#i’ve got a whole storyline with them ollie and another character

[percexe]

Whats the name of the cocky red-head?

SAWYER!

their mom is tyche and their hobbies include winning everything by cheating with luck magic and rollerblading

[pluckyredhead]

The Arrowfamily Is Comically Terrible at Secret Identities

I’ve mentioned a few times that I headcanon that the Arrowfam doesn’t actually have functional secret identities but think they do, but that’s...basically canon. So I figured I’d share the evidence!

There’s a lot of evidence.

Ollie has never been stupendous at maintaining a secret identity, but the whole thing fell apart completely in 1989, when the CIA asked Oliver Queen to assist them with a case. Ollie agreed, but wanted to know how they knew he was Green Arrow:

Please note that he’s talking to a CIA agent here. This man deals in information, and Ollie’s identity was so obvious he didn’t even realize it was a secret. Incredible.

Absolutely one of the funniest things Ollie has ever said. Bless his heart.

And when Ollie finally suits up for the mission...

...he decides not to put on the mask. He continues to not bother with it until his death, so for another five years.

(Dinah also seems to drop her secret identity around this time, though it’s not commented on. She pretty much continues not to have one to this day.)

But what about his boys?

Well, Roy is a government agent in the late 80s and 90s, and "Agent Harper’s” former life as a sidekick is no secret:

You could argue that Roy’s file is classified and so no one outside of Checkmate/the CBI knows it, but that’s pretty clearly not true. First of all, every babysitter Lian has ever had has known both of Roy’s identities. Second, by 1998, he’s wearing this costume:

No mask. Just occasional sunglasses. Please note Vic dunking on him for them. (This whole exchange is golden. “You’re not supposed to say his name” lololol.)

And then there’s Connor, who wears a mask, but doesn’t seem to realize that it’s for anything other than decoration and tradition. Here he is introducing himself by name while in costume:

(This is one of my all-time favorite Connor panels, by the way. “Are you Robin Hood?” “I’m his son.” Just shoot me in the heart, why don’t you?)

And in case you’re thinking, well, that’s a child, who’s she going to tell...here’s Connor being totally unconcerned about being addressed by his real name while in costume while on television:

It’s hard to convey with just a few panels here and there, but I want to make this very clear: from at least 1994 to 2001, Roy and Connor simply did not have secret identities. They walked around in costume without masks, sometimes with a jacket on top if it was chilly but clearly not to hide the costume. They introduced themselves by name while in costume and by codename while out of it. Heroes with secret identities (Dick, Kyle, etc.) had to remind them to be discreet when they were hanging out together. Literally every supporting character in both of their books knew who they really were, including villains. They weren’t super public figures, but they weren’t hiding things, either.

(Connor’s existence also really reinforces that Ollie never had a good secret identity, because he always knew Ollie was his father, which according to the timeline of that era means that Moonday saw Green Arrow on TV one day and said “Huh, that’s the guy who got me pregnant.”)

And then Ollie comes back. Now, when he returns from the dead he has amnesia for basically everything after his road trip with Hal in the 70s, which means he doesn’t remember getting rid of his mask, and he certainly doesn’t know that Roy and Connor were running around identity-less for years while he was dead. None of that makes this scene any less funny:

Mia has encountered both Green Arrow and Oliver Queen exactly once each and she instantly knows they’re the same person. Like the scene with the CIA agent, this scene is important because it establishes not that Ollie’s identity is known, but that it is easy to know. HE IS OBVIOUSLY GREEN ARROW. IF HE DOES NOT CHANGE HIS BEHAVIOR, HE WILL ALWAYS BE OBVIOUSLY GREEN ARROW.

(Spoiler: he does not change his behavior.)

A couple storylines later, Ollie becomes inexplicably obsessed with his secret identity. You know, the one he doesn’t have.

This is Ollie standing at his own grave. [Insert Grant Gustin meme here.] He is there to meet Clark and ask him who attended his funeral. Clark provides him with paparazzi photos, and Ollie absolutely freaks the fuck out because he doesn’t recognize one of the attendees, and why would someone he doesn’t know be at his funeral? Maybe they know his secret???

Oliver. THERE IS AN ARROW ON YOUR TOMBSTONE AND IT SAYS “ALWAYS MADE THE RIGHT ENEMIES.” YOU DIED IN A HELICOPTER EXPLOSION. WHAT FUCKING SECRET?

Like. Archer’s Quest is an idiotic storyline and riddled with character assassination, but the fact that Ollie is upset that a stranger was at his funeral when the paparazzi, who are presumably also strangers, were also there is extra dumb. But my Archer’s Quest rant is a separate post.

Anyway, Ollie and Roy decide to go on a road trip to find various things that may or may not compromise Ollie’s secret identity. Before they set out, Ollie gives Roy a present:

This makes me laugh so hard. It’s so fucking stupid. Truly what do you think that is going to do, Ollie? Is it a magic mask? If Roy puts it on, will it give the entire world amnesia? That cat is FULLY out of the bag, my friends!

It’s also funny because eight months later, Roy switched to this costume:

This one doesn’t even have sunglasses! Screw you, Ollie!

Oh, and just in case you think that Mia is better about all of this because she’s seen how obvious Ollie is...nope.

That is Mia making a trick arrow IN SHOP CLASS while loudly talking to Roy about the Fortress of Solitude on the phone. And then Bart shows up IN COSTUME to take her to a Teen Titans mission and it’s pretty clear that she is not at all concerned about the impact this will have on her secret identity. So yeah, she’s just as bad as the rest of them.

(Yes, Roy did steal a Phantom Zone arrow from the Fortress of Solitude as a teenager and then gift it to Mia a decade later. I love him.)

But then Identity Crisis happened, and all of a sudden everyone had to be super duper worried about their secret identity, even people who had not had one since 1989. And thus we get a hilariously dumb storyline where the Arrowfamily’s house gets blown up and Ollie spirals into hysterics about it:

If the next words out of Hideous Wally’s mouth weren’t going to be “...have a secret identity,” I will be so disappointed in him. EVERYONE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE, OLIVER.

Connor is not exempt from the hysterics, which is in a lot of ways even funnier because he never had a secret identity:

Well, gee, Connor, maybe you shouldn’t have told every single person you met your real name for seven years! Maybe that would have helped!

(This is all triply funny because these histrionics are being written by Judd Winick, who was simultaneously writing Roy the Maskless Wonder over in Outsiders.)

I’m assuming this was all intended to be a soft retcon and we just...weren’t supposed to remember or notice that the Arrowfam didn’t have secret identities once they started caring about them again. But again: it was firmly established not once but twice that Ollie’s secret identity can be detected by literally just looking at him, Roy’s ID is a matter of public record, and the amount of government agents, supervillains, and utter randos scattered around the world who know at least one Arrowfam ID is literally uncountable. And Oliver is still publicly dating Black Canary, Green Arrow’s girlfriend. And yet they still think they have secret identities.

In conclusion: they’re stupid and I love them, your honor. And this is why I choose to believe that everyone in Star City 100% knows who every single member of the Arrowfamily is and they are just allowing them to keep their illusions out of affection for their dumb, melodramatic, ridiculous superheroes.

[fletchingsandstars]

Ummm... How do you think Ollie could influence Jason or his opinion on the whole hero thing? (About that rant you posted in the tags)

(I was always kinda interested in it but I don't know Ollie's character enough. Feel free to ignore)

I'm sorry this took so long! Life really got in the way this week!

Ok so big question! I have a lot of thoughts on this so I’ll try not to go off on too many tangents. Also if you’d like some Ollie comic recs, I’d be more than happy to give them!

Also before I begin, I’m writing a fic on this premise so if you don’t want some spoilers, don’t read this post. I’ve also been thinking about how Jason and Ollie connect mostly in regards to the fic I’m writing, which has Under the Red Hood Jason and pulls mostly from the Grell run and the Quiver storyline for Ollie, so those are the characterizations I’m going to be referring to.

SO

Let’s start with why I think Ollie and Jason would work together. Ollie and Jason are both characters who are known for and, at times, defined by their anger. Ollie is a leftist who uses hero work mostly to protect people who aren’t being protected by law enforcement, such as sex workers and the homeless. Jason came back from the dead to find that no one he knew in life seemed to miss him and his life didn't seem to matter to anyone and he became angry. While they have different motivations for being angry, I find it interesting that anger is an important emotion for both of them. Jason and Ollie also tend to handle their anger in similar ways, with lots of outbursts and vigilante work. They also tend to work toward similar goals. Ollie wants to help lower class people and people who are frequently ignored by the justice system, while Jason wants to help protect kid from the drug trade, as shown in UtRH, and to some extent help the Bowery. Ollie is an older hero who has been doing this for a lot longer than Jason has and focuses more on areas of hero work that Jason is interested in as Red Hood but clearly would not have had experience with as Robin.

Ollie is one of few characters who is shown to stand up to Bruce with some frequency. As shown in this post, Ollie will defend Bruce’s kids and treats them like people before like sidekicks. A lot of moments when Ollie is arguing with Bruce are meant to portray Ollie as argumentative and hot headed, all of which I think is interesting to parallel with how Jason has been treated for disagreeing with Bruce's methods. I think it could do Jason a lot of good to connect with both heroes who don't necessarily see eye to eye with Bruce, and also to connect with heroes who aren't in Gotham and do hero work differently. As I've said before, the bat kids do a lot better when they are allowed to connect with people outside of the bat circle and grow as a person separate from Bruce. I also think that Jason's character is constantly nerfed in favor of showing Bruce in a better light and having Jason connect with a hero who understands his actions and tries to meet him on his level would actually be a boost for Jason. The post linked above includes a panel from that comic where Jason kidnaps Mia Dearden and blows up her high school gym. (Don't really like this plot but anyway.) Even though Jason has kidnapped Mia and Bruce and Ollie are trying to track him down to make sure he doesn't hurt her, Ollie still shows a lot of concern for Jason and what he's going through. Even thought Jason has taken Mia and blew up a building, Ollie is still thinking about Jason as a person who needs to be talked to and understood rather than a villain who needs to be conquered. This, to me, shows that Ollie would make an effort to connect with Jason and understands him.

For a more specific point of connection, Ollie is another vigilante who has died and come back. It wasn’t the same as Jason’s resurrection, since he was put back together atom but atom by Spector Hal and had to go to heaven to get his soul back, but that’s still an experience that not many people could relate to. Ollie is also a vigilante who has killed people. He hasn’t killed on the scale Jason has, but that still sticks out to me, especially since DC has a pretty strict code that their heroes don’t kill. Ollie has killed out of anger, revenge, or to protect someone, which is similar to Jason, who kills because of his anger over it not seeming like he was remembered or cared about, revenge for being killed, or to protect the people and kids in the parts of Gotham Bruce ignores. Again, they're not really the same reasons, especially with a lot of Jason's characterization after UtRH, but I find it interesting that comparisons can be made between them and why they've made the choice to kill. I also think it would be very interesting to have Jason connect with someone who has killed for similar motivations but is still considered a hero and is welcomed by the other heroes.

