#i meta'ed again

[rubykgrant]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF It's been a while, and I already said it before, other people already said it several times, but whatever, I'll say it again; it was wasted potential not to have any actual resolution for Tucker. He gets Meta'ed, presumably because both he and the Fragments are at least connected the fact that they want Church back (the whole "turning into a villain with good intentions" or just being controlled is a whole OTHER conversation... or even the possibility of the new "Meta" as a character not being Tucker OR the Fragments, but a manifestation of their shared frustration/consuming grief turning into ruthlessness to get what they wanted, and none of them can stop it), but then he doesn't really get to say good-bye or feel any sorrow or ANYTHING

[storgicdealer]

@mangocrown NONONO HOLD ON YOU'RE COOKING. YOURE COOKING SO HARD RIGHT NOW

if we're talking about how outernet and internet would interact with each other directly. i genuinely doubt that there WOULDNT be a firewall (i cant call it a. firewall specifically but it did take a shit ton of strength for tco to break through the ip sky AND the screen of alanspc. could as much be allegorical to going through a firewall)

and because of that. it IS possible for victim to not. know of things specifically because this whole thing blocks out random parts of internet material. making it impossible to predict or understand what happened and what didnt

but then it does make me think how exactly does. rocket come in to the stream?? if the stream itself is also alans own thing from the internet how would they hack into it to a point there's their whole logo for a good second or two ?? and then appear right after in the stream itself??

and. if they ARE watching the stream in-universe. are they able to see the their own selves later. until the camera pans to them in the outernet again and it goes on and on like two mirrors placed in front of each other. alan your meta level meta'd so hard it out meta'ed

[spaceorphan18]

Ahh, I didn't know you liked Bridgerton! (I was away from tumblr for a moment and just now catching up on your blog) I'm obsessed with Penelope and Colin. How did you like season 3? I always love reading your thoughts! I saw so many people complain but I mostly really enjoyed it. I wish it didn't have so many random plotlines, and I didn't like the insta-baby but overall they're my favourite couple in the show haha.

Hi Nonny! Welcome back to the Tumblr! <3

I hope you don't mind me indulging a little with your ask, lol. If you've followed me for any length of time, you do know I can't shut up - but I realized I haven't really said my actual thoughts on the season, etc, I just started meta'ing and haven't looked back. So, pull up a chair, Nonny, as I chatter non-stop for a bit about Bridgerton and my thoughts on season 3, lol.

I'll put it under a cut to save the rest of your souls....

Part 1: How did we get here?

Am I big fan of historical romance? No, not really. Did I expect this show to ever have a grip on me? Not even a little bit. How in the world did this happen? Idk - it appears that favorite tropes and character designs and dynamics seem to transcend genre. And I'm an old sap.

The tl:dr version is that I watched Seasons 1 and 2 after Season 2 came out. It was fine. Not a huge fan of Season 1, I did like Season 2 though. And then kind of forgot it existed. Eloise was by far my favorite character - because I liked her spunk. And the friendship between Eloise and Penelope was the best part of the show.

And then I was reminded that Season 3 dropped and did not expect the shock that I got. I went in completely blind - I hadn't seen a single promo. I did know, because I looked up the books when I originally watched, that it would be Pen and Colin's story. But I was kind of fascinated at how they were going to go about it. Penelope was not a stereotypical leading lady. And Colin was very boy-ish looking in the early seasons. How was this going to work?

Oh man, the glow ups. The glow ups got me. Pen is so, so gorgeous this entire season. When she's wearing her hair down, omg... Or that one look where she's like a housewife writing in her journal. God damn, girl. She can get it. And then Colin... ha. When he got out of the carriage, I was like - oh shit. It was the pirate coat. A good pirate coat will always do me in.

But more than that - really, the dynamics of the characters just really sold me. I love friends to lovers. I love the angst and the pull. I love the whole she fell first he fell harder. I love that I unintentionally just go for the same kind of characters and their dynamics over and over and over.

And then, you know, between the first part and second part, I rewatched the first two seasons, which was helpful. (Though, still not a huge fan of season 1.) Was addicted to the promo tour (my god I love a good promo tour). And @ckerouac - got me to watch Derry Girls which really cemented my love of Nicola Coughlin. And, you know, once you start going down a hole, you just have to keep on going until you get to the other side.

Idk how we really got here, Nonny, but here we are! Lol

Part 2: My thoughts on Season 3

So, briefly, I just fell in love with Part 1 right off the bat. LOVED IT. Part 2, honestly, I felt disappointed after seeing it the first time. (I remember episode 6, in particular, thinking - wow that was not a very good episode).

And then... I rewatched it and then rewatched it again after watching Seasons 1 and 2 and kind of started to take it a part a bit, and it's grown on me. A lot! I actually do really love the season as a whole and appreciate what we've got...

Breaking it down a little more:

Pen and Colin's story: I still do think the first half is stronger. The whole Colin helping Pen find a husband, Lord Debling (who is a doll), Colin figuring out his issues, that carriage scene... ooff, all really, really good. The second half - there just needed to be more. At first, it was hard to watch them go through a wedding while being mad at each other, but I feel like now that I've had time to digest it all, it is /so/ good. It's a really, really fascinating dynamic going on there. I could and probably will go on at length about it later... a couple of things, though

They just needed more. The plot was so delicious. I did love the conflict over lady whistledown and I wish we had seen that tension played out better and resolved better. The end of episode 8 was a bit to fast. I swear - Season 4 better have some solidly good Polin moments or idek... They've been such a big part of the show as a whole, I hope they get to continue their development, even if it they go back to their Seasons 1 and 2 focus.

The season works better if you remember what happened in seasons 1 and 2. I had zero memory of the plots from the first two seasons going in. I didn't realize Colin's personality had changed. I couldn't remember any of the Polin moments in the first two seasons. This third season makes a whole lot more sense being built from what came before it, and honestly, I kind of love that. It makes the story more layered and engaging.

As for the insta-baby, I mean, they set it up at the beginning of the season, but it wasn't something I needed to enjoy the couple. I do wonder if they'll go back and explore that 9 months, or if things will pick up after post-baby.

Also, on perhaps a shallower note? I thought the actors had great chemistry. And I have so much respect for Nicola Coughlin for allowing herself to be presented in such a way. She is GORGEOUS in every aspect and the backlash over her body is ABSURD. If you can’t get on board that a larger woman can be seen as desirable than you can fuck right off because she is amazing.

Poor Luke Newton has gotten some push back, too, which I think is a little unfair. He's not expressive the way Jonny Bailey is, but Colin really isn't Anthony, and is much more an inward character. And the awkwardness of his attempt at rake-ishness in the beginning is supposed to be awkward. Colin isn't smoldering like the Duke from Season 1, either. He's a sweet, romantic kid who adores his bff-turned-wife, and the whole season (I mean, can we talk about the all the mirrors?) is about cutting through the bullshit we do to try to mask who we really are.

The thing about Luke Newton that I really appreciate is that he really understands who his character is and keeps that front and center. Colin is trying to be something he's not, and the real Colin slips out unintendedly, and that kind of subtly is hard to play.

The absolute best moments were when they laughed together - they both really shine when Pen and Colin are allowed to be the sweet friends they've been all along.

Anyway tl:dr - loved their relationship, and my heart will just be broken if we don't get more good development as the seasons continue.

Penelope and Eloise: The fact that this relationship was angled as another romance per se was also delicious. As I said above - Pen and Eloise were probably my favorite dynamic pre-Polin and it was devastating to watch them work their relationship out. But again, it was all so delicious. I loved it and thought it was perfect.

