#i think claire's perspective needs to be talked about more

[gracelyns]

your dad disappears when you're a kid and you find out he's leaving cause an angel kidnapped him and is using his body. because of this your mom goes mad and leaves too. weren't angels supposed to be guardians? your daddy taught you that. you don't ever hear from your dad anymore, some postcards from your mom. your grandparents die and you're alone in the foster care system. several years later, you see your dad again. he's aged and he looks fine, but actually he's dead, the angel killed him and is still using his body. the only people you thought you could call family sell you out, and are murdered in cold blood by the angel's killing machine friend. you find your mom. she'd been a prisoner for two years and another angel had been feeding on her soul. she immediately sacrifices herself for you. the next day you forgive him (he still looks like your dad) and he and his friends offer to help you. they make sure you have a house and a nice woman to take care of you. he took away your family. but he also gave you a new one. you're happy now. you can't help but start loving him too. how can you love the one that ruined your life, without thinking about it once? he's changed now, he's a totally different person. but he still looks like your dad. i wonder: how much of claire's love for cas is just love for her father, placed in the next best thing?

[ambeauty]

Thinking about how Carmy initiates so many things in his relationship with Sydney. I went back to read some of Jeremy’s thoughts about his relationship with Claire and he said some things that I just don’t agree with. I do think he answers questions from Carmy’s perspective and not from a viewer perspective and that provides more insight into the character but not actually insight into what we’re seeing as viewers if that makes sense.

Here I am looking around for what walls Carmy had up with Sydney to begin with. Instead of Sydney coming in and knocking down his walls, Carmy has been trying to knock down hers. Let’s take a look:

Their first conversation at family when he makes sure she eats and asks her what’s going on with her. This is a conversation that is constantly happening between them. Jeremy views Carmy as some who communicates with actions and little words, but with Sydney it’s a little of both.

Their altercation in review fills him with much regret that he can’t even open Mikey’s note without making things square with Sydney first and even in their short conversation he manages to apologize and she manages to make him smile. Oh Carmy is that amusement?👀

Carmy invites Sydney on the food tour. Carmy asks Sydney what she is going to do now that the restaurant is closed as if he wants to do something with her but she leaves before he can gather the courage.

Carmy asks Sydney about her personal life more than once because he’s genuinely curious and wants to know her better. He asks her to be vulnerable with him under the table. He asks her under it to begin with, because does he really need help? No he just wanted to talk to her.

Where are the walls Jeremy?! With Sydney his openness is not something that she really has to breakthrough, it’s the opposite. Is it because of their position as partners in the relationship is something he’s more equipped to handle than a romantic relationship? That could be the case but I also think it’s because he’s genuinely interested in her and feels at ease with her presence. As heteronormative as it is, I think it’s important that he’s the one actively pursuing a deeper relationship with Sydney. It shows that he is capable of coming out of his shell, if it’s for the right person.

I also wanna address that line about Carmy being cared for but it’s pretty obvious who makes Carmy feel cared for especially in s3. The quote is right after s2 came out. I just find his thoughts on the love triangle from Carmy’s perspective really interesting….

[theyjusthowl]

I want to talk about The Bear and scenes where Syd is bathed in glorious sunlight while Carmy is in the dark because that right there is their dynamic.

So they're fixing this table and the light coming in from the window behind Syd puts her in perspective for us just like she was when Carmy asked her to take the plunge with him and they've come so far but they're also at the starting point again, about to do something crazy. Together.

Carmy has been struggling to reconcile running his own restaurant with dating Claire and her ties to his past. I do think he loves the idea of sticking it to his family more than he loves her. He did it. He got the restaurant. He got the girl.

Then he notices all the little things that aren't up to his psychopathic standards because he wasn't there. He runs Sydney's own chaos menu by her only after Claire tells him okay that sounds good maybe listen to Syd. And Syd says I'm not jealous and she's not. She feels betrayed. Carmy should want to listen to her. She's giving up everything, they all are, because this needs to come first. She makes an omelette for Nat and she adds chips and chives because she loves cooking more than anything else. That's her priority. She's been rebuffing Marcus so this big moment where her dad starts believing in her could happen.

Meanwhile Carmy is once again isolated, realising that he can't do everything on his own and he needs to get his priorities straight. Everyone has stepped up and had this big moment of growth, and he hasn't, because he was the prodigal son, everyone just had to trust him with this, but he doesn't know what he's doing, he only knows he needed all of them to be on board and be the best at it, and he isn't. He isn't on board. He isn't the best. He didn't make it.

This was not his dream. He dragged everyone along for this and he hasn't even been around for it and he's met with that truth, fixing a table in the most intimate way possible with Syd on their opening day. Getting stuck in the walk-in is the final nail in his coffin. He is alone. He's lost sight of his purpose. His partner needs to come first and if he can't do that he doesn't deserve Syd and the restaurant, and he did this to her.

Claire should have never happened. The universe is screaming at him. Claire should have never happened and he's missing his own showtime because he didn't listen, he wasn't there to watch Syd slowly unravel and give up everything for this crazy idea he roped her into.

But she helps him fix the table. She takes the reins when Carmy gets stuck. She sees the night through. And he sees her in all her glory and thinks, she deserves to trust me.

Carmy is so desperate to be devoted to something on a fundamental level and it was there within reach it was so so close, like fixing a table, like going through hell together, and the only thing he had to do was trust, but he has never trusted anyone in his life before. This is his big moment. And of course Syd is front and center for it.

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Neil Fak- The simple, innocent man Carmy once was.

Since Carmy is back home, he's outgrowing his naviety

What caught my attention is that Carmy and Fak are interested in flowers. However, Carmy loses hope and gets rid of the flowers in season 3. We can associate flowers with joy, innocence, love, and sentiments, which are all absent in Carmy's life in season 3. But he desires that innocence again something Fak carries. But there's both pros and cons to this way of life.

Fak is who Carmy would have become if he had stayed in Chicago and continued to be around Richie and Mikey. He would have immersed himself in the ballbreaker game, trying to win and ultimately losing his potential.

Did you notice that Fak isn't introduced to the story until Sydney is introduced? When season 1 begins, life is now too complicated for Carmy to understand, and a mind like Fak's can only narrate it simply.

In some way Fak is a version of Carmy. The innocent version.

Fak and Carmy - we're told they're best friends or butt buddies as Richie puts it.

Fak's adolescent mind - naivety thinks everyone is his best friend.

Since Carmy has gotten older, he realizes he carries more scars and wonders what a best friend is. He even questions if Mikey is his best friend.

As the series progresses, Carmy is coming to terms with the fact that relationships are complicated and not as simple as he initially thought. It's easy for him to resort to anger and violence like the Ballbreaker game when things become too complicated to understand. However, Carmy needs to mature in order to be the person his family needs. Being naive about relationships, people, and emotions won't help him.

I want to acknowledge @outmakingmoonshine for this outstanding, detailed meta on whether or not Syd and Carmy were planned. I re-read the script where Fak is introduced. In so many words, Carmy is saying that a sappy love story won't save the characters this time. Fak is raising the stakes, making winning at life a more significant risk. He gives Claire Carmy's number, adding more risk to the love story between Sydney and Carmy.

This subtext is a prediction- Sydney and Carmy's relationship is heading towards difficult feelings, and it becomes even more complex as they grow. Calling in Fak can hopefully help Carmy navigate, allowing him to somehow narrate an easier story than what's about to be told.

From Fak's innocent perspective, the game "Ball Breaker," known for its violence, is just too difficult because there's more to it. From Fak's perspective, the game or story (life) is too confusing to beat. Fak is the one who's raising plays to a dollar. A higher risk for a story about manhood and ball busting. Love.

Ballbreaker Game is gone. Now Fak is left to play Cupid.

Season 2 Ball breaker is over, and we're left with the game of who's in love with you—who could be dating who—with both Richie and Fak playing the game of cupid.

Fak sees it simply. Marcus and Sydney should hook up because they like each other. And carmy is in love with claire. Why shouldn't they get together?

He's not paying attention to syd and carmy's part. It's too difficult of a part of the game or story to navigate.

We need to take Fak's input on love with a grain of salt because he insists that Carmy is his best friend, just like everyone else.

It's just too difficult

Think of the upcoming sydcarmy scenes. 2x09 Carmy grows up a bit realizes that he has to be the guy his family expects him to be- the man where everyone can rely on him. This moment of growth has carmy wanting to fix the table or relationship with Sydney without faks help or naivety coming to mend it. The same as 3x04 when Sydney is ready to talk to Carmy about his consistent miscommunication Fak is pushed away.

Because this is a story about manhood, Carmy's growth involves shedding naivety, embracing complex emotions, and becoming the man his family needs.

