#ok I’ve waited long enough I’m gonna pack a bowl and watch the last episode wish me luck 😂

[daisy-chain-gardens]

Exchange Romance - Chapter 12

A/N: Just a warning, this chapter is completely different to what I planned on writing but I still like it. Also, this chapter isn’t exactly focused on Bughead. I was talking to the always lovely @rubyventure​ about how we wanted to see them build up the friendships on the show so I think my brain has kind of decided to take on that responsibility. I do still really like this chapter and it’s a bit different so please please please let me know what you think :)

Word Count: 4,534

Read it on AO3

“What are you guys up to next weekend?” Jughead asked Veronica and Archie as he slid into the seat next to Betty, lunch tray in hand.

“Hi Jug, I’m doing fine, how are you? Good, I’m glad,” Veronica snapped, pushing a lettuce leaf around her plate. Archie’s hand came up to rub her back softly and Betty could practically see her melting into him.

“Sorry Jug, it’s been a long day,” she mumbled, looking down at her plate. Archie sent a sympathetic look at his girlfriend, kissing her forehead and pulling her closer so she could lean against him.

“I don’t think we’ve got anything planned. Did you have something in mind?” Archie asked, still rubbing circles on Ronnie’s back.

“Betty and I were gonna go to this fair in Greendale and we were wondering if you guys wanted to come,” Jughead suggested.

“Yeah, sure, that sounds like fun,” Archie said enthusiastically. “What do you think Ron?” His voice changed when he talked to Veronica. His tone was soft and soothing, all hints of the playfulness they were used to had disappeared.

“Yeah that sounds like a good idea,” she mumbled to no one in particular. “I think I’m going to get Smithers to pick me up, I can’t deal with another three hours in this hellhole.” Veronica pulled out her phone and sent off a message, the telltale buzz of a reply coming only seconds later.

“V, I can come with you if you want some company,” Betty proposed gently, grabbing her host sister’s hand across the table. Veronica nodded as stood up from the table, kissing Archie quickly before heading for the door.

“I’ll text you later Jug,” Betty said as she packed up her bag, kissing him on the cheek before following Ronnie out of the cafeteria.

“What’s going on with Veronica?” Jughead asked as he took a bite of his burger.

“Just some stuff going on with her dad that she’s stressing about. She’ll be ok in a bit she just needs some time,” Archie said as he picked at his fries, worry written all over his face.

“Arch, if you ever need to talk you know I’m here for you.”

“Thanks Jug, I’ll let you know.” Archie sent him a reassuring smile and they finished their lunches in silence, biding time until the bell rang.

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“V, what’s going on?” Betty asked once she’d caught up to Veronica out the front of the school. She had mascara running trails down her cheeks as the two girls sat out in the bitter spring air, waiting for Smithers to come and pick them up.

“I just, everything’s just a lot right now. I’m behind on my homework, Cheryl has turned into a slave driver with the Vixens, and then now all this stuff with my dad I just … I just need a break,” Veronica sobbed, her eyes avoiding Betty’s gaze. Betty pulled Veronica into a tight hug, not worrying about the tear stains that were pooling on the shoulder of her sweater.

“It’s ok, it’s ok, I’m here to help with whatever you need V. I’m right here,” Betty whispered into her hair as she held Veronica tight, trying not to fall apart as Ronnie crumbled in her arms. They heard Smithers pull up beside them and wordlessly pulled apart, climbing into the car in silence. Betty moved over into the middle seat and Veronica leant her head onto her shoulder, closing her eyes and trying to take herself to another place, a better place.

“V, we’re home.” Veronica opened her eyes and found herself in front of the Pembrook. She silently slid out of the car and made her way to the elevator, Betty’s hand gently placed on her elbow. She could feel the concern radiating off Betty but didn’t have to energy to fight her or try and convince her everything was alright.

A lifetime later they reached their floor. Betty lead Veronica out of the elevator and into her room. She helped Veronica sit down on her bed and unbuttoned her winter coat. Veronica felt like a child, small and helpless against the big scary world. Betty disappeared for a few moments and came back with makeup wipes, carefully rubbing Veronica’s face clean. All that Ronnie could do was stare at the blank wall in front of her, her eyes cold and empty. She felt Betty pull of her shoes before she felt herself being pushed back onto the pillows, a blanket coming up around her shoulders.

