#in some ways this would be similar to the amelia storyline and the desperation there but I think it would center less

[homehauntsyou]

if you could create another Goal Of The Nuclear/Normalcy storyline/arc for sam, would it have a romantic relationship? if yes, who would the person be (existing character or a new one)? if not, what would the circumstances be and would it surround a narratively Third person at all? and which point in the series do you think it would work the best? (as an aside, are there any existing characters like cas or gadreel or crowley or rowena that you would want to involve in this arc?)

oh my god. oh my goddd okay okay.

even though i never really find myself focusing on romantic relationships in spn, i think it would have to include a romantic relationship eventually. they tend to be critical to the winchesters' idea of Normalcy and the goal of the Complete Nuclear, and sam would only feel as though he's completely achieved that if he had a romantic relationship of some kind. however, i do think it would start without a romantic relationship though, with that as the eventual goal. i think sam would have to leave before he would be able to find someone, so he wouldn't necessarily start with that as his explicit, main goal, but he would find himself gradually ending up with a romantic partner.

i think the hard part about creating a storyline where sam strives for normalcy again is that they really only do work when dean and sam are separated (because of death or of their own volition) because of the nature of their dependency on each other and how all-consuming it is. there are a couple that work if you mess more with canon (s9/10 post-dean's death comes to mind, i've read a couple great fics where he ends up staying dead and sam & cas have to deal with that) but i think the timeframe that works the most with canon would be post-09x10. i would really enjoy a situation where sam’s anger and his struggle with his loss of autonomy is expressed by returning back into his initial, pre-series/s1 goal of achieving normalcy and safety. i would probably write it as a situation where sam increasingly begins to struggle with reality again, isn't really able to hunt effectively, and decides to take a step back. that could be a weird time frame in some ways because his choice to continue hunting in s9B could be interpreted as sam trying to prove that he still deserves to be alive / has a purpose that can be used for good, but I think if it was framed in a way through an injury or through a storyline where it’s unsafe for him to be hunting, then it could work. he would probably be eventually pulled back in by demon!/moc!dean but that’s to be expected of course <3 there is just so much s9 sam potential that the broader fandom tends to brush over, mostly because of avoiding dean’s actions / disliking that sam’s anger is towards dean, but i LOVE this time-period & i wish we’d gotten more about sam’s personal struggles after gadreel, including ones that don’t involve dean.

in terms of characters i would include — cas would probably have to be one, especially given his relationship with sam in s9/s10. i’ve always been really interested in his opinion before 09x10 (“you were stupid for the right reasons”) and whether it changed during/after 09x11 when he saw the effect it had on sam, which could be interesting to explore. and maybe also jody? only because i’m thinking about the deleted scene where sam tells her that he thinks smth is off before gadreel takes over again and i think she’s a less dean-biased character, which would be needed if sam wanted to step away. oh and gadreel ofc. their relationship that also isn’t a relationship at all is SO fascinating to me and i think he should just Lurk <3 figuratively and literally <3

[ramajmedia]

Grey's Anatomy: 5 Relationships Fans Were Behind (& 5 They Rejected)

During the fifteen years, Grey's Anatomy has been on the air, the hit medical drama has been no stranger to controversy. This is primarily due to the major relationships that have been such a big part of the show. Throughout the years, Grey's has caused countless uprisings in its fanbase due to pushing relationships no one actually wants to see.

On the other hand, Grey's Anatomy has also provided several of the most beloved, well-known couples on TV. What would television romances be without iconic couples such as Meredith and Derek, or Arizona and Callie?

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: The 10 Hardest Hitting Break-Ups

Grey's Anatomy has certainly given fans a lot of romance over the years, and that's primarily why it's been so successful. Let's take a look at a few major couples that the audience loved, and a few that they hated.

10 JACKSON AND APRIL - BEHIND

"Japril" as it was lovingly dubbed by fans, was a prominent success with the audience. The chemistry that Sarah Drew and Jesse Williams had was undeniable, and many moments shared between the duo were exceptionally well-written. Jackson and April definitely had a quality about them that made people fall hard and fast for their romance.

Before Jackson interrupted April's wedding, before they got married, before they had Harriet, Jackson and April were close friends. After some unforeseen events, they were the only two doctors left from the Mercy West merger. This brought them closer and strengthened their bond, and is presumably a big reason as to why they were so loved.

9 JACKSON AND MAGGIE - REJECTED

Contrary to Jackson and April, Jackson and Maggie had no chemistry whatsoever - none that made their romance believable anyway. The generally negative reaction to the pairing of Jackson and Maggie was fuelled by the fact that Jackson and April were recently separated and had a young daughter together.

After all the drama that had ensued between a fan favorite, Grey's wasted no time throwing Jackson into another relationship without giving the audience any time to mourn, and that was a big mistake.