The Featheringtons: I LOVED THEM! They were perfection. I love that they leaned into some really good comedy with the sisters. Not only were they able to show off Nicola's excellent comedic skills, the family as a whole was just a whole delight. I loved the sisters. I loved their husbands. I even liked Portia - and, honestly, I wasn't a huge fan of her in earlier seasons. I loved that they linked Pen and Portia, it really made them seem like mother and daughter.

Colin and his family: There were some fascinating dynamics!

Colin and Eloise: yes, the third part of the platonic love triangle I loved their dynamic during the season. Eloise never really knowing how to handle Colin. The fact that they're close and yet awkwardly so. The fact that they both care so much about Pen in different ways and how LW just hangs over both dynamics. Ooff, so good.

Colin and Anthony & Benedict (and let's throw George in here, too): Love it. Wish there had been more. The brothers are hilarious and wonderful together and just I ate it all up with a spoon. Also, as an aside, I love that George is slowly coming into focus. The kid is adorable.

Colin and Francesca (and let's throw Hyacinth in here, too): Hilariously, Colin and Francesca speak zero times to each other during the whole season. Isn't that weird? Really, their plot lines do not intersect except tangentially for family moments. It's so weird. I feel like I have no sense of this dynamic. As for Hyacinth - I adore her, and I feel like she has more personality than Francesca :P

Colin and Violet: I kind of loved this. She's a mother who understands her kids. And even though Violet wasn't around that much for the A-Plot, I like what role she did have to play in getting Colin to act.

Alright, so the rest of the subplots... It did feel like an abundance of them, but was there really more than previous seasons? Or was it the fact that Pen and Colin usually were subplots, and now that they're the main focus, everything else kind of shifts awkwardly around them?

Anthony and Kate: I love them to pieces, and wish there had been more of them. Their dynamic remains sexy and smart. Kate remains one of the best characters on the show, and is such an intelligent woman. I'm so glad she had wonderful, insightful conversations with her new family. I really would have loved to have had a Kate and Penelope scene. Also, the India thing was awkward - I lol'd because it clearly was written as an 'out' for the couple. But it's ultimately fine. But yes - bring back Kanthony in future seasons. I really don't care how much Jonathan Bailey is doing other things.

Cressida Cowper: I thought she was a fantastic villain, and the fact that she was so wrapped up with Eloise was kind of delicious. I don't think they needed to linger on her private life as much as they did. But I was fascinated that there seemed to be some queer coding in there, and wondered, for a bit if she was going to be a lesbian. I also think her ending was a little weak and she just kind of scampered off without any reprieve. I do wonder if she'll be back, tbh.

Francesca: Oof. It was intriguing on first watch but I find it incredibly dragging on subsequent watches and have a tendency to skip over it. I think this is the one plot line that really could have been cut down. I understand that it's set up but it was kind of meh for me. However, I am totally fine with her love interest being changed to a woman. Let's do this bisexuals! Speaking of which...

Benedict: My god, it felt like the show doesn't know what to do with him - and I am hoping Season 4 is his, because they NEED to do something with Benedict. So, to be clear, I LOVE that they made him bisexual. But the woman he was with was so boring, and I just did not care - because I knew it ultimately wasn't going to go anywhere. And, what was with the never ending orgy? Did we really need to cut back to it ten times? Please, show, give Benedict something interesting to do.

The Mondriches: Look, I feel bad saying it, but these people ultimately served no purpose to the show and could have been lifted right out. I'm sure the actors are lovely but if they're not going to directly service the story, then why are we wasting our time? Though, at least they really aren't the ones taking up the most time.

The Queen: They could have played up the rivalry between her and LW a lot more, and they just didn't. It felt... a little anticlimactic. Also, now what do they do with her as a character? Meh.

Violet and Lady Danbury's brother: I just don't care. I get it. I get that Violet should have something to do outside her children. But there are already a million plots, and not everyone needs to have their own individual story. By the time they threaded this in around episode 3 it did feel like too much.

Did I miss anything?

So... that's how I felt on everything. I have seen commentary about the pushback on Season 3. There are some things I agree about and a lot I don't.

About the actors: I disagree, Nicola and Luke are a delight, and they don't deserve the pushback they've been getting.

About the subplots: It is too many, and I do think they should have either made the season longer, or cut a few things.

About Polin not being as steamy: I think Daphne and Simon's soft core porn-a-thon set an expectation that doesn't necessarily work when you're going for other tropes. I did like the steamy scenes we got (though the last one should have been longer -- we better get some happy sex in season 4 or I will be annoyed) but Polin doesn't have the same dynamic as (what is their shipper name??) Daphne/Simon. We were never going to get the porn-a-thon.

Kanthany didn't either in Season 2, I don't know what to tell people. I appreciate that they're servicing the story they're telling and not just relying on sex. But, I will say, it is still the romance genre, based on books that do feature a lot of sex, so I can understand disappointment in some respects. There is a reason people watch these things, and when it's not met, it can be frustrating.

Idk, what else are people bitching about? (that's rhetorical) I think two years is too long a wait for a show like this. And the anthology aspect of it can make it hard when the focus shifts. People adored Anthony and Kate and to shift it to a very different type of love story can feel jarring, especially, I think if you've spent the past two years digesting what we've already had.

And then there are some people who are just never happy.

And I mean, I already feel a little 'meh' about Season 4. (It'll be Benedicts, there are so many hints...) I'll continue to watch, but I am incredibly sad that this was the year my favorites got to shine. My only hope is that Pen and Colin continue to occupy a space in the story... lord help us, though, in that it doesn't take another ten years to finish...

So.... them my thoughts! I'm sure I'll have more of them as I settle into this bright new world.

Omg, how cute are they????

[leia-leek]

Dumb musings about Buyi ahead, probably obvious to a lot of people, but something I just finally understood. Me doing some fandom meta'ing about our boy below:

What does someone do when they have a problem they can’t solve? Where they thought of everything, where they went through all possibilities? They usually ask someone else for help right? Two heads are always better than one. It’s typically common knowledge, intelligent people tend to ask peers for help when necessary. 

So the fact that Mr. Smarter Than Most didn't ask for help when he thought there was no way other than his way, really shows just how young he is. It shows just how narrow-thinking and inexperienced he actually was at the time. He is only 21 years old and spent probably a quarter of that in the military fighting. It's so easy to forget how young he is because he is so competent in what he does and usually acts mature for his age.

Now that I think about it there are other reminders of how young he is in the show. The man is extra af, right? He is flashy and showy when he does things, and he does it because he can. It's ridiculous, right? The way he does it also tends to be over the top too. Then there is his inexperience with social situations that aren't military-related/reporting to a higher authority. He has no idea how to woo a girl (didn't even consider the fact that others might be interested in her too until the Emperor reminded him), no idea how to talk casually, and no idea how to get people to like him. All signs of his age (and trauma), imo.

But I digress, my point was that he didn't talk to anyone when he needed help the most. He thought to tell Shaoshang but didn't want to implicate her (after the bite scene, he thought about how she told him time and again she would be by his side and help him so he knows she would be down for murder), and he probably didn't want to implicate anyone else. But he had other people he could have turned to but didn't. Which is why SS was so mad at him. He didn't think that someone else could come up with a different plan or perspective. He arrogantly thought all his ideas were the only ideas that could exist.

That is why in the very last episode Shaoshang told him that the fact he shared his burden was enough for her. It wasn't just his rejection of togetherness (of couples acting as one) or his abandoning her that made her break up with him, it was also his inability to seek help from others when it was most needed that really pissed her off. She had learned that lesson at this point, not just by Buyi's caning scene, but because of the Empress, A'yao, her brothers, and the rest. He didn't come to her for help! That was a big part of why she was so mad at him.

