#s5 and s6 did us dirty with their friendship

[jugheadvarchoni]

Ranking my Top 10 Riverdale relationships

Buckle up for this one. Got some hot takes for ya, and I yap for too long about my favorites. I also just want to preface this by saying every single relationship in this show has its faults, like relationships irl. And Riverdale in general didn’t do a great job with writing friendships specifically. So a lot of the friendships on this list don’t have a ton of material. A lot of my own feelings and head canons therefore play a big part.

Once again, these are MY opinions! :)

10. Jughead & Tabitha

None of Jughead’s romantic relationships did that much for me. Tabitha was the only where I was like “eh, that’s fine”. Their chemistry wasn’t anything to write home about, but they were sweet & I think Tabitha is a good character. They were done SO dirty in S7 tho…

9. Archie & Reggie (platonic)

This is mainly for the S7 of it all. The threesome was NOT it, but their bromance was so fcking adorable and hilarious in S7. I did love the rivalry they had in previous seasons too.

8. Toni & Tabitha (platonic)

Ughhhh what an underrated and healthy friendship. Tabitha in general deserved more/better, but what we did get with these two was awesome. Easily of the BEST dynamics in the S5/S6 era of the show.

7. Betty & Veronica (platonic)

Beronica. SOOOOO iconic. One of the most iconic duos in comics. But… I think a lot of their relationship was very one-sided, with Veronica often being a much better friend to Betty. Mainly in S2-S6. Their closeness fell off after S1 and then S7 they kinda rekindled it, but also went romantic with it. Which, personally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of. I felt like the opportunity to properly explore that (and not have it feel tacked on) passed a long time ago. But alas, they are incredibly iconic and I loved them in S1.

6. Kevin & Clay

Clay, the love interest Kevin always DESERVED. Loving, supportive, kind, it’s just too bad it took them until S7 to give us this kind of relationship for Kevin. And between Clay's social justice & art, he wasn't just a one-dimensional love interest either. One of only TWO canonically confirmed endgames on the show, I enjoyed watching their relationship grow over the final season.

5. Jughead & Cheryl (platonic)

ALRIGHT, hear me out! This one may be a little niche, and we didn’t get that much of them, but I wanted more SOOOOO BADLY. They are so very opposite in many, many ways, but that’s part of why their dynamic could’ve been so interesting and fun. I think their scenes in 7x18 are very indicative of the kind of hilarity that could’ve ensued from their friendship. Even though they fight and are snarky with one another, there was almost always a mutual respect and trust between them. Also, the fact that there is 0 chance for romance & they’re two of my absolute favorites just makes it even more appealing to me lol.

4. Veronica & Cheryl (platonic)

The friendship Veronica always deserved imo! Yeah, it may be one of the more complicated ones. But they’re two sides of the same coin, who went through SO much together. Nick, the maple rum business, Veronica helping Toni save Cheryl from Quiet Mercy, etc. I feel like they were often very supportive without having to be so outright about it. They have had a very intense rivalry and some not so great moments (Cheryl slut shaming the girls, Veronica included), but at the end of the day their dynamic is so interesting and their pasts/families are so similarly dark and messed up that I think they could’ve been the best friendship on the show.

3. Archie & Jughead (platonic)

Ohhhhhh my best boys! I’ve always found them to be the real heart and soul of the source material. Like most of the friendships on the show, they definitely dropped off in later seasons, they went through so much, supported each other through so much, that it’s hard to not keep rooting for them, even if the writers let their romantic relationships get in the way of showcasing their great friendship. Despite fights and disagreements, they always come back together to support the other when they need it. Like Archie having Jughead stay at his house when Jug was living at school, when Jughead followed Archie on the run, or when Archie stood up for Jughead against Reggie. They will always be my favorite Riverdale friendship and I wish they hadn’t been another victim of the rvd writers in the later seasons.

2. Archie & Veronica

My beautiful Varchie… They were my very first ship on the show, I was rooting for them from the very beginning. Their blooming romance in S1 specifically had so much heart, that their scenes still stand out as some of the cutest and most sincere moments on the show for me. She was there by his side when Fred was shot, they were both there for each other with everything Hiram put them through, even when Archie was imprisoned. They are over-hated to an insane degree, and tend to be reduced to being “all about sex” for a lot of fans, which I just find kind of… gross. They’re emotional, young, consensually physical together, both attractive people, so what’s wrong with that? All that doesn’t mean they don’t have a genuine connection.

I think Archie really shows her that she can and deserves to love and be loved by someone else, that love isn’t about money or power but about support & respect. Likewise, Archie gets strength from her, he’s introduced into a whole new world, one that helps him grow and figure out what he wants from life. He brings her down to earth and she teaches him to reach for the stars. I think growing together and learning from one another is such a beautiful and integral part of any relationship. Also imo, they have chemistry in freakin SPADES. Ugh I just really love them together. They deserved to be endgame, to find their way back to each other and moved to California to experience a new way of life together.

1. Cheryl & Toni

MY BELOVED CHONI. Was there really any other option here? Their love story is truly one of the most heartwarming and beautiful ones I’ve ever seen on tv. Enemies to lovers to exes to starcrossed lovers across all space and time. True soulmates, meant to find each other time and time again in every universe. Despite every relationship being turned on its head in S7, Choni were the only consistent ones. Only wanted each other. And even though they were estranged for 7 years and went through crazy (sometimes toxic shit) in high school, they never fell out of love. They came out of it all stronger and better for it all, even. Before S7, their relationship fell to the wayside, as did almost every other pairing (*sideyes Bughead*), but everything we got still showed them to be incredibly supportive, loving, and loyal.

Toni was there for Cheryl every step of the way, she helped her come out, she made her see that she’s worthy of love. That she is more than what her family abused her into thinking. And Cheryl had her personal issues and didn’t always handle it well, but she ALWAYS had Toni’s best interests at heart. Always. She gave Toni the family and life she’d always craved, Cheryl gave HER a kind of love she didn’t realize she deserved. A bombastic, passionate love full of mutual support. They were there for each other, without hesitation. And S7 just showed that they had all that AND had grown and learned from their past mistakes. S7 showed Toni having more agency, with Cheryl right there to actively support her in everything she chose to do. Not to mention, Madelaine & Vanessa’s chemistry was outta this world insane… like… whoa.

One of the ONLY endgames on the show! They got their happy ending, found a life together full of art and love. They lived full gorgeous sexy lives with their son Dale, and are now together forever in the Sweet hereafter. Iconic. Beautiful. SOULMATES. 🫶

[heller-obama]

I am here for those Clarke + Raven friendship moments

[isthemicon]

Writers really did Blair dirty in s5

*super long post because I’m angry as hell*

There was a time when I thought that season 5 is overhated. I’ve been telling myself that sure, Blair is acting unlike herself but that’s because this season is looking at her from more psychological angle and it’s looking at her character more deeply.