Related to that point, Ollie and his family are also friends with assassins and people who have killed or really wouldn’t be welcome by other heroes. People such as Eddie Fyers, Shado, and Jade all have close relationships with members of the Arrowfam and show up pretty frequently in their storylines. They’re invited to weddings, they're offered help and haven by the Arrows, and, in Jade's case, she is allowed and encouraged to be a large part of Lian's life. These characters are recurring, and they are shown to have established trust with the Arrowfam. So while Jason is a killer who has committed some truly heinous acts, I really don't think that it would be all that big a barrier in Ollie fostering a relationship with him.

So this is a very long explanation to say that I think Ollie would understand Jason a lot more than the majority of other heroes, and if Jason and Ollie were given the opportunity to actually connect, I think it would work out well for Jason. Jason is a very lonely character. He doesn't have many friends, especially not ones who he's had for as long as other characters, and the only people he has to reconnect with when he comes back from the dead are the bats, who have very different world views from him at that point. Ollie, on the other hand, operates very differently and I think he could really do a lot for showing Jason that you don't have to follow Batman's rules to be a hero or to do the right thing. This isn't to say I think Ollie would whole heartedly endorse Jason's whole "Red Hood Reign of Terror" thing, but I think Ollie could be a positive influence in showing Jason how to be a street level vigilante, especially since they tend to focus on similar areas. Ollie could really help Jason become a hero in his own right rather than a character who keeps flipping between outright villain and vague anti-hero.

[lonelier-version-of-you]

Well. The Christmas kiss was Kylie and Louis. The two proposals was a clever misdirect - Ange proposed to Josh, then Josh proposed to Ange. I’d be lying, dear audience, if I told you I was not a little bit disappointed. I think I convinced myself that the kiss was going to be Henrik and Russ. For a brief moment, when they were talking in the AAU staff room, I really thought it would be.

However! We still got some lovely Henruss content tonight. The way they were looking at each other was the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen. And Russ’s “What took you so long?” was just... awww. So sweet.

And here’s the big news, folks. THERE IS A METRO ARTICLE CONFIRMING HENRIK’S FEELINGS FOR RUSS ARE DEFINITELY, 100%, ROMANTIC. It’s the “How will Holby City end after Christmas episode?” article, if any of you want to go have a look.

I mean, we all knew. But it’s nice to have undeniable, official confirmation that Henrik is bi and in love with Russ. There is nothing the bi Henrik deniers can say to this one. Nothing. (Additionally, the director of this episode liked a tweet I made where I said I was glad Holby are letting Henrik settle down and find love before the end, and the official Holby account liked another tweet where I called their interactions tonight “very sweet and very romantic”.)

So it’s happening, folks. Henrik is bi and he’s getting a boyfriend and there’s nothing homophobes can do about it.

I keep thinking about how Henrik smiled at Russ after that “what took you so long” line. The actual cutest thing ever. I am so glad Henrik’s found someone who makes him so happy. Someone he feels safe around and can be himself with. He deserves it.

Meanwhile, Ollie’s gone. I’m gonna miss him. I didn’t like a lot of the writing surrounding his return (the whole idea that he could totally be a surgeon again if he wanted to?? I would’ve much rather had him realising he can’t be a surgeon again and that’s fine, maybe he can go into some other medical job someday (I think he’d make a great GP, his diagnostic skills are excellent), but what he needs to focus on for now is being a good father), but he’s one of my favourite characters so it’s just been nice to see him back. And James Anderson has given some truly brilliant performances.

I predicted he’d video call Zosia, but I still thought it was incredibly sweet when he did. Gah. I’m just so happy Zollie are reuniting, I’ve shipped them for four years.

And as one character leaves, another one returns. Nicky, my beloved!! I have missed her so much, she was such a great character, and I’d accepted the thought that we’d never see her again after the cancellation but HERE SHE IS. Thank goodness for that. She’s definitely going to throw a spanner in the works with Louis and Kylie, though. Too bad the Holby writers probably haven’t heard of polyamory (I mean, they’ve only just realised bi people exist, ffs).

Although the way they talked about it in the spoilers really implied her return was gonna be post-credits. Dammit, now I look really silly for telling people to watch until then.

Eli and Amelia broke my heart tonight. They are a lovely couple and they deserve so much better than this.

Tonight really showed what an incredible character Eli is. One of the best autistic characters I’ve seen in ages. Davood Ghadami plays him BRILLIANTLY.

And Lucy Briggs-Owen is incredible as Amelia, too.

I can’t say much else about that storyline, or I’ll probably start crying.

Kylie gave off major Chantelle Lane vibes tonight, didn’t she? Like, she really reminded me of Chantelle in her first episode, but mostly I didn’t notice it too much after that until tonight.

Josh and Ange are an adorable couple and they deserve the world. Enough said.

And I am very worried about Jac now. Holby, please don’t hurt her. I’m glad you’re giving Henrik a happy ending and all, but please don’t forget that Jac deserves one too.

All in all, that was a pretty great episode, a satisfying final Holby Christmas (and even as someone who believes the show dug its own grave by putting out nonsense like the Cameron storyline, I’m still a little sad to think this is their final Christmas). I just can’t wait to see how things continue in January.

[flashfuture]

hi!! re: your tags on a post not too long ago—what do you mean by dick’s previous love interests not respecting him? i haven’t read a whole lot of his stuff and tend to avoid romance-heavy plot lines in general, so this is 100% a genuine question and not me trying to start anything i promise, it’s just that i’ve seen dickb4bs and dickk0ry shippers in the past claim it’s sexism when people dislike his partners?

Ah well DC are big brain and they think peak humor is the boomer meme of the nagging wife. 

So basically Dick and Kori were an absolutely fucking amazing couple. But then there was the issue of Mirage where she pretended to be Kori and tricked Dick into sleeping with her. Which is r*pe. Dick was slut shamed and victim blamed for this. DC has an absolutely awful track record with male victims of sexual assault. Ollie was always victim blamed for happened to him. And Dick they didn’t even acknowledge that he was assaulted. As well they had Dick sleep with Babs before the wedding I think. And that is so ooc it’s not even funny.

And when Dick started dating Babs they slowly chipped away at his skills to prop Babs up. And I’ll say it again if you have to tear down another character to make one look good you haven’t proven any skill. Character A just got butchered for no reason and Character B stayed the same. So Babs started mocking Dick for a lot of things. And it carries over into modern stuff. Where she’s the big brain and her dumb himbo boyfriend. Dick Grayson is not a fucking himbo. He’s smart as hell and dangerous as hell. 

So they write Dick wrong to make him the butt of the joke. No one is laughing with him, they’re laughing at him. You see it in the newest Nightwing comics where Babs is there to make sure the reader knows how silly Dick is. 

The issue is with the writers being incapable of writing a het relationship well. Literally, the best ones I can think of is Dinah/Ollie (though Gail Simone and Judd Winick tried their best to fuck that one up) Big Barda/Scott Free, Clark/Iris, Barry/Iris, Wally/Linda (but DC keeps fucking my Flashes)

So yeah DickKori got a bad rap because the writers want to over-sexualize Kori so then it’s like she and Dick were only sexual and I just- they were gonna get fucking married. And I literally could care less about DickBabs except that it contributes to the character butchering of both Babs and Dick by the way. Because when Babs is mocking Dick she just looks like a bitch. They reduce Babs over and over again to Dick’s ex-girlfriend. 

So uh yeah those are my thoughts. People do indeed like to throw around sexist the same way they like to call Gail Simone a feminist because she thinks men are bad. She’s also the ally who says read this book because it’s got a gay character and that is about as surface level as you can get🤷‍♀️ I mean sure call me a sexist cause I don’t think the woman nagging and mocking a man all the time is a very good relationship dynamic. Lol yeah when people say that a lot of the time they’re just angry you don’t like their faves. As long as you aren’t you know actually being sexist (which really is not that hard to tell) then it’s best to ignore them. 

I’ve got some scalding takes on characters who are there just to be women for the sake of having a het love interest. They’ve certainly evolved Babs since then but every time she’s with a batboy she gets snapped right back into that box of 60s housewife. I’ll never exactly ship Babs with any of the Batboys because she was made to be Bruce’s love interest and keeps getting shifted around to fit with each and every other batboy. 

It is usually best to avoid Dick romances as the writer just uses the women to cause him more man pain cause of course they do. DC is traditionally written by men and lots and lots of white people. These people are older who have older views of relationships based on what was on TV but it’s still lame.

For example, there is always the age-old Babs and Kori fight over Dick storyline that absolutely no one wants to read. Women being pit against women over a fucking man??? Seriously? And if I see one more writer claims the only woman Dick has ever loved was Babs I’ll scream. It’s the tiniest smoothest brain take I have ever seen. 

Bea was lovely the cherry on top of the Ric mess. She was adorable and fun and she really cared about Dick as a person. I miss her. Which is I think the post you were talking about? Idk I can’t remember what I tag where lol. 

I think to derail for a quick sec the reason so many people turn to same-sex relationships in fiction is that the relationship between two women and two men will almost always be more developed than whatever het thing is going on. 

Dick is much much closer to Roy, Wally, Garth, and Joey than he ever was to Babs. Now DC is retconning that Dick and Babs were childhood friends. But they still imo have no chemistry outside of they both work with Batman and ones a girl ones a boy. 

Kori and Dick had real chemistry they were trying to both find freedom and safety within one another. The writers didn’t constantly have to hammer home that they loved each other or have random thought bubbles to try and make some connection happen. They just did happen. 

Anyone who knows me knows I am not the biggest Babs fan. However, I’ll still protest the unfair treatment of any character. I don’t have to like a character to not want them to be butchered by bad writing. Like confession time I don’t even like Jason that much but I talk about him all the time because I want him to have a good story. So to me DickBabs is directly connected the butchering of both characters and it just doesn’t work. 

so yep rambles on top of rambles. I’m not character bashing here just to make it clear. And I am a little bit relationship bashing but more so writer bashing. 

[doof-doofblog]

"Phil Mitchell Will Never Get Anywhere Near My Boy!"

Thursday 1st October 2020

Good afternoon folks! I realise these posts are going to be late, I've had a few family things going on over the past few days so I have been unable to watch Thursday and Friday's episode. However today there will be two posts following those episodes! But before I start I have to mention the exciting news that was announced a couple of days ago! LUCAS IS RETURNING TO THE SQUARE!!!  Don Gilet will be reprising his role as the villainous Lucas Johnson!!! I'm sure some of you are fully aware of who Lucas is, but for those who don't remember, Lucas first arrived in the Square in 2008 - wanting to rekindle his relationship with his and Denise's daughter, Chelsea Fox. The main storylines Lucas was involved in was for the killing of his ex-wife Trina and also Denise's ex (Libby's Father) Owen! After Denise found out what her ex was capable of, he imprisoned her and faked her suicide! Lucas was eventually caught for his awful crimes in 2010. The only time we have seen Lucas since then is when he made a brief appearance, when both Denise and Patrick went to visit him in prison, instructing him never to contact them again!

I am SO excited to see Lucas return to the Square! What we know at this moment in time is that he will be returning at the end of the year. Could this be the big Christmas return that EastEnders hinted about?! What is going to be his reason for returning to the Square? Unfinished business with Denise possibly? Could it be something to do with Denise's son Raymond - who knows? Either way, I am so excited to see him back on screen and doing scenes with the amazing Diane Parish and seeing what the soap has in store for Denise and Lucas! It's going to be brilliant!! 