But he is still wondering how he can find the balance to embrace his innocence and where he can stop and smell the roses while still growing up.

Tagging: @currymanganese @moodyeucalyptus @vacationship @whenmemorydies @brokenwinebox @fresaton

[jelestes]

My completely sane and hinged rant after rewatching the second season of The Bear 😍

• Carmy/Claire

OMG I want to like Claire so badly but her character is so fucking annoying and that’s putting my whole sydcarmy shipper personality aside, she adds nothing to the plot/show, nothing to Carmy’s growth as a character (not that she should be responsible for that, but as a part of his subplot she doesn’t do much), no new perspectives, nothing. She has nothing you can hold on to she’s just kinda there. Her personality is bland and she’s pushy but at least she’s nice i’ll give her that! All that being said, Molly Gordon (the actress) did a great job!

• Natalie

Natalie isn’t talked about enough and it makes me so angry because she’s such a fascinating character like what was ep6??? that girl needs a fucking hug. As a woman with mommy issues I get Nat on so many levels (like, my mom also has threatened to blown her brains out in front of me so many times lmao) we only got a glimpse to what her life was/is like and I was already bawling my eyes out can’t imagine what they have in store for the next seasons. Also kudos to Abby Elliot (the actress) for the amazing job, we got to see so many sides of Nat it was so refreshing. (Ps: LOVE her relationship with Syd, omg)

• Tina

I remember hating Tina the first two episodes but man how much do I love her now. Her character just warms my heart, love LOVE that they made her a sous.

• Richie

I love cousin so fucking much. That’s pretty much it. As a twenty something struggling to find my passion and my path in general his plot in the second season really hit me, also his growth as a character in general was so nice to see, the way he realized he had to change to love himself not tiff or anyone else, that was really really cool.

• Richie/Natalie

Now call me absolutely insane but why do I feel there’s a tension between them? the whole soda thing when she says she’s pregnant (there’s a parallel to when Tiff was pregnant in 3.06), when he apologizes (it doesn’t feel he’s just apologizing for something in the present), idk there’s been a tension there since season one and I think it might be addressed in season 3? idk I might be delusional but I can’t be the only one seeing it.

• Carmy/Syd

* sighs * BECAUSE IF I SEE SOMEONE CALL THAT SHIT PLATONIC ONE MORE TIME I-

Can someone rationally explain to me why is Sydney the only person who can calm Carmy down during a panic attack? How is this shit platonic be so fr right now!!!! Why was Sydney over explaining herself when she told Carmy she doesn’t feel jealous of Claire? Try to explain this to me. You can’t because saying this is platonic sound fucking stupid SPECIALLY after the table scene.

IMO, they both know it and they both refuse to acknowledge it but specially carmy. I feel like they gonna have a fall out on s3 so they can finally start building this in the right direction.

That’s pretty much it, thank you for coming to my ThebearTalk! I’ll be insufferable for the next few weeks <3

[freedelusionshere]

S4 thoughts (sorry it's long)

That kitchen is Syd’s. Carmy is just the chef.

If Syd leaves in S4, Tina will be upset AF. She will then probably go in on Carmy because she holds back until she doesn’t, and she’s already issued him a warning about how he treats Syd.

I kind of need to see it? Like, she’ll be pissed and then she’ll ask him what’s going on with him, just like she did when he was trapped in the walk-in. And notice how he feels in that moment like he can tell the truth to Tina, who he knows won’t bullshit him, versus how he reacts to Claire and Richie (his past).

Marcus will have some shit to say, too. Because when he asked Carmy to take them there, he didn’t mean what Carmy does in S3. This is not The Blind Side, LOL, he meant the passion and creativity he brought to The Beef and lifting up others together.

I think a lot about how Syd and Carmy have sort of parented Tina and Marcus in the kitchen and then in S3 we see them collaborating (not Syd and Carmy) and inspiring each other and how they’re in such a different place now, so joyful; it’s not just a job anymore, they’re loving what they do now they know they have made something special together and feel inspired and are shown reveling in it.

What Carmy talked about in Legacy has already happened, whether he realizes it fully or not, but I think he does, because Syd asks him about whether or not he knew Ever was special when he was in the middle of doing it and he admits he did not. Carmy then invites Syd to the Ever dinner which suggests that he’s starting to rethink what he’s been doing and is giving her a direct introduction as an equal. And it’s the happiest we’ve seen her all season.

Richie is still caught up in all the family stuff like Carmy is, so he’ll blame Syd leaving on Carmy. But Richie knows exactly what is going on with Carmy, he lays it all out in Tomorow and in front of everyone (a true Berzatto fam move). But Richie still doesn’t want to deal with the Mikey baggage any more than Carmy does.

Syd has basically replaced Mikey at The Bear in hearts and minds Richie hasn’t fully accepted it yet, he’s preoccupied with his gentleman transformation and looking for alliances. She's not Mikey, but her arrival and her idea that it could be so different (as she tells Carmy in S1) actually holds space for others to become better. Like Chef Terry did for Carmy. Carmy knows how much Syd wanted to go to Noma and she sent Marcus instead!

Now, I think it’s going to come full circle in S4 with Luca being around. Luca knows Carmy and watched him like a hawk. He is on the other side of what Carny has been doing. He knows that Syd was at Ever for reasons and he’s asking her very prying personal questions about herself, just like Carmy and Marcus have tried to do and gets kind of shut down. Not all the way, because Syd lets it go on a bit longer than she did with Marcus or Carmy because Luca actually opens up and talks about himself. She’s still dodging, though!

Syd in S4 might try to run away from stuff which the show has talked about constantly but hasn't shown the why. At least not from her perspective, but since we're getting her having anxiety attacks and seeing flashbacks that mirror Carmy's, I think we will.

I have always thought since I started watching this show (which was very late, I watched the first episode and didn't pick it back up until later) that Syd is actually the main character of The Bear. She's the one who has influenced everything since the first episode. Yes, it's shown through Carmy's POV, but it's about her. All of his thoughts and behavior are centered on her.

[yannaryartside]

Carmy will have to decide between two types of love

I keep thinking about why Carmy (possibly) deciding between Claire and Syd is taking so much time on the overall plot of the series. We have used a entire season of him falling for Claire, and my theory is that in this season the Syd vs Claire is gonna be toe to toe, and then in the final season he goes for Syd.

Now, if that happens this way, I have been analysing it from a writers perspectives, how this love stories create Carmen ultimate character arc. I am gonna propose to you two narratives and why I would go for the later. Character analysis ahead.

The Claire option

Walk with me here. If you ship Claire and Carmy and believe the trailers, you could say this whole thing is about Carmy learning to accept love and good things. That is why the last season ended with him rejecting the relationship out of trauma just to realize that Claire loved him. This season could be about him healing to a point where he learns he deserves love, apologizing to Claire, and getting back together. And you know what, that does make sense, writing this show as an exercise for learning to heal childhood wounds. It is clean and makes sense. Then in s4 his new self can make all the good decisions, have a couple of kids, bum you have an arc.

But the background noise, or the clues floating around, to call it something, doesn't make sense. Here insert all the Sydcarmy clues the fandom has talked about.

The show is trying to tell us that Claire is the love Carmy wants because he is trapped in his wounded self mentality.

As I said in this post, Claire's behavior looked extremely naive but manipulative sometimes. Her relationship with his family and the trauma surrounding it. How everybody seems more enthusiastic than him about the relationship at times.

The reason: the wound.

Claire is uncomplicated love, love with no expectations or boundaries, with only space for his needs, never hers. That is the kind of love a child expects from a parent. My theory is that Carmen, being with Claire, wanted to experience that kind of love, the one he didn't get from Donna. with a touch of his teen self fantasies and sex included.

And that also makes sense. Everybody that has been abused, particularly in childhood, will tell you that picking a partner without relying on your wounded self is very difficult.

A little bit of TMI on healing from abuse when you look for a romantic partner: One of the reasons I got into therapy is because I was terrified to end up marrying a man as abusive as my dad was with my mom and me. I had a problematic episode with one of my exboyfriends that made me realize I was repeating specific patterns, even when consciously, I thought I was picking men who didn't act like my father. It is something difficult precisely because you are not aware of it. It is all happening subconsciously.

So maybe that is why the writers want to give Carmen the chance to choose a partner as a healed person (Syd) and not as a wounded person desperate for love (Claire)

You cannot choose a romantic partner looking for the love of a parent, because parent to child love is the only type of unconditional love that can exist. Some therapist will tell you that the only way to cure that lack is with self love and forgiveness, but that is besides the point of this post.

