#should I rewatch my reaction to the first episode. I might

[insecuregodcomplex]

got emotional seeing the first episode title again and then emotional at little walker saying the opening lines

[wenellyb]

How I feel about Buddie...

You guys have been warned, this is a long post.

I've always liked 911 and was a casual viewer but never got involved in the fandom or anything. Of course I knew about Buddie, but I personally never saw it. Buck and Eddie have always acted like best friends and do stuff best friends do. I have never seen any scene that could be interpreted as romantic, except maybe for the "you want to go for the title" scene. But to me it wasn't enough to ship them, especially since it was the only scenes in their hundreds of scenes together that could be seen as romantic.

That being said, I've always thought the ship was cute, and I understand it because who doesn't like a good friends to lovers storyline?

I just never got involved in the fandom because their behavior reminded me of the Stucky and Destiel fandom, which were chaotic experiences for me. Some people just don't know how to handle non canon ships and act entitled, complain to the showrunners and harrass the cast. I've always tried to avoid fandoms like that, but wasn't against the idea of Buddie as a ship.

The 911 Lone Star crossover episode for me was the confirmation that Buck was into men. To me, it was obvious they confirmed he was into men but hadn't set up a storyline yet. So naturally I thought... if they set up a storyline it will be with Eddie. There was no doubt it my mind.

So fast forward, a few years, I wasn't really watching season 7 and then I see all the fuss from Buddie shippers I follow, and it makes me watch the sneak peek video from 7x04 and I'm like....For sure Buck is being jealous right? (it was the scene where Eddie interrupted Tommy giving Buck a tour)

So I decided to watch the episode convinced this was going to be the episode where they confirmed Buddie, but I was also very cautious because Buddie shippers had cried wolf too many times before.

So I was careful, but I was also convinced that this was it: "Buck was going to get jealous of Eddie hanging out with Tommy and then confess his feelings or the other way around".

And that's actually what was happening until the end of the episode, we saw Buck get jealous, and most of us assumed he was being jealous about Eddie.

We didn't figure out until the end of the episode that it was all about Tommy.

And that's the beauty of that episode because you think you're watching something when in fact you're watching something else and when you rewatch some scenes you understand it, and that plot twist was written so beautifully.

So we have Buck and Tommy have a heart to heart in Buck's kitchen and they kiss. And what a kiss... the kiss itself was Nice but the look Buck gave Tommy after the kiss was breathtaking.

From that moment on, I was rooting for them.

But I still had Buddie at the back of my mind because I was thinking, what if this is all temporary and they're planning to break them up to set up a buddie storyline? So I shipped it but didn't want to get my hopes up.

This feeling got bigger when I started watching 7x05 and I saw the way their first date ended. I thought... this is it, we might not see Tommy again, what a shame. But then Buck talked to Maddie about his date and confessed it was with Tommy. And Maddie asked: "so tell me about the hot pilot", and I thought this isn't how they'd talk about a character we never see again. But I didn't know for sure.

Maybe they were setting up a Buck x Eddie storyline....

I changed my mind when I saw Buck's coming out scene to Eddie, the scene was beautiful and at that point I still was thinking Buddie was a possibility. But one line made me think that Buddie wasn't happening: "I can't stop thinking about him".

No writer would put a line like that and have Oliver say it like that with that look, if they were thinking Buck and Eddie would have a romantic scene in the future. And if you do write that, you would get a jealous reaction from the other character, not a "You should call Tommy".

And then I was conforted in my feelings when the writers doubled down and had Buck invite Tommy to Maddie's wedding. Buck could have just apologized and asked Tommy on antoher date, but no, he invited him to his sister's wedding.

There has been absolutely no hint of a romantic relationship between Buck and Eddie throughout the season. There has never been a sign of jealousy from Buck or Eddie's side when they were dating Tommy, Marisol. If they had been setting up that storyline, the writers would put some hints here and there. Instead, they shared meaningful scenes like best friends do.

I never had anything againdt Buddie as a ship, I was even open to it, but all the times I thought Buddie was going to happen, it was because of the fandom, not because of something I saw in the saw...To me Buddie is and will stay a fanon ship.

TL:DR: I don't hate the ship, I find it cute but the behavior of some shippers has made me want to stay away from the fandom. And when I thought Buddie might be happening, the writers showed us they had long term plans for Bucktommy.

[pommedepersephone]

Buck up, Hamlet! or how Aziraphale and Crowley's blocking helps communicate the evolution of their relationship

Can we talk about the blocking?

Specifically, I have been rewatching S1E3, one of my favorites. I love how the development of the relationship between Aziraphale and Crowley is shown through these little vignettes. There have been some great explorations of the costuming and dialogue, but what always strikes me is the BLOCKING. The way their placement and movements add such depth and tell the story of living as a queer person, having to communicate in coded language.

Through the episode, we get 4500 years of history - Eden, Mesopotamia, Golgatha, Rome and Wessex - to see Aziraphale and Crowley standing on their opposite sides. Aziraphale always on the right, Crowley always on the left. But after the Arrangement, their blocking changes drastically and becomes much more fluid and nuanced. Each scene after this is distinct but the scenes in at the Globe and the Bastille have the most development, and I find myself rewatching them A LOT. Here is what I see. 

All the World's a Stage

This is the first meeting we see that isn’t a chance encounter, though the two try to stage it as such. It takes place in a theatre - and they are acting, playing their roles as demon and angel. Even the humans are complicit in this performance, with Shakespeare stepping in to address the two "in your roles as the audience." Oh, delicious.

But once it's been firmly established for anyone watching that they AREN'T friends, they DON'T know each other (cough cough) the following moves are clearly choreographed and have been played out many times before. Crowley sashays to the right, opening the dance, and Aziraphale accepts the invitation to dance with: “What do you want?” 

“Why ever would you insinuate that I might possibly want something?” Crowley is just playing his role as cheeky demon offering up a temptation - but his position to the right of Aziraphale speaks to the fact that they are both very complicit in this performance.

“You are up to no good.”  “Obviously. And you are up to good, I take it? Lots of good deeds?” Just standard character establishment, here.

“No rest for the, well, good." Ah, this line, the inversion of the well known idiom. Because the line between good and evil (and between angel and demon) maybe aren't so distinct, and Aziraphale acknowledges this with his words. We are moving into negotiations now. "I have to be in Edinburgh at the end of the week. A couple of blessings to do, and a minor miracle to perform. Apparently, I have to ride a horse.”

“Ah hard on the buttocks, horses. Major design flaw, if you ask me. I’m meant to be headed to Edinburgh too this week. Tempting a clan leader to steal some cattle.” The way Crowley moves AROUND Aziraphale here, intimate but also careful, watching for his reactions.

“Doesn’t sound like hard work.” Said with a little sideways look, because Aziraphale can see where this is going. And he's open to suggestion temptation.

“That was why I thought we should… well, bit of a waste of effort. Both of us going all the way to Scotland.”

“You cannot actually be suggesting what I infer you are implying?” A little bit of pretense, because Aziraphale has to pretend to be tempted, right?

Crowley presses. “Which is?” Because he is willing to play the part of tempting demon, but only if it is clear this is a farce, that this is indeed mutually agreeable. He is making sure they are doing the same dance.

"That one of us goes to Edinburgh and does... both. The blessing and the tempting."

Yes, they are doing the same dance, and what is left is the formality of concluding the dance - a moment of Aziraphale expressing his concern for Crowley, the coin toss - they both know how it ends. It's a ritual, an act of give and take.

But if it were ONLY the Arrangement, a simple quid pro quo, it would have ended there. It doesn't. Instead, the two offer each other a more intimate exchange - "It'd take a miracle to get people to come and see Hamlet."

Aziraphale doesn't even have to ask with words, just a look, and Crowley happily agrees. That is the final part of the dance, a small acknowledgement that this isn't just about making their jobs easier.

A Free Man in Paris

Paris is something else. This is a HUGE step beyond making sure that audiences like a show your angel is particularly fond of. This is a stolen dangerous moment, an OUTRAGEOUS flirtation that takes place outside of time, conducted in clear view of others but beyond their understanding. Isn’t that how their entire relationship is now conducted, hidden in plain view and so clearly affectionate? 

And look, Aziraphale is BITCHY in this scene. Peak That Bitch. He's just purchased a bookshop, he's creating a very permanent place for himself here on earth - Aziraphale is feeling quite proud of himself. In fact, he's preening a bit that he has figured out how to exist, even in some small limited way, as himself within the confines of the system of Heaven. Buuuut he may have gone just a bit too far, and gotten himself in a spot of trouble. He has landed in a prison, threatened with "death" and stuck because he's already gotten a warning about being frivolous with his miracles. Oh jolly good that Crowley is here to save the day!

There is something raw being communicated here here, where both Aziraphale and Crowley are presenting themselves to the world in ways that are dangerous. Aziraphale's reaction tells us that Crowley's look is doing things to him, but also in a way that it is NOT socially appropriate. Aziraphale may have showed up in all the trappings of an English aristocrat, but here is Crowley as a French royal sympathizer. NEITHER of these are safe choices in the middle of a revolution. The costuming is so critical to fully appreciating this scene, so check out the amazing clothing overview with @cobragardens.