But then I’ve rewatched it and I’ve realized that they’ve ruined Blair completely. The depth that I was seeing is in maybe 3-4 episode and is often overshadowed by other things. And usually the deep moments are happening through other characters.

Blair in s5 is barley her own person, she does nothing that isn’t related to her relationships, she isn’t working on her status, position, career. Her whole character arc is regressed to her trying to figure out which guy should she choose or how to make the relationship she is in work.

I mean come on even Nate and Serena have bigger stories and actually do things outside their relationships.

Blair barley ever even makes her own decisions, someone else makes them for her or has to push her to make them.

In other seasons her love life is a big part of her story but in the same time she is doing something else as well.

In s1 she is trying to build her position in school, in s2 she is fighting for Yale and her position in school, in s3 she is trying to figure out her life at NYU and trying to build her position outside high school, in s4 she is going to Columbia and trying to start a career, even in s6 despite its ridicules soap opera like plot she is building her career.

And in s5? Let me tell you what Blair does in each episode of season 5

Recap of all of the episodes

05x01 Blair returns from Monaco, and the whole episode we see her trying to be able to plan the wedding. Wait is pregnant? No it’s Dorota, joking Blair is pregnant too

05x02 Blair is trying to hide her pregnancy from the royal family, while Beatrice and Dan are snooping. That’s all.

05x03 Blair is trying to figure out who is the father. Of course she can’t makw the decision on her own so Dan needs to force her to do it because of course she can’t do it on her own (still very nice friendship moment). I like ending of this episode, it’s deep and sad and emotional. And tells a lot about her mental state and what is going inside of her.

05x04 Blair is trying to convince Louis that Dan’s book is just a fiction, she is angry because the book threatened her relationship, not becuse it affected her career like in Serena’s case, not because she didn’t like the way she was portrayed like Nate and Rufus, it just that it made her fiancé doubt.

05x05 Blair and Louis tell their family about the pregnancy. Eleanor is unhappy (the only one that has a normal reaction) but then they have a beautiful mother and daughter moment but it’s a moment of Eleanor’s depth not Blair’s. Oh and also Blair is pawn in the battle called “where should they live? Which grandma will have more to say?”

05x06 Blair is trying to choose her bridesmaids (entertaining episode and shows her power, still resolves around her relationship). Probably one of the the very few were she is actually doing something.

05x07 Blair is trying to provoke Chuck to show that he hadn’t really changed. And Chuck and Dorota have to form a plan to make sure she believes he didn’t because she will be more comfortable with her relationship with Louis, again it���s not Blair making the decision someone else has to make it for her.

05x08 Blair has a bridal shower. The trouble is Serena is making it seem it’s not like Blair would like it so she is sad, but no it was a lie she has a perfect suprise party, oh and Louis is a jerk and wants to make her believe her friends aren’t her friends. She takes a break from Louis (good for you girl)

05x09 Blair is following Chuck because he had changed and she wants her fiancé to change as well. One of the lowest moments, Blair is absolutely heartless and selfish in her plan. (A very deep scene in the end but it’s coming from Chuck and just happening to Blair)

05x10 This episode I like it’s actually very deep. We are exploring her fear of being alone and her trying to figure out what’s the best thing to do. If she should listen to her heart and choose Chuck or if she should listen to reason and stay with Louis. We see Dan understanding her and trying to help her. That’s a real good episode.

05x11 Another deep episode exploring Blair’s trauma after the accident. Not gonna say anything bad about as I actually like it and here I think the focus on her being unable to stand on her own is important. And her losing her real self is actually very undrstandble here.

05x12 Blair has a bachelorette party and everybody is able to outsmart her and out plan her and Blair doesn’t see a thing. She needs others to save her because again she can’t do anything on her own. Oh and Chuck is following her.

05x13 Blair is getting married, this episode has some depth and action but again Blair does nothing on her own, Eleanor, Chuck, Serena, Louis talk to her and she just responds. But in end she wakes up and tries to run away. Finally she make her own decision.

05x14 Blair is running away from her wedding, Dan is helping her, Serena and Chuck are looking for her. But in the end Blair has one big moment when she takes responsibility and decides to stay in the marriage, doesn’t allow Chuck and her mother to buy her out.

05x15 Blair is back in the city for Valentine’s, goes to the party at Chuck’s place forcing him to leave his own party, she is followed by some woman with the most annoying accent. She is trying to play a cupid, Dan kisses her, Serena is mad, Blair is trying to explain it. The end

05x16 Blair is trying to convince Serena there’s nothing going on between her and Dan. She finds out what’s in a book and realizes Dan has feelings for her. So she decides she may want to start the relationship so she kisses Dan in front of Serena as her grandmother is dying. Sure Blair is doing things but that’s all relationship related, she is not even yet divorced and she is already thinking about going into another relationship.

05x17 Blair thinks she maybe able to get out of her marriage and be able to be in a new relationship, turns out no, she goes to Cece’s wake. She finds out about the video,Chuck and Dan fight for her, she tells Chuck she can’t be with him right now, photo of her and Dan gets out, meaning she will need to divorce and pay dowry. But Georgina says she might be able to help her out.

05x18 Blair tries to have sex with Dan and tries to be able enjoy it so she gets drunk. That’s honestly the whole plot of her story in this episode. (The worst episode in the whole show)

05x19 Blair is about to sign divorce paper, refuses to talk to Chuck, Dan is worried about the papers and tells her Chuck paid her dowry she accuses Chuck of trying to buy her, he tells her she was never meant to find out, she is sad because of the fact she will no longer be in the royal family. She doesn’t come to the conclusion that she can be strong without the title, she needs Dan to give her he fake princess moment where she is basically a tourist attraction.

05x20 Blair is trying to organize the party that will launch her and Dan’s relationship. Party is ruined because of the drama of other people. That’s it

05x21 This episode where Blair is actually doing something related to her social status. But she does it by trying to sabotage her boyfriend’s event? Very grown up.

05x22 Now we are getting to episode where she actually does something. She reunites with her friends as they try to figure out the whole Elizabeth and Jack thing. We finally see her do something outside her relationship. Of course at the same time Dan is worried and follows her outside the city. And lies to her about Rome.

05x23 An interesting episode, again Blair is actually doing something but it’s still connected to her love life. Blair is trying to help Chuck but at the same time she should be with Dan taking to the guy from the program. So she is torn. But at least she is scheming and using her talents.

05x24 Blair has to finally choose between Chuck and Dan while her secrets are being published on gossip girl and she tired or stop it. Finally she talks about her future outise love life but it’s Eleanor that starts the conversation.

