#or maybe there’s some setup in season 2 proper that I just forgot

[inquisitor-apologist]

As I’m rewatching Rebels (read: forcing myself through like 5 episodes over 2 months) one of the things that I think is really interesting is how they handled Kallus, and how, in at least season 1 and the season 2 premier, it doesn’t seem at all like they were setting him up for redemption.

He taunts Zeb about the fall of Lasan without a hint of remorse, he manipulates Minister Tua into running and then kills her, and he burns Tarkintown to the ground without hesitation. I think it’s going to be very interesting to see if/how the writing around him changes leading up to The Honorable Ones.

[cross-my-heartt]

Howdy, guess who finally has some time to do a proper reblog!!

we love long posts in this house, let's get into it:

03x01

I love your thoughts on Confined and fully agree, that episode was the highlight of the season for me. We got a good sense of time passing and we got to see how clever and resilient Omega is in all the little ways she adapted, which said a lot about her character. And unffff the clock imagery. The whole base feels like this never ending circular loop, much like (as you pointed out) Kamino. 03x02

"Themewise this episode was good, but plot-wise not so much" Yeah, that's a good summary for it. Call me a masochist but I would have loved to have one of the cadets be an echo of Tech, a mini tech junkie, just to fill that void and inject the dynamics with some life and maybe give us that sweet angst of the characters agonizing over the similarities.

03x03

We're in agreement here, a killer episode. I love me a good setup and payoff moment (Batcher) and when different plotlines interweave in a logical way (Palpy's visit giving Omega a chance to escape). It all comes together so nicely. The best of Crosshair and Omega's interactions too.

03x04

I have my issues with this one as you know but I can agree it's a solid episode. Isn't it a bit too convenient that the 'asshole of the week' just happens to have an exotic pet smuggling business? Right when we got a dog? Hmmm. Jokes aside I would have loved this one with less monsters in it lol.

03x05

Okay not to be dramatic but this one... this one broke me. I don't think it's an overstatement to say that my perception of the season just wasn't the same after it. I love many of the things you pointed out but I have a severe ick when it comes to clunky dialogue and weird characterization and I had very high expectations for Cross' arc at this point. So I'll just say it isn't my favorite and move on.

03x06 and 07

Like you said yourself, these episodes suffered from a lot of forced drama. And plot for plot reasons. Echo getting the boot just to be Gregor's driver, just so we could get a scene with the Rebels trio at the end. For no reason. I also have severe criticism regarding how a supposed military operates here (spoilers, they don't act like one) so this episode was a dud in my book.

Crosshair's OOC-ness was pain inducing and all the focus on CX-2 was completely meaningless knowing where he ends up in hindsight. Talk about adding insult to injury.

And Howzer. You know what I think of this Howzer.

03x08

Also in agreement with you here, I'm still not sure why Crosshair is being left behind besides giving us those moments with Omega but I will say I liked his interaction with AZI. This man should have so much pent up anger and we barely see any of it.

Hunter just forgot to renew his super senses subscription, they're going through a rough patch.

03x09

Wow, so weird that we skipped a whole episode right??

03x10

Emerie is honestly my MVP this season and I never saw that coming. Her arc was the least messy and most well-executed of them all, I love what they did with her.

03x11

"But somehow, I couldn't enjoy this episode completely… still searching for the why." You and me both! I think it might be because I saw where it was going very early on but that might just be because I've watched ATLA one too many times and that's a plot point from one of the first episodes (y'know? Aang giving himself up to protect the villagers?). So the suspense element was ruined for me.

I almost feel like the Marauder was blown up for shock factor, I'm not a fan of that decision (why does everyone else get to park in the secret protected cave but not our protagonists). Again, what was the point of focusing on CX-2 if he would end up as unidentified shish-kebab.

03x12

Yes, yes and yes. We were way overdue for some more Phee and I will forever love the way they reintegrated Ramaprt into the plot. Finally a character appearance that was both meaningful, plot-relevant and well done while also being a nice surprise.

I love your opinions and apologize once again if mine are too negative lol. Maybe in time I'll be less harsh on this season once I get over my main issues with it. But eh, I'd rather be honest than fake about it.

Thank you for the lovely long reply 🧡

hello my dear 💙 what's your absolute favorite part of season three of tbb so far? maybe top three favorite parts?

and of course yours truly is always open to asks

Hi & thanks for the ask 😃😃😃

This question isn't that easy because some episodes so far were absolutely mixed bags… so I'm going to rate each episode and will conclude with a ranking of the best of them.

Therefore, long post inbound!

03x01 - Confined: 5/5

This episode set the mood for the entire season perfectly and showed nicely how cold and uncaring the Empire is - compared to Tantiss, Kamino is almost homely. (Tantiss really mirrors Kamino, doesn't it?) Also the juxtapose between Omega and Crosshair in all their differences was set in scene nicely and brought forth their incredible chemistry which is definitely one of the highlights in this season. Personally, I adore as well the clock-symbolism of the centrifuge machine thanks to its ability to create an undercurrent of tension.

03x02 - Paths Unknown: 2/5

Yes, probably a bit hard rating but the slither vine wasn't that good. The young clones are adorable side-characters and were put to good use by making a connection to the main conflict (being a family vs being soldiers). Themewise this episode was good, but plot-wise not so much - like mentioned before, Wrecker and Hunter haven't got much synergy to carry a scene or even a whole episode together. In this episode I missed Tech dearly - not only because of the data extraction part, but as a character who lets everyone around him shine and who asks questions which creates a certain tension in the team as well a lot of funny moments.

03x03 - Shadows of Tantiss: 5/5

This episode as well was pure joy for me: Omega and Cross working together to escape was superbly done - the one works to get them out, the other one keeps the spirits up during the escape. 😍 Also, Batcher as back-up was nicely done! But equally I like that Omega and Cross only escaped because Nala Se gave them the means and Hemlock didn't wanted to risk killing Omega - the plausibility was well done in this episode. And introducing the Vault was artfully done as well!

03x04 - A Different Approach: 5/5

Like in every episode with the main focus on Cross&Omega I enjoyed this as well - it showed nicely how much Omega has learned but that she isn't ready to face the big bad universe on her own. Also the slimy officer was a fun minor antagonist and got a very deserving end! (Which reminds me: Only the first episode is an episode without any big monster…) The sole flaw was that they cut the reunion too early and didn't bother to explain Hunters and Wreckers frowns… yep, I'm still salty because of that.

