#just so many issues that would have been fixed with more episodes

[evenlarksandkatydids]

imo the acolyte is one of the latest victims of "too short season syndrome" like, so many of its flaws could have been ironed out if we had a couple more episodes to flesh out character arcs and develop relationships.

[applepixls]

Anyone else thinking about how odd the hermitcraft economy is?

in season 9 they had a minor economic recession after the diamond ore war because there were far too many diamonds in circulation making them (hypothetically) worth less than normal and ren stepped in as the king and did what has been done in the midst of a lot of irl economic depressions; he created a government so they could employ the policy of Keynesian economics (basically more gov't intervention to stabilize the economy, it mostly worked in 1930's japan!), he took control of diamonds and even introduced a new currency, royal emeralds (much like Germany after WW1! they had some hyperinflation because of the war reparations they had to pay and the gov't not understanding that printing more money makes the money worth less resulting in the mark [currency] being so worthless they started burning it because they couldn't afford wood for fires. a new gov't came into power and they replaced the mark with rentenmarks which did a lot of fixificating for the economy). Ren's gov't also introduced a lot of gov't funded projects like the quests (the irl equivalent for this would be Roosevelt's New Deal which introduced policies/projects called the Alphabet Agencies (among other things) such as the AAA, CCC, TVA (do you see why they're called the alphabet agencies?) that would adjust the value of grain so farmers could start earning money for produce again and create work that would support a growing economy, projects like building roads and bridges)

so basically, all the policies ren's government introduced were very logically sound and worked in real life to fix the economy (except that irl the Great Depression only fully ended because WW2 started-), the issue is that hermitcraft is not real life and hermits do not behave like real people, they behave like hermits.

lets start with the hermitcraft economy. unlike the real economy, hermits rarely adjust prices according to how many diamonds are "in circulation". i say this despite the fact grian in a recent-ish episode says that "everything costs more this season because diamonds are more common". that can't be true because the caves and cliffs update literally made diamonds more difficult to acquire. I will circle back to this point made by grian later

hermits not adjusting prices by server-wide abundance of diamonds (because they cant really know how much anyone has, much less the total amount of diamonds in circulation, they just know who has a lot and who is broke) means that more diamonds doesn't make them worth less like it did with German marks, it just means hermits have more expendable currency and can spend more money and less time gathering materials for projects. It is also notable that diamonds are constantly being added and taken out of circulation because they're an actual useful currency rather than real life currencies which are symbolic slips of paper. diamonds can be used for armour and tools and it can be acquired by mining. so because of how hermits spend money, taking diamonds out of the economy in s9 did nothing but make them poor and angry at the government. the hermitcraft economy is actually stronger with more diamonds in circulation and is worsened by gov't intervention.

so already the use of real life strategies is utterly useless in hermitcraft economy but there are a few other reasons as well

the hermits tendency to resist government as well as the flawed and greedy government itself are a couple but also the fact that all the hermits are self employed (in real life but also in universe). they own and stock their own shops meaning all profits are more or less direct; its not passed through hands of big corporations so the person producing the product gets mere cents. the hermits are essentially small business owners (which becomes a bit of a problem come season 10 but we're still talking about season 9). The important part is the self employment. the season 9 gov't introduces the quests which mimic and echo real life government funded projects but because they're all employed and the quests gave small amounts of diamonds back, they did very little for the hermits

I'm sure theres more to say but i think its time to move on to the very interesting season 10 economy

if you've missed it you must be living under a rock but hermits are all using permits this season meaning only one shop in the shopping district is selling any given item/material and as a result of this prices have gone sky high. at one point a single stack of mangrove logs cost 7 diamonds when in previous seasons you could get at least 1 stack of wood for 1 diamond if not more

So what is causing this economic depression and hyperinflation?

well, circling back to the point grian made about resources costing more because of abundance of diamonds, I would think it actually costs more because of the permits.

grian thinks the diamond prices are fair because he has middle of the road permits (and is one of the hermits who designed their shopping district, permit and economic system this season so he's biased), there is enough demand to keep him afloat when he's stocked but its nothing people are clamouring for and buying him out. on the other hand, joel made a lot of shops that no one shops at because his objectively weighted permits have not been selling as well as they anticipated when making the permits (also some people like etho and pearl have additional income from their not as fabulous permits because they've made a pay to play game to go with it) and finally there are hermits like mumbo whose gold, iron and item frame shops were constantly getting bought out so he was frustrated with trying to restock despite getting lots of profit

(another interesting dynamic to think about is permits like cleo's book permit which lost value as the season went on because everyone needed books early on but now that they're all playing late game Minecraft, everyone is pretty stocked up and buying from cleo less often)

Basically, grian is satisfied with the pricing because he's middle class and couldn't afford it if they were more expensive but appreciates not being constantly out of stock, joel is unsatisfied because he is lower class and never has enough expendable currency to fund his projects because materials are too expensive and his permits aren't worth enough to sell them for more, and mumbo is unsatisfied because he is higher class and is constantly out of stock because his materials sell out too often and he wants to sell them for more to stay in stock more (classic supply and demand, he doesn't want to stock them as often making the supply lower and the demand proportionally higher making them worth more and therefore more expensive)

the reason i say the permits are to blame for the high prices is because they cause the responsibility of constantly stocking something to fall on one person (in past seasons, if one persons sandstone shop was out of stock you could go check someone else's sandstone shop). the threat of taking the permit away if they arent stocked along with the difficulty of constantly stocking some of these materials raises the cost.

a great example of this is skizzleman because his mangrove and cherry wood shop was one of the first shops to be built in the shopping district, meaning he somewhat set the prices this season. now, mangrove and cherry are both difficult trees to harvest because of their unconventional shapes and the fact that they are more recent additions (and skizz's stubborn desire to design his own farms...) so because of the time required to gather them the prices already were hitched up. add that to the fact that they are trying to constantly be in stock and therefore low prices that allow hermits to completely buy out the shops are unfavourable, and you get sky rocket-ing prices. (it is also difficult because skizz had no prior experience with hermitcraft pricing)

in conclusion... hermitcraft needs a laissez-faire economy (f. a. hayek) to function and not go into economic depression. Between the nature of the diamond currency, hermits' tendency to rebel against governments, the way they use the concept of supply and demand to price their goods, and the restrictions permits put on supplying products, hermits have proven that extensive structure and government intervention have not improved economic wellbeing the way that it does in real life

thus, hermits do not behave like regular humans, they operate on fae laws of its funny so lets do it and therefore must be governed as such (aka not governed), thank you for coming to my ted talk

[blitzwhore]

So. Stolas is an alcoholic. That much is very clear at this point in the show and has been for a while now. He binge-drinks to cope with depression and with his life problems at large.

What's interesting is that he's far from the only character in Blitzø's life who is an alcoholic. In fact, substance abuse seems to be a recurring theme in the show. At least three other people Blitzø was or is really close with (potentially four, if we count his father) have struggled with substance abuse: Verosika, Barbie, and Fizz.