“Do you want anything V?” Betty asked quietly, not sure how much Ronnie was actually hearing. Veronica felt herself shake her head but wasn’t sure if she actually heard the question. Betty turned out the light and closed the door, plunging the large room into blackness as Veronica felt her eyes drooping shut, eyelids becoming too heavy to resist.

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“Do you think you and Archie could come over after school? I’m really worried about V and I think Archie needs to be here,” Betty said into her phone, casting a cautious glance at Veronica’s bedroom door as though she was going to come bursting through it at any moment.

“We’re supposed to be helping out Fred but I think Archie was gonna talk to him and try to sort something out. He’s really worried about her Betts.” Betty could hear the crowded chatter of the hallways in the background, his sentence punctuated by the warning bell.

“See what you can do, please. You need to go to class but I’ll text you if anything changes.”

“Thanks Betts, I love you.”

“I love you Juggie, see you later.” Betty ended the call and went back into the living room, turning on the TV and settling down in front of a nondescript sitcom. She felt herself glancing at Veronica’s door every few seconds and after an episode she decided that she need to do something else.

She walked into the kitchen and started gathering up ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies, figuring comfort food would be much appreciated. She was stirring the mixture in a large bowl when she heard her phone ring from the other side of the kitchen. Betty scrambled around trying to get her fingers clean enough to answer the call, finally giving up and getting her screen dirty.

“Hey Jug, what’s up?”

“Hey Betts. Our teacher is out for last period and apparently they can’t get a substitute so Arch and I are heading over now. How’s Ronnie doing?”

“I’m not sure. She’s still in her room so I think she’s sleeping.”

“Ok, we’ll be there in 10.” Betty could hear the telltale sound of an engine flaring up before the call went dead. She went back over to her mixing bowl and continued making her cookies. She was scooping the first second batch onto a tray when she heard the front door open and shut. Sure enough, Jughead appeared around the corner seconds later, Archie appearing for an instant as he walked straight to Veronica’s room. Jughead came and enveloped Betty in a tight hug, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and he held her close.

“Are you ok?” He asked so quietly that Betty felt his words rather than heard them.

“I don’t know. I feel fine but I’m really worried about V. I’ve never seen her like this and it scares me,” Betty confessed into his shoulder. She held him for a moment longer, pulling away to kiss him softly before returning to her cookies.

“Betts, talk to me.” He hugged her from behind, placing a kiss on the top of her shoulder before resting his head on top hers. She put down her ball of dough but kept looking down at the bench, not sure why she was so reluctant to share after everything they’d been through.

“I know, I mean, I thought I knew what it’s like for other people to see me have an attack but I never really thought about it that much. Am I that weak and helpless? Do people really think of me as that much of a burden?” She couldn’t help herself, she turned around so they were face to face, longing for the comfort and security she knew was waiting for her in his eyes.

“I never want you to feel helpless, ok Betts? I will always be there for you, always. Don’t you dare feel like you’re ever a burden. You are the most amazing person I have ever known. I love you Betty.” Betty practically melted into Jughead but he held her tight to his chest.

“How do you always know just what to say?” Betty asked, looking up at him with a lazy smile.

“You just make it so easy.” He smiled back and kissed her forehead before dropping lower and capturing her lips with his. The timer went off behind them and Betty quickly made her way to the oven and took out her first batch of cookies, placing them on the bench before putting the second batch in the oven in their place, resetting the timer.

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Archie and Ronnie emerged an hour later, Veronica leaning against him as if he was the only thing keeping her upright. She looked like a shell of herself, nothing like the sophisticated, put together Veronica Lodge that Betty had come to know. Archie led her over to the table and helped her sit down, pulling up a chair next to her and keeping his hand on her knee.

Betty and Jughead stopped their conversation when the couple entered the kitchen, watching the pair carefully, concern written all over both of their faces.

“Are you feeling better V?” Betty asked as she made her way over to her, her voice soft so she didn’t scare Veronica.

“A bit, I guess. My life’s still screwed up I’m just slightly better rested,” she said dryly. Betty grabbed a plate of cookies off the bench and some milk out of the fridge, placing them both on the table before sitting down opposite her friends. Jughead followed and sat down next to her, helping himself to a cookie even though he’d already eaten half a batch.