03x05 - The Return: 4/5

Oh boy, here I'm torn between 3/5 and 4/5. Ultimately, I went for 4/5 because all the small moments were done good: Echo as the teams moderator, Cross getting his armor back, AZI and the target practice, hinting Omegas conflicted feelings regarding the other clones in Tantiss, the vulture symbolism, paying a tribute to Mayday, Phees cameo. The big flaw - like you repeatedly pointed out - is the handling of the conflict between Crosshair and Hunter: The build-up was nice, but they chickend out of the portrayal with introducing the ice wyrm (pray tell, what's the difference to the Krayt Dragons on Tatooine?)

03x06 - Infiltration: 3/5

This gets a 3 out of 5 - even though it wasn't a bad episode. I just dislike how overpowered CX-2 is albeit his mirroring of the Bad Batch as whole is an awesome concept. Also why did the writers decided to bench Echo out of all the characters?? The conflict between Cross and Rexs squad was done nicely, as well the chilling nature of the CXs - but I wished that they had done more than hinting what happened to Cross. There's only so long you can push the can down the street. Another point of criticism that arises from the latest episode is that withholding information is kind off OOC for Crosshair, especially when Omegas life is on the line and that Rex doesn't know what a M-count is, is pretty ridiclious. (And a boring conflict as well!)

03x07 - Extraction: 3/5

Same as Episode 6: The fight Crosshair vs the CX-2 was well set up and nicely done but they should have spilled the beans further about what happened (just my opinion). But hats off for the continued portrayal of Crosshairs handshaking and the consequences it produced. (And I love the scene "I'm much worse" sooo much 😍) I think the conflict Wolffe vs Rex was underutilized and they got too easily away… therefore 3 stars.

03x08 - Bad Territory : 2/5

Two stars solely for the Omega and Crosshair-moments; the rest of the episode was far too long and too plot-less for my taste. One would think that after all this time the boys would have learned how to broker a better deal than that. Also, the writers could have illustrated Hunters senses better because now I don't know what's supposed to be so special about them…

03x09 - The Harbinger: 1/5

Def my least favorite episode - y'know why.

03x10 - Identity Crisis: 5/5

This episode was unexpected, but very welcome - the deep dive into Emeries POV is very well done. Especially the showing of her emotions and the growing doubts were depicted perfectly and the kidnapping of Bayrn (the baby Tarlafar) was heartbreaking as well as the other kids. It's just like Kamino all over again except these kids know exactly what they have lost.

03x11 - Point of No Return: 4/5

Omega giving herself up was so very in character as well fitting into her emotional conflict in this episode; the invasion of Pabu was peak imperial villainness. Also Hunter hijacking the ship and Cross fighting with the troopers felt very in character and apropriate regarding the high stakes. But somehow, I couldn't enjoy this episode completely… still searching for the why. Maybe it just hit too close to my heart with the destruction of the Marauder or maybe the stealth of CX-2 was overdone…

03x12 - Juggernaut: 4/5

Once again a case between 3/5 and 4/5 - in the end, 4/5 won because: - amazing Phee-piloting - Rampart as absolutely petty b*tch - the remaining batch working flawlessly together - Hemlock playing mind games with Omega Flaws imo are Cross giving up information far too late and the copy-paste from The Believer…

Final ranking is therefore: ✨✨✨

🥇Shadows of Tantiss

🥈A Different Approach

🥉Confined & Identity Crisis

🏅 Honorable mention: Point of No Return for the perfect heartfelt drama

Sorry that it got so long but once again thanks for your questions & I can't wait to discuss this list in more detail with you 😃

[tlanwen]

Every time wenzhou should have (or could have) kissed in the entirety of Word of Honor (2021)

a few disclaimers- 1; MEGA spoilers for the whole entire show. yes, all the way up to episode 36. 2; we have gotten so so many sweet moments in this drama and there is no doubt in my mind that the production crew did their absolute damnedest to give us a genuine love story with all the constraints that were set on them. they did a fucking incredible job and the lengths they went to to embody wenzhou’s love and bond on screen is commendable to say the least. and i owe them my life. However i just think said sweet scenes just scream ok now kiss at very specific moments, and i need to get it out of my system. Long ass fucking post under cut!

are you strapped in. ok let’s go

The rooftop scene (Episode 9)

earlier in this ep we get the legendary “the world isn’t important, what’s important is finding your soulmate” monologue, perfect setup leading up to their rooftop drinking date. the “why won’t you ask me why i’m happy?”// “i know you’ll tell me, in your own time” exchange??? a killer. a kiss would fit in perfectly, ideally right after zzs shushes wkx (and wkx shuts his mouth. for once). quite literally this moment is Made for a first kiss.

“You look like a worried mother��� // drinking by the road (Episode 12)

man, this episode. I can’t decide which moment is more suitable (and both happen in busy streets so that rains a little on our emotional parade), but at this point we’ve got acknowledgement on both sides that they’re willing to accept each other as the people they truly are, and they’ve rescued their surrogate son from impending doom twice. but i am leaning towards the latter scene, esp bc of the way zzs leans into wkx while they’re talking. he hasn’t done that much up until now. kiss kiss.

Talking about disguises & mustaches (and getting on one’s knees?¿) (Episode 13)

this scene is so fucking sugary and light, they’re just teasing back and forth (zzs! teasing wkx! that’s new!). we also get the severely cute “wait, did you just admit that my face is outstanding?” line. just kiss already.

Rain divorce (Episode 14)

angst? did someone say, pain? if this were a regular boring romance flick, this is were the tragedy-ridden kiss would go. wkx is watching the future he planned for both of them crumble right in front of him, trying to come to terms with the fact that zzs is dying (and that he did it to himself, on purpose.), and zzs is just kind of going thru it. the rain really would add to the drama of it all, like Right after the “fortunately, fortunately...” line. punctuate it with a kiss. would also add to the irony of wkx saying he hasn’t fallen yet, and yet here he is, a mess, bc of this information he wasn’t ready to receive (thanks ye baiyi).