Anyway, let's get back to business and focus on Thursday's episode - the episode starts with Denise in the hospital visiting Raymond, it looks as if she's been by the child's beside all night long. She appears to be waking up after a long sleep. As she wakes, Ellie walks in, surprised to see her there again, more surprised to the fact that she's been allowed to stay there by Raymond's side all night long, considering the fact that Ellie is his Grandmother and she's not even been allowed to do that. Ellie is clearly suspicious, it doesn't make sense to her how "a friend of the family" can stay, but a Grandmother can't. She asks Denise straight out whether she is being truthful about who she really is, of course Denise can't tell her her identity, she remains silent. Ellie then decides that it would probably be for the best if Denise doesn't return! 

At the Prince Albert, Kathy is talking to Frankie about considering getting another full-time member of staff. Tina is watching on and suggests whether Frankie could be considered for the role. Frankie is instantly eager on making an effort and becoming part of the team. Kathy decides to give her the chance of making a big impression on the club and if she succeeds then there could be a permanent role for her. Does anyone else suspect a romance blossoming between Tina and Frankie?! I want to say there will be, but who knows? We know Frankie has some connection to the Carter family, could her romance with Tina be caught in the crossfire of it all?! Or it her way of a plan in getting into the Carter family? Who knows? Either way - I'm really enjoying Frankie's character and I'm really looking forward to seeing more from her! 

Ooooo does any one else suspect some tension between Jags and his mother, Suki?! At the Minute Mart, Jags and Vinny are discussing Martin and Ruby going away on holiday to Paris. Suki states the fact that Martin has been left unharmed from his recent accident and the Panesar family are looking like they're in the clear of being to blame for his assault. Suki then makes a snide comment saying how dishonest it looks on Ruby, claiming to be broke and then flying off on holiday - Jags then responds to his Mum, "Yea, we can't have dishonesty!" - the look she gives him is such a dirty one! As if to say, how dare you speak to your Mum like that! Jags clearly doesn't approve of what his family does, as well as Ash. To me, it looks as if Jags is perhaps the black sheep of the family, and I do NOT mean that in a racist way, I mean, like - does he feel he's the odd one out? Like does his Mother look at him differently or treat him differently compared to his siblings? There is clearly some tension between them, Jags clearly does not like the way his Mum does things, the way they've been brought up is, perhaps, not normal! 

Back at home, Denise quietly makes her way into the house. Jack has been clearly worried out of his mind, where has his girlfriend been? Denise is too emotionally drained to even tell him the truth, she lies and tells him she's been with a friend. Jack is clearly not buying her story, I'm certain he's convinced she's having an affair - which couldn't be further from the truth. I think Denise is going to have to tell him at some point, or will it be too late? 

Meanwhile, on the Square, Ben and Phil are discussing Callum, Ben is trying to explain to his Dad that Callum's recent job was a serous car accident and it must be hard for him to overcome such a traumatic experience. He really doesn't want his boyfriend to be doing any dodgy deals for his old man, he explains to his Dad that Callum can't be doing it while having to deal with other Police stuff. As they walk out of the picture, we can see Jack and Amy leaving their house and walking across the Square, Jack is trying to explain to his daughter why she should go the dentist, of course - not everyone likes the dentist, but trying to be the decent father, Jack explains to her that sometimes people have to do things that they don't like to do, and it just so happens that the dentist happens to be one of them things. As they continue their walk, they past Isaac as he sits in the gardens. At first their greeting is polite and civil, he says Good Morning to Amy, it's only when Isaac turns the conversation into something a bit more serious that Jack tries his best to defend his daughter. Isaac explains to the young girl that he has been suspended from his job due to lies being told about him, he makes it clear that he doesn't blame Amy, but sometimes children shouldn't believe stories they've been told. Jack then defends his daughter stating that she's not a liar, Amy stands by as she watches her Dad shouting at her school teacher. The only thing she can do is call to him to stop! "Dad! Dad!" 

At the Beale household, Ian is looking miserable as he looks over the newspaper. Bobby has made the headline news regarding his charity for Lucy. Kathy walks in and says to him he needs to be more proud of his son, he shows him very little help and very little advice, which is why Bobby goes to Max, much to Ian's disappointment. Ian states to his Mum that Max will be wanting his money, which he still hasn't got. Kathy tries her best to help her son by suggesting things to help, sell the Vic, mortgage something? The sooner he can pay Max back, the sooner he can focus on his family! Is Ian maybe jealous of his son? He clearly doesn't like the friendship that Max and Bobby are building, but perhaps it might be what he needs to wake himself up a bit! 

As they continue to walk across the Square, Amy is talking to her Dad about him being a policeman. As a young girl, she makes brilliant points. Being a policeman he shouldn't go around accusing people, and when he gets angry he should apologise, as that is what he has taught her. Jack assures his daughter that he'll apologise to Isaac and that she has nothing to worry about. It's then she bows her head, looks to the floor and says "I'm sorry!" - Jack looks back in confusion, what is she sorry for? As far as Jack is concerned, she has nothing to be sorry for, he was the one who lost his temper and started shouting at Isaac. He tries to coax it out of his daughter, it then she reveals to her Dad that she had lied about Isaac smoking drugs, and now he's gone and made the whole situation worse. Jack is clearly stunned! He can't believe what he's hearing, he lets out a deep sigh! 

Outside the Prince Albert, Tina is catching up with Mick, asking him if he'd like to work a shift there. Ollie is back at school, and Mick is still looking for a job, he agrees to help his sister out. She explains to her brother that Frankie is planning a big night for the club, Mick smiles and make small talk about Frankie, much to Tina's surprise. Tina can clearly see that Mick has a problem with the girl, Mick is tries to defend himself, he uses the word "Nice" to describe Frankie, but Tina isn't accepting of it. It's obvious that Tina is besotted with her new co-worker, she states that Frankie is a truly lovely person. She wants to know what Mick has got against her, it's then as he goes to explain his reasons that Frankie makes an appearance from the club, she announces her big plan for the club will be a Drag Bingo night! Tina praises her idea and informs her that Mick will give her a life in his car so she can pick up her equipment for the event. Mick looks on in surprise, as Frankie looks at him with hope in her eyes, Mick can see he's defeated by both Frankie and Tina and picks up his car keys. 

In the cafe, Jags and Habiba are catching up, it's been a while since we've seen these two together on screen. Jags is explaining to Habiba about the house he's just been to to collect rent money. He describes the scene to her, a mother trying to feed her child, mould and damp on the walls, she can barely afford food to feed her child, let alone rent. He explains he gave the lady a couple of days to get the money, but then once those few days are over, someone else will be going to collect the rent money. He admits that during that visit, he felt like he was the bad guy. From day one, Habiba has wanted Jags to give up his job and try and do something else, she's never liked the fact that he's a rent collector, leaving people in debt etc etc. She states that Jags could do so much better with his life if he just stood up for what he believed in. Plus, if he really wanted them to rekindle their relationship, then he'd stand up to his Mum. Something tells me that Suki is going to kill her son? I'm not sure how, but I do believe that everything will get on top of Jags, we'll begin to see him struggle to cope with his Mum's demands and eventually he'll stand up to her. I believe then she will then take her anger out on her son, will she attack him in a rage and perhaps cause him to die? I just have a feeling there's going to be a horrible confrontation between the Mother and Son and it'll end up worse for Jags. 

Back on the Square, Mick and Frankie are approaching his car, Frankie smiles as she asks questions about it and even compliments it, much to Mick's surprise. He smiles and nods "You're alright!". Frankie smiles as she gets inside the vehicle. Meanwhile, at Ruby's club, Ian and Bobby are sat together, Bobby is sat with laptop ready to show his Dad what he's been working on. Honestly, I felt quite sorry for Bobby in this scene. He has been working so hard on this new charity he's created for his sister, Lucy and Ian is just showing no interest at all! Bobby tries to ask him advice on tax, he's unsure on how it all works so he is seeking his Dad's advice, he turns the computer around to show his Dad, but as he does so, Ian is focusing on his phone, just more interested in letting people know that he's just been made Chair Of The Planning Committee. The only thing he asks his son is how much he has made from his charity, as soon as Bobby mentions he has made near enough 12 grand on the page, Ian's ears prick up! He looks up, smiles at his boy and congratulates him! Bobby is happy his Dad is finally showing some interest, however it's short-lived, as as soon as that happens, Ian's phone rings and he walks away from his son's presentation, much to the teenagers disappointment. 

The next scene, we see Jack visiting Isaac. He's wanting to do the right thing and apologise to Isaac. He admits that Amy has come clean about lying about him using drugs. He tries to do the decent thing, he apologises to Isaac for verbally abusing him, he promises he'll have a word with the school, explain everything to them and hopefully Isaac will be given his job back. He also leaves him his business card if he wanted to make a complaint to the Met. Isaac makes a statement to Jack, he shouldn't have done what he did but he needs to make double sure he doesn't make the same mistake in future. He needs to keep a straight head in his line of work, Jack nods in agreement and they leave their conversation with a civil understanding with each other. 

Back at the Beale household, Ian is returning from his catch up with Bobby. Kathy has been trying to get a hold of him as they had a meeting with a solicitor to discuss their wills. Kathy has everything laid out on the table and informs him that she has gone through everything with the solicitor on her own. Everything is all correct, all he needs to do is sign the forms. As Ian looks through the paperwork, he claims that his Mother has made some kind of mistake, as her assets have turned out more than his! She confirms to her son that the figures he is looking at are correct, her assets go to Peter and Ben, whilst his assets go to Bobby and Abi. Meanwhile, back on the Square, Mick and Frankie return to the Prince Albert, as they pull up and Mick helps Frankie unload her equipment, things are looking friendly as Mick is chatting away to her about how impressed he is that she's pulled off getting things together in such a small amount of time. It's as his speech goes on, he mentions an Aunt Pat to Frankie, instantly Frankie seems to recognise the name. She starts questioning Mick about her and the rest of his family - whether this Aunt Pat had met Linda and any of his children? She mentions to him to he has other children and asks where they are. It's at this point that things are getting too personal for his liking! Why is she asking all of these questions? Why is she so interested in him? Mick lashes out and asks if she wants an address, he then reveals that he doesn't know where his children are at this moment in time. Frankie realises she's touched a nerve, she backs down and slowly walks away. Tina then rushes out of the club announcing that she has found a perfect host for their Drag Bingo night, Frankie is less than excited as she walks away. Tina knows something has happened between her brother and her co-worker, she instantly asks Mick what he's done to offend her. It's then he states that it's not always him, perhaps Frankie is a bit weird herself? Tina has none of it and refuses to help him unload the car. 

As Jack returns home, he approaches Denise who is sat alone in the kitchen. He softly explains to her that he's getting to old to be playing games. He doesn't want to be playing second best to anyone, he reveals to Denise that he has had a go at Isaac because of everything that is going around in his head, all his questions, thoughts, speculations. He doesn't want it! He asks her straight out if she's seeing someone else, Denise's only reaction is to break down, she sobs as Jack is convinced he's right about her having an affair. She promises him that she's not seeing anyone else, he then asks her, demanding an explanation, where was she last night? As he goes to walk away, she shouts back at him "With Raymond!" Jack looks back at her in shock!