“So, what did we miss at school?” Betty questioned, hoping that they could strike up a conversation. Jughead got the hint and started on a very detailed description of how their classmates had kept themselves occupied while the teacher was droning on about quadratic equations. They all knew that he was exaggerating for the sake of the story but they laughed anyway, managing to get something which resembled a smile out of Ronnie.

Hermione came home later that evening, all prepared to ask Betty and Ronnie why they had missed the last two classes but instead found the four friends sitting in the kitchen, an empty plate sitting on the table between them.

“Hi there, what’s going on?” Hermione asked, looking down at the absent look on her daughter’s face and the protective way Archie was sitting beside her.

“Ron’s just having a bit of a rough day,” Archie said, giving Hermione a look which told her not to ask any more questions. Veronica leaned into Archie at the sound of his voice, closing her eyes as his fingers ran through her hair.

“Ok. I’ll be in my room if anyone needs anything. Do I need to call Fred and tell him where you boys are?” Hermione asked as she moved around the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge.

“No he knows we’re here. We won’t stay much longer, I think Ron’s a bit tired,” Archie replied again, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“It’s no problem just get to be at a reasonable hour. Hiram is out for the night for I don’t think you’ll be disturbed. Have a good night,” Hermione finished as she floated out of the kitchen.

“Good night Hermione,” they all chorused.

“I think I’ll help Ron back to her room and then we should probably head off Jug. I don’t want to keep Dad waiting,” Archie said as he lifted Veronica into his arms, and slowly walking out of the kitchen, careful not to disturb her.

“I should probably head to bed soon too Jug, I’m exhausted,” Betty complained, leaning forward and falling into his chest. Jughead chuckled to himself, pushing her off him slowly.

“I’m no Archie but I could carry you to your room if you’d like,” Jughead suggested, waggling his eyebrows playfully as her laughter filled the spacious kitchen.

“My very own knight in shining armor,” she joked, standing up and pulling Jughead up to stand beside her. “It’s a very kind offer Juggie, but I think I’ll manage all on my lonesome,” she said as she dragged him down the hall and into her room, jumping down on her bed. He sat down beside her, his eyes glued on the wall with a strange look on his face.

“What’s the matter?” Betty asked, running her hand up his arm.

“You kept my note.” His voice was soft with wonder and Betty followed his gaze to look above her bed. Sure enough, there on the wall was the note that Betty had stuck up there two weeks prior after their camping trip.

I love you and I will always be there for you. - Juggie

“Of course I kept your note Jug,” Betty said softly, reaching up to cup his face.

“But, why?” He sounded so confused that Betty couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped her lips.

“Because it’s important to me. I never want to forget our camping trip and I never will, especially not with a part of it hanging over my bed every night.” Betty almost cringed at her own words but held off when she saw the pure, unmasked love swimming in the depths of Jughead’s eyes, drawing her in and trapping her. “I love you Juggie, and that note just helps remind me that you really do love me and it’s not just my mind playing tricks on me,” Betty finished quietly, her hands moving around to the back of Jughead’s neck.

“Betts, you know I love you, and I won’t ever let you forget it.” He leant forward so their foreheads were touching. They were so close but not close enough. Neither of them wanted to make the first move, aware that they would have to stop soon but knowing they wouldn’t be able to stop once they started. Sure enough, Archie knocked on the door before opening it slowly, giving both of them enough time to move apart.

“Jug, we’ve got to go. Dad just called and said he wants us home for dinner.”

“Is V ok?” Betty asked.

“I don’t know. She’s kind of scaring me and I don’t know how to help her or what she needs and I just want to be there for her. She’s kind of my whole world and if something happened to her …” His sobs broke his rambling as he broke to pieces, the events of the day finally catching up to him. Betty stood up from the bed and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly and rubbing his back in what she hoped was a soothing manner.

“It’s gonna be ok Arch, we’ll figure it out,” Betty told him as he tried to pull himself together, taking a few minutes to succeed.

“I’m really glad you’re here Betty. Keep an eye on her for me. I don’t think she’ll be coming to school tomorrow but let me know if she needs anything and I’ll be over as soon as I can.” Archie’s breathing had started to even out but his eyes were still watering faster than her could dry them, the tear stains down his cheeks shimmering in the soft lighting.

