#if nothing else then these hilarious little scenes at the end of the episode

[nei-ning]

Nagi is absolutely HORRIBLE towards Barou and somehow he gets Isagi with him on the same boat, ajvabköj!! :'DDD Poor Barou! Tho, I would absolutely go in his Swearing Maid Cafe!! :D

[biwitchenergyz]

How I would have wrote the first episode to lead up to blood and cheese

DISCLAIMER! This is purely for fun and I do not think I am better then the actual writers of house of the dragon. I just enjoy writing and thought I’d give my own take on the scene and how I would have liked to see it play out. Please don’t take this too seriously. Also ignore my grammar I can’t spell their names to save my life😭

I like the scene of Aegon coming in to look for his son. I think this could be a great time to introduce Maelor. Perhaps Jaehara could be holding her little brother while Helaena is sewing and watching her two youngest kids. Helaena is sewing almost unconsciously as though her mind is elsewhere but looking at her children soothes her tensed expression. Jaehara laughs and smiles when Aegon comes in and he instantly goes to her, patting her head while he speaks to her and Maelor. Maybe he jokes with his children but jaehara and the baby boy smile. He asks Helaena where HIS boy is instead of “the boy” and Helaena tells him that her son is in the library having his lessons. Aegon says something like thank you, sister. And tells her that he plans on taking the future king to watch a council meeting. The rest of the scene follows like in the show with Helaena saying she is scared and Aegon reassuring her that she has nothing to fear, maybe he even adds that the rats are no worry because the rat catchers are here to protect her (from the rats).

Cut to The council scene which I thought was perfect, for emotional effect I’d add a moment where During the king hearing petitions he has brought Jae and he puts Jae on his lap and kinda plays with his son and tells him one day he will sit the iron throne. Then Aegon gives the boy his signature ring to play with.

Now I’d keep everything else, especially Rhaenyra’s iconic I want Aemond line, but instead I’d like Daemon to go to Mysaria and express a different plan. Kind of like “the queen wants my nephew because she is blinded by a mothers grief but he is not the real threat. We must end Aegons line, without an heir Aegons position is weak and perhaps he too will feel the grief that the queen endures.” Since this WHOLE episode daemon has only been mad about nobody destroying Aegon when they had the chance and as he points out he only wants to kill Vhagar because Aemond is no threat to them without her. Daemon, the ROGUE prince, goes rogue and hires blood and cheese with the sole intent of killing Aegons heir (forgetting Maelor because Daemon doesn’t really know shit about Aegons family). He tells blood and cheese to cause as much torment as they wish but that he must have the head of a son. So blood and cheese (who have expressed hatred for the hightowers) go into the castle in pretty much the same way except they never pass Aegon on the throne cus that’s dumb as shit. (We still see Aegon and his bros because that was hilarious)

Blood and Cheese hear two maids talking about how the queen will take her kids to see the queen dowager as she always does. They will mention that they have begged Helaena to take guards with her but the queen insists that they will be fine (or says some ominous dreamer quote). So blood and cheese sneak past guards being stopped at one moment by a guard who they trick into letting them go. Finally they arrive at the Queen Dowagers room where they kill Alicents two guards and barge into the room where Alicent is being dressed by her lady maid. The woman screams and cheese strangles her while blood grabs Alicent and ties her arms to her bedpost (she can mover her feet but she can not move far). Then they wait as Helaena brings the kids. Alicent is gagged so Helaena doesn’t hear her screaming. Hel brings the kids in and they are all taking and playing as the door slams shut behind her and she finally notices the two men standing at the shut door. She demands to know who they are but when she sees the rat cages she falls silent. Then she whispers to her scared kids, “the rat catchers are here to protect us.” Like Aegon said to her even though she doesn’t believe it. Alicent is screaming at Helaena through her gag begging her to run but Hel remains calm. “You owe a debt and we are here to collect” Cheese says.

He rips Maelor from Helaena’s arms and blood grabs Jahaerys, who he identifies by the ring Aegon gave him to play with. They demand Helaena chooses one of her sons to die but she offers herself instead. They tell her she’s just a woman and they came for a boy or something with a cock (cus they are brazen and gross). Jaehara hides behind her mom but finally pokes her head out from behind her as Helaena pleads that she be taken instead. Cheese then sees the girl and tells her to make a choice before blood rapes her daughter. Alicent starts crying and trying to escape her bondage. She pulls so hard that she will later have bruised wrists that we see at the funeral.

Finally Helaena says, “the baby. Take my baby.” Clearly thinking he doesn’t know what’s going on. Cheese tells Maelor , “your mama wants you dead” then he drops the kid to the floor and Helaena runs forward to catch him. She and Alicent look relived thinking the two men will leave but then Cheese grabs Jaehareys arms as Blood pulls his knife. The camera shows Jahaerys scream for his mom then the focus is on Helaena’s face( with Alicent in the background) both watching in fear as we hear them slice off the boys head. (Maybe blood splatters across Helaena’s face for drama) and then the screen goes black.

[dazzling-raven]

Thoughts and rambles on episode eight! Spoilers below the cut ^^

Alright. Now that I've had a moment to process how everything went down, I have some thoughts. I'm going to try not to write a 5 paragraph essay on the thing, but the one major thing I'd like to say is that the episode is visually phenomenal. Absolutely stunning. Blew my mind. However, it did feel a tad bit rushed.

Now obviously this is the episode where everything hits the fan and nobody really got to sit down and have a ten minute therapy session, but I'm kinda disappointed in how the character arcs were wrapped up. It kinda feels like this episode was a giant boss fight and then nothing else really. Happened. You know? Like the big bad is defeated and we're all happy now. Wich they absolutely deserve after going through that hellstorm, but a little elaboration would have been nice.

That aside though, there were lots of moments in the episode that I loved. Like the bit where N and Uzi were arguing in the spaceship and N said something along the lines of 'I'm so mad at you right now' but then they immediately hug each other and put the argument away for a moment when they weren't being chaced by giant space tentacles. I think this in itself is massive character growth for him, and communicating is key for a good relationship. Wich speaking of.

Nuzi is cannon! We got a confession. Loved that moment. I guess better late than never, right? And their dorky litte handshake mid boss fight? They both have a total of four braincells and they take the other two from their partner whenever one of them is in danger. I love it. Need more of that dynamic.

And V. I feel for V so much in this episode. The scene in the tunnel broke my heart. You cannot tell me that she dosen't at least feel a fondness for their time at the mannor because she was so sad but so relieved when she found out that he was ok. I want more of them so bad. Also I near shrieked with joy when she came in riding the sentinel like a total pro, that's probably one of my favorite little side bits.

Also I really feel for all of you Jessa shippers. I hoped on the Jessa train not too long ago myself, and I was really disappointed with the way they handled J. But at the same time, I think it's hilarious that she canonically died 3 times. Like. How did you even manage that. Even so, her character had a purpose, and I guess she served that purpose.

Also kind of disappointed that Thad, kahn and Lizzy were kind of just. There. But I did love the fact rhat lizzy and V's sentinel had beef from minute one. Girl cannot catch a break.

In all, I thought this episode was amazing. It definitely has it's flaws, but it's a strong episode and one of my favorites. It made me laugh, it tugged on my heartstrings, and it was a phenomenal end to a phenomenal show. So Liam, thank you for telling your story and bringing people together in only the way you knew how.

[lemotmo]

So, I woke up and dove into the spoilers. I haven't see the episode yet, but if I'm reading this right, this is what happened on the Buck, Tommy and Eddie front:

+ Buck told Tommy that he is an ally during a date.

+ Eddie and Marisol crashed the date and Buck pretended to be very very straight.

+ Tommy walked away from the date over that statement.

+ No Eddie spying on them in the restaurant. 😪 I really wanted to see that. It would have been hilarious.

+ Buck casually tells Maddie that he checks out men's asses, which... I mean... have you seen Eddie's ass? It's canon now that Buck checked it out. Yay!