That’s all she does, every single scene is related to her love life, she has no plans, no aspirations. Until the very last episode we don’t hear her talk about her work related plans and even then she talks about the matter of her heart. In season 5 Blair isn’t her best self, she doesn’t do a thing. Things are happening to her but she isn’t making them happen, she is just responding to them. And they related only to her love life. Gone is the girl that wanted to be a powerful woman, she doesn’t want a thing, even after she got divorced and is with Dan. She doesn’t talk about her plans, the closesest to her talking about future is when she talks about it is when she is wondering is she wants to go with Dan to Rome, on his writing program and when she decides to do it she is planning the trip, on where they will be eating and what will they be seeing. Not even for a moments she thinks about her future, about what she wants to do.

Blair in season 5 is a shell of a character, regressed to the love triangles, she is woman that does nothing outside her love life. So in conclusion, season 5 is the worst when it comes to the way Blair was treated. She is so much more than her love life and in s5 they completely they forgot that. And yes it’s a season of very big growth to her as she is faced with crushing realization that fairytales and movies are not real, that reality is brutal. But that’s not how you do it, multiple characters have a character growth in this season and yet we see them actually do something not just wonder which guy should she choose and not the end waiting for someone else to choose for her.

It’s an emotional season but again thoes emotions and depth are in few episodes and are usually are not really coming from Blair. More often it someone else’s growth and understanding of her that is creating thoes moments.

[fragmented-connections]

I wasn't going write this, but after seeing @isamukuro post I just needed to get this off my chest. 

this..this is what actually hurts me the most. As a woman of color, especially coming from an African immigrant background, discovering Alluras character was everything to me. I saw so much of myself in her, and more importantly so much of what I wanted to become. I literally only started watching Voltron because of a this gifset of Allura in s2. It showcased her determination, leadership and I just.. I just feel like this season really took everything that I love about her and just destroyed it. 

Kallura was a second main reason why I loved this show, it was so beautiful and the dynamics between them are so soft and meaningful.. and to have all that broken down this season is so heartbreaking. For k/a to be endgame just makes so much sense. For all of that development, the subtle and non subtle moments, the parallels between their respective storylines; all that we’ve seen from them from s1-s4 to just be wasted, and ignored like that makes absolutely no sense and it really hurts. This is why I feel with my gut that k/a was supposed to happen, and then the creators changed their minds and we started to see those changes in s6. Their relationship would have been a great and beautiful one-the creators really messed this one up. 

Watching Keith become like this after all his growth hurt and was so ooc that I couldn't stand seeing him on screen. Keith was never harsh like that with the paladins and especially with Allura. He was always so soft spoken with her and tender; even in s2 when they had the falling out because of his heritage he never once blamed her or was harsh. And for them to make him bring up Alfor-Alfor who was everything to Allura and make Keith call them both weak? I'm sorry but thats truly disgusting. if they used this as a way to dismantle all that they built up for kallura this shouldn’t have been the way to do it. Not only did they  ruin Keiths character, but they also destroyed any mean of friendship between the two of them. Ugh writing this hurts yo. I really can't believe this what we got. 

Even with Lance becoming Alluras love interest makes me so upset for many reasons- mainly because I really truly do not see any chemistry between them. If the story was written differently from the start and Lances character change started earlier on, and more importantly Alluras feelings towards lance, I might have bought it a little. but because we haven't really seen any romantic feelings of interest be projected  from Allura towards lance until this season, it doesn't add up. I really don'teven want to dwell too much on a/l, it just makes me feel bad for Allura like she just has to settle. it leaves a bad taste in my mouth is all. It would have been made to be a really great friendship, and would have been great growth for lance but yeah I'm ...im just over it. And plance sweet plance, they really did us dirty with that. they gave us all those moments between them for the first half of this season to just to amount to nothing. they could have been so good, so good I tell you.  So much for “lance dosent know what he wants.. , he will be a first choice.” yeah ok. And the same thing for romelle and hunk, all those similarities and jabs and then nothing? Im so baffled at the writing of the relationships of this show now, how did it come to this.

And What really truly upsets me and makes me internally scream is axca and Keith. I really I'm confused and outright angry at them for making this a thing. Like for a/l I kind of get but this? they never had conversation. not once. all the moments of her saving him those 2 times really are interpreted as payback/debt and they were glaring at each other the whole time. please miss  me with that bs. lm legitimately upset at this paring and honestly can't believe its a thing. They really switched out Allura for her. Wow. 

At first I wasn't going to even finish this season after ep6 but my friend convinced me to keep watching, and I wasn't going to write this but after seeing all of the posts from the tag I just felt I need to join in and more importantly just vent and find closure lol, I really never expected to get so worked up over this show and I guess I just need to stop getting too emotionally invested in characters I love. I still think its great seeing the k/a and p/l fan bases still have hope. You guys are the purest part of this fandom and I'm so glad that I was a part of it. Idk if I'm going to finish this show, I think seeing Alluras character go through this would just hurt to much. *sigh* So I guess this is I wanted to get off my chest, and I'm probably going to be off this account for a while. But ones things for sure, I'm still happy that I knew the Allura from s1-s5. She was great and I love that I still got to know her. And I love k/a, like so much and the k/a from s1-4 will always be canon to me. And like I said, I know it in my gut that after the show ends the creators are going to admit that they were going to go with it kallura but decide to “change or spice it up! -because no one wants k/a or p/l. And even if they don't admit I know its the truth. if you have any sense you would too. ugh. I hate this lol. Lessoned learned. I’ll remember not to get emotionally involved with shows where the majority of its fanbase is so ugly to the point it makes the show runners change their initial plot making us all suffer by writing something far worse. ugh. rant over. I know I'm going to get past this, but for now my heart just hurts. 

[dylanobrienisbatman]

Rewatch: Episode 1x08, Day Trip

Some of our best commentary from our rewatch 

Why does Clarke mention never having ‘floated in the water’ in her little monologue? it seems weird. Like not, felt the breeze in her hair, or seen plants, or felt the grass on her feet? Bri got us thinking about this. 

Bellarke was a perfect ship and then Clarke went bonkers and ruined it all. 

We got strangely into the minutia this week. 

Bellamy sitting there staring at Lincoln, the GUILT in his face. god, we love our sad son. 

Why does Miller get that job, telling parents their kids died?

Bri just reminded us to mention how pretty s1 Bellamy is. Very important

Miller getting head butted is so fucking funny. 

Where did they get a camera, for that video chat?? 

Bri said probably the art supply store lol

Always all up in the Jonty feels during s1. 

We’re all so pumped for High Jonty

Shumway is the fucking worst. 

Octavia is such a petulant child, we love it. S1 Octavia gets to be a part of Pettykru. 