3rd child rescue and cave chats (Episode 16)

we’ve had the angst, we have the begrudging /i’m mad at you and i love you but i dont like you right now/ moments, and in comes more rain and wkx monologuing. zzs saying that wkx isn’t evil and that he has a kind heart is exactly what he needed to hear. and i just think he should’ve finished it with a kiss <3

Drunk mess wkx (Episode 17)

why is this man allowed to drink. this is all so much take your fucking pick. after the “my lips are the perfect size, right A-xu?” comment, the ”does it hurt?” coupled with wkx’s hand reaching out to zzs’ chest. the “i’m just scared. could you not die on me?”?? zzs tucking in a very drunk and sad man and saying “one day you’ll open up your heart to me, until i achieve it even god can’t tear me away from you” just............. pick a line any line. 

Tumbling out of the cave under Longyuan Cabinet (Episode 18)

specifically in that birds-eye shot where it slowly pans over to their disheveled faces after the romcom-esque tumbling out of the tunnel (that was framed oh so romantically in the episode trailer. complete with romantic music). like are you Kidding me. 

((i’m skipping ep 19-21. i think some people would say at any point during the cave scenes/the shidi/shixiong reveal would also be fair game, but in my opinion it’s far too much of an emotionally volatile situation so i can’t see any kiss potential. the hand holding and comforting was much appreciated tho))

Wkx sneaking up on his deep-in-thoughts husband (Episode 22)

secluded lake? check. all alone? check. gentle smiles in a tense moment? we got a bingo. at this point zzs knows who wkx actually is And respects his decision to go by his own chosen name as a separate entity from the healer sect he came from (for his own personal, maybe misguided reasons). and i just think that *screams*

Waking up from the stress induced sleep (thru the power of hand holding?) (Episode 23)

this whole thing was so much, and the way the scene is framed to look like it was zzs’ touch that literally woke up wkx, And the way he looks at him after he wakes up. yea. kiss methinks.

Literally the entirety of the night time venting/healing/spilling ur guts out scene (Episode 24)

Ok i’m about to contradict myself here, i said im not going over ep 19-21 because Volatile Emotions, and this scene is also very viscerally emotional and intense but oh my God the intimacy! the openness! i had to look away multiple times during this scene bc it really seems like a private moment we shouldn’t be privy to. i cannot in good conscience say that, had wkx not kind of stormed out at the very end, a kiss would be guaranteed. whether to soothe zzs after so much crying or whatever other reason.

Painting restoration (also episode 24)

wkx’s second love language is acts of service and this episode is all the evidence i need to make that statement. we do get a very cute heartfelt family hug in here and wow cute but im sorry i cannot let go of the fact that there should have been a kiss here. i really hate inserting photos in textposts but i have to bc i need everyone to understand how much zzs looks like he wants to devour wkx whole after he realizes what he’s doing

look at it. he’s down bad.

More drinking! yay! (Episode 25)

just soulmates drinking and talking in the hush of night after their kid has been put to bed. always a great way to start an episode. they’ve settled into 4 seasons manor at this point and it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere, they just look so comfortable in these shots. if u dropped a quick peck on the cheek in there i wouldn’t blink twice.

Narrow escape from dying with (and for) each other, courtesy of ye baiyi (Episode 27)

at this point most secrets are out of the bag, they see each other fully and were about to be killed 4 seconds ago. we’ve got the perfect setup, zzs already grabbed wkx by the face, the only thing between them and a kiss was the looming threat of sepsis.

speaking of episode 27, The spice grinding scene (have i mentioned i fucking love episode 27)

just two soulmates grinding spices at night. this scene is so lighthearted and cute, after a whole episode of emotional turmoil and cementing how emotionally vulnerable they're willing to be/how dedicated they are to respecting each others’ boundaries while still supporting each other, a kiss would fit in for sure.

Literally any point in the new years celebration (Episode 28)

waaAAAAA family decorating, bickering, and dinners. if i was writing it in i would put it right after chengling runs off to watch the fireworks, leaving wenzhou alone with each other. but anything goes really, they’re in their element all episode.

Knight in shining (red) armor rescue (Episode 30)

first of all- fuck prince jin, second of all, THIS SCENE ARE YOU KIDDING ME. literally the damsel in distress getting rescued. complete with a horseback ride! and wkx kneeling in front of zzs and acknowledging him as his master (and therefore himself as part of the sect again!!!!). so many emotions. i dont even care if they’re in front of all their new disciples. a romantic kiss is necessary. it would be so easy for zzs to take the hand he’s patting wkx with and use it to drag him up into a kiss.

Hairpin scene (Episode 30)

i’m not even gonna say anything. these bitches engaged on screen. good for them

“Save it, you“ (Episode 32)

god. just god. zzs gently floating down to wkx, thinking he’s gonna throw his life away in anger Again and getting so very in his face. and saying That. with That smile. what else is an option. there is no other option. just kiss.

“Senior, please let me handle this“ (Episode 33)

i am willingly ignoring how fucking painful this scene is if you think about it for longer than 3 seconds. wkx isn’t dead! and the asshole forgot to tell his beloved to not do anything stupid while he was away! oopsie! zzs is a)very mad, b)very relieved, c)is about to experience a lifetime’s worth of regret in about 3 minutes. but first thing’s first, the love of his life isn’t dead. that deserves a kiss.

Drunk wkx 2: painful boogaloo (Episode 34)

these episodes are so painful to re-watch lol. wkx clinging to zzs’ waist and talking about how easy it is to be a good happy person when he’s around him. they probably couldn’t manage a proper kiss between the alcohol in wkx and the Pain in zzs, but a gentle forehead kiss would fit in well while zzs is softly petting wkx’s head (still resting on his chest. that’s an important detail).

Wedding aftermath (Episode 35)

i’m so distraught. anyways. you can’t tell me zzs was going to sulk away to die alone like some sort of tragic housecat while wkx is recuperating after the battle (and after losing the second most important person in his life) without a kiss. not without giving him the gentlest of forehead kisses.

Literally at any point in episode 36

i’m watching this tomorrow but i don’t need to. i don’t care. we know what happens. we know how it ends. if you’re about to give up your life to keep your soulmate alive you best preface it with the kiss of a lifetime.

