porridge but also a little plant?? this dude really got sent into exile and was like. “okay but i’m going to have a desk plant tho.” but also just. the fact that his first lines are “the universe is looking particularly beautiful today”. “the sheer beauty of what i can see is unimaginable” combined with that sweeping shot of space and the swelling music like......... yea it says a lot about Vinder but i also really like this sequence bc it captures some of what i remember falling in love with about Doctor Who back in 2005, the idea that the universe IS beautiful even if everything has to end?? then of course Vinder concludes his report with his “usual sign-off request that you all go to hell” like LMFAO. gosh. what an establishing character moment. we find out in the space of like 2 mins that this guy has been exiled and is Bored out of his skull but also that he finds beauty and meaning in the universe and ALSO that he is Determined not to let whoever sent him here break his spirits and also equally as determined to make sure they know that too like. this is a GREAT character introduction.

- i love that 13 was still carrying around that crisp packet she caught the hopper virus in from orphan 55 in her pocket still like. do you EVER empty your pockets Doctor or do you just carry around all this random junk on the off-chance you might one day need it. i bet there’s a dead mouse or something in there

- Karvanista visibly sniffing his weapon when 13 disables it with his sonic screwdriver is a very endearing little detail and i love it

- Yaz and Dan’s first meeting with her breaking him out!!! honestly quite funny and also sad how Yaz is so Blatently channelling the Doctor here but i also love how IMMEDIATELY as soon as Dan heard that Yaz was from Sheffield he proceeded to engage in that time-honoured tradition of dissing any region of the country that is not yours and Yaz fired back with the equally time-honoured tradition of telling that person not to say a Single word against where you come from again. honestly it’s still one of my personal fave bits of Chib-era Who that all of the companions have this regional pride and attachment to the part of the country they’re from (Yaz with Yorkshire, Dan with Liverpool, even Graham gets excited in Spyfall when he realises Barton’s plane landed in Essex and has a moment to be like THIS IS MY MANOR WE ARE GOLDEN) because i know that!!!! i recognise that!!! i personally will 100% identify with the little corner of the country that i come from before anything else lmao. idk it’s just a really neat realistic detail that makes me really happy

- 13 getting distracted not once but Twice from grilling Karvanista for this extremely important and personal to her information that she has been chasing him across the universe for by a loud and insistent ongoing beeping from his species recall signal. but also the fact that apparently the Flux is common enough knowledge among space-faring species by now that Karvanista is stunned that 13 doesn’t know about it (and she doesn’t know about it because “she’s been busy” being hyper-focused on tracking Karvanista down and shaking him down for information about the Division. stunning, absolutely incredible

- honestly the shots of the Flux engulfing planet after planet accompanied by Vinder’s panicked commentary as he tries to record as much of this event as possible to warn whoever he’s reporting to are really well done. like i know exactly what the Flux is and those cgi sequences of entire planets being swallowed up by this thing are still triggering a very primal response in me

- Dan is full of so much FIGHT ME energy and i adore him

- more gorgeous shots of the universe with swelling music to remind us that all of this beauty is what is getting wrecked by the Flux!! also lmao. Dan really is just Yaz’s companion straight out the gate isn’t he. Yaz is the one who tells him the name of the TARDIS, comments on how there’s nothing at the edge of the solar system but an amazing view, explains that the reason they can all breathe is bc of the air bubble around the TARDIS.

- i got so swept up in the sequence of the TARDIS outrunning the flux and the lupari ships locking around Earth to shield it even though i know what happens that i forgot to write anything down which i guess says something LMAO but i do love how this sequence shows what a big heart Karvanista has under all that gruffness earlier. he wants to save the humans!! he wants the Doctor + friends to get themselves behind the shield wall!! karvanista Cares!!!