Her little “why do you even care, if i ruined your life”... man, siblings. 

Bellamy is such a grumpy boy. He needs to find a book and chill out. 

Elyse said he’s grumpy because there are no books. 

We love our Grumpy Boy™

Bellamy Blake, at it again with the iconic lines

Seeing Monty just makes us sad

EW RAVEN FINN SEX IS THIS EPISODE. 

Raven bby leave him you deserve so much better. 

Finn needs to stop being stressed about Clarke when his peRFECT GIRLFRIEND RAVEN REYES IS RIGHT THERE. 

Octavia asks Lincoln “its good right” when she giving him a drink. Babe.. Honey.. its WATER. he has definitely had it before. 

Elyse reminded us that she was never properly socialised. We will give her a pass. 

The line about Bellamy being a dick always makes me laugh, its so true. I love my dickhead son. 

A Necessary™ shot of Ricky Whittles Abs. 

Octavia taking responsibility for something? are we hallucinating? did WE ingest jobi nuts? 

Octavia being Petty again, but Raven is such an adult. 

Why are Raven and O always best friends in fics? like obviously no shade on any fic writer your stuff is always amazing everyone, but the show never really digs into that friendship, far as we can remember. They actually kind of actively dislike each other for a while.

I said i wanted to Vom about finn, and Elyse told me to drown him with it. So thats gross.

RAVEN GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU DESERVE BETTER. 

Clarke talking about the dirty bunker, such a princess

Bellamy is so grumpy about the blankets? like dude. Chill. 

He DOES chill, almost immediately, upon finding guns. the nerd. He’s like a kid on christmas. that smile is blinding. 

High Jonty is the best Jonty tbh. 

Monty is such a calm stoner. Just wants to hug the Earth. 

The camera angles used in this to show us that they’re all high is so cool. 

this is such an awesome episode all around. 

THE ANTI GROUNDER STICK. 

Octavia definitely only knows slang because her entire socialisation is a bunch of teenage criminals. 

Miller definitely doesn’t have siblings because if he did he would have never ever trusted those nuts Octavia gave him. His lack of suspicion is entirely because he doesn’t have a sister. 

INTENSE keysmashing over the bellarke gun shoulder touch. THROWN BY THE INTIMACY OR SOMETHING RIGHT?!?! 

They banter like an old married couple “we NEED to do this” “No we NEED to do that” lol. 

WHy couldn’t bellamy have a nice happy trip like Monty. poor sad boy. 

The difference in everyone’s trip was really awesome as a narrative choice

How is Clarke not MORE messed up after a year in solitary. 

okay we all love the ‘i can’t change the tide’ line, but i never noticed that when he comes into Finn and Raven’s tent, he starts with “Is the moon in here?” lmfao monty is an angel 

Raven making finn come out because everyone is so high is so funny. 

Clarke is so YOUNG. Like sometimes we all forget how young she was in the first season. Shes literally 17, season 1 doesn’t even go a whole month and in episode 1 she says she doesn’t turn 18 for another month. 

She just misses her dad, its so sad. 

They’re all just kids! Even Bellamy is only like 22/23 which is just about our age. 

Clarke being such a Teenger™ to her halucinated!Dad is so funny 

Okay but actually how old is Lincoln supposed to be? 

I have made Bri reevaluate the entirety of Linctavia. 

“The most beautiful broom, in a broom closet, of brooms” and then the kid just sort of hums at her. What a great Raven line. @the-most-beautiful-broom we miss you <3 

On first watch we were definitely all nervous that Lincoln wouldn’t get away. This is one of Finn’s few good moments. 

Elyse pointed out that Finn is like two separate characters, and Bails (no surprise) mentioned how they talk about that a lot in the @metastation podcast, about how they just sort of attribute random traits to Finn to fit his plot line. Go listen to the podcast, especially for s1. 

Jaha’s line “You want the peace of death” is so intense and well delivered. 

Bell saves Clarke, Clarke saves Bell, they save each other, they forgive each other, god s1 Bellarke is so alsdhfinsakldmjsdkjfh

Bullet to the neck Bell? *Jake Peralta Voice* Smort

Augh the forgiveness scene

Forgiveness... can you imagine. Hamilton references are always necesary. 

Bellamy is SO SAD AUGH. 

He just wants to be the man his mom raised him to be (our thoughts on aurora blake are... not so positive but its still super sad.) 

We all just wanted to cry because Bell is so so sad. 

Can they please ACTUALLY parallel the forgiveness moment in s6, and not this half assed shit they did at the end of s5? because thats not forgiveness. 

God these babies need a nap. 

Monty the Pine Cone Eater

“They’ll kill us” “Or Worse!” Okay, random kid... whats Worse? exactly? 

That synchronised Power Couple Strut™ and dropping of the guns, the epic power couple speech. Iconic.

Bellamy definitely made them practice this before they went in. “No clarke, you gotta say it like this”. He’s a Drama Hoe. We love our Drama Hoe. 

For real though, even with all the problems they have later, the way they actually write the Blake Siblings is so good. They feel like real siblings. There are a lot of shows that write siblings that you can just tell the writer doesn’t have siblings and didn’t ask anyone’s advice. But the Blakes have that dynamic of like “I’ll definitely kill you, but if anyone else says a bad word about you, I’ll kill THEM.” They have this petulant back and forth, but its always sort of underlined with this deep love. The writers know how to write a sibling relationship. Even when it becomes abusive and terrible later, that sort of weird dynamic is still there. Problematic, but the dynamic is well done. 

Finn is so high up on his own pedastal. Bellamy tortured Lincoln to SAVE YOU. How are you gonna shit all over him for it. How are you gonna question him like that. 

Clarke saying she trusts Bellamy is so lakdhjflsjhafkd;sa

Finn is such a fucking tool. 

The whole scene where Bellamy and Clarke talk to Jaha is so amazing

The scene where Diana kills shumway is intense. 

Kills: Bellamy: 1 Diana Sydnee: 1  Attempts:  Dax: 1 

“How many times did we talk about hating Finn” Tally: 6

Countdown till Raven meets Zeke: 6 years 6 months and 15 days, 56 episodes.

Times Bailey mentions the @metastation podcast (because she has a problem):  2

Times Octavia takes actual responsibility: 1 

How many times we called Octavia Sneaky: 5

Times Clarke’s Canon love interest is jealous of her relationship with Bellamy: 1

Countdown to Finn’s Death: 26 days, 13 Episodes  

 @granger--danger @raven-reyes-of-sunshine

[hopevalley]

You said in a recent post that you think Bill needs character development. Do you have anything particular in mind or do you just feel it's important that he gets something?

