#kate was incredible in this episode though

[azazelsazaleas]

Set a course...for home

So I just finished Voyager. And I have thoughts.

Endgame, like the series, was good but felt like it could've been so much more. I'm not the first fan to point out that it's weird that the last thing we see is Voyager flying towards Earth, with no coda or montage or anything showing each of the crew when they get home. What really surprised me on this viewing (I saw it once back when it first aired, but it's been over 20 years and I barely remembered it) was how slow the pacing was until the last 20 minutes or so. I kinda feel like the writers could've trimmed a bit out of it so we could have a more satisfying denouement. Oh well. They got home, Janeway thoroughly wrecked the Borg, and I'm not going to lie - I got a little choked up when they fly out of the exploding Borg Sphere and Janeway says, "We did it."

With that said, may as well go through the good, the not-so-good, and any other random thoughts I have in retrospect.

The good :

Captain Kathryn Janeway.

I'm sorry, that deserves to be written thusly:

CAPTAIN KATHRYN FUCKING JANEWAY

Oh my god, I love this woman. I think, at this point, she's my favorite Star Trek captain and easily one of my favorite characters in the franchise. She absolutely radiates an aura of "I am in charge here, and this situation is going to go how I decide it goes," and she delivers every damn time. Strong-willed, controversial, authoritative, intelligent, creative, and just damned incredible. Janeway alone is a major reason to give this show a watchthrough.

Not to mention, Kate Mulgrew is a fucking INCREDIBLE actress. She brings 110% to every episode, and I swear to god, she basically carried the first two or three seasons.

And speaking of amazing actresses, Jeri Ryan was incredible. A lot of people loved her performance in Body and Soul (and yes, watching her channel Robert Picardo was delightful), but seeing her constantly changing personalities in Infinite Regress two seasons earlier was the big "Holy Shit" moment for me. Even beyond that, she was brilliant as Seven of Nine (and say what you will about ST:Picard, I loved seeing her step back into the role). It also doesn't hurt that Seven is one of the most interesting characters on the show, if not on Star Trek.

In general, the show had some great characters on the main cast. I found I really liked Tuvok and B'Elanna as well. Tim Russ nailed that "annoyed Vulcan who secretly cares" thing, and I thought B'Elanna's struggles with her identity were generally well-handled, at least for mid-late-90s TV.

I'm honestly surprised how fine I was with Tom/B'Elanna. I was not expecting that relationship to work as well as it did.

Speaking of "didn't expect that to work," Naomi Wildman was genuinely endearing as the "kid on the starship" character type that Star Trek seemed adamant on having in the 80s and 90s. I"m glad the writers learned their lessons post-Wesley Crusher.

Oddly enough, I also found I enjoyed some of the "bad" episodes - Threshold, Tuvix, etc. Voyager got pretty weird, so some of the more questionable creative choices were just damned entertaining. Not all of them, though. Which brings me to...

The Bad:

Oh my god fuck the Kazon. They are easily the worst recurring villain race I've seen on Star Trek. They don't even seem like ST villains, they seem like the kind of thing you'd see on a b-rate late night 1990s crappy sci-fi action show. They're like an attempt to make Klingon copies but without literally anything whatsoever that makes the Klingons compelling.

Speaking of which, fuck Seska, too. I still have a hard time buying that any self-respecting Cardassian would look at the Kazon and go, "yep, I'll throw my lot in with them."

The whole Neelix/Kes thing was...gross. I'm sorry, there's no way around that. They had no chemistry, no compelling reason to be in a relationship, and the whole thing with Kes's age felt like a variation on the theme of "she may look 12 but she's actually a 5000 year old dragon." Whichever producer came up with that needs to have something solid thrown at them.

In general, Neelix was just the worst character for the first couple or three seasons. He got a lot better, but early Neelix was...yikes. I got genuinely frustrated with how much time was focused on him.

I also have mixed feelings about Chakotay. Sometimes he was pretty great, but the whole behind-the-seasons thing with the "cultural advisor" made for some pretty bad early character building, and after they gave up on that, he felt kind of flat. And now that I think of it, inconsistent. It seems like the writers (at least in the early seasons) couldn't decide between making him a tough hardass who'll punch you if you don't get in line or the more calm, measured, cautious voice in contrast to Janeway's bullheadedness.

Seven/Chakotay was just...no.

Other random thoughts:

I have mixed feelings about the EMH. Robert Picardo was great in the role, but as the character progressed, I feel like he got away with crossing lines he really should not have. The entire episode Renaissance Man just pissed me off. Can't say I was thrilled with some of his behavior in Body and Soul, either. The whole running gag of him having a giant ego seemed to swing between hilarious and painful to watch, as well.

The show was good, but it felt like it could've been so much more. Part of it was Paramount's insistence on not having anything serialized, but part of it was also how actionized it got. There's a number of episodes that felt like they could've done something more interesting but instead the producers wanted phasers and explosions.

I have very mixed feelings about how the Borg were handled. On one hand, Seven is an amazing character, the Scorpion 2-parter is probably my favorite pair of episodes in the show's run, and there are a couple other Borg-relate episodes I liked. On the other hand, I thought the Borg as a direct threat got stale quickly, Dark Frontier nerfed them way too much, they felt underwhelming as an enemy in Endgame, and (yes I know this is more of a criticism of First Contact, but still) the Borg having a Queen ruins a lot of the creepy mystique they have. No matter how you slice it, I think the Borg as a recurring enemy were pretty much spent by the end of Voyager.

Favorite episodes (off the top of my head): Scorpion 1&2, Equinox 1&2, Bride of Chaotica!

Final score: 7 out of 9 (you were expecting anything else?)

[timespacegirls]

the LOOK kate gave the doctor after chidozie died. you just know she was silently taking back the "i don't thing you bring disaster" comment

[antigonesghosts]

I have Many thoughts and feelings about that episode and most of them are... what was the point of all of that??

[xchronicles]

Okay… real talk now, just between us girlies.

Aaron, if you’re reading this, you’re one of us and you’re always welcome in.

We joke, argue, and moan a lot about the J/C stuff - especially now with Prodigy being the latest new canon story. We all know, at the end of the day, they’re not real. However, what they represent and the impact they have on the audience is very real.

I watched Voyager back in the day when I was in primary school. My emotionally undeveloped self quickly picked up on the J/C stuff, and soon I found myself watching the show more and more, hoping that today’s episode would be about them or at least feature a lot of scenes with them together. I vividly remember the heartbreak after watching "Endgame" and being so confused on what I had just witnessed. I remember expecting the next episode, which never came, and feeling so confused. I felt betrayed by the show and didn’t want anything to do with it anymore. I was just a kid - exactly the target audience that Prodigy aims to reach.

Now, as an adult, that kid in me still feels that betrayal. I’ve always leaned on imaginary characters as a coping mechanism. As a girl who never quite fit into traditional gender roles and was often criticized for not being "girly" enough or not aligning with societal expectations, I found solace in the reversed gender norms between Janeway and Chakotay. At the time, I didn’t realize that this was what appealed to me so much.

What I’m trying to say is that making Janeway and Chakotay canon, no questions hanging, healthy relationship and all, is an incredible narrative tool to show that women can be in the position of power, having a career while also being in a loving, supportive relationship. It would teach younger audiences, especially girls, that they don’t have to choose between career and relationship and, more importantly, that they don’t have to strip down parts of who they really are to fit into a gender role box to be accepted as a proper woman.