And the show has made a very clear point that both Verosika and Barbie have been in rehab. Not just that, but it's also emphasised that they're both still struggling with addiction (Verosika still drinks at her concerts, "clutches onto Beelzejuice bottles like they're the last cock in hell", and writes magazine articles about binge drinking being sexy; Barbie still peddles heroine, though not H8). Clearly, for both of them, this is an ongoing issue presently in the show.

So, with all of that being said, I recently saw someone theorise that, in a future season, Stolas is going to go to rehab, too.

I thought it was certainly a possibility, and one that I would personally love to see explored. So I've been thinking about it... and I remembered this:

The beginning of Unhappy Campers, and Blitzø breaking into rehab to go visit Barbie.

Now, I think a lot of people (myself included) felt surprised and a bit disappointed the first time we watched this episode, because our initial assumption was that Blitzø was trying to visit Stolas. It just made sense! Stolas was hospitalised right at the end of the previous episode and texted Blitzø that he could visit if he wanted to. (At this point, we also didn't know Blitzø had trauma surrounding visiting loved ones at hospitals). And suddenly they hit us with Blitzø seeking out Barbie out of the blue? So many of us were left wondering... why? Yeah, people have mentioned that maybe feeling like he could've lost Stolas prompted Blitzø to try to mend a different broken relationship, one that he felt he had more chances of fixing. But the timing, as well as the non-immediate revelation that it's Barbie he's looking for, is still... strikingly suspicious, isn't it?

And just now, after all this time, it hit me.

What if this is foreshadowing?

What if, all along, they were telling us Blitzø will visit Stolas at the hospital in the future... when Stolas is in rehab?

[moonsandloons]

I think we don’t talk enough about how Two seems to assume what everyone wants. It’s actually a really good character flaw but I never see anyone talking about it-

My main example of this is with Clock and Winner. Two sees that they’re having issues and wants to help, so they let Clock stay in the kitchen. They never considered that Winner might’ve been uncomfortable with that, they never considered that they shouldn’t meddle in other people’s drama, they just saw an issue and wanted to fix it.

We’ve seen them doing this since the very first episode they appeared in. They took 40 of Four’s contestants! Why didn’t they just wait until the season was over? Did they do it because they hate Four? Were they trying to hurt his feelings? No! They just… Wanted to host a show.

They weren’t thinking about how their actions may affect others, they just saw an opportunity and took it. Why go through the trouble to FIND contestants when Four had already found so many? They were just trying to save themself some trouble, not even thinking about how Four would feel.

A more recent example is when they gave Gaty a job in the kitchen. Of course, she was happy about it, but it doesn’t change the fact that they never ASKED if she wanted to work there. They were sad about her elimination and decided to keep her there. Sure, she was fine with it, but it’s also what led to her eventually being kidnapped.

I just. I love Two very much, and I don’t think they’re a bad person. This isn’t a Two hate post or anything. Just. They have character flaws, please recognize them ^_^

[eyothings]

So out of nowhere this december, i've been hit with nostalgia and decided it was time to rewatch Buffy The Vampire Slayer's entire series after the last time it aired on tv, meaning 20 years ago.

Not only it shaped a whole side of my lil sister personality, it is also the favorite show of one of my cousin and closest friends.

And considering the state i'm in after finishing season 7, i know for sure Spike is the origin of my utter love for anti-heros, England and ennemies-to-lovers trope.

He is one of those characters that stay with you forever.

C'mon look at him, LO_OK.

I had very few memories of the show, only some big moments: Angel leaving for a spinoff, Spike ♥, Dark Willow, Spuffy - Basically I remembered almost nothing.

The first season set the tone for me, i forgot the serie was very funny, and what worked right away was the simple fact that they didn't act seriously either, the actors looked like they just had fun. On top of that, even if i already knew that, the show is very feminist and advanced for its time.

I also forgot how much of an asshole Xander is. lol

The worst season for me is clearly season 4, and between you and me, and me and you, it's unsurprisingly because of Riley and the army.

The best season is obviously season 6, and not only for Spike and Spuffy but for Buffy's whole personality.

I have so much to say about the show really, but I'll stay focused and talk about the two ships: Bangel and Spuffy (and a bit of Riley). Note that it is purely my point of view, based on what i like to see and read in fiction and how I perceive the characters, there is clearly a big difference compared to real life. As well as any "bitch" mentioned here is only affectionate. And if you're crazy enough to read the entire post, I apologise in advance for the many mistakes in my writing, as English is not my mother tongue.

The moment i'm writing this VERY long ass post, I've only just started to watch Angel the series for the first time and I've only seen the first season, so my thoughts on him may change in the future, but I don't think my pov on the ships will. I am also aware of some events in seasons 8 to 12 (comics).

• Bangel:

To be honest I liked their love story more when Angel was Angelus.

First, them falling in love never really clicked, I guess they played the love at first sight trope, but she was 15 and he was 200; at that age, any man who was pretty enough and a bit dark would've worked for her. (I won't talk about a 26 y/o man falling in love with a 15 y/o teenager, the man is from 1727, at this point it's not even the same culture okay??)

I thought I'd still give it a chance and root for them, even if I was fully aware of him leaving and Spike would be the new romance (I FORGOT THE WASTE OF TIME WITH RILEY), because they actually talked about all the issues, they knew something was off with their love story but they couldn't stop.

I have not much to say about the nature of their love, it was a cute romance at best, but the more they went further the cringier it'd get, I still have trauma about their kiss noises, no kidding.

They slept together and Angel becomes Angelus, which is supposed to be sad and add some angst, but Angelus was so charismatic, I didn't care about Angel anymore.

And what can I say? I think the soul vs no soul aspect played kinda badly, they all said that Angelus was incapable of love since he had no soul, but we had the concrete proof that love was possible thanks to Spike & Drusilla to begin with ??

I was hoping that, since they sold us their love as super powerful and intense, Angelus would end up falling in love with Buffy, especially after the episode in which both are possessed by ghosts in season 2 episode 19 - I Only Have Eyes for You - which is my favorite moment between them:

but NO, Angelus cannot love, and only Angel can:

It's either we get the flavored guy but no romance or the bland one with a half romance.

Talk about the greatest love story there.

And the whole season 3 is Angel and Buffy having a teen romance:

"Let's just hold hands and kiss but nothing else"

Of course I guess this kind of love story is possible, but it is made clear they both feel the sexual tension each time they kiss, they even dream of doing it. So the only thing that comes of it, is frustrating feelings, for Buffy, for Angel and for us watching them going nowhere.

The hottest moment they have is when Angel bites her to survive.

Surely for a love story that is sold to be so grand, I expected Angel to find a cure for the curse? And fight for his love or something?

♫ Nope, he just leaves. ♫

♫ Bitch talks about fighting for what is worth and bails out at the first difficulty. ♫

i cannot even blame Joyce here, she made the right call, for real. Mother knows best, but he had the chance to prove her wrong.

And in parallel to that we are introduced to Spike, a vampire with no soul who is one hundred times worth Angel, just by existing.

And there is so much to say, whether or not Spuffy was intended, whether or not Angel is supposed to be the love of Buffy's life; After reaching seven seasons, I can guarantee without any hesitation, that Spike is the one, there is no contest.