Romantic relationships cannot be unconditional, it is a partnership. There needs to be expectations of grow, sacrifices and compromises, the two people need to get their needs met. You may heal together, but you partner may trigger your wounds sometimes, the same as your other relationships.

Syd definitely forces Carmy to evolve, while Claire enables him and keeps him in his past self.

Now here is where I think the twist of the series will come.

Remember when I said that Carmys core wound is ther he felt he was not good enough for Donna to love him? Because he could not be like Michael? This is the post

Syd is Carmy’s anchor and his peace. She is also characterized as someone who helps people to grow, who gives grace and sincerity when mistakes are made. She is the actually healthy woman/parent he never experienced.

Carmen has not healed his core wound. The lie he believes that he has to go the extra mile to earn people's love. The way he became the best chef in the world, dreaming of just getting a “good job” from his older brother.

But because his wounded self doesn't feel like he can be enough for somebody he actually wants (Syd), he felt for a woman that didn't asked anything of him (Claire).

That (never giving but always receiving) dynamic is what allowed Carmy to accept the relationship in the first place.

Thinking of all this made me realize that not only has Syd been the only person Carmy had chosen for himself (as other posts have brilliantly pointed out), but Syd is literally the only person who can make a relationship with him work. She had seen the worst of him (Donna) and had the capacity to make him think of himself beyound all that, hence the peace that she brings him “you are the best cdc” as in “you are great, you are good, a good partner, a good leader, you are my friend” you are not just the bear (your wounded self). He smiles because the person that he wants can see this even if he doesn't dare to belive it yet.

So I don't know how they could make Carmy realize all of this. I also could be wrong and the meaning of all of this could be something completly different. I also don't know of this opinion is controversial. Let me know what you think. Thank you for reading.

[socratesvisitsarcadia]

Road to redemption

Jim entered the dim-lit sewer, not for the first time. The ring in his hand did give him a sense of security, the only threat he didn’t know how to deal with now was under his control, or at least wouldn’t harm him. 

Flashback.

When he put the ring on at first, he had a flash, he could see where the assassin was hidden deep within the tunnels, holding the stone they were looking for, whilst sitting on a pile of rubble. The first instinct was to go get it, but, as he faltered and kept the ring on, he started seeing more. 

Memories that were not his own flooded his mind, mistreatment, not just from Strickler. But from others.

So.

Many.

Others. 

And many different orders, from changelings, other trolls, gum-gums, and even someone called “Pale Lady”, who, by the looks of it, was the first. There was a constant feeling of sadness through those memories, anger, regret, so many negative emotions. It was hard. When he realized time had gone back to normal around him, it had already passed five minutes. 

He got on his Vespa and rushed back to school, where he found his friends, all safe and sound. 

“Jim!!” Claire and Toby rushed to him, the girl giving him a long hug. “You used it!! Did it work?! Did you get it?!” 

The girl then looked at the boy’s hand, finding the ring inside one of them. 

“I did… And I saw something…” 

He explains all he’s seen with the ring in his finger as they walk home, all he felt when he put it on. “I… I think we should really talk about it.”

“Well… That… Does bring things into perspective…” Claire frowned, remembering how avidly she had been moments before about using the ring to control Angor Rot, feeling guilt.

“See! I told you guys! We need to give it back!” Toby insisted once again, pushing his bike along, almost tripping on the sidewalk. “And hey, imagine right? What if he becomes our friend?! ANOTHER ONE FOR THE TEEAAAAM!!”

“What if he doesn’t and wants to kill me anyway?” Jim sighs, thoughtful. 

He didn’t want to die, but also, it didn’t feel right controlling the other troll, he needed to make some arrangements. Something that would compromise and make everyone happy, and would guarantee that the deals went through.

“I think I had an idea.”

End of flashback.

And that leads back to where he was now, alone, safe for a bug he planted on his watch. Claire and Toby followed from above, while Blinkous and AAARH followed from the sewers next to him. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Master Jim?”

“It’s better than nothing, Blinky… I just need him to listen to me. Plus! He’s put a literal curse on me. The minimum I am doing is protecting myself, right?”

“Agreed.” Claire says, pulling a chair in the cafe right above where Jim was alongside Toby. “Scream if you need help.”

“I’ll specifically call out for it, not to be confused with: ‘He’s chasing me’ screams.” 

Everyone in the coms laughed, except Jim, who was now one step closer to where he saw Angor Rot the day prior. 

Except he wasn’t there, not at first glance. 

The young trollhunter hated the feeling of not knowing where the enemy was. So, he called out. “Um… Angor Rot? Are you there?!”

From the shadows, the assassin crawled out, rising to his feet and glaring at the boy with a cold stare, he wasn’t keen on words currently. It was clear, however, Angor Rot sensed a change in the boy, he was not wearing armor and was alone in the sewer. And how he was found, was the most perplexing part.

It was only when Jim revealed the ring on his finger any emotion crawled through, pure anger washed over the other’s expression as he hissed and tried to attack the boy. Being stopped by an unseen force, mere inches from hitting the brunette’s head in with a dagger. 

“Give it to me. NOW.”

“I will. But not yet.” He straightened himself, taking a few steps back and looking up at Angor. “I did what you wanted, now I need you to fill up your end of the deal.”

That agitated the other, who paced back and forth trying to find some angle to attack from, or to try to. “So was this your plan?! Get my ring just to control me?!”

“I am NOT going to control you… I just needed you to listen…” Jim took off the ring, placed it in a chain he produced from his pocket, and tied it to his neck. “I’ll keep the ring until your end of the bargain is done… But I won’t wear it. I’m not controlling you now, I just ask you to fulfill your end too.”

The assassin kept his eyes on his soul, not moving them, not distracted. “I could snap that ring off your neck…”

“You could… But the stories say you were once a great warrior and a kind troll…” Those words sank like an anchor on the deep sea, taking an expression of pain from the troll. “So… I’d like to think you’ll be honest. And uphold your end… And understand I don’t exactly trust a guy who has a murder on his record.”

With that, he turned around, walking out of the tunnel and into the street above, where sunlight made it safe, meeting the others at the cafe. “Well! It all went good I think?”

“You didn’t exactly wait for a reply-”

“And I was not planning to! He knows what job needs to be done, sooooooo-” A waitress brought three hot chocolates, leaving each of them in front of each of the kids. “Aww! You ordered me one!” 

“Chocolate has a calming effect to most, so I figured you’d need it.” Claire nodded her head, with Toby smiling with a familiar proud look on his face. 

As they all took their cups into their hands and started sipping, a fairly sized pebble fell onto their table, smashing the flower jar on it. There were words on it, written in trollish. 

“I will need the two together. I’ll gather what I need and come find you by night.”  Read Claire.

“Well. He agrees!” Jim nodded.

“Wait there’s something on the back-” Toby pointed the inscription, it read: “Thank you for reminding me who I fight for.”

“Okay… That’s nice I think.” Claire admitted after she finished reading. 

“I am sensing it! he's gonna be part of the team!”  Toby sipped his hot chocolate.

“Let’s see about that Tobes.” Jim rolled his eyes, pulling out his wallet to pay for the damaged vase.

—

When midnight came, Jim was still awake, waiting outside in Toby’s backyard with the other and Claire, waiting. He told his mother he was sleeping at Toby’s house, which was partially true. But really, they were just waiting to see if Strickler would show up. And, luckly or not, he did. Of course, Jim did mention they should do that, after all, he knew (from Drall’s retelling and his own observations) that they really liked each other. 

For much of the boy’s distaste.

“So… Strickler is here… With my mom…” Jim sighed heavely, starting to lose his patience. “I am not putting on the ring but I do wanna know where Angor is.”

“You needn’t wait, Hunter.” Angor Rot jumped the fence, entering the backyard with a bag in hand. “I brought my materials.”

“Hi- You are… Very much on time.” Jim stuttered, cleaning his throat. “Well, so… How do you start it?”

“First. My ring…”

A shiver went through all the kids’ backs, turning back to him, Jim clutched the box a bit tighter. Claire defended him, “He will give it to you when-” 

“I know.” Angor then cut. “I don’t need you to give it to me yet, but simply…” His voice was almost breaking, they could tell that as he cut his phrase. “Show it to me…”

They exchanged looks, but the trollhunter stepped forward, opening the box and showing the ring, safe and intact in it. And also with a bit of a new shine to it. “I was very careful when I cleaned it. I don’t know, thought it would be nice.”

He had no words, simply nodded, fixing the bag he had in his hand, lowering his head in a confused and unsure motion. “That… was unnecessary…”

“I read once all kindness was necessary.” Jim announced proudly, moving aside and closing the box carefully. “SO, the plan is: Dust some sleep powder on them, they fall unconscious, you unbind them and boom! All done.”

