#i wanted this show to be good for sonequa

[lorcaswhisky]

What's Past is Prologue

I had never watched any Star Trek before 2017. It wasn't something that seemed like it was for me, it wasn't something that had ever really appealed, even. I wish I could say that I decided to watch Discovery because I wanted to broaden my horizons, or even just out of a sense of general curiosity, to try something a little different - the honest truth is that I'd heard Jason Isaacs had been cast as a captain, and Gersha Phillips (thank you, Gersha) had costumed him in tight blue lycra.

I thought I knew precisely 2 (two) things about Star Trek at this point: the captains were always uncomplicated good guys, and the shows were a fairly sedate, gentle romp. In my naivety, I thought it would be a nice, relaxing way to spend 45 minutes a week, admiring his bottom enjoying a performance by an actor whose talent I greatly admire.

Ahem.

I couldn't have been more wrong. First of all, relaxing and sedate and gentle and uncomplicated it was not. Secondly - it turned out I'd fallen hard for the characters and the whole, huge Trek universe well before Lorca and his tight trousers ever showed up in episode three, and it was a love that lasted long after his unceremonious dumping into the mycelial core.

I realised I was in trouble when I switched my computer background to a Discovery-era tricorder blueprint, but looking back, my descent was a gradual and steady one. I wandered down the lore rabbithole - what was that reference? Who's that pointy eared bastard? Wait wait wait there are different universes??? - and before I knew it, I was completely and utterly hooked. I'd fallen in love with Sonequa Martin-Green's performance, with the slow unfurling of this complicated, brilliant character, and the stories of her warmth and leadership on set. I'd fallen in love with the absurd plotlines, with the gorgeous costumes (thank you, Gersha), with the stunning visuals and design. I'd fallen in love with Star Trek, of all things. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with Star Trek!

I'm still feeling a lot of sadness about the announcement that it's ending, and anger about the way it's been handled - but instead of dwelling too much on that, I suppose I just wanted to share some of the ripples Discovery started for me. It unlocked something in my writing brain after a decade of block, long after I'd given up hope of ever writing again. The openness of the cast helped me to finally feel comfortable in my own queer identity. And most importantly, I've made some incredible, wonderful friends because of it. I know I'm not the only one. The show might be ending, but those ripples will keep going long after the theme tune plays for the final time.

Discovery is a heartfelt, frustrating, glorious tangle of a show, and I'm going to miss it so very much.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Holiday Rush (2019)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

Holiday Rush is filled with Christmas well-wishes that feel as genuine as a text message sent on December 26th from a urinal. The concept is there but the picture squanders it thanks to thin characters, predictable turns and unconvincing emotional beats. The fact that it features a (nearly) all-Black cast would've made it stand out. Instead, the choice makes Holiday Rush an even bigger letdown.

Widowed hip-hop radio DJ Rashon “Rush” Williams (Romany Malco) and his best friend/producer Roxy (Sonequa Martin-Green) are shocked when WMLE is bought by a big radio corporation that lets them both go. As Rush attempts to get his spoiled children used to a modest lifestyle living with his aunt Jo (Darlene Love), Roxy acquires an old radio station - a way for her and Rush to get back into the business and maybe fall in love in the process.

A smarter, better film would’ve latched onto the difficulties related to Rush and his four children being forced to downsize. He’s spoiled them rotten. They aren’t at all concerned that their father is jobless through no fault of his own - he’s being replaced by a more pop-friendly, white woman (who only appears in one scene, on a concept poster). In fact, they blame this ordeal on him. To be fair, he's mismanaged his money. He has no savings, not even for his son Jamal’s college tuition. Worse, he was spending cash he didn’t have on a pool he would've only been able to afford with his Christmas bonus (nice reference to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation).

This is where you think the movie will have something to say about being grateful for what's important. Jamal (Amarr M. Wooten) could still apply for scholarships and work hard to get good grades - he was headed for Harvard so presumably, he's a smart young man. Mya (Deysha Nelson) is obsessed with what her followers on Instagram will think when she doesn’t show off some expensive gifts. Isn't it time she stopped focusing on material things? Her younger sisters, Evie and Gabbi (Andrea-Marie and Selena Marie Alphonse) have no grasp on reality whatsoever, as they both wanted miniature horses for Christmas before the news came in. Some kids learn a hard truth when they realize Santa Claus isn't real. These girls have a different wake-up call coming. There's an idea there, one we can all relate to.

A semblance of realism is one thing Holiday Rush does not have. I’m no expert on radio and broadcasting but it seems that neither do writers Sean Dwyer and Greg Cope White. So what if Rush and Roxy buy the old radio station? It’s not like you can build an audience in a day, or that you flip a switch and all systems are a go. Rush and Roxy need more than just one DJ, don’t they? Their plan is to make a big launch on Christmas Eve… but don’t most people listen to the radio on their way to work in their car? And focussing exclusively on Christmas music? It feels like an idea that’ll have them all bankrupt by December 31st. As Christmas becomes more and more about what deals you can get and how many gifts you receive, a reminder about the non-materialistic aspects of the holiday would’ve been a nice refresher. Instead, Holiday Rush has this half-baked, ludicrous plot about a villain that needs to be taken down a peg. Tamala Jones’ Joss Hawkins bullies all her advertisers into refusing to sign with the upcoming station (why? how?) so her numbers can go up.

The weirdest part of Holiday Rush has to be a brief sequence in which Rush talks to the ghost of his late wife, Paula (La La Anthony). You can’t just have a glowing spirit show up for one scene and then never return. Well, unless your objective is to make it clear to the audience that they’re in trouble. The children are insufferable and irritating. The adults stupid. The love plot comes out of nowhere and jumps from 1 to 24 between scenes. It’s like this film was made and directed by little kids who have only the vaguest understanding of how the real world works.

Is Holiday Rush a family comedy? A drama? I couldn’t tell you. It’s not funny. It won’t generate any heartfelt emotions either. I think it was supposed to do make you laugh and reflect on the true meaning of the holidays. The fact that I’m unsure should be enough to dissuade you from wasting your vacation hours. Holiday Rush is a confused, incompetently written and poorly directed mess. (December 23, 2021)

[shannoneichorn]

Rights of Use Dream Cast

I got asked this morning about fan casting for Rights of Use, and I wanted to share.

