#s1 retrospective

[letsrearise]

Season one retrospective part II: Michi

Hightlighting all the relevant Michi characterization in season one!

The basics of Michi.

If there’s one word to describe Michi, it’d be impulsive. Herissmon and Player Character (PC) meet her upon coming out of the station because she loudly approaches them, drawn by the novel sight of Herissmon. For better and for worse, she’s the kind to always wear her heart in her sleeve—and to decide based on her emotions; after all, she does try to argue with Kuwagamon out of genuine offense at its ungratefulness. And to down in a gulp all the cocoa she ordered before having to deal with the Digital Point, she just couldn't leave it behind! And she does form an instant, strong dislike to Takumi due his condescending manners. And so on. No matter the situation, Michi allows her heart to speak and act for her.

Michi is a fun character to follow. Her forwardness and impulsivity make her both goofy and charming. She’s good to keep things from being stagnant— let’s remember the first library incident where the PC and Herissmon end up trapped in the digital point does happen because she wanted to check an urban legend. Her love for the occult adds a fun texture to her character.

Tailmon’s debut.

Speaking of, Michi’s fear of ghost is pretty goofy. She likes weird, novel creatures, but not when they might be the dead. I’m not too fond of her adult evolution act since it can feel underwhelming as a trigger for Tailmon’s debut, especially coming at the tails of her staking her pride in training hard to get Plotmon to evolve and getting the promise it’d come when the time is right in return—just what makes the silliness of act 09 more fitting is beyond me. It’s also not entirely true that training is ineffectual as a path towards evolution, but that’s a topic for later.

Still, Michi not being able to be upfront about her fear of ghosts and not wanting to hunt for them but still tagging along because the others want to do it makes for some funny bits. It’s partly the pride speaking, so even when Plotmon is messing with her, she still doesn’t fess up. Her being prideful is a trait we don’t get to see much in season 1, but the fact it’s properly established makes it fun when it comes back in season two.

Plotmon takes the teasing too far—they both take the banter and the embarrassing each other too far. It’s not entirely unenjoyable since it’s all pretty childish and serves to show how well they mesh together and know each other. At the end of the day, they are each other’s best friend. The fact that they’re pretty alike, despite Plotmon being more often than not Michi’s straight-man, also gets some nice mileage during season two, so I can’t entirely discount this act. I only wish it didn’t spin its wheels so much.

Some other highlights.

Some other stray moments that are Michi hightlights are when, during act 13, she’s the first one to point out SkullGreymon is in pain. It’s such a small moment, it’d almost feel inconsequential to point out, but we do get important moments based on this in season two, so it’s always delightful to see how consistent her characterization is.

Another noteworthy moment is when she gives advice to Takumi in act 19 regarding what partnership is about—“two working as one”. That partnership is about working together is not exactly a shocking revelation, but it’s a fitting insight for her to offer Takumi, who’s often very caught on his ideals of strength and independence to be truly considerate to his partner. Michi knows that, so she offers her little wisdom nugget. She can be genuinely keen and insightful due her focus in emotions as much as she can be a brash clown. This, too, gets expanded later on.

Setting the tone for the future (act 21).

I was initially irritated at this act, to the point of thinking season 2 does pretty much every idea in it better. The emotional core of it is about Michi feeling guilty over running her mouth, with the expected reassurances about how her candid passion and optimism often push the Tamers forward. While it’s true she bats hard for fighting the Spirals as a remedy to Herissmon’s situation, the lack of any real alternative made the guilt ring hollow at first. It is a Digimon story, after all. What other solution is the conflict gonna have other than to punch it out? However, after revisiting it, I felt that more than being the definitive take on Michi’s flaws, it was a nice way to establish more subtle characterization for her.