I get frustrated watching interviews with Kate because whenever she asks why fans want the J/C relationship to become romantic, she never gets a good answer. I understand her pushback to some extent because I don’t think a man could ever give her an answer that truly resonated with her. Men don’t think about the constant criticism that women face about not being "womanly" enough. Kate gets told that fans want the relationship because she deserves it and that is the problem. It’s not about what she deserves - it's about the women who have been constantly told from a young age what is “appropriate” for them and that if they don't change they'll end up alone cause no man will want them. They’re the ones who truly deserve to see that they can have both, represented in a strong character like Janeway, whom they’ve admired be it for a year or over 20 years

Men do face their own set of pressures though, like being told they aren’t “man enough,” which can contribute to toxic masculinity. However, Prodigy has addressed this issue beautifully through Chakotay. He’s a wonderful example of strong, non-toxic masculinity, embodying the true essence of what it means to be a man. Season 2 did a fantastic job showcasing this with both Dal and Chakotay. I just wish we could see that same level of depth and growth for Janeway, particularly for young girls who look up to her. Right now, the message feels as if you have to choose between pursuing a career or pursuing a relationship.

Truth be told, I think a big part of the issue is that Kate views Janeway as Prodigy’s lead character, which might make her feel that maintaining the “will they or won’t they” tension is necessary to keep the audience engaged. That perspective might be true if the show were solely focused on Janeway like Voyager was, but Prodigy is so much more than that. The core of Prodigy is really about the young crew and their journey. In fact, younger viewers are likely more interested in the relationship between Gwyn and Dal. I truly believe that making J/C canon wouldn’t hurt the show - instead, it could provide a positive example for the young crew and their audience to look up to. Find solace in them just as I have when I was their age, minus the horrible heartbreak thanks to Endgame lol

[spaceorphan18]

The Lady Whistledown Papers : 2x02 Off To The Races (Part 1)

Welcome back, Gentle Readers, to The Lady Whistledown Papers, where I’m taking an in-depth look at Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s character arcs and romance within the show Bridgerton!

For previous issues, follow tag : The Lady Whistledown Papers

Colin is back! Which means we have a lot to talk about :D

A Return Home

Before I get into the crux of this scene, I want to make a quick note about the opening Lady Whistledown narration -- which is mostly there to provide context and reiterate what happened in the first episode. But what I find most amusing is the commentary in relation to Penelope. Despite the fact she has some rather choice words to say about both Anthony and Kate, the amusing part is that she mostly doesn't seem to care all that much about it, and is just hanging out on the side of the wall with her bowl of popcorn ready to watch some drama that she has zero part in. Most likely unintentionally, it's also a nod to the fact that Penelope is even more removed from the main story than she was in Season 1.

Anyway, on to the scene at hand! We get Penelope coming to hang out with Eloise. And the first thing I want to note is that Violet is there -- and incredibly at ease with her. I believe, even though we have seen Penelope in the drawing room before, at dinner, and crossing paths with the entire Bridgerton family, this is the first time we've seen her exchange dialogue with Violet? But it's nice to see the comfort in which Violet has with Penelope. Not only does she seem like she's used to Penelope's presence, she even thinks Penelope would do some good in getting Eloise to think about things like marriage. It's a shame we don't get to see more of Penelope engaging with other Bridgertons, but at least there's some precedence to be had here.

When Penelope gets in, the first thing she does is note that Eloise is reading LW, and she's almost smugly amused by it -- especially when Eloise had claimed she was done with it. Violet then jumps in, encouraged that Eloise might be interested in finding a husband -- and I LOVE Eloise's line about how there's no other clever way to say 'no'. Claudia Jessie's delivery cracks me up every time.

So, they get into discussion about LW's slight change in writing - Eloise reiterating that she appreciates that LW stands up for women, and is somewhat less shallow than previous entries. Eloise is sure she can get LW to do more if she only had her ear, and Penelope, interestingly, states that maybe LW is content in how she writes.

Which kind of leads us to a big difference between the two. It's a continuation from the conversation they had in the previous episode. Eloise is is passionate about women's rights and independence, and her drive and desire to do more than settle down and get married. While Penelope, who does agree with Eloise that women she be allowed to do and be more, doesn't mind as much the whole getting married and (melo)drama of society.

Eloise is independent because she wants to be. Penelope is independent because she has to be. It's a subtle difference, but speaks volumes about the two women, and not only how they look at the world, but how the world has treated them, too.

I love the look on Violet's face when she jumps back into the conversation -- claiming that what Eloise really needs is happiness and that she could find that with another person - preferably a male person with whom she could marry. I love that she thinks that Penelope is going to be the one to help her convince Eloise to try.

Penelope says she could find happiness, not with LW but with someone like... Colin. Colin?! (Eloise's face when she says -- my brother -- mortified. I love it so much.)

Colin is back! Whoooo!

And of course, pointing out the obvious but not only is Penelope first to notice him walk into the room, but the first thing he does (even before that someone ridiculous push in with the camera) is notice her sitting there. It's not even a cursory glance, either, he full on stops and turns his body towards her (granted she is saying his name at that moment but still interesting to note).

(Eloise is smiling as she gets up to hug him - might be the one time she's actually happy to see him, lol. He is, after all, about to get in her way a lot more.)

So. Here's the fascinating thing about Penelope. In the previous episode - we've seen her at the top of her game, confident as LW and loving every second of it. And at the top of this episode, she's relaxed, assured, having fun coming between Violet and Eloise. And the second Colin walks into the room -- she is flustered and tongue tied and really unsure what to do with herself. This poor girl. Excited, thrilled that he's returned, especially after the correspondence they had while he was away. There's an intimacy they've shared already, that is just between the two of them, and of course, her deep feelings that have always been there. But now she's out of her element, and this is family time, and on top of the awkwardness, there's this sense that she's impeding the family space.

It makes me sad that we never really got to see what the dynamic was like when Penelope was over visiting the Bridgertons during season 1. Sure, we had the one family scene near the end of the season where she's there to spend time with Eloise. But it does make me wonder what Penelope and Colin's dynamic was like while she was at Bridgerton house -- because even here, their dynamic has shifted from what it was in Season 1. Ah well (I suppose that's what fanfic is for.)

But let's back up and talk about Colin's entrance for a moment. Because there's a lot to unpack in about a five second span.

Colin strolls in that room with a sense of confidence and positive energy. While we won't get a ton of details from the Greece/Mediterranean trip, but he's in good spirits, so we can only assume it went rather well. But Colin's first comment, noticeably, is that things haven't changed. This is somewhat directed at Penelope and Eloise still chatting away, but also that Violet is still sitting there doing her needlework, Benedict is just lounging around -- even though we are in a bright, new season, with the exception that Daphne is not there anymore, family dynamics really haven't shifted all that much -- and he has changed more than everyone else.

He's excited about his travels, and everyone is pretty much right where he left them. And there's some comfort in that -- returning home (and he has missed home) and finding that relief and comfort in everything being the same.

(It'll be an interesting contrast to when next season he returns, and everything is different.)

Also, let's talk about Colin's look for a moment. It's funny that people talk about the Season 3 changes, as if there weren't changes here, too. (I'd almost argue that Season 1 and Season 3's looks actually have more in common, and Season 2 Colin seems like an interesting detour.) The thing is Colin comes in looking much different than he had the previous year -- the hair is shorter, there's hair on his face, and doesn't look as boy-ish as he did in the first season.

(Btw - I did google Greek Fashion of the 1810s, just to see if his travels had any influence on his clothes, and my five second search didn't turn up any interesting results, so I can't talk to Colin's exact fashion here.)