At the Mitchell household, Phil is seen reading the newspaper, Callum can be heard on the phone talking to his support officer. As he comes off the phone, Phil asks him how he's getting on. He reveals to him that Ben told him about Callum having a form of councillor. Callum decides to open up to Phil, since witness the huge car accident he can't get the image out of his head, he can't control his behaviour. He informs Phil about the family in question that lost their life in the accident, explaining how they lived a good life and went to church regularly, he then reveals to Phil that the little boy named Raymond, aged 3, is the only one who survived. As Phil hears the name, Raymond, he seems very interested in what Callum is saying. He asks him whether he's sure that that was the name of the child, Callum confirms to him that the young boy who survived, was named Raymond. Callum leaves saying he's going to ring the hospital to see how the child is getting on. Phil turns and we know he's clicked on that that is his young son! 

As we return to the Beale household, Ian is seen sat at the diner table, it looks as if he's getting ready to sign the will documents, before the camera reveals anything. I instantly thought he was trying to figure out his asset amount, trying to work out why it had turned out low than he thought. But then the camera revealed he's actually practising writing Kathy's signature. Is he going to forge his Mum's signature on one of the will documents? Is he basically stealing from his Mum? This is going to be an all new low for Ian! We see him finishing a conversation on the phone with someone, they're asking about Kathy's Cafe, they explain to him that if he signs on the dotted line then they will be happy to talk business. As he hangs up, we see him forge Kathy's signature on a document. He's gone and sold Kathy's Café hasn't he?! Kathy advised him to sell something, and that is what he's done! He's sold his Mum's café to someone else just so he can get himself out of his money situation! Oooooh Kathy is going to be blooming devastated when she finds out, she's going to be so angry and so disappointed with her son! How dare he go behind her back like that! 

At the Panesar household, Jags returns from collecting rent, Suki asks him whether he had got the money. He responds by placing a stack of cash on their dining room table. As Suki counts it, she asks her son "Where's the rest?" as some seems to be missing. Jags explains to his Mother that he's given the lady a couple of more days to get the money as she barely has any money for food and she a tiny baby to look after. Suki is less than sympathetic, she instructs Jags to go back and collect the rest. As Jags turns to leave the room, we see him hesitate, and finally he decides to stand up to his Mum, "No!" he shouts at his Mum, he's sick of the way they treat their tenants, he says that the houses they're staying in are in such terrible condition, he doesn't want to be the bad guy anymore. He doesn't want to be a part of their business anymore. Suki listens to her son's words, nothing seems to phase her, she simply says that he is entitled to his opinion, as first Jags seems to think he's gotten through to his Mother, but then she grabs a table of food from the diner table and chucks it in the bin as her children watch. She informs her children that the money they receive from their tenants pays for everything they have, a roof over their head and food in their bellies!

As we return to Jack and Denise, they are sat together as Denise is calmly explaining to Jack how much she's tried to cope with the decision she made about giving Raymond up 3 years ago. She admits to her boyfriend that it's been a very hard 3 years for her, She reveals that now after this sudden, terrible car accident, this could be the chance to handle things differently, she also informs him that she was there when Ellie informed the young child that his parents were no longer around. Her voice begins to break with passion as she tells Jack the poor boy does have parents, as soon as she saw him, she fell in love with him. Jack just sits and listens as his girlfriend pours her heart out, he can only feel deep sympathy for both her and for poor Raymond. She says those very important words to him "He is my son Jack, and I love him!" but then the realisation sinks in, she's been told to stay away and not see him anymore.  As Jack asks her why, she reveals is because of Phil. As she frets the fact of Phil finding out, we see someone walking through the hospital, Denise is adamant that Phil can never find out as she'll never stand a chance of seeing her son again if he does! A hospital door opens and we see Phil enter young Raymond's room, his eyes fill with tears as he looks over to his son. 

What is going to happen now? Will Denise find out that Phil knows about Raymond? Will they team up to try and get custody of their son? Will there be a 3 way custody battle between Ellie, Phil and Denise? I'm really looking forward to seeing the progress of this story! I apologise once again folks for this post being up late, Friday's blog will be up very soon! Feel free to message me, I'd love to know your thoughts on the current story-lines! Thanks again everyone! xXx

[prettygraceful]

ok, i’ve been telling my dad this for months and i thought i’d finally share here. here is my dream scenario for when shadowhunters comes back (since i still keep hope that it will). and by that i mean what should happen- within realistic parameters- that i think would bring the show more general positive reactions, a larger fanbase, and stable success to ensure many more wonderful seasons. so we pick up shortly after where the epilogue left off- with the mains divided into the new york group and the alicante group- and they stay split up. this allows for 2 “A” storylines to run concurrently to allow for a wider audience to stay invested and more character dynamics to be fully explored, instead of shoved into rushed, very limited screentime “B” and “C” storylines. i’m thinking similar to daenerys and jon snow (pre s7) in GOT, aka equally important main leads.

clary remains the hub of the NY squad, as she’s always been. she is the favored female of the fandom, and this still honors the spirit of the books. alec becomes the hub of the alicante squad. he is the favored male of the fandom (tv time’s recent poll had him at more votes than the next 2 guys combined. he had over 700,000 while jace and magnus only had over 300,000 apiece. clary was at over 200,000). ok, we’ve got the chosen by logic “hubs” so let’s talk the “spokes”. 

NY squad includes jace, obviously, and simon, izzy, maia. but instead of sizzy or saia, they slowly develop into a polyamorous throuple. this accomplishes many things: 1st, the shippers could make peace. 2nd, maia would have a solid link to who’s always been the center of SH: the lightwoods family. and 3rd, it could trim the fat, so to speak. instead of having supporting character wlw (heline, ollie, sam- all stereotypically characterized tv wlw, who only ate up screentime that should’ve gone to the downworlder mains imo) the wlw rep could be izzy and maia- already fleshed out mains. after spending time together resulting in unlocking some feelings, they could all get together since they both still care for simon too. now they’d have to be bi/ pan obviously- so no lesbian rep- but as a lesbian myself, i’m averse to the idea that every show has to “check every box”. quality over quantity. a trio of only POC is original vs just another wlw pair with 1 white person. as long as it was written properly, it could avoid bi stereotypes. 

now the NY squad has all the different dynamic options to explore that this fandom seems to love (clace, climon, clizzy, claia, sizzy, saia, jimon, and jaia. and the jace/ izzy dynamic can finally get it’s dues!) and with a 3 POC to 2 white ratio, it’s better diversity than when things always revolved around the squad of shadowhunters in s1 thru s3. meliorn can join the fun sometimes. clary gets her powers back, but hopefully without the “mary sue” aspect. when the solution for everything was often just being shown new runes and drawing them, where was the earned achievement? (versus like when valentine was defeated, she did that!) generally, self-made heroes- rather than “born special”- are more relatable and inspirational. like arya vs daenerys- who was born able to hatch dragons in fire. she achieved so much, but without the dragons- like clary’s angel powers- none of it would’ve been possible. then again, i know daenerys is very popular, so my preference in hero types obviously isn’t universal. so either way, i guess.

on to the alicante squad (my personal favs)! magnus and luke have obviously already joined alec here, and they’re rebuilding the shadowhunter homebase to be an accepting environment. there has to be an actual lengthy, difficult power struggle here- an extremely prejudiced regime like the clave wouldn’t just topple overnight. maryse is here too and should be bumped up to be a main. then it’d be 4 women to 5 men as our mains- much more balanced. then 1 or 2 new lady characters could be introduced. let’s get some new blood on the show! and to appropriately fit into the already existing dynamic here, it’d be best if they were 30+ in age. (and hopefully they cast taller ladies, cuz aside from the mother roles- jocelyn and maryse- all of them have been 5′2″ to 5′5″ and it’s time to mix it up). they can develop solid friendships with our squad. also the parabatri needs to finally get it’s dues, since we’ve been robbed long enough. ok, and so with 1 shadowhunter, 1 downworlder, 1 sh turned dw turned sh again, and 1 sh turned mundane, there’s a lot of different perspectives here. and the new ladies could have their own unique perspectives as well. so it’d be very interesting for there to be problems they all must solve, but they each have their own ideas on how to go about it. thru compromise at times- and deferring to the one who’s perspective lends a better insight other times- they’d have innovative solutions.

to address why mizzy instead of either with clary, why the new women would probably not be wlw, and why the “hubs” are both white- it’s cuz the point of this post is me throwing in my 2 cents on what changes could be made- in the hands of new showrunners and now that we’re free of the book material- but is still possible, realistic, and viable given the way the industry machine works, and the demographic of this fandom. i’d also like to note that i just really want raphael and catarina gone, since they refuse to let magnus interact with them! they each only had 4 eps with him, yet they’re his “family”? it became beyond absurd! raphael= none in s1. 1 in s3. catarina= none in s1/ s2. only 1 in 3b- 3x22 doesn’t count cuz they didn’t talk at all. and for those who’d balk at alec being separated from jace and izzy, i say- have you never met adult siblings? it’s healthy, normal, and encouraged in society, that when siblings grow up, they go their own separate ways and live independent lives. forge their own paths. it does not mean they love their siblings any less. i have a sister, i should know. 

in conclusion, the 2 separate squads would have their own adventures in the first 8 episodes of each half season. i think most everyone agrees that politically driven themes- dealt with symbolically thru this fantasy world- would make for better story arcs rather than just good vs evil (val, jonathan, lilith) all the time (esp since SH doesn’t have the budget to make fantasy elements very exciting). since there is a nice ratio of shadowhunters and downworlders in each squad, the set up for these themes would already be in place. and then much like any show that has divided storylines, at some point you’ve got to bring them all together. this could happen in the 9th episode. a wedding or holiday celebration or whatever. they could all sit around a giant table and have a feast and this ep could just be warm and fuzzy. lightwood family time- including magnus/ jace’s long overdue friendship- and a chance for them all to reconnect, until the last scene of the ep when some big bad guy dramatic problem could arise. then the final ep of the half season could be them all working together (as a whole or separately in smaller groups) to defeat the big bad (save the budget and the big fantastical sets/ creatures for the finales). end on an exciting cliffhanger. ta da! 

[improbablecarny]

The Best Good Parts of The Scarecrow

As according to me

After The Metal Opera concluded, Avantasia went more-or-less dormant for a while. But the story was far from over: 2008 blessed us with a new album, a new story, and a new direction. With a cleaner sound, a number of pop-aligned ballads, and a somewhat more serious tone, The Scarecrow marks the beginning of a new Avantasia era... the era of putting spooky skeletons on everything. Okay, okay, it’s the start of The Wicked Trilogy, baby!

Storyline: A Faustian tale about a very troubled musician, his desire to be loved, and the terrible lengths he’d go to achieve that.

Quick Notes:

As said before, The Wicked Trilogy sounds VERY different from The Metal Opera, so don’t be too surprised here.

The narrative style also takes an extreme departure from TMO: there are a LOT of characters who are only representations of concepts, thoughts, and emotions, working in vaguery and intuition. The Scarecrow is a little easier to follow than the next two in the trilogy, but you’ll see what I mean.

This is the first Avantasia album featuring both Jorn Lande and Amanda Somerville, who are series regulars in both touring and studio work - for a good reason, as you will soon hear.