+ Buck (once again) only rambles about Eddie while coming out to Maddie. I mean 🤦‍♀️...

+ Maddie tearfully tells him that he isn't sure what he's feeling yet and that he'll tell Eddie when he has it figured out. Uhmmmm... Maddie knows???

+ Eddie's girlfriend used to be a nun and now the catholic guilt is keeping him from having sex and he's pent up with it?

+ Buck actually says that he can't help him with that.

+ Marisol (who still doesn't have a last name) is moving in waaaaay too soon.

+ Eddie talks to Bobby about the whole Marisol situation and Bobby gives him some cryptic advice. Bobby knows???

+ Buck finally tells Eddie about him dating Tommy and a beautiful friendship scene unfolds where they hug, Buck tells him that he can't stop thinking about Tommy and Eddie tells him to call up Tommy.

(Listen, if nothing else, the thing I love most about these two is their solid friendship.)

+ Eddie talks to Marisol and she doesn't move in after all.

+ Buck and Tommy meet for coffee and hold hands. He asks Tommy to Maddie's wedding as his date, which... 'No honey, this is a bad idea.' Talk about a highly pressurised second date.🤦‍♀️

+ So, at the end of the episode, Eddie doubles down on Marisol and Buck doubles down on Tomy. *sigh* I swear six seasons of this and I have a feeling that season 7 won't be different. Where is that 'It has been 84 years' when you need it.

+ Wedding shenanigans where Eddie and Buck drink copious amonts of alcohol, sing karaoke together and wake up together looking more dead then alive and they seemed to have misplaced Chimney. I mean... what?!?

+ Then both Ryan and Lou decide to destroy the fandom with their interviews: Ryan an Oliver read fanfic 👀, Ryan heavily insinuates that it isn't time for Buddie yet, Lou flat put reveals that it was suppose to be Eddie and Tommy... which what?!? Then they decided on Oliver??? Not sure why, but something fell through. Then Lou is all 'Tommy is an older experienced guy who can teach Buch the ropes, so that he will be primed for when he gets with Eddie and the fandom should be happy with that. It'll give Buddie a better fighting chance... if they happen, because they could not happen. I mean... sure Jan. Whoever released these two from PR jail, I am kissing you on the mouth right now. Thank you.

Aftermath of the episode:

+ Marisol is bones in episode 7.

+ Lots of people say that Bucktommy is cute, which is a fair and valid take. I'm still neutral about him, but I'll be sure to look out for that when I watch the episode, since it seems that Tommy is here to stay a little while longer.

+ Lots of people seem to be sure of Buddie being in the works because of this episode. I hope I'll share their confidence when I've watched the episode. I'm still rooting for Buddie endgame. I'll never give up on that.

So, that's it. That's what I've picked up from all your posts. Does it fit the actual episode? Let me know. I need aaaaall the spoilers before I watch.

[squib-2006]

Dr pt2 spoiler warning

This was a fantastic set of episodes

• Kai and wyldfire are everything. Kai having to deal with someone who acts like he did in the earlier seasons is poetic justice and funny as hell.

• I also like how they kinda tried to explain why Kai seemed calm after sea bound and nyas seaifcation. I guess Kai meditating with wu would make him calmer. At least it confirms that Kai was upset (even if they didn’t show it)

•I am kinda upset that nothing from skybound was brought up with the Djinn. I personally don’t really like skybound but I still find that it could be used more than just oh yah that happened right wink wink. I mean we had to suffer through skybound for something right?

• I actually really liked sora and nyas whole plot with the Djinns curse. It was fun and had a nice conclusion.

• Coles return is great I love his little gang in the land of forgotten things. My favorite has to be the skeleton girl (I forgot her name probably cuz they only say it like 2 times) she’s funny.

• I do wish there was a scene where nyas like btw I found Cole and the other ninja react. I mean she does mention it at the end but no one except Zane has any real reaction.

• Beatrix going off the rails was really funny. It felt like someone gave a teen with daddy issues an insta death weapon.

• rapton switching sides kinda came out of left field for me. Like the guy isn’t the brightest bulb in the box I think it would be more likely for other characters to switch sides. Also how did he recover from being tased so quickly? Man was out cold and not two minutes later he was up and walking around.

• kinda felt that the whole being sucked into non existence should have had more lasting effects (totally not because I want to traumatize or brutally injure Kai no why would I want that /s) tho fake out deaths are pretty par for the course with ninjago, this one actually didn’t make me feel all that much cuz I knew the moment wyldfire got pulled in that this was a fake out. They wouldn’t kill one of there new characters that quickly.

•so wus just legitimately fudging dead. Never thought we would see the day when this old mad would just peace out. Also ghost wu legit looks like he’s slowly loosing his form or something cuz in the first half he appears with his full body but in the last scene he’s in he’s just a chest and a head. It might have just been a stylistic thing tho.

•I’m not mad jay only showed up for around 30 seconds (this just might be my bias tho cuz jays probably the ninja I care the least about, not that I hate him or anything he’s just not that interesting to me) it’s kinda refreshing for me cuz nya gets to be her own character for a bit and not be completely attached to Jay and Jay gets to take up less screen time (if I am being honest Jay had so much focus in the wild brain seasons it kinda got annoying to me personally) idk if he’s actually lost his memories or if that leak is wrong cuz it would make sense cuz he has not searched for the ninja (specifically nya cuz that man is a simp for his gf) Arin missing him by a second is hilarious to me.

•not sure about how I feel about Lloyd being the linchpin for the entire thing. Part of me thinks that it would have fit the shows themes better if all of them used their elemental powers or something else to power the cores to fix everything. But another part of me understands that Lloyd get main character privileges cuz he’s the son of ninjago god.

•still kinda frustrated that they are changing how elemental powers work. Originally they were from the first spinjitzu master, but the whole source dragon being the source (for lack of a better word) of the elemental powers, it completely retcons and nerfs the first spinjitzu master. It would have made more sense if they still came from the powers of the fsm and were gifted through the source dragons to people.

•the implication of the cursed realm merging with the rest of the realms brings up the question if the departed realm merged to? Does that mean no one can die??? Or is there some sort of force that still keeps the departed realm separated from the rest (like how the people in the land of the forgotten can’t leave) or can some dude just wander in to the departed realm and see like there dead grandma chilling with the fsm having tea or some crap like that.

•Lloyd going I forgot there are two of them now towards Kai and wyldfires antics is peak writing. And all the arson and explosions the two created is just beautiful.

•I think the Kai and wyldfire duo should be called like the arsonist or the kaboom duo

•THE HUGGG!!!! My boi was so happy looking when the tackle hug was done.

•I just cant get my brain to shut up about these two. They give off tired dad who sometimes gives in to his old chaotic ways he’s sworn he’s grown out of and living embodiment of chaos and fun daughter who drags her dad into crazy things.

Tdlr I loved this second half and had a few issues with it but it was still really good.