The thing that interests me is the fact that (kind of like Penelope) this is that young adult stage -- that awkward (said affectionately) time between being young and looking it to looking like an actual adult. Part of it's make up, part of it's clothing, part of it is acting style (I mean, Nicola is a pro at being able to make herself appear nearly any age she wishes) - In Colin's case, in addition to all of that, we're watching Luke go from his mid-20s towards his 30s, and it kind of adds to the visual of Colin growing up.

Colin jokes that they should put aside the latest family squabble and embrace him. And it's nice to see that Colin has retained his lighthearted nature. In fact - after the amount of drama that happened to him in Season 1, it is nice to see such a beaming Colin return.

After Eloise, Violet hugs him next - and says she's surprised to see him back so soon. Which is interesting - what is the timeline here? How long was he gone? Why did they expect him gone longer? What is the norm for any of this? i have no idea. He does say that he misses them, and I have no doubt that he does. Family is a huge component in all of the Bridgertons' lives, and as much as I'm sure they all like to leave time and again, their familial bond is a strong one.

(And on a tangent, I kind of love that they keep picking up strays along the way.)

Anyway - Benedict is up next, happy to see his brother return - but it's Benedict gives him a curious look -- noting the physical changes, but we'll get to that comment in a second.

Time to talk about this infamous moment...

Penelope first... the moment he looks back to her, she gets excited - she's so giddy like -- here is her chance to possibly, maybe sneak in some physical contact. Which does make me wonder, they have danced together, held hands, he has brushed her arm. Has he hugged her before? She isn't his sister, but as we'll get into later in the episode, he doesn't think of her on the same lines as all the other women of the ton, either.

And then, oh, the awkwardness of her outstretching her hands just a little bit as if to receive a hug, only for the little Bridgertons to come racing around the corner. And she backs off immediately, not wanting to draw attention to herself, nor wanting to put her desires on display.

I also want to mention, cause I'll be digging into it more with Colin, that this is the first time they're seeing each other since writing to each other (for however long that was). And it's implied it wasn't a small or short correspondence either. I mentioned intimacy earlier, and yes that, but that means they now share something with each other that the rest of the world hasn't gotten to see. And that's special. And whether it be romantic or not, the fact that they've opened up and shared a part of themselves that they haven't with others is really important to their story. Penelope feels that connection - she always has, in a sense, or has always wanted that connection, but she now knows there is a reality to it.

Meanwhile. Colin. Dude. This is in an intense way to look at someone. He definitely did not look at any of his siblings or his mother this way. It's almost as if - when he sees Penelope, really looks at her, he sees her in a different light (and I'll define that more in a second).

There's no doubt, based on what we saw in the first season, there was care and affection from Colin to Penelope. But there was distance there as well. Not only was he too wrapped up in Marina, she was also Eloise's bff, another girl around, one whom he enjoyed and found amusing to be around sure, but he didn't really notice her.

So they've had this written correspondence and she's is now divorced from all the other connotations she has -- childhood friend, Eloise's bff, girl next door... She is Penelope - he sees her as a person in a way that he hasn't before. And -- we all know Penelope is better in written word than in person, so I'm sure those letters were delightful (and abundant), a way to keep him connected to home more than his own family, and as he's finding, she's someone he truly does like being in contact with. She's smart and witty and clever and manages to get him (as we'll see) when a lot of other people don't.

And all of that comes into play during this one moment. Where he looks at her and it's this kind of -- yes, good, Penelope, I need to spend more time with her.

Which brings me to a conversation that may be best to kick off here. I've often seen discourse about how and when Colin actually fell in love with Penelope. And -- I think trying to pinpoint an exact moment is something we can’t do with Colin. Because it wasn't one moment that made him fall in love with her.

And, I mean, before I get more into that I need to say this -- love isn't a definitive thing. It can be on a spectrum. It can take different shapes and forms. It can be romantic and it can be platonic and it can be familial. It can be casual, it can be intense, it can be easy, it can be difficult. There isn't one type of love. And I think me hammering this point in is just that this is one reason I really love the Polin story so much. Because it isn't about bam! in romantic/sexual love. It's about growing together and changing together and discovering love that's always been there.

Colin, in this moment, loves her. I don't think he necessarily recognizes it as that. And I don't necessarily think it's a romantic love, either. What he does know - and what this look signifies, is that he's coming back from his travels knowing that this person has changed his life, and he wants her in it more. She had bared herself in those letters, but so did he. And she saw him, too - which will be important as we go on. She is special to him. So even if it isn't romantic or sexual, it doesn't matter. They're connected in a way that they aren't to anyone else in their lives, and that's the important thing.

And... we're back to reality. Hyacinth and Gregory push back to jump on him as little siblings do. Benedict and Francesca tease him about his looks. It's also very much on brand for families (and I love it!).

Penelope, of course, gets that little sneaky line of stating that he looks distinguished -- not only defending him, but taking a rare moment to comment her admiration out in the open. Not that anyone notices her (and I think she's alright with that), but again, it's funny at how much she's backed off from the confidence she was showing in the first episode.

We don't get to see Colin make any kind of acknowledgement of what she said. The little Bridgertons are too busy arguing about their height (which, again, is such a sibling thing).

And, of course, we wrap the scene with the return of the 'intrepid viscount'. Eager and ready to take us to the next portion of the plot -- which happens to be a family outing to the races. And Colin is such an after thought, it's almost funny. Yo, Colin's back, great, I have to go best a girl, everyone to the races!

Colin doesn't get a moment to breathe (or unpack) -- family outing! Now!

Changes at the Featherington House

Penelope returns home from the Bridgertons to find that they've got some new decor at home. Jack has put up his musket rack, and the women of the Featherington house seem a bit (hilariously) perplexed by it.

Penelope calls him 'cousin Jack' and Portia is off-put by that. It's too familiar for her liking. Penelope calls her on it, wondering if Jack is bothering her, but Portia claims that it's fine. (It's not.)

Penelope almost doesn't know what to do with any of it. There are a lot of guns and a lot of deer heads and, you know, nice to have a little of that Americana pop up in this hoity British story (said with love). Jack comes in - claiming that there's a lot more decorating to do. Portia wishes he'd leave it to his own room, but Jack's like - nah.

Penelope goes from somewhat disgusted to intrigued very quickly. Her asking about whether or not he's shot them all feels -- a little crude and blunt, but also kind of hilarious for the moment. Jack tells her there are a lot of adventurous stories to tell -- and we all know Penelope loves a great adventurous story. She is still all in on Jack, despite Portia being pissed about all of it.

Jack tells them to all get ready, because they, too, are off to the races! (I love that this scene is there to somewhat tell Jack's backstory, but to also give them a reason to be at the races so they can continue with plot.)

And here we stop for now, first toe dipped into an episode that I really enjoy. :)

[iriswestallenn]

Now that I've watched all 4 episodes!! Here are my thoughts that no one asked for:

***WARNING*** lmao I'm not a PO*IN fan so!

This is the first time the show has felt like a true ensemble. I've always felt the main main plot were Bridgerton x Love Interest. This time, I think you could argue po*in got the same amount of screen time as everyone else. Weird.

Francesca and John are so damn cute, I can't stand it! The sitting and standing in silence. The blushing from them both without even looking at each other. The quick glances when Francesca wasn't looking? I'm gonna lose it.

Them cutting Kate and Anthony to just one episode hurt. I think it stays true to what they did with Daphne and Simon though. Daphne did end up being helpful and good convos were had between her and Anthony so I kinda hoped for that with Anthony and Colin but oh well. There's still time for it! I'm sad there wasn't more of them but I get the decision.