Sarah Anderson, Maggie Rockefeller, Lauren - pick new actors. Give someone a break.

Speaker Andrew Rockefeller - Anson Mount (Pike on Strange New Worlds. Yes, I know it's lazy casting, but he'll do great. Right fatherly protective vibes.)

Senator Charles Stokley - Bernie Sanders but less frail -- Brent Spiner or Michael Dorn? I pictured someone wrinklier... Maybe Carmen Argenziano (while we're dreaming. See note on Cliff Simon.)

Colonel Renee Marshall - Amanda Tapping would be cool, though not at all who I had in mind.

Major Jo Patrick - (Aside from someone on the Cleveland Cocoction staff who would be perfect) Rebecca Romijin (Una on Strange New Worlds) (Tawny Newsome as back up choice, mostly because I'm having trouble giving her an Irish last name.)

Lt. Kyle Fairfeld - Anton Yelchin (Checkov in Star Trek 2009 - Dreaming here. See note on Cliff Simon.)

General Marshall/Kitchell - Richard Dean Anderson

Katorin/Setira - Mary Wiseman (Tilly on Discovery. Sure, she's way too young, so digitally age her up. It's fine. She's got the right energy. She's perfect.)

Cube Head - Jack Quaid (Boimler on Lower Decks/Strange New Worlds)

Benny-J - Eric Bana (Nero in Star Trek 2009)

Green Flame - Cliff Simon (Ba'al on Stargate SG-1--Look, none of this is happening, so there's no harm in picking amazing actors who died too young.)

Neith - younger Tilda Swinton, Emma Corrin (Cassandra in Deadpool and Wolverine)

Doppelganger and Serket - I'm really tempted to say Delia Rose Gooding, because she was such a fantastically menacing character in one of the altered-personality episodes of SNW, but this book is so white on the good guy side, I am not comfortable with POC actors for the bad guys who die in the end.

Amazing actors this book doesn't have roles for, but I'll keep in mind for future fan casts:

Tawny Newsome (Beckett Mariner on Lower Decks/Strange New Worlds)

Melissa Navia (Ortegas on Strange New Worlds)

Bodhrancomedy

Bonnie Gorton (computer in Prodigy/filk singer)

Noel Wells (Tendi on Lower Decks)(Actually, she might make a nice Sarah, though I didn't show Sarah quite this excitable.)

Delia Rose Gooding (Uhura on Strange New Worlds - what a phenomenal actor!)

Jordan Ifueko (Okay, this is the author of the amazing fantasy book Raybearer, and I've seen her reels as her characters. You can't tell me she wouldn't be an incredible actress...if she had the time for it.)

Sonequa Martin-Green (Michael Burnham on Discovery)

Babs Olusanmokun (Dr. M'Benga on Strange New Worlds)

Carol Kane (Pelia on Strange New Worlds) (Yes, I'm just going down the cast list and picking actors/characters I didn't get enough of.

Gia Sandhu (T'Pring on Strange New Worlds)

Gary Jones (Walter Harriman in SG-1)

Claudia Black (Vala Mal Doran in SG-1. Look, I've got a lot of women to staff in this series.)

[speculativism]

STAR TREK DISCOVERY

Here's my honest and balanced reaction now that I've seen all of the episodes:

Initially I liked Discovery from episode one. I was a bit upset that some other people didn't like it and I noticed how the directors and writers began bending over backwards to please everybody all at the same time.

The effort to please those people who hadn't liked the first few episodes led to some slightly cringe-inducing scenes in later episodes where everyone seemed to be trying too hard to establish the benevolent principles of Starfleet and the upbeat, optimistic feel of the show. These oh-so-positive elements were just about bearable and I still found the remainder of story enjoyable.

I wished for more of the new Klingons and some deeper backstory on the history of different Klingon types. I imagined that there could be potentially a lot of story development in revealing how the augment virus had affected the Klingon genome and led to increased popularity of cranial reconstruction surgery and a lot of anti-human rage and the rise and fall of various Klingon political factions. I really wanted to see on screen the L'Rell type of Klingon alongside of the TOS and TNG types debating different strategies around the "Remain Klingon!" issue and the continuation of the temporal cold war. I also wanted guest appearances by Star Trek: Enterprise characters.

So I was a little bit disappointed with the overall direction that the show took but I still mostly enjoyed the episodes.

I felt a bit uneasy about the "spore drive" but, when all is said and done, it isn't really any more far-fetched than the warp drive.

Moving the show a thousand years further into the future was a good idea and opened up a lot more freedom of storytelling.

Sonequa Martin-Green was the perfect actor for the lead role and her performance in every episode was stunning. All of the other actors were also well cast and the character developments of each of them was interesting. My overall feeling as I watched each episode was sort of like "This is good but......." because I was enjoying the show but that feeling of regret was still somewhere in the back of my mind wanting the rest of the Klingon story.

It's a pity that there's going to be a long wait for the next Star Trek show to appear. I really feel that they should be keeping up the momentum to take the franchise further. It should be like the energy of the Star Wars franchise over at Disney Plus which seems to have a new show every time I blink.

[gulducock]