“I promise Arch. Go see your dad, he’s probably still waiting for you.” Betty hugged him one more time, kissing his cheek before he walked out of the door.

“Thanks Betts, you’re amazing,” Jughead told her as he walked towards the door, kissing her sweetly.

“See you tomorrow, I love you.”

“I love you Betts,” he said quietly before joining Archie in the hall. Betty heard the familiar sound of Archie’s car as it drove down the street minutes later.

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Betty got home from school the next day and immediately flopped down on the couch next to Veronica. She was wrapped up in a blanket and pyjamas whilst nibbling on an apple, reruns of some old 90’s sitcom playing in the background.

“How are you feeling V?” Betty asked cautiously, not sure if Veronica was up to talking. They hadn’t seen each other that morning since Ronnie had slept in until mid morning, waking up long after Betty had left for school.

“A bit better,” she said quietly, her voice croaky from disuse.

“I’m glad because school was a total bore without you. Reggie and some other guys from the football team came and sat with us at lunch. Jughead was able to fake his way through the conversation but it all went completely over my head. I missed you.” A soft smile crossed Veronica’s face and Betty took that as a small victory.

“I feel sort of numb,” Ronnie confessed once the episode’s credits filled the screen. “It’s like I was feeling everything and then once I found out about my dad it all became a bit too much and now it’s just … nothing.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened with your dad?” Betty was curious but she didn’t want to push Ronnie further than she was comfortable. Veronica nodded slightly and looked down at her apple core.

“He’s being investigated for embezzlement and fraud. If they find anything he’ll be going to jail for a long time. Mum says that the house should be safe but she’s not sure how much they’ll take away. She didn’t sound very confident in his innocence. I know that he’s never around anyway but at least he could be, at least I could pretend that he cared even a little bit. If he goes to jail then he won’t be there anymore. I don’t think I can deal with that.”

Both girls stayed silent for a long time, neither of them quite sure what to say. Betty watched Veronica and could see a glimmer of the girl she’d come to know so well. Only a glimmer could be seen behind the broken corpse that was sitting next to her on the couch. Betty moved over so she could pull Veronica into her, letting her rest her head on her lap.

“I feel like watching ‘The Notebook’, how does that sound?” Betty asked gently, remembering Veronica’s enthusiasm the last time they’d watched the movie together. Veronica nodded once more, her eyes fluttering closed at the soothing feeling of Betty’s fingers running through her hair. Betty grabbed the remote and loaded the movie, noticing a hint of a smile of Veronica’s lips as Ryan Gosling appeared on the screen for the first time.

Betty’s phone buzzed halfway through the movie, pulling Betty out of the story as she reached for it. Instead of the message from Jughead she was half expecting, the screen revealed a message from Archie; a rare event but not unexpected given the circumstances.

Arch: How is she? Betty looked down at Ronnie, her head still resting in her lap and her eyes trained on the screen, soaking up every detail.

Betts: We’ve crashed on the couch and we’re watching ‘The Notebook’. She’s doing a bit better but she’s still not great. How are you?

Arch: Worried. If I call you can you put her on the phone?

“V?” Betty said softly. Veronica shifted slightly and looked up at her. “Do you want to talk to Archie?”

“Is he here?” She croaked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“No but he wants to call. Are you ok to talk to him?”

“Can you ask him to come over?” Veronica asked timidly, her eyes large and pleading.

Betts: She wants you to come over

Arch: Tell her I’ll be there in 10. Betty moved to tell Ronnie what he’d said but she’d already turned her attention back to the screen. They heard a knock on the door eight minutes late before Archie walked into the apartment, kneeling down in front of Veronica and kissing her hand, holding it loosely in his.

“How are you?” Archie asked gently, finally managing to get rid of the glazed look that seemed plastered on her face.

“Can you help me get to bed? My legs feel like jelly,” Ronnie said with a wheeze which sounded like a feeble attempt at a laugh. Betty paused the film as Archie helped Ronnie walk out of the room, leaving the couple alone for a few minutes before retreating to her bedroom with the intention of getting ahead on some homework. She sat at her desk for ten minutes, tapping her pencil and staring off into space, before she gave up and pulled out her phone. She checked the time in New Zealand before sending off a message to Kevin asking if he was free. In true Kevin fashion, he called her less than five minutes later. Betty let out a breath of relief when she saw his face fill up the small screen.