I think that was a big part of the show, or at least another side or theme they were going for. You are not alone, you don't have to go about the hard and difficult things in life by yourself. The many people of the world, all of them who shine brightly like the many stars in the sky, are full of love, ready to give it out should you seek it.

Our boy didn't and paid the price. :(

[nevermindirah]

To take the Nile Marine Discourse veering off in another direction,

Why did Greg Rucka make her a Marine? Because his characters' only superpower is that they can heal and revive from any wound or injury or illness or whatever. They don't have superhuman strength or speed, they're regular people whose only superpower is healing, and they happen to be nearly-superhumanly-skilled warriors because they've been warriors for centuries and millennia.

This dude made Nile a Marine because she'd have to be a trained warrior to hang with such experienced doers of violence, right?

This dude got from point A, my creations' only superpower is healing, to point K, therefore they're exceptional warriors, because Greg Rucka assumes that before a certain time in The Past, pretty much all people were violent. I too was raised on Lord of the Rings and Arthurian legend and all that shit where those who don't live by the sword can still die from it. But, like, was the past really all like that, or is that just Western myth to make modern white people feel civilized by comparison?

Was Yusuf actually a skilled swordsman from go, or was he just a poet-accountant starting to take over the family merchanting business when a terribly timed business trip to Jerusalem forced him into pretty extreme fight or flight mode? Maybe Nicolo killed Yusuf many times before Yusuf figured his way around a sword enough to kill him back, because Nicolo got trained in invadering and Yusuf was doing the 10th century version of me sitting on my couch writing essays on the internet.

I have a lot of empathy for Nile the character who chose to become a Marine because that's how the US economy works and because if she lets herself really think about the lie of American exceptionalism that means her dad died for a lie and that will break her and she could probably put herself back together eventually but OUCH NO THAT WOULD HURT THINK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE GOTTA GO ENLIST NOW.

And I have a lot of empathy for Gina Prince-Bythewood who is so talented and has a platform but is still a Black woman in Hollywood and you can only rock so many boats at once before they throw you overboard so she went with Rucka's Marines as neutral framing and rocked other boats instead. Or maybe that's me giving her too much credit. I fucking love her work, but does she have a decolonial analysis? Does it enrage her what our country's military does to people in other countries and especially the people who live in Afghanistan? Maybe. But maybe not.

My appreciation for Greg Rucka as creator of characters who now live rent-free in my brain is non-zero, but my skepticism of his politics is very high.

Let's go back to that point A to point K math. The starting concept: regular human people with one superpower, healing. What are all the possible ways a person, a group of people could spend centuries of their time devoted to? What would make an interesting story for these characters' creator to tell? What would make the world a better place for these characters and the world of their narrative?

Shot in the dark here, what if, instead of regular human people with superhuman healing become superhumanly experienced warriors, what if they spend their centuries and millennia becoming superhumanly experienced historians, storytellers, sages.

Like, can you IMAGINE having a group of people who have spent hundreds and thousands of years listening to people talk about their experiences, learning how to get people to trust them with their stories, learning how to share their own stories and other people's stories with skill and care? By the time Nile, the art history grad student whose father died in Afghanistan but then the US government finally passed reparations for slavery so she got to go to college instead of joining the Marines, becomes an immortal these people are internationally respected and beloved holders of human history. Nobody's going to capture them and lock them in cages because people would RIOT and every restorative justice collective on the planet would be Holding Those Captors Accountable. (If Nile lives in a world where reparations and restorative justice are public policy in her country and many others, where the Old Guardians didn’t let colonizers get away with writing all the history books, would she have grown up in a world where the Afghanistan war even happened? Would the United States even exist? Would countries exist? Would slavery have been abolished globally and for all time even before that piece of shit Columbus was born? I’m gonna stop myself before I write another meta post within this already-way-long meta post but holy shit y’all this could change EVERYTHING)

The real world isn't always as violent as fiction makes it out to be, and fictional worlds could be way, way, like staggeringly way less violent than the real world if their creators chose for them to be.

Anyway Andy the paleo-zoologist (she was alone for at least a thousand years she befriends a lot of animals ok), Quynh the spinner of tales (romance! mysteries! comedies! the occasional tragedy but not too many because why be sad if you don't have to be! and also spinner of the most stunning cloth any human being has ever seen in their entire life holy fashion historian batman), Joe the poet with such kind eyes no one can resist telling him their secrets, Nicky the quiet and watchful man who notices what others don't even notice about their own lives, Booker the publications technology nerd (inks! printing presses! handwriting! forgery is a science y'all!), and now Nile the 21st century art history nerd who holy shit has somehow won the lottery because she gets to join this group of people who hold a vast trove of knowledge from so many times and places across human history in their forever-regenerating bones.

[wordsmith-storyweaver]

Okay... so you all might have noticed that I have a new fictional couple obsession. I just wanted to meta a bit on this (and I'm grossly out of practice, so be gentle) because I have thoughts and feelings:

First, I have not yet started RaR, so everything I say will be based on books 1 and 2 of the Grisha trilogy, on the 1st season of the show (insert prayer circle for season 2 and a Crows spin-off), a small handful of metas I have read, and my feels thereof. Spoilers ahead: ye be warned.

Okay, so I have some thoughts/issues with the casting of Alina and Mal (and the way that it is handled by the writers). I want to preface this by saying that I loved the casting of Jessie, and how they made Alina MORE of an outsider/outcast by having her look more Shu Han than Ravkan. By having physical features that make her different, something that cannot be hidden in the same way that her Grisha ability can be repressed, she already more intimately knows exactly how it feels to be treated unequally; thus, her ascension to a position of power is wildly uncanny--both unknown/unfamiliar and keenly known/familiar at the same time. By increasing her visible Otherness, the writers and producers strengthened Alina in her role as a heroine, in that she has not let peoples' prejudice against her make her bitter/angry... yet. In many ways, she is The Darkling before power corrupted him (as seen in the flashback of Aleksander's history in 1.07), his foil, but also an even deeper mirror into his past. He may look typically Ravkan, but his power and his title have always marked him as surely as Alina's physical features.

While I have no issues with the casting of Archie as Mal (I think he did a brilliant job with the material he was given), I am disappointed that the writers/producers chose to change him from the golden boy of the books, if only to increase the sense of difference/Otherness that defines Alina in the show. Mal might LOOK more typically Ravkan, but he still faces the same "half-breed" slurs, still has to struggle to fit in with others in a way that book!Mal does not (and, should the show get a 2nd season and the showrunners stay true to Nikolai's description, it will--going off a Western/Euro-centric beau ideal of blond-haired and blue-eyed) further mark Mal as the "wrong" choice for Alina romantically. (That Mal also is Latin for bad, I find highly ironic, given what I know and what I suspect.) Their difference from everyone else gives them a kinship at the core of their friendship that is understandable and relatable, and also theoretically should help to give their romance some better legs to stand on, but although Mal can "pass" better than Alina, his temper gives him a much bigger chip on his shoulder as well. The violence of book!Mal in SaS feels more driven as a way of chanelling his anger at Alina's powers (which is one of the things that makes him less attractive a choice for her, imo) and the ways they pull her away from him, but that anger is understandable if understood in the context that his anger is driven by his fear of losing her romantically to Nikolai or The Darkling, by his sense of his own lack of worth as a man (socially, economically, intellectually, etc.). And yet his lack of confidence, while definitely a con, is also slightly endearing in that it is only with Alina, the one woman who TRULY matters, that his is not his normal suave, assured self. In the scene with Zoya in 1.01, Mal is much less flirtatious, much less of a lothario than book!Mal, which makes his attraction to Alina that much more obvious--and thus, any rationale for why they have never become romantically involved that much more confusing. It reduces their relationship to a level of "mutual pining due to lack of communication" trope that I find slightly more objectionable to the book's nearly equally frustrating "jock only falls for nerdy girl once she's prettied-up" route.