Violet and Marcus. YEAH!

Every scene with lady danbury and queen charlotte. YES!

I surprisingly like what they're doing with Cressida.

Eloise idk what they're doing with you yet but we're gonna get you your season.

Benedict, JUST HOLD ON.

Pen and Co... I don't think they have any chemistry. The carriage scene did nothing for me. Nicola is incredible and has been gorgeous the whole damn time but the actor who plays Co is bad. SORRY! Maybe he's good in other stuff. In this he has like two expressions.

I think their love story sucks so far. I am open to changing my mind on them but so far it's been mid. They should have spent the first two seasons building their friendship. I kept forgetting they are FRIENDS to lovers in this seasons trope. It goes from 0 to 100 way too quickly with them. Which sounds ridiculous because we've had two seasons with them.

Anyway. Thank god for Francesca and John. I got nothing else.

[xxx-silhouette-xxx]

Am I the only one disappointed with season 3 of The Mandalorian?

Contains SPOILERS - so skip if you don’t wanna know

Tonight was, painful.

I’ve REALLY been trying to hang on with an open mind but after tonight, there’s no going back.

And I’ve got some things to get off my chest.

Din Djarin has had NO character development from the sacrifice he made for Grogu’s life. This has been inarguably, the biggest disappointment for me. I was hoping for a season of exploration of a man’s moral compass and worldview being hauled upside down, a young boy who’d been orphaned, traumatised and taken in by a cult that raised him with titanium religious beliefs. Who grew into a hardened bounty hunter but gave up everything he knew for the sake of a lost child. Became shunned for protecting said child and despite doing what he felt was right, strived to seek redemption and forgiveness. There was so much potential for Din as a character in terms of growth and development, all of which was swept under a rug within the first two episodes. He has instead become apart of Disney’s formula of “the boss ladies side bitch” with nothing to add to the scene but his catchphrase “this is the way”. That and the sudden revival of his hate for droids even though he had been working on that issue in past seasons.

Grogu is more or less the commodity Disney grew cash dollar signs in their eyes over for the sake of product marketing and just have him doing cutesy shit for the sake of being cutesy.

And then there’s Bo Katan.

Now disclaimer - I’m not the type that hates an actual person for a character they play. Yes, I’ve never liked Bo Katan (that much I’ve made clear in recent posts) but I also think that Katee Sackhoff does a brilliant job playing a character as such. And to see her come to life in season 2 was incredible and to me, Bo Katan from season two is the REAL Bo Katan.

Because I’m sure as hell disappointed with what they’ve done to her character in season 3. Bo Katan was a terrorist who broke away from Mandalore unable to accept a new direction in leadership from her own sister. She massacred and terrorised innocent people, she plotted towards the death of her sister, splintered off from her terrorist group after the throne of Mandalore was taken by Maul and continued to fight against his loyalists and later the empire itself.

And we all saw the look of death on her face when Gideon pointed out that the dark Sabre belonged to Din

This isn’t someone I was rooting for but this was someone who didn’t know when to give up and would go to any means possible to get what they wanted. This is the same woman who made an oath in the throne room of Mandalore, saying that an outsider would never rule the people. The odds were against her in many ways yet she still fought like hell…. Where is that woman? And who replaced her with Disney’s first emo teen princess whose suddenly forgotten her xenophobic upbringing?

And as for Lizzo and Jack Black’s appearances in episode six?

My partner said it best when he commented that they turn the whole show into a parody of itself.

Personally, I found Christopher Loyd’s character as flat as cardboard and an absolutely pointless goose chase used to build up momentum all to throw away the opportunity for a twist ending.

It really breaks my heart to see the series diminish into what it has. The whole reason people fell in love with the show was due to Din and Grogu’s father son dynamic and that’s all been thrown to the side in favour of other characters, setting up for the future of other shows and tying off the ends to the sequels.

Season three completely lacks the drive and purpose of the previous seasons.

It should and could have been so much more than what it is.

And Din Djarin deserved more depth in his story then to be abandoned to the side lines.

[theloopus]

what did you think of the buffy musical episode :o

literally listening to the album rn and have been for the past like week straight. hold on this got so long i'm putting it under a read more

okay first thing out of the way. writing wise? chef kiss. i loved it. not much more to say. it's just really really good top to bottom.

but about the musical side of things!!!

funnily enough i thought the songs were kind of mid while i was watching? Amber Benson and Emma Caulfield are incredible singers but the rest of the cast is just like... okay (which is hilarious considering half of them ended up having musical careers. NONE of the men are good singers i'm sorry!!!). but then the songs got stuck in my head... they're just so catchy and well-composed and well-written... and SMG more than makes up for her just-ok singing ability with how much emotion she puts into her songs. i said this on twitter but when she sings GIVE ME SOMETHING TO SIIIIIIIING ABOUT so desperately it's so guttingggg. augh!!!!

i like that all the songs are in the style of classic musicals but they're also tailored to the characters who sing them :-) some are more subtle than others but still! the most obvious one is Spike's clearly but Tara's song being so Kate Bush-y is so good it's such an inspired choice like of course she's Kate Bush-coded. her little dance!!! important to me!!! magical floating lesbian sex is one of the craziest things i've ever seen on my tv. shame that it's also like. a little dark and i hate to say it but honestly also assault. because of the context. :(

anyway my official song ranking <3

Under Your Spell

Something to Sing About

Walk Through the Fire

Overture / Going Through the Motions

What You Feel + What You Feel (Reprise)

I'll Never Tell

Where Do We Go From Here?

Rest In Peace (don't let the low place in the ranking fool you though i'm kind of addicted to it. also last one of the ones i click on purpose vs. just let play when they come on)

Coda (short though!!!)

Under Your Spell / Standing (Reprise) (mostly because of Amber's parts being so so so beautiful. and the mash-up of both songs is really good!)

I've Got a Theory / Bunnies / If We're Together (fun but kind of a skip)

Standing (always a skip lmaooo sorry ASH)

and then among the little non-songs i like Dawn's Lament, Dawn's Ballet, and the End Credits variation! and i always skip The Mustard and The Parking Ticket lol

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Do you have an example of a well written "will they-won't they" couple ? Cause usually it seems like these type of couples always flop and not just in Miraculous (like I remember the will they-won't they main couples from SVTFOE or Friends also being very divisive within their fandoms).

The Good Place has a couple of good interesting romantic relationships that are drawn out over multiple seasons, but that's a bit of a special case due to spoilers, so we'll go with a couple I can actually talk about instead: Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Katherine Beckett (Stana Katic) from ABC's Castle, an episodic murder mystery show whose premise is summed up pretty perfectly in the opening.

This is the will-they-won't-they that I think of when I say that the love square could have worked if it was a b-plot. Rick and Kate quickly develop a romantic tension between them, but they are first and foremost partners. Multiple episodes will go by without any mention of their potential romance. When it does come up, it's subtle moments and not a major focus of the show because the focus is their partnership and solving mysteries. They are legitimately fun to watch together even if you don't ship them and - as the show progresses- you get this sense of deep love and respect that goes beyond romance.

The show has Rick and Kate date multiple other people to draw out the will-they-won't-they and those alternate romances actually work reasonably well. I never felt like they were just a cheap cop out even though they were mostly there as a delaying tactic. In spite of the fact that the alternate love interests are rarely on screen, they are not presented in the dismissive way that Lukanette and Adrigami were. They're genuine relationships that are used to give Rick and Kate this "right person, wrong time" feeling. It was one of the ways the writers justified dropping the romance b-plot for large swaths of time because Rick and Kate respected each other and their partners. Which was so lovely. I hate cheating plots and, while I think the show did have some occasional moments of tension even though one or both of them were dating, nothing comes to mind as going too far or crossing a line.