When Crowley arrives and stops time, he and Aziraphale find themselves situated facing one another, but angled so they aren’t facing straight on. Interestingly, from Crowley’s perspective, he is where he is supposed to be - the left of Aziraphale. But Aziraphale, from his perspective, is also to the left of Crowley. It was Aziraphale after all who initiated this situation, who put himself in danger by being too… Aziraphale. It’s dangerous to be yourself when you don’t fit into heteronormative social expectations, isn’t it? Still, the two keep up a very flirtatious banter as they discuss the situation, and Crowley maintains his very-intentionally-unbothered sitting position up until Aziraphale goes too far and thanks him for coming to his rescue.

While Crowley is also flirting with danger in the way he is dressed, he also didn't just pop over for a nibble dressed this way. And whatever he might have been up to was interrupted so he could rescue Aziraphale from the consequences of his own reckless authenticity. After removing the chains, Crowley pushes Aziraphale to reconsider his honest expression of himself in this exact place and time - for the sake of survival.

Aziraphale, willing to risk himself alone, rather quickly adopts a more acceptable appearance when it might impact Crowley. It is only after Aziraphale is safely disguised and returned to his proper place to the right of Crowley, ONLY then does Crowley restart time. They can go enjoy lunch now, with the proper precautions and masks in place.

For these two particular human-coded occult beings, this is also such an honest moment. They both showed up damn authentically - Aziraphale so fabulously ostentatious, focused on chasing down some pleasure (in this crepes) and Crowley wrapped in a clear protest against the current violence. Just as Aziraphale indicated with his "Oh good LORD" as he looked the demon up and down with obvious thirst, Crowley's request to Aziraphale to change his appearance and mask better is done in such a way that affirms that Crowley LIKES who Aziraphale is without the mask.

The scene is so playful on the surface, the body language and dialogue flirtatious. It's something so familiar to the queer experience, making light of the absolute danger that we must sometimes navigate just to exist. The more I watch it, the more obsessed I become.

A Spot of Bodysnatchin'

It is worth remembering that we didn't get this scene in S1.

I am going to go through it soon, because again they dance back and forth beautifully in this minisode, but suffice to say we all know... it didn't end well for Crowley.

No Walk in the Park

The moment in St. James Park is brief, and it wasn't until S2 and the meeting at Edinburgh that we got the full context for this meeting. But even without this, we can clearly see that things are weighing heavily on Crowley. The scene in the Bastille took place in a prison, with the threat of execution over their heads. The juxtaposition of this conversation taking place in a park - a place that is not only NOT inherently dangerous but looks lovely and welcoming - only highlights the change in Crowley's attitude. He still attempts to be playful, but he's afraid. Look at that paper, it's a bit crumpled, he's been carrying it around for a while.

They are firmly entrenched on their assigned sides for the entire conversation, both very stiff. It feels uncomfortable to watch. When Aziraphale refuses his request, and indicates whatever is between them is just "fraternizing" with the enemy, we get a glimpse of how fearful Crowley really is. In none of these flashbacks has Crowley ever spoken to Aziraphale with the anger we see here. When they part in anger, it feels wrong.

Take Me to Church

So there is a long break between meetings now. But then, ah, the church. The place Aziraphale realizes his feelings. (Look, if Michael says this is where Aziraphale realized he'd fallen in love, I am not here to argue.) What I love is that again we see Crowley and Aziraphale swapping sides. Crowley is here to save his wayward angel, AGAIN. Despite feeling the ill effects of walking on consecrated ground, Crowley is here to save his angel and defeat Nazis. It's definitely not remotely evil intentions.

It isn't like the Bastille, but some of the parallels exist - Aziraphale failing to grasp the risks of his actions. And the silliness of his little dance coupled with just how deadly serious this situation is harks back to their flirtations in the prison.

Crowley is to the right of Aziraphale from the time he arrives until the bomb drops. Then in the rubble, with the danger past, we see them on their assigned sides again. UNTIL Crowley hands Aziraphale the books he saved with a "little demonic miracle of my own." He then crosses Aziraphale, and we see the look of absolute adoration as the angel watches him walk away to the right.

Sweeeeeet baby Jesus, baby girl has it BAD.

Always Crashing in the Same Car

This extremely heartbreaking scene has been dissected, chewed over, breaking our little hearts with it's sharp pieces.

But it is purposeful that this scene took place in the Bentley. Being in the car is symbolic because Aziraphale is here making an offering to Crowley, in his space, something that he Aziraphale feels is WRONG which is highlighted by his placement to the left of Crowley. He is scared, acting against all his own desires, but he does it anyway because he cares for Crowley. It's simple, powerful placement. Need to hurt more? Yeah, thought so. Take a deeper look at the dialogue with @zionworkzs.

[rhysdarbinizedarby]

‘Our Flag Means Death’ Star Rhys Darby on Stede’s Transformations & Hopes for Season 3

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Episode 8 “Mermen.”]

Our Flag Means Death saw Gentleman pirate Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby) transform from a fish-out-of-water swashbuckler into the romantic hero he was always destined to be in the latest season of Max‘s original comedy.

After realizing the error of his ways at the end of Season 1, Stede sought redemption in the eyes of the infamous Blackbeard, a.k.a. Ed (Taika Waititi), after recognizing he was in love with the pirate. While the path wasn’t a direct one, they eventually found their way back to one another with the help of a fantastical mermaid sequence, some much-needed apologies, and ultimately a better string of communication.

Reflecting on his journey, star Rhys Darby is opening up about Stede’s various transformations in Season 2, including the excitement surrounding that mermaid tail, as well as about where he thinks the pirate lovebirds might end up next should the series return for Season 3.

Congrats on Season 2! Now that we can finally talk about it, what has it been like getting to see fan reactions, especially during the SAG-AFTRA strike?

Rhys Darby: Yeah, it was like a pressure cooker that needed to burst, for us and for the fans. When it finally came out, the burst happened and there was so much love for us, [but we] couldn’t talk about it. We were still stuck in this bottle and the cork wouldn’t come off, and that was difficult, but it was really lovely to see all the love and the surprise from everyone. Obviously, as you know, the fan artwork, it’s what we would say in New Zealand is pretty full on. So yeah, it was super cool.

And not that anyone gives out numbers, but I think I heard on the ethos that people [are] watching it, and it’s rating really high and at a time when we need this kind of beautiful love fest of comedy with a whole bunch of silliness to take us away from the disasters that are happening in the world. It’s been lovely. I just wish it was longer. I know people watch and rewatch and they’re so fanatical, but it’s just a comedy show, so to have any effect means so much to us.

In Season 2, Stede’s gone through a few transformations, one of which is that he’s a real pirate now, at least comparatively to Season 1. What helped you get into that new version of him? Was it the writing, costumes, or a combination of the two?

Yeah, the costumes are the first thing that comes to mind because once he starts wearing different gear, he looks at himself and goes, “Oh my God, I’m a different man.” And he really is turning from a man who is wearing these beautiful gowns with high heels and things inappropriate for a pirate ship to becoming an Errol Flynn-type hero straight away. That’s what they wanted to do with the character. So he’s lost a lot of that beautiful pageantry and is becoming a more practical guy who has to survive. He returns to this nightmare of a world because he wants to fight for love, and for want of a better term, “man up,” whatever the modern-day version of that is, “person up?” To become the guy that he dreamt of being in the first season.

He didn’t dream that he was going to fall in love with someone. He dreamt he was going to be this amazing pirate and that just was not going to happen. But then when he found this love, I think he went away from that [dream] going, “I don’t deserve this.” And then when he realized upon returning home that he does deserve it, he had to fight for it. And so the only way to fight for it was to drop the battle armor of the gowns and actually become the pirate he imagined being. So it was great to become that and to fight for that love and to thank god that [Blackbeard] didn’t die. He would’ve actually lost it, I think, because it would’ve been like, “Well, what am I fighting for now?”

I think it was just so fun to see that character change, but also within that change, see a bit of the old self come through, especially when he found that cursed red suit. And all of a sudden it was like, “Oh my God, the old me again, look how good I look!” So it was lovely that they had those elements… I was missing a little bit of the old Stede myself. So it was great to find that again. And then again near the end with the British invasion scenario where I got to do the big coat and everything, which of course looked awesome. You can see that moment where I put it on and did that slow turnaround. It was way more filmic shots of me wearing that kind of stuff. And I think that gave Stede's strength as well. So much of Stede's embodiment comes from the things he’s wearing.

Speaking of costumes, the big one of the season had to be Stede’s mermaid look. How did you wrap your head around getting ready for such a fantastical, and ultimately, beautiful scene?

That was the highlight of the whole season for me. As a kid, I used to swim around like a little merkid. I would put my legs together and I’d swim under the water. I’ve always been into mermaids and things because I’m into cryptozoology. So when I got to be a mermaid or a merman, I really took to it. It was pretty easy, to be honest with you. I didn’t have any training to swim like that. So the only training I did was some breath work beforehand to help me hold my breath longer. But that was kind of almost superfluous. Once I got that [tail] on, I just became a mermaid. It’s hard for me to describe how I suddenly become these things, but I think I just got under the water. I could swim really easily with it.

And I had weights on. So one of the things was we had to make sure I was the right weight so that I wouldn’t just float. That thing was sort of buoyant. So once we sorted that out, I could actually swim really well, and then just sort of hover underneath the water for a long time while [Taika]’s looking at me, I’m looking at him. To see it on the day, on the screen when I knew they’d got [the shot], there were just so many cheers, and I think they even played the music to see how the scene would work out. It’s one of those life moments where you go, “Oh my God, I’m becoming a cryptid again. I’m never going to forget this.”