Now, I know that some of you noticed that I have been using an additional tag to the accepted ship name "darklina"; DarkSun, which I highly doubt is in common usage, represents to me a much healthier version of darklina, one in which they are equals. I use this tag and ship name exclusively for the show (if I really fall down the rabbit hole, I might use it for fic as well) because of the dynamic created by Ben and Jessie in their performances. While it's entirely possible that the writers/producers will surprise us all and change up the ending of the trilogy (even if I hadn't seen a spoiler or two, I was 99.999% certain of where things were headed), it's much more likely that the nuances of Ben's portrayal of The Darkling as genuinely, surprisingly captivated/enthralled by Alina will be swept aside under the rug of "master manipulator and consumate actor". Which I think does a disservice to the characters and the actors. There are definite moments where Ben plays The Darkling as toying with Alina and pulling her strings ("very few people are capable of surprising me" felt less genuine than the scene at the fountain or his look of heartbreak/hope when she grabbed his hand in the war-room, to name just two spontaneous emotional scenes), but they are outnumbered significantly by ones where his awe and sense of hope/fate/destiny come across as true. His portrayal and his chemistry with Jessie give us a glimpse of the trilogy as it could have been, with potential for both an HEA or a tragic yet still beautiful ending for darklina/DarkSun, either one of which outshine the tepid denouement I forsee. DarkSun, for me, can be summed up in the scene after the collar is forged. If Aleksander had trusted Alina with the truth from the beginning, if he had asked her to join him as his equal, then they could have had everything. His fear of being seen as a monster, like many anti-heroes and tragic villains, is what causes him to stumble with the one woman who TRULY matters. DarkSun represents the potential of darklina, and the books and show, to become something greater.

[raven-m-3]

Hi! I just wanted to pop by and say I’m thankful for your blog :3

Thank you so much, nonny– this was too sweet of you. 🤗 You seriously made my day!! 

I’m thankful for you too, nonny- this silly little blog wouldn’t exist were it not for you and everyone else who has encouraged / enabled my Star Wars / Reylo obsession. 😍My friends and family would like to thank you too for sparing them from hearing about it. 😂 Thank you again for the sweet words of support!  💕

[wordsmith-storyweaver]

Okay, so I don't know if this was involuntary on Ben's part, but he blinks in the first gif. He doesn't look down at her arm, he doesn't look away to break eye contact, but he blinks.

Jessie does not (even when she tilts her head back and it appears like she might blink, she still keeps her eyes open and locked on Ben). Even though Alina is confused, hurt, and frightened, she refuses to cower.

I'm inclined to think it was at least somewhat of an acting choice (or, if not, I think it's a subtle but powerful organic addition to the scene), because if he does blink on purpose, it's an opportunity for Alina to retreat into herself, to express submission via body language; by blinking, he breaks their eye contact, giving her the chance to look away (sustained eye contact with a stranger being either indicative of a challenge for dominance or indicator of attraction), but she doesn't. Even when he grabs her arm and drags her sleeve up further-a dominance play by invading her personal space, physically moving her clothes and limb-she refuses to demur or submit.

And then Ben's subtle narrowing of his eyes, the furrowed of his brow? *chef's kiss* Surprised immortal is genuinely surprised and puzzled. These moments build upon the more obvious changes in Alina's character from the book. There, she still tries to hide her power from him, tries to prevent her light from breaking loose. Here, she not only continues to question what is happening and why she has been dragged before the Darkling, but she stands her ground and refuses to be intimidated by his power plays. This version of Alina is already someone who can hold her own against the force of Aleksander's personality, can already resist the pull to submit and yield to him when he is in the wrong.

[anissapierce]

God the unspoken context in "i love you bro/sis" like ... ok im clearly meta'ing to hard but theyre saying "i love you" bc "goodbye" is too final but "i love you " by itself is probably too close to goodbye so they Have to add tht joking moniker that they nvr rlly use before or again .....

[mittensmorgul]

5.21, Two Minutes to Midnight.

After spending the season chasing Horsemen and battling for their rings, the final Horseman, Death, just... hands it over...

(with conditions attached, but still, he does hand it over)

I talked about this episode and Death a bit in the 5.15 post I made a couple days ago, and I've talked about Death a lot in general:

https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/185868133115/515-dead-men-dont-wear-plaid-mmmm-zombie-pie

And a bit in 4.15 too:

https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/post/185714935120/415-death-takes-a-holiday-jim-i-was-nobodys

and my s12-s14 posts about Death are all obviously tagged Billie the reaper: https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/tagged/billie-the-reaper

while older posts are just tagged like this: https://mittensmorgul.tumblr.com/tagged/i-texted-my-friend-%27i-like-death%27-but-it-looked-so-disconcerting

But in an episode where Bobby trusts Crowley enough to "pawn" his soul for Death's location, where Cas first feels the "uselessness" of his own humanity, and Sam begins to consider the what-if of saying Yes to Lucifer in the vain hope of being able to drag him into the cage... (mostly hopeless endeavors, with a few unexpected perks like Crowely throwing in the use of Bobby's legs), and then Death basically surprises the heck out of Dean. I'm not sure if he thinks that's better or worse than getting singled out at a birthday party or finding out God had a plan for him...

DEAN So, then why am I still breathing, sitting here with you? Uh...w-what do you want? DEATH The leash around my neck --off. Lucifer has me bound to him. Some unseemly little spell. He has me where he wants, when he wants. That's why I couldn't go to you. I had to wait for you to catch up. He made me his weapon. Hurricanes, floods, raising the dead. I'm more powerful than you can process, and I'm enslaved to a bratty child with a temper tantrum. DEAN And you think...I can unbind you? DEATH There's your ridiculous bravado again. Of course you can't. But you can help me take the bullets out of Lucifer's gun. I understand you want this. ( Death holds up his ring) DEAN Yeah. DEATH I'm inclined to give it to you. DEAN To give it to me? DEATH That's what I said. DEAN But what about... DEATH Chicago? I suppose it can stay. I like the pizza. There are conditions. DEAN Okay. Like? DEATH You have to do whatever it takes to put Lucifer in his cell. DEAN Of course. DEATH Whatever it takes. DEAN That's the plan. DEATH No. No plan. Not yet. Your brother. He's the one that can stop Lucifer. The only one. DEAN What, you think -- DEATH I know. So, I need a promise. You're going to let your brother jump right into that fiery pit. Well, do I have your word? DEAN Okay, yeah. Yes. DEATH That had better be "yes," Dean. You know you can't cheat death.

(and I know I could have more to say about this one, but I have a live zerbe in my living room and we're live-meta'ing) :P

But the setup: God’s plan, derailed by an assist from Death. Sound familiar?

[elizabethrobertajones]

13x04 watching notes

TBH that is my exact strategy when I am tired and want to go home.

-

it's 2am and I just woke up after a lengthy power nap/full REM cycle because going to bed at 9 is for cool kids so uh I'm watching the episode but also it's 2am. I didn't do it deliberately but here I aaaam.

-

Getting right in there with Dean telling the the truth in the recap - is he really gonna spill it all to a therapist? experts have been awaiting it ever since 1x10 so

-

"experts" being me, I am an independent judiciary body

-

*grief grief grief* *Jack angst*

Oh yeah Cas recap because Cas is back

Should I even write expectations for this episode? I'm a bit late since I already started watching :P Blah blah Glynn blah blah probably going to be fine, blah blah swear I saw someone say she's "never written Cas before" but uh we just had recaps from 12x19 so I mean who wrote that?

