#similar episodic series in the 90s never did

[amphipolitan]

Y'all, I loved season 3 of The Mandalorian. Loved it for honest and sincere reasons as well as my own petty and spiteful reasons. I loved the space-opera pulpiness, especially of the first few episodes. (Trolls! Underground ruins! Creepy spider droid thingy!) I like that they finally gave some sort of resolution to Bo-Katan's character, and they actually did it through a semi-decent arc - rare thing for female leads in Star Wars!

And now for my selfish petty reasons: I love the Jedi. I don't think there's anything that needs to be changed the way they've already been presented in the OT and prequels. I don't want a fucking "grey Jedi," I don't care about the darksaber in general, and I don't think Mandalorians should be the new main focus of Star Wars.

Watching the past 2 seasons of The Mandalorian has been an experience almost of creeping dread, as it just seemed to feed more and more into these dudebro anti-Jedi arguments, building up the idea that this storyline was going to get rid of the necessity of those pesky Jedi at last. And that, despite all the central Mandalorian leadership figures so far being women (Satine, Bo, Sabine and her mom) that the Ideal Leader of New Mandalore was going to be this badass manly bounty hunter guy from the Real Warrior Cult.

They let that crash and burn in s3 and I am CACKLING.

And look, I do actually like Din Djarin as a character. Problem is, him getting the leadership of Mandalore and the Darksaber and, and, and.... none of this shit ever felt earned. Especially not if you've watched Clone Wars and Rebels. The Mandalorian should always have focused on Din as a character (and by extension his relationship with his son), not on trying to make him into some epic predestined leader figure.

And don't get me wrong, I am sad that apparently with Bo's arc there was no space for Din's arc this season. And they could have had a really solid arc for him, even with the retaking Mandalore plot. They could have examined his feelings about Grogu's return, could have had him deciding all season whether he wanted to actually adopt him or not! (since apparently this was not already resolved like all the fans thought!? Hello?!!)

Anyway it seems that the season 2 story was literally just Filoni's buildup to his live-action Rebels show (AKA Ahsoka) and.... as hilarious as it is to see some fans' reactions to Din not being Epic Leader and Bo-Katan not being put down for good..... I am a lot more excited for the Ahsoka show now. This feels more earned. The bigger story came from Rebels to start with, Ahsoka has been a major part of Rebels. If this is Filoni finally getting to finish the story they started with Ahsoka's characters and Rebels, I'm on board.

And you know what, I'm also on board with the inevitable next 5 seasons of The Mandalorian chronicling the adventures of a bounty hunter and his son. Now that Grogu's backstory is told and his cloning storyline has been resolved, there's no Big Connection between these two and the larger plot. Let them have their own plot at last, Disney pls. Give us a more episodic show that has lower stakes and fun adventures. Something like s1, but the mystery of Grogu will no longer press on the narrative. This is the reason I'm not a big fan of s1 - it wants to be a lower-stakes, episodic show, but the very presence of Grogu opens up so many questions that it becomes maddening when the show never answers any of them. Now it can finally be that show.

[colorful-white-ideas]

Is Bill Skarsgård only in remakes ?

This will be long. Really long.

After the relase of The crow 2024 , a lot of comments have surfaced saying that Bill only do remakes and nothing else. That he is where he is because of nepotism and that he only plays dark characters.

How about we review his trayectory according to his imdb page ? Lets see his eldest credit, how long it took him to position himself in america ( his big break) how many remakes has he done and what genres he explored.

If we go all the way down we will see that his career started in Sweden. His first credit come from the 2000's movie Järngänget where he worked with his brother Alex. Bill was 9 years old aprox. Since then he worked ocationally until his teenage years ,when he took the job more seriously , in consecuense he started to gain fame for himself in scandinavia, even nominations for some roles. Like with simple simon (I rymden finns inga känslor)

In The crown jewels ( Kronjuvelna) we have Alicia Vikander and Bill skarsgard sharing the screen, both are swedish, and later both participated in the 2012 american adaptation of Anna Karenina (Leon tolstoi novel) sadly for Bill ,being Stellan Skarsgård son did not help his small role from being cut out of the movie. Alicia is the one who gets her big break from this by playing Kitty.

Role: Captain Makhotin

But things don't end there, he may have not done it in american movies yet but he did land the role of the vampire / upir Roman Godfrey in Hemlock Grove (series), another adaptation from a book with the same name, on netflix ( small streaming plataform in the early 2010's) he did a total of 3 seasons.

In 2016 he gets another small role but in the Divergent series , in 2017 Atomic blond ( as Merkel). Now it's in 2017 at 27 years old when his first remake and big break comes: IT (pennywise) . But first lest define briefly what is a remake?

wikipedia says: A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film".A remake tells the same story as the original but uses a different set of casts, and may use actors from the original, alter the theme, or change the flow and setting of the story. A similar but not synonymous term is reimagining, which indicates a greater discrepancy between, for example, a movie and the movie it is based on

It is a novel by stephen king ,the first adaptation was for tv miniseries of 2 episodes in 1990 with Tim curry as Pennywise. In 2017 another adaptation is released and here is where we open the main debate: The 2017 movie was a remake or another adaptation? I guess is matter of perspective, while is true that the first popular reference we have about the subject is the 90'series , the new production based his storyline and character design in the book... So if you are more familiar with the book you'll call it an adaptation but if you have never read it then it'll be a remake "with differences".