This season really does focus even more on Stede and Blackbeard’s romance. How did you and Taika prepare for that? Especially since Stede’s more transparent about his feelings this time around.

It was good, and it was time. And because I was the new strong Stede, it felt really natural for me. I think it just worked really well with the writing because of the aggression that I was going through. When I was fighting that really bad guy [Ned Low (Bronson Pinchot) and] threw a violin at him because he ruined Calypso’s birthday, that was a good moment because it is not just about Ed, it’s about the crew, Stede’s family, and they were going through this amazing moment there, and all of a sudden this guy turns up and next thing we’re getting tortured. And I’m like, “How dare you?”

I think that progression of strength helped [Stede] break into the moment of, “I’m just going to take my lover as well now, and do something with him.” He probably had no idea what he was doing because it’s Stede, but it worked out and it was the right time in the show. Taika and I are really good mates, so it’s really easy to do emotional scenes together. As soon as we put our gear on, we’re just looking at that character, and we admire each other.

You and Taika have been known to improv on the show. Was there any improv moment from Season 2 you were particularly proud to see onscreen?

Yeah. Well, one, I noticed that some people are talking about that they thought was scripted, which wasn’t — most of the [scenes where] I’m with Taika are improvised in those emotional close moments — is on the deck of the boat where we’d do the thumb thing. That was all improvised on the day. So that was fun that we got that kind of stuff in. And there were some more little bits and pieces, but that’s one that comes to mind. That worked really well.

By the end of Season 2, Stede and Blackbeard have settled in to open their own inn. Do you think the peace and quiet will last in a possible third season, or will they get bored and want to rejoin the excitement?

Well, obviously as it stands now, it’s very lovely and it’s a nice positive ending, which is lovely for Season 2. But in reality, if you think about the characters, even in the fictional world, they’re both outlaws, they’re pirates, and the British back then… they never gave up. They did track down all the pirates and either hang them or get rid of them. There was only a couple that got away, and it certainly wasn’t those two. So I think what they’re thinking is, yes, this is bliss, but both those characters must be thinking, this is not going to last because you’ve got to sleep with one eye open.

Even though they’re in the middle of nowhere, they’re still in an area where everyone knows what they are, so they’re going to be tracked down. So I think if it was me, [they’d] end up back in action one way or another, especially if their inn is popular, which it probably would be. Word would get around. I mean, in those days, had you heard the Blackbeard and Stede had opened up an inn, [you’d have] to check that one out. It’ll be like Planet Hollywood.

There would be a wait-list, for sure.

Yeah, absolutely. Basically, they’re too famous now that Stede’s killed Ned and everything. He’s a famous pirate. So death is going to come to their door at some point. They’ll have to deal with it.

Do you think this version of Stede and Blackbeard’s story could avoid the fate of the real-life pirates?

Yeah, no, I think you’re dreaming if you think they’re going to live happily ever after.

Our Flag Means Death, Seasons 1-2, Streaming now, Max

Source: TV Insider

[unnaturalequilibrium]

Capítulo 7

- Mafin rewatch (Sueños de Libertad)

Fina in that green dress - she is beautiful. Damn. She also is Isidro’s daughter through and through, she too seem to have that way of getting people to open up, getting them to accept her advice and comfort. She is soft and reassuring as Claudia spills her mistakes with Tasio. And Fina’s hug looks so nice. I’m pretty sure this is what “everyone needs a bosom for a pillow” means and I agree, they do. To get lost in her embrace looks like it could solve a great many personal problems and maybe a few societal ones too. I don’t know if it’s the solution to climate change, but if 2025’s Nobel prize winners tell me it is - well I won’t be surprised. I also like that she one hundred percent share my exact opinion of Tasio, he is trash, unredeemable trash and should be avoided like the plague.

Aww, Fina arguing her case that a marriage doesn’t equal happiness and that her father shouldn’t be so quick to wish one upon her. The old man really just wants her to be happy, you can tell though that it’s a conversation that makes her ill at ease because of the way she has to stretch and stitch the truth in her replies. I already know it’s going to hurt a lot when he later on rejects her.

Marta confronting Elena - I know that it won’t officially happen for another hundred plus episodes, but Marta is the boss. The way she just slides into that armchair and takes hold of the entire office with what seems like nothing more than an innate sense of authority and a raised eyebrow - yeah, she exudes in charge. But I enjoy the little exhale at the end as Elena leaves. Like so much of who Marta is at this point this too is a game face. Maybe she carries it with what looks like ease, but it might actually come at a fairly high price, just not one we’re allowed to see yet.

Petra, I’m telling you - back off the Marta insults, or - If I remove myself from the narrative though, I love this. I love how they try to build Marta up as this stick in the mud, firm, cold and distant. Unsmiling, no sense of empathy, all business and with very little sympathy. If I hadn’t know what was to come maybe I’d buy it, maybe I’d laugh along with Petra as she mocks and says that Marta needs to smile more. Because yeah, all we’ve seen of her so far actually fits that vision of the demanding ice queen, except for these brief micro-expressions on Marta’s face when no one is looking, when she doesn’t have time to catch her true reaction. When Damian brings up marriage and children, when Elena turns her back, when Fina confronts her and tells her she demands a lot of respect. For a second you see something else, but only for a second, before it is hidden behind the wall again. So yeah, if I had watched this for the first time I would probably have thought of Marta as a bit of a bitch to approach with extreme caution.

That said, back to the narrative, fuck Petra. Fina is a fucking cinnamon roll and I ache so hard for her as this woman clearly leads her on, only to slam the door in her face and call her disgusting as wine and a win makes Fina bold enough to go for a kiss. And invertida is never a slur I’ve had to personally experience, but the way it is delivered and the way it lands makes it feel like I share its burden too. It’s a slap in the face and I wish I could reach through the computer screen and return it, with interest.

Marta’s relationship with her dad, ugh. She talks to him about being happy with being more involved in the company, getting a shot at running the business alongside her brothers. And what does Damian do? He turns the table on her and brings the conversation back to her marriage, talking about how it isn’t what he wanted for her. Granted it’s nice of him to want more than the isolation her current marriage gives her, but it’s also another dagger in Marta’s side, isn’t it? Whatever she does, or achieves, with her dad it always boils back down into her marriage, her role as a wife and the failure of it all. That shit really has to feel like someone ripping out the feathers of her wings every time she tries to take flight. It’s a nice parallel though of both Isidro and Damian wishing happiness and partnership for their daughters. I’m looking forward to when this will come full circle in 170 episodes and they discuss how their daughters have found just that, in each other.

[justchillandshipit]

A Few things to consider...

If we apply Tim's thinking about Buck's situation to Eddie, then Tim could put Eddie in a couple of relationships before his endgame with Buck. I just can't be normal about that. I'm probably the only one who is crazy like this. For Buck, I kind of understand it, and I'm not referring just to Tommy. Buck was with so many women. He really does know that side of himself very well. Buck is curious too, so I could see him dating a few men and maybe another woman without it lasting as long as his time with Tommy. I can see this type of exploration as brief but defining. It will help him narrow down and see what his 'type' might be in regard to men. (We know his type, and his learning will be part of his realization.) I just don't feel that same vibe for Eddie. He is the nester. Maybe he should have a few boyfriends first, but I'm just not reasonable about this so I'm going to let it go for now. I'll puke on that bridge when we get to it.

Side note semi-unrelated: I love a slow burn, but I don't want to wait another three seasons for Buddie either. Please stop the torture.

Things I loved about this episode. Buck. Always. Eddie. Always. lol Seriously, the whole Risky Business moment was golden. Shaving the stache was excellent. His admission that he wanted the full beard but it wasn't allowed and the Priest calling him out as wearing a mask--all of that is just superb. I loved the Buddie of it all. I loved the way Buck seemed to take in Eddie's appearance and then keep his eyes upward as he handed him the beer and walked past him. I loved the way, Eddie didn't hesitate to open the door half-dressed and just accepted that they were drinking tonight without any explanation as to why. Non-Buddie related: I love that Maddie is already pregnant. We don't have to go through a long process of whether they will get a child and be able to keep it the way we did with Henren. Fingers crossed for no miscarriages.

I'm glad Eddie did what the priest suggested as far as doing something fun, but I'm having a little disconnect with how he went from punishing himself to dancing around with no real progression into what brought him to this point. I need to watch it again. I may pick out more on a rewatch. We had parallels in this episode in a big way, but the well seems like a missed opportunity for Eddie to reflect on what happened when he was trapped in one and the decisions he made when he got out of it. We don't generally get two full-character episodes for the same character, do we? We saw Eddie moving forward, but I'm missing the strong motivator that will inspire him to 'Think."

I also need to think about what happened in the restaurant with the girl hitting on Buck. (was this the restaurant Tommy left him standing at before?) What a horrible choice for an anniversary date if it was. lol

Another question: Wasn't there supposed to be a flashback for Eddie in this episode? I know the Bobby/Buck scene got cut. I sort of hate that. I was looking forward to a Father/son moment for them. I do understand that they are limited with time though, so there we go.

Speculation: Eddie is now trying to embrace fun. Buck and Eddie will end up going to bars together at some point, even if Eddie is not looking for a date. We could see Buck in action picking up guys. We could see guys hitting on Eddie. We could see Buck having a reaction to that. We may also see, Buck going to that Laker's game with Eddie after all.