I can't, for the life of me, believe one second that Joss Whedon and the rest of the team wrote the enemies to lovers story of the last two decades without doing it on purpose? They were so much into Angel, to realize what was happening?

They sold me Angel and Buffy being the "forever love", and, in a way, they are, but only because they cling to the "what could've been".

Of course they will always be attracted to each other until they really try. They'll always idealise their love story and fill the plotholes with their imagination. But it is dramatically bound to end in disaster.

And no, Buffy, I cannot take you seriously when you say "I loved him more than I will ever love anything in this life" ; You were a teenager, it is normal to feel more deeply when you're 16, but that doesn't mean anything, and you know it too well.

Angel left her broken, unable to trust anyone, unable to trust herself and alone: If the love of her life doesn't want to be with her, then who will? (♫ We have an idea ♫ )

Soul or not, he has been a coward, with no intent to get to know Buffy, her family, her friends. He decided what was best for her without asking her.

All he does after that, is coming back into Buffy's life at the worst moments to be jealous.

♫ He is that toxic boyfriend who comes back with puppy eyes each time you try to move on. ♫

Every time he appears in an episode it's to disappoint even more: I was rooting for him, I even missed him A LOT in season 4 !

And, sure, meanwhile, the dance between Spike and Buffy was already ongoing since season 2, but we really didn't have any concrete scenes between them that could seal the ship for good (them under Willow's spell in season 4 doesn't count). So the best option at that moment was the hope for Angel to come back.

Buffy never really had the chance to move on from Angel because of Riley and his insecurities, but also because Angel cannot seem to move on, while moving on at the same time ? ! ? ♫ Bitch has a child ♫

The moment Angel left the show, it should have been for good. (Note aside, I'm still having a hard time believing the character had his own spinoff because of his popularity, when we barely saw him hanging around in the first 3 seasons, wouldn't have it been simpler for him to stay and have more scenes, like Spike?) • Riley & Buffy (Briley??)

And so Angel never came back, and we got Riley instead. He was the perfect choice to make the bridge between Bangel and Spuffy. She needed to experience a "normal" romance, with a "normal guy" to know what it's like and to understand what she really wants, but one season and a half was way too much. ♫ I ended up googling " WHEN is Riley LEAVING? "♫ The moment Buffy said she held back her strength when training with him, was enough to see what was coming.

Riley was nothing else than just an army guy under steroids who couldn't even handle his girlfriend being stronger than him.

Him blaming Buffy for not really being around when her mother was dying was the cherry on top of the loser's behavior.

Buffy needed someone with whom she could be 100% herself, an equal, and Riley knew he wasn't half of that; so he made her pay? By cheating on her and leaving? Then coming back a year later to brag about his wedding? Lmao give me a break Riloser.

So now Buffy is alone AGAIN, both men she thought she loved, left without looking back. ♫ Over my shouuulder ♫

And from those two relationships, we can already see what she needs in a romance:

- An emotionally available man - That can be there for her without pushing her - Someone who doesn't flee the second he encounters the smallest difficulty - A man strong enough for her to unleash the full force without being afraid of hurting him ♫ yes i'm talking about sex ♫ - Someone who understands her role as the slayer and her crazy life - Someone selfless capable of protecting her family and friends - Someone she can trust.

♫ And now, ladies and gentlemen, lets welcome ♫

• Spuffy:

Ok first a bit of context here: I disagree about people criticizing Buffy season 6 Lets just understand whats going on: Bitch sacrifices herself to save the world and her sister; at that moment, she feels peace for the first time in her life, for the first time she is not afraid to die and fulfill her destiny by choice. She has an heroic death, ends up resting in paradise...

♫ Then her friends who can't handle to live without her, decide to bring her back to life. ♫

Not only she comes back to life in her fucking coffin, she also: - Has to crawl to the surface (almost dying stupidly) - Has to act as if nothing happened - Has to be the slayer again - Cannot even go back to university - Has even less prospect for a normal life - She is poor - She needs to find money (ends up working in a fast food) - Has to thanks her friends for bringing her back to the life she never wanted - Is being blamed for not really being around.

♫ I WOULD HAVE BEEN SO FUCKING PISSED YOU CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE ♫

So what? She comes back, feels different, depressed, alone AGAIN and figuratively chained to a life she still doesn't want, and the only person who does understand what she is going through is Spike. Spike who has been here for her family and friends the whole time she was dead, meaning, he did it because he wanted to, because he felt genuine pleasure in hanging out with them while keeping his promise to protect Dawn.

He could have left, but never did, even though his love was one-sided, he loved her so much he stayed.

♫ Death couldn't do them apart ♫

He has been a father figure for Dawn, but not only that, Spike was also the only vampire Joyce liked and trusted, a presence she didn't mind in her home without Buffy around.

And Spike did love Joyce very much ♥

And I have so much to say about Spike, he is that multi-flavored character with so many layers, who stays interesting with or without a soul. He is a slayer's killer, seen as one of the most dangerous vampires, that anyone should be scared to be around, he has so much confidence in himself, he doesn't even mind being so freaking pathetic when it comes to love.

He is not even afraid nor ashamed to show his affection, to be vulnerable, to be open about it, and most of it, he just embraces it without a care of the outcome, he is just living by the day, knowing perfectly that everything could stop at any moment. Though, that being said, i'm still well aware Spike has also MANY flaws, all he does is mainly driven by love but it is still extreme and twisted due to his soulless condition. I really don't know where to start, because i feel like Buffy and Spike's destinies are intertwined - They are a mirror to each other. Buffy's behavior has anything to do with Spike, as Spike's behavior has anything to do with Buffy - it is really like watching a dance.

Spike allows her to embrace and explore the darkest part of herself - She was always the perfect girl everyone expected her to be.

She needed to do good, to BE good, but what if she, for once, chose the other side? Of course she never went as far as Faith did, but she allowed herself to fall into a forbidden romance, and to go against everyone's expectations, because she only felt something when she was with him. And i loved this part of her, because to me, she finally has flaws! I mean, she always had some but not to that extent. And maybe, maybe being like this, was a way for her to never fall completely into the darkness nor into Spike's influence.

Maybe she was in an inner battle between good and bad.

Maybe it was an unconscious way to either push him away, or test him to see if he will ever leave her. Abusive or not towards Spike, let's not forget that he is still William the bloody, and the only thing that stops him from killing anyone is the chip in his brain. We're still talking about the guy who would have easily killed Willow if he had the chance, the one Buffy wouldn't trust at all without that said chip.

Even though Spike has done TREMENDOUS good deeds with the scoobies, he is still a slave to his primary emotions.

Don't get me wrong, this is why i love Spike SO MUCH, his duality as a soulless vampire is everything. The man can talk to you about his favorite romantic show and a minute later kill someone in cold blood and find a great pleasure in both.

♫ Anyway ♫

Above all things, they are in love, and this love is extremely intense, deep, powerful, unbearable and terrible.

Thanks to Tara, Buffy realizes she did not come back as any different as before she died and realizes the horrors she has committed to Spike by treating him like a monster he never trully was.

Buffy ends up admitting her wrongs and grows out of her darkness and chooses to be good and to end her relationship with Spike. And she is glowing and glimming, and she's not his anymore.