Now that I think about it, it’s pretty rare for me to not have something in mind when I say anything alluding to improvement on the show. I almost always have at least one idea, even if I don’t take the time to talk about it. It’s one of those things where, especially in episode write-ups, conceptual “this is how it could have gone” tangents tend to inflate the word count and distract from the actual write-up, both of which can be bad. (It depends. Some people love the excess, other people find it more difficult to follow.)

Anyway, let’s talk about Bill. Bill is a character who desperately needs plot. I think most of us can agree that in recent seasons, the writers have treated him like a laughingstock “Old Man Yells at Cloud” type of character—and it’s hard not to imagine they’ve done this because they’re just at a loss for plot ideas. (Or, just as likely, they’re not really allowed to write anything for him that they’re not explicitly told to.) This is bad. He’s stagnated as a character to the point of being generally unlikable. Even if you love Jack Wagner, the writers have made it increasingly hard to like the character he plays. And that’s a shame!

In a sense, he suffers from the same sort of neglect that Jack’s character did. He just kind of exists as an extension of other characters. Until Abigail was removed from the main cast, Bill became more or less a character who existed in relation to her. He was primarily Abigail’s friend and co-owner of the Café. If we stray from that, he was also Jack’s mentor, Nora’s ex-husband, and Henry’s enemy. 

That’s not to say that he wasn’t, and isn’t, his own character. I’m just trying to point out some of the narrative choices here: as the series progressed, we got less of Bill being his own person, and more of Bill as he existed in relation to other people.

I think just like Jack, we get a really compelling backstory for Bill, which they did take a stab at adding to in S6! He grew up in an area that wasn’t very safe and developed some kind of hero worship for a man who had the guts to stand up for the downtrodden & made his hometown a better place in the process. Bill’s parents were friends with Jonas Wilder, though we don’t know how. We know that Bill was ambitious and hard-working, because Jonas believed Bill would make something great of himself; when Bill’s parents died, presumably in his teen years, Jonas took Bill in and paid for him to finish his education (allowing him to go on to the Academy to become a Mountie). Feeling indebted to Jonas for this kindness that kept him off the streets and helped him achieve his lifelong ambition, when Jonas’s daughter Nora ended up pregnant out of wedlock, Bill agreed to marry her to save the family from dishonor. Bill ended up raising the child, Martin, like he was his own son, and loved him just the same. Unfortunately, the marriage of convenience couldn’t handle Martin’s tragic death, and Nora left him to grieve, feeling that both she and Martin had always been a burden on him.

We know the rest because we watched it, of course: Bill tried courting Abigail before the divorce was finalized, Nora wanted to get back together as a misguided way of forcing her life to normalcy so that she could pretend everything was okay again (even though it wouldn’t bring Martin back), and as it turns out, Henry Gowen is the most likely candidate to be Martin’s biological father…which explains why Bill thinks he’s such a slimeball.

There is so much you can do with all of this, and the showrunners did try for a while. The drama with Abigail was great. Bill was established as morally grey in the end, and more importantly, it was shown that he struggles greatly with showing his emotions—which makes it easier to see Nora’s point of view of their marriage. Perhaps it’s no wonder she felt Bill didn’t love Martin; it’s possible he wasn’t great at expressing it, particularly to/in front of her.

I should add that the Bill of the first and second seasons is a Bill who isn’t really ready to enter the dating world; not only is he terrible with his own emotions, the emotions of other people obviously make him uncomfortable. (Abigail attaches herself to him quickly and it puts him off. This tells us that Bill is the sort of person who needs to move slow.)

Bill’s character really hit a good stride during the counterfeit money plot, but the writing of the plot itself was pretty confusing (and I think a lot of viewers weren’t sure what was happening due to the sudden timeskips/travel jumping). It was particularly interesting to me that Bill was playing the long con and had been trying for literal years to bust his superior officer for being involved in dirty schemes. The man is supremely dedicated to Truth and Justice. More complex aspects of Bill’s personality are shown here very well when he refuses to tell Jack anything about his plan/what he’s doing (to protect him, because he cares). It ends up coming off completely wrong to Jack, who feels Bill is being patronizing/unfair, even though in Bill’s mind he’s just doing the objectively right thing to not involve innocent bystanders.

After the issue was resolved, Bill quit his job as a Mountie and decided to do freelance work. He’s shown through S4 to be clever, intelligent, and interested in Justice—or at least, his version of it. He’s very serious about not taking advantage of other people, and hates those who do this intentionally (see: the man who tried to con Dottie out of her husband’s life insurance). When a man wouldn’t tip Abigail properly, Bill overtipped her to make up for it. He tends to feel a certain obligation toward protecting/taking care of people he’s acquainted with (his best friend’s daughter, Abigail, Dottie, Elizabeth, Jack), and holds longtime grudges (Henry, the gang who killed his best friend). 

Random fact: Bill is the first character on the show to fall in love with Coal Valley and stay there entirely of his own free will/just because he can. 

Later seasons of the show take all of these characteristics and…I think try to simplify them—to the detriment of the character. Taking a complex character and boiling them down to the basics usually ends poorly. Bill in S4 wasn’t too bad—for the most part, he managed to remain himself. I think we’re supposed to laugh at Bill’s “sexist” assumption that AJ Foster is a man, but in context it’s understandable why he would assume that, and despite his cleverness he happens upon this information completely by accident. (The envelope with her name on it is not something he found with good detective skills; the windowsill moves when he leans on it to check somewhere else.) That said, he still knew enough to go back into the place and check, so I guess he’s still himself.

His inability to understand where AJ is coming from seems to work itself out; if he really didn’t believe her/really felt she was a bad person, there’s no way he’d have let her run away from jail without chasing her down. His “stay safe” comment actually tells us he understands her perspective more than he’s letting on.

And then we have S5. There are good parts, here. Bill taking a job from Jack without even asking to ensure he was able to be at his own wedding on time? Very good. Very Bill-like. Bill’s not great at telling people they matter to him, but he’s good at showing it! Unfortunately this plotline ended too cleanly for me (Bill being late returning would have really cemented it as a wholesome thing, and I’d have loved to see him make it to the reception to get a dance in with Elizabeth or something nice instead of making it to the wedding).

And then AJ comes back to town and Bill’s entire personality goes into the toilet. I kind of get where the writers were coming from with that plotline, but it could have been better. (Bill would NOT like being used by someone, especially someone using his emotions against him. But I don’t think he would be as cruel as he was in S5 to someone he knows was mistreated, and I don’t think he would say her facing a sentence was “Justice” when the whole reason he left the Mounties was because he had his fair share of differences with the law and its definition of justice.

(This is made worse when he admits in S6 that his hero as a child was a man who stood up for and protected those weaker than himself. This was already established as Bill’s primary characteristic/motivation, and it’s been shown over and over again throughout the show. To have S5 randomly disregard it felt bad.)