I see I've missed over 100 new posts. I'm betting someone has answered some of my questions already. lol

[xjackjackx]

Alan Becker Analysis: Hazard's Mysteries (Or Maybe I'm Overthinking???)

Ok so unlike this last post about Victim and Glasses Guy / "Agent", this isn't really me bringing anything solid onto the table (well besides one or two things). This is just me overanalysing random shit that frankly is likely irrelevant.

Anyways this post is about Bathroom Sign Guy aka Hazard aka Warning aka Sign, the gray pictogram mercenary from Animator vs. Animation VI, and why he might have a deeper role (prob doesn't).

Part 1 - The Overthinking of Minor Details

Ok this is the part where I'm 100% convinced I'm just talking stupid shit due to rewatching the episodes too many times, but eh.

Let's start off with something... relatively normal actually, which I saw pointed out by others. When Chosen attacks the mers with lightning, Hazard has this shit happen to him:

This is... frankly weird and idk what it means. When Wanted first came out, this and his movement made me think Hazard was a robot, but since then I started believing he's just a normal stick figure like the others. Besides, this whole series is on a computer so everyone besides the Animator is an AI lol.

So if he's not a robot, perhaps Hazard is connected to technology, and thus taking away the ship's energy took away his? That's the only other thing I can think of.

The second one was actually told to me by a friend, and tbh even in this whole post this might be the biggest stretch, but I still think this is worth bringing up. When Orange and Chosen return to the Outernet, Hazard is seen looking... somewhere.

(btw agent looks so stupid here lmfao)

The most likely answer is that he is simply looking around, like Agent and Primal - the cave drawing - are seen doing like immediately afterwards. But my friend did point out that it could easily look like Hazard is looking up - in which case, he could've possibly noticed Chosen and Orange, and then chose to not tell the other mercenaries until Agent notices them and thus forces Haz to intervene. Likely just huge overthinking of a one-off scene, but still.

The last one from Wanted is this shot of the Mercenaries in the elevator.

In this scene, Hazard briefly looks at Ballista - the pixel gremlin - and then proceeds to look away when the little guy stares back at him. Is it most likely them just finding the awkward elevator silence uncomfortable? Probably yea, but it could also be a sign of Hazard and Ballista having a rocky relationship - we see Ballista is pretty aggressive, so maybe Hazard is nervous around such a batshit crazy dude?

In "The Box", the first Hazard scene worth talking about is the first of his reactions to Victim's torture of Chosen.

We know he is a mercenary and a villain, so it should be expected that he's a cruel bastard, but still, falling asleep while watching torture is just another level. What kind of shit did Hazard see, or do himself, that he finds Victim's actions purely boring?

...and yet, just a few moments more later, Hazard has an actual reaction to Victim pulling out a lasso.

Now, the three dots - and thus, Hazard's silence of a reaction - could mean anything. Maybe he's still bored, just awake now. Maybe he's curious to see what will happen. Maybe he has actual standards. But it's still interesting to see that Victim's lasso got a reaction out of Hazard (meanwhile Ballista just crosses his arms, prob in curiosity or impatience, while Primal stays completely still - I'll get to their personalities later).

Similarly, Victim ordering Agent to clone him also gets a small reaction out of Hazard, his head jumping a little (I don't know how else to call it).

This time, it's definitely just shock/curiosity/surprise that Vic is doing something new, and/or that the Box lets you clone people, but still worth pointing out.

A long time later, we finally get something worthy of note from Hazard, that I actually find interesting. While the other mercs are too busy looking through Chosen's memories, Hazard notices Orange returning.

I feel like this was actually an intentional choice. Like, why make all the mercs focused on Chosen's memories, excluding only one of them - and it's not even the most important mercenary that's the big bad's right hand? Also, why is Hazard so far away from the other mercenaries? While I consider this whole section of the post just major overthinking, this one moment specifically is actually pretty sus to me.

Now, to close off this section, there is Haz's reaction to Super Orange.

Mainly, how he and Victim are the only ones who are inarguably scared/panicking. Primal just leans in like "de fuk", Ballista flinches once and then watches in silence, while Agent double checks on both the small and large monitor. Primal and Agent are confused, Ballista is shocked(? idk how to call it), but Hazard and Vic are the only ones with a true "OH SHIT" reaction. What this means? Idk, again this whole section is just overthinking things.

Thankfully we can leave the part where I talk meaningless shit and get into the parts that hopefully actually have a point.

Part 2 - Hazard and His (Lack of) Personality

Another part I noticed since Wanted first dropped (part of the reason why I first thought Haz was a robot) was that, compared to the other mercs, he has so little personality... which might be intentional.

I mean, Agent. He also doesn't showcase a lot of himself, but we still see that he's cool, calm, loyal to Victim, kind of a taunting asshole who plays with his victims instead of instantly getting serious, and despite it all, not unbreakable - He panicked when Chosen attacked him with the iceberg, and he was caught off-guard by Super Orange like everyone else.

Ballista probably has the most personality out of everyone. His body language shows emotion pretty much all the time: most specifically, anger. Whether it's his fighting style, his pose, or walk cycle, Ballista is pissed off 24/7. It's implied it even makes his co-workers nervous. At the same time, the grin he flashes when jumping off the ship in Wanted shows he enjoys his job.

Primal is second only to Hazard in lack of personality, but there's definitely still something there. Mainly, is that he's a very fight-focused person that is basically an empty shell outside it. He's so ready to fuck up a rhino in Wanted, and sharpens his spear for another hunt while bored, but outside of fighting Orange?... he's pretty dull. Only a bit more emotional than Hazard. He seems like a Kraven-type character who just wants to hunt the biggest prey possible, while having zero life outside it. Also he has a Hulk-style form which reduces him to an animal sapience-wise.

Hazard, though? He uhh... he wants to get Chosen, is very focused on completing the job, and that's kinda it. He's such a blank it feels intentional. Perhaps he has his own goals and is hiding them?

Part 3 - He's Either Holding Back or He's Fucking Useless

Yea not gonna sugarcoat this. There has to be some sort of big reveal of Hazard's true power in later episodes, or this dude's so weak it's laughable to think he's supposed to be a threat.

I mean, Agent has a toolbar that makes him a Mini-Animator, and he can pause anything and anyone. Ballista can shapeshift his body and pull weapons out of his ass. Primal has a stronger form that can pick up a rhino without difficulty, and he probably has more.

Hazard?

He, uh... is good at dodging. He also has this one Shock Sign that killed a bird. Yeah.

Ngl if this is all Hazard has then it's impossible for me to see him as a threat on par with the other mercs, or even Victim. Hell, I wouldn't even be able to see him as above the Stick Gang in strength, with how slow Orange was in that scene compared to his fights in the AvM Shorts.

So yeah, on top of possibly hiding his true personality/hidden motives, Hazard was most likely holding back heavily in Wanted, which only makes him more mysterious.

Part 4 - The End

So, this is kinda it. Was Part 1 all overthinking, or did I get a few things right? Is Hazard actually hiding something, or does he only show little personality because none of his scenes let him show off anything? Is he holding back his true strength, or is he actually weak?

Frankly idk, but I am excited to see where things go with this guy, as he has tons of potential.

[lathya]

Thoughts while rewatching Episode 11 of Season 2 of Helluva Boss

Andrealphus, do you want to fuck your sister?

Luna cares! (keep that picture by your heart)

Why don't they escape into the mortal realm?

I LOVE that we finally get the see the rest of the Demon Lords. Satan with him little therapist is FUCKING GREAT!

Lucifer's chair in the background! With the duck with his hat, the BRB sign, the cobwebs! HA!

Who is this other bird guy? Vasago? He reminds me of the red bird from The Three Caballeros and I think he's my new favorite character!

They should let Ozzie kill Mammon.

I am SO curious about Levy. They are definitely the lord of Pride and I love how they are literally two-faced, but don't seem to be 100% in sync. They each have different reactions to Mammon hitting on them. Is the one into it? (Edit: my math was broken and i forgot about envy. I have been informed that Levy is envy. The two heads thing is still cool as heck though)

Andrealphus is fucking clever. He would have had to have known that Satan would want to broadcast this and that Stolas would care enough to intervene. This fucker is 100% more scary than he sister (who he totally wants to fuck).

The fucking LORE DROP! Satan created the Imp! He's been there, as assumably all the demon lords, longer than Lucifer was. What was that power struggle like? If Lucifer never shows up, how does he keep his title? Are they afraid of him? Even the language of the demon lords seems to put Lucifer at an almost divine level: "Oh my Lucifer"

"I love you guys" I WANNA FUCKING CRY WHAT THE FUCK!!!

AND STOLAS WITH THE BADASS ENTRANCE!! I was fucking SCREAMING! Like, we knew he was coming, but everything about that moment was perfect. The feather, the stance, the glare, the ass in Blitzo's face. Perfect! NO NOTES!

If Stolas and Vasago don't become best friends by the end of this series I'm going to kill everybody. They aren't even directly interacting with each other and they are so on the same level.

The way the lords roll their eyes at the mention of Lucifer. There is no respect there. I would love to learn the story of how Lucifer ended up being the king of hell when he so clearly doesn't care about it. My guess is Lilith was the more ambitious one, but there is still so little we know about her and what happened between her and Lucifer. We'll probably get this answers, or at least some of them, in Hazbin Hotel.