- honestly cracking open the heart of the TARDIS like a cold one with the lads only for the vortex energy to seemingly do Nothing to the Flux was EXACTLY the way to signify just what a huge deal this was to my ‘was introduced to this stupid show with Nine’ ass who still remembers the Bad Wolf disintegrating an entire Dalek fleet with vortex energy in the s1 finale. like what a cliffhanger lmf

[phoneybeatlemania]

[omg Fiona calling me out for being the type of person to send asks and then never continue the conversation 😩 2022 is not my year of rest and relaxation]

[Keep in mind it has been A While since I last saw this film, so I may be misremembering things and my opinions could change upon a rewatch]

Point 1—Opening shot: Completely agree, I love that scene!

Point 2—Uncle George: Hmm. Its been awhile since I last saw the film, but to me it felt necessary for them to establish the relationship between John and George; I guess they could have done it differently [i.e they could have just revealed George’s death through mentioning it within conversation—although I think this would have failed to give us a good impression of who George was and what his relationship with John looked like]. I know this film isn’t the most historically reliable depiction of John, but there are accounts from Johns schools friends who have argued following his Uncle Georges death is when things began to go downhill for John—so historically I think it was necessary. 

I also feel like establishing that relationship between John and George was important because it later informs our understandings of his relationship with Mimi, by marking that contrast (the before vs after) and how that experience shaped him throughout his adolescence, I guess by forcing him to mature abruptly + it offers an explanation for why he became so attached to Julia at that age [tbf this wasn’t necessary since you could argue She’s Literally His Mam’ so of course he’d want to know her, but I think through giving us a peripeteia it works as a solid explanation for what drew him towards Julia, within the context of the film].

Point 3 & 4 —Lack of context/establishing facts: Can actually speak from my own experience here, in that I watched this film when I was 15 (so before I was a Beatles-aficionado), and I see what you’re getting at here with the lack of context being confusing if you haven’t Been Down The Rabbit Hole, although personally I didn’t have that experience during my first watch. The whole Julia-John thing I don’t think I picked up on at all—perhaps I was just naive at the time, but also I got the impression upon a rewatch that while they wanted to have that tension integrated into the plot, they wanted keep it subtextual to a point that only People Who Knew would make note of it (Im assuming to avoid controversy, but idk?). You could argue that if they’re going to make this aspect too subtextual within the narrative for the Layman to decode, but also not present enough for it to be explored in any real depth, then what’s the point? But I guess my point here is more about Does It Confuse The Average Viewer?, which from my experience it didn’t, although I cant speak for everyone. 

[Nothing to add with your Paul/Julia point since I agree!]

Generally I found from my first watch that the narrative made sense [my take on what they were going with in that ‘John See’s Julia’ shot was a sort of “they had an instant cinematic-bond-connection-whatever, so he just KNEW even if he didn’t KNOW”, which Im not really a fan of, but still my interpretation], and I don’t recall being particularly confused by the time skips, but again, maybe its a Me Thing. 

Point 5—Historicism: Slightly confused with what you mean by “resolution” being historically inaccurate so cant really say anything here lol. [If you mean based of off like,,,camera resolution/aesthetics I agree tbh, but at the same time mostly what I expect from modern/digital films]. 

I broadly agree with your take on them making John seem Basically Fine (when we know his mothers death was massively traumatic) and definitely agree with what your saying about In Spite Of All The Danger. Although, I think maybe the reason they went with a mostly 'Ah Y'know He Was Fine, He’s A Trooper' portrayal was because it would have been pretty heavy to explore Johns behaviour following Julias death (i.e with someone like Cynthia), and so they would have needed to take a new direction with the narrative, ultimately increasing the films length. Idk if it would have been worth it for them to do that, but overall I felt like the time-leaps worked fairly well (if you’re watching this just as a film I guess), although yeah agree if they want this to be historically accurate. 

And if Im going off of different accounts Ive heard here, although I have no doubt John was grieving Julia for years following her death, he seemed to have been able to Kind Of get his shit together after about two-ish years (maybe im missing something here, but what Im getting at is that although Im sure he was still struggling, I guess Time Sorta Heals, and he got past the really bad phase that immediately followed her death), so the note they end on, which to me felt hopeful/optimistic, made sense—and then by ending it with Mother it felt like they were still leaving room for the viewer to recognise the lasting impression/impacts she had on him (both positive and negative / happy and regretful etc.).