I kind of look at it as a misguided attempt at writing banter, because that seems to be what they were going for (with AJ irritating him over and over again). Sadly, they didn’t have a clue what they were doing. They just made it look like a potentially toxic relationship, and clearly that is not what they were going for.

–

So this brings me to our current Bill, who…for the most part, has been doing decent. He’s just…stagnated, that’s all. He doesn’t do anything. Is it because his plotline with AJ in S5 fell so flat? I’m not sure. S6 didn’t do a lot for him either way; he was just kind of there. If anything, they’ve helped him move on with his emotions (one of the saving graces of S5 was his talk with Abigail where he finally lets himself grieve and relies on someone else). It was nice to see him getting a little emotional with Elizabeth in the S7 Christmas film because it does show us character development.

But he needs more.

What specifically? God, anything. I don’t think he needs romance (and this late in the game they’d have to work hard to make someone not-AJ work, though even I’ll admit that AJ could be a stretch depending on the writing). He definitely needs friendships, though. Found Family. Bill didn’t really get to choose his marriage, and most of his life wasn’t him living for himself so much as living for other people. Giving him more friends in Hope Valley, cementing his relationship there, showing us where he lives and what his living space looks like, letting him be open and honest with other people…. Heck, show him talking to Jack’s horse alone, or with baby Jack alone—I’d take any of these tidbits. Bill’s never really talked to other people but he can start with something small like this. Or heck, he could confide in Elizabeth. Or Rosemary. OR ANYONE. 

Even if Bill doesn’t get these wide sweeping action arcs, he needs plots that help establish him as an important person in Hope Valley. He has a lot of power and sway in town and to ignore that and make him a joke seems like SUCH a waste. 

Abigail was his only solid friend in town (maybe Frank as a close second); with that option gone they need to get him up to speed with someone else. Nathan can be his new adopted son (I would love this). Heck, Bill could actually adopt a child. I don’t care. He needs something that helps move his character, that gives him a reason to exist in scenes, and that gives us, the audience, a reason to root for him.

I have some hope because the S7 movie did a good job of not turning him into a laughingstock. Things seemed pretty solid. If we get a good plotline with the trial Henry has to go up against, I think we’ll do really well. We know Bill doesn’t care for Henry, but Truth and Justice matter more than anything to him, so he’ll do the right thing, whatever that is. I just have to hope the writers remember that about Bill and don’t use his rivalry (if you can call it that) with Henry to make light of things.

[dxringred]

SVU for the in depth fandom questions, of course!

Whoever sent me this is an angel and I am eternally in your debt. Also going to put this under the cut because I know before even writing it that it’s going to be long. x

Top 5 favourite characters: well anyone who knows me knows that Casey Novak is my favorite character, of course. I also really love Melinda Warner, and Elizabeth Donnelly. And Fin Tutuola and John Munch make me laugh quite frequently so they’d probably round off my top five.

Other characters you like: generally speaking I like most of the regulars? If I had to pick, like, five more they’d probably be, in no particular order: George Huang, Alexandra Cabot, Amanda Rollins, Judith Siper and Ruben Morales.

Least favourite characters: Any of the ADAs who appear after Season 9, apart from maybe Sonya Paxton whose complexity and uncountable character flaws I really loved; Dale Stuckey although I did feel quite sorry for him when it came down to it; Rafael Barba; and Elliot Stabler.

Otps: I won’t lie, I literally ship nobody from SVU? If I had to pick any ship it’d probably be Olivia/Casey because they’re mostly the only characters I pay attention to, and Olivia/Amanda comes directly after it. But I do have a soft spot for Munch/Fin because they’re pretty cute together. I also had a brief thing for Elliot/Casey during one rewatch which was weird as hell.

Notps: lmao anything involving Barba, particularly Barisi although I don’t watch the newer seasons so it’s not really something I have to worry about. I’m pretty much impartial to every other ship there is if I’m honest.

Favourite friendships: basically Casey and everyone? Though I really like her friendship with Munch, and I like Munch’s “friendship” with Fin. And I like Melinda’s friendship with everyone when it is shown. Bensler was pretty good too before S6 when everything went to the dogs between them.

Favourite family: there are practically only two families on SVU so this doesn’t help, but I’d have to pick the Stablers because I actually really like Kathy (and had a little bit of a crush on Maureen).

Favourite episodes: I have a list of all my favorites in my drafts and there are literally 40 names on that list. Night is definitely my favorite of all time (along with Serendipity and Raw) even if it does get me super emotional, but off the top of my head other episodes would include: Hate, Scavenger, Poison, Goliath, Parts, Painless, Game, Screwed, Influence, Alternate, Pretend, Authority, Svengali, Savant, Gone, Manipulated, Mean, Blinded, Impulsive, Reparations, Bound and Alien. (I’m pretty sure I could actually recite the entire list off of the top of my head which is pretty sad lmao.)

Favourite season/book/movie: I love all of Seasons 5-9 but Season 5 is probably my favorite in terms of episodes, with 6 at a very close second.

Favourite quotes: honestly most of the stuff Casey says because she literally just sasses everyone. But some of my favorites in general probably have to be:

“The Patriot Act. This convoluted piece of legislature isn’t worth the paper it’s written on!“ 

"I’m not saying I didn’t see crazies in Brooklyn but you guys are cuckoo magnets." 

"If you think Jack McCoy is going to let me get away with that then you are crazier than he is." 

"His dirty laundry is cleaner than my entire wardrobe." 

"D'you know what you get when you mix fertilizer and diesel fuel? Oklahoma City." 

“Your jacket has more than a few excessive force complaints and if IAB finds there’s any merit to Dixon’s story you’re a liability I just won’t tolerate." 

Best musical moment: I’ve got to say I love the opening theme. I also like the music at the end of Goliath, and the soundtrack at the end of Screwed because that always gets me emotional. There’s also a scene in Avatar where the background music is really good. Generally a lot of the background music is really good to be honest.

Moment that made you fangirl/boy the hardest: probably when Casey made her reappearance in Reparations; that sent me over the edge, let me tell you. Liv’s return in S8 also gets me quite a bit when I watch that episode.

When it really disappointed you: even though I’ve only watched the episode once, and have literally no recollection of it, Cold is an episode I will never talk about, never watch, and never admit the existence of. My other big disappointment is the end of Dana Lewis which I am so angry about, god damn it she deserved better!!!

Saddest moment: Night is the saddest episode ever, I absolutely cannot watch it without shedding tears. It’s bad enough that Casey gets beaten to within an inch of her life in her own office (fun fact: the actress actually got beaten up in real life for that scene which makes it 10x worse) but then you see her in the hospital and she’s crying and all banged up and I sWEAR TO GOD. Sometimes I put off watching the episode for days because I cannot mentally prepare myself despite watching it six billion times before.