Octavia's little bird sounds when she cries. I fucking love all the little bird sounds they make!

"Your life has actual worth." The absolute unsubtlety. This dynamic of imps and demon lords has been such a constant throughout the series, I think we're gearing up to hit the climax of this part of the story in the next season. Especially when we see all the praise Blitzo is getting and the instant hate the imps have for Stolas.

One of the first things Stolas looked at when he went into Blitzo's house was the photo's on the wall. The ones where Blitzo marked out his own face. I really hope Stolas brings this up. I want them to talk about this shit!!

Business is going to be BOOMING for the next while.

Blitzo is being SO SOFT there at that end and I CAN'T EVEN!!

Predictions for what's next:

Revolution baby! The Imps are going to rise up and Blitzo is going to be their fucking champion. He's also going to TOTALLY let it get to his head at least a little bit

Blitzo's dad is for sure going to show up. He's going to try to mooch off Blitzo's rising fame. Blitzo's sister might also make an appearance just so the show has a chance to get the family all in one place somehow, but I'm not sure

Stolas is finally going to learn when life is like for the Imps and realize how well he's had it in comparison. He's never really had to think about his privilege before. Even when Blitzo claimed Stolas was only interested in him because he was an Imp Stolas could order around, Stolas never really gave the idea much thought or reflected on the accusation. In Stolas's mind he never thought of their relationship that way, but he there was always an unbalance of power there that Stolas never addressed. This will be his chance to finally do that.

Blitzo is going to hire Stolas to work for him, like what they talked about as kids.

IMP, if it only operates in the mortal realm, is going to be unsustainable if it gets bigger, and with all the next people wanting to work for Blitzo it's going to grow FAST. If so many humans keep dying, and the FBI agents keep going after them, it's going to cause too much ruckus for the demon lords to stay out of it and they'll want to shut it down. I'm curious to see how Blitzo handles all the new hires, if he even hires that many.

Stolas and Blitzo don't actually know each other very well. They only really know a mostly superficial version of the other and have seen a few cracks in each others masks, but now that they are living together they are really going to get to see all sides of each other and their relationship will become more grounded because of it.

Blitzo being Stolas's caretaker during this time is flipping their power dynamic, but they won't be able to be together properly until the power between them is balance. Whatever happens in the next season and however long this series is going to be is going to end with them in more or less equal levels of power (in relation to each other). IMP will also be revamped into something new by the end that better incorporates Stolas into their business model.

[starberry-cupcake]

I have talked before about getting rude comments on my trek posts and I don't respond to them, but this time I am sharing one of them. I got this in the post I made after watching 'the ultimate computer'

It isn't that I "don't give a shit about the lore of a franchise if it doesn't serve my stupid reactionary narrative".

I just have never watched The Next Generation in full.

I'm currently watching TOS for the first time. These are my reaction posts to the episodes as I watch them.

My parents are lifelong Trek fans, they've watched all classic seasons several times over and, with them, I've seen bits and pieces of Next Gen and Voyager as a child, probably without a decent order because they were on tv and dubbed. I've seen current seasons with them, once streaming sites started coming up with them (Discovery and a couple seasons of Picard, as well as went with them to the cinema to watch the new movies). I'm hoping that this family watch/rewatch we're doing will lead us to Next Gen after a few other stops so I can finally experience it as I should have, but we haven't gotten there yet. It's a nice family experience, my sister and I get to see my parents geek out, my dad wear his Enterprise or science officer shirt while we watch it and my mom re-live her Bones fangirl childhood, and I'm enjoying it too much to rush it in the name of Having Online Opinions.

And I think that, even if the show isn't new, I'm allowed to watch a thing for the first time and express my feelings about it. It's fun. It's nice. It's good to discover and learn about things.

Gatekeeping won't stop me from experiencing this show for the first time but it might ruin it for someone else who does care about what a stranger online with an uncalled for response has to say about them as a person (because calling me or my reaction to the episode "stupid" was certainly a Choice).

People in the replies and reblogs of this post have been talking about Data. Every once in a while I see a comment on Data somewhere. There are very interesting back-and-forths about it, and that's where the difference between generative ai and true ai comes from, not something I said but something someone replied on this post, which means this person has seen them. In my opinion, it's all very interesting and I'm reading the discussions, trying not to get spoiled too much, but I'm not getting into those discussions because all I know about Data comes from bits and pieces of childhood memories of Next Gen and two seasons of Picard and I don't think I have the necessary information to have an opinion that merits me getting involved.

Star Trek is a franchise that has become everpresent because it has shaped fandom as we know it and the genre as we know it. That doesn't mean we've all seen it and it certainly doesn't mean people get to insult my intelligence by shaming me for not having seen a season of a show in full yet.

I'm sure that, when my family and I get to Next Gen, I'll get to know more about Data and how that compares to this discussion and to today's landscape. In time.

And, if the problem is with my perception of generative ai and its current introduction in all forms of social, educational and economic situations, that's a different discussion to be had, but gatekeeping me from Star Trek doesn't immediately invalidate my opinion on some other subject matter.

I'm going to keep posting my stupid reaction posts and be roasted for them anyway, because I'm really enjoying this show and watching it with my family. It's a life-long thing I've put off because it took a while to get a streaming service here that hosted all of them with subtitles for my parents and, even if I get these replies, I still enjoy watching it and I know it will forever be a beautiful family memory, despite the internet's reaction to it.

[nnnn99999]

I have been thinking a lot about peaceful property the past few days. One of the things I couldn't understand was why I was not bothered by Pangpang not being that mad at Home. After all, Home was the reason she almost lost her only family member, the reason her beloved brother's career was ruined. Home is responsible for pushing her and Peach to the dire circumstances they are in currently. So why is it that she was not as upset as Peach when they found out the truth about Home? And why did I not feel weird about her reaction? Because normally, I would feel a little ? pop up in my head about stuff like this. So I thought about it, and I realized, it kinda makes sense.

Pangpang and Home are similar in the way they use their loud and boisterous exterior to mask all their vulnerabilities hidden inside, desperately hoping that people will be too distracted by their eccentricities to notice their true emotions. I don't mean to say that Pangpang or Home are not weird and energetic and all that by nature, because they are. It's just that often they use their eccentric nature to hide their insecurities and discomfort. Because Home and Pangpang are so similar in this aspect, they truly get each other. Not just in a superficial "we match each other's freak" kind of way, but also in a "I see you and I kinda get why you're doing what you're doing" kind of way. Without rewatching the entire show, I can think of two instances when this bond between Pangpang and Home was shown very clearly.

The first one is when Home tells Peach about Pangpang trying to overcompensate in episode 4. It might be because I was too distracted by PeachHome being domestic when I first watched it that I breezed past this moment. But the more I think about it, the more I am fascinated by the fact that Home, a random guy that has only known Pangpang for a short time, and who has a very limited capacity for empathy, is the one who notices her behavior and goes "yeah something's up here". While her own brother, the one who is closest to her, and who should supposedly know her best, didn't think anything was off with Pangpang's behavior until Home explained it to him. And even then, Peach was not so sure about it until Pangpang finally exploded later in the episode. I have to mention again, Home does not have much empathy, even for the people he genuinely cares about. He doesn't really understand anyone, including Peach, who he is the closest to in this ragtag family. It is very difficult for Home to look at things from others' perspectives. That leads me to believe that Home relates to Pangpang a lot because he is very similar.

The second one is when Home tells Pangpang to let Peach face Chef Hong's ghost alone in episode 5. Clearly, Pangpang is not comfortable with the idea of leaving Peach alone. She experienced firsthand the trauma and guilt Peach has lived with for the past 3 years. She knows better than anyone how much Peach has suffered. And she knows how terrified Peach is in that moment. As his sister, of course she can't bear to let him face this alone. She wants to support him, she wants to be there for him. And yet, one sentence from Home is enough for her to suppress all her discomfort and leave Peach alone to deal with the whole thing by himself. The amount of trust she puts in Home, a guy she hasn't known for long, in this moment is huge. She really has no reason to put so much trust in Home, especially when it comes to her brother, unless she truly believes Home genuinely cares about Peach and wants the best for him. Let's not forget that Home is their employer, and he threatened Peach to come to this place he is clearly uncomfortable with. Yet Pangpang trusts Home enough to go along with his plan despite being uncomfortable with it.

About the part where Peach and then Pangpang find out that Home was the one who hit Peach, the focus of their conversation was off from the start. The first thing Peach said was "How could he hide this from us? Was anything he did for us even real?" (I haven't rewatched the scene, just citing from memory so this may not be his exact words but it should be close.) So Peach is upset not because Home hit him with a car and left him there, but because Home did not tell him about it. Which is crazy. This man is more concerned about the fact that Home has been hanging out with him and being nice to him not because Home actually likes Peach, but because he is compensating for his past actions out of guilt. (Peach is blinded by love that is the only explanation thank you.) And Pangpang does not see anything wrong with this direction of conversation. (She knows they are in love that is the only explanation thank you.) Her mind doesn't think for even a moment that Home is horrible person for doing what he did. Which is crazy, again. Rather she is more concerned about hearing Home's explanation before jumping to any sort of conclusion. Because she gets Home. She knows Home is not the kind of person who would randomly hit a man and leave him to die. He must have his reasons and Pangpang wants to hear them. I swear Kan is the only person who does not have a love filter on for Home. Home is a shitty person for driving irresponsibly. This should be the focus in this situation first. Then then focus can shift to maybe he is redemable but he is also shitty for hiding it from the siblings. Peach and Pangpang, my dearies, why in world would you totally skip the first part? Love truly does make you blind I guess.