[jq37]

The Royal Report– A Crown of Candy Ep 17 For Candia (Part 2)--Mini Recap

Hey guys. It’s been a bit, huh?

I haven’t been on Tumblr a bunch lately because I’ve been busy as hell irl for a lot of reasons, but I also hate to leave a thing undone, especially when it’s so close to being done. So I decided to provide at least some level of closure for anyone who might have stumbled across these with no access to the ep and really wants to know how the story ends.

Maybe I’ll do a proper recap at some point but, for now, let’s wrap things up.

This episode is basically a series of Boss Fights standing in for the more significant but less interesting final battle going on in which the Rocks Family face off against all the Important NPCs.

Amethar and Joren together waste Grissini, Amethar saying that he might have been good to Jet, but he’s fighting for the wrong side. (Joren goes down but it’s never really resolved whether he survives or not. I feel like he probably did considering Liam’s epilogue.)

Ally gets their obligatory Nat 20 to intimidate Keradin for the rest of the fight by greatly shaking his faith in the Bulb before icing him. Then he sees the Pontifex watching the fight from the wall of the keep and makes a beeline. 

Amethar, likewise, sees Cal running across the castle wall and breaks from his unit to go after him.

Ciabatta shows up and I am reminded in the absolute DOPEST way that Ruby never used her watersteel dagger. “In sweetness there is strength, bitch.” Ciabatta is toast. 

White flags start to go up. 

Liam catches up to the Pontifex, does the insane amounts of damage that’s just like par for the course for him at this point, and drops her, taking St. Citrina’s Book. 

Cal tries to make for a secret tunnel to escape but Cumulus blocks his path. Amethar blocks him off from the other side. “What’s the last part of my title? Say it.” Cal, being forced to kneel by Cumulus, acknowledges his “Unfallen” title (throwing a man w/ the title “the Unfallen” off a roof and not checking to see if he’s dead is the very height or hubris. That’s some, “Not even God can sink this ship” levels of asking for it) and then attacks. Amethar gets 4 attacks back and his last is a Nat 20, activating Payment Day’s special ability: On a Nat 20 against someone who has killed a member of Amethar’s family? That person instantly dies. Boom. Fight is over just like that. Piece of cake. 

With all the Big Bads dead, the fight is more or less over other than logistics. Or at least it would be if Brennan didn’t have some mind games up his sleeves. As the fight is winding down, Ruby and Rina lock eyes and they both know they have a moment to turn the tide in their favor in their little cold war by attacking the other and striking first. Out of game, Brennan makes Siobhan and Emily decide secretly on slips of paper whether they each want to attack or show compassion. It’s a classic prisoner’s dilemma setup. If they both play nice, it’s golden. If they both attack, it’s even. If you play nice and get betrayed, you’re screwed. 

But like...it’s D20. It’s the Game of Thrones season of D20 but it’s still D20. 

They choose compassion, both of them. 

“Saccharina, you’re an astonishing leader, but I can’t be your subject. But please, I would like to be your sister,” Ruby says, and Siobhan keeps her perfect track record of taking me out in every finale. 

Rina has her guys stand down (to Swifty’s dismay). Ruby tells a skeptical Cara to stand down and choose family (which she does, snapped out of her paranoia by Ruby’s brave move).

Brennan’s attempt at PvP thwarted, Amethar swears on the Book of Leaves that he was named Emperor and Primsy--who is here in too for some reason--recognizes the claim. That leaves the recently (forcibly) vacated throne of Castle Candy to Rina. Which is great for her because Liam remembers the wish seed and uses it to just quadruple Candia in size, the absolute madman. 

We get epilogues! Liam becomes Master Gardener (and also casually says that he brought back the Pontifex and Kerradin to jail them which is wild because that’s not a spell that exists in this world--Ally just brute forced it in in the last second in a line so poetic that Brennan was just forced to let it happen). Cumulus takes a break from snapping chicken’s necks. Theo gets laid. Rina and Ruby do the sister thing and Ruby joins the circus for a while. Cinnamon becomes a vegetarian which mellows out his constant hunger. And Amethar enjoys time with his newly expanded family. For the first time in a while, things are looking sweet. 

A Few Notes

I’m going to fight the editor who had me worried about the “family is exposed” clip all season for the exact wrong reason. But also, gold star. Well played.  

Lol at Brennan not even getting his PvP in the GOT season w/ a prisoner’s dilemma. Like, give it up dude. Watch next season start in media res during a fight to the death to force everyones’ hands. 

On the same topic, very funny that the previous episode it was like, “Loyalties tested! Lines drawn!” and then this episode Theo was like, “Come on guys you shoulda just talked to me. I would never betray you.” It’s like he just wanted to have a dramatic moment. 

MVP this ep is Ruby with the watersteel dagger imo. Like everyone had their moment. And Amethar w/ that Nat 20 was dope but you were kind of waiting for that all season. But I totally forgot Ruby had that dagger. I, like, verbally cheered when she pulled it out. 

I haven’t watched the last AP or the behind the scenes special so I don’t know that much about unseen characters besides what I’ve glimpsed on Twitter/Tumblr but Amand Maillard looks very dope. 

I wish we’d gotten to know more about Citrina. Like I get that if you dump these players in a world, they’re gonna wanna take down The Man and often The Man is The Church and the Pontifex *did* need to go but sometimes people are just Good and I dug her (Citrina’s) vibe in the flashback we got.

I can’t believe Siobhan got me with the “Be my sister/Let me be your sister” stuff in back to back seasons. You’d think I would have developed some resistance in the intervening months. Nope! Weak as ever baybee!  

One Final Thing

One of the reasons I’ve been so busy lately is I’ve been working on my podcast*, Absolutely No Adventures, which is dropping in a tiny bit over a month. The trailer drops on Sunday so if you wanna check that out when it’s out, you can follow the show’s Twitter (@noadventurespod)! I’ll also link it here as my pinned post once it’s up. I hope some of y’all check it out! 

*ONE of my podcasts but one announcement at a time.

[popculturebuffet]

Close Enough: So Long Boys And Clap Like This

ON this hour’s episodes: Josh decides to have a vasectomy after a pregnancy scare and soons end up dealing with second thoughts and bostonian robots while Alex regrets getting his after meeting what are maybe his children. Then Josh finally sells a game but it falls through and takes up extra jobs to avoid telling his family while Bridgette is forced to get a real job on her birthday and Alex enjoys inudstrial humis. Clap Like This under the cut. 