Which leads Spike to end up doing something awful.

And what does he do after that??

He leaves the city...

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ TO FIX HIMSELF ♫ ♫ ♫

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are in the year 2002, and yes you read me well:

THE BAD GUY GOES TO FIX HIMSELF TO BE WORTHY OF THE GIRL

♫ William the bloody risked his fucking life in a trial to get back his soul ♫

She doesn't fix him, he does it on his own because he knows something must be done to repair his wrongs, that his love needs to be purified of his monstrous side to be a better man and stand at her side.

And even though she doesn't know that, she is still looking for him, even after what he has done, she is always drawn to him, she always wants to be around him.

Then she learns he got his spark back for her and she does everything in her power to keep him by her side.

Because now it is time for Spike to embrace the brightest part of himself thanks to Buffy.

I love them so much, especially in season 7 because they don't even have to act romantically to show how deep their love is for each other. How simple it has become, how instinctive their complicity is. They know how to complement each other, it is almost symbiotic.

They are clearly not ready to be together again until they really sort things out but Spike has seen the best and the worst parts of her, and is still hers entirely, and will always be.

As much as Buffy has seen the best and worst parts of him, and she still trusts and loves him to the point of asking the initiative to remove the chip in his brain. ♫ On top of desperately not wanting him to die ♫ Also, without knowing it yet, she is entirely his and will always be.

Buffy sees Spike’s worth, and Spike sees Buffy’s, even when neither of them can see their own.

They lift each other up, and become an unbreakable force, to the point that no one can split them.

And this is one of my favorite parts of Spuffy, in season 7:

Before, she would never have let Spike kill a human, not even out of revenge. But now, she’s willing to let his shadow take over if it means keeping him alive, just as he learns to hold it back. To me, episode 17 - Lies My Parents Told Me - marks how far their connection has grown: Buffy running as fast as she can to save Spike Spike's past with his mother, helping him make peace with some of it, as part of his ongoing redemption arc ♫ it broke my heart ♫ Spike coming back to his senses to beat the shit out of Robin, and giving him a last chance Buffy telling Robin she'll let Spike kill him next time he even tries to harm Spike Buffy choosing Spike over Giles Buffy choosing Spike over the "common sense" Buffy choosing love over her duty (even if she pretends otherwise) ♫ Buffy, you cannot fool Spike, but you cannot fool us either! ♫

And i love this parallel with the end of season 2 when she had to choose duty over love and kill Angel. This is Buffy allowing herself to be a bit more selfish while Spike is allowing himself to be a bit more selfless.

And then in the middle of the biggest battle of her life, she is overthrown over shitty excuses ♫ i have a LOT to say about the Scoobies but that post is insanely long to add some salt ♫ and who is the one that still has her back? Spike. Spike has always been unconditionally here for her and never let her down, which even the Scoobies didn't always do.

Spike is the one who delivers the most selfless and beautiful love declaration of the whole show, to her. When she needs it the most, because he is the only one who can see her.

And his love is what gives strength to Buffy to trust herself and pursue her goal. He is the one who brings back the light in Buffy, who pushes her to live and accept her fate as being the one.

And talking about light,

♫ What a freakin' poetry to have centered Spike's whole redemption arc around it ♫

He was always pursuing that light, whether in Cecily when he was a human or Buffy as a vampire. All he had to do was bring the light into him and embrace his humanity to fulfill his redemption. And so he makes the ultimate sacrifice, And he glows. Not only he saves the world willingly and selflessly but he also gives back the fire inside Buffy, frees her from Sunnydale and her role as the sole slayer.

♫ "I love you" - "Spike" are the last words Buffy says in the show ♫ • Conclusion A freaking long ass post only to say that to me, Spuffy is very well written as enemies to lovers, thanks to Jane Espenson, Douglas Petrie & Marti Noxon. Though i think Spike still suffers some injustices, but I'm glad he got the respect he deserves in the comics, (which i consider canon) : Not only does Spike end up as part of the Scoobies but also with Buffy, and he is the only one with whom she fights for their relationship to last. ♫ And they're endgame in season 12 ♫ (Thank you Christos Gage)

I also think JW made many mistakes for Bangel to work: I know he was kinda annoyed by Spike's popularity at first and wanted Angel to be seen as the main vampire of the franchise, which led him to give Angel his own spinoff, but by doing that, he also broke the link between Buffy and Angel. Which ultimately led Spike to have a more organic evolution with her instead of Angel. They both had their own paths in their own separate worlds, which forced JW to accept Spuffy as being the logical conclusion. Just as Cordelia was also the best choice for Angel to grow and be more open about his emotions. Claiming in interviews that Angel is the love of Buffy's life without ever demonstrating it concretely in any of the media itself makes this statement fall flat. I do not hate Bangel, I think the ship was necessary for Buffy to grow, but i do see more Angel as her first idealised and tragic love, while with Spike, it is more grounded, mature and based on mutual respect, trust, acceptation and stability.

♫ Angel should have stayed and Spike and Drusilla should have had their own spinoff, and i'd have paid to see that. ♫ • My pov on Sprusilla?

Literally nothing to say about them, they match each other freak to a level no one can ever comprehend.

♫ They are a perfect match and untouchable. ♫ ♫ May they end up together again and last for eternity. ♫

♫ With animals. ♫ (alive)

[thenationofzaun]

"If only Season 2 had more episodes/if only the show had more seasons it would be better"

No girl, more episodes and seasons would have just been filled with more bullshit. If you were only saying this about S2 Act 1, I'd get it. But after all 9 episodes have dropped y'all are still saying this as if "rushed pacing" was the end all be all issue of this season?

Having more episodes wouldn't have fixed their garbage politics and horrible messaging baked into the show's very foundation. It wouldn't have fixed the glaring plot holes opened up by the idiotic flashbacks. Nor the juvenile Disney Junior "resolution" of conflicts (because the writers genuinely don't think Piltover's oppression of Zaun is that big a deal). Nor the terrible characterizations of most characters (how can more episodes fix Vi for instance, when it didn't even register to the writers that prison would have traumatized her?) It wouldn't have fixed the plot devolving into MCU avengers-assemble-to-defeat-the-zombie-horde drivel either. That was always the slop they were heading towards.

I think so many people have way more faith in the writing team than I do. They truly think that the only issue with Season 2 is that the writers were screwed over by Riot and not given enough screentime. That if they did have the time necessary, they could have fixed the show with their wonderful writing. But from what I see in season 2's limited screentime, it's the writing itself that completely lacks any maturity or intelligence.

Give the season 12 episodes, and you'd have ended up with 12 episodes of the same old nonsense, just with more meandering in between. Give the show 50 episodes instead of 18, same result.