Most well done character death: Sonya Paxton. It’s one of three I recall and really hurts me when I do decide to watch that particular episode. Because for me she was an interesting character and I quite liked her. And she really seemed to be helping herself out, and trying to get better. (At least from what I recall.) But then she just gets murdered and still manages to help nail the bastard who killed her.

Favourite guest star: Robin Williams in Authority automatically springs to mind personally, just because it’s one of the more memorable ones. I don’t really pay the greatest amount of attention to guest stars (because I never recognize anyone) but the other person I can think of is Mary Stuart Masterson who played Rebecca Hendrix in S6 and a couple of other episodes. Oh and Marlo Thomas as Mary Clark in S5, she was great too. I love watching her in the few episodes she appeared in. 

Favourite cast member: who am I kidding, everyone knows I’m going to say Diane Neal. God I love her. She’s super funny, passionate, and very into politics and I just love her.

Character you wish was still alive: Sister Peg. Plain and simple.

One thing you hope really happens: I lowkey really want Casey Novak to come back but I know that’s never going to happen, especially not while Barba is still around. But a girl can dream. 

Most shocking twist: for me Serendipity and Trade both had great twists. In terms of throwing you off, Serendipity is notorious for it, and Trade’s twist comes about in, like, the last few minutes of the episode and it’s pretty surprising. (Or at least I thought it was when first watching.)

When did you start watching/reading?: this is such a hard question for me to answer because I don’t entirely remember? I remember vague parts of my childhood where I watched parts of episodes, but that’s only because my mom used to have it on the television all the time. I think I finally decided to watch the entire show from start to finish when I was 11? So almost 7 years ago now. (Fun fact: I’m older than the show by literally only one month and a day lol.) Then after one rewatch I dropped it and occasionally watched the current season. And then I randomly got back into the show last May time, watching from Serendipity to the current season. And the only reason I started at Serendipity and not S1 is because I had a weird epiphany where I vaguely remembered the plot of the episode as well as the name and decided to Google it.

Best animal/creature: it’s got to be Basketball Monkey. For sure. That thing was damn cute.

Favourite location: the courtroom and the DA’s office. Courtroom scenes are always my favorite, for whatever reason, and I like the style of Casey’s office in particular. Very professional, and lots of books. I will also never forget the one time we went to Casey’s apartment.

Trope you wish they would stop using: Saint Benson. I just- it put me off of the show among other things, and I honestly don’t like it. Also, I don’t know if it counts as a trope, and obviously it doesn’t exist in current seasons, but Stabler losing his shit with the ADAs pisses me off. He does it way more than the other detectives and it winds me up. 

One thing this show/book/film does better than others: nowadays? Nothing, that’s for sure. In older seasons, however, I’d say things were more original compared to what I see on TV toady. It’s less soapy and more “hardcore”, with the different episodes tackling different issues. One of my favorite episodes in this sense is Alien, which I definitely recommend because it tackles sexuality as does Closet. Influence and Blinded are also rather good when it comes to mental illness, and Raw is fairly good with, like, addressing racial supremacy etc.

Funniest moments: that one time Casey made a house call to a judge and stumbled upon him playing a game of poker with, like, four other judges. That scene is forever etched into my mind and cracks me up every time I even think about it.

Couple you would like to see: probably Munch/Fin. Don’t know why, but it’d be them for sure. Out of the current cast I’d probably pick Amanda/Olivia, just because. 

Actor/Actress you want to join the cast: I would personally love to see an appearance from some of the previous NCIS cast members? I have no clue as to why, I just would. 

Favourite outfit: this is going to sound so dorky, but I’d love all of Casey’s wardrobe? From her casual clothes to her work outfits a lot of the stuff she wears is stuff I’d totally go out in. In fact, a lot of my school wardrobe is inspired by her work clothes so I’m already making some headway there. Shame I can’t walk in heels though.

Favourite item: it’s a clothing item so I guess it counts, but Casey’s “Sex Crimes” softball jersey. (I think it’s a softball jersey?) It’s the cutest and I love the colors. I also lowkey want her tan briefcase/satchel from, like, S5/6. 

Do you own anything related to this show/book/film?: I own Seasons 1-12 on DVD but, other than that, depressingly no because I live outside of the US and the NBC store doesn’t ship to me. (The bastards.) I’d kill - like literally murder someone - for their official SVU hoodie. And there is a poster on Amazon I’m considering getting for my wall, although where on my wall I’ll put it I have no idea.

What house/team/group/friendship group/family/race etc would you be in?: my favorite team is from Seasons 5-8: Novak, Benson, Stabler, Munch, Fin, Cragen, Warner and Huang. (Plus the others like O’Halloran, Judy and Morales.)

Most boring plotline: even though I love Kathy, generally anything involving Elliot’s marriage. Like dear lord there was so much drama there. I also wasn’t a fan of the Dani Beck episodes - I was pretty impartial to her as a character but for some reasons the episodes lacked a little more than usual.

Most laughably bad moment: no clue, sadly my memory isn’t doing well today.

Best flashback/flashfoward if any: I don’t typically remember anything before S5 or anything after S9 so if there weren’t any flashbacks in those seasons then I don’t have one and if there were then I don’t remember them lol. I’m terrible I know.

Most layered character: I am a biased piece of shit so obviously I’m going to say Casey! From what I’ve seen a lot of people tend to just paint her as one dimensional and arrogant, but there’s actually a lot more to her character and it’s dropped in through certain lines in certain episodes, and of course then there are episodes where you find out more about her - Influence and Blinded are key to getting the most out of her past. I love when they explore her conflicts with mental illness, and how she still feels guilt regarding what happened with her ex, Charlie. 

And then there are episodes like Gone where you get to see more of her emotional side and you realize how hard she tries and how personally she takes her cases etc. There are other things too, often dropped in little pieces of dialogue, but you get just enough about her to paint a picture but not so much that she becomes uninteresting if you know what I mean. I love her, personally, and think there’s so much more to her than just supposed arrogance etc.

Most one dimensional character: from what I’ve seen of current seasons, I’d say Benson and arguably Barba. 

Scariest moment: I don’t know about scariest, but the scene that always has me on the edge of my seat (or rather hunched over my laptop in bed) is when Casey gets attacked in Night; the same goes for the courtroom shooting in Raw. Creepiest scene? Definitely the one in Signature where they go to a serial killer’s torture chamber and it’s just very horrific. Well, not so much for me after the initial viewing because stuff like that honestly fascinates me, I won’t lie, but out of all the scenes I’ve scene it’s definitely one that stands out. There’s also a scene in Streetwise where Elliot shows autopsy photos to a suspect and one is of a little girl with her eyes gouged out and face slit from ear to ear. It’s a very horrifying frame if you pause it at the right moment.