The contrast beetween both vertions of IT is too big to consider the latter ( 2017) a re-do/ remake of the miniseries. You can notice that just by the approach Bill and Tim took on Pennywise. Tim's version was more human, a psycopath like in John Wayne Gacy-esque type. Bill's was a monster, not one trace of humanity in his character, it was out of this world and enjoyed playin/ torturing its meals cause it tasted better basically.

My own take is that IT CHAPTER 1 AND 2 are not remakes of It (1990). But due to pop culture they are considered as such.

Between the IT- MANIA he was in the following productions: Battlecreek , deadpool 2 ( short role), Villians, Assasination nation and Castle rock ( series). He also participated in shortfilms like: A stone Appears, Alteration and Do you like the taste of beer?

Is in castle rock where he plays another creepy role as the kid .For battle creek he is an artistic vulnerable depressed dude. In assassination he plays a misogynistic teen asshole. And with Villains we see him explore his comic side.

This is what I would like to call the transition period, besides Deadpool and castle rock, all the projects previously mentioned are in some way small projects , that he for some reason decided to take on ,maybe for scheduling reasons cause by the end of 2019 IT CHAPTER 2 was premiering.

2020- 2022

The pandemic hit and changed things, he losses momentum. The whole industry was shaken actually. Movies that were supposed to be released in cinemas went to streaming, projects were cancelled and others got delayed.

For example Bill was set to work in The northman with his brother Alex again , he was already in Eggers radar, but due covid he had to drop out: Here

He left that project because something else was scheduled: Clark. (netflix nordic) a series he helped to produce too.

From this time we got Nine Days, The devil all the time (one of his best works and one of his most underrated film. He plays Willard a traumatized ww2 veteran), Soulmates (a series - one ep. He plays a uptight gay man who finds love while vacationing in Mexico), Naked Singularity ( he's an lawyer with adhd and a weird obsesion with ears) , Eternals ( KRO) ,Barbarian (horror movie where he is just a good guy who's in the wrong place at the wrong time )

By this time he was still under the shadow of " pennywise" but he had built a reputation for himself, he was a good actor before the critic and public that followed his work. Not as popular as Alex ,for example , but he was known by now.

2023 -24

After the pandemic we enter the period I woud like to call : COMEBACK.

The projects we find here are more "commercial" because these are action films, which is not bad , it was about time, most of his films usually dont get too much of exposure or are small projects. If someone said Bill Skarsgård automatically people thought in the clown 🤡 and not in Kro, mickey, willard or Clark for example. So we see here some sort of rebrandig he's now a killing machine, a cartoonish villain and anti hero.

John wick 4.

This offer came to him thanks to a previous work he did in Atomic blonde. Chad stahlesky let him choose what character play ( here) , and he went for the bad guy. A cartonish kinda old school villain , with funny accent and great suits: The marquis de Gramont.

Now, a very common observation people do is that roles are offered to him and his just takes them. That he is like a passive actor who only plays what he's tell to play, but since Pennywise he has always talked about how much he gets involved in the making of a character. The marquis was not the exception. That annoying accent was , for example, his idea. here more about it

This participation was a breath of fresh air, and brought new eyes to him. New fans arrived, people saw more of his work and he stepped a bit away from the IT shadow. Later was confirmmed that his next project would be BOY KILLS WORLD a pure gory action film with some comedic touch for which Bill prepared hard.

Moritz Mohr: Bill is a terrific actor. The only thing we weren't sure at that point was, "Can he deliver on the action?" He basically just promised, "No, I'm gonna put in the work, I'm gonna get ripped, I'm gonna train, and I'm going to learn the choreography." Which is a huge commitment, because it's just months and months of training and rehearsing, and I'm so glad that he did it. He overdelivered sometimes, he was really committed to it, and I'm very lucky that he was, because I think the results are just phenomenal.

In BKW we see Bill has good comedic timing, as if that wasn't clear with previous projects like Villains , but here he delivers comedy without talking. Conclusion : he can also be funny.

So far we are very into 2024 and NO MORE REMAKES in sight for him besides IT and we have talked about how many movies- series ? Almost 20 since his first big job in America (Hemlock G.)

The recent fame of " remake actor " comes from the next two jobs he landed. The crow 🐦‍⬛ and Nosferatu. 🦇

The crow 🐦‍⬛: How Bill got the script on his hands? it was given to him because he is known for remakes, because of his lastname , because no one else wanted to do it ? Luckily for us , Empire magazine tell us the following:

The project was conceived to be a separate work from the 1994 movie the crow, the source of inspiration was THE CROW graphic novel of J.O Barr. Again, by this and more interviews around we see Bill as an actor who played and active part in bringing a unique version of eric. From the physique ( something he kept from filming BKW) to the aura he's nothing like Brandon lee's Eric Draven.