So Long Boys

Aka the greatest vacesctomy based comedy episode since Brooklyn Nine Nine’s “Choclate Milk”. If you don’t know the show or don’t remember that episode if you are a fellow 99er it’s the one where Jake thinks his superior officer and friend Terry getting a vasectomy means chopping his penis off. I mean it starts off just assuming he’s making a joke but it becomes blurry if he’s just making quips or genuinely thinks that’s how it works. It’s also easy to compare these two because they both, while vastly diffrent and great episodes in their own rights: have a simlilar beat to the plot: a character trying to get a vasectomy for responsible reasons but being unsure they don’t wnat more kids. It’s just Brooklyn Nine Nine is more also about Jake being hurt Terry dosen’t think of him as a friend, a position he reverses while Close Enough has indentured pop and lock teenagers, a dark ride dedicated to scaring people out of kids and bostionan robots that sound like JFK from Clone HIgh. How does any of this fit together, let’s take a look. 

So we open with Josh and Emily having a huge pregnancy scare, which was caused by the birthday sex from the pitch trailer aka Josh trying to pass it off as “we’re just doing our taxes sweetie!”. In other words the main bit I wanted to see transfered to the show proper. And while there’s a few joke this scene is mostly played for drama.. it’s not out of tone with the rest of the show. What really has made this show work for me is it combines regular show antics, but with the added maturity of having an older cast dealing with growing up. A bunch of 30 somethings to start instead of a bunch of 20 somethings so instead of dealing with stuff like video game competitionts, guys nights, and dating woes, it’s more dealing with juggling family and friends, having a job you hate and trying to ballance your career with your passion.  And here is no diffrent: Josh and Emily HAVE no money, live in a cramped apartment with their best friends and a newly divorced couple which as we’ve seen isn’t always easy, and work jobs htey utterly hate and would have to double down on, snuffing out their real dreams, in order to support this kid. Josh outright says he’ll get a second job and give up his video game development which wihle it’d probably be miserable for him would be a sad neciscity. I myself do this blog on the side while trying desperatley to get an actual paying job, it sucks and their situation is compounded by having a kid on top of it who needs their support and attention. It’s stressful enough without adding a second child. Thankfully it’s a false alarm.  However Josh, in a show of responsibility decided to do something about it and get a vasectomy. Still being josh though, his getting one also involves a massive and hilarious vasectomy party, where a bunch of people we never met, and alex and bridgette obviously play party games involving pinning sisssors on testies and theires even a breakdancing sperm. Emily and Pearle’s reactions are gold to this: Emily, before the opening, tells Josh he’s not allowed to plan parties anymore, understandable while Pearle genuinely didn’t belivie they were dumb enough to have a vasectomy party and gives out an understandable “Damn you white people” when she’s proven wrong. Alex also gets set up for his subplot in the episode mentioning he got his a year ago, which given his and Bridgette’s relationship was probably falling apart around then was a good call. I do however like this: Something big happend and Josh is taking responsibility for it, while still being josh about it, but it shows how unlike a lot of idiot heroes in adult cartoons,he’s still a genuinely nice guy who tries to do what’s right, and has more than one brain cell. he has two thank you. So Alex drives josh to get a vasectomy, while Randy presumibly watches Candace as we only see her at the start (Peale was watching her during hte party to help keep her in the dark for now) and finish of the episode. Meanwhile Emily, Bridgette and Pearle have a small B plot having brunch mamosas and boxing up candace’s baby stuff. We also find out for 100% sure our heroines nationatlities: Bridgette is japanese while Emily is Mexican. Mostly because Bridgette always saw Emily with a bigger family and only half for racist reasons that get her handcuffed to a pipe by a drunken Pearle. This show really needs more of Pearle asa every time she shows up she’s a fucking delight and if the show hopefully returns for season 2 I could easily see her getting more screentime. Emily ends up in tears and realizing she may want more kids, which is.. resonable. Their only 32. While it’s resonable to want or have any amount of kids, except like 20 like that one tlc show... I never watched it but when the only two things you hear about a show you don’t watch is the weird, archacic dating setup they have that feels like it produces a good marriage as much as Charlie Sheen did, and that the mother won’t stop having kids despite it nearly killing her  multiple times and having you know 20, you kinda don’t want to watch it.  Anyway it’s resonable to want a family of any size you want, Emily realises she’s not sure she wants to stop at 1 just yet.  Meanwhile in the A-Plot Josh has come to the same conclusion after finding out that not only is this version of a vasectomy he’s getting permentant, mostly due to ball scorching done by robots, but after a hilarious but deeplly insulting carnival ride in the clinic that’s supposed to Scare josh out of having kids and features two teenagers fighting and pop and locking, a goblin and a wall just saying why why why why, impilng kids ruin your sleep, your romantic lives and are terrible. Josh however understandably takes offense to this, and seeing a brother and sister.. only make him not want to deprive candace of possibly having a sister oneday. Again while he and Emily are in no way in position for a second kid now.. they have time and Josh could easily sell a game at some point: he almost does in the next episode. ONe of Emily and Bridgette’s songs could go viral. Or Josh could end up finding a much better day job or Emily could get a promtion at hers. While not wanting to have a second child while they can’t support one is the right move, Josh realizes not wanting ot have one at all, at least in their spectfic case, was an overreaction to a scary situation.  Josh decides to think more, despite the doctor offring up some pubic scaping for extra, and he and Alex end up finding the Teens from the ride.. who are in fact real kids who look an AWFUL lot and act an awfl lot like alex and are basically indentured to the doctor,who treats them like crap and has them undder contract to pop and lock for him and look at his new pubic hair designs (”Those nights are the hardest”). Josh decides not to go through with it but the bostioan robots who do the procedure refuse to let that happen and leave Josh, Alex and the Twins on the run, while Alex himself reconsiders parenthood as he’s now proud of what he thinks are his kids. As the four are cornered it turns out the doctor is also a prisoner.. but an unsympathetic one since he can A) go home and B) is willingly collaberating with obnoxious robots to do a dangerous verison of a serious procedure to save his own ass and is karmically atomized. When Alex brings up his thinking the kids are his, they sadly explain he isn’t: Their dad’s a republican senator (Tot hteir shame the girl, who I almost forgot to mention is voiced by the wonder Kate MIccui, in her second role in a JG Quintel show. HOpefully if there’s a season 2 or the show stars having arcs they can find a full role for her on the show. ) and Alex finds his sperm he donated ended up in a dumpster.. but is determined to protect the kids anyway. Thankfully our heroes are able to escape with Emily, who sneaks ina fter the robots locked down the faicility’s help, with Josh bummed because he was proud for being responsible as the two discuss still wanting to have kids, with Emily pointing out .. this is STILL responsible. Not going through with something you have doubts about and having an honest talk with your partner is the responsbe thing> The five of them escape, and while Alex knows he’s not the teens father, offers to be there for them if they ever need it.  Wrapping things up at a skating rink, The Ramierz’ skate and Josh and Emily plan to do their taxes again later, though likely with a rubber this time, and Alex got his vasectomy reverse and is really weird about it to Bridgette’s annoyance. Also 20,000 years into the future subhuman cavemen versions of hismelf are the dominatne lifeform Neat. Overall this ep was really good, having great character stuff for Josh Emily and Alex, while still having some good bits for the rest of the main cast minus randy who I feel the show honestly forgets exists half the time, with drunk Pearle being a delight. But it’s the emotional core for both sides: Josh and Emily hastily deciding to not have more kids before wondering if they want to keep the option open while Alex realisses he might want to be a dad himself and his bond with waht he thinks are his kids and protectivness of them is really sweet. It’s also not lacking in great jokes; The entire rollercoaster of “DON’T HAVE KIDS” is just black comedy gold from start to finsih including the green goblin for some reaosn, the boston robots and vasectomy doctor are great vilians and overall the episode is just really good and really mature for an episode that also makes plenty of testicle scaping jokes. You can do both. 