Anyway, this is why I think Pangpang is not that upset with Home. She gets him, she loves him, she trusts him, and she just wants mom and dad to stop fighting and get back together. Maybe the reason I was not bothered was that the siblings themselves were not bothered 🤔.

[literali1110]

More 6x01 Chenford Thoughts

So I've had some time to think and read other people's takes on the episode. And I think overall what happened is a little more nuanced than my first reaction so I wanted to share my current thoughts and what I liked and didn't.

Starting from the beginning: When Lucy asks to ride with Tim again, essentially ask him to be TO Tim - this is the beginning of where things start to go wrong IMO. Not only does having them ride together again lessen the impact of their last ride together in 5x12, it completely ignores the fact that they already decided they can't ride together because their personal relationship affects their professional one.

Lucy's first spiral moment: I've seen people say they relate to Lucy's anxiety here, so I don't want to ignore that. But I do kinda wish they hadn't showed her have that spiral out moment while she was on the job, maybe? Or have it be so exaggerated. Although at this point I agree Tim could have said something to help her instead of shaking his head and rolling his eyes (even though Lucy said she knows what he's thinking).

I know they gave excuses for Nyla and Angela (although I think the excuse for Angela wasn't really a good excuse), but I do think they are probably more capable of giving Lucy the professional validation she needs in this moment...

At the actual crime scene: I do think Tim was a little bit in a tough spot... If he gave her the answer, she probably would have been upset anyway. And he did ask her what she wanted him to do and ultimately listened to her. I guess his decision could have led to a murderer getting away, so probably not the best professional choice but again, we already had a whole episode talking about how Tim doesn't make good professional decisions when his girlfriend's reputation is at stake.

I'm not mad at him for how the whole precinct made fun of Lucy, they make fun of everyone. It just would be nice to have some good confident Lucy moments. I want to see her PROGRESS from the TO/rookie dynamic and really come into her own. In fact, one of the good moments was from the episode when Tim was in the hospital and Nyla gives her a pep talk...just further highlighting that in this case, her storyline might have been better if she wasn't riding with Tim.

With the fight scene itself: it seems everyone is in consensus that Tim was trying to be supportive. And on rewatch I still believe this is the case because he starts out by saying she should take the exam and even when he agrees she can wait, he mentions she can still do UC in the meantime. So I do think that in that moment Lucy was reading into something that wasn't there and lashing because of her own insecurities. However, I do see the arguement that Tim could have realized that and tried to react to it better.

And that's why the last scene to me felt very disconnected from the main issue this episode - which was Lucy feeling insecure. She brings up that Tim is being unsupportive because of his own reservations - except, he was trying to be supportive in the previous conversation! So I just don't think this was a way the "Tim's feelings about UC" conversation should have been brought up - even though I agree it is a conversation that needs to be had.

(And I don't really understand what Lucy meant by 'undermining', if she's still referring to his "being unsupportive".)

And Tim is obviously upset by that and walks away, while I think he should have stayed and talked to her about the real issue at hand. I've seen people mention that this also ties back to how Lucy doesn't have support from her parents and that's something that we've never even seen them talk about together on screen (we never saw her tell Tim about the last time her mom came over in S3).

Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is there are two topics here. 1. Lucy's confidence and career path. 2. Tim's feelings about UC and how he is going to deal with what Lucy chooses. And maybe they would have been able to have each of these storylines really shine if they hadn't mixed them all up together in this episode and kept them riding together. Have them work our their professional storylines separately, or with the help of other characters, but come home and discuss how it's all affecting them personally.

(Of course, you could argue that it's all connected for Lucy, she's the one factoring Tim's feelings into her decision, and there's something to that, but still, I just want to see a new and better dynamic for them, together and apart, that isn't the old TO/rookie one.)

My dream for Lucy actually is that she goes into that interview room with Primm and just owns up to what she did: yeah, I managed to manipulate 5 police officers in a trade, so just think what I can do in an interrogation room!

[cinnamoncountess]

Fellow Travelers Rewatch Party | episode 1

Content warning: NSFW, strong language (likely)

This will be mostly a reaction and based on observations, given the knowledge about how things will unfold in later episodes.

What a perfectly beautiful way to start a show! The song flows amazingly with the cinematography and it encloses around the viewer like a warm hug, simultaneously delivers an underlying sadness, the lyrics preparing us of what lies ahead, a tragic love story that yearns to end happily, but won’t. It sets the mood and gently announces with a toe-deep dive that we’re about to journey backwards into a different decade. I love it! <3 (song: Stevie Wonder - If It’s Magic)

Marcus drives down the sophisticated suburban lane to meet Hawk in his perfectly cultivated family nest to hand over the package, according to Tim’s wishes. It’s sweet to know that he supports and protects Tim, because - as we find out later - he knows Hawk and his shenanigans the best. 

Promotion party! Lucy and Hawk certainly know lots of people. Also, how many grandchildren do they have? I’d assume the other kids are probably the children their guests brought to the party, playmates of his granddaughter, right? No, wait, Lucy says „grandkids“ - so there are more than one? 

Lucy: The grandkids are going to miss Hawk so much when we got to Milan. I don’t know what Kimberly’s going to do. - Hawk’s a beloved granddad.

Hawk: Well, she’ll ship them over in the diplomatic pouch. - The sass and wit never ceases. 

Lucy: I almost gave up my dream of moving to Italy with the man I love.

Hawk: In the end, sh settled for going with me. - OH. The foreshadowing, the ambiguity. The HURT. For BOTH of them. My heart.

Did we ever find out how and when Lucy got to meet Marcus, though? 

Marcus is sooo distressed about the AIDS situation killing all his friends, his beloved ones around him. I want to hug him! 

Marcus: Tim doesn’t want to hear from you. He asked me to make that clear. - It’s another verbalisation of ‚Promise you won’t write’, Tim might have been hoping to hear from Hawk. Then again, of course Tim made sure Hawk will receive the paperweight. It’s the same ‚message‘ that Hawk delivered to him when he left it as a gift before betraying him - to let go. Tim wants to let go. 

Flashback to 1952!

Tim ordering a glass of milk, almost snapping at Hawk for questioning his beverage of choice.

The beginning of the milk odyssey…

What a beautifully shot scene, the lighting, the music / score, the switch between scenes, paralleling the scenes between society conform married life of a ‚straight’ man and cruising through park bathrooms - the double life of Hawkins Fuller and preparing us for what lies ahead, truly marvellous.

I think that’s the roughest and most mechanical, unemotional sex we’ll see in the show. Hawk literally punches Eddie like a donkey.

Hawk: Milton. But my friends call me ‚uncle Milty‘ - Cracking up. Hawk, be serious. 

Hawk doesn’t care about your little life, Eddie. He got what he wanted. He doesn’t give him his number. Important detail since that’s the first information he receives from Tim, already going one step further than he does with Eddie here. 

The small „:|“ glance Mary and Hawk share in reaction to Miss Addison’s disapproval of commies, only the eyeroll and irritated sigh missing. Love Hawk’s and Mary’s interactions and friendship overall, so entertaining how they’ll constantly talk ambiguously. 

Tim and Hawk first meeting at the park! 

Tim: I have a degree in political science and history. I think I should aim a little higher, don’t you? - Oh, baby, you should! Too bad he’s never got to indulge in a profession that fits his education. But then again, maybe it’s for the best that reoriented his career and found a better path for himself, for his eagerness to be politically vocal! He still became a spokesman. 

Tim flusters as Hawk inquires him about memorising his biographical entry! His reaction is sooo endearing. He’s already so smitten. 

The banter between them! 

Hawk: Down boy. - And so the dynamic starts.

Hawk: Perfect. I’ll spend the afternoon picturing you kneeling in prayer. - Pants flew to the moon, ovaries and peepees exploded!

Smith: Your plan, me in the White House in eight years. - Hawk intending to ‚manipulate‘ his mentor’s career, making him president.

Tim and his little cupboard where he hangs his very few white socks and pants. D: Also, he is a plant person! In this apartment as well as in his 80s one he own quite a bunch of greens. 

Jean: … could stand to improve his spelling. You’ll have to do this one again. - Is Tim dyslexic? 

The book Tim bestows Hawk with, as a present for getting the job is titled ‚Look Homeward, Angel.‘ Angel. Skippy, in the book apparently, is derived from an angel’s name. So maybe that’s Hawk’s inspiration in the show?

Hawk visits Tim for the first time and wants to take him out for dinner! So much to the ‚we NEVER eat in restaurants!‘-complaint in episode 3. Hawk wanted to take him out to a restaurant before. <3

Tim is very, VERY drastic in his political views, which is a bit concerning, but also understanding, given the historical context. 

Hawk asking for consent before lifting Tim to his feet and undressing him, love it. 

Tim showing Hawk the family photo album.

Tim: This is uncle Ronald, the drunken designated hopeless sinner of the family.

Hawk: I think you’re giving uncle Ron a run for that title.

Tim: Thanks to you… - and the little smirk, I can’t.