[melrosing]

2.07 thoughts

liked the Rhaenyra and Jace convo but feel like they could’ve managed a better build to this + drawn it out a bit more. love that Jace needs to lean into targ supremacy more than anyone bc what else does he have etc, but there’s so much they could’ve done w that in earlier eps showing where he feels insufficient and self conscious of his heritage and the lowkey resentment towards Rhaenyra for it. would also like to have seen Rhaenyra defend herself, resulting in more tangible fracture between them. she’s so diplomatic on absolutely everything and we’re near the end of S2 now! PLEASE let d’arcy do more w this role

liked the saera mention!

liked aegon rehab and larys basically tormenting him into reclaiming his role, like instead of having it thrust upon him as per S1 (which I did think was a good place to start Aegon as a character) maybe he will seize it this time bc if he doesn’t have the power of the iron throne then what does he have etc, he will never know peace, his son is gone, and so on

Alicent lake scene sure did happen. but I felt nothing like it felt lazy sorry what exactly were they trying to convey. I like being able to read my own meaning into scenes but this was like they were actively relying on the audience to do so

hilarious watching a bunch of actors in bad wigs walking into dragonstone really enjoyed that

however I think it really speaks to how little they know what to do with Rhaenyra’s interiority that you have her watching on as Vermithor burns and demolishes all the poor people she herself stuck in front of him and like. what are we supposed to understand is going through her head. she’s just fucking staring lol. and then before she can even reflect Vermithor is successfully claimed so all’s well that ends well. like my god please can someone write Rhaenyra

Daemon and the riverlords ok I liked Oscar Tully fine. but I think they’re lacking the adventure w Daemon’s interiority that they seemed to promise in the first few eps. like if you want to compare to OG bad incest man redemption anti hero Jaime Lannister and his OWN riverlands adventure….. like im sorry but this doesn’t even compare lmao

liked the dragon keepers arguing w Rhaenyra and fucking off outta there. like the framing of the dragons as gods and smallfolk claiming them as blasphemy and the way they maybe feel like Jace in that if anyone can claim these beasts maybe they’re just glorified zookeepers

excited that we get to see Dreamfyre?

v excited to see what they do w Daeron

that’s it though I was really rooting for this series but I think you can really tell they were rushing to meet deadlines and had to make a bunch of last minute edits. It’s been a 6/10 on average for me so far w a 7/10 for the high points and a 4/10 for the low. and I can’t really believe that was the penultimate episode where it’s supposed to feel everything is really coming to ahead whereas actually it feels more like the midpoint of a few fumbled arcs

[mostdisconcerting]

Bad Day=Binging ScarNash

I had an interesting day today. Not in a good way. So as one does in such a situation, I went back to rewatch ScarNash. Cuz they’re my comfort ship.

This is just me reviewing almost every scene of the episode so I can forget that life exists for a little while🙃

Today I picked 4x04. And goodness I do not regret it one bit.

Starting with Patrick and the fat goose line. I’m sorry but why did that have to be so damn funny. “My fellow punters…” and “copious amounts of whiskey”, with his very Frank expression shifted my mood from stressed to joyful immediately. And I only now noticed that as Patrick and Eliza leave to meet Carter, Eliza yeets a paper in Clarence’s direction (or at least she tried).

I applaud Clarence’s “shit the parents are gonna argue if I don’t step in” senses. We love him for them.

I’m gonna make a rare mention of William, but I felt so bad for him when Ivy started talking about her mom’s gout. If I was eating anything resembling her description, I would gag to no end. Ruined the poor dudes snack.

Watching Patrick panic is probably my favorite part of this episode. Bros just pacing up, down, round and round, trying to think of what to do. (He’s literally just me but toned down and with an adult brain 😂)

That scene at Fallons was perfect. That unanimous “who?”, and the cover up that “we do love a little gossip now and then.”. It’s adorable and funny to see these to be in such sync and in such odds as they are.

Also, idk if anyone else noticed but she’s holding his ARM in the stables scene?! How-wha-why did I not notice that?

Poor Fitzroy. He could’ve had a much nicer career with his father out of the way. He’s known for being his father’s son, this way he could learn to be his own man.

We gotta talk about that cab scene. Literally, Patrick was trying to make things better by saying “it’s not your fault they left”, and just made it worse by adding “it’s mine, I should’ve never left you in charge”. She looked so genuinely offended by what he said, only to be shut down cuz they were literally in the middle of investigating.

Then they just break into Fallon’s office like it’s nothing and start bickering about the resignations again. She said she didn’t fire any of them. And then she admitted to firing multiple. Which is great I guess. So… we have that. Then they just hop through the office when someone comes in. Like. They have no right to be this adorable. Why are they literally my grandparents on steroids.

Turns out the lines about Eliza sulking started in this episode, which clearly adds to why she’s pissed when he spends the entirety of 4x05 just telling her she’s sulking and she should not sulk.

Then we have scene where Patrick’s pacing again. And I don’t blame him for making Eliza nervous too. Like he said “good I don’t see why I should suffer alone” (which is a quote I’ve been using way to much in real life recently lol)

Clarence makes his grand entry with some food and the info that Gibson is here. 🙃

And I’m finally going to end on those last two scenes of them together (cuz I skipped William kissing Eliza)

Them blackmailing Carter was hilarious. I mean, we know both of them were hella nervous cuz he could’ve just gunned both of them down there but that’s whatever. I love the little voice moderations and the expressions Eliza and Patrick pass each other basically saying “he’s agreed, now let’s get the hell out of here before he changes his mind and kills us”

Then we got Patrick praising Eliza. That could’ve played out to be an even more heartfelt scene had Eliza not seen the time and ran off. He looked disappointed, but he seemed to let it go (unlike William would’ve as we know) , understanding she probably forgot to do something .

Makes me sad seeing potential like this being flushed down a toilet.

They’re an old married couple and I love that for them🙃

[drbtinglecannon]

Darius because YOU! Are his lawyer

This is such a high honor coming from Willow Park's lawyer herself, thank you pal 💖

How do I feel about this character

I love Darius so much he's absolutely one of my top favorites, it's like between him and Eda. He's hilarious, he's cunty, he's interesting, he's one of Dana's favorites, he's a good person but he's a bitch about it, his design fucks, he has no canon love interest, and I wish we got more of him. I have so many thoughts on him and he was only in about 15min of screentime.

What can I say, I looked at all the Coven Heads in the S2B trailer and immediately decided he was my favorite and every time he was on screen I was validated by how thoroughly he passed the vibes check

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I am typically an aroace Darius enjoyer, but I have fondness for dariraine, dariraeda, and darimila (why is he always listed first and why is it fitting (wait I have to preface I'm ace and I use ship names by what sounds best I have literally never done it by "who tops" I can barely remember that's the common use of ship name order SO I'm mocking Darius as he would wanna be listed first because he's That Bitch)) because all of them have a lot of cute fluff potential (and dariraine has fun angst potential especially if it's between Eda's Requiem and O Titan, Where Art Tho)

Typically tho even in those ships I don't see Darius as someone that would live with a romantic partner, I think he'd want to keep his own house lol and he's very valid, it's styled exactly how he likes and no one else lives up to his cleanliness standards, it's win win for both parties

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Darius & Eberwolf is literally Lilith & Hooty a little to the left and it's sooo fucking funny and wholesome for it. Lilith was actually my S2A obsession until she left I was so fucking devastated when she moved out, so seeing Darius & Eberwolf were a similar archetype to Lilith & Hooty really endeared me to them immediately in ER when we knew nothing about them. Then by the series end they really are one of my favorite little duos of toh they're comedy gold potential but didn't get enough screentime 😔 Darius surrendered for Eberwolf even tho it was at the cost of the rebellion and I still think about that scene. Guy who joked about people dying is likely actually not being pragmatic at all when it comes to loved ones 👍 they threaten Terra Adrian & Vitimir lol

I'm also a "Darius & Eda used to be besties and will do so again" truther. They're the same yet opposites, they're both dramatic, they're both powerful, they both have a hot monster form, and they both speedran becoming adoptive parents after just being That Guy to some kid for a while. The ONE episode of interactions they had in COTH with Darius having to exasperatingly tell Eda what he means but also he calls her "Eda" not "Edalyn" like everyone else but Raine does, and Eda mocking Darius over beating his ass in ER and Darius IMMEDIATELY getting defensive & lying which Eberwolf calls him out for, DO YOU SEE MY VISION? THEY USED TO BE BESTIES. THE CLAWTHORNE PARENTS LOVED DARIUS. DARIUS & EDA WERE EACH OTHER'S ASSHOLE FRIEND. THAT FANART OF THEM IN FACIAL MASKS & DOING THEIR NAILS WATCHING DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES IS WHAT THEY WERE.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Liking him at all is still quite unpopular 😔 this fandom sure treats the nonwhite parents a certain way lol. I also don't really like ala//darius, I get the appeal but it doesn't compel me

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

I've had a perfectly envisioned idea for a year or two now of an toh episode that followed the rebel trio after Them's the Breaks, Kid and before Hollow Mind that was a 3 part split reminiscent of how Once Upon A Swap was paced.