Clap Like This

And continuing the trend from the last few episodes, we have the weaker one (though Golden Gamer was still pretty damn good), second this time around, though like Golden Gamer it’s still decent.  The plot is a bit simplier and starts with Josh FINALLY selling a game to two idiot tech billionares, Clap LIke This, a game about clapping along that actually seems really damn fun and I wish were real like Ladder World.  While Emily enjoys being able to spend money and her husband finally living his dream or so she thinks, Bridgette, who we find out has been on an allowance from her parents, is cut off on her birthday and has to get a job at a forever 23, one of the few times this show has used an offbrand and not nearlya s awesome a name as “Plugger Inners” it feels lazier if only because again, Plugger Inners exists. But as was revealed earlier, the two guys who bought it went broke and the deal feell through but josh, feeling terrrible about them not being able to afford the finer things anymore, hides it from his family and takes as many shifts as possible at plugger inners. He also runs into David Hasslehoff doing his best mitch von malibu as he just.. throws more money at josh to do what his son asks. Or nephew or whatever. I went back and redited this after finding out that really was him and supposed to be him. I’m also calling his annoying son Hobie for reasons that will be come clear if you’ve ever watched allison pregler’s baywatching series but it’s always fun to see the hoff in something. Especailly the time he made this really embarassing music video. 

But alass the 200 dollars Hoff made off “jump in my car”  that he gave josh isn’t enough and with him having taken all the insltation jobs josh is forced to turn to black market insltations including one where he installs a tv while jaws eats a guy.. I genuinely wish they’d used this song.

[asillydreamer-on-a-crazyworld]

I think it was a setup and the practicing and I’m gonna teach you was for this moment, everyone’s freaking out but I’m like bring on S3 lmao

LOL WORD!

Same here, anon.Same here. I’m not worried whatsoever for next season or even Brio.

 I think that since the beginning they were not meant to be a functional, healthy ship. And honestly? I don’t care that they are like that. Sue me. It’s good to have some dark tastes too when it comes to ships.

We learned yesterday that he actually just taught her how to shoot, probably LOL. And I understand Rio bc like I was talking about it with some friends here, the guy recognized parts of himself in Beth. They were so much alike. Rio knew Beth was a smart person, that she had it in her to be a king someday, and I believe that was why even with the “I’m giving u the keys to the king” thing he actually didn’t intend to give her shit.

 Not this kind of power or control. Rio knew Beth had the potential to become a boss bitch. He said it himself. He warned her that if she wanted to be the king she HAD to kill the king. And we saw a few times in season one, that she wanted to be. The show gave us all the hints: from how she organized that “book club” in her house, to how she lied to  Ruby and Annie when she said she went back to Canada and told that guy I forgot the name that Detroit was theirs, in episode 10, I think?

But Beth was still learning, still afraid of this dark side of hers, and fighting against it because she wanted to be a “good person”. But Rio showed her she was not 100% good. And so, I think Rio didn’t want to risk giving Beth any proper training at how to be a successful boss bitch bc one day she could bring him down.

She would be good competition if she embraced that dark side of hers. So he just kept playing the game, not letting her turn into a queen piece or a king, just being the pawn there.

And yeah, I do think, looking back at the season, that he used her to get rid of the FBI. Or at least use her in a way that would take the focus off him and on someone else while he tried to come up with something to be done with Turner and the FBI for good.

We all debated to the point of exhaustion about how Rio could have killed Boomer himself and his guys, right? And some of us believed he didn’t want to get his hands dirty and that the feds would quickly trace the murder back to him, and some said he needed to give Beth a lesson, bc of what he said to his son “clean up ur own mess”. I think both are true. He forced Beth to kill Boomer bc he didn’t want to get his hands dirty and avoid the FBI linking another murder to him and he also liked the idea of making her do it bc maybe in his fucked up head, shooting her hubby wasn’t payment enough for getting him in jail. 

back then I agreed that Beth had to take responsibility for Boomer’s mess and I still stand to it, since what she and the girls did only made it worse, but Rio and his guys knew who Boomer was. The idiot was getting paid to keep his mouth shut.

Another murder in Rio’s account wouldn’t have made his record worse. Also, he is doing this for quite some time now, Sure he didn’t have a way to make it look like it wasn’t him? But ok, maybe it was too risky with the heat he was feeling from the feds.