Whether or not you like this specific couple is going to be pretty hit-or-miss. Rick is very much a Peter Pan to Kate's serious adult, which works for me because of their professions and backgrounds, but I could see it getting under people's skin. Like them or not, they're still a good template for how to draw out a romance without it getting aggravating. I absolutely think that Ladynoir could have been played the same way. Not only are the personalities a match, but the general type of story matches, too. Castle was a formulaic crime show whose main focus was stopping that week's villain. Every episode stands alone. The only thing that changed over time was the characters and it was incredibly subtle. If Ladynoir had been allowed to be partners first and love interests as a more subtle second, then Miraculous could have been fantastic.

Quick note: I do recommend Castle, but only the first five seasons. Which I can do because it's a true episodic formula show! You can stop those before you get to the end and still feel satisfied! To be clear, you can totally watch the whole show, I don't think it ever gets horrible. Every season has good episodes! It's just that I'm only giving my full stamp of approval to the first five seasons as a cohesive whole. It's been a while since I last watched the show, but I remember that seasons six and eight have really bizarre endings, so I don't feel comfortable giving the entire show a rec.

To end on a positive note, I will say that it's one of the few shows that I can think of where the couple was allowed to get together before the end and it worked because it wasn't that big a change to their relationship. Their established dynamic was one that worked even if they were dating. Their romantic relationship was also pretty darn healthy. There was some weird TV-style drama, but it was all external drama and not internal toxicity because the characters didn't need to add much drama. The weekly mystery plots provided more than enough drama on their own.

[socialistexan]

73 Yards, Series 14/1, episode 4

My rating: 9.4

Doctor Rank (as of premiere): 1/5

Series Rank: 7/343 (yes, really)

Episodes with similar scores: The Curse of Fenric, Silence in the Library, Pyramids of Mars, Turn Left

Live watchthrough notes:

Review under cut

Interesting that I rated this so similarly to Turn Left, as thematically they are incredibly similar, though this one has more of a mystical horror vibe while Turn Left had a true life war documentary feel.

Finally a true showcase for Millie as Ruby. She doesn't quite deliver the performance that Catherine Tate did in Turn Left, but she did an amazing job. Finally sold on her as a great, not just good, companion. Hardly even missed Ncuti, it was that good.

These tightly written episodes with focused plots and stellar performances really are nice.

The show is leaning into the fantasy and supernatural style episodes, and really for the better. The show has never been hard-scifi, so it makes sense to really have fun with it.

So cool to see Kate Stewart again! And leaning into the anti fascist roots was so nice, the show really is back.

Overall just quality episode, can't talk too much about it without just describing the episode. This is one that will live in my head for a while!

[callibones]

okay ACTUAL doctor who thoughts. 73 yards was really really good but. isnt it haunting that ruby's theme song, the one that played for her here and the one that's been playing for her, is a song she wrote for someone else? her actor's incredible but god. nothing says "i feel like a background character in my own life" like your theme song being about someone else's heartbreak with someone else.

(spoilers for 73 yards ahead!)

except maybe "i am standing 73 yards away from everyone, blurry, and they all pretend not to see me cause if they actually talk to me they despise me." im very much on team Ruby Seems To Have Some Power To Manifest Stories Into Reality. she makes snow appear when she thinks of her birthday. she connects like crazy, as the doctor said, to stuff happening around her. does that connect to kate talking about people inventing spirituality to process the impossibilities they're seeing? i think so.

for some reason, anomalous or not, her perception of herself seems to really, truly be influencing things. it's like she's a literal in-universe Themes Anchor. in a season where the background music is sometimes diegetic and multiple characters have winked at the camera, it makes sense that the parallels here aren't Just themes. i wouldnt be surprised if Themes is some kinda actual force happening via ruby sunday.

saw someone point out the connection between superstition being invoked at the edge of the universe and superstition being all over this episode. doctor who's relationship to its own reality is changing, and it's very exciting to see! things are weird and that rocks. i hope ruby's fucked up. i hope that singer friend she has that made me blush like a lightbulb is also fucked up and we get an episode about her.

other observations:

- the actress playing ruby's mother deserves a billion medals and the world for her range. her character keeps getting into situations and she sells all of them PERFECTLY. she can go from sunny and warm to ice cold on a dime. she's so excellent.

- 73 is the "most random number" in online lore from what ive seen. its the number you make up when its time to make up a number. more evidence that even that distance is arbitrary and part of ruby's conceptualization of things?

- RUBY KNOWS ABOUT THE SUSAN TWIST THING....

- this episode was scarier and better than boom and im so happy we're not past the horrors. this one's going to linger with me for a long time

- i still wish ruby had a gun, though.

[namtanlovesfilm]

Can you list the best straight couples in Thai movies or dramas in terms of chemistry?

sure :)

MY FAVE THAI DRAMA STRAIGHT SHIPS

KRATHING & DUCHESS (GIRL NEXT ROOM: RICHY RICH)

these two are just my faves, not just bc I love offmild, but also bc their story is simple, fun & wholesome, while still having some depth about generational poverty & superficiality. the chemistry is top-tier & this two are forever my fave thai straight pairing :)

ZEN & YUI (FABULOUS 30)

another off ship, shhhh I'm not biased he just slays so much it's not my fault! zen & yui are quite similar to krathingduchess in the sense that they're generally a very funny couple, yet they actually tackle a lot of issues about self confidence, appearances, intimacy, etc. they're not perfect but they're ADORABLE & I love them sm!

SOMCHAI & LINN (ANGEL BESIDE ME)

angel beside me is my fave straight thai drama bc somchai & linn are SO beautiful & wholesome. but similarly to the other previous ships, this show deals with a lot of deep issues related to poverty, toxic family members, etc. it's truly such a beautiful underrated show & absolutely deserved to pop off when it was released!

MEW & NEO (3 WILL BE FREE)

despite being the most underrated relationship in the 3wbf throuple, mew & neo are extremely iconic! first of all, yes mild lapassalan & joss wayar are two of the hottest people I know, thanks for asking, they make my bi heart very happy 😌 but also I love the evolution they have from enemies to lovers, and being both sex workers means they understand each other very well! they're just very cute together & I love them :)

SILA & MEEN (HUA JAI SILA)

not only is hua jai sila my favorite lakorn, but it's mostly bc of the pairing. I don't usually love pairings where the man is tortured & cold while the woman is perpetually kind & loving, but here it really worked for me. the chemistry is straight up FIRE, and you truly come to believe these two are such a beautiful & powerful team together. absolute cuties, and the fact that the female lead was a tor fan before that lakorn??? ADORABLE!

TANNAM & TEE (HAPPY BIRTHDAY)

to talk about a tragic couple (which also contains mild bc she owns this list lmao), we have happy birthday. mild & push are not only INCREDIBLY good looking together on top of being ABSOLUTELY TOP TIER actors, but the whole writing of this show will take your heart & play squash with it lmao. the chemistry is truly out of this world, and I cherish this show so much. the side ship of tonmai & his best friend (pluem purim & jan ployshompoo) is also ADORABLE!!!