[twoa-plus]

in paradise

(spoilers for beast yeast episodes 9 & 10)

eternal sugar is, to me, the most tragic of the beasts (so far, at least). the others became corrupted versions of what they once were - everything fades eventually, so it’s best not to care for anything at all; an exciting lie will always prevail over fact, so why bother defending the truth; change is a neverending cycle of rises and falls, so why not just skip to the falls. eternal sugar, though, when faced with the reality that happiness is fleeting, did not lean in to pain. she clung to her role as “bringer of happiness” like a drowning man to driftwood. her desperation for everyone to be happy is quite possibly the most genuine thing about her. however, she does not trust people to stay within the bounds of the “happiness” she gives them - in order for her dreams of everyone’s happiness to come true, she must control them. there’s the whole thing with the “air that makes you hallucinate eternal joy when you breathe it” of course, but even the actual, physical ways that she grants people’s wishes lead to their total dependence on her.

sugarfly’s flight is symbolic of her freedom, in every sense of the word. there’s the obvious physical aspect, but what i’m more interested in is the emotional. sugarfly came to the garden unhappy with her wings - unhappy with herself - and her wish was for eternal sugar to “fix” her. this wish was granted. however, eternal sugar does not trust this to keep her happy forever - what if when she leaves, people don’t like her new wings? what if when she leaves, she realizes that there are so many greater issues in her life? what if when she leaves, she gets hurt? the obvious solution is, of course, to not let her leave at all. eternal sugar grants her wish, yes - but she does it in a way that leaves sugarfly entirely dependent on the garden. sugarfly’s freedom of movement has been taken, but it’s okay, there’s no need to fly in the garden. sugarfly’s freedom of spirit has been taken, her personality replaced by constant expressions of gratitude, but it’s okay - she’s happy.

pavlova is more of a difficult case since we don’t know nearly as much about him, so most of this is just speculation on my end, but i think it fits here. pavlova, the child, views love and all its complications as nothing more than strings in the beautiful tapestry of life’s narrative. every good story needs its ups and downs, so there’s no point in being upset when tragedy strikes - it’s all just part of the excitement, after all. pavlova’s wish, i think, was to return to (or stay within) this childlike innocence, this core belief that nothing in life is truly bad. eternal sugar granted this wish by making him an actual child - someone who has never had to face the realities of loss, yes, but also someone who needs caring for. she needs him to need her - need the garden - so that he will not (cannot) leave. if he doesn’t leave, he won’t have to accept the everyday pains of life. pavlova may be deprived of the ability to grow into the person he was meant to be, but he is happy.

the whole point of beast yeast 9 & 10 is that idea at the end of “happiness cannot exist without pain as its shadow.” in order to pursue what would truly make her happy, sugarfly first needs to accept who she is to begin with - a long, painful process, starting with the acceptance of her so detested wings as part of herself. in order to pursue what would truly make him happy, pavlova needs to grow up - he needs to learn that life is not a fairytale & he should not be a bystander in its story, that he shouldn’t take its highlights for granted. they needed to go through that pain to reach true happiness. eternal sugar cannot handle the idea of anyone going through any pain, however, so she had to make them stay as they were. their joy may be only surface-deep, but at least there is no pain.

pavlova & sugarfly are based on eros & psyche, respectively - a married couple. they were destined to be together, their fates intertwined - but their tale has been tampered with. their red string is holding on by a thread, and with the slightest touch it might snap.

and the worst part is that none of it was malicious.

[elytra404]

IM FUCKING OBSESSED WITH THIS NEW EPISODE????? THE RULER MAY BE THE BEST EPISODE IN MY EYES OF THE SEASON SO FAR???

I have so many things to say soooo warning for spoilers below

1. Genesis has limits!! We don't see it very clearly but the item's disappearance when Marc makes new ones or when they're knocked out his hands. SO I think the limitation of genesis is focus. You have to be thinking of the item and focused. It gets knocked out your hands and you get surprised? It's gone. Plus it has to be something you can imagine it seems.

2. I'm obsessed with Nath's fighting style. My boy had marker knives. MARKER KNIVES. He used a big paint pallet as a shield!!! A big ass pencil as a javelin!!! And he's so cute doing it! (That being said, I'm still gonna be calling him Caprisun 💙🖤🤍)

3. The most overt queer metaphor I have ever seen, and I watched 'I saw the TV glow' over the weekend. Legitimately. At what point does it stop being subtext and just become the text cause I feel like at this point it's just the text. I'm fucking obsessed with it I adored this episode I will be rewatching it for the rest of time. Nath transforming in a closet, "set him straight", the hand holding, the just straight up gay nights that clearly reflect nathmarc and adrinette??

4. The adrinette subplot. A. peak fanfic vibes I am obsessed. Love me a good sickfic. B. I've seen some posts talking about the adrinette subplot seeming like it was irrelevant (though I haven't see anyone complaining about that and I agree even if it wasn't it was adorable and I love a good character development filler subplot), but I disagree. I think having a subplot for adrinette, legitimately no matter what it was, was a really good call. The parallel between Marc and Nath's story and Adrinette's lives are so obvious, and it leads me to a faint theory.

4.5. (Said theory) I think Mari or Adri are gonna make a wish. I think it might be Adri especially? Or Adri does the miraculous Chat Noir on something serious? Something bad is gonna happen, like real bad, and their gonna loose their powers, but a wish or a big event are gonna fix it while also revealing identity. That's the direct parallel right?

5. Another theory based on The Ruler and El Toro, I think episode 22 is not only gonna be akuma!mari, which I think is a common theory (Seriously 'Lady Chaos' really sounds like akuma!mari). But I also think it's gonna be caused by an issue with her parents, or Natalie. Marinette has been doing her best this season with all the parenting struggles happening for her friends. Ivan's dad being a dick, Jules struggling with her dad being absent her whole life and suddenly giving all the attention and love to her twin, and now Nath's homophobic mum. This season has a really strong theme of parental issues, almost like one of the main character's abusive dad just died and it's up rooted his life hmmmm. Mari's family isnt perfect. Dearest family and Simple Man are good examples of that. And Natalie's now debatable alliances, when Natalie is a very trusted adult for Marinette. I think this is building up to something for Mari family wise, maybe even this causing a reveal of the Gabe secret.

6. I'm obsessed with that reveal. The transformations? I swear I've read that in adrinette fanfics 100 times and that makes it so perfect for marcnath. Them, who bonded over ladybug self insert fanfic when they first met? Its Fucking Perfect. It's so them. Nath has probably read that type of fic 100 times, those fics were probably running through his mind in that moment. It is perfectly beautifully them. Whoever on the writers team thought of that, I would do anything just to get them to give me critique on my scripts because their clearly a genius.

7. I might make season 6 Marc my new pfp. I'm obsessed with him. I am fucking loving this season, and honestly even rose's design is growing on me. Juleka's and Zoe's are still my favorites, but Marc and Alya are getting close to taking over the more I see them.

[buellersfueller]

I won't lie, I was fine with the idea of the doctor clinging to a child. I figured it paid off the line from the Beatles episode about how despite Susan's existence time travel meant they hadn't had a child yet. It felt well enough in line with the Doctor's broader last of my kind angst. Belinda being so down for it was a little startling, but whatever, she's a nurse who cares about people & we have no evidence against the reading.