Nowhere in this post do I badmouth any old trek you are assuming shit of me that i did not say anywhere. I understand what you're trying to say here but you can NOT equate these things, TNG having 1 episode where they introduce a nonbinary species of alien is NOT the same as Adira, a human character, explicitly identifying as nonbinary and requesting the use of they/them pronouns in the show. The Trill as a species have transgender subtext but that is not the same as Gray being explicitly transgender in the show. Jadzia Dax is the first gay character in Star Trek history, rejoined was a monumental episode for the franchise and paved the way for alot of gay representation in television, yes, but you CAN NOT say that 1 episode of DS9, where the characters don't even get together in the end, and Jadzia's interest in women is ignored for the rest of the entire show, is even close to the same as Hugh and Stamets relationship in Discovery, or even Adira and Gray. Michael Burnham is not the first black captain nor is she the first female captain but she is the first black female captain and that is more important than anything old trek ever did because Discovery put these things in their show with clear thought and purpose, and the amount of hatred the show received for these decisions can not be ignored. Ian Alexander and Blue del Barrio were TEENAGERS when they appeared on this show and the amount of harassment they received being openly LGBT actors appearing in this show as well as every other actor such as Sonequa Martin-Green or Wilson Cruz for just being people of color is not ignorable, Discovery wanted to make REAL, GENUINE representation in a time where things like that were not normalized and they did not hold back in their representation. It is not 1 alien or 1 episode or 1 character, it is half of the entire main cast. We have gay characters in Picard because of Discovery, we have gay characters in Lower Decks because of Discovery, we have more diverse casts and more representation than we could ask for and you CAN NOT try to make this about old trek. People are so biased and obsessed with old shit like TNG and DS9 they can't even let 1 fucking conversation take place without trying to bring up how old trek was good too, I know it is, I really don't like nutrek, I prefer the old shows, and Discovery is really not a show I actually like personally, but you can not in good conscience look objectively without bias and say Discovery is not phenomenally important because the old shows also did these things before. Discovery tried, it really tried full-heartedly to tell something important, and maybe it wasn't good as a story, but it has had more impact than alot of Star Trek has. Basically what I'm saying is you're ignorant as hell for reading my post that way and also this should be common knowledge

sincerely so sad that discovery is ending so soon. It took a long time for them to get their footing in regards to what they wanted disco to be, i do still dislike the first and 2nd seasons however after that they really did find something that was fun and unique with a wonderful cast, maybe not as close to as good as star trek has ever been but it really was something that had worth. im not confident theyll be able to properly send-off every single complex character theyve introduced in only 1 season but heres to hoping

[silverlovesmadi]

Star Trek: Discovery

"Despite Yourself" review/rant/analysis

It just annoys the hell out of me the show would write such a disturbing, sadistic and traumatic storyline for two already very traumatised characters of color.

Ash because of losing his entire crew because of the war, being a pow for 7 months, being subjected to some fucked up frankenstein like medical experiment and being forced to deal with Voq’s memories because of it. Not to mention all these creepy, disgusting, triggering convo’s he had to have with L'Rell because he didn’t know and understand wtf was going with him.

Michael because of her parents being murdered by Klingons when she was a little girl, her almost dying in the process, almost dying again because of some Vulcan extremist, being raised by Sarek to surpress her emotions at all times and aim for ubercompetence, losing her captain and some of her crew in the war and being used as a scapegoat for a war the Klingons started, realizing Sarek was a fraud of a father and was never gonna validate her nor admit he was the one who was wrong, waisting 7 years of her life in the process, having to go undercover in the mirror universe as some facist captain persona and being forced to kill one of her former crew members out of self defense, knowing that even if the war is won and she survives, she goes back to jail for life etc.).

There’s angst, there’s nuance, there’s compelling drama, there’s conflict, there’s adventurous and realistic sci-fi. And then there’s OVERdoing it with the shock value because the mainstream loves it on Game of Thrones (a show I personally couldn’t care less about) and thinking that’s the way to make the show as popular as GOT.

I should’ve known, because they’ve been overdoing it since the beginning not just by killing off Georgiou and Landry, but also the explicitly violent ways in which they killed them off for shock value. And the oneliners the bridge crew always get, who are obviously only there to fullfill some “diversity” quota to satisfy viewers, have started to get annoying as fuck too. We get it, you’re never gonna give them proper storylines, because you don’t really want too.

I really love Michael and Ash together, because they have such amazing and natural chemistry, which in large part is thanks to Sonequa and Shazad. There’s a always a very strong sense of trust, protectiveness and loyalty between the two. You can tell they really wanna be with each other and wanna look out for one another. Something they aren’t always able to do, since they are expected to go out and put they’re lives on the line everyday. It’s because they have and care so much about each other they’re some what able to face and deal with fighting in this war, and for now this mirror universe too, despite their mutual trauma’s. They help each other get through it as best as they both can.

But I just wish the show didn’t have to make Michael and Ash each others love interests, if the price they had to pay for their relationship was having to go down this depressing ass road. Why couldn’t they just let them stay friends?

I’m not in the mood for Michael having to face the fact that there’s a fucking Klingon inside Ash somewhere while she had a whole (and her very first too!!) intimate serious relationship with him. It’s gonna traumatise her even more. But we all know she’ll just suck it up again and keep going, because that’s what she’s so good at right? Sucking it up, being strong and sacrificing herself for the war.

And what type of fuckery is it that Michael, who is known as the killer of T'Kuvma, who Voq and T'Rell were so loyal too, had to be the woman Ash had to fall in love with while Voq was inside his body all this time. Like what? Are Voq and L'Rell gonna try and kill Michael out of revenge? Traumatising her even more?

Since Michael still doesn’t know about this whole fucking mess of a medical experiment L'Rell and Voq subjected Ash to, is she gonna see the man she had her first ever serious relationship with, shared everything with, something she already struggled with so much to open herself up to in the beginning, who promised to protect her at her at all costs, try and snap her neck like Voq did with Hugh? Something we really did not need to see since surviving that injury is not gonna make us unsee it. If it is even true that Hugh survives.

Is Ash gonna try and fight Voq internally somehow, to prevent him from getting to Michael? Probably having to sacrifice himself to kill Voq for good to safe Michael and the Discovery crew, killing off character of colour number #3?

I’m just looking at the writers like, when is enough ENOUGH?? How the fuck is Michael gonna trust anything or anyone ever? 10 steps forward, 50 steps back.

This storyline is so oversaturated with angst, trauma and suffering upon angst, trauma and suffering, just so the writers could introduce “the Klingon as human” storyline, but completely without nuance and the consideration of the implications for doing this with a cast full of poc.

There is already an abundance of media where in characters of colour, especially black female characters are subjected to traumatic and tragic storylines. So the Discovery writers aren’t doing anything “innovative” here. It’s lazy, predictable and quite frankly racist, sexist and homophobic, idc what anybody says and idc what anybody is gonna throw at me for keeping it real. Come at me. Art and media is here to be criticised. Especially if you’re “trying” to represent us.

I’m really curious as to whom the writers think they’re tonedeaf way of writing is aimed at. Who do they want as an audience? Because it seems to me they have no clue themselves.