Not only would it tie back to the style of OUAS -- a notoriously hated toh episode -- but it would be able to give info in a slow drip by following Raine first, then by the end we see Raine is working with Darius & Eberwolf, then it goes back to the beginning of the day through Eberwolf's POV, then Darius' POV, and ending on the buildup that they're the rebels Hunter is chasing at the beginning of HM.

We as the audience can tell by the designs who they were in HM (or well. Most of us. Some people thought Darius was Alador for some reason) but ahhh think of the extra foreshadowing that could've been in HM if we got an episode inside the castle so close to the day of unity!! Like what if Collector's shadow was visible at one point behind one or all of the rebels, letting us know Belos knew exactly who they were which lead to the foreshadowing in HM of the 3 arrows being where Darius, Raine(Eda), & Eberwolf each get put to stand during the day of unity spell in King's Tide BUT ALSO how we don't REALIZE it's referencing them specifically UNTIL KT AIRS. LIKE THE LAYERS IT COULD'VE ADDED.

Also obligatory Darius Hunter moment has to happen here to lead to Darius' reaction in HM upon hearing Hunter was trapped considering their last on screen moment in ASIAS and some people even now can't visualize them interacting in a positive manner 🙄

I do imagine it would be a touch 🤏 angsty. Like in my vision, Darius sees Hunter getting heat from Kikimora over a wild magic book, and it's like she can't really do anything to him over it but she could tell Belos who would be unhappy to hear that and all 3 of them are aware this would be the outcome, and Darius debates for a solid 10 seconds if he should pretend he didn't see them because well as heartless as he knows it sounds it actually benefits him & the rebellion keeping Hunter at arm's length but now that he's spent time with the kid he's like not a bad kid maybe they can convince him to join them?? Before he goes over and like a true actor plays it off that he asked Hunter for the book. Hunter obviously does not play along well as he's not a good actor, so Darius very condescendingly tells Kikimora to leave like "you can read, can't you, Kiki?" And she sputters "yes of course I--" and he just cuts her off "then read the room" while giving her a cold look until she awkwardly and angrily leaves. Like absolute cunt behavior from Darius but it's hilarious and it works to his cover as a CH. He gives Hunter the book back when Kikimora leaves and they good naturedly mock the other's taste in books ("I don't know how you can read that, Deadwarian era writing is dreadful to slog through" "Well some of us like reading more than fashion magazines") before they pass the mess hall and Darius asks Hunter if he's eaten, "Y-yes!", Flapjack is not standing for such lies and pecks him from under his cloak, which Darius knows is Flapjack so he laughs and tells Hunter to eat, Hunter pauses before he tries to genuinely thank Darius for defending him earlier, and then well shit remember how it's better for the rebellion if Darius keeps Hunter at arm's length maybe he needs to remember the bigger picture? He was literally doing rebel work when he got distracted helping Hunter out, so he kinda gently tells Hunter not to expect he can always go save him, and because Hunter's an abused teen (not that Darius really knows that yet) and he was enjoying having an adult that's nice to him now he visibly deflates before quickly excusing himself

Darius apologizes under his breath because he doesn't enjoy being mean to Hunter (even back when he was being mean to him) but it's one of those hard choices he makes like how Raine refused to get Eda involved. Can be miserably tied back to how Hunter ends up hiding at Hexside and not the rebels finding & helping him.

Wow I went insane typing that all but yeah that's my vision of what I would add to canon if I could add 1 episode into the show that doesn't change anything at all it only adds character filler & foreshadowing potential. Maybe I'll actually write this fic one day haha.

Another thing I kinda wish canon would've done was overtly state Darius adopted Hunter because like it's clearly implied but a lot of people still deny it! Dadrius won guys let us have this they had to cut so much stuff from the show including Darius backstory

From this ask!

[mod-doodles]

Explored Reddit because boredom, here was my experience:

1. Sydney is being defended a little bit more, progress. I wonder what changed, I don’t want to reduce it to this but they have been posting Ayo’s magazine photos.

2. Read this really interesting post about how many times ‘beautiful’ is mentioned in season two. <has anyone else read this post>. The writer claimed they weren’t arguing for or against Claire and Carmy, but interpretations skewed more pro Claire in a diplomatic way. They brought up Molly’s statement that intimacy for Carmy is starring at a woman. Conveniently does not address he spends most of both seasons starring at Syd. But no harm, no foul, it was interesting.

3. They think the romance angle is coming from Sydney if at all, this truly made me chuckle. It’s literally the complete opposite of what we’re picking up, because sometimes I have no read on Syd. Only when Claire appeared or was mentioned, or the latter half of the table scene and the stare off Syd and Carmy had in the first episode of season one reacted as though she had any feelings or interest, she’s so guarded. So that was hilarious.

4. When they discuss the pairing, they still flat out dismiss it. Don’t address any of the one thousand scenes that what suggest romance. Nothing new there.

5. They think Ebon had the best acting, and I’m not anti Richie but Jeremy Allen White carries the show, @moments-on-film addresses this. End of discussion.

6. There was one thing we could all agree on was that the table did not need fixing.

7. They also tried to run a poll on if The Bear’s audience was more male or female. I’m no statistician but I can without a doubt state that running that poll on Reddit would render an deceptive results.

Rating: 3/10 would not recommend, it’s not as bad as when the new season was released but it’s still Reddit.

[becauseimanicequeen]

In Defense of Ji from To Be Continued

(Or “Let’s Look at Characters From a More Non-Binary Perspective”)

I’ve been thinking about writing a post like this since the 5th episode last week (but haven’t gotten around to it). But after reading a couple of comments with the general consensus that Ji’s actions were at the risk of becoming irredeemable, I felt like there was no time like the present. Better late than never, right? (This is a long one, so I’ll put most of it after a break with a TL;DR at the end.)

(Btw, that purple light between them is so well placed. They're clearly not communicating, symbolized by that line being drawn between them. And the purple, a mix of blue (trust and loyalty) and red (love and fate), symbolizes the mysterious and unresolved feelings they're both having (or are beginning to have) towards each other. )

The response to Ji and Achi that I’ve seen has been interesting. The little response I’ve seen (since I haven’t seen this series being talked about that much, or perhaps I’m just bad at searching for it) was utter annoyance with Achi the first few episodes until we were shown that Ji made Achi cry in the past and (mostly) everyone I’ve seen writing about this turned on Ji all of a sudden.

(It’s hilarious to see how easily viewers change their opinions. I mean that genuinely. Some of that is more entertaining than many QLs I’ve watched.)

My mindset isn’t that binary, though. (I don’t see things in either black or white because that’s too limiting for me.) That means that I’m neither for nor against either Achi or Ji. (I can definitely like one character more than another, but that doesn’t mean that character is “better” than any other. And in this particular case, I like Ji and Achi equally.) It just annoys me a bit when a character gets torn to shreds for an isolated scene or situation (akin to the whole Non vs Jin situation in DFF, which got waaaaay out of hand).

(Obviously, this is by no means a call for deep analysis of characters–essay style–every time anyone wants to say something about a character. But I do feel like taking an isolated situation out of context means that the meaning, however differently all of us interpret that meaning, gets lost.)

Based on what we’ve seen so far in To Be Continued, both Achi and Ji have made mistakes (in the past and present), they are both terrible at communicating, both are clearly confused and/or terrified of their feelings (especially towards each other), and it seems like no one wants to be the first to fess up. That’s the general situation of their relationship in the series so far.