The big differences between the 2024 and 1994 version, are confirmmed now after its release with heavy critics of people claiming it to be a "bad remake cause it looks nothing like the original " Here I ask rethorically , so is Bill a remakes actor or not?

Remakes are in full force lately, examples are whatever Disney has been doing lately, the ghostbusters, robocop , etc. Movies that go frame by frame , super close to their media source.

The same way Dune 2022 is not considered a remake of the 80's movie , The crow 2024 shouldn't be considered one either. Not even IT. Because, primarily, the source material is not the previous movie or series, but a book or a novel. So the best term to use is , I believe, adaptation or reimagining.

But what about Nosferatu?

I'm glad you asked random tumblr reader. I'm almost finishing and this is where I want to suggest that this upcoming film is actually the first remake Bill Skarsgård has done.

Robert Eggers ( director of this new remake ) shares with anOther magazine, that he planned to film Nosferatu after The witch , that's how he met Bill , who was 25 by then ( at 25-26 he was also auditioning for IT) . Eggers recalls Bill's audition being excellent for Hutter . Unfortunatelly the project fell but they stayed in contact and planned to one day work together , Bill was later set to work in the northman , we already know how that played out.

As we see here Bill was the one trying to get the opportunity to work with the director, having another role in mind ,until Eggers proposses to him the opportunity to be Count Orlok thanks to the work he did as Bob Gray in IT chapter 2.

Eggers knew about his capacities as an actor to embody darkness while having a youthful and pretty exterior that's why he tought of him as the right choice for the project.

Once again we read an interview that highlights the joint work of the director and Bill on the character, from the psyque to the make up. He was very proactive, long conversations, audio tapes, isolation, voice coach , etc. All of which finally paid off

Bill Skarsgård has proven his desire to become a versatile actor, just by reading his imdb page we see a variety of works forming his resumee , but he has a particular preference for dark, scary , creepy roles. In this review since the Hemlock grove days he has played a total of 7 obscure characters ( from antagonist to conflicted ones). This alone is not bad, and they aren't that many either. Every actor have a genre they prefer , characters they feell more pulled to work with. Bill is a goth king and I respect that.

His career itself also proves to be the result of organic growth, although he was lucky to be part of one of the most successful and respected acting families in sweden , that alone couldn't have granted him is current success. He started in America with a small show that most people haven't heard of till this day, and was in his late 20's when he got his first big opportunity. He sent emails, he sent tapes, he auditioned, he gave his word promising to deliver a good job. He works his ass off for what he wants. He doesn't seem to be the classic textbook nepobaby.

That's why I think that considering him just a remake actor is unfair and narrow minded. Said statement reduces a still growing career full of exploration to just opportunistics cashagrab roles ... and this guy is far from being that. Also because not everything that shares a tittle or character's names is a remake. It dependes on what the creators are having in mind for the new work.

That's so , after reading the most recent AnOther magazine interview , that I came to the conclusionI expressed before: Nosferatu is his first remake . Both Bill and Robert Eggers have always in mind the 1922 movie as source of reference and they worked Count Orlok and the story around that.

He's still a rising star, and has a lot more ahead, im confident the general public will see what directors and fans have seen in him: A good mfucking actor who wants to leave a mark but in his own terms. Taking risks , exploring, chosing roles that may not look right for him but always improving himself to expand his potential and keep taking on new and more promising challenges.

Its intersting how everything connects , IT oppened the door of Nosferatu. After all the issues that came to him at the right time , and I can bet my left arm he will deliver !

*Im sorry if this was too long it took me 2 days finishing it ,i'll go to sleep now .

[fortuna-et-cataclysmos]

On Katara and feminism in NATLA

I grew up with ATLA. I was exactly Katara’s age when ATLA started to air in my country, and this cartoon has taught me more about life than I’d like to admit. Among them, was feminism.

I was absolutely obsessed with Katara as a kid: back then strong female characters - who were BOTH girlish and strong! – were still quite rare in mainstream media. I absolutely loved to see this girl who was raised in a patriarchal society similar to mine, who was both girly and an absolute badass even in days she didn’t know how to properly waterbend.

Back in those days, they were airing the episodes in order and I was super excited to see her FINALLY learn how to properly waterbend once they reach the North Pole. So when Paku refused to teach her for BEING A GIRL, as a preteen girl myself, I was ENRAGED.

Then Katara did something crazy. She freaking defied a waterbending master, knowing that she had no chance of winning whatsoever. And guys, I swear that fight became a core memory for me. On our crusty Windows XP’s desktop, there was a gif downloaded over several minutes of that exact fight. And I would watch it. On loop. When Katara defied Paku, I felt empowered, and that feeling never left.

Now that I am done with my lame ass backstory, back to NATLA.

You can imagine how EXCITED I was to finally see that fight in 4K. At that point, I was already pissed that they removed Sokka’s sexist flaws and subverted his dynamics with him, rather than Katara being “the parent” of the group (which was outrageous, if you ask me. One of the main character traits of Katara was her being a mother figure at an early age, which explained why she always felt like she HAD to be the responsible one, and why she had so much repressed rage).