8 MEREDITH AND DEREK - BEHIND

After much drama and heartache, Meredith and Derek finally tied the knot via a cute post-it note marriage in season 5. Their makeshift marriage didn't guarantee a happily ever after, though; their relationship hit turbulence in later seasons, leading up to Derek's ultimate demise in season 11.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: Every Season Finale, Ranked

Fans still love this iconic duo though. As far as the majority of the audience is concerned, Grey's will never create a better couple. Meredith and Derek hold a special place in many viewers' hearts, especially those who have been watching from the beginning.

7 MEREDITH AND FINN - REJECTED

After Izzie adopted a dog in her post-Alex misery, she, Meredith, and George banded together to raise the lovable Doc. The dog seemed to be in good health at first, but due to unforeseen circumstances, Meredith ended up having to take several trips to the vet.

The veterinarian who attempted to treat Doc for what was later revealed to be aggressive cancer was Finn, and he quickly became Meredith's dashing love interest. The two had the chemistry, for sure, but since the majority of the audience would not give up on the iconic "MerDer" pairing, Meredith's relationship with Finn ended before it even started.

6 MARK AND LEXIE - BEHIND

McSteamy and McDreamy were two of the most beloved characters ever to be created on Grey's Anatomy, and both of their ultimate relationships were just as well-loved. Much like many fans viewed Meredith and Derek as soulmates, the same title was used for Mark and Lexie.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 10 Meredith Grey Quotes We Can All Relate To

This is a love story that ended up being probably the most tragic in Grey's Anatomy history, but to this day, fans still love and miss this couple dearly.

5 OWEN AND AMELIA - REJECTED

Owen has had a bad track record when it comes to his romantic relationship, and Amelia is no different, so the fact that these two were nothing but bad and damaging for each other is no surprise. After feeling the results of Cristina's departure and the loss of the ongoing drama that stemmed from her complicated relationship with Owen, Grey's writers became desperate and thus, the dynamic between Owen and Amelia.

This relationship was similar to the infamous Owen and Cristina bond, but way worse. Owen and Amelia started off sweet but became problematic in no time at all. Despite backlash from fans over this distasteful relationship, Grey's shows no signs of giving it up just yet.

4 CRISTINA AND BURKE - BEHIND

Cristina was no stranger to a turbulent relationship, and though her ordeal with Owen Hunt is probably the most infamous, Cristina was severely put through the wringer when it came to her whirlwind romance with Preston Burke.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 10 Hilarious Memes Only True Fans Will Understand

Not only was Burke prone to mood swings and selfish behavior, but he abandoned Cristina at the altar on their wedding day and showed no remorse for it when they reunited years later. Nevertheless, Isaiah Washington and Sandra Oh had the chemistry that made fans root for their characters' romance.

3 RICHARD AND CATHERINE - REJECTED

Richard's earlier character arcs primarily revolved around his infidelity. His affair with Ellis Grey was one of his absolute worst moments, and the way he treated Adele during that time was inexcusable.

But Grey's gave Richard a chance to redeem himself and his marriage, and a while things were good between him and Adele. But then Catherine came into the picture, and although Adele had fallen ill with Alzheimer's, Richard moving on so fast felt wrong.

2 CALLIE AND ARIZONA - BEHIND

Being the first main LGBTQ+ couple on the show, Callie and Arizona will always be iconic. The two hold a special place in fans' hearts today, despite both characters having been written out of the show. There were very few fans that didn't root for Callie and Arizona from the beginning.

RELATED: Grey's Anatomy: 10 Times The Show Broke Our Hearts

The couple's relationship was put through some rough waters and ultimately, Callie and Arizona did not get the happy ending that they deserve. But that doesn't discount the fact that they were groundbreaking, and people are still talking about them today.

1 ALEX AND JO - REJECTED

Izzie and Alex ended their romance in the sixth season of Grey's Anatomy, but they are still one of the show's most talked-about couples to this day, and there's a reason for that. The writers seemed to underestimate the success of this relationship and the fact that so many people absolutely loved it.

After notable backlash following Katherine Heigl's departure from the series, the Grey's writers did the right thing and waited a few seasons before introducing another major love interest for Alex. The romance with Jo was also developed quite tastefully and realistically, but none of the changes the fact that fans just loved Alex and Izzie more.