VEE & KATE (THE REVENGE)

with how much I always scream about my love for this show, I hope that everyone knows by now that the revenge is one of the best thai dramas EVER MADE. one reason why I enjoyed this show so much, is that it balances legit the most gruesome murder story with a very cute & wholesome love story, AND IT WORKS. with mook worranit & non chanon being multiple times in this list which makes them thai romances experts, they really deliver a beautiful chemistry & love story. watch after the ending credits of the last episode, though!

BADZ & SMILE (BOY FOR RENT)

there is a reason boy for rent is one of the only straight gmmtv shows to have amassed so many millions of views, and it's that, on top of the hot shirtless men, badz & smile are absolutely one of the cutest pairings ever! their love story is a bit complicated but mond & fon's effortless chemistry really makes every viewer get attached to them immediately!

ANNIE & CHEN (MAMA GOGO)

here we have a very unexpected ship but SUCH a goodie! annie & chen are a funny, opposites-attract kind of ship but their chemistry is fire & they were just absolutely adorable! a truly wholesome pairing that will always put a smile on my face :)

AOM-AM & MIKE (FULL HOUSE)

now bringing it back to an OG iconic thai couple, we have full house! while this show has a lot of flaws, its pairing ISN'T one of them! the chemistry is top-tier, the story very touching & you spend so long with these characters you truly get so attached to them. absolutely adorable pairing :)

YING-YING & KORN / PAT & NOINA (46 DAYS)

now we have three recurring actors on this list at once! 46 days is such a cute show, it's chaotic, a bit surface-level, yet SO much fun! the main pairing composed of baifern & non is chemistry-central and absolutely great, but of course the side pairing of offmild (again! can't believe they got 2 shows together, it was such a slay!) stole my heart :)

KIEW & CHOMPOO (TO ME, IT'S SIMPLY YOU)

here we have another lakorn, that is this time barely a romance & more about a tight-knit community working together for a common goal & being cute, but the ship truly is TOP-TIER! one of the least problematic & toxic, and probably the most wholesome pairing I've ever seen! they're just too pure for this world & I absolutely love them :) (also green (kiew) & pink (chompoo) is my fave color combo hehe <3)

KLUAY & PUP (LOVE AT FIRST HATE)

you want chemistry?? YOU GOT IT! this is a pretty classic enemies to lovers thai story, very reminiscent of lakorns, but made better by the incredible male lead (I fell in love with him during this show, man's HOT!) & the really great chemistry between the actors! truly one of the best thai dramas for it, and even though I wasn't a big fan of all the tropes, this is one of the best thai straight dramas in my eyes!

BANK & LIN (BAD GENIUS)

even though I already loved the non x aokbab ship in the movie, in terms of series, jaonaay & juné were so good together! they even made a song together afterwards hehe, so cute! bad genius is such a good movie & it's also an amazing series, and even though there's a lot going on the brewing romance between bank & lin is SO GOOD! truly a show I'd recommend no matter what anyway :)

MIELLE & KIM (SENIOR SECRET LOVE: BAKE ME LOVE)

on the theme of chemistry, here we have a show that isn't exceptional but is absolutely CARRIED by its pairing! loving both actors from this pairing, it's no surprise they put their whole USSY in the chemistry, like I genuinely love this show bc they're too fucking cute!!! would recommend for a short, wholesome & easy watch :)

PHAT & CHER (CATCH ME BABY)

with the same female lead as the previous ship, we have my favorite straight recent pairing! not only is catch me baby such a fun show that I tremendously enjoyed, but the romance aspect is so cute & the chemistry??? PALPABLE! really such a lovely pairing I swear!

TEE & EL (BANGKOK LOVE STORIES 2: PLEAD)

once again our king non chanon is back, and here we have a story that did kinda disappoint me towards the end but is mostly amazing with a very powerful couple! emotions are high in that series, & I'm also so glad we get to see a really beautiful sex scene between them where usually thai dramas are more conservative, mostly regarding women. the cinematography of this show is also absolutely beautiful!

KRAAM & MAY (THE STRANDED)

I'm gonna try not to cry even though this makes me think of beam papangkorn's death, but the stranded truly was such a special thai show that deserved so much better. this pairing is a bit cliche but made better by the beautiful acting & chemistry beam & pat presented, as well as the beyond perfect cinematography (I think about the firefly scene shown above approximately once a week!) in my opinion, this is one of the most important thai dramas that is a must watch, so I would absolutely recommend it!

MINT & BEBE (MINT TO BE)

mook strikes again, this woman is incapable of having bad chemistry with anyone LMAO. this show is also one of my favorite thai straight series bc it's short, cute & very entertaining. the chemistry between mook & krist is also REALLY good, and the show was quite revolutionary in terms of pda for a gmmtv series at the time. I definitely recommend for a wholesome time :)

SKY & HOSHI (MY DEAR WARRIOR)

idk who thought of pairing up baifern & oab but they ATE! if you like scifi/supernatural shows, this will probably be right up your alley! I personally didn't really love this show even though I enjoyed a lot of aspects, but sky & hoshi truly were a great ship that I remember fondly! the chemistry was amazing & oab looks the hottest he's ever been in that role!

TOEI & TAR (HORMONES)

I couldn't talk about thai straight series without mentioning one of the most iconic ever, hormones! out of all the pairings, there is only one straight one I really loved, and it's toei & tar :) I'm always a sucker for the friends to lovers trope, but I thought this one was especially well done, especially considering toei & tar are some of the least unlikable characters from the show lol. they're very cute & wholesome and I thought I should include a high school love story in this list!

EMMA & PORSCHE (SENIOR SECRET LOVE: PUPPY HONEY)

despite being an offgun stan, I have to admit: I prefered porschemma to pickrome in puppy honey season one lol. despite being ruined in season two, emma & porsche are such a cute & wholesome ship, and them being reunited by dogs, which I'm obsessed with, only made their story cuter!

xxx

[imzadi-caskett-huddy]

CHARACTER ASK GAME: Kate Beckett, 1-14 (all) + 25., if it's not a problem. :) Thank you!

I'm not gonna lie, I 100% wanted someone to send me this ask about Beckett! Sorry it took a little bit to answer, I'm on vacation so I've been occupied. But here we go!

1. I like this character because she's not perfect. She has flaws, but she still always tries to do the right thing. She's badass. She's strong. She's independent. She's incredibly well written because real people aren't perfect. There are qualities she has that I share. There are qualities she has that I admire and strive to emulate. And... not gonna lie...Stana's portrayal I'm sure has something to do with it as well.

2. Fav canon thing... um...I love that she was a fan of Castle's before they began working together. I also love that she was the youngest woman in the history of the NYPD to make detective. I also love her motorcycle though we never really saw her ride.

3. Least fav canon thing... that she felt she had to try to be separated from Castle in Season 8 to protect him... also she's not great at communication in relationships, like with Castle. Use your words!

4. Any other media... not gonna lie, I would LOVE a SVU/Castle crossover where Beckett and Benson shared time together, either with Benson as her captain, or as the two captains dealing with the men in their lives or their precincts.

5. First song that comes to mind...Superman by 3 Doors Down

6. Something Beckett and I have in common... we both suck at talking about our feelings.

7. Something the fandom does that I like... use her hairstyle to tell the season and sometimes the episode... does that count? This one was hard, lol

8. Something the fandom does that I despise... say her eyes are green in fics. Also there is a fair amount of Beckett hate inside the Castle fandom...I don't understand it.

9. Beckett and I would probably be okay roommates. I keep to myself the way she does. I'm slightly more messy I think than she'd probably like, but we'd most likely get along ok.