But rewriting reality and the sacrifice of the regeneration was centered on the Doctor's child, and his grief at that loss, even only half remembered. The reality readjustment is a complete nightmare, and all the worse because it isn't treated as such. Like a Belinda ran into the forest to scream about this like an hour ago. I would know I binged the whole season today to avoid spoilers. As everyone has been pointing out it's a complete contradiction when held to the Point of the last episode. The horror of the domestic sphere, the flattening and agony of hegemony. And what, that's Belinda now? She was a person up until the penultimate, and by the end of the finale she's unrecognizable, and that's after she was shuffled out of frame for the majority of those episodes. Unreal. It was so refreshing to have this companion who was genuinely frightened by the Doctor, who saw them as dangerous and their life as more scary than exciting, and the slow seduction (so to speak) was really very compelling. Shifting that in this way is beyond the pale. I'm just so sad to lose her in this way.

And for another thing, why should we have to lose Gatwa over this. He's been so incredible but he's hardly been around. Two whole episodes without him between his two seasons, both in favor of Ruby, and now fully sandwiched between legacy returns, to minimize his role as the doctor. He brought so much life and joy to the role and I'm just so bereaved to see him go. And no amount of Billie Piper can fix that.

And another another thing! Bringing Rogue back just for him to be implied dead? Are you fucking serious? Like, this is the least of my concerns with the finale. There are bigger fish to fry in terms of structural issues and racist misogynistic writing choices. However. Why. Why bring him back just to say I love you and then die. Why not adjust him back in? Why why why? One of many great joys in Gatwa's run was the queerness of his performance as the Doctor and I'm both worried we're seeing the last of it as a major character element and disappointed they stirred that one back up to this end.

[startedwellthatsentence]

I would like to remind everyone in the Doctor Odyssey fandom that while “closed triad that replicates monogamy in every way except there’s three people now” is one hyperspecific way that polyamory can be practiced, it is not the only way that polyamory can be practiced.

It’s not even the only or most common form of non-monogamy that has been shown ON THE SHOW. We’ve had hierarchical non-monogamous relationships, both toxic and healthy (Man with wife, girlfriend, and mistress; gay couple who enjoy group sex); we’ve had people with multiple partners, both toxic and healthy (wedding couple fucking the best man and also many other people; Single Sam having sex with the majority of people during singles week; the other background characters during gay week); and we’ve seen ONE other closed triad (captain’s brother and boyfriends).

Exploring other forms of polyamory is actually one of the best ways, IMO, of us getting to have the Ody3 together while still getting multiple seasons of a network show (which NEEDS relationship drama to be viable — we KNOW they can’t sustain this show with just their silly “medical” plots).

Tristan seems to have quick, surface level attractions with a lot of people (guest with the heart problem, Vivian, Spencer, Max) but it takes him a LONG time to act on them (he pined after Avery for years without making a move; he told Vivian that he wants to take things very slow) — what does that look like if he’s in a poly relationship? How can Avery deal with her jealousy in a healthy way when she doesn’t know which of Tristan’s flirtations may turn serious? How does Max deal with not having all the information at all times?

Avery has jealousy issues that she is VERY MUCH in denial about — rationally she knows that Tristan and Max are allowed to be in whatever relationships they want, especially when she has specifically told them that, so she shouldn’t feel jealous or upset and hates that she does anyway. She has to figure out how to deal with both not wanting a monogamous relationship and not having a healthy way to deal with jealousy. Potential plots: Avery successfully achieves a polyamorous relationship, realizes that this doesn’t actually fix the disconnect between her thoughts and feelings; they talk about their relationship and how it will work, Avery agrees to things that are rational and then gets upset and then is angry about being upset, etc etc etc.

Max likes to be knowledgeable and in control. If he ever seriously considers the whole poly thing, he might start reading every book and article available, throwing around words like metamour and compersion — and then do what he seems to prefer, which is use that orthodoxy to protect himself from actually reflecting on what he really feels. We know that Tristan doesn’t like when Max gets arrogant, and we know that Avery is going to have a lot of trouble with the whole compersion thing — would this affect their relationship? Would Max use relationship anarchy to further run away from his dual needs for control and hedonism? Speaking of hedonism:

Max also loves to put himself into plausibly deniable situations in which sex might happen — taking Tristan to his quarters, watching Archer in a hotel room with Tristan, going to Avery’s quarters, taking Ken to the cryotherapy room, taking Tristan AND Avery to his quarters, taking Brooke to his quarters (I had to go back and add more because I kept remembering examples). How many more times will this happen before Avery comes completely unhinged? This seems to be his primary method of flirting — would he stop if he were in a relationship, or would he keep doing it with the “it was just ___” excuses?

Joshua Jackson called the show pro-polyamorous — if this wasn’t just a bunch of PR bullshit but was actually true, then I’d like to see some explorations of polyamory in its multiple forms. And considering the textual evidence from the show itself, which has already in 9 episodes explored many kinds of non-monogamy, I don’t actually think this is impossible.

[mutantninjamidlifecrisis]

Silly question, could Leo and Leon's relationship be considered that of a father and son? It was hinted at in the episode where they go to eat pizza, and their interactions are quite similar to those of a father and son. Mikey also mentions that Leon has more of a paternal air than a brotherly one.

Also how Leon sees Leo as a sad child who needs a responsible adult, Leo's point of view is more complicated but still, what do you say?

Ty for your question! This one's really interesting (I love your art btw). Personally, I don't view Leon's connection with Leo as paternal. Without even going into the weirdness of viewing your younger self as your child, Leon was already really struggling to grapple with the concept of taking on that role with Casey. I think the intention with what Mikey was thinking there was that, Leon has the age and weariness of a guy with a long track record of leading people through shit circumstances, so his leadership style inevitable reads more like a tired old master compared to Leo's brotherly shenanigans.

Imo Leon has no clue how to classify his relationship with Leo. Oc there's a low relationship bar of 'fond and friendly' that he tries his best to meet but at times there's still elements of... well, on both sides of the relationship, I think we all have things about ourselves that piss us off or make us sad and sometimes it's difficult to have a mirror held up to you like that- there is of course the other side of the coin where Leon and Leo can understand eachother like no one else can + there's so many good traits to them that are admirable that they can see in one another. With some time and healing, I could see Leon take on the part of a mentor (a backseat leader that provides guidance or throws out nuggets of wisdom when the team really needs it) or a weird uncle figure, but I don't think his relationship with Casey, the younger turtles, and especially Leo can be simplified to the parent-child dynamic.

In terms of Leo's perspective... Again, it's himself. I don't think his view of Leon could ever line up in a similar way to how he sees Splinter. He obviously respects Leon, looks up to him in a lot of ways- definitely wants to prove himself to him, but I think he would struggle to grapple with those uh.. daddy issues? Daddy issues isn't the word but I don't think a term exists for whatever the hell Leon and Leo have going on.