A discussion on who’s at “fault” for Ji and Achi’s current situation based on what I just listed is pretty much unnecessary because they’re both equally responsible. However, since it’s so easy to play the blame game and spread it like wildfire on the internet just because there’s a character one doesn’t like or see eye to eye with, I thought it was a good idea to include it in this post anyway. Especially since my answer is based on my non-binary way of thinking. (Spoiler alert: it’s not either/or, it’s both/and.)

(I’m putting fault between quotation marks because I feel like its connotation is too negative when something like responsible would suit better. But since fault is often thrown around when playing the blame game, I’ll stick to that word.)

If we look at Ji and Achi’s actions (the ones we’ve seen so far), I feel like 3 moments stand out:

Achi pestering Ji in the first few episodes even though Ji said he wanted nothing to do with Achi. (Present)

Ji asked Achi to introduce him to Pear. (Past)

The mixed signals both of them are giving each other. (Past and present)

I’ve previously written a post about Achi choosing not to respect Ji’s boundaries (even when clearly stated), so I won’t go too deep into that. What I will mention here, however, is that it doesn’t matter how desperate Achi is in trying to keep Ji close. Breaking someone else’s boundaries is not okay. Whenever someone needs space, it should (ideally) be respected.

Achi is being way too pushy in the first couple of episodes, and he’s not even communicating why that is. I think he says once (or twice?) that he’s missed Ji all these 10 years they’ve been apart and that he wants to know how Ji's been, but that’s no excuse.

If you doubt that some space would make any difference, look at how Ji reacted during that whole montage of Ji finding those bags with food (or whatever it was) that Achi hung on his door in ep. 5. And those notes they write to each other when exchanging those bags is probably the best line of communication they’ve had since they got to know each other. That’s how much can change if a person’s boundaries are respected.

(Sure, you could argue that it was a result of Ji showing respect first when he thanked Achi for coming over with food in the scene before the montage. Sometimes you need to first give what you want to get, and that “thank you” to Achi might've made Achi realize he could back off without being terrified of losing Ji (or whatever his reason for being so persistent is).)

When it comes to my second point above (Ji asking Achi to introduce him to Pear), it’s very interwoven with the third point (the mixed signals both of them are giving).

In the whole montage of them going on that day trip and playing games and stuff in the past (ep. 3), you can clearly see that there are feelings involved from both of them (whatever that may be; friendship, fondness, curiosity, love, whatever). But every time Ji looked at Achi (especially when they were at one of those lookout points with a beautiful view), Achi turned away. I mean, if you look at that whole jacket scene, you can see that he literally steps back and avoids Ji’s gaze.

Ji doesn’t seem to mind though, it’s not like he’s surprised or worried about it. But it still doesn’t change the fact that Achi is giving him mixed signals. Achi is both hot (giving Ji his jacket when Ji’s cold) and cold (stepping away and avoiding Ji’s gaze when Ji is looking and smiling at him).

And then there’s the scene on the pier/jetty at the end of episode 4 (which is also from the past). This happens after Ji asked Achi to introduce him to Pear (which I still believe was very innocent at first because Ji seemed genuinely interested in her, and there’s nothing wrong with that).

On that pier/jetty, Ji is tentatively trying to figure out how Achi is feeling because he can sense the tension (at least that’s how I interpret it). Ji does so by first asking Achi if he has feelings for Pear (because that could be a logical explanation for the tension), but Achi says he doesn’t. That’s when Ji has this look on his face:

It’s like he’s trying to think of another reason for the tension, which I think is what leads to the moment when he says that Achi’s got pretty eyes, nose, and lips.

I feel like he’s being genuine here. At the same time as he’s trying to figure out what the tension is all about, he’s also giving Achi an opportunity to clear things up, to be honest with Ji, and for both of them to get closer.

Then Ji lays his head on Achi’s chest as if to listen to his heartbeat (perhaps listening for an answer rather than being told, because we already know that their m.o. isn’t communication).

Achi is swayed for a moment, but he still chooses to change the subject and ends up leaving the pier/jetty (once again giving Ji mixed signals, especially after looking at Ji with heart eyes only moments before).

Achi’s reaction is probably based on a fear of being rejected since he thinks that Ji is interested in Pear, so it makes sense. But, even though his actions make sense, he’s still choosing to participate in giving off mixed signals.

(I mean, if someone looked at me with hearts in their eyes and then avoided me like the plague when I wanted to get closer, I would ditch the bitch. But, this isn’t about me…)

What’s interesting (and something I think some viewers are forgetting) is that this scene from the past is mirrored in the scene in Ji’s bedroom earlier in the same episode (which is in the present). In the present, it’s Achi who says that he thinks Ji’s eyes, nose, and lips are pretty (confessing to Ji only when he thinks Ji is sleeping, which seems to be his m.o., btw).

But then he repeats it when Ji asks him what he said.

I feel like Achi is trying to bring back that moment from the past because he knows he missed an opportunity to be honest about his feelings at that moment on the pier/jetty. The difference is that this time it leads to them kissing (a kiss that should never have happened until they had cleared up their shit, btw, but who can stop these two confused, love-sick, adorable idiots? Well, the screenwriters can, but what would be the fun in that? I digress…).

This time, Ji is the one who breaks the moment. He knows just as well as Achi where those words came from. He remembers that moment on the pier/jetty in the past just as well as Achi. And I swear that he remembers the rejection too.

It’s possible those memories were too much for Ji. It’s also possible that he realized the kiss wasn’t a good idea (he has shown previously that he’s not okay with Achi just kissing him, like in ep. 2). And as we saw with the previous kiss, it takes Ji a moment or two before he realizes what happens an/or realizes the implications of what’s happening (it took him a moment before he pushed Achi away in ep. 2, and the same here in ep. 4 before he pulled back).

So, who’s at “fault” here? Who’s at “fault” for creating more tension (and hurt feelings) between them?

Is Achi at “fault” considering he brought up the past when mirroring that moment on the pier/jetty? Is he at “fault” considering he initiated the kiss in Ji's bedroom (he was the one who leaned forward first and the one who held onto Ji with both hands/arms)?

Is Ji at “fault” considering he rejected Achi? Is he at “fault” considering he told Achi to leave his bedroom after the kiss (clearly needing some space)?

And don’t come at me with the whole “but Ji hurt Achi’s feelings by hitting on Pear, not to mention taking her to the same movie that Achi took Ji to.”

First of all, was that a conscious choice of Ji’s? Possibly. Was this the best way to go about it? Debatable. But it should be said that Ji got interested in Pear before he started sensing the tension between him and Achi. It was all good feelings before that (and it could be that Ji didn’t think his relationship with Achi was beyond friendship, because delusion and confusion are every teenager’s middle names).

Secondly, on that same pier/jetty in that same scene in ep. 4, Ji mentions that he doesn’t like romantic movies, whereas Achi says that it might be because he’s never been in love. Is it then so far-fetched that he takes Pear to that same movie (which I assume is a romance) to test out if he sees the movie with new eyes now that he’s with Pear? Not really.

(Could he have chosen another romantic movie? Sure. Was there another romance playing at the time? I have no fucking idea because this is fiction and they didn’t tell us and we’re probably supposed to read between the lines that it was a romance and that Ji was influenced by Achi’s words and I’m totally getting off track here…)

Thirdly, and probably the most important point: Let’s not forget that there’s actually a possibility that Ji is bi (the same goes for Achi who had some sort of relationship with… what’s her name, Mona?).

I know it’s difficult in this generally binary-thinking world to understand there’s a possibility of something in the middle of black or white. You’re either gay or straight, right? Wrong! There’s such a thing as bi- and pansexuality. And since we’re living in such a binary-thinking world, it’s easy to be hella confused as bi- or pansexual.

(I won’t go into the bi-hate that viewers spew out in comments and reactions to QLs, especially when the lead roles are bi (and especially when they are together with or hook up with the opposite sex), but it’s so fucking annoying. I want to write a post about this one day, or reblog someone else's post who might’ve written about it better than I ever will, so if anyone knows a post on this, send it my way.)