I’m done seeing Michael suffer, I’m done. I'm done with the whole: "Ash was raped by L'Rell, only for the writers to go: oh sike! It was consensual after all, because they're Voq's memories, so Ash is perfectly fine!!!🙃🙃🙃".

It seems like the writers are less about the storyline/creating groundbreaking sci-fi and more about the trauma said storyline creates and causes, because according to them the drama comes frome the trauma, and everything for “interesting” television, right? It doesn’t feel like watching an adventurous, exciting, fresh, modern take on an iconic sci-fi show anymore, but another episode of Black Mirror that just won’t fucking end.

And you know what the hypocrisy of it all is? A majority of tv critics where so overly critical of the show’s use of the f-word (something that never bothered me because i know it wasn’t a big deal), which happened in literally one scene of 1 episode, accusing it of trying too hard to be “dark and edgy”, and that it completely ruined the show and the heart of Star Trek, but the same critics are completely eating up and loving this “Ash and Voq share the same body” storyline since Ash was introduced. Because apparently this storyline is not dark and sadistic at all, it’s just “really cool sci-fi!!!”

I wonder why that is. And who even remembers the f-word scene now?

[cleoselene]

Me reading a Disco spoiler: WHY DO THEY FEEL THIS NEED.  IF YOU WANT TO PLAY WITH ALIENS FROM THE 90S TREKS, WHY DID YOU MAKE A PREQUEL?  WHY CAN’T YOU HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR THE SHOWS THAT MADE AN ENTIRE GENERATION LOVE IT?

[tinderbox210]

I tried to gather my thoughts a bit.

I think the finale was good. A fitting ending for the show's premise and journey in a lot of ways. We got a big space battle and the discussion of philosophical questions.

There are some things that I wish would have been explored more in detail or differently and the episode (excluding the epilogue) still felt more like a season finale than a final farewell, but that was to be expected since it wasn't originally planned to be the end. Blame Paramount! 😡

I did like how they closed the book on the Progenitors' tech and the revelation why it's not needed anymore and shouldn't be used. It would be too much of a risk to keep such powerful tech, even in the hands of Starfleet. The road to hell is paved with good intentions after all.

I think it was great and exciting how the episode jumped between Michael's journey inside the portal and all the chaotic fighting happening outside, though I wished it wouldn't have taken so much time. I loved Rayner leading the Discovery, he got some really nice badass moments to shine, but I'm disappointed Michael barely got to interact with the crew, her family, during the last mission.

There were several moments where I feared some of the characters wouldn't make it but I'm glad the show chose against killing of any important characters last minute for shock value or just because it's the end. What I really liked of this finale is that the whole DISCO family made it to the end and to Saru's wedding!!! I really wished they would have shown the whole wedding! Such a missed opportunity but I loved seeing everyone celebrating together one last time.

The episode left me even more convinced that Tahal would have been the big antagonist next season because beside giving Saru something to do and show his badass diplomacy skills her entrance didn't lead anywhere and felt more like an introduction for the future. I'm also not sure yet what to think of the Kovich reveal and Zora's ending.

On the shipping side, we didn't get much direct interaction between Michael and Rayner in the finale but still some amazing little moments that send my shipper heart soaring - his smile at Michael and Saru hugging, the whole convo at the wedding with Tilly praising their dynamic (welcome to the shippers club, Tilly!) and Michael touching his hand, and we even got a hug 😍

I will really miss this duo that snuck up on me so unexpectedly. I really didn't expect to ship them when the season started, but here I am, still a hopeless shipper even with canon going in a different direction. I'm really sad we got this wonderful pairing so late and won't get to see more of them, unless they both show up on Starfleet Academy (I can see Rayner becoming a mentor with Tilly, but no idea if Sonequa wants to return).

I kind of expected Michael and Book to end up together again, so I was sort of prepared for that ending, even though a part of me wished they would have left that ending more open. I know this season was about them finding their way back to each other, but for me it always felt more like them finding closure in accepting that they're on different paths, so them ending up with a kid felt a bit off for me. While I love Michael and I'm glad she ended up happy and not had to sacrifice herself to protect the Progenitors' tech like I initially feared, I have to say that I got more emotional during the last 5 minutes showing Michael's farwell to the Discovery and the crew than during all of the Michael/Book scenes. I'm sorry, I just didn't feel it, so I'm not ashamed to say that I'm going to live in happy AU land from now on.

Overall, the finale just made me sad again to see the show go while it still has so much potential and so many stories to tell and I hope we'll get to see some kind of continuation of the Discovery's adventures, as books/comics or movies. 🖖

DISCO is really on the way to have an amazing final season. I loved every episode so far.

[lightgamble]

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY  | 1.03

I suppose that is a function of the environment you are eating them in, instead of a food synthesizer issue.

[candyrowe]

Wow. I've been on this awful site on and off for ten years and nothing changes.

We accusing folks of not being Black because of ships again?

Y'all doing this shit with folks with long ass blogs too. Have y'all forgotten how to mute tags? Has Tumblr stopped allowing blocks? It is very easy to not see things you don't want to see. Use it! Y'all ain't making the fandom fun for anybody. I want to go into tags and not have to see fighting and dogpiling within the fandom. A fandom full of Black women with varied and nuanced opinions, but y'all will allow something like a ship or a character to get in the way of meaningful discussion.

Making someone's fandom experience worse doesn't enrich yours. Unless someone is doing something that causes ACTIVE HARM, block it and move on.

And please. Don't think this is an invitation to message me, reblog this to discuss why you were right, or whine. Whine to ya mama cause I ain't her. We're all old enough to treat each other with respect. And that is especially true in fandoms Black women are part of. We are pushed out and silenced so much. I understand the knee jerk reactions. I do. But we don't have to act like other fandoms. I came out of Wakanda Forever wanting to celebrate a movie that celebrated us. I'm not a part of the Star Wars fandom even though I'm a fan. I'm barely part of the Star Trek fandom even though I love it so much. Even with Sonequa and Tawny leading shows, I don't feel like the fandom is welcoming to me as a Black woman.

This space is where I feel seen. This space is where I feel loved. I love knowing that there are other Black women who are just as nerdy as me here that love the same things I do. Don't ruin this experience because you feel like you have to be self-righteous for others. Don't talk about being good to others. Be good. Because those Black women that you are trying to hurt are the same ones who would defend you if the other side of the fandom came knocking.