The assassin rolled his eyes, watching as the child was excited. “It won’t be as easy.”

That, again, made them stop in their tracks. “Why?”

“The moment you get your mother to sleep, do you think Strickler will not try to run?” 

“Oh! That’s why Blinky, Aargh and Drall, and if possible, YOU will be guarding all exits!” The blue-eyed boy points to the house across the street. “Drall is guarding the downstairs, Blinky’s got the back, Aaargh the side and you could block from the top!”

Angor strapped the bag to his back, walked to the other side of the backyard and disappeared into the shadows. After watching for a bit, he showed up on the rooftop by Jim’s window.

“He… Could have told us he agreed.” Jim frowned a little, passing the ring to Claire. “You keep this and make sure it’s safe okay?”

“And why am I not going with you?”

“‘Cause your shadow-staff abilities still need work!” Toby piped up, walking off, while Claire armed herself with a retort, he continued: “And Ms. Lake doesn’t know you’re here. So less suspicious!”

Now that made more sense, and Claire calmed down. “Okay, fair. I’ll keep watch.” 

With that, Jim and Toby crossed the street, sleeping powders in hand. They rang the doorbell, Barbara opened it and was shocked to see the two up at that hour. Her dress was formal and romantic, clearly a date outfit. 

“Oh! Boys! Is everything alright? What are you doing awake?” The mother asked, looking over the two but her doctor's eyes could find nothing wrong physically. 

“Hi mom! We just wanted to say goodnight!” Jim quickly blew the baby blue dust on his mother’s face. 

It felt horrible watching her cough and fall back, now asleep, or rather, in a very sleepy and disoriented state. Walter Strickler, from the dining room, heard the commotion and ran to the door, finding the boy and his friend eyeing him furiously as Jim took his mother to his arms.

“Principal Strickler! Soooo good to see you tonight.” The sarcasm was palpable in the red-haired’s voice. 

“Young Atlas, did you just put your mom to sleep with sleep powder?!” 

“It was better than to let her see trolls crowding her living room.” As Jim says that, Aaargh appears in the window, Blinkous erupts through the door and most threatening of all, Angor comes down the stairs. 

Instinctively, Strickler hides the hand where the ring was supposed to be. “Traitor! How dare you!!”

“There’s no use hiding, Changeling… You have no ring…” He grabbed the changeling by the neck, holding him in front of the trollhunters. “Put him to sleep.”

As Toby approached the changeling with the glowing powder in hand, the downed troll swiftly opened his wings, blowing the powder right back. Toby managed to hold his breath before he inhaled anything, Jim did as well. Strickler pushed Angor back with a slap to the face, climbing upstairs and dashing for a window. Summoning his armor, Jim gives chase alongside Angor, who both jump out the window and onto the roof. 

Angor throws a knife with the blunt end forward, it hits one of Strickler’s wings, it unstabilizes him a bit, but doesn’t make him fall, instead, he throws his own knives back. 

Claire had been watching the scene, taking the shadow staff in hand, she opened a portal just as Strickler turned around, catching him in it. However, ended up teleporting him exactly to where she was. “Oh no-” 

“CLAIRE!!!” Jim slid down a drainage pipe, dashing across the street. When the entire group arrived, Strickler had Claire at knifepoint with a hand over her mouth. The staff having been thrown aside, unable to be reached. “Let. Her. Go.”

“Oh, I’d rather not, Young Atlas. See, I am still BOUND to your mother, which means you cannot harm ME or you’ll harm her!” He reiterated, walking back towards the woods. “So, I will let Claire here live… And you won’t perturb me again.” 

Jim’s hands were shaky as he held Daylight, with no intent or way of using it. Claire struggled, trying to free herself. All trollhunters were in an impasse, there was no way of getting to Strickler without risking Barbara and no way of getting to him without harming Claire. When the rest of the trolls arrived at the scene, they were all angry, but couldn’t think of any way to help.

“You should be ashamed of yourself…” Blinky cursed, scrambling for an answer to protect the girl. 

“I do what I must to survive. A coward like you would understand.” Strickler hissed back, slowly walking back. 

While all of this was happening, Angor finally laid eyes on the staff, the many centuries of practice with it worked to his advantage as he called the staff to him with the tome. The staff flew to his hand and with a swift movement, another portal appeared, this time, bringing the changeling to Angor’s grasp stronger. With agile movements, Angor was able to grasp the hand with the knife, kicking Claire out of the way. The brunette boy caught the girl, meanwhile, the assassin used all his strength to contain the troll’s wings and keep him down. 

“NOW!! THE LUNAR POWDER!!” Blinky rushed to the scene, while Angor held his breath, he blew it on the changeling's face. 

Strickler fought, tried as he could to stay awake or rub the powder on the assassin, but eventually also fell to the powder’s sleep-inducing actives. Angor kept his breath held as he put the man down, if he inhaled even a particle, he could either do the spell wrong or risk losing the opportunity, though, he had no clue where to get water in that place so he could clear it off of him. He mimed his distress to the others, Claire got up, got the hose and sprayed the other’s face with it. 

Though she did overdid a bit. “ALRIGHT ENOUGH- THE POWDER IS OFF!!”

“Just making sure.” She scoffed, closing the register. “You’re the main part of this plan, after all.”

It was very unclear in her tone if she meant that as an insult, or as a compliment. He decided to simply ignore either option and proceed with the task. Picking up Strickler, they dragged him back to the Lake household, where they found Barbara, in a sleepy hazed state on the sofa, trying to make sense of what Toby was telling her. The fact she didn’t get knocked out like the changeling put a question mark to all. The sorcerer himself was shocked she had her eyes open.

“How is she still awake after a fist of the lunar powder?” Angor was impressed as he was setting up the instruments, occasionally moving the woman’s hands off of them. 

Jim looked over the kitchen, finding a packet of instant coffee and a mug in the sink. “Oh. She had espresso. Of course, she did…”

“Oh dear, that would explain it.” Blinky sighs, “I feel that is not smart at this hour?”

“It is not, if I even SMELL coffee before bed I become a buz!” Claire sympathizes with the woman and especially her son, she doesn’t blame her for taking coffee but is worried for the fact she may not sleep as often as it seems. 

The chatter of the house dulled in Angor’s ears as he set up each component, continually, and annoyingly, pushing Barbara from touching anything. His patience started to wear out, so he gave her something to fiddle with, an unfinished golem piece, it would do nothing even if she threw it or buried it. But apparently got her attention. “prettyyyyyy… This is great decoration!”

“I made that from my own flesh.”

“Your flesh is nicer than humans. So less messy… I can glue you back together… So not messy.”

He rolled his eyes, he wished it was as easy as that. But apparently it had gotten other people’s attention. “You made that- From your own skin?”

“Yes.” The silence, safe for items being arranged and placed around, was quite mournful. “If you knew I was a warrior, why does this surprise you?”

“The book didn’t say you did that-” Jim sputtered, now more and more concerned for the other. 

Once finally done setting up, Angor took the totem back and placed both bonded hands on the shiny stone in the middle. Jim, now more than ever, paced around, anxious for his mother. 

“She’s gonna be okay, right? That… That won’t hurt her?”

Angor looked back, watching as the boy got more and more worried. He sighed, truthfully unsure. “The spell was never done on humans, to my knowledge… Removing it might have some drawbacks, for example, she won’t remember anything from today… But I’ll do what I can to make it painless.”

Jim sat down anxiously, taking his mother���s hand, who was still in her hazed state. “Jiiim! Promise me, you’ll wear a helmet when fighting trolls! I’m your mama! I gotta protect you!”

He pats his mother’s hands. “It’s okay Mom, I will.” 

Angor started reciting the incantation to undo the spell, Walter started groaning and writhing on the floor, and Barbara also shifted in the comfiness of the sofa. 

—

Once the spell was removed, Jim took Barabara to the hospital, saying she fainted at home. Before heading off, Claire retrieved the box Jim put under her care, handing the ring to the troll. 

Meanwhile, Strickler woke up, to the smell of a dirty sock and all the trollhunters (and Angor) were glaring at him. He jumps, stumbling back into troll form. 

“Good morning! Mr. Strickler.”

“What have you done?!” 

“Severed your bond to my mom, making it so that whatever happens to you!” The young boy slapped the man across the face, leaving a red mark. “She’s safe!” 

The Changeling glared daggers at the trollhunter, he was about to pick up his feather knives when Angor interrupted.

 He attacks, punching Strickler in the face. “That. Is for taking my soul.” 

Before anyone could intervene, the green troll was kicked in the crotch by a very agreeable force. 

“That. Was for calling me a dog and treating me as one.” 