-

this guy has a weird reaction to the dead wife coming back

like, oh, okay, that happened. guess we say hello

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Is this the "understated" reaction when Cas comes back

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Oh we're doing regular old stabbing? Is this a shapeshifter thing or a revenge curse thing? Is it all going to be romantic couples? because lol pls don't

Also the recap did expressly list off 2 dead moms and a dead crowley along with a dead Cas who is also a brother and father to active main characters

-

Sam like "hey"

Dean like >.> Are you trying to be friends after I yelled at you?

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Sam being remarkably cool about Dean's netflix and holy oil suggestion

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Dean being extremely less cool about Sam's suggestion

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They're sort of recapping the argument from the end of last episode for us, which is good because it wasn't in the recap unless it was but it's 2am and my brain randomly discarded that

-

oh my god it was

okay these are not meta notes

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Sam's trying to play at grief counsellor and it's super not working because he's using it as their fight. You don't get in a snappy comeback about "oh so you want to move on"

Dean looks extremely murderously done with all this because How Dare etc

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"For me"

God damn puppy dog eyes.

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awww Jack's watching The Clone Wars. Because he is a wee new baby and this is his star wars generation I guess.

mittensmorgul pffft. (I have never seen Clone Wars so I have no idea what that even means)

elizabethrobertajones It's the adventures *drum roll* of Darth Vader when he was still Anakin, before he went evil Ashoka or however you spell it is his Padawan

mittensmorgul aahhh

elizabethrobertajones Jack's identifying with her and not with the pre-evil but still getting the Imperial March music layered over his bad decisions Anakin the entire show is 10000 episodes just an endless "we can't make him go evil because that happens in the movie but we can tease basically everything up to that" stuff

mittensmorgul At least he's iffy about Anakin...

elizabethrobertajones yeah good choice, basically it's also brand new he found the non-dinosaur version of Star Wars of the previous generation :P and it's less political than the prequels I think The Clone Wars is generally well-liked whereas nerd rage dictates the Prequels are the Worst and I guess it's Too Soon to get into the newer Star Wars films since we don't know how the arcs of the new kids pay off

[side note: I haven't watched it per se because there's tons of it but I've been in the same room as my brother watching it, and seen a lot of pop culture general knowledge that I've sponged up so I could be wrong about some little details as I mostly know how it's been described to me]

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Also Jack's identifying with the female character, because fuck off toxic masculinity, she seems awesome and he has no idea he isn't “”supposed”” to. She also is one of the aliens with the huge tentacle things on her head so idk if it's a good idea for him to get too into this without  meeting more of the general population - Sam's probably right

-

Uhoh, Jack kinda does a snarky eyebrow about "you're the good guys" - Did Sam fail to sell it or is Jack really just starting to have trust issues now he's watching TV with black or white morality (literally a dark side and a light side - hrm.) and given his experience of the Winchesters yelling their very shades of grey takes on him at each other

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Well he hasn't learned to be cagey about overhearing that

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*blink blink blink* *sigh*

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"You're *using* me"

Oh no, poor Jack :(

-

He also implicitly trusts Dean's judgement more than Sam's bonding, despite how Sam has made all the movements towards him. As people have been meta'ing, Dean's being extremely honest and Jack's setting his markers by that, even if it's horrific to the point of deciding he has to be evil because Dean thinks so.

-

Sam says he, Dean and CAS closed the rift - hey, Cas got knocked out by Lucifer in round 1 of that as a distraction and Crowley helped you close it.

They probably have not explained Crowley to him at all.

-

At least Sam is being honest now about what happened with the rift, and that it's their mom

and Jack speaks the language of lost moms. Now HE looks at SAM with sympathy.

Probably also explains Dean...

I think Jack is defaulting back to thinking about Dean way more than Sam's opinion of him, although perhaps he may like Sam more now he was upfront and some of why "so uh yeah I was KINDA using you" is on the table

-

Jack was wearing a darker henley, which tbh with Dean wearing them again all of a sudden makes it blurry to me if this is not about his Dean-alignment more than colour coding his feelings on being evil (like how Amara's nail polish started off black and got right down to light grey by the end of the season). Now he's swapped to being the Cas Intern.

Ow.

-

and aww all the fake IDs. There's a lot to take in about these guys :P

-

Oh no Dean said "loony toons" on the episode which may or may not be an exact use of 8x08 for Cas, for Jack. Jack's a bit more of a trial run about wanting to BE a hunter since he is mostly just curious. Also amused Dean has to rephrase for Jack because he actually knows he's a week old or so, and he's not going to enjoy repeating himself or explaining, while he always found it kind of funny to just say a whole string of incomprehensible pop culture at Cas without slowing for a breath.

Not funny now, is it Dean?

-

Wait have they never actually fought a revenant aka, idk, it sounds like a naturally occurring zombie? They mention it from time to time but as far as I remember they've never actually called zombies revenants because they're one of the shows where they just embrace the horror movie tradition about zombies completely, so it always seemed like revenants were something slightly different, at least, in the sense that they get named like a different category. And they just lumped them in with ghosts here, as restless spirits but i guess this time *with* the body?

-

Dean tells Jack to sit, like he was a dog being kept in the car.

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Unlike dogs he knows how to work the door handle.

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Jack no don't touch the blood

oh good Dean stopped him

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Aw no he's still wearing the dark henley under the tan jacket. That's awful :D

-

Pfft Dean's like immediately "it's a revenant" because they know what those are really well after a billion years hunting and we've never watched them ever name anything on screen a revenant before with that vocab, and they're really sticking with not crossing them over with zombies exactly...

I mean Dean said he wasn't a revenant after he got back from hell and I think they've chattered about them before

if I check this on superwiki it's way too early for there to be a spoilery "so it's not a revenant" line from later in this episode highlighted when I hit the search :P

Oh good, I'm glad I'm right.

A revenant is a visible ghost or animated corpse that returns to terrorize the living, usually people it knew in life. Unlike the zombie, a revenant is not under another person's control, and has returned from the grave on its own for a specific and often personal purpose. In 4.01 Lazarus Rising, Bobby accuses Dean of being a shapeshifter or a revenant. Dean proves he's neither by cutting himself with a silver knife. In 8.06 Southern Comfort Garth takes a call from a hunter asking how to deal with a revenant. Garth tells him to get a casket and some silver spikes, then nail it in and bury it. He also warns that getting bit will hurt like hell, but will not turn you into one.

-

I wonder if those were revenants in 4x07 and I only ask because it was like almost exactly an anniversary to it in OUR time :P It's still May or maybe June for them in-show

-

Okay Dean left Jack to dig but Sam chased after Dean rather than it being a synchronised Winchester ditching of Jack :P

-

Little on the nose about "You're starting to sound like dad!" :P

"Is that a bad thing" Oh Dean, no.

Fortunately the theme of this season is fathers so I suspect you're gonna have to deal with this at some point or another

-

Sam like "the drill sergent thing won't work on Jack" to the sound of Jack merrily digging in the background because Dean told him to

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I really hope that wasn't an on-set hazing that they actually left him to dig :P

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I love my smol gravedigger son

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I love how Jack did all the digging anyway because Sam's still not actually dirty and Jack's still standing in the hole

-

Lol not a revenant, well there's a surprise. I'm glad I double-checked the lore anyway because I have the time to so I'm not going to spend the rest of the episode like "wait what IS the difference between them and zombies anyway and why have we never seen one?"