I do think there's some comedy to Leon and Leo being mistaken for father and son by third party, outside observers that have zero context for any of this. And honestly despite how much Leo and Leon might not like it, it's probably easier for the family to just go along with that excuse rather than explain the whole terrifying "alternative timeline where we all could have been wiped out by aliens but it's okay dw about it we fixed it"

[failchild]

i'm still waiting on the finale of course but overall i'm finding season 2 to be a lot less enjoyable than season 1. which is weird because i like most of S2's episodes individually (the gemma episode is maybe the best of the whole series), but when i consider the season as a whole it really feels like the writers know where they're headed, but have trouble getting there.

i also think S1's themes of work and corporate culture have been pushed aside for more general themes of The Self and This Specific Corporation is Evil and Weird, which is not nearly as interesting to me! i'm not expecting salient socialist critique lol but i just don't really care for the more mystery-focused direction. more thoughts under the cut…

one of my biggest issues is the (lack of) character work. S1 integrated character and plot development so well—one fed into the other! save for milchick (yay milchick), in S2 everyone feels so much more stagnant and aimless. and not in a meaningful, "wow nothing ever changes" way, but in a "what are you all doing" way

MDR as a whole just don't seem to gaf about each other anymore and it suuucks. like i don't want or expect them to be a wholesome found family but they were willing to die for each other in the S1 finale! once irving got fired they just don't seem to gaf!!!

devon calling cobel is definitely the most contrived plot point the show has ever done. as far as devon knows, cobel is a danger to both her brother and her newborn baby (she gave birth, like, a few weeks ago?!). there are so many different ways the cobel/scouts team up could have happened more naturally

what are they doing with ricken? i know he's such a minor character at this point but i don't understand why they would set him up with a C plot of selling out to lumon, then do nothing with it. like what does he think his wife is doing right now lmao

remember when we all went crazy because mark started reintegrating in episode 3. well that doesn't seem like it's going anywhere now!

okay i think that's it. um. again i actually like a lot of the episodes individually but S2 as a whole is spinning its wheels imo, and i don't think the finale will magically fix everything i have an issue with. S1 is just so hard to top. but we'll see.

[illuminatedquill]

Dichen Lachman, Gemma Scout’s actress, has done some interviews in the wake of 2x07. I’ve clipped some stuff I found interesting, along with some of my own thoughts.

Spoilers ahead, be warned:

God, she’s been trying for years. My poor girl.

It hurts to see that this recent escape attempt has finally broken Gemma’s resolve. But Dichen thinks that although Gemma is resigned to her fate, she still holds onto the slim hope that Lumon will let her go when the experiments are over (spoiler alert: that is extremely unlikely).

Anyone who’s seen Dollhouse probably got a sense of deja vu when watching this episode. I’m glad that Dichen shares that same feeling. I don’t know, I just found it amusing.

THIS!!!

“The chikhai bardo is a Buddhist belief about a transitional state between death and rebirth, which could point to reintegration for both Mark and Gemma”

Both Mark and Gemma will never be able to reclaim the life they once had. That’s the tragedy. Those versions of them are gone. Dead.

Mark is reintegrating and becoming something new with the melding of his outie and innie personalities; Gemma, splintered into multiple versions of herself that are exposed through endless petty cruelties and psychological torture that she doesn’t remember, fighting tooth and nail to return home. They are becoming something new.

And I think these two new people should have a chance to find a new path forward. Together. Despite it all, despite the horrors and obstacles and misery, their love still endures. It won’t fix anything, it won’t guarantee a happy ending but it will be a new start. They deserve that.

The severance chips are being prepped for mass consumption. Gemma being put through all these varying situations - which are probably her own personal stressors - is to refine these chips perfectly so that people would never have to suffer again. But that’s so antithetical to life. We experience the joys so richly because of our lows, our suffering. You cannot have one without the other. That isn’t life!

All that remains is Cold Harbor. Ominous name. What horrible experience remains for Gemma to suffer through?

Still convinced that Gemma definitely signed up for something regarding the infertility issues but it’s evident that she wasn’t told the full extent of what Lumon would do with her. There’s more story to be told about how they got to her, I’m sure.

THE ENDGAME: Hades and Persephone

After having a full day to process this episode I am, admittedly, filled with a weird sense of optimism. Although Gemma’s fate seems all but sealed, I think the writers are smarter than to lay all this tragedy on characters only to end it in . . . well, more tragedy. There won’t be any healing or progression for either Mark or Gemma’s characters until she is freed from Lumon’s clutches.

Mark already tried to do that and he couldn’t. The only way he could fall in love again is if he never met Gemma. Don’t forget that.

Gemma needs to be free and be reunited with Mark. It won’t fix anything, I assure you. All that grief and yearning and suffering won’t magically disappear because they are back together. There’s so many interesting dynamics to play out.

The unresolved issues they had before she was taken by Lumon.

And then there’s Mark, fully reintegrated, remembering Helly and his love for her. Gemma having to reconcile the fact that there is a part of her husband that loved someone else.

The half-remembered nightmares and waking up with aches. Endless hallways and rooms that fill you with dread. An elevator that only goes down and never back up. Both Mark and Gemma will literally leave pieces of themselves behind in Lumon that they will never get back.

I think we’ve been looking at this wrong. Mark and Gemma being so tragic and Orpheus/Eurydice coded. They’re doomed by the narrative, it seems.

But . . . it doesn’t quite fit anymore now that we know that Gemma is alive and wants to go home.

I think Mark and Gemma are more like Hades and Persephone now. The other pairing in Orpheus and Eurydice’s story. In Hadestown, Orpheus’ song reignites their love and trust in each other, allowing them to try again after their relationship had become so strained.

So who is Orpheus and Eurydice now?

Who do you think.

[trainsinanime]

I should be sleeping but I just figured out how they could have drastically improved the ending of season 5 with very little effort: What if the fight between Bug Noir and Hawkmoth had not taken place in the kitchen, but in Adrien's room?

Even assuming that the rest of the script stays the same, it would have given so many opportunities. Being in Adrien's space, but without him, would give all sorts of thematic implications and make us feel like his absence was a deliberate narrative choice. Destroying it over the course of their fight would be symbolically destroying his prison, and also showing how Gabriel destroys him, at the same time (bonus points for destroying the prison-bar-like windows).

Plus, you could have done so much with the lighting. The Kitchen fight just doesn't look all that good with its black and white tiles and bright white light. This is especially notable because the episode before, with the theatre production, was the prettiest ML episode ever thanks to all the creative lighting.

In Adrien's room, you have more light and shadow and colors anyway, but you could have really played with bathing the scene in an evening glow, in a thunderstorm, or turning it to night slowly. All the people fighting outside could also have seen the light effects coming from there, making the fight in the house much more connected to the outside.

I'm not saying that would have fixed all the issues I had with the finale, let alone all the issues people have had with the finale, but I think it would have been a much stronger move.

[maxwellatoms]

Good day sir. Hope I'm not bothering you My brother and I are rewatching The grim adventures and it's been fun. Miss cartoons that were just plain random fun. I'm curious about 3 things if I may ask - Jeff the Spider's design changed a few times, his first appearance was more simple, his second appearance was more detailed and gross looking, then after that he went back to a simple design. Was it because the "gross" design was too hard to animate? - I've noticed in some episodes a few characters with glasses would have green eyes, similar to Nergal Junior. Was there a miscommunication with the animation team? - Lastly, is there anything you wish you could've done differently in Billy and Mandy? Like doing certain episodes or characters different? Just retrospective sorta stuff I know this is probably asking a lot, but I just want you to know you're a great source of inspiration and one of the many reasons why I love spooky supernatural content. Keep up the good fight

Hey!