“Kia ora Betty, how’s it going?”

“Oh my god, Kev, you have no idea how happy I am to see you. I’ve missed you so much.”

“Aww, thanks B, I miss you too. What’s going on?”

“I’ve just had an exhausting couple of days. There’s some stuff going on with my host family and Veronica isn’t taking it very well. She’s kind of … imploded and it’s really scary. I just needed to talk to you.”

“B, you know I’m always here for you. What do you need me to do?” Kevin asked enthusiastically.

“Distract me. Gossip, clothes, boys, anything.”

“Your wish is my command,” Kevin replied with a small bow. Betty laughed and listened to him as he rambled on about various thing she’d missed out on. She interrupted occasionally, usually in disbelief, but let Kevin talk for the most part. Archie knocked on her door half an hour later.

“Hey Betty, I’m heading off. Ron’s asleep but I don’t know how long she’ll stay that way since she told me she’d been napping on and off all day. Do you mind checking on her?” Archie asked from the doorway.

“Yeah, sure Arch, it’s no problem,” Betty said to Archie before momentarily turning her attention back to her phone. “Hey Kev, there’s someone here I want you to meet.” She motioned for Archie to come over and join her and he reluctantly sat down next to Betty. “Kev this is Archie. Archie this my best friend Kevin.”

“Nice to meet you Archie. Any chance you have a boyfriend?” Betty laughed at the blush that came across Archie’s face as he struggled to understand what had just happened and mumble a comprehensible response at the same time.

“He’s dating V, Kev, so back off,” Betty managed to get out between laughs, her eyes watering. “Sorry about that Arch, Kev isn’t exactly known for being discreet.

“Hey, there’s no harm in trying,” Kevin tried to defend himself.

“It was an experience meeting you Kevin but sadly I have to go, my dad is waiting downstairs. See you Betty, bye Kevin,” Archie said with a wave before walking out the door, leaving Kevin to continue his gossiping.

They talked for another hour, both of them convinced that they’d had an ab workout from the amount of laughing they did. They hung up with the promise to call again soon and Betty went to check on Veronica.

“Hey V,” Betty said as she walked into Veronica’s room, finding her curled up under the covers reading.

“Good timing B, I just woke up.” Veronica closed her book and set it down on the table behind her. Betty lay down on the bed facing Ronnie.

“Lucky me,” Betty said with a smile. “You look better.”

“I feel a bit better. Archie and I talked for a bit and sorted some stuff out. I’m definitely not back to normal but I feel better,” Ronnie mumbled, a soft smile playing on her lips at the mention of Archie.

“He really cares about you V.” Betty said softly, the smile of Ronnie’s face growing.

“I know. He’s been pretty incredible the last couple of days. I don’t really know what I’d do without him.” Ronnie fiddled with the edge of the duvet, pulling it tighter around herself. “As much as I love talking about Archie, and trust me when I say we will be continuing this conversation at a later date, I’m already falling asleep again.”

“No problem V. Sleep well.” Betty climbed off the bed and turned off the light, shutting the door quietly behind her.

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Betty walked into the kitchen and found Hermione already sitting at the table, sipping on a cup of tea.

“Hi Betty, I thought you girls had already gone to bed,” Hermione said politely.

“That was the plan but I’m starving. I haven’t eaten much today.” Betty opened the fridge, not sure if she’d ever get used to the amount of food which was always there.

“I think there’s some leftover chinese if you want to heat that up.” Betty found it in the back of the fridge and transferred it into a bowl, putting it in the microwave before joining Hermione at the table.

“How is Veronica after yesterday? Is she any better?”

“She’s getting there but she’s still having a bit of a rough time. Archie managed to snap her out of it a bit but she’s still exhausted.”

“There’s a lot going on at the moment.” The microwave beeped and Betty stood up to grab her food before rejoining Hermione.

“I don’t know if I’m overstepping but is everything ok? Ronnie told me a little bit of what’s going on and it sounds quite serious,” Betty queried, blowing on her food to cool it down.

“It’s nothing for the two of you to worry about, everything’s under control. This investigation should all be cleared up in a month or so and until then there’s not much we can do.” Hermione answered diplomatically, taking a sip of her tea to indicate that the conversation was over.