It’s not a suprise that Michi’s high emotivity and impulsiveness can lead her to be thoughtless. To act 20’s credit, the route the narrative takes has more depth than simply having Michi say something wrong or hurtful in the heat of the moment and then having to apologize. During the Tamers initial reunion at Truffle discussing Herissmon’s situation, the straightforward answer is to simply get rid of the Spirals that are affecting Herissmon’s condition. It’s not really a foolish idea given that’s pretty much all they’ve been doing so far. Michi shows herself enthusiastic about it, since it’s a clear and easy answer to deal with the situation that doesn’t involve sitting too tightly with uncomfortable emotions such as uncertainty, worry and sadness, nor contemplating all the ways it could not work, as Keito does.

You’d be excused to think it’s simply Michi being positive— she is, after all. And there’s nothing wrong to being positive, is there? However, Michi often interrupts Keito’s musings in favor of pushing them to act. When pressed about the possibility of Herissmon rampaging again, she hand waves it by saying the PC can just call out to Herissmon and snap them out of it. How fitting it is that it’s the act when that doesn’t work. It’s fair to say it’s intentional to show she’s trying Very Hard not to engage in any sort of “negativity” present. With Herissmon’s doubts and worries at an all-time high, they don’t want to risk being a burden. If Michi wants to go, then Herissmon will follow. It makes for better character work than I initially gave it credit for. Michi’s forceful positivity being hurtful because she doesn’t like dealing with difficult emotions, which has the unintended effect of pressuring Herissmon into not expressing them, is a good beat. Her brand of avoidance coping making her compelled to prefer things that feel “right” will form the cornerstone by which her arc in season two will unfold.

Naturally, season one doesn’t really dwell on this trait. It solves things neatly with Michi noticing how her thoughtlessness pushed Herissmon too hard. It makes sense she’s able to realize her mistake and apologize since, while she does often get swept in her own selfish impulses, she’s quick to take on external input and is legitimately perceptive, in her own instinctual way. She also loves Herissmon, so there’s no reason for this conflict to last longer than it does. But I still much prefer season two’s willingness to have her hit a wall and really grapple with it without offering an immediate balm. All in, while held back by the basic scenario writing, this act still sets up the material her season-two writing will expand on quite nicely.

[ceruleanvulpine]

helena eagan both defying and exceeding my expectations by losing so hard and so immediately... having an even worse relationship with her dad than expected... filming a youtuber apology with an embarrassingly obvious fake cover story... reacting to the cctv footage Like That

[sapphic-luthor]

okay we’re 4 episodes into season one and highlights of gfs comments so far include:

saying IMMEDIATELY that episode 1 could not be more gay coded what with kara’s desperation to live her truth and be herself etc etc etc

she’s delighted to see maxwell lord bc he is apparently the dad in twilight

kara at catco reminds her slightly of pam from the office of all people which .. absolutely baffles me

[drinker-of-paint]

Babys first go at an Alice design!!

I'm slightly worried I might have made her outfit a bit. Much? But on the other hand I think her fashion sense cannot be silenced

I'm just trying to get the ones out that I had immediately somewhat clear in my head before I get influenced by everyone elses designs,

I think I'll do Gwen next, no promises on how soon that'll be though bc it's me 😬

[mai-komagata]

why not neither?

I have seen this fandom idea that either galadriel manipulated halbrand into seeking power again and brought him back, or halbrand manipulated galadriel into all the events of season 1

I posit its neither. Or maybe it's both. But I don't think is as unbalanced a situation as people make it out to be.