The man groaned, falling face-first onto the pavement. The troll then picked up one of his daggers, and everyone moved into defense positions, as he stared at the man. Clutching the dagger in his hand tighter and tighter, he walked closer to the downed foe. 

“I could kill you… Part of me does want to kill you…” He plunged the dagger onto the concrete in front of Strickler, who was ready to have his head roll. “But thanks to the trollhunter, I won’t. I’m not a soulless killer. And you’re not even worth dulling a knife for.” 

A collective sigh of relief was had by the trollhunters’ team, who instantly reverted to hating Strickler. The ex-assassin turned to the boy’s daggers, the memory of the stone he still had possession of coming to his mind. Now that no one was wearing the ring, there was no pull to keep it. So, he tossed it to the conundrum, who caught it all be it clumsily. 

“The trollhunter saved you today… You should be thankful.” 

The changeling eyed the group, shock written across his features as he gasped for air after his life passed through his eyes. After a few minutes of silence, watching as their enemy recomposed himself, Jim spoke once more. 

“I never planned to come after you, you know? You might have been the second biggest traitor of my life. But I still had no plan to just chase you or kill you.” He admitted, frowning, picking up the changeling and putting him on his feet. “I don’t like finishing fights like that. I only ever did when I needed to… I was really hoping the years before I was a trollhunter meant something like that.”

Blinkous tightened his glare, and all the others as well. Angor was a bit lost but figured it was well-deserved. Once the troll was back at his feet, he changed into his human disguise, watching the boy with attentive eyes. His shoulders detensed, his gaze softened and he let out a long sigh. 

“I will not be the last enemy you face.” He reaches into his pocket and Jim gets tense and clutches Daylight tighter, getting progressively angrier. 

Until Strickler produced a stone from his pocket, it was star-like and the colors reminded all of a blue shiny eye. Claire and Blinky gasped, all the others watched in amazement and confusion.  “Is that…?” 

“The eye of Gunmar? Indeed so.” The changeling put it on the trollhunter’s hand. “The challenges you’ll face are far bigger than any you’ve faced before… And sadly this one you won’t be able to reason with as well as you have.”

“Oh, trust me, the only talk for Gunmar is the words: Flip you and go to hell,” Jim stated, taking the stone. “Thank you. But it doesn’t make it any better what you did with my mother.”

Strickler found in himself to give a sighed chuckle, “I know. I didn’t expect that at all really.”

With that, he turned his back on the trollhunters, “Until we meet again… Young Atlas.”, with that, disappeared behind a turn in the sewers. 

—

Once they all reached the canal, the entire group was a lot more relieved. With the now, officially, not-murderous assassin out of the way and both missing stones acquired, the path to retrieving Claire’s brother was going to be a smoother one. As they all made way to Trollmarket, Angor was quiet, following way behind them, staring and examining his ring with much detail.

“Angor Rot?” His name brought him back, and turning up, he found the grubera beside him. “You okay?”

“I… I am. I am now.” He sighed, taking in the feeling of his soul again. The warm feelings, the memories, the pain and guilt, but most importantly, the hope. “I’m free… I just need to…” 

He froze, staring down at the ring once more, hands shaking and vision blurring. 

How is he supposed to put his soul back? 

What if he hurts his soul?

What if the soul breaks?

What if he loses it… forever…?

He hadn't felt this panicked in centuries, or better, he hadn’t felt panic in centuries. Now he remembered why it was so hated, the feeling hit like a hammer on a bothersome nail and made him choke. His freezing and AAARRRGH staying behind caught the attention of the other trollhunters, who turned around as well, shedding confused expressions at the two.

“You… don't know how to return your soul, do you?” Jim cautioned, letting the armour fade away. 

Angor did not have an answer, but it was in the negatives either way. “I…” 

No words would leave, the tightness in his chest kept getting tighter and tighter. After a second, and digging his claws discretely onto his hand, Angor recomposed himself. 

“I will be alright, trollhunter. I will find a way… It is my own fault for not thinking ahead.” He sighs, dusting off his hands to try to not bother the marks he left. “I am in debt to you, young trollhunter. You have my eternal gratitude, for returning what belongs to me.”

“Yeah. No worries! I gotta answer the call, right? Even if it does come from a guy who’s tried to kill me… And put a magic tattoo on my face.” 

“Oh. Yes. To revert the mark, you must wash with silver water under the moonlight.” The sorcerer explains, handing them a bottle of what it was supposed to be. 

As Claire examined it, she instantly recognized the material. “This is mercury.”

“I suppose that’s what humans call it.” He failed to understand why they looked so skeptical and fearful.

“Mercury is very toxic to humans- And anything that isn’t a troll really-” She laid flat, taking the bottle gently and passing it right back, as he now realized the mistake. 

“Ah… I see. It was the only solution I knew.” 

Blinkous was somber, massaging his temples to try to think which books on the library could contain any possible information on the matter. But then, Claire spoke up again. “Okay, does the mark actually affect Jim’s health?”

“No. All it means is that I’ll know where he is at all times, as well as can have access to the sword.” 

“Okay! Then! You. Just don’t do any of that. And we shouldn’t need to get it off. It doesn’t even show anyways.” She had a very good point, now with Angor as a good person, it wasn’t as much an issue. The troll agreed and the girl took Jim’s hand, pulling him away. “Well. Thank you for the help with the triumbric stones as well.”

“Yeah! If you need anything! You… Well. You know where to find us!” 

And with that, Jim was dragged inside trollmarket to carve the two stones he’d acquired. Leaving Angor Rot outside, looking up at the world he didn't fully know, which he hadn't been part of for centuries. Now in solitude, he felt the ringing or anxiety on his back get heavier, the ring in his hand was warm with his energy… The energy he wasn’t sure how to bring back into his body. 

Either way, he had to figure it out alone. As he was known as a soulless assassin, it was obvious they wouldn’t allow him inside. Not after centuries of killing trollkind’s protectors. 

Still, he kept the boy’s offer in mind, and his common sense made it seem a bit too good to be true.

…

Or was it?

[ribby16]

I am definitely behind on The Bear compared to most people on here (just started the show last week and got to s3e02 yesterday), but I have a lot of thoughts and just want to put them out there.

I came into the show with little to no idea of what it was about. I didn’t even watch a trailer prior to starting the show. Just got a lot of tiktoks on my fyp talking about how they were excited to watch the new 3rd season so I finally gave the show a try. I must say, going in blind, I was most definitely deeply into season 1. The subject matter of The Bear was really not something I had deeply considered before (fine dining/being a chef), but I became so engrossed in learning about it from the show.

However season 2 is really what blew me away. “Fishes” is probably the best episode of TV I have a watched in a long, long time. As someone who also has a dysfunctional parent, seeing that behavior on a show really hit so hard for me. The awkward silences and tension leading to the inevitable blowup was so relatable and just so fucking real and raw.

And that is when I started to see the show from the writers’ perspective, from Carmy’s perspective. I really, deeply understood and related to why Carmy is the way that he is, and why he puts his blood, sweat, and tears into his work. He has more reason than most to do so. And that’s when even though I have been shipping sydcarmy since s1e01 (yes, I shipped them organically without being influenced by internet discourse that I hadn’t even looked at prior to watching the show, so that should say something) I am okay with them not getting in a romantic relationship in the show.

This is not one of those “we need more platonic relationships in media” soap boxing posts. What Syd and Carmy have is more than platonic, period. The symbolism and moments that the directors and writers have intentionally chosen to show truly display this and there’s little to no room for misinterpretation. Hell, even in the acting you can see that what they have is different. The way Carmy stares at Syd, the looks he gives her, I don’t believe it’s purely platonic. And that brings me to Claire, who is not just a distraction in the sense that Carmy forgot to do major things in the restaurant because he was focused on her (which is totally Carmy’s fault by the way). Claire is a reminder of Carmy’s dysfunctional family and his shitty relationship with his mom. The writers did not give Claire enough meat in her role to be the catalyst that pushes Carmy to break free from his trauma and be better. They gave that role to Sydney.

That being said, I don’t think Syd and Carmy getting together romantically is what will make the show complete. They are both damaged in different ways and damage + damage usually doesn’t equal a good romantic relationship.

What I do want, is for Syd and Carmy to get their partnership back in season 4. To work well the way they always have together, to focus on their baby that is the restaurant. Getting this partnership back is what I believe can push Carmy to be who he wants to be. We see multiple moments throughout the show where Carmy acts crazy with his team in a moment of weakness and then immediately regrets it. I can relate to that so much it almost hurts. The feeling of becoming like the parent who destroyed your childhood begets the worst kind of self-loathing.

I want to see Carmy’s personal growth and I want to see Sydney get over her fear of failure and get her so well-deserved success. As much as I deeply want to see them together, I am okay with satiating that need with fanfiction (lmao) as long as the show shows the character arcs that we deserve. I am rooting for Syd and Carmy in every which way, along with all the other characters whom I have grown to love as well.