[discotreque]

Disco 4.01: Kobayashi Maru

AND WE’RE BACK, BABEY.

I got stuff to do today, so let’s just dive right in. Spoilers, obvs!

“Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as—HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT”

I loved... most of that cold open? It did a great job of (re-)introducing our characters, their relationships to each other, and their jobs on the ship; the dialogue was cute, the action was kinetic, the A-to-B-to-C stuff was efficient and tidy; and it was a Violence Problem with a Science Solution, which is always good Star Trek. (It was also painfully unsubtle and almost annoyingly smug—but I guess it wouldn’t feel like Disco if the writing on this show weren’t constantly sabotaging itself, sigh.)

I cannot even tell you how much I love Wife Guy™ Book. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you want a perfect fictional man, get a lesbian to write him. I don’t know why it works, but it does.

“Thank you, Lt. Christopher, a guy who has definitely always been on the bridge.” I joke, but welcome to the crew, dude!

If I were ever within like 50 feet of Sonequa Martin-Green and she said “Let’s fly” my knees would instantly buckle. 🥺️

Did the Ba’ul always sound like they’re voiced by Frank Oz? They’re not—it’s David Sobolov, who’s done loads of VA, including for other Star Trek stuff; the S2 Ba’ul were voiced by Mark Pellington, who’s mostly actually a director—but Sobolov’s definitely doing a little bit of Oz there and it’s great.

I’d have to go back and check to be sure, but I think they’ve redesigned the Kelpian prosthetics a little? The eye-holes seem bigger, so we can see more of the actors through the mask; I also think they might be constructing them differently, using more and smaller pieces, to better “transmit” facial expressions through the loaf—Saru especially seemed even more animated than usual. (Then again, maybe I just missed my tall boi.)

Costume designer Gersha Phillips continues to bless us: the new duty uniforms! The new dress uniforms! The cadet uniforms! The utility variants on the repair base! And the fancy Kelpian outfits too—chef’s kiss.

It’s utterly astounding to me that SMG and David Ajala never had a chemistry test. (Apparently he had visa issues or something coming from the UK to Canada, and there just wasn’t time?) I could watch them make faces at each other all day.

SPEAKING OF MAKING FACES AT EACH OTHER:

Also, Michael looking at the Federation president like “…I guess I didn’t sort out all my mommy issues last season…”

Admiral Vance’s family???? 😭️😭️😭️ (Oh noooooo, it’s not his whole family, is it…)

TILLYYYYYYY 😭️😭️😭️😭️😭️

I really liked the actor who played Book’s brother last season and I didn’t think we’d see him again! Also, that ceremony was really beautiful, and that kid was so little and so cute and such a good actor! [edit: fuckkkkkk]

Holy hell, the pure sapphic energy in “What do you mean, ‘if’?” I blushed.

ADIRA AND TILLY, SCIENCE BOSSES

The stuff between Saru and Su’Kal was very sweet (if, again, as subtle as a sledgehammer), but the whole “you’re the father I never had” bit cracked me up: the actor who plays Su’Kal is like 10 years older than Doug Jones, lmao, you just can’t tell through the loaf.

Absolutely loved the design of the 32nd-century worker bee. 🐝️

“…and then Michael Burnham got killed by a frozen fart” would have been a pretty ignoble way to go out.

SHIT

SHIT SHIT SHIT

THE MOON?????

…all of that was fucking INTENSE, holy FUCK.

Awwww, I knew that poor stressed-out commander was doomed, but it was still sad. (Also, Adira’s “I don’t understand, we made it, we were safe” broke my goddamn heart.)

Hey, are we going to dig into Michael Burnham’s god complex this season? That could be fun (and by “fun” I mean “painful and heartbreaking,” of course.)

Oh. Oh no.

So it’s going to be like that, then. Oooooof.

Guess I’m watching The Ready Room just to make myself feel better now!

[my-mt-heart]

Hi again. I really apologize. I should have cited my sources when quoting statements from my last post. Below is a link to the commentary with Norman Reedus and Sonequa Martin-Greene (and I think Greg Nicotero is there as well).

https://youtu.be/S6L0qfG7N1k

And thank you so much for my scenario! Carol is Daryl's first embodiment of kindness. He knows she is able to communicate a lot with her kisses and affection. And I know it makes him feel different in the best way. I want to further capitalize on this moment to say that I appreciate the ways you underline their character sensitivities in your writing. It is so them. So I had another for you. I am curious as to the first time they hugged that we did not know about. The first time we see it on screen is the unforgettable Terminus Reunion hug. But I do think they have hugged before then. And I think Carol initated it. Can you do a scenario of that between season 2 and 3? Thanks again and sorry for not putting up the source while making claims like that.

No apologies necessary. Thanks for sharing that clip from the DVD commentary. My first thought was, okay why is NR using his Daryl voice? Haha My second thought was, damn, they are all so enamored with MMB. It warms my heart.

Also, thank you for your kind review. To me these scenes are just little “what ifs” I can whip up fairly quickly, but you guys treat them like real bodies of work and I’m truly touched. Baffled, but touched. Anyways, here’s how I imagine their first hug went...

Carol tries to keep her nerve, steadying the knife in her hand while a walker ambles toward her.

Daryl is standing right behind her, his crossbow trained just in case.

Daryl: Not yet...

The walker comes closer.

Daryl: Hold up...

Carol takes a deep breath right before...

Daryl: Now!

She jerks forward, her movements a little clumsy, but she manages to wedge her knife through the walker’s head. It collapses at her feet.

She pants heavily, feeling exhilarated. Daryl lowers his weapon.

Daryl: Good.

Carol: Good? That’s all you have to say? I, I—

She springs into action again, this time throwing her arms around Daryl. He pulls her off.

Daryl: The hell was that for? Ain’t playin’ a game.

Carol: I know. I just, I didn’t think I could do it, but I did. Thank you for showing me.

Daryl nods, feeling a little guilty for his reaction.

Daryl: Wouldn’t have bothered if I thought you couldn’t.

In an effort to make amends, he moves like he’s going to wrap his arm around her, but at the last second, settles for clapping her awkwardly on the shoulder.