Like i've seen this sort of feeling that halbrand is choosing to just go to numenor to have some peaceful retirement and was not gonna be evil sauron anymore... And like... where are people getting this? We see in episode s2e1 that as soon as Halbrand got his body he was gonna march to get his revenge on Adar half naked if need be. Then he ran into men escaping the southlands and thought better of the plan. But like, he doesn't become just a random member of these people. He seeks out the man with the emblem and makes sure to take it from him as people were dying around him. He doesn't care if people around him dies. He is very aware of whom Galadriel is when he rescues her on the boat. The FIRST THING he does when he gets to Numenor is try to get access to the forge. Halbrand isn't begging for guild access because this is the only way he can scrape money for stew. He is a powerful magical being who can enslave all of middle earth if only he has access to the right materials and a hot enough fire. The fact that this is his priority when he has no other plan makes me think he isn't without guile even at this stage. I think Sauron is lost right here -- he doesn't really have a plan. But I don't think for one moment he doesn't want to be Sauron, or doesn't believe in his mission to be Morgoth's heir, the Savior of Arda. He is just lying in wait, trying to figure out the best plan of attack. And Galadriel gives it to him. Twice over. And the flip side of this is Galadriel. She is neither being manipulated at every step nor is she solely responsible for the return of Sauron. She is *being lied to* of course, but she isn't being mind controlled or something. You can say it's understandable that anyone would lie if someone threatened to kill them, but regardless of it is understandable for a fugitive to lie about his identity, it doesn't change the fact that he is lying and assuming a false identity. She is making decisions to include him in her plans based on this lie. I still haven't rewatched s1 recently, so I don't have perfect recollection of all events like I do season 2, but Galadriel isn't being manipulated into wanting to attack Adar and the Southlands, or convincing Numenor to attack with her. I do suspect that Sauron is heavily pressing the scales as to what decisions are being made in Numenor, but I haven't rewatched it for hints on what those could be. But at the end of the day, she is a good general and has a good plan Sauron can latch on to, and he recognizes her skill. Later, Galadriel brings Sauron to Eregion, and there Sauron's plan really takes shape. He has access to the most powerful smith in elvendom and the facilities to match. He is made privy to a plan to make magical rings to harness power. He would not have access to these things without Galadriel.

But I think its gets tricky to say Galadriel bears *moral* culpability for Sauron's actions. I think she is complicit in his plans and inadvertently helps him. Had she been more deliberate in her decisionmaking, less bloodthirsty and determined, she might have realized something was up before Eregion. While their goals were aligned she was willing to not ask too many questions, and only asks those questions when she isn't at the center of events. (which we see happen over and over again -- when people's ambition blinds them to not inquire as to who this charismatic stranger is. You cannot fool an honest man and all that) But I think it's a fallacy to say Sauron would not have found different plans or done something else to rise to power without Haladriel. I don't believe for a moment he was seeking a quiet retirement. I think he would have put in motion events in the Akallabeth much sooner if he had stayed in Numenor. (also ps i sometimes hear: If sauron is evil why did he [save this person][do this good thing][do this thing when nobody was watching]? Like, being Sauron doesn't prevent you from doing good things. He isn't omniscient, he cannot predict all ends. Sometimes he does things that might bear fruit later, for one. Sometimes there is no point to the evil thing. Sauron always believes he is saving middle earth, at the end of the day. He isn't wantonly destroying things or doing evil for the sake of evil. He is trying to bring things to order and under his control. And you get more flies with honey than vinegar. The only person he really is full on hating in season 1 is Adar).

[mandareeboo]

I gave Silco a lot of flak last season. I got a few people upset about that. I still stand by what I said, tbh, and what Jinx has said. Silco got a thrill in taking a child and making her into Jinx, but Jinx was driven more by the voice of Vi in her head. That Silco saw himself in her and wanted to take her apart and put her back together like legos to see what he could create. How him overseeing her process went.

I think he loved what he made. I think he loved Jinx, the concept.

But he was Jinx's daddy, and that means the world to her, and now she's killed him. She can't undo that.

[selene-moonie]

them: why are you so ok with the lgbtq+?

the mfs i was watching from age 8-15

[mongeese]

I'm not the shipping type and I have no expectation or even desire for them to get together in canon but Sam and Evan in season 2 of MisMag have miles more chemistry than K and Evan ever did. K and Evan's relationship felt so rushed and unearned to me but Sam and Evan are being truly lovely to each other this season

[cabeswaterdrowned]

have finished s1 predictably I love it prepare for some Claudia spam.

[paperstorm]

Hi- I loved your Carlos and Iris story but it made me wonder something-

In the last chapter Carlos mentioned how it was smart for them to separate and it made me think- they never legally separated, did they?

And following that- if Carlos was still listed as her husband, was he at one point a suspect or at least a person of interest in her disappearance?