NEXT: Grey's Anatomy: 10 Storylines that Have Aged Poorly

source https://screenrant.com/greys-anatomy-relationships-fans-love-hate/

[carterhaughs]

Spoilers for Harlots Ep 6

My stray thoughts on this episode:

We see Lucy continuing to grapple with all of her deeply negative and traumatic experiences with sex this episode (she’s had only one positive experience with it and seems to have had a number of the worst sort of experiences early on - would she think she was “no good at this” if her entry into this world hadn’t been so rough? probably not, but she thinks her reaction is unnatural and her fault) - it makes her supremely uncomfortable to even hear all the groans and grunts of pleasure in the house of Wells. this of course all comes to a head when she stabs the horrid sir george in self-defense, and it’s far from an act of vengeance or something meant to signify her “descent into darkness” (she even goes back to apologize to him!) or whatever people are saying about the direction of her storyline. it’s a thing that happens that Margaret takes upon herself so that sweet Lucy won’t be damned, in one of the most powerful moments of the episode. more than ever, this episode shows us how even when Margaret does the wrong thing, it’s always out of love. that’s something of a theme in the parent/child relationships this episode including the abusive relationship of lydia/margaret (which I’ll discuss later) as Florence points out, and Florence’s own relationship with her daughter Amelia - and Fanny’s relationship with her unborn child is also explored as another example of the exigencies exacted by motherhood. Despite the hand her mother has had in her situation, Lucy continues to be loyal to her and lashes out at the other girls when she suspects them of speaking ill about her. All the scenes of her and Margaret holding each other - in the wake of Lucy finding out what her mother did for her - caught at my heart and made me cry.

Scenes like the one we got between Will and Harriet are so important. Seeing Harriet happy that she finally has some power over her life and the future of her children is a beautiful thing, and seeing Will reach out to her with kindness and empathy from a place of shared understanding was cathartic for her to be sure - and I’ve little doubt he has now somehow gone after her children and will bring them back to her. Then we see Will crack under Benjamin Lennox’s constant racist attacks on him, and Margaret’s interesting response - she is proud of Will for defending himself but as he says, still upset about the practical side of things. Margaret has a clear moral compass but business pretty much always comes first in matters of pride.

The irony of Emily’s situation and of Margaret saying to Nancy that “that girl’s not worthy of your care” is that she is a lot like Margaret was once in terms of her circumstances (and I suspect, her personality), as Nancy pointed out last episode and yet Margaret turned her away. She did not “sustain and defend” as Nancy said she ought. This is an indictment of Margaret’s occasional ruthless pragmatism (possibly even an unconscious occasional emulation of Lydia as I’ll discuss later) - it is not a reason to blame Emily for her own situation (and it’s not something the other girls have seen Margaret do before as they’re shocked and it leads Fanny to keep her pregnancy secret). She felt under-appreciated so she left for work elsewhere. She in no way brought her horrible situation upon herself. 

oh my god the scene between Florence and Amelia had me in tears. And it really seems to have enabled Florence to look on others in similar situations who haven’t given up the trade more charitably. Amelia is the only source of good in her life, but her goodness is so pervasive and determined and comforting that her mother cannot help but be swayed by it and decides to extend that understanding to others. she sees the hand of God in her child’s understanding, and takes it as a sign that her perspective is the right one. can Amelia just become a midwife or something to help out the other girls? that would be ideal. she’s been a nurse for her mother for years now!

Haxby is absolutely DESPERATE to get his job back (and looks like he’s been crying?), as it’s always been obvious it’s his whole life, and clearly believes his own delusions about the sway Charlotte had over him (notwithstanding his parting shot later about how she gave him pleasure - that was clearly a bit of unwitting jealousy) - that the fault lies with her. I’ve seen the next episode and he’s not in it much either and all I can say without spoilers is that I don’t like the direction it takes - it’s not so much character assassination as character oversimplification. It’s possible that more will be done with it in ep 8, but I’m pessimistic about it being resolved to my liking. This is one of only two things about this show that bother me - they just stick out a lot bc everything else is so well done (and I’m talking about episode 7 specifically and not what happens in this episode). Cmon guys you hired Ed Hogg - give him good material like you did in the first half of the season!

oh betsey having trouble with drink and Prince trying to help her :( he wants to be friends with the girls but his own survival instincts make it hard for them to trust him.

It was great to see more of Kitty this episode - she’s a good leader able to hold down the fort when Margaret’s needed elsewhere, and to manage conflicts and issues among the girls.

Nancy served SO MANY LOOKS this episode; I was LIVING. also Lydia’s black lace hat thing was my favorite thing ever - need one of those for myself

“How can it be hate that drives you? It is love.” And we see that love, such as it is, come into play in the final devastating scene of this episode. When Lydia comes to the door once more as Nancy is trying to transport Howard from the premisses, Margaret looks absolutely spent. Out of a combination of desperation to distract Lydia, emotional exhaustion, and through the learned behavior of an abused child, she tells Lydia where Emily is. “That’s my good girl,” Lydia says to her, and touches her chin in a way eerily reminiscent of how we’ve sometimes seen Margaret touch Lucy’s. That wraps up an episode on the perils of motherhood for both parties involved, and the lengths to which mothers will go when it’s not hate that drives them, but love.