“I did have something that I wanted to ask you. Is it ok if Ronnie and I go to the Greendale fair next weekend with Archie and Jughead?” Betty asked hopefully as Hermione stood up to put her half empty mug in the sink.

“Yes, I suppose so. As long as it’s ok with Fred. I think Hiram and I have an event to attend in New York that weekend but I’ll have to check.”

“Ok, thank you Hermione,” Betty said gratefully, taking another bite of her noodles.

“No problem Betty, have a good night,” Hermione said over her shoulder as she left the room, leaving Betty all alone with her noodles until her phone buzzed.

Juggie: Sleep well beautiful xx

[drink-n-watch]

Welcome one and all. Today is a very special day for me. I have been looking forward to this season of My Hero Academia since…well the last episode of season 3, and I was actually a little guiddy. Not gonna lie. I haven’t been this excited about a new anime season in a while and I can’t quite explain it.

And you know what else I really enjoy? My weekly episode reviews with Crow. I always get a little nervous at season’s end that he’ll tell me he’s too busy to renew our collabship so I sort of avoid the question as long as possible. This time I thought for sure it would be it and then he goes, we could watch MHA? Wanna start it?

I think I said something along the lines of – Why sure my good chap, as always it will be an immeasurable pleasure to work with you and an honour to get the ball rolling. I’m pretty sure that’s what it was. Ok so my brain was just going Omergred SCORE!!This iz gonna be awsomecakes! But I must have typed that first thing…

Hummm.., Crow? Still here?

< Flipping through my notes… > Yep! That’s exactly what you wrote. You said “chap!” I remember thinking, “Wow! What a cultured response! I am most impressed!” Seriously, the honor’s all mine. I was worried you’d be too busy! So I’m very happy to be collaborating with you on MHA season 4. And after season 3’s multiple of amazing character moments (remember Tsuyu Asui in tears when she thought Izuku Midoriya and the others who went on the rescue mission for Katsuki Bakugou?), my hopes are high for season 4!

Ok enough fooling around. This is serious stuff! Season 4 of My Hero Academia is finally here and I’m not sure about where you are, but for me it airs on Saturday mornings! How perfect is that???? It actually goes up at 7h15 a.m. and I fully intend to get up and watch it in my jammies with a bowl of cereal.

I can’t get up that early on a weekend! But it’s nice to know it’ll be there waiting for me when I do manage to haul my sorry self out of bed.

For all my anticipation, I didn’t really know what to expect from this episode. I haven’t been reading the manga past the anime or anything. Crow, what did you think the premier would be like?

Good question, because I’d been wondering about the same thing! I had a vague expectation that we might start off with the villains as they plotted something, and as they were about to kick off their plan, switch back to the school. What we got, through, was something very different, and I think I liked it.

From the first few minutes there were some really nice visual narrative elements. The OP starts off on Deku’s hand, for instance. I mentioned it before, but MHA really uses close ups of hands as visual metaphors more than eyes. It has done so since the beginning, and I’m starting to see the trend seep over into other shows. Of course, it’s hardly the first show to employ this imagery, but it is one of the more popular, and it has used it extremely consistently.

Even in this first episode it comes up later on as Midoriya and the journalist are talking about the future of professional heroes. It may seem like a random thing to pay attention to, but I think it’s symbolic. Isuzu is a physical hero, like All-Might and his incredible punch. But Isuzu also feels helpless and lost a lot, he had to readjust his power as his arms were never going to be able to match All-Might’s, and he’s already damaged the muscles too much. You see all that in the way he stares at his hands, feebly flexing his fingers. It’s a ritual of self-awareness and season 4 made it the opening imagery of every single episode.

Interesting that you brought up his feelings of helplessness. I can’t imagine Isuzu standing up in front of a crowd and saying, “It’s fine now. Why? Because I am here!” And yet, there’s no doubting his bravery or heroism. He’s already done some great stuff, and he’s only gettings started. Heck, the fact that his muscles are so damaged is a testament to his will — even knowing his actions would result in long term or permanent injury, he stayed in many a fight! 

You know, it’s going to be a lot of fun talking about these characters!