But Katara’s struggle with the Northern Tribe over her right to learn how to use waterbending for fighting? That, in my opinion, was epic! Why?

Katara’s fight with Paku was a premediated act

In the original series, Paku says that girls can’t learn how to waterbend, and in a moment of rage, Katara whips him in the neck. I agree that it was a totally badass move, and it made especially sense given her drive to learn waterbending for fighting.

But I also really liked how NATLA approached that: in NATLA, when Katara learns that she cannot waterbend to fight, she doesn’t immediately attack Paku. No, she takes the time to think about it, talk about it with Aang, with Sokka. Then, she decides to defy Paku.

In a way, her action is a protest: she isn’t angry at Paku personally, she is angry at the sexist rules he perpetuates. In a way, this calculated way of deciding to fight shows a certain emotional maturity and dedication to the cause of feminism.

I really liked it.

The resolution of the fight

One thing that really disturbed me in the cartoon was how that fight scene was resolved. My preteen brain couldn’t make sense of why Paku suddenly decided to teach Katara how to fight after realising that her grandma was his ex-fiancé. Like, where is the connection??

My adult brain understands that Gran Gran had fled the Northern Water Tribe because of their sexist rules and hence Paku understood that him abiding to those sexist rules was wrong. But still, it feels so odd. Tell me which 60-70 year old boomer would suddenly change their mind about basically 90% of their world view because their ex happened to have fled from them because that world view? You tell me that Paku didn’t have enough time to rationalise in his wicked brain why Gran Gran left with a more nefarious motivation, or hell, just because she didn’t like him enough to get married?

Whereas in NATLA, we see that Paku’s approval doesn’t come all so easy: he does acknowledge Katara’s waterbending talents (a feat that also happens in the cartoon), but he still refuses to teach her. Because it isn’t about talent. It is about principle. And he is a dinosaur with sexist principles.

On the other hand, who is more open-minded to new ideas and social change? Who circles Katara following her defeat and admire her for her fight with Paku? It’s the youth! Social change is usually driven by the youth, and here we see that while the old rulers of the Northern Water Tribe are still sexist af, the young people are the ones who are ready to embrace a more equalitarian society.

Women in war

So then, when does Paku change his mind on letting women fight? During the attack on the Northern Water Tribe. They are outnumbered and they need more benders: lo and behold, Katara has the brilliant idea of bringing in the women. Now, I don’t say that that was actually a brilliant idea: strategically speaking, it is kinda stupid sending your HEALERS to the FRONTLINES to die while they could be much more useful saving the wounded. Nevertheless, I like the inclusion of the women into the battle in a symbolic level: in history, we see that most women’s rights were obtained during and in the aftermath of big conflicts. When men are fighting and there is a shortage of manpower, you employ women to work at the factories, or in the direst cases, you let women fight. This was a cool nod to that phenomenon happening. Also, if literally every man was already wounded or perished, it kinda makes sense that women take up the arms, so the “healers fighting isn’t strategically sound” argument doesn’t hold perfectly either.

Women of patriarchy

Lastly, one thing I really liked about NATLA is how not only Paku, but also the female healing master was sternly against women learning how to fight with waterbending. The healing master in the cartoon was softer, gentler, whereas here, she was even more vocal than Paku in grilling Katara for wanting to fight. This is such a great display of internalised sexism, but also how women in power in patriarchy may be vehement defenders of the status quo because it helps them to keep whatever power they have.

Oh, and in a final note, Katara’s reply to Zuko’s “you have found a waterbending master!” was absolutely horrendous. I may have liked how most of that arc was treated, but GOD, somebody give that girl a proper master to learn how to waterbend, because I don’t believe one second that a child with only ONE waterbending scroll can become a MASTER with self-study. The way Katara was managing to become a waterbending master in the span of weeks in the original series was already weird (and for those who weren’t fans before, it did attract quite some criticism in the fandom spheres back when it aired), but NATLA just took it and made it worse.

Nonetheless, I think that NATLA tried their best. And I appreciate that they tried to give ATLA a new twist, even though it didn’t land perfectly.

Everyone seems to be focusing on the bad of the show, so I felt compelled to share my two cents.

[jadelotusflower]

Stargate Rewatch: 1x01 Children of the Gods

After rewatching the original film I'm kicking off with the show's pilot - I actually watched both the original version and the "final cut" because there are aspects I enjoy of both. The final cut removes a few problematic elements and adds in some new material, but also cuts a few lines I really enjoy and the original version is really where my nostalgia lies, so... as always, my feelings, they are mixed.

Cold open with some redshirts - four men and one woman, sadly representative of the gender ratio the show will have going forward.

The unlucky Smurfette is Sgt Carol Weterings, not that I think she's ever mentioned by name in the episode.

"Probably the only thing it ever did was cost money." Heh.

I will say that Teal'c turning against Apophis at the end of the episode is nicely built - starting here where he examines the gun and identifies it as technology far advanced beyond the humans they’re used to dealing with.