(Follow up question: how did they ever expect anyone to believe they had been planning this storyline since the beginning- like my only issue with it is they were so insistent they had this plan all along)

Hi and thank you!! I don’t know if there was anything legal or official about their separation … they never really specified that did they. And yea in reality Carlos almost certainly would be the number one suspect 😂 one of many things that do not make sense about this storyline being told in the fourth season with no previous planning.

[raayllum]

sometimes i remember the Leap and subsequent rayllum of it, love confession and all, are the plot and emotional climax of arc 1, and i lose my mind

[letsrearise]

Season 1 retrospective part I: the most memorable adult evolution, Filmon.

As a way to celebrate ReArise’s Anniversary, I’m starting my retrospective series on season one highlighting its most memorable parts in order to cover season 2 later on.

ReArise’s season one scenario writing is mostly formulaic—it uses the basic format of meeting up with the focus character, having some kind of spiral encounter that’s resolved through fighting and some kind of highlight such as a new character introduction or a new evolution. That’s not to say it doesn’t seed its plot and lore—although the repetitiveness hurts lending the drop feed more interest. From the Tamers’ introductions that involved random digimon as collateral, there’s been hints to Herissmon's true nature and their affinity to Spirals; as well to the Spirals’ plans through them provoking digimon and manipulating both the digital points’ frequency and size (the most pointed case being in act 11, with Keito noting the weird expansion of a particular Digital Point). Which leads us to acts 12-13 being among my favorites in season one, since they take all these hints and escalate the situation in an effective, shocking way.

The end-of-act-11 cliffhanger revealing the spiral expanding the Digital Point is still around, coupled with the fact that the unusual electronic disturbances point at the movement of the Digital Points for their eventual convergence at the center of the city are both rewarding little ideas that sell a sense something bigger than usual is brewing, more so than your typical “Digital Points are increasing in frequency” talking point so far. The event ties the instability of the Digital Point to Tyrannomon, so we get a different main objective than simply destroying the Spirals in order to restore the space back to normal. Previous digimon encounters haven’t necessarily been friendly from start, but none were a serious threat to the Tamers themselves as much as to the digimon’s own safety, so it’s a fun tug-of-war between Spirals and Tamers to get to and pacify/subjugate Tyrannomon first (also, it’s nice to see the once-to-be mascot of the franchise get a lil’ hype as especially strong).

 We also get to entertain some kinda strategy from the Tamers, with Takumi dealing with Tyrannomon directly and the others offering support by clearing the Spirals. Agumon’s eventual request for their help in order to talk it out with Tyrannomon also provides a shake-up to the usual course of action. The Tamers clear a path for Greymon to get to Tyrannmon, who at this point is merely a rampaging beast… It’s a bit underwhelming as far confrontations go, but it’s also note-worthy as the first time ReArise puts reaching out to the creature lashing out at the heart of the debacle, something that gets much greater pay-off in season one’s own finale.

 Herissmon’s building sense of impotence through act 12 is good to anticipate their eventual evolution during this event, as well as valuable characterization setup for their constant ruminating and guilt through the last stretch of season one as the Spiral possession occurrences keep on troubling them. The Tamers’ initial hesitancy to simply destroy Tyrannomon isn’t too deply explored, but it’s nice to see echoes of it for when the possibility starts creeping as a way to deal with Herissmon themself later on.

 The end of act 12 is a great cliffhanger on its own right— just when it looks the tides have changed and the Tamers have successfully weakened and cornered Tyrannomon, the Spirals resonate with it and force a corrupt evolution that successfully integrates Spiral data. This finally puts into perspective all of the Spirals previous experiments and hints at their ultimate goal as well as it foreshadows Herissmon’s own eventual fate. Not to mention it was just cool. This fucked up egg is my friend.

Herissmon’s adult evolution being fueled by a desire to help their friends when they’re in a pinch and literally paralyzed is Digimon at its most classic. It’s not the most shocking of revelations, but it goes quite well with Herissmon’s character— their answers for the Spirals in the season 1 finale hinges on how much they cherish life thanks to their beloved friends, and this will continue being their core source of strength through season two. Herissmon’s deep love for its friends is even baked into the lore of its ultimate evolution, given that it can get a power boost from the emotions of its allies. That the spirals are drawn to Herissmon as well and it looks like they might try to force a corrupt evolution right there and then is the cherry on the cake adding a bit of a twist. All in, it’s the perfect scenario for Herissmon to evolve for the first time.