This is the first Avantasia album with accompanying music videos, which are present in the below playlist.

As I’ve said before, I’ll say again: The Scarecrow is available on the official Avantasia YouTube channel, so listen up!

Twisted Mind

KHAAAAAAAN

This is the second Avantasia song I’d ever heard. I got really into it because “hey that sounds like the guy from Kamelot”...

The little pre-chorus “aaaaAAAAhhhh”s

Misprizing! Chastising! Subhuman, fragmentizing!

Sensation! Abbheration! Repulsive, TANTALIZING!

The Scarecrow

I haven’t said ICONIC in a while, so here’s one for the title track. Because it is Fucking Iconic.

The intro made me want to learn how to play the violin so I bought one off of eBay for $50 that is definitely a non-functional bootleg/prop. You can call that one a Hotz Fact ™.

WHEN THE LAMB’S BEEN TORN TO PIECES, I’LL BE CRASHING FROM THE SKY

“HE’S GOT TREASURE IN HIS EYES / THAT HE’S GONNA TURN TOOOO CLAAAAAAAY”

I’M A STRANGER, I’M A CHANGER, AND I’M DANGER, MAYBEEEEE

The Tobi/Jorn back-and-forth that continues from there

Jorn just giving ‘er after that

CONTRIIIITE TEAAAAAARS

“One day she’ll wonder why she had to let you disappear... OH DEAR—“

The whole outro

Shelter from the Rain

Kiske’s back!

This song is so clear and refreshing, it always makes me feel some kind of way.

Bob Catley returns for a cool little thing in the middle of the song.

Carry Me Over

Okay, I confess: I don’t have much to say about this one. It’s a good song, but it’s a pretty standard one and doesn’t go anywhere necessarily surprising. Still, give it a listen!

What Kind of Love

Get your tissues, we’ve got ourselves a Celine Dion breakup (er... kind of) ballad!

Featuring Amanda Somerville! Gotta love her!

The strings intro...mwah

Amanda’s like entire thing in the beginning

That Phil Collins-ass drum drop-in before the outro

Another Angel Down

“You’ve got the aura to enchant them in a symphony...and I’VE GOT THE POWAAAAAH”

“I’m breeding winners over theeere”

“IT’S TIME TO TAKE YOUR SHARE”

If you hadn’t already figured it out Jorn kicks ass here

The weird subtle distortions on Tobi’s voice in the second verse

WE ROCK THE BALL

The Toy Master

This is the first in a handful of “Sinister Theatrical Evil Guy” songs that  pop up on Avantasia albums. It is a WEIRDLY specific trope but it’s great

This one is ft. Alice Cooper, of all people

Creepy-ass ominous opening

“If only I had a heart it would break”

NO MORE STRUGGLE OF THE CLASSES

NO MORE STRUGGLE OF THE MASSES

Devil in the Belfry

The noodley guitar intro

CHUG-CHUGGAWUGCHUGCHUGGAWUGCHUG

I like the rhythm

“The curtain has fallen BEHOLD THE MESSIAH”

Guitars getting wild and crazy

Cry Just a Little

Less tragic than the previously mentioned fake violin fiasco, this song may be what gets me to try picking up my guitar again (it is a REAL guitar and not in fact a weird fake)

Great catchy soulful ballad ft. Bob Catley

“Oh cry... a LITTLE FOR MEEEE”

Something about a 6/8 time signature really does it for me

I Don’t Believe in Your Love

Notable for being the only Avantasia song allowed to say “fuck”

Oliver Hartmann, ladies and gents! You knew him as the Pope in TMO, now he is Darkness...or, uh, “Fornication”?... and he kills it

“Don’t give a damn for rooooseeees, oh no no no!”

“Of... AGONY and ECSTASY!”

If you need an angry breakup song, this is a good one

“BUT IT’S ALL EVIL!”

Olli’s additions over the outro... very good.

Lost in Space

This is the first Avantasia song I ever listened to, via the music video. It is straight up a pop song, and I was looking for metal, and yet the Energy managed to ensnare me from the get-go... it was destiny...

And that’s the Scarecrow - but it’s only the first act! Stay tuned for the drama, the heartbreak, the strings and the stings all yet to come!

(Doing the cast list I realized there are apparently two different versions of some character names, so I’m including them both.)

Cast List:

Tobias Sammet as The Scarecrow Jorn Lande as Mephistopheles Michael Kiske as Mentor/Human-Upper Roy Khan as Psychiatrist Amanda Somerville as Unrequited Love Bob Catley as Conscience/Good Spirit Inside Oliver Hartmann as Darkness/Fornication Alice Cooper as Dealer/Tycoon

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Different sort of question. I can't remember if I heard you say you tried to watch some of the other British soaps or not? I tried to watch them but could not get into the others at ALL. I'm sure a lack of Robert and Aaron had something to do with it, haha. I also tried Casuality, I didn't care for it much but I do enjoy Holby City. We seem to have different tastes in TV, I'm not a GoT fan, but we have Emmerdale in common so I thought I'd throw HC out, if you haven't tried it yet.

Hi anon,

I can’t say I’ve really tried to watch the other soaps. I mean I’ve watched bits of Hollyoaks because I watched the McDean stuff and the Stendan stuff and I kept watching a bit after Stendan until I got to the Ste drug use stuff and then I kind of wanted to claw my eyes out so I gave up. Haha. I never watched the whole show though. 

As far as other soaps go…the only bits I’ve seen of Corrie and Eastenders have been what I watched to try and get reference for those couple of Metro drawings I did. So I’ve seen a bit of the Kana stuff and it didn’t really grab my interest. And I’ve only seen a few scenes from Eastenders and I didn’t care. Haha. 

I’ve seen a few stories from American soaps, which are awful. Haha. I watched a bit of the Luke and Noah stuff from As the World Turns until I got super bored. I watched the Kyle and Fish stuff from One Life to Live until the end of their story, which got quite insane. If you ever want another couple inundated by pregnant blondes carrying one half of the couple’s child. Haha. Although at least she was truly kind of nuts and scheming so maybe it would have been better if Rebecca has been like that. Haha. And I watched some of the Will and Sonny stuff from Days of Our Lives but I never really got into that. I was kind of only watching it until the point when Will FINALLY came out just because I had to see it through. But I swear if I had to watch another scene of him cryptically talking to Marlena without actually coming out I was going to scream. 

Oh and I watched a bit of the Christian and Olli stuff from Verbotene Liebe, which has been my only foray into German soaps. I briefly tried to watch a bit of the Ringsy stuff and I just couldn’t bring myself to care. It’s better that I just appreciate them in gif form. 

Part of the thing is, that considering my investment into Emmerdale, I really don’t need to get involved in watching another soap. I don’t have that kind of time or energy. Haha. In fact any time I see a soap story pop up that sounds kind of interesting I have to remind myself that I really don’t want to do that to myself. I never did try Holby City though but I doubt I will for that reason. 

And I’m a GoT fan…but I will also rant at anyone who will listen about how much that show frustrates me because I’m a book fan and I have…issues. And I’m perfectly happy to wait as long as they want to make me for the final season because I’m…concerned…and scared. If you think I ever get ragey about Emmerdale, talk to me about Season 7 Episode 6 of Game of Thrones or the entirety of Jon Snow’s storyline in season 2 and then you will see real nerd rage. 

Other shows I watch, not that you asked…I am a 100 fan though I’m not in that fandom thank god because every time I scroll through it, it seems like a MISERABLE place to be. (I’m sure people would say that about our fandom from the outside too). I still suffer through Arrow, hoping for a good season but I haven’t been truly satisfied since season 2. Though I thought season 5 was pretty good. If anyone remembers my lengthy Nashville posts back in the robron break up days, I was a fan of that show because I just fell in love with the characters. I was sad when it ended. I caught up on This is Us finally and I’m looking forward to that coming back. I’m a nerd who still watches Survivor. Looking forward to whenever the next season of Daredevil comes out and I have been making my way through the Americans, which I need to get back to because I’m only in season 2. 

[cicinicole-14]

14x19–– Beautiful Dreamer [episode review]

can we talk about Grey’s here for a second? I’m gonna review this episode because it’s been a really great episode. I think one of the best we’ve seen in a long time. so lets start off with saying this: I am sorry for how unorganized and choppy this is going to be, I’m apologizing in advance but my brain is going a million miles an hour. ALSO. WARNING::: SPOILERS AHEAD!!! 🚨🚨

first off–– Richard and Ollie

this was so, so sad. this gave me Amelia and Michelle, on PP, parallel feels, how Ollie is much like Amelia’s best friend Michelle and Amelia and Richard both watched their friend die a slow death. I really think and hope this is going to bring Amelia and Richard closer as friends and support systems. this storyline (Richard and Ollie) was very real, heartbreaking and sad. I really liked it even though it was rough.

Arizona

two things here, first; Carina. I just. I don’t like her. it’s half “she’s never going to be callie” and half idk I just don’t like her character. she’s useless and just no. I really don’t like her. and I would really like for her to go back to Italy. like Arizona said, her study there is almost up… also, the comment at the beginning of the ep “I have no kids, thank god” like okay, I get that people don’t always like kids but coming from Arizona, someone who broke up with her girlfriend over children, this just made my heart swell. like carina you don’t say that to the person you’re with if they fucking have kids. thats like almost as close as basic human decency as we get here…and second; Arizona’s idea of the crash cart thing, that was amazing. seriously. “treat every delivery as a trauma” I can’t clap loud enough. this is amazing. I’m so glad she figured something out and she can stop stressing just a little bit. take a breather babes, you’re awesome, you’re a rockstar. [also, another note; I really am dreading JCap leaving and this is sad af, because we only have like what 3 episodes remaining?]

Bello and Deluca

I actually have a lot to say about this and this is where its going to get very unorganized. I love that they’re incorporating real life like this, fucking neurosurgeons in the making, who have been living here their whole lives, facing deportation to a country they don’t know just because of our terrible choice in leaders. I can talk a while about this but I’m not going to. I thoroughly enjoyed Bailey stalling the ICE agent [we will address this later] and how literally the whole hospital was banning together to help Bello out. I genuinely like her and I’m really sad to see her leaving. I loved all the scenarios of running, getting married, Jo telling her how to fake her death with a guy in New York, I actually laughed so hard. like this was so great. this whole storyline. and then when amelia asks Owen to call Megan to help out because her “favorite intern” is going to get deported for rUNNING A FUCKING RED LIGHT. A RED LIGHT PEOPLE. we can’t even put rapists in jail, and you’re exiling an innocent fucking surgeon to a country they spent barely a year in when they were born, because she ran a red fucking light? okay moving on, coco. I loved that amelia said that, it was really cute. and like then Meredith using one of Maggie’s old papers [im assuming] and telling her Sam got accepted in Zurich and is working with Cristina. that was actually so sweet and I can’t. and then poor Andrew. I really loved them as a couple. they are really sweet and I wish we got to know more about their story, but sadly we won’t since Bello left. their goodbye was so adorable and bitter sweet. I hope she comes back one day or Deluca leaves to go be with her, he deserves happiness and an actual storyline like this because Giancomo is kinda getting screwed with Deluca’s character here.