When your name is above the title, you get introduced with an extreme close up.

The differences between the film and the show don't really bother me - I view the show as taking place in a very similar but alternate universe to the film rather than trying to squeeze them together - so O'Neil becomes O'Neill, Sha'uri becomes Sha're, Tyler becomes Charlie, Abydos is the closest planet to Earth, not the other side of the known universe, etc etc. But I consider the events of the film to be canon to the show universe unless directly contradicted.

But otherwise the pilot tries very hard to stick as close as possible to the film, to the point that Major Samuels states that General Hammond replaced General West.

Hammond says it’s been “over a year” since the events of the film, unclear exactly how much over.

The final cut has a longer version of the dead Jaffa, revealing one of them was a woman, and with all the changes to eliminate plot holes I don't know why Brad Wright put one back in. While we do see Jaffa women in the series, Goa'uld and Jaffa society is depicted as highly patriarchal and female Jaffa soliders are rare - we never see them in Apophis's ranks. It's an odd inclusion.

"What if the aliens get it?" "Well, they could be blowing their noses right now." hee!

"THANKS SEND MORE" Remember when Daniel had allergies? Give it a few episodes and the show sure won’t!

Amanda Tapping, doing her absolute best with some terrible dialogue. Brad Wright blames the "reproductive organs" speech on Jonathan Glassner, and it is terrible and thankfully removed from the final cut version, along with some other 90's era sexism from the bros. However there is one great moment, where Kawalsky asks "Have you ever pulled out of a simulated bombing run in an F16 at eight plus Gs?" and without missing a beat, Sam deadpans: "Yes." I love Sam.

"I'll give you exactly 24 hours to either return or send a message through - no Kleenex boxes, please." Hee, Hammond isn't quite the cuddly commander we know and love yet, but he has his moments.

It's very cute that Sam has a very similar reaction to the one Daniel had in the film just before going through the gate, although his was based in the wonder of something incredible and unknown, and hers is based in the physical manifestation of knowledge - says a lot about each of them and their similarities yet different perspectives - the marrying of these two points of view is what makes them such a good duo.

Michael Shanks, doing the James Spader impression that won him the role. He was only 26!

And of course Alexis Cruz, the only holdover from the movie (other than Erick Avari, who won't appear until season 2).

The original team sure did leave a bunch of weapons with the Abydonians, didn't they? I presume they taught them how to fire the guns because there's no way Daniel could/would have. He did however teach them very good English.

"Greetings from Earth, Doctor Jackson" - very cute, it's sad that Ferretti disappears into the ether by season 2.

Not the face of a woman who is shy, but a woman who knows how to make An Entrance. She even smirks a little as she walks over.

There is however a weird little moment where Sha're is reluctant to shake Jack's hand and looks to Daniel first - maybe she wasn't impressed about his little joke brushing by her husband? Both of these beats are removed from the final cut version which is probably for the best.

It's criminal Sha're doesn't actually get to speak in this scene, and in fact how few lines she has in the episode altogether.

It's disappointing, because Sha'uri was such an integral part of the film, and yet the show tries to get rid of her as quickly as possible to get Daniel on SG-1 and give him a core drive for the next three seasons. Her abduction is the precipitating event of Daniel's ten-year character arc and defining moment of transition from film!Daniel to show!Daniel, and yet she doesn't get a character arc of her own.

However I do think Shanks and Vaitiare Hirshon sell the relationship in the few scenes they have - they're very physically connected/protective of one another, perhaps concerned that Jack's there to take Daniel back with him (which is in fact the case). And of course Sha're, annoyed at being left behind while Daniel shows the others his discovery, gives him a very proprietary kiss to show everyone what’s what.

I think show!Sha're gets a bad rap, she's spunky and I love her. I just wish there was more of her.

Sam and Daniel insta-bonding. Daniel making an intuitive leap to solve the puzzle and Sam filling in the gaps with science to make it work, they really are kindred spirits.

The issue with the cartouche though is that the symbols look like hierogyphs, not star constellations/Stargate glyphs.

Back in the pyramid, there's a scene sorely missing here - imagine if rather than ogling Sha're, Ferretti had a conversation with her, giving us more of a chance to know Sha're on her own terms rather than just Daniel's wife and the object of others desire. Especially when Ferretti was on the original mission so knows she's more than a "beautiful woman" - it would also give additional weight to him being the one to remember the gate address where she's taken later on.

Teal'c clocks Skaara's gun as the same tech he saw on Earth in breadcrumb no. 2.

"Nothing good can ever come through this gate!" "You came through it , Daniel" I mean...I realise there are a lot of problematic white savior-y aspects to the show, but idk, this scene and the Abydonians all petting Daniel to say goodbye gets me. Sean Amsing as Tobay also returns in Full Circle which is a nice callback to this scene.

The final cut removes a reaction shot from Jack which I have mixed feelings about - I get that the focus probably needs to be on Daniel at that moment, but I do think it's important for Jack to appreciate how Daniel really found a home with the Abydonians and was appreciated and loved by them, and it's nicely played by RDA.