Mary: How are you enjoying ‚Look Homeward, Angel‘?

Hawk: Immensely. Although I have trouble finishing a book before I wanna start another. - he says while he eye-flirts with the next guy standing closeby, oh Hawkins. 

Eddie making a scene out in the open, in the hallway…That is very, very awkward and risky and Eddie should know that, not a clever move. I feel for him, for what happens to him later on, but he had it coming, unfortunately. He should’ve let it go when Hawk made clear he doesn’t want further contact during their encounter and then clearly signifies he doesn’t recognize him. It’s like having an ONS or anonymous sex, the rules about how this will go and what it entails are set. 

Tim toe-sucking bj-ing himself to the fancy party is still wonderful and he must’ve done a spectacular job to convince Hawk. Also, he’s wearing Hawk’s coat here. Wonder if they acted out the little monologue and Tim really went there with the taste of him in his mouth. 

Alsop: My wife says the aroma is somewhat reminiscent of feet. I can promise you it tastes perfectly marvellous. - This is a very feet-heavy episode.

Lucy and Hawk share such entertaining banter moments, I wish they could’ve stayed just really good friends, without all the heartbreak and pain.

Bringing up Lucy is a red rag to Hawk, but Tim just can’t help it. These two have severely different perspectives on life at this point and Hawk told Tim multiple times that he can’t give him what he wants, the life he dreams of, that they can just enjoy these occasional moments of fun together, which of course isn’t enough for Tim, who craves for everything straight couples have, to date his partner openly. It’s not possible in this environment and Tim acts very stubborn and naive here. He is also constituting a great risk for Hawk, who doesn’t shove him away just yet, which is surprising, giving what we’ve seen of him and how cautious he wants to be, leaving no traces endangering his career.

After hearing McCarthy’s speech it’s actually so disturbing and irritating to know that Tim holds onto this man’s ideals so firmly. 

Shout out to the beautifully nuanced OST created by Paul Leonard-Morgan.

And that’s it for this episode. 

[sometipsygnostalgic]

adventure time season 6

we rewatched breezy last night, i showed kim that episode for the first time, and her reaction was. “other than the arm stuff, that was a great episode but NEVER show me that again”. which is exactly as i predicted so i am the amazing adventure time reaction predictor. 

i enjoy the episode as its metaphorical exploration of finn engaging in casual relationships in order to stave off depression, until he hears the song of another lost soul, and rediscovers love. visualised through a vision of PB knighting him with a special sword - Finn’s original passion. of course, that metaphorical exploration probably had NO place in adventure time, and it doesn’t help that the storyboarder responsible was more than a bit creepy about his ex. however i can still connect to it. 

mostly because, that was adventure time to me!!! not just when I was 16 and it saved my life.... but a decade later when I was 25. after years of dealing with empty rage, and the pandemic, adventure time obsidian came out and i fell in love with the show all over again, i hadn’t had such a passionate awakening for an interest in a long time. 

we also watched the other s6 eps leading to that point. I can’t stress how AMAZING it was being an AT fan at that time, and how soulcrushing it felt watching Finn grow his arm back, and then there was Something Big which people didn’t like, but it was also the final time that I was deeply involved in the show’s fandom while it was still running. At least until Obsidian aired 6 years later!!! 

The Tower is still a complete classic and the moment Finn loses his arm in Citadel might be the most powerful scene in the series. I didn’t feel it deeply last night but that’s probably because I had a headache and felt sick, but the episodes are so BEAUTIFUL visually. Season 6 looks damn good. 

Sad Face is actually fun, I love how jake’s tail goes everywhere

and James II was contextually the funniest episode in the series, realistically we should have hated it when it aired, but it was such a nice breather after the intensity of the season premier and of the original epsiode. i love watching all the characters laugh on the wall at the silly banana guards. 

season 6 suffers from... primarily... no women being in the writers room at the time. absolutely none. that is everpresent, there is a piece of the show’s identity missing, the writing suffers because of it, cos up to that point they at least had rebecca or ako around. and i think this is no more greatly personified than by how Marceline is FUCKING ABSENT for the entire thing. they didn’t want to touch sugar’s character.

it’s also prevalent because of how season 7 has an immediate improvement in terms of warmth and emotional depth, with the introduction of writers who were not cis men. 

however i think season 6 is otherwise an excellent experiment in terms of what you can accomplish in 11 minutes, it is not afraid to go out of its way to explore spirituality for example. i would say it marks the end of adventure time’s insane creative era where it was in constant flux, as in season 7 the show settles down into a consistent nostalgic warmth. 

[dk-wren]

Buddy Daddies Week - Ep. 5-8 Rewatch

Welcome to Day 4 of my Buddy Daddies anniversary week! For today, I continue my rewatch of the series and present to you some of my thoughts from episodes 5-8! Enjoy!

No notes, only matching side-eye

Can I just give some credit to Miri? Because even though it was quite reckless of her to secretly follow Kazuki and she more or less got lost, Miri was able to retrace her steps to a certain extent back to Yadorigi

Also, sorry if I was slow on this, but when Kazuki is looking for Miri at the park, the little girl he thinks is Miri is wearing a similar orange sweater. However, during this day, Miri is seen wearing her green sweater, which I feel just goes to show how little sleep Kazuki was running off of

Why did Kyutaro open the door right after Ogino left? He clearly was not expecting Miri, so was he expecting trouble from Ogino? Also, what would have happened if Rei took care of Miri in their apartment and Kazuki was still at Yadorigi when Ogino arrived? What then?!

Like I wrote during my ep. 4 thoughts, this moment of the music instantly cutting for when Kyutaro tells Miri what Rei’s job is always cracks me up. Perhaps it is partially due to pacing, but it's just the sudden shift in Kyutaro giving a lengthy explanation into Kazuki’s job, with accompanying music, to him flat out saying “Middle Eastern Oil Baron” and no further explanation is given (besides Miri’s confused reaction)

“You really like them?” I don’t know why exactly, but I’ve always read this line not as Kyutaro being curious and trying to get more answers from Miri, but just outright judgmental. Like Kyutaro is trying to remain polite and neutral by using “them” instead of “fools” or “idiots”

When watching the ending scene beforehand, when Kyutaro says to Rei that he of all people should know what the consequences are for betraying the organization, I always interpreted this to mean Rei had suffered some of those consequences while growing up and after he originally left the organization. But after this rewatch, I’m starting to wonder if it is because he might have had a role in handing out those consequences (as seen in ep. 8)?

ZOO EPISODE!!!

The banter during the end of the opening scene is so funny. Rei’s telling Kazuki to do his best and he’s gonna do just fine taking care of Miri and Kazuki’s first like, aw, thanks for the compliment, and then instantly realizes and turns around to tell Rei he better help out too

Miri did not need to stick her tongue out at Kazuki but she did, and that was absolutely the final straw that broke Kazuki

Again, gotta give credit to Hinata and Kotori cause they easily could have stayed behind with the rest of the class, but immediately decided to stick with Miri and look after her

Another reason to use these screenshots that I have saved? Yes I will take advantage of this opportunity to share them again

For me it’s the fact that Rei and Kazuki could have easily hidden behind one of the trees to keep a close eye on Miri and her friends, yet (I’m assuming Kazuki) decided no, they are going to cram into one of the small playhouses. Both of them are!

I don’t necessarily know if this is the first time, but I appreciate how after seeing Miri on her own with her friends, Rei and Kazuki can have a more or less serious talk, at least one without teasing each other

I know Kazuki is more than a little fed up with Rei and the amount he helps out with Miri/around the house, but I appreciate how Kazuki doesn’t really fight back or argue with Rei when he says that he is trying his best. I know it’s been pointed out before, but it really just goes to show how much Kazuki acknowledges that Rei is trying, even if Kazuki's expectations are a bit higher

I know this isn’t the point of the scene, but LOOK AT MIRI! LOOK AT THE WAY SHE’S HOLDING ONTO REI! LOOK AT THE WAY SHE’S LOOKING AT REI! There is nothing but love in those eyes.

I don’t actually know how true this is, but growing up, my mom would always tell me that I had to blow dry my hair really well so I wouldn’t get sick. So a) it was sorta funny to see that come up in this episode, and b) I love how towards the beginning of the episode, when Miri announces she finished in the bathroom, Kazuki asks if she dried her hair well, while here, you can clearly tell her hair is still wet and Miri is sick the following morning. I know she had been out in the rain (which is another thing I was told by parents, if I stayed out in the rain too long or got too wet/cold I’d get sick), but it was funny seeing this small, potential connection.

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but the attention to detail of Miri progressively getting redder (i.e. hotter) as events escalates. Incredible!

Kazuki’s line at Yuzuko’s grave, “Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten” is so freaking loaded! “I haven’t forgotten” can be interpreted in so many ways, two of which being he didn’t forget to come visit her and he didn’t forget what he did (and why he’s unwilling to allow himself to change)

Every time I watch this scene, my mind goes back to one of my high school English teachers talking about weather symbolism in Shakespeare. And my mind just goes rain!!! Sadness, grief, ah it’s all connected. (And then the sun comes out when Kazuki has the epiphany he can change/be happy without forgetting Yuzuko?!)

Can I please add to the echo chamber of how soft Rei looks with his hand protectively over Miri’s?! This is where Rei belongs! Not with the organization and certainly not with his father!