If Ji is a bi character, can you blame him for being confused? If he’s not bi but is having his gay awakening, can you blame him for being confused?

Can you blame him for asking Achi to introduce him to Pear, especially since Achi has never expressed his romantic interest in Ji and Ji seems genuinely interested in Pear? Can you really blame Ji for trying to figure out what the fuck is going on with Achi when he notices the tension between them?

Can you really blame Ji for not being able to read between the lines (has anyone forgotten he’s a teenager?)?

And I’m not saying all this to say that it’s Achi’s “fault” either. He’s just as confused as Ji. And none of them are brave enough to take the first step to clear things up either.

Again, it’s both Ji and Achi’s “fault” that things are the way they are. They are both responsible for their situation.

There’s still much to be revealed in this series, so a lot of it is still up for speculation right now. Clearly, however, something happened that made them go their separate ways and be out of contact with each other for 10 years.

If I were to put my money on a bet, it would be that they split because of a misunderstanding on both their parts. What that misunderstanding is, though, remains to be seen.

(If I were to guess I think they hooked up, Ji was confused and needed some space to process, and Achi took it as a rejection and left the country (since we’ve seen that his mother lives in the US). But I'm probably wrong.)

Ji's actions, so far, are not irredeemable (he’s not even on the verge of being irredeemable). And if they were, Achi’s actions would be just as irredeemable.

It’s easy to play the blame game, especially in today’s world. It’s a lot more difficult to be open-minded. But the latter will always be more rewarding.

TL;DR: Both Achi and Ji have made mistakes, they are both terrible at communicating, and both are clearly confused and/or terrified of their feelings. No one is at “fault” for their current situation because they’re both responsible for it.

*stepping down from my soapbox*

[mylittleredgirl]

m*a*s*h season three continues!! disc two!!

"alcoholics unanimous" is so funny oh my god

the scene where trapper, hot lips, and hawkeye are all lit and making each other laugh is note perfect i want to live in it forever. i can't decide if "who was that guy?" was scripted or if loretta swit just went for a one-shot kill after the scene was over but i live for these bits when margaret accidentally ends up on team 100 proof

it's also nice of them to periodically remind us that frank has a huge wang. i'm glad he's got that one thing going for him

they're really softening hot lips this season 💕

they're styling her much younger, too. the barrettes! the ponytails!!!! i might never recover from the ponytails.

and the scene where she is reading a that letter to radar while he's in the hospital, and she has that little giddy smile at the end! it's so sweeeeeet it's killing me come on

i have a lot of thoughts about frank and margaret, and like five of them are about the phone call in the nurses episode

"knowing you'd kill me makes my life worthwhile" see. with the laugh track off, this joke turns into just margaret staring dreamily in soft focus and the realization that ohhhh. oh no. she really means that. she's like in love in love with this clown, that's so embarrassing for her

(also from that episode: the afterlife song is stuck in my head! the nurse song with the halfhearted montage though like. what happened in the editing room there.)

(also hilarious that trapper misses his wife for the first and only time when every woman in the camp is gone)

"adam's rib" - i like how everyone universally thinks hawkeye's quest is dumb, but they climb aboard the shenanigans because they have nothing else to do

WE LIED TO MILDRED!!!

i don't think i've mentioned how much i love henry and radar together. their comic timing is flawless. that bit of talking over each other never gets old. and then whenever they love and defend each other!!! i love a professional substitute dad

time for "bombed"!!! blow that pyrotechnics budget babyyyyy! blow shit up! break windows! light stuff on fire!!

the trapper/hot lips ship watch on this blog turned into a ship warning just in time for the two of them to get locked in a supply tent and not bang

you gotta admit the long-running ust potential here is pretty great (they hate each other) (but he's a little obsessed about hating her) (and she lusts after him) (and they're both hot)

SADLY for my cause there was no booze in there, because every time she gets drunk she's like "regrettably, there's frank" but sober she wants to marry him

no wonder he wants to outlaw alcohol in the camp

"we held hands and said the pledge of allegiance together" okay they are genuinely so funny sometimes though

i'm also falling hard for hawkeye/trapper but they would never be exclusive so multishipping is built in

last on the disc is "bulletin board"!!!

an episode about nothing is so soothing after all the explosives. the balance of action and Just Hanging Around in this series is really enjoyable

trapper writing a letter to his daughter 🥺

"korea? the war still?" and the rest of that little pillow fight scene. so much sibling energy in the swamp.

henry losing that patient hit well. i hate to be like "i'm rooting for patients to die" because it's not that, but they save them so successfully that it's dramatically satisfying whenever they don't. and i like how it silently affects henry through the rest of the ep while the rest of them have fun

that long beautiful shot of all of them running back to camp!!!!

ok this post took me like three days to write somehow because i rewatched everything ENJOYYYYYY

[gracemarkss]

finished s4 in my txf rewatch so i'm here's my top 10 so far. these are vaguely in order.

10. oubliette (s3ep08). this episode gives us soooo much big brother mulder. his gentle insistence that lucy, despite everything she's been through, is strong and capable and has value - that she can save this girl (and he's right). when scully calls him out on his overidentifying with lucy and he insists not everything he does or feels goes back to samantha...but when lucy dies, you know he's losing sam all over again. he can't save them all, he can't even save most of them, but by god does he try.

9. memento mori (s4ep14). cliche as hell but the fact that it opens with scully's sensual voice over reading her romantic diary entries which are addressed to mulder...insane. both of them facing a terrible reality, deep seated fears - losing her and abandoning him (is dying a betrayal?) the fact that he's ready to make a deal with the devil. the fact that skinner DOES. death vs love, fight!!!!!

8. beyond the sea (s1ep13). gillian is insaaaaane in the episode like how could anyone involved in this show not think she was capable of anything and everything? scully is such a great character in part because of the constant tension that exists between expectation and desire. the things she should want, the things she wants to want, the things she actually wants. she craves her father's approval while chafing against the weight of his expectation. the "i love this job" "you love your father" exchange goes craaaaaazy. and that's not even getting into the role reversal!!!!

7. pusher (s3ep17). another cliche but god does this episode go hard. another spectacular look into mulder's psyche and another situation that highlights the depth of their connection. when he kneels down in front of her and hands her his gun...i wonder how many times mulder walks into a situation and thinks that maybe he'll die. that maybe he wouldn't mind. i wonder how much scully knows that (her fear here makes me think she knows, and it terrifies her.) but all's well that ends well i guess (them holding hands).

6. end game (s2ep17). i just love that the narrative forces mulder to choose between samantha and scully and he tries to rig the game to save both. from "nothing else matters to me" to if anything happens to scully i'll kill everyone in this room and then myself. there's obviously a lot more going on here and i love all of it but that's my main takeaway. oh also dd rules in this ep. his regression back into a lost little boy saying "i'm sorry, dad," bill mulder you are bones.

5. wetwired (s3ep23). another classic "what are you afraid of" episode and this time the answer is "the prophet you are following turns out to be false." trust is their most valuable and sacred currency. the potential loss of that is truly devastating. let's not even get into the fact that mulder thinks scully's gone missing (again) and it's his fault (again) and he has to break this to her mother (again) and let's not talk about the fact that maggie defends mulder to scully and trusts him with her daughter's life despite everything. and let's definitely not ever mention the scene where he goes to id the body.

4. paper hearts (s4ep10). yet another cliche but there's a reason these episodes are well loved and considered among the best. "it's somebody though" just sums up everything you need to know about mulder. he is so deeply hurt and so good despite it all. he really is the best boy. another ep dd is superb in.