LOL, watch out for how many times Jack pats Daniel on the shoulder. Apparently that annoyed Shanks so RDA kept doing it, but it's also a nice little setup of their relationship going forward.

There's a second shoulder pat in the hallway.

Just two dudes, drinking beer, (not) talking about their feelings.

“She was the complete opposite of everyone else, she practically fell on the floor laughing every time I tried to do some kind of chore they all took for granted.” Underrated line, because it gives important context to Daniel and Sha’re’s relationship, and perhaps more importantly, how Daniel characterises her - she is the one who keeps him grounded, who teases him, there is balance to their relationship. There’s potentially an interesting parallel there to Vala in the later seasons, although it manifests in a very different way.

“I think she forgave me for what happened to our kid, she just couldn’t forget…I’m the opposite, I can never forgive myself, but sometimes I can forget.” This is a great scene.

The Final Cut removes all the “harem scenes” and while I can see why, we do lose a bit of context to Teal'c's involvement in the process as he is the one who chooses the women from the holding cell to go into the harem, and then from the harem to be presented to Apophis.

There was another missed opportunity to actually see Sha're interact with the other prisoners - she could have had a conversation with Weterings at least, find out she was from Earth, perhaps assure her that the others would be coming to rescue them.

To the surprise of no one I’m sure, this episode does not pass the Bechdel test.

But there is a hint of solidarity among the prisoners - first in the holding cell where the others hold Skaara back, and here in the harem Sha're squeezes the hand of another woman.

Weterings is killed by the hand device which keeps the electrical current aesthetic from the movie the show will later abandon - as Teal'c looks perturbed.

Daniel back on Earth immediately getting stuck into the coffee even though no one else is drinking, lol.

"Ra played a god, the sun god, he borrowed the religion and culture of the ancient Egyptians he brought through the gate and used it to enslave them." A bit of a change from the movie here, where it was the other way around - slightly less problematic!

Everyone is in dress blues except Kawalsky who is in camo, and Daniel, who is wearing Jack's clothes.

"Colonel I'd like to remind you that rescuing Dr Jackson's wife is a secondary objective." This line was removed in the final cut and I don't know why? It adds to Samuels’s bastardry.

Has everyone forgotten about Weterings?

Shoulder pat no. 3!

In the second harem scene, Sha're is now sitting isolated from the other women - did she argue with them? Just trying not to be noticed? What happened offscreen?

Also what's going on in the top left corner - it looks like the healing device! Maybe Sha're did throw down with one of the others and that's why she's on her own. I have to read into things, because the show gives us so very little of Sha're and it's a real shame.

She does get a good moment fighting against the guards though - earlier she was defiant and told them she wasn't afraid of them, here she bites one of them on the arm.

I understand from a narrative perspective why Sha're is the one who gets taken over, but it really is Schrodinger’s fridging - until she’s found Sha’re is both alive and dead for the purpose of the narrative, both Daniel’s primary drive and source of inner conflict.

Christopher Judge does so much with so little. Master of the cheek twitch!

Oof, the nudity. In isolation from everything else, it doesn’t bother me - it’s intended to be horrifying, not titillating, and is effective in conveying objectification and dehumanisation by the Goa'uld.

However, it was a studio request, Wright/Glassner regretted doing it, it doesn’t fit the tone of the show going forward, but most importantly Hirshon was pressured into the full frontal when she only agreed to topless, and for that alone it should be excised.

The puppet symbiotes are so much more effective than the cgi they use later. I don’t think there’s another scene in the show that really captures the menace of the Goa’uld like this one - the symbiote (who we'll later learn is Amaunet) slithering around on Sha're's body is just so visceral and horrifying. The glowing eyes before implantation is an effective touch.

Jack sticking Daniel in it with Sam by saying Sha're was a gift could be amusing, except the conversation gets cut off before Daniel can explain. It annoys me, because Daniel not "accepting" Sha're was actually the point? It's kind of important! I assume he does tell Sam the whole story later.

"Unless we want to get ourselves a really bad reputation, I just think we should avoid shooting the first people we meet on a new planet" is a nice follow up to Daniel's sarcastic "well that would have been an excellent reason to shoot everyone" from the film. At this point, Daniel doesn't appear to be carrying a weapon other than a knife. Oh, how that will change!

The Chulak priests speak "a derivation of Arabic" and something else - the Goa'uld language is meant to be similar to Abydonian, which is based on Ancient Egyptian. Of course modern Egyptian is an Arabic dialect that came much later, but perhaps we are to assume Goa'uld - or at least the Chulak vernacular - evolved along similar lines.

Jack unable to shoot Sha're when she stands in front of Apophis is a nice movie callback.

The final cut has a good extra scene between Sam and Daniel where he is quite delusional thinking Sha're might just be drugged, and Sam tries to talk sense into him. Daniel's blind optimism against Sam's pragmatic realism will be an important aspect of their relationshio going forward.

Shoulder pat no. 4!