-

I mean it's not gonna be a ghost either, we're 9 minutes in and they're salting and burning because it makes more sense to Dean to do that than not to - I guess a precaution for accidentally angering her spirit for digging her up...?? :P I mean no he still thinks she's a ghost but I mean maybe it's not a total waste of salt.

-

OH NO Jack don't ask about if Kelly is a ghost, that's very painful.

-

OH NO I thought he was going to ask about Cas but instead Dean said "what gets burned, stays dead" and that hurts a lot

-

FORTUNATELY for me the viewer as opposed to Dean the grieving ball of angst over there, I can go check up on Cas immediately.

-

He doesn't seem to be doing too good but more in an existential way since he's at least up and walking about.

I like how Jack woke him up but it's probably got to be like a baby bird has to hatch itself.

-

He's using up all his "hellos" on the void. Save one for Dean.

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You know if the MotW is imitating dead loved ones I have to say I am not exactly looking forward to this :P I didn't say earlier but the cold open gave me 11x13 vibes and honestly I don't want a repeat of the stress of waiting for Cas to show up for Dean but it not happening... Okay, belatedly 10 minutes in, there's a baseline expectation for the episode that that doesn’t happen. Then again I forgot to check the names at the bottom of the screen except for being happy to see Misha's there so they could spring anyone on us

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Throw a real curveball in just like bring some random dead loved one from the first 3 seasons back :P

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Or waste Jim Beaver's season 13 appearance on it and he's never even in the AU with Mary :P

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Anyway Jack is waiting patiently in the car.

(or, well, not so patiently.. He's starting to get an idea of how the job works, and that Dean is usually repeatedly wrong about everything as he throws spaghetti at the wall about the case...)

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Anyway, dead son, dead wife, so that's quite a neutral combination.

-

Asking what they had in common probably means the grief counsellor, but Dean says that and then we go back to Cas right when I've been musing on the loved ones coming back for them thing and honestly it's like Dean's words are just summoning Cas right now.

....... 8x08 used flashbacks to summon Amelia for Sam, just saying

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I hope Cas finds Billie and hopefully a bar immediately and they can become drinking buddies.

I don't even think she's in this one?

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I like those assertive footsteps though. "I have no clue where I am, I am just going to walk in this direction like I mean it"

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Lol they're in Madison i was KIDDING about bringing back a dead loved one from like season 2 or something. Oh well, if it's her, it's her. I'm still bitter about Sarah because I only just re-watched it with my mum the other day.

I should probably stop bringing up Sam's dead or lost girlfriends because it's just bumming me out on his behalf.

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Teehee "he's not our intern"

well

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"I asked you to keep an eye on him" "I can see him"

It's amazing Dean didn't volunteer just to get away from Jack

-

Sort of weird existing in a post That Declaration world where I can just canonically know Dean staring at Jack is making him think sad things about Cas without any fear whatsoever

-

Oh boy killer grief counsellor probably. "Mia is promising to provide the catharsis I've been craving for so long" and then she gets ripped to shreds by her son.

I feel a little bad reading this woman's diary, but the first line is about not "getting over" it and learning to live with it. Blah blah heal and rebuild yourself, blah blah whole again but never the same

-

"Shrinks... Snake oil for the mind." "Or how healthy people deal" Pfft

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Jack being baffled by the issues of customer vs hot dog guy without understanding it's an ancient war fought across the world

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Dean equates "catharsis" to "happy ending" - I can't tell if he's innuendo-ing or accidentally revealing too much and being mournful about it.

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The house has a great fence - its parts are all misaligned. Very visually uncomfortable :D

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Awww someone said "hello" to Jack and Jack was like !!!!! another person!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO! :D :D :D

how can you possibly think he's bad

-

Anyway I was about to type that Dean hates it because of course he feels the most vulnerable talking about his feelings all the time, either for performing Dean reasons about needing to keep up a facade of strength (LET YOURSELF CRY, MAN) or because feelings for Cas being inconvenient to him

-

UHoh Dean grabbed Jack's shoulder - he did it to Mick to be threatening last year in a Glynn episode, while Mick was wearing a long tan coat. And called Jack "Spock" which is not really accurate characterisation at all. Jack's pretty much nothing but a bundle of emotions, he's just not used to using them around other people. Now CAS on the other hand.....

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I do like that Mia decided to see them because Jack is sweet and was upfront about losing his mother and he's just adorable.

They bluff their way in by losing a collective mother, Sam once again lining them up as family and siblings.

Play it cool, man. You’ll scare Jack off.

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I'm starting to think we haven't seen Cas between scenes for a while because Dean hasn't said anything angsty enough

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But idk if we trust her or not. She has a lot of alcohol stashed on that shelf.

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Jack wisely doesn't sit on the sofa with them all.

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"Oh well Mom was great and now she's dead so what's the deal with catharsis" Dean, no.

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Sam continues with what should be the pre-arranged plan of spill closed truths like well we don't journal but our dad did

also I am so annoyed that confirms they don't keep hunter journals??? grarghgh

Google has ruined this generation

And Dean makes fun of journaling as being for little girls, even though Sam literally just said that about John. Last year in 12x04 he said he was a 13 year old girl when trying to text Mary so he's actually regressed even further backwards at losing her again >.>

-

"I'm good with death, closure, the whole friggin bottle of Jack"

it's a shame he would never put a bumper sticker on Baby, because that...

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Oh boy we're still having this fight. "My brother's delusional..." yeah oh dear.

Is this going to be one of those things where I basically just want to transcribe the whole thing?

Dean calls out Sam for not being able to even admit that Mary's gone so he hasn't even moved past denial - which to be fair, Sam IS right she's not dead and that they DO have a means of getting her back and everything... Was thinking about how last season was a "Dean is right about everything" season and this time is clearly a Sam is right about everything one... but of course both only to a certain degree, and in this case it's much blurrier about approach and how these fights are going because of course Sam's not being a perfect Saint Sammy that Dean is being unfairly awful to in the entirety of what's going on here. Sam IS struggling and resisting confronting things in his own way and adopting Jack as a pet project is definitely a form of avoidance or at least wanting to get concrete closure on Mary's death before he will fully mourn. Which makes Sam and Dean existing in the same place terrible because they're only in the same physical location

anyway Dean's about to yell  about how hard this all is for him too so I better unpause once I'm holding a stuffed toy again

"At least you had a relationship with mom" WAHEY

I mean that was awful but I'm delighted Sam yelled that because there's ALWAYS something else going on underneath Sam, and I've been waiting for more Sam and Mary angst, since I spent so much time on them last season and at least obliquely referred to this... Talked a lot about how hard Sam had it to reconnect with Mary... That Words with Friends scene from 12x07 was basically floating along waiting to come back up at some point or another, but it took Sam a long time to reach out to Mary personally, and really only in 12x14 (hi Berens, I just accept you and Glynn are brain twins these days) did he pick a side in THAT fight and picked Mary. And we said it was to get closer to Mary but he made it all about the BMoL instead of just confronting that he wanted a relationship with her, and the BMoL ended up just keeping them apart ANYWAY and tl;dr am I going to have to write the reverse version of A World Without Monsters from Sam's POV or can we just agree that my subtext in that fic was exactly what just bubbled up here? :P

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I just spent the entire length of that paragraph trying to work out when I wrote the meta about how Sam felt about Mary and it took me until that last point to realise it was not a meta, it was a fic where I roundly abused poor Sam for the sake of making that point.

-

Dean's like hey therapy is great! *eyebrows at Jack* *snarky smile at the doc*

-

Sam is like *anger-drinks water*

*refuses to cry as well*

BLOOD

(CRY, DAMMIT, SAM.)