But here I wanna u to notice something: Rio started to push Beth harder here.

Following her around to the point it got creepy. And I’m guilty here bc Like many others I was all like “lol Rio is so fucked up. this guy is really into this weird game with her right?” but honestly, that was the first sign that Rio was not that stable.

Then, we had the Brio sex in the bathroom after she said she was out, and don’t tell me that for Rio was more bc I think for both it was like an itch they needed to scratch or the tension would be too much. But again, Rio forced his hand in his game when he came back again, this time at Boland Motors, to “propose” a partnership to her. Like she rly had any choice, right? RIO WAS THE ONE WHO CAME BACK. NOT BETH.

and she accepted. Then, came the “stay in ur little lane” comment and we were all like “wow, Rio. ok, we get it, maybe he is trying to protect her bc she can mess things up and they both will pay”.

yeah. This is right, but he was also protecting himself here, bc it was a huge investment he was making. Like Manny Montana said, at the end of the day, it’s all about Money. And she found out he did something behind her back even when he said they were partners and yeah his motives might be good for him but WHAT ABOUT HER? After all, he said they were partners and partners don’t hide things from each other. And like Beth said in the car with the girls, if something wrong happened, she was the one going to jail. HA. isn’t that what almost happened? Can you really say Beth was wrong here?

And Rio did nothing to help her with it. Which, ok, fair, she did it to him first. Like he threw at her face in a not very subtle way with his comment in the car back in episode 12.

But again, that was her checkmate to him when he took her out. So again, more proof of how these two are not that sane with this dangerous power play between them.

Next: the body parts he sent her. I agree with a comment Heather made on TT that this was the first sign that Brio would go downhill. Many of us didn’t even care that much and again, GUILTY UR HONOR. That was fucked up but EVERYONE EXCUSED A GUY SENDING A WOMAN BODY PARTS BC HEY, HE IS A CRIMINAL. But WHAT IS WRONG WITH US HERE, DRAGGING A WOMAN DOWN- NO MATTER IF SHE IS WHITE, LIKE HOLY SHIT THIS IS SOME FUCKED UP THING TO DO, SHUT UP- BECAUSE SHE WAS SALTY TO HIM AFTER GOING BACK AND SAYING THAT YEAH, SHE BLOCKED HIS NUMBER AND WANTED OUT? YEAH, IT WAS KILLING HER BUT HE DIDN’T EVEN GIVE HER A CHOICE AGAIN.

I think that if Rio waited just a bit more, she would go back by herself. She was dying to go back to the crime world. And she would eventually, but probably not with him as a boss, but Rio just liked to have her around so much…She entertained him.

But notice… AGAIN SHE DIDN’T LOOK FOR HIM. HE FORCED HER TO GO BACK USING SOMEONE ELSE’S BODY.

AND FINALLY:

Kidnapping her and trying again to force her to shoot Turner this time, bc yeah, I agree with Rio, I don’t believe Turner would leave Beth be, bc his reputation was ruined. He would lose the case he spent so many years, probably, working on.

now one question: He succeeded in kidnapping Turner and hurt him. Why did take him so long to do this?

Why didn’t he kill Turner sooner?

 Again, I think he was waiting for the best moment to do it. Maybe, just like he didn’t want to get his hands dirty with Boomer, he didn’t wanna the same with Turner. Good thing he had Beth there with him now, in the game.Right?

again, he was RIGHT. The man wouldn’t stop chasing her or him by default.

was this his “grand gesture”? in his fucked up mind I think it was. Manny himself said here that Rio is, and I quote: “ a dude that has a screw loose.”.

but I believe he was reaching his breaking point, acting on survival mode. He took his things out of the loft. He kidnapped Beth when I believe if he just called her, she would meet him there ( writers, EXPLAIN THIS!). 

but ok, it was done. But the way he kept pushing her, started to scream at her to just shoot Turner, calling her bitch, advancing on her? He lost it. And so did she. The pressure was building between them since episode 11, I think, and it finally exploded. 

She did what he wanted her to do in S1 but she wasn’t ready yet and I don’t think she was in 2x13. It was just a thing of the moment, not something she planned. She just acted on instinct, survival instinct, just like Rio did I believe, with his actions. U can see on his face he was surprised.

And then he laughed at Turner when he was laying on the floor, bleeding.

Rio set up the grand finale to his game with Turner, even getting that camera on his place to again mess with Beth and honestly, this was all fucked up since the beginning.

he always bet high on his moves in this thing with Beth. They both don’t know much about the other and people can surprise u in bad and good ways.

 I honestly don’t think Rio will be furious with her, not long.  The woman actually had the balls to shoot him, a crimelord, well know in Detroit streets, and she just got three bullets in his chest.

I think he can kind of respect that. But of course, it will be hell for Beth to pay, bc the king will get his crown back. 

Beth is not ready to rule yet anyway. I think we’ll see that in season 3 but one thing I liked that the show let us know: Beth embraced this other side of her bc yeah, she is gonna be a mom still but she will also try to run her own criminal enterprise. She finally believes she can do this. Rio was a daddy and he could right? And I believe she will start with something small, obviously.

However she will struggle, and I wonder if word won’t get out that a mom, a Stepford wife, shoot the great Rio and almost killed him.

I wonder what she is gonna do when she finds out Turner saved Rio’ life in a way, bc I believe he did call 911.

I don’t trust Turner or his apparent truce with Beth.

I do believe Season 3 has a lot of potential. And I can’t wait to see how Beth and Rio will fight over their territory and how these two alphas will find common ground again. I agree that in season 1 Beth was the one who went to Rio and asked to be part of this world he lives in. 

 And I’m not saying she didn’t like it bc she did. but I think season 2 was her really struggling with what she wanted and how she wanted, and Rio didn’t give her any space to breathe bc he kept pushing her to just decide and get done with it.

Manny said Rio liked the girls and especially Beth around and that they made things more interesting. I think he knows his character enjoyed this cat and mouse game he had going on, but even when Rio felt something for beth money, again, was at the forefront of his mind. And with what Manny said about Rio, trying to find a way to understand this man mind takes way more than we thought. Let’s see where we go down from here.