[gingerylangylang1979]

Reddit and Twitter need this most but I won’t, because reasons

I have said before I don’t think ALL the Camry and Sydney hate is racially motivated but PLENTY of it is. It’s Richonne 2.0. This isn’t new to me.

There is the outright racist coded comments like claiming Sydney has to be a lesbian, has to be asexual, looks like Kendrick Lamar (yes, it was said), along with the inability to ever empathize with her character.

But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about unconscious bias with people who don’t get that they feel the way they do because Sydney is black. So anyone reading this may want to take a moment and honestly examine what I’m saying.

Unconscious bias is, for example, the thing that leads doctors, sometimes even black ones, to presume that black people don’t feel pain in the same way whites do. It’s not necessarily malicious intentional action or obvious hatred towards us. It’s subtle perceptions that change how one views the nature and capabilities of black people while still being able to be friends with them, respect certain qualities about them, and maybe even at times be allies. But there is always something different in perception that is so invisible that you aren’t aware of it.

I've seen it in white people, strangers and acquaintances, making assumptions about what I’m into or should be, what my education and earnings are, and who I should be friends and lovers with. It’s the thinking we can always handle anything and not be burdened. It’s what is happening a lot with Sydney, especially with Carmy.

People are allowed to not like the ship. They don’t have to. I’m not going to assume everyone who doesn’t is racist. But for anyone who doesn’t I think it would be beneficial to examine a few things.

Viewing the first scene between them, how would you interpret Carmy’s taken aback, entranced, nervous reaction to seeing her? To me it obviously says attraction and surprise. If there is another explanation I’ve never heard it. People just gloss over that interaction and I think it’s a tell. It shows that people may not be able to see him showing signs of attraction to her because she doesn’t look like who you would expect him to be attracted to.

2. How would you explain the way Carmy is constantly looking at Sydney closely like he doesn’t look at anyone else? When we see her from his perspective she if glowy or hazy or out of focus. We don’t see that with any other characters he interacts with aside from that finale flashback with Mikey. He doesn’t look at Sugar like that. Syd is the only one who gets special framing. If you’ve never noticed, why?

3. If you think Syd could be a lesbian or asexual, why her and not for instance Tina, or others on the crew? Sex isn’t referenced a lot so why is it not being referenced with her any different than it not being referenced with others? Often people assume a woman who dresses tomboyish is just that. Why can’t that just be her style? I have plenty of women friends that are straight and sexual with a similar style.

4. Could you imagine the scenes with Syd and Carmy if a man was in Sydney’s place? What would you think of the vibe?

5. Could you see Ayo in the Claire role?

6. Could you see Jeremy and Ayo playing love interests in a totally different show?

7. If Molly Gordon plays Syd could you better picture her with Carmy?

8. When you see a dark skinned black woman in a couple with a white man IRL does it make you especially take notice or feel it’s a bit off?

9. Does the thought of Sydney and Carmy kissing or being intimate make you have an extreme reaction like eeew or gross? Maybe not so extreme does it make you feel awkward to think about it?

10. Do you often compare their relationship to siblings?

11. Can you recognize the Syd isn’t into Marcus romantically and has other options?

12. Can you only envision Sydney alone and not needing romance because her career is all she needs?

13. Do you think maybe Carmy could find her attractive if she looked more glamorous?

14. Could you more easily see Carmy into Syd if she was played by Zendaya or someone that looks similar?

15. Have you never seen a couple that looks like Syd and Carmy?

16. if you saw the Emmy magazine photo shoot did you not perceive the touchy pose with Ayo and Jeremy as sexually suggestive and think it’s an impossibility?

17. How do you think Clairs would react if she saw all of their interactions?

18. Is it easy to view Sydney as having complex motivations and emotions at the same time? Can you possibly see that she’s jealous of Claire because she distracted Carmy from business AND because she has feelings for Carmy? Is it possible to think she can view Carmy as a boss, mentor, and someone she is attracted too and that’s hard to process?

All of these things may not apply to your perception but if any do realize these are very common examples of how unconscious bias plays out when thinking of black women, especially in storytelling. This is a lot of what has historically been seen with similar ships and IRL mixed couples. That’s not to discount the numerous white man, white woman ships that people don’t like, but these things are consistently present with black women and white men presented in the media and celebrity couples. There is always more scrutiny with these pairings.

You may not have a context to understand that. You may have never been questioned in this way. You may be angered to think it’s possible this is a role in how you are viewing things, but it’s the truth based on lived experience and observation. It’s worth examining.

I’m not here to be hostile, I’m just trying to voice in a gentle way what so many here already know and you may not be aware of or ready to think about.

I’m not going to argue with anybody about it but any intelligent, respectful dialogue is welcome and encouraged.

[genderfeel]

im so sorry you missed out on nick cartell because that man is phenomenal

i liked rehberger's suicide though (fly system issues(?) nonwithstanding i just got a railing hop lmao) would you wanna talk more about that? i like seeing other peoples perspectives but its okay if not!

oh to clarify i have seen nick cartell once before in 2023, so i haven’t missed out at all. huge fan for obvious reasons—dude is top tier. and omg sorry you had a jump malfunction. i had a beast transformation malfunction when i saw batb live and they had to stop and start over 😭😭

but honestly it’s hard for me to untangle my issues with specific suicide performances from my issues with how the suicide as a musical number is written so i’ll break the two out and try to talk about them separately and i’m so so sorry this is so long but i have to fully explain myself and the floodgates are open

it’s also hard to articulate how i prefer actors to take the suicide without audio so i would reference this recording of clarke to see what i mean (ty claire 🥹). my issues with rehberger’s suicide are actually pretty common in the average javert performance, so i wouldn’t say he’s an outlier in that regard

there’s a tendency to play javert angry in general, but i think this is a mistake particularly because it sets up the suicide for failure. playing javert as wooden in most of his interactions is (to me) the most in-character you can get. he can be cunty or whatever but i think getting across the idea that this guy has never let himself feel anything in his life is the goal. adding maliciousness into it muddies the waters here, because what you need with javert is contrast between his inner and outer world

both stars and the suicide are windows into javert having first a crack of emotion and then a full-on break. if you don’t get that contrast, the explosion at the beginning of the suicide loses all impact. the second part of this contrast comes between the first verse and the rest of the song. obviously there are an infinite number of interesting ways to play it, but there needs to be some kind of shift at that point that makes you feel for this man for probably the first time. like, oh man this guy actually can feel things and it’s all coming too fast and hard. i need genuine emotion here to connect with. and there are soooo many emotions to play here. javert should be feeling simultaneous anger, fear, confusion, love, admiration, regret, etc. that’s what makes the piece so varied in how you can play it but also so difficult because you’re juggling all these things, but the song does allow for a lot of creativity in this regard imo

(also needs to be said but stars is written like a love song and should be played at least in part that way. bringing some of the romantic tone from stars into suicide in the way javert sings is fully essential to making this work to me, but this is suchhhh a specific thing i’m looking for. i think i’ve seen this show too much maybe)

rehberger unfortunately played it angry all the way through, never pausing to really consider all the other emotions he should be struggling through. i need to see him thinking. just didn’t get that at all from what i saw. which sucks, but i think it’s a standard way to play it because of a fundamental misunderstanding of the character. i also feel spoiled by clarke’s performance, which genuinely makes the best use of the number i’ve ever heard. it’s genuinely the most difficult number in the show to get tonally correct, but i think the way the song is also just prevents it from ever feeling “right”

so. the suicide in general. i would say musically (lyrics are a whole other rabbit hole i don’t care about right now) i think it’s wonderful right up until the final verse. the vast majority of les mis adaptions, musical included, do what i consider to be a tasteless way to depict suicide, fully on-screen and preoccupied with screaming or crying or splashing (and head cracking. hi 2012) and general spectacle. the musical digs into this and has him yelling all the way down along with silly flailing. i laugh at it like every time which is like obviously not the tone to hit here. it’s tasteless as a suicide scene and doesn’t align with the book’s very deliberately quiet and “off-screen” approach that makes it so haunting

my ideal re-staging of this scene would have javert finish the song as-is (if a little quieter near the end) and then have the orchestra go dead silent as he gets up on the railing and quietly jumps out of sight. also it’s less technically taxing and expensive to produce, which is what some productions avoid by just having him shoot himself (which i don’t actually hate entirely. could be interesting staging but maybe not the best thematically) but that’s all just a pipe dream anyway lol. there are many things i would change about this musical but i’ll take what i can get