The second visual cue I really enjoyed was having that random journalist crying at a video of All-Might’s last stand from season 3. Smart scene all around. For us fans, it situates right back into the MHA universe and reminds us of the climax of season 3; for animators, it’s a pleasant break as they get to reuse footage; and for OCD types like me, it’s a beautiful parallel to Deku crying in front of All-Might clips in season 1. A neat little circle to bring the whole story together and show us that the world needs its heroes. It’s not just Deku.

They did so many smart little things like that in this episode. In this case, up until this point, I was wondering about the journalist’s motives. I’m from a time when journalists were heroes (like Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, who helped bring down the corrupt US Nixon administration). But nowadays, they’re painted with a different brush, so I was worried! This scene not only put my suspicions (almost!) to rest, but it really humanized the reporter.

Ok, we can’t go on about every minute of the show for a paragraph, so let me try to streamline this a bit. In large the episode was really just a recap and reintroduction to the characters. Considering there are 20 students in class A1 alone, and numerous other students, teachers and villains to take into account, it makes sense to give the audience a little refresher. This is a gargantuan cast.

Using the device of having a journalist snoop around for the next Symbol of Justice was a nice organic way to make that happen and frame the episode. There even a little photo montage in the middle that’s sure to delight fans. At least – it delighted me! It was like meeting all my old friends again for the first time. Does that make any sense?

Yep! Absolutely! As it dawned on me what the writers were doing, I was more and more impressed that instead of a static information dump, we got a story where it made sense to review the characters and situation. 

And is it okay to admit that the shot of an emancipated All Might, barely able to stand, pointing and saying “Next, it’s your turn” still gives me chills? Just thinking of the weight Isuzu must feel like he’s under…

They didn’t go into it, and MHA may actually never go into it, but what was left unsaid is that Deku is now under a huge amount of pressure. Ah! Great minds! It was already daunting to think of himself as All-Might’s successor when the latter was still in some respects around, but now that he’s just Toshinori Yagi, it’s all up to Deku. And as earnest as he may be, there is no way he’s ready for that. I wonder if he’ll be able to take the pressure.

His humility gives him a head start. He knows he’s not ready, so he’ll prepare. And did you catch what All Might said to him? “Next, it’s your turn— No, it’s all of your turns.” Was that just a way of phrasing it, or will Deku’s version of One for All somehow be a more distributed power? Maybe together they’ll be the symbol of peace instead of Deku alone? The idea of a singular symbol of peace seems to have sown a lot of conflict. Just look at Endeavor’s relationship with All Might!

We did get a bit of foreshadowing for what I think will be the first arc this season. The “unease” everyone is feeling and the upheaval that All-Might’s retirement has caused upsetting the balance between professional hero and villain. It’s a good premise, ripe with conflict and potential drama. Combine that with a possible unravelling of Deku’s character, and this season could prove to be way more intense than past ones.

That’s saying a lot — it’s not like previous seasons were calm strolls through the park!

All in all, nothing happened during the episode. Not really. And that was great. I think it’s a pretty smart way to set everything up and get your ducks in a row. We got to see everyone a little bit, but not much. Most of the main characters didn’t even have lines. Still it was good to see them. My favorite is Aizawa as always, and he was in fine grumpy form. Who were you happiest to see?

Aizawa was up there! I love how he watched the reporter talk to Deku. It was great seeing Ochako Uraraka; my opinion of her did nothing but go up after her bout with Bakugou. Also nice to see Froppy yeah – always nice to see Froppy!; since she was so solid beside Isuzu when the villains invaded the school, I’ve liked her. The more I think about it, the more I’m reminded of your comment earlier that “This is a gargantuan cast.” It really is! And not only that, it’s packed with interesting and varied characters. So my final answer to which I was happiest to see is cheating: All of them!

Well I’m excited for what comes next. Any thoughts on this first episode?

I think you covered it! Great mechanism to reintroduce us to the cast and get us ready to hit the ground running next episode!

Random thoughts; Has All-Might’s voice always been this nice? I really liked the OP song. I wonder who the unicorn girl is.

Great! Now I’m even more excited to see the next episode! 

My Hero Academia s4 ep64 – The Heir Welcome one and all. Today is a very special day for me. I have been looking forward to this season of My Hero Academia since...well the last episode of season 3, and I was actually a little guiddy.