3. demons (s4ep23). part of the reason i love this episode is just because i think the premise of mulder drilling a hole in his head and injecting ketamine in it is hilarious. but also profoundly sad. can you tell i have a thing for mulder angst yet? and episodes that highlight how deep and loving his and scully's relationship is, however you interpret it? she's the first one he thinks of to call when he wakes up in a bad situation. she drops everything to be there for him. she won't stop him, she'll just take the keys and drive. what can i carry for you. what can i do. i will not let you go alone. another great example of dd's ability to play mulder at his smallest - when he tells his mother he needs to speak with her with his head down and his voice pitched just a bit higher...i'll jump.

2. ice (s1ep08). truly what needs to be said. i know this is a ripoff of the thing but i've never seen the thing so this is better probably. stuck in a small space, paranoia at the top of the world...also the guy who plays the landlord in new girl is here and i love that. both dd and ga are also both crazy hot in the ep. i think it just rules even as a standalone and is a great way to introduce someone to the series. just fun and sexy and tense.

3 (s2ep07). HE'S WEARING HER NECKLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

honorable mentions: lazarus (s1ep15); darkness falls (s1ep20); little green men (s2ep01); the field where i died (s4ep05); grotesque (s3ep14); terma (s4ep9).

[ricksanchezbignaturals]

suicide attempt mention and s7e3 spoilers

ok aaaaa omg episode 3 was insane. im just gonna compile my feelings here.

i absolutely loved the unity episode in season 2 so getting to see it again was a pleasant surprise.

despite thinking he has some weaker episodes, i really like curtis and think this was a great one. he's a little bit insane and i appreciate that about him.

and i think the wong/curtis/rick dynamic was fantastic. "suck my dick and lose my number" "if you invite me to the wedding i'll shit in the punch" (or yknow whatever those lines were, my memory's not great), absolutely hilarious.

"don't talk to them like that" or something when the president called unity bitch. idk what exactly is the deal with unity's pronouns, but you know that line made my nonbinary ass happy. i do sort of wish they committed to it/its or they/them for unity since even though it's a hivemind it's sorta like female coded? like there's been a lot of drama and bullshit about rick being queer even though unity was like his first love interest we got to see. and hey there's nothing wrong with banging hot alien chicks under the control of a hivemind. i just feel like rick's queerness gets danced around a lot, and dating an entity like unity is sort of a cool microcosmic expression of pansexuality and that aspect could be leaned into more.

rick was a tad too quick to put a gun to his head for comfort, but he has clearly made a lot of progress. where the first unity episode ended with him making an attempt on his life after getting dumped, when unity says it doesn't trust him, here he grabs a drink and goes and sees curtis. i need to actually watch the scenes side by side when i get the chance but the end of this episode did feel like a very intentional parallel to the suicide attempt. that scene has stuck with me for a long time, to the extent that even as i didn't think he was going to attempt again, my stomach flip flopped when he was in the garage.

and i am really proud of rick, don't get me wrong, but does anyone else think it's a little suspicious? i don't think the way he's been taking to people or dealing with stuff has been out of character, just that it's been weird timing, yknow? like there's been a lot going on with his personal relationships this season and he's clearly making an effort to treat people better and work on his mental health. but like why now? when the last season ended, rick was having a mental break the likes of which we've never seen. what brought him from how he was doing at the end of season 6 to how he's doing now? it does worry me a bit to be honest.

this is more about the season as a whole so im just tacking it on the end here, but the animation??? as someone who knows nothing about animation and has square brain, i don't know the right words to describe it, but it's feeling real different in a good way.

[pbaintthetb]

Invincible s2e5

It's here, it's here!! Some of my thoughts. Spoilers ahead

"He's never on the hook for the lives he destroys. Just leaves it for everyone else to clean up. Again and again." -> incredible

Brothers eh!! and also Debbie saying mark must get his nobility/reluctance to abandon people from her side ;-)))), especially since this is like one of if not the only time mark is compared to his mum and not his dad. (Whether it's a you're nothing like you're dad, you will be your dad, your dad doesn't influence my view on you)

debbie taking time off work ot look after mark's brother just after they all said they wer so glad she was back :-(( I get that she priortises mark's education though

oop the donald sub plot, forgot about that but now Im hella intrigued again, he a cyberman, though he's the six million dollar man to hear Cecil tell it (we can rebuild him...)

william boxed up mark's stuff.... oof that must have been rough (for william i mean, assuming he's dead)

cecil stfu and stop being a creeper- although if he wasn't like that he wouldn't be cecil, his job is to be a bastard in order to do what he deems necessary

"He's an alien. We're more qualified to take care of him."- very ominous very uncomfortable, glad to see mark isn't having any of it but still. actually ingernal loving mark's convo with cecil

Cecil's little side eye at the end, he's scared ohohoh. and that petty "im sureyour mum will love ooking after her ex's kid" like uh, no but she said she'll do it for mark and otherwise mark will do it so so?

Mark and Amber are cool, and yeah it's nice to see him listening to her problems even if maybe it's revealing that uh... yeah he can't be there for her and that's complicated (as mark said)

Rudy and monster girl is intersing, like i get why she's pissed and i get where he's coming from

DECEASED they all knew he was from mars.Almost disappointed because him desperately trying to be human was hilarious but also this reveal was the funniest fucking thing so, even his reveal felt so unhuman

also how noble and excited the abckstory is until the awkard... so I sort of tried to kill him but I didn't even do that right and now he's coming to earth to kill us all possessed by a hive creature

"No, before, I was lying. Now I'm telling the truth. It's very different." hilarious, might steal that.

Rex, gonna go OOC real quick, then pan to Atom Eve AMV... iconic, I wonder what this could mean /s

Ok I was like, stop commenting on everything but like Rex is a prick but the absolute funniest, saying that maybe Eve's parents WANT her to be abducted because they still haven't fixed her broken window lock killed me

also more seriously actually the familiarity with which they talk and rex moves around eve's room (the l atter would be weird if it weren't so obvious eve could make him stop if she wanted) is great? Because yeah they dated for a while, like they should know each other even if they don't get on anymore and it's great to see the evidence of that Similarly the fact taht Eve reveals at teh end she knew rex just wanted something but that she also does think he genuinely helped her see that she helps people

Man, mark :-( spread too thin, and he's realising it but what is the way out?? Butter spread over too much bread and you can't just put it back in the tin

Shapesmith's intonation and diction and also just his timing of what he says is, mwah, chefs kiss, incredibel

when is the shapesmith show coming, we've already had "Allan"???

was gonna say "nice fight scenes" then kate happened, and i mean they're still good but oh fuck holy shit oh god hog do

.um. well post the homeward guardians fight all I have to say is that it seems that Rex is ranking guardian after all.

Or um, them some cliff hangers amirite, sure do hope everybody is fine

but no did like Rex's last line of the episode and also King lizard's smarmy evil pragmatism ooh very nice.

[adhd-merlin]

merlin S1 rewatch: episode 9

let’s move on to ep 1x09 because I need to get on. with my life. I already re-watched this ep months ago and I can’t be arsed to do it again so I’m going to use screencaps and perhaps the transcript to refresh my memory.

kilgharrah warning merlin that excalibur MUST NOT be wielded by anyone but arthur, and merlin handing the sword to uther literally the next morning is so funny to me. it's kind of the same thing that happens with the cup of life, when iseldir tells merlin “hey this is important so don’t lose it okay?” and five minutes later we see the cup rolling down a hill. I love consistent characterisation. please don’t give this boy anything important for safekeeping he has enough on his plate already!!