[monstermoviedean]

i’ve got a list in my head of moments in spn where i think it would’ve been the perfect moment to bring in a secondary character, and there’s one in particular that i think is just. so, after the rupture, cas meets up with claire. she finds out about jack, she finds out about mary. and yeah idk i just think claire would have a really interesting perspective about it all. about dean. i don’t think she’d be completely on dean’s “side” (i don’t like calling them on diff sides but i think you get what i mean) and yell at cas or guilt him or whatever, nor would i want that(!), but… after all, claire knows what it’s like to care about, to love, people who have hurt her family. 😕

oh this one hurts. this one hurts. you're absolutely right though and my god is this a good fucking take. like. okay so first off this made me realize that jack and claire never met. and while i don't think claire would be like "you stole my dad" (because of course she wouldn't) i think there could be some really really interesting feelings to work through in term of cas having another kid who is dead now, and how hard he's taking it. i think claire would have to initiate this meetup, not cas, because cas is trying to isolate himself and would not want to look at another child he believes he failed.

absolutely 100% agree that there's not really "sides" but i also don't have a better term for it. i think claire would see cas' "side" and could give cas some real comfort, if he was open to it. she knows what it's like to lose people and to feel like you failed. she believes that cas is good, and trying to be better. and she's a living, breathing symbol that not everything he touches goes wrong. i think she could represent healing to cas, and just talking to her could nudge him towards reconciliation.

(side note: i would have liked to see their relationship develop further past season 10. i feel like it was a really promising start and then just. nothing. it felt like once she had jody they were like 'okay she's being parented cas doesn't need to do it anymore!')

i also think claire could easily see and sympathize with dean's "side." her dad abandoned her and her mom was absent from her life for a long time. her mom literally died in her arms. i could see why the pain of losing a parent would resonate with her. i can also see why, if she talked to dean, she would sympathize with feeling abandoned by cas (talking about seasons 4 through 10 here). and last but certainly not least, claire is going through a widow arc of her own. she's still reeling from having lost kaia. while she didn't see dean during his widower arc, jody did, and i'm sure jody mentioned that dean really wasn't doing well. and that might be on claire's mind too - that dean is in serious pain from losing a parent, a child, and a friend who could be something more.

like you said, i don't want claire to yell at or guilt either of them. i'm not sure she would, either. but i think she could sympathize with both of them in a way not many others in their lives could. and i would also like to see her again :)

[denimbex1986]

'On a recent winter day in New York when the sun was shining, Andrew Scott rushed into a coffee shop between recording sessions for an upcoming series.

“I’m scheduled tighter than a teenage pop star,” he said, beaming.

The interview had been postponed once, and the location was switched at the last minute to save Scott some time in traffic. But he sat down fully engaged and eager to start talking. Immediately, though, a passerby tapped on the storefront glass and asked for a photo. Scott, without a grumble, sprinted out to oblige, even though the gesture seemed more like a command (“You’re under arrest,” joked Scott) than a polite request.

Scott, the 47-year-old Irish actor, is in demand like never before. That’s partly due to accrued good will. A regular presence on stage in the West End, Scott is known to many as the “Hot Priest” of “Fleabag” or the cunning Moriarty of “Sherlock.” Soon, he’ll play Tom Ripley in the Netflix series “Ripley,” adapted from the Patricia Highsmith novel.

But the real reason Scott’s time is short right now is Andrew Haigh’s new film, “All of Us Strangers.” In it, Scott plays a screenwriter working on a script about his childhood. The film is gently poised in a metaphysical realm; when Adam (Scott) returns to his childhood home, he finds his parents (Claire Foy, Jamie Bell) as they were before they died many years earlier.

At the same time, the movie, loosely adapted from Taichi Yamada’s 1987 book “Strangers,” balances a budding romance with a neighbor ( Paul Mescal ), a relationship that unfolds with profound reverberations of family, intimacy and queer life. In a dreamy, longing ghost story, Scott is its aching, shimmering soul.

“The challenge of it was to try to go to that place but not gild the lily too much,” Scott says. “As an actor, I have to be in touch with that playful side of myself and that part of you that’s childish. I was actually quite struck by how vulnerable I looked in the film.”

Scott’s acutely tender performance has made him a contender for the Academy Awards. He was named best actor by the National Society of Film Critics. At the Golden Globes on Sunday (Scott wore a white tux and t-shirt), he was nominated for best actor in a drama.

Scott has long admired actors like Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench and Meryl Streep — performers with a sense of humor who, he says, “are able to understand what you feel and what you present.” Scott, too, is often funny on screen (see Lena Dunham’s medieval romp “Catherine Called Birdy” ). And even in quiet moments, he seems to be buzzing inside at some discreet frequency. Something is always going on under the surface.

He’s been acting since he was young; drama classes were initially a way to get over shyness. Scott’s first film role came at age 17. He has often spoken about seeking to maintain a childlike perspective in acting. In that way, “All of Us Strangers” is particularly fitting. On Adam’s trips home, he sort of morphs back into the child he was. In one scene, he wears his old pajamas and crawls into bed with his parents.

“So many of the things that are required of you as an actor are a sense of humor and some ability to be able to put yourself in a situation. Because it’s all down to imagination,” says Scott. “For me, that’s the thing you need to keep. That’s the thing — because I started out when I was young — I don’t want to move too far away from. Like when kids go, ‘OK, you be this and I’ll be this.’ That ability doesn’t leave us. What does leave us is a lack of self-consciousness. Our job is to hold on to that.”

Haigh, the British filmmaker of “45 Years” and “Weekend,” began thinking of Scott for the role early on. They met and talked through the script for a few hours.

“He’s a similar generation to me. He’s a tiny bit younger than me, but he’s from the same generation,” says Haigh. “He understands that experience.”

Scott came out publicly in 2013, but his natural inclination is to be private. “I feel like I’ve given so much of myself in the film, you think you don’t want to give it all away,” he says. He describes “All of Us Strangers” — which Haigh shot partly in his childhood home — as personal, but not autobiographical in its depiction of the alienation that can linger after coming out.

“Mercifully, I feel very comfortable for the most part. But it stays with you that pain, and it actually makes you more compassionate, I think. Because we shot in Andrew’s childhood home, that sort of threw down the gauntlet in relation to how much of his own personality he was giving,” says Scott. “I wanted it to be sort of unadorned, unarmored and raw. That’s why I think there’s such tenderness in the film.”

Scott has sometimes recoiled from how sexuality is talked about the media and in Hollywood. He recently said the phrase “openly gay” should be done away with. As of late December, Scott hadn’t yet watched “All of Us Strangers” with his parents, though he planned to.

“The best way to express it is to say I’ll be very sensitive to how they watch it and how they feel about it, and how it makes me feel them watching it,” Scott says.

The tenderness in the film is also owed in part to Scott’s chemistry with Mescal. On-screen chemistry is an amorphous quality that the film industry has long tried to turn into a science with camera tests and marketing that flirts with real-life romance.

But for Scott, it’s something different. He and Phoebe Waller-Bridge had chemistry, overwhelmingly, in “Fleabag,” but that didn’t have anything to do with sexual attraction. Pinpointing that quality is something Scott pondered during Simon Stephens and Sam Yates’ recent staging of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” at the National Theater. Scott played all eight roles, meaning he essentially had to have chemistry with himself.

“Chemistry isn’t just about sexual chemistry. It’s something to do with listening, and I think it’s something to do with playfulness,” Scott says. “Your ability to listen to someone and take note of what someone is doing is chemistry. You have to wait and see what the other actor is doing.”

A few moments later, Scott will have to rush out just as quickly as he arrived. But before that, he leaned back, naturally lit by the winter sun, and pondered whether “All of Us Strangers,” in the nakedness of his performance, had taken him somewhere he hadn’t before been as an actor.

“Yeah, I think so,” said Scott. “Or else to return to something that perhaps I’ve been before.”'

[sgiandubh]

La passante de la Place des Vosges/ The Passerby of the Place des Vosges: in praise of Caitríona Balfe

I have recently discussed, in as much detail as possible without becoming completely boring, S's memoir Waypoints. It is, no doubt, an interesting strategic step, aiming to buy much needed time and respite from unwanted fan attention.

But if there is a memoir I would probably read in a very different, almost sentimental way, that would be hers, not his.

We have an enticing idea of the way she writes, with this lesser known essay published by the totemic NYT just a day shy of her birthday, in 2017: The First Time I Left Home (and Fell in Love), which you can read online right here - https://shorturl.at/uTX12. It is a short, dense piece with a deeply personal, even sentimental, view of Paris in autumn and spring. Something very unusual for the feisty, secretive, almost paranoid C we all know and love (admit it, you do: fair's fair). It immediately grabbed both my attention and highlighter.