Grossest moment: usually any time Warner (or someone else) does something involving blood/organs/whatever, because I’m a tad bit squeamish. One instance I can think of right now is in Serendipity when she extracts a tube from inside a man’s arm. Makes me shudder a little. 

Best looking male: honestly they all look the same to me. Probably O’Halloran? 

Best looking female: Casey Novak but S8 Olivia is very beautiful too.

Who you’re crushing on (if any): current cast? Nobody. From the show overall? Definitely Casey, though I’m pretty sure anyone reading this saw that coming.

Favourite cast moment: as in offscreen? Because there was this one time where Diane Neal did, like, a mini tour of the set and it was simultaneously the cutest and funniest thing I’ve seen. So probably that.

Favourite transportation: I lowkey love when everyone gets into their cars and all of the sirens go on and a car chase ensues. 

Most beautiful scene (scenery/shot wise): probably the end of Screwed because it’s all shot very beautifully. But I also like the overhead shot in Influence where Liv and Casey are on an upper floor in the courthouse looking down at the defendant and a gaggle of reporters.

Unanswered question/continuity issue/plot error that bugs you: usually I don’t pay enough attention to notice. One that I’ve seen others take issue with is when Casey reappeared in S12 and there was a debate about whether or not she was censured or disbarred and what was going on there, but it’s the only thing that springs to mind and it wasn’t like a big thing.

Best promo: there was one that got me back into SVU when I was a little younger, and I don’t remember what season the promo was for but I remember they played This is War by 30 Seconds to Mars in the promo because I spent weeks trying to find the song afterwards and watched the promo every time it came on the TV like it was a full episode.

At what point did you fall in love with this show/book: last May when I rewatched it was when I properly fell in love with it again, at least enough to watch it multiple times, buy 12 of the DVDs and follow a bunch of blogs on Tumblr.

[mrs-nate-humphrey]

What are your favorite episodes of gossip girl? And why are they your favorites? I love your blog btw!

ahhh i wanted to like, do a really thoughtful response to this, so i sat on it for a while. i'm thinking i'll just give you the ones off the top of my head, and whenever i think of more i'll add them! i have episodes that i love and are kind of the heart of the show, to me, and then i have episodes that i really really like, so making a list like this feels complicated, LKHDFLKG. more under the cut! <3

to begin with, i actually do have a favourite gg episode! it's 2x06. like if i could only ever watch one episode of gg for the rest of my life, it'd be that one. it has everything i vibe with! jenny being happy! blairena fight + conflict resolution! dan and nate becoming friends after a series of mishaps that are extremely ridiculous! chuck brooding while he watches dan and nate flirt with each other! like this episode was written for me. there's no other way to say it.

i loved 2x07 as a follow-up to this, but the portrayal of chuck in this one was very.... what's the right word. like if you like chuck you'll like it, kind of thing, i think. but i loved dan navigating being nate's friend, figuring out boundaries, talking to serena about nate, etc. and i loved the van der bass family drama, and eric giving lily a talk on how to be a mom. like - it's sad, and i know it's sad - but it's also real, you know?

i also really like 3x09 - i'm guessing you sent me this ask after seeing the tags on that post i reblogged. i know this is not a popular fandom opinion but i actually really liked the danlivessa triad & hoped (naively) that they would become a polycule. in fact, i made the mistake of watching 3x09 for the first time right before a 2 hour lecture and i could think of nothing else but that polycule, i even wrote a fic about the three of them (which canon very cheerfully demolished with 3x10, RIP). but that polycule aside, i loved the blairena conversation in there. this is one of those episodes where you can really truly ABSOLUTELY see why blair and serena are best friends, and how much they love each other. also!!!! all the jenny and eric cotillion drama was fascinating. like - there was a Lot happening this episode and i loved it.

@mysteriesofloves has spoken on 1x04 here - i fully agree with everything she's said so i'm not going to write my own explanation. it's an episode with so much heart!!

i adore 4x16 mostly because sometimes, when uni work gets too overwhelming, i find blair in that episode extremely relatable. that's my shallow reason KLHFDLKGKL. nads has this meta here, but for me it's not even the dair of it all, it's just the thing of like- being a perfectionist! being ambitious!!! and then biting off more than you can chew and needing to admit that you fucked up - this is something i struggle with irl with tasks / duties / responsibilites, so this is kinda a comfort episode for me in that sense!

i also like 2x21 mostly because everyone is being a disaster and cyrus is just being the best! he wants things to go well! and nobody intends to cause drama, it just happens. serena's whole "dan i think i got married to some random guy!" really sends me, like, the whole episode has this vibe of surreality which is interesting to watch.

oh, i cannot neglect to mention 2x18. i love so much about that episode. the serenessa arc is so funny (there is flirting! i mean. of course there is.) nate & vanessa's fight + conflict resolution!!! blair realising that her actions have consequences & that she needs to be more mindful of that /that there are things her privilege cannot shield her from!! ngl i was really hoping that the narrative of the show would develop blair's character from there, give her some of that sweet sweet character growth.

i also, uh. i was trying to think of how i could tell you which s1 episodes i like, but the truth is the first half of s1 - i think from e01 to e12 or e13 - was just so perfect. like it really set the tone for the show, told us who these kids were, and what their messy world was like. it was so strongly done and i think for me at least, that's probably a big part of what made me actually watch the rest of the show! i wasn't planning on it. i had 40 min to kill one day and thought, why not watch the pilot of gossip girl just to kill time. clearly, as you can see, that is not what happened.

honourable mentions go to 1x09, because we really see what blair, serena & nate were like, pre-series, and 1x03, because i think that episode did a really good job at like - showing that blair was hurting serena because she was hurt while at the same time not excusing blair's actions but ALSO it's the first proper glimpse we get into blair & serena's dynamic as a whole. i also love 1x12 because we get derena talking about privilege + serena acknowledging/ understanding what that really means to some extent (the writers did them so dirty, like, they resolved this conflict already) and we ALSO get blairnessa friendship! i really wish blair & vanessa had been allies, they're both so determined in such similar ways.

the s4 dair arc esp from 4x10 to i think 4x17 (? or 4x16?) is a lot of fun. when it comes to s5, i liked 5x13 the first time i watched it (idk how it'll hold up on rewatch), 5x15, 5x16 and 5x21 (despicable b my beloved!!)

s6 sucks, but if you watch the last 5 or so minutes of 6x10 you will see nate eye-fucking dan at the derena wedding, which just goes to show that sometimes your niche gay otp CAN be canon.......people just haven't recognised it yet.