Jaggie…

as @jordan202​ said last week, “jaggie is gaggie” and literally, yes. I was really excited to see Maggie ignoring him, because Jackson can be kinda dickish and like he should’ve told her April kissed him. if you want a relationship to work, be honest. and Jackson should’ve told her from the beginning. now to be honest with you, I skipped every jaggie scene, and caught the little bit at the end. I did want to point out, while I do not support Jaggie at all whatsoever, I find it very sweet Maggie showed up and made the speech and stood up for herself about not telling her because she said Jackson didn’t think he could handle it. go Maggie. and then I gagged again and skipped the scene that followed that… gross.

the interns

okay I love love loveeeee seeing Jo be the chief resident [I mean not like there can be any other chief resident because lets see, mousey died, Stephanie left, ben became a firefighter and where the fuck did Leah disappear to?] anyway, I love seeing Jo be the chief res and then bringing the interns around for rounds and no one letting them into rooms for rounds, that was actually quite funny.

Matthew and Ruby

okay, so I feel bad for Arizona because this was her case, but I empathize with Matthew, and he’s hurting and this is a lot. and I’m glad Owen could be put on this case, tho really fucking weird since he worked as a trauma surgeon in the army I didn’t peg him for a peds stand in, but I know this was just a little veer in his path for his storyline [which we will talk about as well] and I’m really grateful for April here. I know that everyone kinda looked weird at her for leering around Matthew and yeah I get it its weird, but her mother’s intuition was calling, and hey, guess what, it was fucking right. I’m really glad she was able to help and the end scene with her and Matthew was really sweet. it was full circle for them and I really enjoyed that.

lets go with the ICE agent next, and Bailey.

so I thoroughly enjoy that Bailey was at first just trying to stall him as long as possible. great tactic. and then her instincts kicked in and she pretty much saved this man’s life. I think that was really cool. and the scene with Maggie telling Bailey that she’d run all the tests, and then Bailey actually being serious about it. this was really nice. Bailey was being sincere to this man, she was serious because this guy, who is trying to take her intern, she could’ve easily just ignored his symptoms. but she didn’t and telling him, jfc that was great. “I swear to god this isn’t a joke” or whatever. bailey’s being serious, might I even say as serious as a heart attack… [okay, okay, I know, terrible joke I am sorry] anyway, this was really sweet that even though she deemed him as the enemy, she stilled helped save his life because its her job, just like, while he hates it, being an ICE agent is his job.

um what’s next? ou, Catherine.

can I start out saying I’ve never liked her? she’s always fucking shady and untrusting. seriously. and first off, do not go blaming your fucking son for this issue with the neurosurgeon lady. this is your fault. your “oh its nothing” thing with harper Avery and this lady. well yeah, we’re gonna think its nothing if you say it like that, of course Jackson won’t think anything of it and try and fucking fix things, there’s a child’s life at stake. if you weren’t such a shady bitch and were honest with Jackson, y’all won’t be getting into this mess, whatever the fuck it may be. ugh I do not like Catherine at all. Richard deserves better.

um, who else… Owen okay Owen.

so, I am still logically confused why Owen was placed on ruby Taylor’s case… like I mentioned before, he’s trauma not peds, but whatever, I guess if a hospital can have a bomb, shooting, 2 plane crashes, a fire and a billion other things happen, I guess a trauma surgeon can double as a peds one for a day. now, onto why. I’m really actually genuinely excited for Owen to take this step into singlehood and hopefully soon-to-be single fatherhood. I’ve been saying this forever, but give the man a child. he’s very similar to Alex in a way, he doesn’t act very decent with other adults, but in front of children, he’s an angel and its what he really needs. I can’t wait to see what comes of this storyline!

KIMMIE!

okay, wow! this breaks my heart. part of me is like “yes! go to NYC, go sing on broadway, explore the world while you still have the chance” and the other half of me just screams “stay strong just a little longer and stay at GSM for Alex and amelia to fix you, because I know they can”. Alex and kimmie’s dynamic is so sweet and their relationship just kinda melts me [and jo, but we will talk about that next!] I really hope this isnt the end of kimmie’s story. I hope she’s not going to just leave. side note: where did Tom go? is he back in New York? did he go back and I forget? anyway, whatever.

last but not least, the best, jolex.

okay, we got literally the sweetest scene I’ve ever fucking seen. I think I like this more than the proposal. actually, this and the 9x24 “I love you” scene are tied for first because ofc, that was my fave but also this one was. Jo telling Alex that she wants kids with him and wants to wedding plan and get married at joe’s bar and soon and ugh I cannot. and then her telling him she wants his last name because “I’ve never had the last name of anyone who’s loved me before” okay get out. bye. I’m dead. spoiler alert: I’ve been typing this from beyond the grave. this scene fucking melted me into a pile of goo. I cannot. bye!

bonus! 14x20 promo! 

I AM FUCKING DEAD. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS EPISODE. ABSOLUTELY CANNOT FUCKING WAIT. this looks so goddamn fucking hilarious I literally almost started crying. first of all, Arizona being the innocent lil bean to unknowingly give everyone pot cookies, I’m in tears. then, Alex wearing the fucking whatever that was on his head and “oh yeah, it was so good” pissing myself. also, fuck, was that deluca hugging a bush?!? and Bailey professing her love to Meredith. I can’t I can’t. seriously, I have high expectations for this episode, and I hope it doesn’t disappoint.

end note: no gifs are mine and I’m sorry for not crediting artists, I just pulled these off google. thank you for letting me borrow your work.

[singingwordwright]

#Shadowhunters recap - s3ep01 “On Infernal Ground”

SHADOWHUNTERS Recaps Intro and Masterlist

These recaps may contain spoilers from the books (that may or may not happen in the show.) Proceed at your own risk.

Recap and meta under the cut.

So what is this building Lilith has found? From the dining room it looks like an old hotel? But how does a piece of real estate like that go unused for long in New York City?

I mean, that’s an old fashioned microphone on the stage behind Sebastian’s body, like circa 1940s. Either the band that used to play on that stage was doing some sort of retro act or that building has been empty for 70 years.

Will Tudor plays a motionless, unbreathing corpse better than Alberto Rosende did. But it’s been a couple days; wouldn’t that blood have dried and darkened and started flaking by now?

MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO MAIA IN THE INTRO

That arial shot of Alicante makes me a little seasick.

God, Shadowhunter parties look boring.

I know everyone is all about Alec being pissed and suspicious at Clary, because Alec and Clary having friction is FUN, but my read on this scene is that Alec has totally sussed out the truth already. He’s pretty sure he already knows what she did.

Which is how it should be, because he’s not stupid. I mean, the math really isn’t difficult: Dead Jace x (Clary + Wish-Granting Angel) = Live Jace. In Magnus’s immortal words: duh.

“Jace is alive. That’s all that matters.” Look at his smile as he says that.

So yeah, Alec is pretty sure he knows what Clary did...and he doesn’t care. He’s grateful. He just doesn’t like being lied to, because he can’t protect and cover for them if they won’t be honest with him. He knows how much danger they’re in if the truth is known, and he wants to help.

Clace in the cemetery: idk where this was filmed, if it’s green-screened or what, but something about the lighting is off. Or it doesn’t track quite right with the lighting in the other shots, which maybe is just because the day aged or the cloud cover shifted, if they were shooting outdoors.

Clary’s hair however is amazing.

“They’d lock you in the Gard for the rest of your life”/”And if I had to do it all over again, I would.” Who is this new, grown-up Clary advocating for telling the truth and owning the consequences for her choices? I like it.

Okay, Jace, so supposedly you’re protecting Alec by keeping this from him. What was your excuse in 2x06 when you insisted he couldn’t know about Clary’s rune power or 2x08 when you didn’t want Clary to tell your friends and family about the Soul Sword’s abilities or or or or or…

I’m just tired of this. Clary at least seems to be learning from her mistakes and having misgivings about the secrecy thing (AS SHE SHOULD, given her particular history with her mother, you’d think she of all people would be planted firmly in the SECRETS ARE BAD camp!) Jace however...hasn’t learned a damn thing.

There are a lot of things I can pardon characters for. Not learning from past idiocy and repeating the same mistakes over and over again? Totally not one of them.

This scene with Ollie and Luke...man, I’m on Ollie’s side here. I stated at the time of 2x15 that I wasn’t a big fan of Luke and Raphael wiping Ollie’s memory. There was something about the optics of two men telling a woman--especially a queer woman--that what she knows is true isn’t true, that didn’t sit well with me.

Luke’s literal gaslighting here is even worse. I’m glad Ollie is calling him out on it, I’m glad she’s not having it. It’s a shitty thing to do and I need more than “mundanes knowing about the Downworld never ends well” to justify it.

Or, at least, if that’s actually going to be your justification, maybe bring up with Maia the fact that the last mundane you knew who got mixed up in Shadow World business literally DIED...and is now dwelling in your boat basin, swilling blood. Or would be, if he weren’t serenading the Seelie Queen.

(Maybe that’s why Maia mentioned Simon immediately after Luke acknowledges her point? But the connection is never clearly established.)

At least Luke has the decency to look ashamed of himself at the end of the scene.

Jesus. I’m on Ollie’s side. I’m on Clary’s side. What even is my life right now?

“That precious boy, can I hold him?” No Lilith you may not, you may stay far the fuck away and holy God I have never been so grateful for those lo-jacks they put on babies in the hospital these days.

The whole thing with her talking about Adam and whatnot...too much. Just, man, too much. Darren and Todd, you guys can play your cards closer to the vest, you know? I was eyerolling and also she just sounded completely mental and I’m betting pre-possession Tim is grateful for those baby lo-jacks too.

Tim gives money to the homeless guy. He gives money to the homeless guy. Tim doesn’t deserve this, man.

The whole spewing into Tim’s mouth is super gross, too. #lookihavesalivaissuesokay

Okay so the Freeform broadcast cut off the beginning of the scene in Magnus’s apothecary, but apparently it’s still intact?

And I see they’re still using the nighttime exterior for Magnus’s building. Let’s see if they use the different building for the daytime exterior still.

Magnus’s costumes are going to kill me dead this season, I swear it.

Golly, whatever passes for warlock bureaucracy sure does move fast. It’s been, like, 48 hours since Magnus sided with the Seelie Queen and they’ve already moved to replace him? How does that happen?

Alec’s wearing the “Magnus is shining me on” frown.

Magnus’s dancy little pivot before dropping onto the sofa.

We get a brief return of Alec’s stammer as he braces himself to tell Magnus about his potential promotion.

“I’ve always dreamed of meeting someone like you” you know, if that line didn’t kill me dead, that Alec Lightwood Patented Unflinching Eye Contact would. Damn you, Alec, how do you manage to do this to me every damn time?

I’m not sure what breaks my heart about this scene more.

On one hand, you have Magnus, who has already just taken a huge body blow in losing his position, and he not only feels compelled to conceal that from Alec for whatever reason, but now he’s taking another hit with the news of Alec possibly moving away, and he’s concealing that as well. That has to hurt.

On the other hand, Alec is practically BEGGING Magnus to give him something, here. He doesn’t want to go to Idris, all he needs is for Magnus to show him the slightest hint that Magnus is conflicted, and that’s all he needs. But Magnus is acting like it’s no big deal, and that has to hurt Alec incredibly.