Writing about Paris, especially from an Anglo-Saxon/American perspective, is a very tricky affair. So much has been said and done, from Janet Flanner's priceless Letters from Paris and Paris Journal, to Anais Nin, to Edmund White, to Hemingway, to Orwell - just to name the ones that immediately come to mind. In this particular case, we'd be dealing with a nice PR fine tuning detail, with a relatively short lifespan, aiming perhaps to reach a more sophisticated demographic than Twitter banter or a three minutes long Q&A about the current season's antics. But a wonderful detail, nevertheless.

The year is 1998. A young 19-year old Irish model wannabe just landed in the chaotic brouhaha of Roissy Airport and the first contact is brutal, language being a considerable barrier. But before that, we are treated to a masterful bistrot snapshot, with a cheeky, self-deprecating sense of humor. I mean how perfect is this?

Quite a contrast to the dream version back home:

Touché. All the moody young Frenchmen are named Pierre, C. All. Of. Them. As for watching far too many French films, there's always been something very Nouvelle Vague about you, Jeanne Moreau and Jules et Jim & all that, and I have to say this is what I found immediately endearing. I am not talking about Claire Fraser: it is you, emphatically you. The kind of impeccably dressed woman one can find pretending to read Le Monde at Le Café de Flore's terrace in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The kind of self-evident, celestial creature whose high heels are never heard on any pavement (what is your secret?). Late Jane Birkin didn't even come close, C., mark me. However, red lipstick stains look way better on the rim of a nervously half drunk cup of noisette coffee: but then, that is me.

It was not at all like that, of course, but then something happened just across the street from the Saint-Eustache church, at Quigley's Point, a long gone Irish pub I vaguely remember. Circa 1998, our own boisterous squad used to play darts and get plastered on cheap draft beer and that undignified, syrupy manzana Basque liqueur (idiots, I am telling you, but it was very cheap) at The Bombardier, on the Place du Panthéon, just across the Seine:

Thick brogue, a quick laugh, kind eyes and blonde hair. An interesting combo, for sure. No further comment except well, this is very personal, isn't it? You've said it yourself: sometimes (fun fact: always) the really important people have nothing to do with fantasies. But we know, C, we know.

And then, suddenly, it all falls into place: Stendhal would talk about a crystallization moment. It is that split-second when everything becomes very clear. A pact of sorts occurs and all barriers are lifted. For C, it happened in one of the perfect places of this planet, spare perhaps the Piazza del Campo, in Siena:

No doubt, by tomorrow evening at the latest, I will be crucified by Mordor, but this made me think of that - different setting and context, same type of seminal moment. Draw your own conclusions:

(SRH, Waypoints, Day Four: The Hard Road)

Important things happen, too, Place du Panthéon and this moved me to bits, even if this was not a happy ending. So shamelessly glad it wasn't, by the way:

For (and forgive me for ineptly tinkering with your words) "It’s true, you never forget your first love". And for that man on that random pavement in LA, that will always be you, passerby of the Place des Vosges. The wonder you are, despite anything else: it is perfectly irrelevant.

Jacques Brel says it best, in what is almost a prayer:

[thoughtfulchaos773]

The Bear S3- A conversation with the viewer. Part 1

I'm not saying I loved it or hated it, but this season read as a conversation between viewer and story. Let's talk about it.

The cannon best meal

@currymanganese called the situation involving the best meal Sydney has ever had. There were a lot of moments in the show that came true and it's funny this is the first episode- ending with this moment- reminding us how connected Syd and Carmy are.

A Chris Storer conversation

This is the real-life owner of the Beef and Chris Storer worked there when he was younger. This is a look into Chris Storer always wanting to cook or direct but like Carmy, he does not have a why behind it. It's also a look into being so involved with the craft one can lose sight of life.

Our hearts breaking for Carmy's regression.

Natalie's line is a perspective as a viewer I think some part of my heart just broke. Richie is a cinephile and well-versed in books. Richie is the one who gives a quick run down and psycho-analysis on Carmy even though he gets back in the scene and shows his own flaws. But the focus was on Carmy throughout the season

The Faks- the greek chorus and vibe checkers

Faks are introduced to the audience as 'the vibe' checkers. They're the naive chorus that guides and relieves some viewers of the chaotic kitchen, but they also distract us from honest conversations. Looking at reddit, it is split between people needing that comical relief the faks provided, or were annoyed and felt the good vibes were too much and they didn't have the perfect timing for those good vibes.

Performance and Film

Actor reference- we'll also get references to filmmakers.

The Syd and Carmy dynamic

There were hopes and dreams to get back in in the kitchen for season 3 and when the audience enters we see why we love the kitchen it's the creators asking this is what you love? But Richie points out there's a lot of energy between Syd and Carmy and the audience is aware. This is what you wanted, right? Richie again is the thread between the viewer and filmmaker.

Claire and Sydney's role

What Sydney (and Claire) will not be for Carmy. I see this take as either a call back to the panic attack scene or a conversation with the viewer for later in the season (episode 9 had a lot of hidden conversations with the viewer).

This was only the second episode and there's plenty more coming. This season talks about the love of art, deceiving the audience, and what makes The Bear- the tv show and the restaurant magical.

[unlikelyjapan]

s2e2 rewatch notes

Back on the horse - less wine this time, but probably some of the same analysis you've heard before:

Carmy + Syd all matchy-matchy walking down the hall to "She Drives Me Crazy" by fine young cannibals <3 - and Carmy so badly wants to learn more details about her Dad in that scene.

After sawing open the locker, Carmy immediately passes the hat to Richie (knowing that will give him the kind of comfort he needs) and then instantly moves to self-soothing himself by asking Sydney over to the apartment to work on the menu.

Someone on here already pointed this out, but I didn't see how marked it was until a rewatch - Marcus was *totally* trying to divert Syd's attention right after the invite by requesting "more inspiration" (even syd seems surprised by the timing). There wasn't even a scene break, so we can't blame it on editing - they're really working OT to draw our attention to the 'triangle'.

Carmy's "at least you can rely on him. Is your mom cool" - "So, your dad...." man he's really needling her, this episode is a lot of him trying to connect and getting (nicely) rebuffed - I can't imagine how those soft slights play over in his messed-up head.

Sugar's whole toilet monologue "We don't try new things - we keep doing the exact same things with the exact same people" followed in the next beat by "Who doesn't want easy? Who doesn't want to just be fucking okay?" was a (maybe too tidy) synopsis for the whole series. It's Ebra vs. Tina's perspectives. It's Carmy with Claire vs. Syd. It's Richie's aversion to change vs. understanding his life needs to move on by force.

To be honest, the whole saccharine meet-cute vs. Syd with her Dad parallel play was harder to sit through the second time, but I did it:

The Radiator story was offered up about Syd's mom being more competent than Emmanuel, and how that made her so attractive to him. This is followed by Syd revealing how high the stakes and sacrifices are with her and Carmy with the relationship restaurant.

Emmanuel has an inkling that Carmy is "the man" from the radiator story, and (protective dad-mode activated) his daughter as far too equally competent and vulnerable for such an arrangement (which is on the nose, given these scenes are spliced with foreshadowing at the grocery store).

Followed by Syd revealing how high the stakes and sacrifice are with her and Carmy and the pursuit of the restaurant - her dad seeing carmy as "the man" and her as far too competent for such a hashed arrangement.

Emmanuel says "The restaurants - they're hard and they don't work out" - it's almost like he's echoing/warning her about a relationship with Carmy. "It doesn't mean that YOU won't" - this is literally how all conversations go with concerned parents after you bust out a spontaneous engagement announcement, ha.

Syd gives the classic rebuttal - "I'm in a better place in my life - I've learned a lot of lessons - I know what I'm doing"

After he asks if she trusts him, and after a quiet moment she scoffs - it's almost like she's thinking about saying something else before she pivots and talks about it being weird that she's older than her mom was when she died now, bringing it back to something she knows he can relate to.

She also doesn't quite believe she's "just as wonderful" as her mom - and/or can't take compliments. Syds are made in the same factory that Carmy's come from I guess *sobs*

MEANWHILE - standard meet-cute stuff and bashful Carm, until Carmy almost seems taken aback when Claire says ""because I wanted to understand it" re: the whole broken-arm thing. He takes a beat, looking away, before stuttering his throwaway "th...that was at roosevelt?" line. It obviously derailed him, as it doesn't compute with his idea of care.

I didn't catch this before, but the conviction in the whole "Because you're the bear and I remember you" line delivery is more forceful and less murmured than all the other lines - if you think she's guessing/nostalgic/riffing with him here, I have a bridge to sell you. She talks with Fak, Tiff etc - girl is on her game with reconissance.