Carol smiles. It’s the thought that counts.

[wizardysseus]

i was thinking about once upon a time (abc) in bed this morning so i decided to write this list

subject to change, since awhile ago i was in the middle of season 6 when they took it off netflix and i never quite got around to picking it back up. i’m gonna finish if it kills me i promise

top 5 things about once upon a time

5. anna frozen

when ouat introduced frozen characters, most fans decided the show had jumped the shark. they were not wrong. however, it was this very thing that allowed the show to be fun again! after an excruciatingly bad season 3 (we will get to that), bringing on anna and elsa literally transported directly from their own unaltered story in cheap ass versions of their unaltered movie costumes allowed the show to let loose and do... basically whatever it wanted. this became the hallmark of the show for those who stuck with it: absolutely not making sense at all, but being fun about it. post-season-three ouat becomes a totally different soap opera from season one, but by god you are never bored.*

personally, the flashback episode where anna annoys rumpelstiltskin and gets the better of him and he’s so fucking mad about it is like top 10 episodes**

4. 2x16 “the miller’s daughter”

this episode is just another personal favorite. it exemplifies what this show was really good at when it was good, and also where everything went wrong. i think cora is a great example of a good ouat villain, i think the twist on the rumpelstiltskin story is great, i think the dramatic beats really work.

...and in typical ouat fashion, cora immediately dies and two more villains we don’t care about at all are introduced. (sonequa forgive me you know i’m in love with you but tamara was nothing. it’s not your fault.) yes we get that great scene of snow aggressively doing archery practice while listening to “bad reputation” but was it worth killing off a compelling villain just as you’d dug into her story?

3. the commitment to regina’s redemption

and lana parrilla in general. i mean i’m gay and she’s hot but the worse the show got, the more acting lana gave it. and this is just speculation, but i think lana is more comfortable with drama than with camp? because regina becomes a much more interesting character as someone conflicted and on the path to redemption than as a villain. and by god, they were gonna redeem regina.

if only she had been gay we really could have had it all.

2. rumpelstiltskin

the sweet spot with rumpelstiltskin for me was seasons one and two when he was unabashedly bastard, there was an attempt to make him sympathetic but nobody except belle actually liked him, you weren’t quite sure how much he knew, he was pulling all the strings, and he was just really fucking weird. it will surprise no one who follows this blog to hear that that is my type of wizard.

1. season one

it’s a good season. it’s a good season. there are some bad things about it, but it was extremely watchable. it was doing fairy tales with occasional disney nods in a (mostly) cohesive fashion. the lore and the magic hadn’t sprawled out of control yet. it had the strongest relationship, imo, between emma and henry, and emma and snow. as for iconic episodes, most of the greats are here, plus sebastian stan as the mad hatter and giancarlo esposito as a series regular. the crowning moment for me is the scene at the end of skin deep, when regina confronts gold in the town jail and he reveals that he remembers his real name (after beating the shit out of belle’s dad with his cane obviously). god. that is some good television.

worst 5 things about once upon a time

5. the adoption politics but everyone knows this one.

4. WASTING the talent

you had the love of my life sonequa martin-green and gave her nothing. you somehow scored oded fehr as jafar and gave him nothing. you had giancarlo esposito and regina literally forgot he existed. i will kill you

3. rumpelstiltskin.

it’s no secret that robert carlyle was acting circles around most of the cast; my opinion is that the showrunners felt that if they committed to either his redemption or his villainy, they would never find someone else with the talent to fill his shoes as bastard wizard. so they flip-flopped on him every half-season, which ruins his story longterm, slowly kills the light in robert’s eyes, and gets reallllllly old. it’s also no secret that my favorite rumpelstiltskin is bastard wizard, but they screwed over belle BIG time in the process and for that i will never forgive them.

also like. the rumpelstiltskin fairy tale is antisemitic to begin with and they did not minimize that by comparing him to a lizard and naming his storybrooke counterpart mr gold. they just. did that.

2. THE FUCKING NEVERLAND ARC GOD IN CHRIIIIIIIIIIIST THAT HALF-SEASON IS EXCRUCIATING

1. captain hook

*it’s my opinion that if you are bored, you’re watching a hook-centric episode. every time i dropped the show and forgot about it for months at a time, it was because i had been in the middle of an episode about hook and just could not get through it. how do i describe all the things i don’t like about what killian hook jones did to the show? with subpoints!

1a. the episode where gold gives him back his hand and he never changes.

**this is actually the same episode i mentioned about anna and, like i said, it’s one of my favorites and not at all boring. look, i’m not pretending this list isn’t subjective as hell.

remember when hook blackmailed mr gold into magically reattaching his hand, which gold has been keeping in a jar, because hook has a date with emma and wants it to go well? but also, gold tells him that if he reattaches his hand with dark magic, it will turn him evil? and then hook spends the episode doing evil things, only for mr gold to tell him “i was just messing with you! the hand was not evil, you gave yourself permission to be evil ;)”

yeah, that’s basically hook’s mo.

1b. episode where emma tells him his brother is lying to him and he learns the exact wrong lesson from this and never changes.

so emma goes to the underworld to get hook back after he dies (while being evil and doing villainous things). they find his brother down there, too, and emma senses that he has a dark secret (because he does) and is lying to them (because he is). but hook always idolized his older brother, so he won't believe her. when emma confronts the brother directly, hook interrupts to rant to her about how he knows what this is ~really all about.

actual dialogue:

HOOK: i don't need proof to know what's really going on here. emma, when are you gonna admit that this isn't really about my brother? EMMA: what else would you think it was about? HOOK: us. you think if you can prove that liam is a villain, then i’ll somehow feel like i was less of one.

who... would EVER come to that conclusion. and why is the lesson he learns at the end “perhaps i do deserve saving after all” (another direct quote), and not “NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU, BECAUSE EMMA WAS LITERALLY RIGHT ABOUT YOUR BROTHER LYING TO EVERYONE”????