[mysticdragon3md3]

Reactions to ep1-2

(Hey, there’s supposed to be a cut here.  uh...Turns out, I think I kind of hate Louis.  So if you like him, I recommend not reading further.)

7:46 PM 3/25/2020--------------------------------------------------------------

Beastars season 1 ep1

7:53 PM 3/25/2020

Aw, man!  Don't make me cry already!  A love letter from a dead person?!  ;O;  

Wait.  "Rouis"?  Not "Louis"?  Ok...?

Jeeze, everyone keeps commenting on stereotypes.  Whether it's good or bad expectations, it's all shit.  "Carnivores are all monsters."  "Goat are only good at eating everything."  "We're a high-bred harlequin rabbit pair, so you're shit compared to us!"  "You're a wolf.  Act like one and give yourself some prestige."  

I don't understand people who like Louis.  His first 2 scenes from his introduction, and all I sense is him being an asshole.  I don't care about whatever "sad backstory" he has.  I already heard spoilers about him almost sold as food and constantly wary of that at any time.  There are so many times he's being a complete asshole, that doesn't have anything to do with projecting power against possible enemies.  LIke, why bully that herbivore replacement for Tem?  If Louis dictated the least obvious substitute for Tem, in case his death was setup so that someone else could take his role in the drama club, there's still no need to crush that goat's lower jaw!  Louis is an asshole.  "Cool backstory; still murder."  It's perfectly possible to be cool, project Strength (to protect yourself), and still not be an asshole.  Look at Legosi.  ...Hell, that maybe be why Louis is like this.  He's Legosi's foil.  OMG  I that why both of their names start with "L"????  I don't understand Louis's popularity.  I guess I don't like bad boys.  Give me the good boys, ingenues, and cinnamon rolls, like Legosi.  

This reminded me: Malice, an dcharacters who confuse Power with the True Strength of Compassion, are some of my pet peeves.  Oh, no....This is really pissing me off...  Am I going to have to drop Beastars because I can't stand Louis?  That's why I dropped HeroAca and Gakuen Babysitters, and plenty of other objectively fantastic series.  I can afford to be picky, with my overwhelming watchlist backlog.  Plus, just watching bully characters ruins my mood for an entire day!  Just any part of a scene feels like spending time with horrible people.  That's why I started to notice the particiular things which became my pet peeves.  I wanted to hang in on BNHA for Deku, but Bakugo was too intolerable.  I really want to hang in on Beastars for Legosi...but if Louis is too intolerable...  I can only hope he doesn't get too much screentime.  

Whew, that was close.  Almost didn't get to listen to the ending theme.  I really hate the automatic credit skipping.  I'm always scrambling for the remote to stop it in time.  I wish there was a setting for each profile so I could set a preference for not skipping the opening or ending themes.  

8:23 PM 3/25/2020 But I think I'm done.  I got too exhaused and annoyed by Louis.  I don't want to watch Beastars ep2 now.  I'll go back to my current comfort food "Cells at Work".  Nice and simple.  

9:25 PM 4/11/2020-------------------------------------------------------- Beastars ep2

I'm really reluctant to watch this, because I dislike Louis so much.  I don't want to see him.  But I really should watch this show.  And also, I like Legosi.  But I"m going to sit away from my laptop and not type a lot of reactions.  Maybe after I finish the ep, I will.

So does Legosi have a memory gap of attacking Haru?  Is this a side effect of him going feral?  

Seriously, those guys fighting in the cafeteria were so stupidly fixated on each other, I wanted someone to break up their fight by implying they should just fuck and get it over with.  If you want to break up a fight between 2 guys with bruised macho egos, imply their fighting is a sign of curshing on each other. lol That'll shut them up.  

Legosi continues to be so sweet.

I didn't expect him to go into all these mental calculations to make himself appear to lose fights.  O.o

It was a relief when Louis saved Legosi, but then he ruined it by adding another negging aside to Legosi.  Ug.  But I get why Legosi annoys him so much.  Louis wants the innate power and authority that Legosi could have so easily.  So it annoys him to see Legosi "squandering" it, while Louis is so fixated on struggling every day to attain it.  But it sounds to me like Louis just has never considered the difficulty in holding back all that power and feral instincts, and the horror and guilt of that side getting out of control.  I think the first scene of this episode worked really well to put that carnivore disadvantage factor into the forefront.  I dislike characters who confuse Power with Strength, but not enough to avoid a series---just enough to see them as proper villains.  To me, people who confuse Power with Strength, vs recognizing the True Strength of Compassion, are some of the worst.  Worst people, not worst characters.  I can tolerate watching scenes with them.  I think it's why Toyotomi Hideyoshi worked so well in Sengoku Basara Samurai Kings.  But the worst thing is knowing Louis's background spoilers and feasibly believing that even if he was told that Compassion and holding back Power were much more indicative of True Strength, much more difficult actions, and real proofs of Strength, he'd probably disregard the inherent worth of such True Strengths.  (Strengths that make the world worthwhile! If a world didn't have those things, if it was instead full of people who idolized Power over True Strength, it wouldn't be a worthwhile world!)  Louis, in his insecurities and subconscious fears of returning to food, if he showed any weakness, would probably accept the falsehood of Power of Strength, just to ensure he was protected.  That's what happens when people are afraid: they only look out for themselves.  I can totally see Louis if he could turn into a carnivore, he'd accept the disadvantages of struggling with carnivore instinct, not even calling it a disadvantage, and maybe even trying to justify eating someone else (if it ever happened even by accident), as just the fault of the someone else's weakness.  That's the type of Weakness and villain I see in Louis.  

All this herbivore/carnivore discussion, I completely forgot that everyone was "afraid" of Haru because of her "slut" reputation.  I think that anteater guy was even the one who tried to help her with her matress, then his friends specifically told him to fear associating with her.  

So is Haru lying about forgetting when she was attacked?  Or does she actually have a memory gap from the trauma of it?

I really like the confused sounds Legosi made when Haru took off her clothes.  lol

Netflix skipped the ending theme before I could stop it.  I wanted to watch it, damn it!  I wish Netflix had a setting where you can preset all your viewings to show all the ending themes and opening themes.  An "anime setting".  lol  Thank goodness for YouTube.  So I watched the ending theme there, and it's nice.  ^_^