Point 6—Mimi & Julia: Personally what I found my issue was when it comes to the portrayal of Mimi is that Im not sure how the writers/filmmakers wanted us to feel about her? Maybe its that were supposed to sort of mature alongside John here, in recognising that yes she could be difficult, but at the end of the day she was trying to do right by him, so Forgive And Forget or something? But it almost feels to me like the note they end on between John and Mimi seems to dismiss any negative and lasting impacts her upbringing would have had on him, which just feels a bit…..pointless to me, I guess? Perhaps Im wrong in that conclusion though, since as I said, Id need to give it a rewatch to give a Conclusive Take.

Wait pls share your Nuanced Take on Nowhere Boy cause I actually like the film, and I understand some of the criticisms, but then theres a lot of takes that just have me like,,,,,,,,,no ❤️

Okay, buckle up folks:

So...

First of all, I do wanna say the GROOMER SITUATION BETWEEN THE DIRECTOR AND THE ACTOR IS GROSS! But with that out of the way, here are some thoughts:

First of all, the opening sequence where he's running with the AHDN opening chord and the crowd noises and he's looking back and falls over, directly referencing the opening sequence of AHDN, while making perfect sense, since he's in his school uniform and probably just running from a teacher or something is like Properly INSPIRED Cinema

That being said, the first fifteen or so minutes are super weirdly paced and, while it's a pertinent detail from a historical perspective, I think including Uncle George was useless in terms of the plot of the movie and detracted from time that could've been spent on fleshing out John's relationship to Mimi and Julia more.

I feel like this movie was almost made more for uber Beatles historians, rather than casual fans. There's a LOT of weird shit in it that is basically not addressed, which can somewhat be rationalized, but context is simply missing within the movie itself. Main example is Julia's je-ne-sais flitryness with John, which may very well have been a real thing, but it's basically not acknowledged by the narrative and it makes it soooo deeply uncomfortable (especially given the grooming situation surrounding this movie). I also picked up on this suggested jealousy John may have had over Julia being nice to Paul, which is actually deeply interesting, when considering that 1) Paul clearly got along well with her and also is known to have charmed and sought comfort with maternal figures and 2) John easily got possessive, especially of people he was afraid to lose, but the movie does absolutely NOTHING with this and it's only interesting to me because I know Paul. (I don't think this movie is inherently wrong to have sidelined Paul by the way. But yeah this aspect of the movie is only Weird™ if you don't know more than the movie shows you)

Generally, this movie does a mediocre job of establishing facts I find. Even to me, who knows most of what's being shown, it's confusing what things are a revelation to John (the character) and what things aren't Like.... does he recognize Julia in the funeral scene at the beginning? I really DON'T get it.

The confrontation scene with Mimi and Julia, while containing facts probably untrue like John being made to choose between his parents at 5, is straight up Great Cinema. The acting and blocking of this scene is sooooooo on point.

The resolution of this movie..... Feels kind of like the most historically untrue part of it. I could nitpick about In Spite of all the Danger ACTUALLY being recorded before Julia died because cHRONOLOGY, but the issue, to me, is that a fundamental part of John (in STARK contrast to Paul – and I have written mental essays about this, actually, which I could maybe write down too) is that music did NOT come to him easily when he was suffering a lot. In actuality, when Julia died, the Quarrymen went on hiatus for months and it seems like Paul basically had to force John to come back. And of course, John was distraught by Julia's passing for a long time, so killing her off and immediately providing him with catharsis feels very...... just wrong. They do skip two years afterwards technically, but it's done so seamlessly, it may as well not be a time skip, from the POV of a viewer with no foreknowledge. And then, they end the movie playing Mother almost as if to call themselves out for making it look like John was AOK after this, when he literally Was Not, as the song demonstrates (though I also have more complicated thoughts related to that, as in, how much John suffered from his childhood at what point in his life).

While the movie is probably a bit too pro Mimi for my taste, I do appreciate the nuance with which they try to address Julia's mental health, and feel like if Julia had been protrayed less as a manic pixie dream girl it would've been pretty well balanced between the two.

I think that's all my thoughts, hope none of them are cancel-worthy