10. I could totally be best friends with Kate Beckett! Similar personalities... similar likes...we'd get along great.

11. Um...no. If I'm dating anyone from the world of Castle, it's Castle himself.

12. Headcanon I have...She made her Detective rank in vice. I'm reasonably sure this was never stated in the show, but it's just a strong feeling I have. She's too good at certain aspects of her job to not have come up through the ranks in vice before she became a homicide detective. Also that she was a chronic dater before Castle came along.

13. Emoji... nothing reminds me of her, but if I had to pick one she probably uses a lot, it would be the facepalm because... well... she did marry Castle. And I feel he requires that one a lot.

14. Fashion aesthetic... leather jackets

15. Favorite ship... uh, Caskett, duh!

16. Least fav ship...Josh. Definitely Josh. He was a serious problem who hung around way too long. And I KNOW Marlowe kept him around solely as the reason Castle and Beckett didn't hook up at the end of season 3 in episodes like LA

17. Ship that I don't hate but am fine with...um, there isn't one. She's Castle's girl. I don't like her with anyone else... I'm not fine with her with anyone else.

18. Canon relationship I admire with another character...I love her relationship with Martha. I also love her relationship with Espo, especially in episodes like Kill Shot. And I LOVE Lanie and Kate screentime!

19. Relationship from Canon that I don't like... I don't know that there is one outside of the guys she dated. Not a fan of her dealings with Sorenson, Demming or Josh, but I feel that's pretty standard.

20. Ideal best friend... Lanie is a pretty great girl best friend. Castle is a pretty great guy best friend... which is good considering they got married.

21. Fav thing to do when writing for Beckett is angst. I can't help it...Stana was SO great with those heavy emotional scenes on the show, I love worrying then with her in my head! Something I don't like writing for her is actual police work. I HATE it so much. Also, the few times I've had to write her with Josh drive me crazy too.

22. Something I like in fics when it comes to Beckett is having her call Castle "Rick" sparingly. He calls her Kate way more than she calls him Rick... it should start like that in fics. Something I don't like... and I touched on it earlier... is when writers say she has green eyes. Her eyes are not green. Also, when writers have her just stay crying over everything... Kate is not a random emotional crier. You have to do a lot to get her to re m that point... she's not going to cry over an argument or something small.

23. Fav pic... oh no. No way can I narrow this down.

24. I'm not sure there is another character from another fandom that reminds me of Beckett. She's pretty one of a kind. She's definitely one of the best written characters in TV history, and she towers over everyone else in my list of favorite characters because she's so unique.

25. My first impression of this character was that she has great hair, awesome leather jackets that I want, and that she's a badass hero who at times I see a lot of myself in. Also that she's a fighter. Now after watching the show beginning to end, my impression was pretty spot on. Though I would add I discovered her softer side (I initially saw the show before they got together, so before the Kate side of her personality was really fleshed out). And she's stronger than I initially realized.

These were fun, thanks for asking!

[quiverwingquack]

🔥common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing🔥

choose violence.

25. common fandom complaint that you’re sick of hearing

THE SCROOGE AND WEBBY TWIST WAS NOT OUT OF NOWHERE! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! Welcome to my fucking TED Talk!!!

Look, I’m autistic. This show is my special interest, my comfort media, the thing that’s been there for me through it all. I know most people are not nearly as obsessive about it, and haven’t watched every episode like six times, which I have.

But to brush off a twist that you don’t like, simply because you didn’t see it coming, isn’t right. The foreshadowing was there as early as the pilot, with Webby mirroring the Scrooge statue. It’s in Toth Ra, when Scrooge desperately searches for her and calls out her name, even though Louie also got lost with her. It’s literally the plot of Confidential Casefiles, where Scrooge realizes she’s as bold and adventurous as he is and immediately starts to build a bond with her.

It’s in Last Crash and Treasure of the Found Lamp and Nightmare on Killmotor and the end of Moonvasion. It’s right there in their subplot in Double O Duck, it’s in Webby’s worry for her family in Phantom & the Sorceress and her need for his approval in New Gods. It’s in the Fight for Castle McDuck, where she brings the family back together, and in Foreverglades and Santa Stole Christmas where Webby parent-traps Scrooge into mending his relationships with his exes.

That’s just what I can come up with from reading the episode titles off Wikipedia, and I guarantee you I missed some! It’s so engrained in the show that you find it in almost all their interactions. Webby is so much like Scrooge and wants to make him proud and Scrooge loves her more than anyone else and is always so proud of her even if he struggles to say it.

The reason no one saw it coming is, I think, a mix of the show being cut short and good writing. Webby’s plot definitely could’ve—and should’ve—had more to it, but they were trying to pay off a lot(the resolutions for their entire ensemble cast, the Disney Afternoon references and plots they’d planned, the plot with Bradford that started as early as the pilot). If they’d had more time things would be different! But also, this was an incredible writing crew! Frank Angones worked on Wander Over Yonder before this, and Dana Terrace made Owl House afterward. From what I’ve read in interviews and the art book, they kept the twist to the writer’s room and told David Tennant, to support his performance as Scrooge. And then you get to the end and it’s like “oh yeah, we told Kate Micucci the day she came to record that episode” or something like that. Not even the crew knew what they were foreshadowing! But if you take the time to rewatch it after you’ve found out, it’s literally all over the series.

Anyway, as Frank Angones once said, “I must establish an elaborate series of callbacks and payoffs or else I simply vanish.”

[spaceorphan18]

I lowkey wanna watch Bridgerton but I'm only interested in season 3, do you think I can watch it without having watched the previous seasons?

Nonny!! Come join us!!

So. To answer your question - both yes and no?

Pen and Colin's stories are set up and built upon in Seasons 1 and 2, and I think it makes Season 3 a richer experience. But, like, I totally watched Season 3 or the first time with remembering nearly zero from the previous seasons.

I can recommend a few things...

Try watching the first couple of episodes, if the show as a whole doesn't feel like your thing then that's totally fine. Daphne and Simon's story is (actually) easily skippable. I do think Kate and Anthony's story is fun (though the angst of it gets wearisome around episode six) but Season 2 I think is more worth it as a whole.

If you really just want to be here for the Polin, you can watch this edit :

Which is all the Polin scenes from Seasons 1 and 2, but you are missing out on a lot - such as Penelope and Eloise's friendship, the Lady Whistledown story, and Colin's fun interactions with his family.

You're also welcome to read my meta that covers every scene they're in (though I've only got a little way into Season 2).

I'll also add - the series as a whole, right now is only 24 episodes long. It's incredibly bingeable, and fairly easy to skip over things that don't interest you.

Let me know what you decide to do!! I hope you have fun!

[blackbird-brewster]

CM Fanfiction on AO3

I'm a bit of a stats nerd, and I've been wanting to put this together for ages. The following are some statistics regarding Criminal Minds fanfiction of AO3. Do with this what you will, but if ever someone tries to tell me this fandom isn't misogynistic -- I will just point to this post.

I spent an abhorrent amount of time putting this together, hope it's interesting to other people. Please don't send me hate mail for my opinions.

Base Statistics

Total Fics Tagged Criminal Minds: 34,561

These stats were compiled by me on 20/06/23 via AO3's filtering system.

Note: These were taken at face value, meaning these numbers may not be exact. In order to get exact statistics, I'd have to stringently filter out things like mislabelled fics, spam, fics with multiple categories (to find pure slash, femslash fics), etc.

Tumblr will destroy the resolution of the graphs, just click to see full res :)

Fanfic statistics gathered from AO3, episode totals gathered from IMDB.