1c. the emma dark one arc, where hook never changes.

this would be the arc that leads up to the above underworld arc, and it is deeply dumb, entertaining, and hard to explain. suffice it to say, during this whole arc, killian (along with emma) has all the powers and ~~~Darkness~~~ of the dark one (formerly rumpelstiltskin). unlike emma, he is not aware of this for most of the season. the moment he finally finds out, he turns on emma and goes through with all the revenge plans he’s apparently been holding onto since season two.

it’s supposed to be sympathetic, because emma made this choice for him to be a dark one, which is clearly awful, when he didn’t want it. so i get that. but on the other hand, it is..... boring. because (a) it's nothing we haven't seen him try to do and fail at before, his motivations really aren't that complex. and more importantly, (b) he was the dark one the whole time! the only thing that changed, that made him act evil, was finding out about it. at that point, it's not the ~~~Darkness~~~ making you do evil things. it’s just you. because you’re a dick.

how is this arc resolved? well, he dies. after the underworld arc (which i very much enjoyed tbf), a sizable part of robin hood’s death episode is devoted to people telling emma to slow down and grieve for killian, since at least two arcs have revolved around her inability to let hook go when he is literally dying or dead. (it’s been said a million times but being his girlfriend really sucked the personality out of emma and i miss her.) and in the end he just... comes back anyway. no explanation given; he says it must be a reward from zeus for killing hades... while he and emma make out literally in front of the coffin of robin hood... who actually died fighting hades. killian died half a season before. while he was evil. and emma reverts to tearful girlfriend.

it’s insulting. it’s grating. and it is a Killian Hook Jones Guarantee that his episodes will involve some measure of this.

like, is it more or less the same shtick that the writers kept giving rumpelstiltskin, too? backsliding and screwing over his love interest who gets less and less say in the matter? yes. definitely. the crucial difference is that i, personally, love rumpelstiltskin, while i find hook boring and not self-aware. but clearly i have had a lot of fun complaining about him! again, this is not an objective list.

conclusions

this show ran for 7 years. it got cancelled not because it deserved to, but because no one liked the soft reboot. it was on until 2018.

[lovecanbesostrange]

#we deserved more scenes with David and Ruby restoring some order#because of course they do in Snow's absence#and also I will never be tired of shepherd and wolf moments#(oh S2 began with the most wonderful set-ups) YES we deserved more scenes! They could've been a power Throuple! Also, I still feel like first half of season 2 was the best.

The beginning of S2 is so amazing. What I love most is how they resolved this whole issue with Emma suddenly having to believe in everything. Including that these are indeed her parents. Who abandoned her (for what they thought of as good reason, but she was ALONE), Send them to the Enchanted Forest, where she can’t run from Mary Margaret, where she has to learn some things the hard way and where she gets to meet Snow fucking White. Fierce protector of what she loves. (And the side-story with Sleeping Warrior is icing on the cake... until they suddenly run off to revive Philip... because...... well... they can??????)

The emotional investment seeing Cora scheme, Regina’s struggle with everything, I even enjoy seeing this evil side of Gold who is all like “magic is power and I want power” and Belle is just “but why? can’t I be enough”. If Hook was just the fun rapscalion and didn’t project “love interest here” from the start without work from the writers... oh S2 was brilliant. Cora’s death! And the aftermath! The way Greg and Tamara are set up (oh, having Sonequa Martin Green on the show...)

But yeah, in the midst of it all in the chaotic new awakening, we had David who lost his wife and daughter through a portal, holding things together. And he could rely on Ruby. Because she was there for the whole story (even if it doesn’t look like it, because the flashbacks leave out a lot and later seasons... well.... she was there in spirit! Always!). And yes, this is a time where I am absolutely down with a throuple, like we say now. The polyamory solution to everything! They can just work on so many levels. (I also like to imagine Grumpy having the laughing fit of his life when he finds out that David isn’t Prince James, but really a poor commoner. “A shepherd? And a wolf? In your bed together??”)

Imagine the writers had taken some time to let the group catch up after Mary Margaret’s and Emma’s return. Okay, I think the bit in the hospital is super funny (”like some kind of Frankenstein” “yep, that’s Whale” and the whole reviving Daniel thing etc lol ). But also a bit more. For the emotions. This feeling what it means that David and Ruby did their best, even though the center of their universe was missing. (Eddie and Adam could materialize in my room and tell me that Red never had a crush on Snow and I would shoot laserbeams out of my eyes and tell them they’re wrong).

The most important reason why Red is totally squeezing in with this One True Love couple to end all True Love couples? She helps raise Emma in a time without the curse (of course, again, wish!verse didn’t have Red, because of stupid decisions, which is why wish!verse is lacking a key ingredient). Why else does everybody agree to let Ruby babysit Henry without a question? Because that would’ve been her role as secondary mom//godmother//wild-forest-aunt. Emma barely got a chance to talk to Ruby after the curse broke. How stupid is that?? Emma never even met the wolf.

Which then led to that weird nightmare moment at the end of S5 that doesn’t make an ounce of sense. “Dreaming” about a beast killing Snow to then find it’s Red...... what even......... no, no, no, no. I want Red running around with Charming more. Terrible jokes about eating sheep and neither actually being fit for royal drama. I need them to argue who’s turn it is to hold Snow back from doing something reckless. (This is Red’s fault, when they met she was suddenly “let’s kill the wolf” and ever since Snow has become more and more of a daredevil with a let’s-do-the-thing-attitude. Consequences? Ha!... well and then comes regret.)

Put it in the subtext............ after Snow gets back her throne, Red holds on to all her bandit!Snow clothes and keeps every trinket from those days safe.

[randomfandomimagine]

The Last of Us Fancast

I’m very excited about the Last Of Us show and after the anouncement of the casting of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, I wanted to talk about the people I had personally envisioned as the characters. This by no means implies that I disagree on the casting, I’m very excited to see both Pedro and Bella embody these characters and I think they’ll do great! That said, here are the actors I actually had in mind that could play the characters.

Joel Miller: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau or Hugh Jackman.

Don’t tell me he doesn’t give off Joel vibes! I haven’t seen Game of Thrones, but frmo what I’ve heard he’s an amazing actor capable of showing both Joel’s soft and dark side. Besides, he physically resembles Joel and he’s the right age and build!

I’ve seen people not liking him as Joel, but... I can really see it! He reminded me a lot of Joel in Logan (not to mention that the movie itself was a lot like The Last of Us with the traveling and his father-daughter relationship with Laura) and I think he could do a really good job as Joel!