My babies. *curls protectively around them and hisses*

That said, let’s take a moment to examine this situation.

Alec was convinced as recently as 2x13 that being with Magnus was the death knell for his career--and unlike 1x12, he had accepted it. But he was certain even if the Clave didn’t have a problem with the gay thing, they’d have a problem with the Downworlder thing.

And he was right. The Clave didn’t give him his promotion to Head of the Institute, that was Jace. In fact, the Clave had to be blackmailed into not yanking the position away from him at the first opportunity.

But now suddenly they want him on the High Council? When you’ve got Maryse and Robert there in Idris, with decades more time to build their political careers and very clear political ambitions. If the Clave wanted a Lightwood on the Council, Maryse and Robert would clearly have been a better choice.

Except they didn’t want a Lightwood. They wanted Alec.

Why? Damage control. The Clave has a lot of egg on their face right now. They lost Valentine. They lied about the Soul Sword. Their own freaking Consul turned out to be a Circle member. And the Downworld has lost any and all willingness to play nice and pretend to recognize their self-assumed authority.

I think the Downworlders of New York siding with the Seelie Queen was a wake-up call. The Clave can’t force the Downworld to comply with their authority anymore. Which means the Clave has to give them reasons to continue playing along with the Accords.

Naming one of the Lightwood children, the ones who actually have friendly relationships with Downworlders and have been public in their support of Downworlders, would be a gesture. It would be a gesture that could not be replicated by appointing Robert and Maryse, who after all were with the Circle.

And it would be an ultimately empty gesture. Because the Clave isn’t interested in reform, they’re interested in optics. And while Alec is taking his position on the Council, they think they can put something like Aldertree back in charge of the New York Institute, someone who would be more willing to come down with an iron fist if the Downworld didn’t toe the line.

I don’t think we’ve seen the end of the Clave/Downworld political issues. While they might not play as big a role as they did in season 2b, at some point there’s a lot more story to be told there.

And I think it’s going to be told featuring Maryse and Luke heavily. In the books, Luke and Jocelyn were the ones who spearheaded the New Improved Clave-Downworld relations. Giving that same storyline to Maryse actually will make a lot more sense; Maryse is the politician, after all, and Jocelyn never was.

This will be very interesting.

The scene with Izzy and Clary pisses me off. Izzy is too smart not to have done the math either, so at first I assumed she, too, was asking leading questions trying to get Clary to tell the truth. But then she trots out “end world hunger” and I just have to facepalm.

That said, Izzy’s question about being face-to-face with the angel further cements my personal headcanon that she’s the most devout (if you can call it that) of our crew.

Is Jace’s room in the fucking attic? Is that a belfry above his bed? No wonder he had a fireplace in his room, that’s got to be impossible to heat. It’s all just exceptionally gothic and not in keeping with what we’ve seen of the other rooms in the Institute.

Very attractive, Sebastian.

As fun as it is to see Meliorn on the show, I wish I could get a bead on what his deal is. Like, he seems to be genuinely rocking out with Simon’s music? But meanwhile he’s preparing the spear and…? Sometimes he seems to be helpful to our peeps--like in 1x10 and 2x13--and other times he is happily obedient to the Seelie Queen and I just need to know more about who he is and what his motivation is because right now he’s just this guy who keeps shifting and never actually makes sense. It’s frustrating.

Also, according to my timeline, today is Simon’s birthday. Happy birthday, Simon. Wasn’t it nice of the Seelie Queen to give you a gift?

So, no one in New York notices the lady laying in the street until after sunrise? Really?

Dammit, Jace, did you have to let Clary use your trampoline? One spring-loaded, extra Shadowhunter is enough, thanks.

He. Thrusts. His. Sword. Between. Her. Legs.

Subtle. Really fucking subtle.

Okay, look, anyone who has an issue with me saying that Malec (LGBT) scenes are subjected to a lot more “sanitizing” than Clace (het) scenes, please take note of the phallic imagery in use here.

While Magnus and Alec do apparently spend their leisure time with sticks in their hands, we do not and would not see them symbolically penetrating each other on screen, do we?

And I wouldn’t want to. That’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is, there’s a statement being made in the uneven way these scenes are handled.

The producers and/or network feel the need to filter Malec content a lot more than they do Clace content. It’s apparent in the way their kisses are lit and the camera angles used. It’s apparent in the way that even their moments of affection and intimacy rarely involve much body contact while Clace moments involve tons of body contact. It’s apparent in the way the Malec bed scene involved them mostly clothed while Clace bed scene has them rolling around mostly unclothed.

And it’s apparent in the fact that someone apparently never even blinked at the idea of having Jace symbolically fucking Clary on screen but we all know that sort of imagery with Malec would never make it past the censors.

Malec scenes are kept weirdly, artificially chaste. Especially for a couple in the early “honeymoon” stages of a relationship where the need to touch and bond physically is the strongest. 

LGBT content is regarded as inherently less “family friendly” than het content, and therefore the het content is far less scrutinized and sanitized, and we all know why that is, don’t we?

In other news, I really love Clary’s sweaty, disheveled look in this training scene.

So, is making Tim kill his wife (and possibly attempting to kill his grandfather) Lilith’s version of cults who make their new members surrender all their earthly goods and cut ties with their families? Guess it makes sense. No family means no questions.

I love Alec snarking at Jace. He confronts Clary in the middle of a party, confronts Jace in the middle of a hospital...the boy does not know how to choose private places for personal talks (See also: Alec and Izzy in 2x07.)

The fact that Alec chooses to do this in front of Izzy though does bring up my earlier question of whether or not Izzy knows. If he didn’t want her in on the answer, he wouldn’t have asked in front of her (except, of course, that he never chooses to have private talks in private) so maybe Izzy WAS probing Clary (heh) for information in the earlier scene. Maybe she and Alec have talked it over, they know that happened, and they’re each trying to get the truth so they can help.

Poor Alec. While I’m sure he understands why Magnus would confide in Catarina, it must hurt to know Magnus shared how he really felt with her but didn’t feel comfortable sharing it with Alec.

You know, most of Magnus’s scenes are filmed with Alec, so it’s easy to forget how tall Magnus is, because of course Alec is a fucking tree. But the height difference between Magnus and Raphael is hilarious.

I don’t think Raphael is lying about Rosa being ill. Having rewatched this scene, I think @roseglass is right. Raphael wants to turn Rosa, but he doesn’t want to deprive her of the sun.

Charlie. Dr. Charlie. Give me all the Dr. Charlie because I am into it.

That said, my Rizzy-loving heart is sad because clearly Dr. Charlie is going to be Izzy’s love interest and I thought maybe we’d get to see Raphael and Izzy try to make a go of it now that they’re in a healthier place.

But I’m consoled somewhat that the reason that isn’t going to happen is because Raphael is too absorbed in his “project” and not just because Izzy decides she wants someone else instead.

Unfortunately, I do not foresee happy outcomes where Dr. Charlie is concerned. Because Maia’s line about it never ending well when mundanes get mixed up in the Shadow World wasn’t just an excuse for Luke’s continued lying to Ollie.

It was foreshadowing. It was Chekhov’s gun on the mantle.

We know Charlie is going to be around for several episodes this season. All signs say he’s going to be Izzy’s love interest, which means sooner or later, he is going to get mixed up in Shadow World business.

Now, sooner or later, they’re going to have to take that gun off the mantle and use it, and there are two mundanes who could get shot by it. The lesbian, or the black doctor. Either one will be problematic, but given the short of bad press any show with LGBT characters has been getting for feeding into the dead lesbian trope, I’m suspecting the bullet’s gonna hit Dr. Charlie instead, and that is going to piss me off, too.

I hope I’m wrong about this.

You gotta love Jace just casually reading patient files. This hospital is apparently a HIPPA nightmare.

Why does Luke ever try to fight anything in his wolf form? Except for his showdown with Theo, he always gets his ass kicked. Grrrr

Does this show get a discount on contortionist extras for their funky body-related special effects?

As @roseglass and I were commenting to each other, even Clary saving the day here doesn’t annoy me much. Like, she was already there with Luke when he got Ollie’s call. If Luke was going to go after Ollie to save her from the possessed guy, of course he’s going to want to Shadowhunter with him, and Clary was the Shadowhunter at hand. It makes sense for her to be the one who is there. So this is all far less contrived than it could have been written other ways.

That said, the close-up on Clary’s face is SO FUCKING CRINGE. Ugh.

As is Lilith’s scream. Ugh.

So, why wasn’t Luke naked when he transitioned back from wolf form here? He was in 2x05/2x06 and 2x10, but he wasn’t in 1x05. And Maia was in 2x09 (not sure about 2x03.) Naked, not naked, I’m fine either way, but can we have some consistency up in here please?

I really want to know what the Seelie Queen’s game is. Her “be careful” makes it sound as though she’s legitimately concerned for Simon. But why? What’s her angle? Why have they given her the function Clary served in this part of Simon’s story in the books? Clary gave him the Mark to protect him. Why would the Seelie Queen wish to do that?

So proud of Luke for coming clean. Glad they didn’t drag that out too long.

You tell him, Maia. Don’t put up with any of that bullshit.

I also love the contrast. Luke comes clean with Ollie, things improve. Magnus comes clean with Alec, things improve. Simon comes clean with Maia, things improve.

Clary and Jace hold on to their secrets? Hmm, well, gee, wonder what lies in store for them?

This Malec scene…*happy sigh*

Once again, of course, Alec chooses the most public place possible to have a private conversation. That aside… there are so many things to love here.

Alec not giving up Catarina because he ain’t no snitch. :D :D :D

Magnus trotting out the “work in progress” line, reminding Alec that yeah, they really have had issues lately with communication and owning that he’s not perfect in that regard either.

And this look on Alec’s face when Magnus does it, like “yeah, that’s fair, I still need work on that too.”

Magnus IMMEDIATELY taking that lesson about withholding and applying it, right there and then, to the subject of Alec’s possible promotion.

Jace? Hello, Jace? Are you paying attention? THIS is how you fucking learn from past errors and start doing things differently. Take a fucking note.

The utter vulnerability of the look Magnus gives Alec right before the kiss. Letting that mask fall. Just stab me through the heart already?

The Alec Lightwood Patented Earnest Stare, part 2.

Beautiful scene. Just beautiful.

And then Alec cheats and takes Magnus’s turn.

“There are still 33 more.” Why were there 34 total? What’s the meaning of that particular number? I need to know.