CM Fanfiction by Category

Most Popular Category: F/M (26.2%)

Fics Counted in This Statistic: 34,561

These totals weren't all that surprising, in a fandom that is largely obsessed with two men and no one else, I sort of expected this.

The only reason F/M has the largest amount of fics (vs M/M) is because 37% of all F/M fics are "Spencer/Reader". (More about pairings below)

If 'x reader' fics were excluded from the data, then the distribution would skew to: 34% M/M vs 24% F/M

Sorry, I just saw the 'other' category is the same colour as F/M on the graph. Other accounts for 2.3% of all fic categories

CM Fanfiction by Rating

Most Popular Rating: Teen and Up (30.3%)

Fics Counted in This Statistic: 34,561

I think it's interesting that the most popular ratings are Teen and General -- even though a huge portion of readers only read Mature/Explicit. There are absolutely incredible works that are rated Teen and General, and it's just a shame people don't read them as much as smut. That's probably the same in most fandoms though.

Top Relationships for Each Rating: General Audience: Spencer/Reader Teen and Up: Morgan/Reid Mature: Hotch/Reid Explicit: Hotch/Reid Not Rated: Spencer/Reader

It's no secret that this fandom worships Hotch and Reid above all other characters, but I think there's something to be said that a M/M ship dominates the Mature and Explicit ratings. Slash fic (M/M) has always been more popular than femslash (F/F) in pretty much any fandom, and the history of fetishization of mlm relationships in fanfiction (the fetishisation usually being written by cishet women, not talking about queer people writing queer fic) is always worth discussing.

CM Fanfiction - Top 10 Characters

Most Popular Character: Spencer Reid (19.9%)

Fics Counted in This Statistic:*indeterminate due to crossover (multiple characters per each fic)

No surprises here with the top three being the men who make up some of the most popular ships.

Notice how Jack Hotchner, a CHILD who was in 22 eps out of 300+ -- is featured in MORE fics than main characters (who were in multiple season) like: Luke, Matt, Tara.

CM Fanfiction - Top 10 (BAU) Characters

Most Popular Character: Spencer Reid (20.5%)

Fics Counted in This Statistic: *indeterminate due to crossover (multiple characters per each fic)

This one is filtered by BAU members only. Sorry, 'reader', this is about main characters only.

Notice how Gideon (45 total episodes, 2015 fics) and Elle (27 total episodes, 1371 fics) made the top 10 list even though characters who were on the show for YEARS missed out.

Main Characters not in the Top 10: (* denotes section chiefs. Bold denotes characters who appeared in more episodes than Gideon) *Erin Strauss (24 total episodes, 1361 fics) Alex Blake (48 episodes, 1190 fics) Tara Lewis (97 episodes, 1108 fics) Matt Simmons (49 episodes, 642 fics) Ashley Seaver (13 episodes, 279 fics) Kate Callihan (23 episodes, 247 fics) Jordan Todd (8 episodes, 130 fics) *Mateo Cruz (6 epsiodes, 88 fics) Stephan Walker (15 episodes, 66 fics)

All three men who didn't make the Top 10 are men of colour. Which is worth pointing out because the main reason Derek and Luke both made Top 10 is because they are popularly shipped with Reid. Outside of Morgan/Reid and Reid/Alvez -- I doubt they would have been tagged as much as they are.

Also worth nothing that Tara Lewis who appeared in 97 episodes, which makes her the EIGHTH highest billed character (above Luke, Gideon and Elle) -- doesn't even make the Top 10 most written about characters. She also happens to be the ONLY Woman of Colour on this list. Coincidence? Doubtful. She's also the ONLY canonically QUEER character -- and yet....even in the F/F tag she doesn't make top 5 (more about ships below)

CM Fanfiction - Top 10 Relationships

Most Popular Pairing: Reid/Reader (24.5%)

Most Popular Character Ship: Hotch/Reid (18%)

Fics Counted in This Statistic: 20,873 out of 34,561 (*includes fics with multiple pairings tagged)

This was WILD to me. I knew that 'Spencer x Reader' fics (I grouped ones tagged 'reader' and ones tagged 'you' together for this graph) were popular but I wasn't prepared for how skewed this data was. I don't have much to say about it anything involving Reid tbrh

Only three out of ten top relationships DO NOT involve Spencer Reid.

For people who don't know: using a slash ( / ) to denote a pairing means the pairing is romantic, using the ampersand (&) to denote a pairing generally indicates a non-romantic relationship.

Notice the ONLY F/F pairing that made Top 10 was JJ/Emily (with only 10%)

CM Fanfiction - Top 5 M/F Relationships

Most Popular Relationship: Spencer/Reader (52%)

Fics Counted in This Statistic: 9741 (72% of the total F/M fics on AO3)

Look, I don't know what to say about this. It speaks for itself. This show had an incredible ensemble cast who were all integral to the show's success -- yet, the only character anyone cares about in the fandom is the generic white dudes. Misogyny at it's best.

CM Fanfiction - Top 5 M/M Relationships

Most Popular Relationship: Hotch/Reid (45%)

Fics Counted in This Statistic: 7870 (75% of the total M/M fics on AO3)

Again, no comment about the most popular ships

I was, however, surprised that Hotch/Rossi made Top 5

CM Fanfiction - Top 5 F/F Relationships

Most Popular Relationship: JJ/Emily (71%)

Fics Counted in This Statistic: 2927 (65% of the total F/F fics on AO3)

For people who don't know: using a slash ( / ) to denote a pairing means the pairing is romantic, using the ampersand (&) to denote a pairing generally indicates a non-romantic relationship.

It's not surprising that JJ/Emily dominate the femslash category. They have always been the main femslash pair in this fandom. However, they only make up 49% of all F/F pairings!

I was surprised to see that 'x reader' fics took 2 out of 5 slots on this one. And I was especially surprised that Emily/Penelope made top 5. (I mean it's only 148 fics, but there they are)

Again, note how Tara Lewis (a canonically sapphic character) isn't a part of ANY of the top 5 pairings, even though she was in 98 episodes. That's a travesty imo. Tara/Emily trails at about the 7th most popular F/F ship with a mere 115 fics

In Conclusion...

Most of this was to be expected. This fandom has always praised the male characters while pushing the women aside, so the amount of works focusing on Reid and Hotch wasn't that surprising.

I think it's interesting how people tend to throw Jemily shippers under the bus (broad statement made via my 18 years in this fandom), because Femslash is by far the smallest portion of the shippers in the entire fandom. People just hate women

Do with this information what you will. This was mostly compiled because I've always been curious, and also I think it serves as an important archival tool for the fandom.

Please don't send me hate mail for my opinions.

Word Count & Additional Tags Information Below Cut

CM Fanfiction by Word Count

About 52% of all CM fics (34,561) are under 5,000 words

This was a really fun one to do, and was mostly included because I was curious. I think it'd be worth getting even more specific by trying to work out the average word count for all fics under 5,000 words.

Hey, if you're a marathon author with long works -- look at YOU!! You're a very small percentage in this fandom, and as someone who prefers long-form fic -- I am personally thanking you for your dedication.

CM Fanfiction - Top 10 Addition Tags

Most Popular Tag: Fluff (21.7%)

Fics Counted in This Statistic: *indeterminate due to crossover (multiple tags per each fic)

I honestly expected angst/whump/hurt/comfort to be first on this. I guess if you add up all the variations of those type of fics, they'd be top tag.

Obviously this one isn't ever going to be perfect, because tons of people either don't tag their fics, or they don't use the prescribed tags above. Still, I thought this was worth adding to the post.

For more stats please see my, [Tara Lewis Fic Stats Post]