-

That sign was down earlier

is this the poor receptionist?

-

Or... ew, shifter gunk?

-

LOL Dean just takes a flask out of his pocket in the middle of their appointment

Mia asks him to look at Jack, which is the last thing he wants to do, but blah blah meta about 12x22 and how he needs to "see" Jack, and she's pointing out that Jack is terrified which is exactly what Dean needs to see about him

subtle

She actually points out his anger issues as well so I think Dean's getting homework whether he has to write it in a journal or not :P

-

*suddenly everyone is pointing guns*

Hey if she's a a shapeshifter why does she live in an all-white house when shifting makes bloody goo stains everywhere?

Or her assistant, I guess. They haven't had eyes on him :P

-

Ooh that explains why the guy was not surprised to see his wife. Well, kind of surprised, but not nearly horrified enough.

-

Sadly if she is telling the truth that means someone else is using her method to get their guard down to kill them for kicks...

-

Also shades of 9x13 because they had that spa where the monster would use their unique skills to help, but then of course another of their kind - a sibling - had to go and ruin it...

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Oh hey, it's Cas! I guess the time ran out on a good transition from Dean, so we go over here on "I'm telling you the truth"

-

Lol it's another Cas... Who ever would have expected it. /Misha being the worst at spoilers

Or something with a very silly voice. "Friendly neighbourhood cosmic entity" that sounds like that and won't show its face is either someone pranking Cas or about to go very bad.

Cas is like "do I look like that" "I'm getting a new coat as soon as I'm alive again"

-

if this thing is The Empty itself it's probably kinda crazy after eons being nothing

-

Oh NO Cas's face when he says "every angel that ever died is here?" because oh boy did you put like 90% of them in here yourself. There's about 3 faces you'd be happy to see again of the entire lot. Hey, it's never too late to give Cas that guilt all over again that made him stay in Purgatory out of penance.

-

I mean among other things but it's probably worth mentioning there are a whole bunch of lil purgatory parallels here in the loosest sense of it being a hostile other realm, and the way Cas is basically Dean in Purgatory in here.

-

Cas has been back for like 5 minutes of screen time and I want to protect him and wrap him in blankets

there's no need to be mean, The Empty, just because you got woken up... I say... at nearly 4am... because I woke up when I didn't want to...

you know what, The Empty's being mean to Cas probably kind of justifiably, even if it's a dick.

-

pretty clever to use a shifter as the motw in this episode too

-

oh, poor Cas is horrified to think Sam and Dean made some sort of deal for him

he says "I don't know" which is ironically what Jack's saying all the time

like father like son

-

LEAVE HIM ALONE

-

last episode we had James keeping memories of Missouri, who he had cut out of his life, in a box. Now Mia has a box still dedicated to "Buddy" her asshole ex who hurt her, and good on her for leaving him. He's another shifter, we're halfway through the episode, so we probably need to find him now, and also have a good 10 minutes more of whatever's going on with Cas. :P

She also owns up to have done much worse things in her past with Buddy, although presumably not killing people, and probably because they were super toxic together, and she had the sense to get out and try and help people now.

-

Jack said "I'll come with" which is adorable. He's learning to be like them :D

-

Wheeeee he's riding shotgun! Guess Dean couldn't make him stay in the back without Sam around.

-

Sam's plan's don't always work out :< Oh no, Dean, you still don't have much faith in Sam's ability to handle himself.

Fortunately this does seem to be a mostly Sam is right season, and I think of all the overwhelming reasons why you don't trust Jack, not trusting Sam to trust Jack is probably relatively low on the list underneath the Cas stuff or you'd have just yelled that at Sam the other day instead.

-

Uh, why do I feel like the shifter just phoned Sam and somewhere between here and there something went really wrong?

-

Oh god I'm going to have to watch the face peeling scene with my own two eyes at 4 in the morning, aren't I?

-

Meanwhile Mia explains why her catharsis works to Sam - I hope he doesn't sneak back at the end of the episode for a chat with "Mary" because that would be AWFUL.

-

Oh it was that other guy - wait, also, Sam was already doing this before Dean phoned? Seems like he doesn't trust Dean's methods either :P

-

CAAAAAAAAAS

-

I love how Cas is so practical like, "will you pay me $200 to stop annoying you and go away?"

UHOH guess we're getting right into it. "You don't want to go back" "Sam and Dean need me" You don't want to be needed, you want to be wanted!

Wheeee text on that and also wheee over on the other side of the story last week Dean finally made the i/we distinction about Cas. Now we just need to get them alive and well and actually dealing with crap

-

oh boy I shouldn't have paused there except that i suppose for the sake of meta-ing remotely clearly it was probably a good idea not to watch straight through from that into the empty accusing Cas of having feeeeelings and "I know *what* you hate, I know *who* you love, what you fear." especially since Cas hates being needed but not wanted and uh Dean made the i/we distinction at long last over on the other side of the story so um does Cas fear something related to all that?

I mean to be fair Cas has been through this exact thing before with "he's in love... with humanity" / "all of it for one man" which was an "i/we" distinction of planetary proportions :P Of course he just mutely responded to it there because he was sad Dean was dead, and had no idea Metatron had accused him of being in love in any form, so that was Metatron's private joke to himself.

-

The Empty telling Cas there's "nothing for him back there" also makes like next to no sense if you take season 12's family read at surface value and has the bonus of being, I'm pretty sure, a line Elrond tells Arwen in the movie when he's trying to make her leave Aragorn and go across the waters to the undying lands.

-

I know they're just starting with it in a long selection of terrible things that happened to Cas but starting with his grace being stolen really sucks :P

Especially when I am still daily haunted by his season 9 arc.

See above: Metatron and "in love with humanity"

-

More miscommunication of the "didn't bother to call you" variety (I hope this doesn't blow up in Sam's face, although of course trying to nurture Jack is slow mo doing that, especially if he and Dean are meant to swap stances on the kid >.>)

The intern pulls Mia aside for a chat.

OH NO Jack wants to see his mom. OH NO OH NO

I will be so upset if that happens...

Oh nooooooo

he's crying.

Who can say no?

This is extremely awful.

I guess Glynn didn't want to let Kelly go like that. I'm glad if Mia was going to do this for anyone it would be for Jack and not Sam and Dean's cycles of nonsense.

I REALLY hope the bad shifter doesn't burst in here and try to/actually kill Mia right now. Jack doesn't need that in his life.

In the mean time, Mia better friggin HUG Jack even if it's technically hollow and he would know it.

Also did she do the whole disgusting skin thing or can she transform on the spot?

-

HUGS FOR THE NOUGAT BOY

-

They look so much alike :')

Oh no Jack you probably don't feel anything because they made you horribly depressed within 2 days. Also you have angel grace. Historically not good for helping you feel things. You're sweet and cry about your mom and feel bad about stuff in other ways so I think you have a heart no matter what, like Cas does.

Mia gets some catharsis from getting to hug Jack and reassure him that even if he's a monster and what makes him in-human isn't letting him emote how he's supposed to, he can still be good. She's got a monster soul, after all. There's a lot of good monsters out there.