Bonus Joel: Karl Urban

Ellie Williams: Kaitlyn Dever

I haven’t seen Booksmart (yet) but I saw someone saying that she could be Ellie and I thought she would be great! She physically reminds me of Ellie and it feels like she would do great at portraying both her innocence but wild side from the first game. I just get Ellie vibes from her as well, it’s all about the vibes.

Tommy: Charlie Hunnam

Marlene: Sonequa Martin-Green or Zoe Saldana

There’s a limit of 10 photos per post, so I’ll do the other characters soon! Tell me your thoughts so far, I would love to know!

[flying-elliska]

i watched star trek discovery s3 ! thoughts !

- no matter what i always feel pushed to be overall positive about disco because of all the stupid whiny fanboys dunking on it because it’s too *diverse* and I think this season did pretty well in that regard and that it’s just very refreshing to have a cast that is just a lot more realistic re:what humans would look like in that era

- s3....i actually really enjoyed overall ? by going to the future, they’re not so stuck between all the older shows, being a prequel and bringing old characters back etc etc. they can explore new territory. And like. I don’t think they handled a lot of the plots as well as they could have. It had this HUGE potential that i don’t think they really made good on, because this series’ writing is just...i don’t know, a bit wack sometimes, like it was written by lots of different people pulling in a different direction. i see what it’s trying to do in terms of sociological and philosophical storytelling, but it’s often a bit too simplistic. but i just...i love these characters, i thought the season’s set up was so interesting, and it was just so much fun. and like...star trek has always been full of cheese and shortcuts and stories that focused more on emotions. it’s not hard scifi. it’s just not. i would like disco to come through with more philosophical/geopolitical episodes sometimes, but that doesn’t mean it’s ‘not star trek’

- Booker is definitely my favorite new character of the season. He’s just so cool ? Like a charming rogue idealist with an enormous cat named Grudge who travels around space to save endangered species ? that is just so new. i’m so tired of cynical rogues, they’re so overdone. but Booker breaks the rules because he CARES. yes. the empath thing is very sexy. the episode with his brother was so interesting. Booker’s the idealist but he left his people behind, while the brother is doing awful things to keep his people from starving to death, and so both their perspectives are understandable, and i love that they came to an understanding. also his chemistry with Michael is great, even though i wish they had taken more time to show us their developping relationship. but the episode when they met is one of my faves. that episode where he helps the slave workers rebel was !!!!! i hope they give him more to do next season apart from “Michael’s boyfriend” but yeah. he’s great.

- i just loved seeing the crew bond!!! so much! they’ve gone through so much together ! i definitely ship jola now. they’re just so cool. i hope we get to know the others in the bridge crew more but i love the bits we got, about them adapting to these crazy new circumstances, and about ‘growing through change’ ; even though i thought some elements like Detmer’s PTSD were dealt with a little bit too fast. I loved seeing Hugh trying to get everyone some mental support and therapy. I loved Tilly taking charge more and more ; and people recognize that even though she is emotional she’s also unfailingly compassionate and brave and those are qualities you want in a leader. ahhhh

- the new future is very interesting. i was afraid they would go too grimdark with the Federation gone, but...they’ve kept it relatively nuanced so that was interesting. seeing the Vulcans and Romulans reunited was quite incredible, and i loved the bit with the trial. and Michael deciding to back off so she wouldn’t risk their fragile unity. and her admiring the fact that Spock’s life work came to fruition. emotions !!!!!

- Michael’s development is...a joy to see. I love Sonequa’s portrayal of her so much. and she’s so pretty lmao. the writing for her character is still a bit all over the place, though. i don’t feel they explained her big changes of mind enough, and i don’t always understand what they are trying to do with her character, sometimes it’s a bit too much of ‘whatever the plot requires’. the series has a tendency to both make her the one who always saves the day a bit too much and to put too big of a burden on her in ways that feel iffy. But i’m still super happy to have her be captain, finally, and can’t wait to see how she grows into the role.

- I thought the Terra Firma episodes were so interesting ; it was fascinating to see how much Georgiou has changed through her time in the Prime universe. Mirror universe characters redemption arc is a Star Trek classic, after all. I am sad to see her gone from Disco but i feel like her next series could potentially be sooooo interesting. i mean, i know the evil promiscuous bisexual cliché is a bit bad, but Michelle Yeoh is just having SO MUCH FUN in the role i kind of forget about it. it’s a bit like ‘nggggh evil queer lady sexy’ thing. and the guardian of forever !!!

- Adira and Grey...now, i do think it was great to introduce a trans guy and a non-binary person and to make them a couple, totally awesome. i am not entirely convinced by their story though, i don’t feel they had a lot to do past their introduction. and the fact that Grey started the series being dead already...i mean they’re probably bring him back somehow but they have a bit too much of a tendency to kill their queer characters already, it’s an issue for me. i liked Stamets and Culber kind of adopting them that was cute but they didn’t do much this season either. i have to say tho, two gay dads telling a trans kid they will ‘help him be seen’ was like awwwwwwww

- i found the ending...a little bit underwhelming. it’s the opposite of s2, where i found the season pretty meh until the ending which i found kind of incredible. this one...the Emerald Chain was a cool villain, but I don’t feel like it materialized enough. i did think it was interesting to ‘tempt’ the Federation, to see how their principles held up ; but the fact that most of their problems with dilithium seem to be solved by the end of the season is a bit...hm, is that all ? similarly, the revelation that Su’kal was at the core of it all...i found the bits in the stimulations kind of fascinating, the theme of the importance of connection, etc. that said, i was hoping the solution to the Burn to be a bit more...Geopolitical. I just miss Deep Space Nine in that regard, they knew how to do political storylines in a way that felt so deeply grounded and complex. In Disco, problems get solved a bit too easily, and so it just feels like everything has less impact.

But overall, this is probably the season i’m most likely to rewatch for fun. the first two are so gritty, and they have made some really stupid story choices. this one is a lot more like a fun space adventure, and honestly that’s not a bad thing. even though next season I really hope they will put some effort into the worldbuilding. because sometimes it feels a little bit like modern storytelling has dumbed star trek down (i feel the movies are responsible in part, but it’s also like a general thing accross the board)