And now we begin with the Rei focused episode

So you’re telling me…Rei walked all the way from their apartment to the mansion? That is definitely one way to prove his stamina and willpower to the Boss.

I cannot get over Kazuki and Miri’s coordinating outfits! So cute!

Could just be the framing, but with the audience getting to know Rei as he opens up more emotionally and in accepting his role as co-papa to Miri, I love how there is the slightest change in facial expressions (such as Rei’s eyes widening in shock) that the audience can pick up on, but for Shigeki, and being so unattached and uninvolved in Rei’s life (which given their background together, isn’t necessarily a bad thing), it takes some time for him to notice the change in Rei’s attitude

Random thought that keeps me up at night: what was the last straw for Rei? What made him finally say “no more” and run away? Were their previous attempts? And why do I have a full story in my head as to what led up to Rei running away, but probably won’t have the time to write out?

During their phone call, I like to think Rei isn’t really responding to Kazuki’s questions because he doesn’t want to think about their implications or have to think any longer about his father’s demands, along with just wanting to hear the voice of his daughter and partner. He’s in a place that is likely filled with countless memories of pain and trauma, and yet he cannot fully escape it yet. So, even though we see Rei still wearing more of a frown, I bet it’s comforting to hear the voices of the two people he loves the most (oops don’t tell Shigeki that) while there alone.

In a pretty twisted way, it’s crazy how Satoru is the man that both taught Rei how to be an assassin while growing up and kinda the man to teach Rei that he can fight to protect the ones he loved

Moment of appreciation for the sound design of this moment, like come on! Satoru’s final words, along with a sort of rushing wind sound to convey the fall, Rei’s gasp followed by a moment of silence before hearing the impact, followed by a few more seconds of silence. So effective in my opinion!

And now, let me gush over the symbolism of this image! Rei facing the city/city lights, but distinctly separated from it, like how he was raised at Suwa Manor and likely only got a taste of normal life after leaving or when Kazuki entered his life, causing him to still feel like an outside. The distance between Rei and the city because of the water creating a clear separation, really reminds me of the metaphor Rei brings up in ep. 11 about being a boy looking through the window looking at something he thought he would never get. And the fact that his back is turned toward the light, as if admitting his defeat and that he belongs with his father in the darkness of that world. And later, Kazuki comes in their car, bringing even more light into Rei’s world, and pulling him into it.

Another detail that I just love, on the table full of food, there’s two bottles of drinks: one being a wine, presumably for Rei and Kazuki, and another bottle of what I presumed to be apple cider. That way, Miri gets to be a part of the fun and have a bubbly drink too.

And what a cute ending with Rei blowing out the candles, followed by the credits, and that’s it, no post-credit scene

I know today was another lengthy post, so I appreciate your support and time reading it!

We're halfway through the week and I cannot wait to share what I have planned for the next three days, especially tomorrow if all goes according to plan!

-Dakota Wren

[billpottsismygf]

73 Yards rewatch complete! It was nice to get to watch the actual broadcast for once, as I really miss doing that in this midnight drop era, and I think I can confirm that I officially love this episode enough to not really mind that it doesn't make sense. I still stand by all of my complaints from my initial reaction, but - as I'd hoped would happen - they don't bother me so much now I know what they are and can just ignore them. I still love what the episode is doing for 95% of its runtime.

I also still stand by what I said in my second post about the two elements being somewhat disconnected, since it does feel like she just randomly has to stop an evil prime minister long after the semper distans starts and long before it ends. Ah well, it still flows pretty well and both storylines are very impactful.

Some more little things I noticed this time:

The credits for the episode coming on the screen should have tipped me off that we wouldn't get the theme tune this week. I noticed them this time! Still sad to not get to doo-wee-oo this week, but I quite like the interpretations people are coming up with to do with the Doctor being missing removing the music.

Speaking of the Doctor being missing, in my initial review I complained that several things seemed to be caused by one event, but this time I thought that the Doctor going missing was specifically caused by the "I miss you" note Ruby reads out first. Then, "rest in peace, Mad Jack" is what releases Mad Jack, and maybe stepping on the fairy circle at all is what creates the 73 yards semper distans?

The semper distans stuff still works very well on second viewing, and perhaps even better. I thought it was notable that Siân Philips' character says that "Josh is now semper distans" when he runs away, which more clearly shows that this is all about people keeping their distance from Ruby. Likewise, elderly Ruby saying everyone's abandoned her her whole life but she's never been alone worked very nicely. I still wish it had been tied up a little better - and, for someone presumably with abandonment trauma, she's remarkably chill about the Doctor abandoning her - but I appreciate it nonetheless.

I've thought of another episode it reminds me of, which is elderly Rory in the time loop in The Angels Take Manhattan.

This time Kate's comments about things being suspended along Ruby's event read to me that world-ending threats had been suspended while the Doctor is missing (completely converse to Turn Left).

Siân Philips' character seemed incredibly mysterious with her little notebook. My headcanon is that she's a writer, but I also wonder if there might be more to her than meets the eye...

The long and the short of it is, the ending of this episode is still incredibly muddy and rushed and missing a satisfying narrative conclusion. However, now that I've got all my thoughts and feelings on that out, I found the second time through that I was able to enjoy it just as much as the first time but this time without caring too much about the messy ending. Hooray! I like it when I like Doctor Who.

[unnaturalequilibrium]

Capítulo 11

- Mafin rewatch (Sueños de Libertad)

Aww, Fina missing her ex-girlfriend, Esther. Okay, maybe I get the Petra thing now. Fina was hurting, needing a rebound. Lonely and trying not to let regret eat at her. Okay, I think I do get it. Still not smart, but I understand where it came from, why she was so willing to take a chance on Petra.

Getting to see Fina open up to Carmen about her and Esther, about missing her, about what made her fall in love with her - is ridiculously heart-warming. And from a character point of view this has to be fucking huge. This is probably the first time Fina’s gotten to talk about these things with another person who wasn’t actually Esther. That kind of sudden freedom has to be a bit dizzying. It's a telling contrast also of how easy it is for Fina to talk about what it was about Esther that made her fall in love and the way Marta in the previous episode couldn't even come up with an answer much less a half-decent lie when asked the same question about her husband. I'm looking forward to that scene later on when Marta will be able to answer that question with ease, only not about her husband, obviously.

It hurts though, the regret and longing you can feel radiate off Fina as she talks about Paris and breaking up with Esther. But what is this mad fantasy about living an open gay life among the baguettes? Because France and a good place to be gay - well, that’s not quite the impression I have. Then again this should probably be seen through the eyes of someone trapped on the other side of a fascist fence and then the grass doesn’t just look greener, it is actually greener on the other side, even if that side is France.

The reason she didn’t go in the end was Isidro. And as beautiful as their relationship is, it is also sad to see how much of a - I don’t want to say chain, because it sounds so deeply negative. But her bond with him has been cemented into something so solid it doesn’t actually give her full freedom. I do get a kick out of how this show handles all of the many ways, big and small, that women were (are) stripped of their freedom and the way it weaves that into every one of the storylines without ever making it overpoweringly depressing. They show a kind of stark reality of the ties that bind women, but in between the drama they infuse it with enough hope to ultimately land on positive note.

Marta is self-assured with her brothers, she trusts her skill and argues her case. I like it. She wants renewal and it’s going to start with their company. Yes, open that door and lets see what else finds its way out into the light.

Carmen stepping up at the store, taking charge and volunteering to do the inventory as Claudia just wants to go be with Mr Caveman. Honestly, Claudia can sort of rub me the wrong way at times. Mostly her naivety is played for comedy, but maybe I’m a bit over-protective of Carmen, but Claudia doesn’t seem to have much of a sense of responsibility in her. I don’t know, I just don’t think ignorance is an excuse that should or can be used or excused for an extended period of time. Fina’s reaction at the end though, that is my reaction too. Your cousin, Claudia? Really now.

Fast-forward to a heartbroken Claudia having been stood up by Tasio, lamenting about how stupid she is and that letting Carmen do her work for her was an “ugly” thing - and in true brutal Fina fashion she agrees. Fina also telling her she should come clean to Carmen and just tell her she’s been going out with Tasio. It’s the best thing to do, it’s the honest thing to do and that Carmen is more understanding than Claudia might think. But Claudia insists she can’t tell her, even though it puts Fina in a really awkward situation with her best friend. Like I said, I’m not super keen on Claudia 24/7. She’s a bit too up her own business and doesn’t quite seem to understand how her actions have real consequences for those around her. She is young though, compassion is at times a learnt trait. I do however take comfort in Fina’s no nonsense relationship advice, even though she’s got a mood that runs hotter than Mustafar, she is very emotionally mature (just not always in relation to hers own issues).

Marta calling the store to check in on Carmen makes me happy. Those two together is one of those relationships that’s slowly started to grow on me and make me really happy. I just really like women respecting and supporting each other professionally, even when it's fictional.

Tasio not only being an asshole but a wholeass thief too and I am not surprised. Damn, I have absolutely no respect for that man and there is no redemption arc they can give him that will make me accept this douchebag. Carmen standing up to him with authority and her head held high - it’s a thing of beauty though. Why did they make her go back to him? I know straight woman logic is not mine, but why? Carmen is perfect, why pair her with that smear of three day old dog poo stubbornly clinging to the side of your shoe?

Yes, I have a Carmen bias, but she's my favourite ally so get used to it.