There’s genuine pathos in the way the Tamers note SkullGreymon’s pain over the forced evolution and MetalGreymon’s desire to keep on reaching their rampaging friend culminating in a bittersweet victory for the Tamers. It’s a bit of a waste this season doesn’t use this event to pivot to a more serious atmosphere, especially as we deal with its shadow looming over Herissmon and how it affects the other Tamers—particularly Takumi, but I still enjoy the tragedy of it as is.

[asuccessfulbusinessman]

I didn't think I'd get returns from raising and E2ing Windflit. Even with E2, a high pot bonus on his talent, and a maxed module he still barely keeps up with Warfarin's buff - with no SP charging, a target limitation, and a worse uptime to boot.

However he seems to be pulling his weight in the early stages of IS4 due to having a body and decent group clear with his s1, and in the later parts of runs can still serve as a decent buffer even if his own damage falls off. I don't know because even the midbosses are kicking my teeth in. Plus, supporter recruitments don't have nearly as much competition as other classes like guards - especially when you need more bodies.

Now I just need to find the situation where Roberta thrives as well.

[continuallycowardlycod]

I wonder if Mincowski ever found Eiffel's log from 'cigarette candy'.

Wonder if the irony on him figuring it out early then being gaslight into thinking it was all normal got to her.

(spoilers in tags btw)

[mhaccunoval]

okay now i get being like 'give me a fucking break' overhearing your teammate talk lovingly about his lovely good luck pinching dad when your own dad would sooner pinch your earlobes because you weren't living up to his expectations

[menciemeer]

I agree--this was my (tentative) conclusion as well. I mean, it seems like it’s one of these two choices: either the scene with Freddie and Hannibal didn’t mean anything, or he encourages/approves of the article. Since we’re fairly starved for options, we might as well pick the latter!

I went script-diving for backup on this and only really found a bit, but I think that bit is pretty interesting. Immediately after the scene with Freddie, we cut to Jack and Hannibal having dinner. They’re eating pork (quote/unquote? I mean, probably) which on first viewing you of course assume is Freddie! I do think it’s funny that she gets fake-cannibalized twice.

In a bit of deleted dialogue, Jack asks Hannibal why he thinks Will went back to therapy. Will has already been rubber-stamped at this point; he no longer needs to go in order to keep his job. Hannibal’s response is:

JACK CRAWFORD Why did he [Will] go back [to therapy]?

HANNIBAL A guy like Will Graham? I'm sure he recognizes the necessity of his own support structure if he's to go on supporting you in the field.

JACK CRAWFORD Will Graham knows exactly what's going on in his head, which is why he doesn't want anyone in there.

The conversation from there shifts more towards Jack’s feelings of responsibility in general, rather than their theories about Will’s current mental state. So, ok, here’s some wild speculation:

At this point, it’s really not a foregone conclusion that Will is going to continue therapy at all. As I said already, he doesn’t need to anymore, and both Jack and Hannibal know that he’s resistant to the whole idea.

Hannibal, of course, is already interested and wants to keep him in therapy

In order to do this, Hannibal would like to set himself up as Will’s support network--ideally, maybe, his only source of stability. Later in this same episode is the point they first talk about Hannibal as Will’s “paddle.”

What better way to do that than to make sure Will feels particularly isolated because popular(?) journalist writes a hit piece on him? This can definitely be read as an early attempt at destabilizing and isolating Will, which he continues and intensifies through the whole of S1.

Of course this is all in addition to the angle where this article leads Stammets in particular towards Will. Never only one train of thought & all that. I just think this is a nice confluence of some of Hannibal’s short- and long-term goals.

love that moment when hannibal is like "you've been terribly rude ms lounds, what's to be done about that" and then absolutely nothing is ever done about that