#1:

The reason that most of the characters changed over time was because I updated the models to help the overseas studios (and our own internal artists) get things on-model. I'll go deeper into Billy & Mandy's history with designs in "Billy & Mandy vs. The Entertainment Industry", but I went from wanting to allow artists to have complete freedom to tightening things down as time went on. The smart play would've to develop solid models first and then explain how, when, and why you can break the rules. That's the opposite of what we did.

Jeff was a more complicated character than most, with his double-mandible, multiple eyes, and eight limbs. I suspect that what happened in this case was that the overseas studio either didn't keep or didn't share the original Jeff model with their teams, and instead only used the "special pose" model of Jeff looking gross. Like a lot of the model stuff, it was a quality control issue. Back then when everything was analog (we still had to deliver on film up through the turn of the century) it was pretty hard to change anything once it had been done. So I'd always say, "next time" and then do a clarity pass over the designs.

#2.

Same deal. In the first few seasons, we had analog color correction, where you'd go to a big suite and some guy would run picture and you'd call out anything big that was bugging you. Chances are that we either didn't notice the error, or did and just couldn't do anything about it.

All of those early Mandy smiles were put in overseas, and I wasn't allowed to fix them. It bugged me so much that I vowed to find a way to fix stuff like that myself. I eventually figured out that I could export individual frames to Photoshop, tweak them, and then give them back to the editor. That way I could actually reanimate things that really bugged me but we didn't have the budget to fix.

#3.

Nah. It's fine.

Thanks and good luck!

[housemdork]

house md rewatch: 1x16, "heavy"

hard watch for chase enjoyers (me).

truly, this episode blows foreman's (thus far!) unexplainable dislike of homeless people out of the water. chase's absolute VITRIOL toward overweight patients is batshit crazy lol. i would be out of line not to foreground that in this little recap. he was also reiterating his behavior in self-preservation mode, and i like that this show isn't afraid to make the characters nasty when their put in positions of extreme stress. doesn't make it any easier to watch though lol.

since i'm me, and i always need to identify at least some attempt at a through-line in these episodes, i'd say that the idea of the Whole Person is the primary operating theme in this episode, manifesting in myriad ways. first and foremost ofc is the patient, jessica (WHO I LITERALLY JUST REALIZED IS THE JENNIFER STONE OF WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE???), who is constantly ignored and dismissed by doctors on account of her weight. in a unique twist, i actually have more to say about the patients in this episode than usual!

her mom does her best to advocate for a deeper problem, despite all 3 of the ducklings at some point wanting to diagnose her with weight at the forefront of their minds. cameron is by far the most forgiving and sincere in this regard, and i LOVE that she's frank with jessica's mom that, by looking solely at jessica's weight, they could very well be wrong.

jessica's whole personhood is rejected because of one over-arching factor that controls the rest of her life, despite her best efforts to "fix" it. jessica resists what she feels is an immutable part of herself, her weight. meanwhile, in the clinic, house meets lucille hernandez, who's complaining of heartburn, and who he points at and says "fat woman? pregnant. the end." he sneakily gives her a pregnancy tests, learns that he's wrong, and, through some unnecessary plot complications, asks her to come back in because she very well might have cancer on account of the 30lbs tumor in her stomach.

but it's benign! and she likes how she looks! so she, at first, rejects getting the surgery done, arguing that house and wilson ("i too am in this episode") are reducing her to her visual appearance. and she's pretty much correct.

as silly and over the top as it may be, lucille feels that they're forcing her to part with an immutable part of herself and that they won't see her for her Whole Person. the same applies for jessica, especially when they learn that it's a tumor on her pituitary gland that's causing so many of her medical issues. had they limited their insights to her weight, minimized her full personhood, they would never gotten there.

my attempt to translate this episode's ethos to the ducklings + house amounts to equating the diagnostics team as a Whole Person. with vogler's demand that house fire a member of the department especially potent right now, it's extra clear that they need their entirety to properly function, and that vogler, an outsider, can't see that entirety. furthermore, when any one team member is isolated by vogler, their dependence on one another is highlighted.

especially with chase, of course. the end-of-episode revelation that he's been vogler's informant, and that this has been to no avail because vogler won't promise him immunity shows how futile the department is when they try to act independently.

next, i like how house's concluding conversation with vogler pits their senses of absolutism against one another. house makes the decision to fire chase, which vogler (surprisingly, given how he just talked to chase) rejects. he changes the terms of his demand on a dime and without warning. house is not above doing this himself! which makes the fallout all the more fascinating.

the best line in this episode by far goes to cameron, however. he reminds her that "the world doesn't work that way, just 'cause you want it to," and she replies with: "figures you'd stall and refuse to deal with the issue. problem is the world doesn't go away just because you want it to."

JAW ON THE FLOOR! AND THEN HE IMMEDIATELY WALKS OUT! NOT ONLY THAT, HE THEN GOES AND TRIES TO IMPLEMENT CAMERON'S SOLUTION TO VOGLER SO THEY CAN AVOID FIRING SOMEONE, DESPITE MAKING FUN OF HER FOR HAVING THE IDEA.

@all-pacas has had some excellent commentary about house and cameron's dynamic so far, which has helped me respect this part of the show more, and i'm tagging you because i REALLY see the points you've been making manifested in this exchange. oftentimes i see hameron as reductive that house would kinda/sorta fall for one of his fellows, but this successful challenge/rebuke/fold in private is so excellent. it highlights cameron's capacity for ingenuity that's so similar to his (bending the rules) in a way that the text then celebrates by having him act on it. BUT, crucially (for me, at least), is that he acts on it in private. i like the resistance to taking cameron's advice here because it seems the most in-character response he's had to thus far.

and from a visual standpoint, i also like the privacy we experience with house in this moment. this singular expression does more work in convincing me of his inner conflict regarding cameron than any other scene/conversation of theirs so far. thank you to hugh laurie and his big ass eyes.

and this is to say nothing of how house threw her under the bus more than anyone else, again challenging her to fuck up, only to accept that she definitely makes the most compelling case, even under pressure.

finally, i want to make 2 wilson notes:

this was the first time we saw wilson buy house lunch, involuntary though it was.

wilson expertly highlights that house is making the ducklings play this game not because it will make a true difference in the end, but because he is selfishly avoiding the choice. being cruel with this game pushes his fellows away, which makes the inevitable outcome less painful for house, at least in his mind. self-sabotaging moment! without concern for collateral, either, a trend that will follow house ad infinitum.

foreman's conversation with house, where he's basically bullied into choosing who to fire, also has a subtle nod toward the selfishness that's driving house right now. when foreman finally says that he'd fire chase between the 3 of them, house is surprised, saying that he "didn't think [foreman] would pick at all." not only have we established that foreman is highly ambitious and pretty cutthroat thus far, but this is a moment wherein house tries to see himself/identify with another character and fails.

if foreman, who is so like house and who he loves to pressure, was unwilling to choose, it would give house some sort of validation to follow suit. but nope - foreman knows what he wants. he's uncompromising in a way that is stable and, for himself, productive.

really exciting episode overall. i had more to say about it than i thought! and i could unpack chase a lot more but, again, i like to keep my thoughts as limited to season 1 thus far as possible.