-

I was about to say lol is this now Sam not on the phone because he actually is a shifter now mostly to tease past!Me but then they panned down and Dean's unconscious, which makes sense because they probably still want to show us Dean tearing his own face off at some point and honestly I'd rather just get it over and done with because if it's still to come after this D:

"that was too friggin easy" though - Dean getting overwhelmed in another fight. He's really not had a great rate of success... He only beat the wraith last episode with Patience's warnings, and other than that it's been a terrible track record even if he fights back as hard as he can when he gets jumped

-

shifter!Dean2 better not go in and try and kill Jack

-

Not gonna have much luck, I just don't want to watch it :P

-

MORE HUGS FOR JACK

-

WAIT NO YOU CAN'T HUG HIM AND THEN HAVE HIM KNOCKED OUT IN THE SAME SCENE

I TYPE NOT LOOKING AT THE SCREEN BECAUSE DEAN'S RIPPING HIS FACE OFF

-

Shifters are gross

-

Oh no don't call Cas a disappointment, The Empty, we're so proud of him!

-

He just told him to "save yourself" which is probably going to have the direct opposite result to what he wants while I'd hope Cas goes and does exactly that

"I'm already saved" blah blah Cas insults The Empty and I love him, "because somehow I'm awake, and I'll stay awake" - exactly how many times can I use "i love him" as punctuation in one sentence?

-

Where is that gif of the woman banging the pots and pans about not getting any sleep so they're not getting any sleep

that's something I ought to have saved :P

Someone almost certainly has made a post already.

-

Cas is the literal embodiment of "fight me"

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This Buddy guy is a total douche. He says in this world everyone uses everyone. Which is a theme of the season I guess - Cas feeling used, Jack feeling used... He's the villain with the most negative version of the theme in his mouth right now

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Dean's got to pep talk Jack if he wants to save the day or Jack goes and saves the daaay - I'd prefer Jack does it

Look, Mia's getting hurt and she was kind to you and in the most literal use of character mirroring in 1000 miles is an actual stand in for your mom!

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Ooh is Jack gonna save Sam instead? Dean just pep-talked him specifically about how Sam believed in him which was having to start to admit that Sam, well, believes in Jack. Which Dean couldn't even accept last episode when he was saying that he was just using Jack

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Yay thanks Jack, kinda figured Sam wouldn't get shot :P Jack's powers are fascinating - he's definitely bending time... from Sam and Dean's perspectives last time they were caught in it they were at least sort of aware of things, but Jack pretty much works in bullet time.

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I also like how he kind of had a ridiculous "NooooO" because he's been watching Star Wars. I don't know if there's a "Nooooo" in the Clone Wars but I mean have you met a Star Wars

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Anyway good riddance douchey ex with extra douchey powers.

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I love the shot of them all standing together and Jack has that benign :3 face on again. He's really insufferably cute.

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Ewww the Bunker sink is gross. I assume that's from decades of lying in disrepair and that those are stains Dean could not get out.

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I guess Jack's getting a glass of water and Dean's midnight snacking. I have no other explanation for this encounter despite the fact it could theoretically happen at literally any point of the clock :P

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Oh gosh, is he going to give Jack a beer

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Yay, actions helped

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Aw, the other beer is for Sam. Guess this doesn't have to be midnight after all. I thought he might have a longer chat with Jack

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oops is this the beginning of the slide in the other direction? Sam's been undermined and even though he was proven right to Dean's eyes and Dean's had to grudgingly hand Jack the win in the case and admit it to Sam, Sam's like, "I guess"

And they don't know what Jack asked for from Mia because patient confidentiality! Argh!

Oh no Sam don't start wondering if Dean is right.

AAAH they're actually talking about things really well. Dean's like "don't say that" - even if he can't believe it he doesn't want to HURT Sam and rob him of his hope... Sometimes yelling about things does make them get better in the long run once you get it out there >.>

And Dean deputises to Sam for the feelings. And admits how HE has been feeling, because he believes in nothing, because all his faith has been taken away because there was only one thing he ever ended up believing in no i didn't see the next scene transition before i hit pause what are you talking about

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Again, though, if this is Cas back in the mortal plane after annoying his way back to life (worrisome, since he's 2 episodes out of reuniting with them and where's Billie? Oh gosh is Billie back for reals too if he IS back? Whaaaat.) then that's another awfully convenient moment to transition scenes from. Dean finally using "i" instead of "we" about Cas and making it abundantly clear that he and sam didn't feel the same about that, was, whether the direct reason or just narrative karma they chose to bestow on Dean, what made Jack reach out to Cas. Now he admits out loud that he doesn't believe in anything with the implication when you look at Dean vs belief that this is about Cas, and we go over to Cas definitely at least in an improved situation.

Goddammit that's the new coat which means he didn't come back naked but wait! Lizzy's hope wasn't the same as everyone else's at all! Although that was a shallow moment of defeat :P Mwa ha ha, I was hoping Cas would come back and be gifted a whole new Cas get up and lo and behold unless he chose to manifest these clothes onto himself and there's noooo ulterior motive at all going on here (uh... probably not going to get more than 1 per show and we used it up on Mary :P) but he's confused and waking up and the last time we saw him he was in the clothes he died in... So of course if he's being sent back to earth then someone else chose the battle armour he'd be returned in. One Cas, fit for purpose.

Also, realising once he sat up more it was the new coat makes me pretty sure he is back on Earth.

Also he looks happy to be here and I think he can tell :P

Same, Cas. Same.

[spaceorphan18]

Glee Musical Retrospective: Hell-O Extras

Don't Rain on My Parade (Instrumental)

I couldn't find the actual scene - but I found this really fun karaoke version in case you guys wanna play at home ;)

Anyway... this song plays in the background of the opening scene when Rachel, Mercedes, and Kurt are all walking in the hallway. It's the only song that isn't related to the word 'hell' and is really a nod to the previous group of episodes, their sectionals win, and the fact that Rachel believes she's now a star -- her own triumphant music playing in her head. Of course that all comes crashing down as they get slushied, but it's a nice opening touch.

It's also quite the energetic and provocative piece even without the vocals and gives the reentrance of the show some oomph. I recommend taking a moment and just singing it for yourself! ;)

Hello, Again

Will and Emma dance to Neil Diamond's Hello, Again. I find it kind of interesting that they didn't let Will sing this to her -- and for that matter, Will (and Emma) don't have any songs to sing together this episode -- which shows the departure of the story from the adult world.

I think this is a really nice song for them, though. The lyrics reflect a man who's happy to be in the arms of his love and friend -- and the scene kind of does the meta'ing for you, actually. It's gentle and calm and kind of reflects the friends-turned-lovers relationship that Will and Emma have taken. Plus, the dancing together is somewhat reminiscent of those old school romantic films.

What I don't totally buy is that it's Will and Terri's prom song. Not only do I not buy that teens in the mid-90s would be into Neil Diamond, but I'd bet Terri would be much more vocal and dominating about that kinda thing. But it does very much reflect Will and his personality, so who knows.

I do think it reflects that the writers often write Will as being much older than he actually is -- since a lot of their choices often reflect someone who grew up in the late 80s. But I digress...

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Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen, Hello Love

Oh my gosh, this scene.... lol

I can see why they cut it. I mean, it was probably for time more than anything, but I feel like this whole sequence really highlights how Rachel and Jesse 'get' each other. It might also be a lot -- too much too fast, especially when Finchel was a tirelessly slow burn over the previous 13 episodes -- so it's a bit head spinning.

But I do like the scene overall. The song is about growing up -- and discovering your sexuality -- though in the most theater kid way (which makes it kind of funny, tbh). And it's interesting to me -- that while Finn was the subject of Rachel's idolatry, Jesse is a very realized romantic partner for her. And I wonder if one reason they cut it is that it undermines the overall Finchel story when Rachel and Jesse click in a way that Rachel and Finn never have.

(I also wonder if this scene is too similar -- though in a more childish way - to the upcoming Like A Virgin montage that will be coming in the next episode - another reason they probably cut it.)

Anyway, the song is cute, but is a minor inlay of the major fabric of the St. Berry romance.