[zosia-and-ollie-valentine]

I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but if Camilla is planning on leaving and NEVER returning to Holby- like, ever- then I want Zosia's ending to be her death. I KNOW it sounds horrible. Trust me, I know. She's my favourite character on the show by far, but I just don't think any other ending would be realistic enough. Reasons why I think this: 1) It's pretty clear Camilla is leaving but James isn't- therefore, this would mean Zosia leaving without Ollie. After all their fights and break ups and problems, they've always chased after one another, made up, fixed the holes in their relationship. I honestly cannot see Ollie giving up on her. Whether she leaves for a new post and they fall apart, or she leaves him because she thinks she'll always be second best or whatever... I honestly cannot see him just letting her go without a fight. It's just really not in their nature to be apart and not end up fixing things. 2) Now, secondly, they're pretty happy at this point in time. Yes, they are doubting their relationship a little, both this week and next (Zosia tonight and Ollie in next week's ep) but keep in mind, this is all because of Guy. Before he turned up, they were fine. But now, he's shown up, and is using one of their relationship's pressure points against them. Tara. Now, Tara has always been one of their relationships biggest obstacles, but they put a lot a work into overcoming that, which thus strengthened their relationship, and they've been able to start building a life together without his past with her making things complicated anymore. They're actually, for once, finally, happy. They're living together. They're getting married. They were fine until Guy showed up. I honestly don't believe that they'll ever split up again. Yes, they'll have their doubts because of all this Tara stuff being dug up, but they'll get past it wayyy before the wedding. I genuinely believe that. They'll be over it, and the wedding will take place. And there is no way Zosia would go through with marrying him if she had any doubts about his love for her, or vice versa. Their whole relationship is built on trust and respect- which is why they split up after he took her off the theatre team because of her bipolar that time, because she felt betrayed. Him not having his whole heart into their marriage would be a betrayal in her eyes. So therefore, their relationship will be solid by the time they end up at the alter. I can't be certain of this obviously, but judging by set pictures on social media, I'm going to go ahead and assume they actually do get married. So if they're happily married, I cannot ever see her leaving by choice. It's just not something that would make sense with her character, especially since Camilla seems to have left fairly soon after finishing filming the wedding. Therefore, I believe Zosia will be written off within a couple weeks of them being married. After all these Tara mentions, I think the writers will have decided that there is no better way to end her story than to end it in a similar way Tara's was ended. I'm not saying a brain tumour, but definitely a death. I mean, this would be a great follow up storyline for James as well, as he'd be given to much material to work with if Ollie had to deal with both his wives dying almost immediately after their weddings. It'd be almost poetic. And.... Yeah... That's pretty much all I've got. Obviously people are probably going to disagree, and that's completely fine. I'm assuming it's an unpopular opinion, although i can't be sure. But yeah... If anyone has anything to add or change, feel free. Just bear in mind it might not all make sense as it's getting late and I'm exhausted. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this (though I don't blame you if you just skimmed through- I usually do 😹) Lots of love to all of you 💕

[wbwest]

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West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 3/31/17

So, as a week has passed, I find I’ve got some more thoughts on Power Rangers. I watched it again (don’t ask me how), and I actually liked it a lot better. The first viewing is pretty jarring, but once you know what you’re getting yourself into, it’s easier to let go and let Zordon.

Something about it struck me, though: the teens have an odd bloodlust thing going on. They’re really jonesing to kill something/somebody. When they first encounter Alpha, and don’t realize he’s “one of the good guys”, Zack’s immediate response is “We could kill it”. Not “Hey, we should run” or “We need to get away from it”. It was basically “We could end its life”. And while I know kids shows have to use language like “destroy” or “eradicate” or anything that’s not “kill”, I’m not used to applying “killing” to the world of Power Rangers. Even Zordon says that Rita must be “stopped”, and the kids immediately take that as “We have to kill Rita.” Hold your horses, hoss! I know they live in some little podunk fishing town, but have these kids killed before? Will they kill again?!

Also, Brian Tyler’s score needs to be applauded. It’s one basic theme that’s repeated throughout the film, but I didn’t realize how epic it was until the second viewing. Sure, it’s not “Go Go Power Rangers” or any of the show’s songs from Ron Wasserman, but it really conveys that superhero aesthetic the movie is going for.

It’s not all sunshine and roses in the world of Power Rangers, however. First up, original Green Ranger Jason David Frank was apparently kicked out of the premiere of the film because he took out his camera to film the audience’s reaction to his onscreen cameo. If you’re not familiar with his antics, his lives his life online. He thinks he’s giving a ton of access to his fans, so he basically vlogs EVERYTHING. Signings, convention panels, etc. He was a web series called My Morphing Life, so I assume  he was trying to get footage for that. Well, security did what the original 5 Power Rangers couldn’t do, and that was defeat the Green Ranger. They escorted him out and he didn’t even get to see the mid credit scene. They tried to take his phone, which he wasn’t about to let them do, so he yelled “It’s morphin time” and proceeded to beat up a bunch of middle aged men. Well, I don’t know about that last part, but it’s still fun to imagine.

Next up, murderous Wild Force Red Ricardo Medina Jr has been sentenced to 6 years in jail for the 2015 stabbing death of his roommate. Earlier this month he pleaded guilty voluntary manslaughter, and he got the maximum sentence for that charge. While I poke fun at it, the whole matter kinda sucks. I mean, he claims it was in self defense. In this crazy country, if he’d shot the guy, we probably wouldn’t even be having this discussion. Instead, he had to go and use a sword, and the American legal system just isn’t built for that. Here’s hoping he gets off early for good behavior or something.

There was a Justice League trailer released last Saturday, and that’s all I have to say about that. No, I guess I have more to say. Look, if the DCEU movies still get you hard, then more power to you. I’ve been fooled enough by those films to know that they’re more than likely not going to be my cup of tea. I felt like I was in Bizarro World, though, as everyone seemed to love the trailer but hate Cyborg. I was the opposite. I just can’t get excited about these things anymore, but I thought Cyborg looked cool. I’ve been told the CGI is outdated, but I’d rather he look like that than just a Black guy in a silver suit. Anyway, Snyder makes long-form stylized music videos. That’s what Watchmen was, and Dawn of Justice was a darker version of that. Here, it’s business as usual for him.

Speaking of DC movies, apparently Joss Whedon is in talks to write, produce and direct a Batgirl movie. Ya know, until he drops out. I’ve never worshipped at the altar of Joss, as I can see the holes in his whole gimmick. He’s always the go-to guy for “strong, female characters”, but I feel like it’d make more sense to just hire a woman instead of hiring a man who seems to understand women. I think DC is just trying to hedge their Bat bets because they know Affleck has one foot out the door. DC is the KING of announcing shit with nothing to back it up. The only time the MCU did that was with Inhumans, but DC has promised Green Lantern Corps, Black Adam, and  Cyborg films – all of which seem to be in Development Hell. To me, this is just another empty promise. DC is the dad who makes a ton of empty promises because he’s scared you love mom’s new boyfriend (Marvel) more than him. And they’re right. Have people forgotten all the Wonder Woman drama? People act like this is a major heel turn, with Whedon “defecting” from Marvel to DC, but I think the Russo Bros effectively swept away any influence folks thought Joss had on the MCU. Age of Ultron was a bore of a chore, so I’m not exactly jazzed about him crossing the aisle. I also don’t like the idea of a standalone Batgirl film that didn’t organically evolve from an existing Batman franchise. The Batman is falling apart, and instead of fixing that, they move on to Batgirl? Get your shit together, DC!

In the world of TV, Katie Cassidy is reportedly returning to Arrow next season as a series regular. Instead of playing Laurel Lance, however, she’ll be reprising her Earth 2 identity as villain Black Siren. If you remember, she crossed over into our world this season, and Oliver’s determined to rehabilitate her. I’m bored just thinking about it. However, if you know anything about the Arrowverse, you know that ��series regular” doesn’t mean much. After all, Willa Holland is a series regular, and we’ve seen Thea how much this season? And Cassidy already had that exclusive Berlantiverse contract this season that yielded few results. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how much exposure she actually gets.

Speaking of the Arrowverse, we finally got our first look at Cress Williams as Black Lightning in the pilot being filmed by The CW. Fox passed on this a few months ago, so naturally The CW came to the rescue. Personally, I don’t think that universe needs a fifth show. They always add a show to the detriment of another. Arrow suffered when Flash came along, Flash suffered when Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow came along. Supergirl‘s still getting used to its new home, while Legends is only just starting to get good. I think they should focus on what they have instead of trying to expand right now. Someone online said that Black Lightning was corny, but so was Static and folks are always claiming they wanna see that character make a comeback. Sure, Black Lightning hails from a different era, and I really hope they just call him Lightning, kinda like how Ollie was just The Arrow in the beginning. The only important storyline I remember featuring Black Lightning was when he was chosen to be the Secretary of Education under the Luthor Administration. Other than that, his daughters have had more page time than he has in recent years. I’d be all for the character joining the Legends team, but I don’t know if there’s enough meat on that bone for a series. And knowing The CW, they’re gonna green light it anyway – not even stopping to think how a failure would devalue the brand.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

The Big Bang Theory scored a 2-season renewal, which will take it through season 12. Suck it, haters!

Han Solo is not the character’s real name. His birth name was Handsome Solowitz, but his manager made him change it

Adam Sandler inked a deal for another 4 Netflix movies. When, exactly, did he officially become the White Tyler Perry?

In the upcoming film, Jumanji will now be a video game console and not a board game. As someone who never saw the first film, and has never played many board games, this doesn’t bother me in the least

The upcoming Astonishing X-Men comic series will feature a different artist every issue. All I know is that each issue better be a self-contained, done-in-one affair, or this is gonna get messy!

TLC is planning to bring back Trading Spaces. Paige Davis better return to host, or GTFO.

Jack the Ripper time travel drama Time After Time has been canceled by ABC

Bones ended its 12-year run, making it the longest-running Fox drama

AMC has renewed sci fi android drama HUMANS after a blink-and-you-missed-it second season.

Jordan Peele is being sought after to direct the live action Akira movie. Seems like an odd choice, but I guess he can write his own ticket after Get Out‘s success.

Mindy Kaling announced that her series, The Mindy Project, would end after its next season on Hulu.

In music news, I’ve just discovered a new Chinese boyband called Acrush. There’s a catch, however – it’s actually made up of androgynous girls! CRAZY!

Did you see that? I’m just glad Spider-Man is in the MCU now. Nobody does a shared universe like Marvel, so it’s nice to see him come home. It still feels like it’s an Ultimate Spider-Man movie, what with Gank…”Ned Leeds”. Seriously, why would Marvel go to the trouble of clearly putting Miles Morales’ best friend Ganke in the movie but then call him one of the Hobgoblins? Am I really supposed to expect this kid to become Hobgoblin down the road, a few sequels from now? It almost feels like fanservice to give him that name, to make fans wonder what might happen in the future, while never actually delivering it.

Anyway, every announcement about this film just gets better and better. For example, it was announced that it would officially introduce Damage Control to the MCU. In the comics, Damage Control was a construction firm co-owned by Tony Stark and Wilson Fisk (The Kingpin) that was tasked with rebuilding NYC after superhero battles. It’s such a logical concept, but something that gets lost in the suspension of disbelief that comics require. I’ve loved every appearance of Damage Control, so it’s nice that we’ll finally get to see them onscreen. They were actually mentioned in an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as a division of S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, so it’ll be interesting to see how the movie handles this.

Also, it was reported that Pepper Potts might be making her return to the MCU in the film. I tend to hate Gwyneth Paltrow, but I really like her take on Pepper, as she serves as a good match for Downey’s Stark. If this rumor pans out, I’ll be very happy.

At this point, the only thing I’m not looking forward to is The Vulture. I always thought he was a lame character, but here’s hoping Keaton can do something to make him interesting. I’m as eager for this film as I’m not eager for Justice League. I swear I’m not just some Marvel fanboy, as I’m currently reading more DC than Marvel. That said, Marvel simply makes better movies, and it appears this will be one of them. So, for those reasons, the Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer had the West Week Ever.