I think Arthur’s coronet looks a bit dumb but still it’s nothing compared to the horrendous Burger King crown he'll wear as king. why did uther get such a prettier crown. why couldn't arthur just wear his father's crown. so many questions

why did they name the undead knight tristan, was he supposed to be the tristan? I think he was. I think their take on tristan and isolde in S4 was so disappointing btw. anyway moving on

Merlin: Gaius have you seen that knight’s crest before? Gaius: No, I don’t think so. I didn’t see it clearly. Actually I’m not even sure I saw a knight. Perhaps it was a trick of the light or a collective hallucination

Sir Owain: I don’t need luck Arthur: oh fuck he’s going to die

Arthur’s face after Uther holds him back and someone else picks up the undead knight’s gauntlet. so much self-sacrificing acts of bravery and NONE of them done by him. wrong and upsetting

S1 Arthur I'm not sure how to tell you this so I'll just say it. your haircut looks dangerously close to a mullet

Merlin: maybe arson can fix this

Nimueh telling Uther she was his friend!!! fuck season 6 I want a Merlin prequel

he’s a precious baby. he’s shmol. only tiny

gwen doing her whole “you know I'd grant you anything merlin… I mean, not anything! haha” meanwhile merlin is too worried about keeping arthur alive to notice. GIRL HE'S BUSY

WHY. who stands like this

he holds this stupid pose the entire time morgana is talking to him. imagine begging someone not to commit suicide while they brood and look out of the window like a sullen byronic hero. I would have pushed him out of the window. drama ass bitch

this is the second nighttime encounter between uther and gaius in this episode. uther saying goodbye to gaius before going to fight in arthur’s place. toxic yaoi. is this anything

YOU KNOW NOTHING YOU STUPID CHILD. I love that Kilgharrah is a hater and a bitch. to be fair to him he spent 20 years in solitary confinement so he's earned it

gaius drugging arthur then gently helping him into his bed is hilarious. he’s so good at lying and drugging people. big fan of gaius using his evil talents for the greater good, or just to have a laugh sometimes which is equally valid

what a fine blade you have there… it would be a shame if something were to happen to it

he’s wearing silver bracelets!! plural!!

[Enter Arthur, visibly furious]

Gaius [gathering his things]: I've just remembered I've left something on the stove. I must go right now immediately

Arthur [while Gaius scurries away]: YOU HAD GAIUS DRUG ME??

arthur and uther little father and son moment was cute ngl

there are a few more scenes until the end but I don't have much to say about them except that I love gaius and merlin's relationship

Gaius: [stares loudly] Merlin: [pretends not to notice]

[dangermousie]

Farscape rewatch - Won’t Get Fooled Again, 2x15

Won't Get Fooled Again is one of my all time favorite episodes. In fact, it is in the running for THE favorite non-multi-parter, together with Terra Firma and Constellation of Doubt (both from S4). Its mixture of genuine hilarity and equally genuine dark horror is so on brand.

(The whole show summed up.)

I love how a little off-kilter it is even in the beginning: when John wakes up in a world that's a little too candy-bright, too sharp-lit and there is discordant music throughout, in the background but insistent.

I love his reactions to yet another species messing with his mind: it starts as a blase-angry acceptance, a sort of weariness tinged with hysteria. 'Oh, we are at it again’ (the list of possible instigators he rattles off tells its own tale but it ends up none of them but yet someone else) but this emotion is something that degenerates into panic and devastation soon enough, because Crichton, no matter how he likes to pretend, is simply not twisted enough for the games others play with him.

And of course the layer cake of horrors keeps building - not just with events and interactions inside his mind which get more and more awful but in discovery of what is going on - not just the discovery that he has a chip of Scorpius in his mind but that now that he’s a target of Scorpius this means he’s a target of Scarrans because they want to know why Scorpius wants him - we have started on the path where he becomes the most wanted man in the Galaxy with all its adjacent horrors (and I will always like Farscape that all of it starts with a good and selfless deeds - the ancients in a moment of kindness gave him a path to eventually go home. And John went down to the Peacekeeper Base to save Aeryn. And all this brings is madness and pain. Goodness does not guarantee anything; it truly is its own reward because there is nothing else you can gain from it. But the ancients really did pick right, didn’t they? John is smart and stubborn and good enough to fight the universe to protect wormholes; he’s probably the most appropriate person, and it still ends up being almost not enough.) And of course, the offhand comment Chip Scorpy makes that no, John has been approaching this all wrong - Scarran doesn’t want to fool him, he wants to break him. There is always another additional layer of cruelty and unreason Crichton does not anticipate because he’s simply not twisted enough.

This episode has some utterly hilarious moments (Crais in Dorothy’s heels reading the world’s most twisted version of Miranda’s rights, Rygel as the boss, anything with D'Argo), some moments that are both funny and disturbing, and then some moments that are truly horrifying. Starting with when John's dead mother is first brought up, the Scarran can tell that he has hit something that will help him drive Crichton over the edge, and the whole thing turns repulsive pretty quick. It starts with her talking to him, and it kills me that even though he knows she is dead, and that he tries to fight it, he can't help but want to be hugged, to be held by her again. He holds her even as he breaks down and he just looks so weary. And her comment about his lost innocence, and the fact that he has killed and that is why he cannot sleep at night is just...it's so enormous, because it's of course, his own subconscious talking to him here, but he so wants to believe he is worthy of consolation.

And then later, in one of  the most wrenching scenes, she appears again, with the IV and sick, and  probably the way she looked as she was dying and begs him to stay with  her 'this time' and he just goes to pieces, and he is weeping,  unprettily, he looks utterly destroyed and is crying 'this is cruel,  this is cruel' and stumbles away. He begs for it to stop but in that world, begging is not a signal for mercy but to go harder. That is just KILLER.

Or the bit where he sees his parents bicker over whether it's better to have him or a dog. And then there is the 'Oedipal' scene where she tries to seduce him and I get full body shudders. Farscape never shied away from taboos or oddness, witness the scene in the same ep with Rygel in dominator outfit telling “bitches” Chiana, Zhaan and Aeryn to get out of the way “Crichton is mine:”

(Side note - I actually love that in real world or nightmares, Crichton is most often the victim and target of violence or mindfucks or just plain cruelty and not all-mighty victor or perpetrator of same or w/e. He is smart and tough but guess what, there is always someone in the universe who can be smarter or tougher and definitely infinitely more evil and willing to cross lines he’s not willing to cross and not coming always on top does not make him weak, it just makes him human.)

But that scene with his mother is one of the closest I ever came to watching through my fingers. The wonder is not that Crichton goes insane by the end of this season, but that it took this long!  

Another thing that is so notable is Crichton's off-hand nihilism. How different from the other, earlier 'mess up his mind’ ep, AHR: he crashes the car he is in, he shoots at the assembled fake Moyans. And there is no pause, he just does it: he doesn't know what it would lead to, but his reaction is almost automatic. The scenes with Harvey (and that is the ep he gets named in!) are brilliant: Crichton, laughing without any mirth, naming his chip (because everything is so insane, this is about the most sane thing of the bunch), Harvey revealing everything only to erase it. The last scene when Crichton tries to mouth what he has learned and not being about to make sounds, able to at first, only through sheer stubbornness, but then losing even that. That so made me think of end of S2 and him equally mute, contorted on the surgical table.

And, of course, Aeryn. This time I noticed that when 'Bettina' kisses 'Gary,' even though he knows both are fakes, the look he gives them? Whoa.

Or that his first reaction when he first sees her in that world is to ask for help because he is so used to her being on his side (but this world is less comforting than AHR and any assistance is taken from him.)

But you know what gets me even more? The scene with the disco ball. Because John's subconscious believed more than anything that Aeryn would come and save him. After all, she 'is the Radiant Aeryn Sun.'  And all he got was another mindfuck.

(the way he gropes for her boot!)

Yeah. This ep is funny, heartbreaking, brilliant and disturbing. You know what struck me this time? There is so much hurt, but no comfort at all. It ends as disorientingly as it begins with John in that shaft, mind recently erased, recently brought back from clinical death, having to find his own way out, having just lost crucial knowledge and not knowing it, nobody around. All hurt no comfort.

PS the fact that Crichton only survives with his mind intact because someone else has already hijacked his mind is one of the darkest mindfucks in this show. He does not win against the Scarran through strength of mind or power of will. He wins because he’s already enslaved and claimed.