Teal'c P.I. sees Skaara talking to Jack and starts putting pieces together - the weapons from the opening scene, the weapons on Abydos + Jack's watch, and Daniel helpfully supplying the Earth glyph.

Alexis Cruz is committed to the film pronunciation of Sha’uri, bless him.

“But you are a great warrior, we defeated Ra together!” Skaara’s faith in Jack is so pure.

Skaara gets a shoulder pat too.

"Another fine day on planet Kawalsky" - This line was removed from the final cut! What a tragedy. I get the sense Brad Wright feels a bit cringe about the campier aspects of the show, but it's part of the charm! To be fair Ferretti was more of the wisecracker in the movie rather than Kawalsky, but I love that show Kawalsky is a little goofy.

I'm sorry, what is this silver monstrosity? I guess a sliver of credit that after the nudity not going for a sexy alien outfit, but this is a hate crime. I also have a very high tolerance, and even affection for, silly Stargate headgear, but there's camp and then there's ugly.

Peter Williams as Apophis though: 10/10, no notes.

"They're going to choose...who will be the children of the gods." I do love it when they say the title of the thing in the thing.

The subtle moment where Teal'c motions that Jack should kneel is a nice setup - Skaara being very reluctant and angry about kneeling, and being the last to do so, is nice movie continuity. Skaara really gets shortchanged by the show after this episode.

"How much would I remember if you chose me?" I wonder if Daniel ever thinks that maybe him drawing the attention of the Goa'uld contributed to Skaara getting chosen. You know, just to really lay on the angst and guilt.

So the premise is that these Apophis underlings are choosing hosts for their children who are symbiotes ready for implantation, which doesn't really fit with what we learn about Goa'uld queens/reproduction later. We also learn later that Skaara is taken as a host for Apophis's son Klorel which doesn't sqaure with these two choosing him.

Headcanon time! This is actually Zipacna who we meet later arguing for Klorel at Triad - different actor, of course, but he wears a similarly silly hat. So Amaunet now has access to all of Sha're's memories of Skaara and she and Apophis decide that he will make a good host - maybe she also likes the idea of a family resemblance between herself and Klorel (I think we can assume he is also Amaunet's son?). But Apophis doesn't want anyone to know he's choosing a host for his offspring, so sends Zipacna out to do it for him.

This makes sense of Klorel later claiming that Apophis chose his host, and also gives backstory to Zipacna showing up in Pretense. And in the scene, the Goa'uld make a very quick decision to take Skaara, while the rest get very grossly examined people before choosing.

Shoulder pat no. 5!

"I have nowhere to go." Teal'c turning on his brother Jaffa to save a roomful of people, not expecting to survive himself, really hits.

"For this, you can stay at my place." hee!

Jack not wanting to hear it when Teal'c tells him Skaara is no longer himself is a turnabout of the earlier scene with Daniel. Not so flip now it's your Emotional Support Abydonian, are you Jack?

Kawalsky getting Goa'ulded doesn't seem to hurt as much as Sha're's - because the symbiote isn't mature, or because Amaunet is particularly sadistic?

Soon to be SG-1 posing for their album cover.

It was the late 90's when tvs were tiny, so everyone had to stand uncomfortably close.

And we end with shoulder pat no. 6!

[ordon-shield]

Animated Zelda Adaptions

With recent discussion of an animated Zelda film to follow the Mario movie, I got to thinking about ways to adapt different Zelda games into animation. While a Zelda movie wouldn’t necessarily need to be an adaption of a specific game, with the variety of styles the series has gone through over the years, they’d need to pick one to go with — so here’s my thoughts.

Zelda 1/Adventure of Link/A Link to the Past/Link’s Awakening

I’m putting these four together because I think they could all be adapted into animation the same way — based of the original official art, in the style of an 80s cartoon (just with a bit more of a budget). Each game could be a season of a TV show, expanding on the somewhat limited plot by making it episodic and using the extra time to expand on the characters and world within that format.

Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask

For these two, I think stopmotion in the style of Laika (known for Coraline & Kubo and the Two Strings) would work the best (or using 3D stylised to resemble stopmotion, like the Lego Movie). The OoT style doesn’t seem like one that would translate to 2D very well, and I think it would be fun to borrow some ideas from the Link’s Awakening remake for the Switch and have the character designs stylised so they look almost like action figures. While Ocarina of Time would have to be a movie, Majora’s Mask just wouldn’t work in that format, since the sidequests are so vital to the overall story, meaning a one season series would probably be the best way to adapt it.

Oracle of Ages/Seasons

I’ve never played these two myself, but I think going more ‘anime’ with them would work well, although it would be fun to work in the pixel art of the original games somehow. Like the other Downfall Timeline games, these ones would would work best as a TV series — maybe three seasons, one for Ages, one for Seasons, and one for the linked games ending but adding in extra story where Link travels between Holodrum and Labrynna. For an animation studio, someone suggested Toei Animation, who apparently did the animation for the LA remake.

Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks

Wind Waker, the one that got me thinking about animated Zelda in the first place! I think this is the only Zelda game that would work with Illumination due to its more cartoony style, although other studios like DreamWorks would also work. Although if it was done in 2D, based on the official art, Cartoon Saloon would definitely pull it off. Wind Waker would work pretty well as a movie with pretty minimal changes needed to the plot, and Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks could make up a Zelda trilogy.

Minish Cap/Four Swords Adventures

Leaving out the original Four Swords due to its complete lack of story — I think these two would work with a similar style to the Wind Waker trilogy, although I’d definitely prefer them to be 2D over 3D. Minish Cap would definitely work as a movie, but I’m not sure about FSA, it probably depends on how much is pulled from the manga.

Twilight Princess

Much like Ocarina of Time, I don’t think the Twilight Princess artstyle as it is would work in 2D. Based on their work like Wolfwalkers and Screecher’s Reach, I think Cartoon Saloon could definitely replicate the vibes of the original game in a more cartoony style. Alternatively, they could go full anime with this one — although it would definitely work better as something more inspired by 90s anime and its more realistic proportions.

Skyward Sword

Initially I was leaning towards Ghibli and while it would definitely work, just doesn’t feel right to me. Maybe Toei again? I’m not too familiar with Japanese animation studios, but Skyward Sword is definitely a good fit for the typical ‘anime’ look. Also I don’t think 3D would work here.

A Link Between Worlds

While technically a sequel/remake to A Link to the Past, the differences in art style make me feel that this one should have its own look — preferably 3D so the contrast with Link’s painting form is strengthened.

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom

These ones have got to be Ghibli, there’s no question about it there. The big question is do you make them each a series, or a movie with a number of timeskips? Either one has benefits and downsides.

[sherrymagic]

once again THANK YOU @tswizzlesfan for tagging me in the one game i was lowkey offended (affectionately) none of my mutuals tagged me in THIS WAS SUPER FUN TO MAKE!! just know we'll probably have to share at least a couple of these men hehehe

disclaimer: since it says characters and not actors i've decided to not give a single damn in case of the same actor playing different characters on the list.

10 BL CHARACTERS THAT I WANT CARNALLY

1. Kanlong from The Eclipse

using my own gif because it appeared as the first one when i searched and i'm flattered ajajdnkamdlnscksd by the way Kanlong is the one character that made me feel like perhaps i needed to take a pregnancy test every single time he appeared on my screen

2. Boeing from Only Friends

this man ending up alone is by far the biggest plothole in Only Friends, i was not letting him go anywhere outside of that pool.

3. Prapai from Love In The Air

can't even elaborate, i've been having the most impure thoughts every single time he smiled, frowned, or breathed in the series.

4. Vegas from KinnPorsche

Porsche is a stronger person than me i would go anywhere if he asked me. ANYWHERE.

5. Win from Between Us

the whole final scene of episode 1 of Between Us. do i need to say anything else or

6. Prom from Playboyy

scared is not the word i'd use but you do you

7. Chopper from Never Let Me Go

his pathetic romantic devotion is all i'm looking for in a man. also he looks like Perth so *chef's kiss*

8. Boston from Only Friends

low on the list only because i hate the hairstyle they gave him through 90% of the series (yes i'm an extremely superficial human being). everything about the pool scene and his final scene was impure-thoughts-that-will-make-me-go-straight-to-hell worthy though

9. Saifah from Dangerous Romance

this list could easily be made exclusively of Papang characters but i'm just going to leave it at this. Saifah's creepy smiles >>>>>>>>>>

10. Inspector M from Manner of Death

Great Sapol in a uniform. that's it, that's the tweet.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

- Soong from Playboyy (he's not on the list simply because i hate Jack's new haircut and i'm projecting but we could count him as #11)

- Gram from Not Me

- Name from Dangerous Romance

- Ray Daddy Dan Mew Nick literally everyone from Only Friends

i'm pretty sure every person i would have tagged has either done it or has already been tagged by someone else, going for the ones i don't recall seeing a similar post of: @kess-in-the-perthchimzone @srnileforme @odd-one-advocate @khaotunqs

IF YOU DID IT ALREADY/DON'T WANT TO PLEASE IGNORE ME, OKAY LOVE YOU BYE

[forgottenghosty]

Dang I miss Immortal/Undead Male Whump with possible wholesome romance as tv shows...

I just got done rewatching FOREVER (2014) and Moonlight (2008) and want to watch more shows and even movies of the similar tastes and it’s hard to find.

(Forever 2014)

(Moonlight 2008) (Fun facts, the character Joseph from the show voices Terra in the Kingdom Hearts games. A book was published years after the show that inspired the series called “Angel of Vengeance” by  Trevor O’ Munson. The show went on hiatus due to the writers strikes and received 4 new episodes before ending, being cancelled, and not being picked up again.) 

I miss seeing shows where the male lead has to keep the secret or deal with someone knowing their secret and trying to live with it. All of it based more in a realistic reality of the actual world, while still be fictitious enough to have things that could never happen in reality as well.

I know there are some show or movies out there similar, but they don’t fit my tastes or I did watch them for a time and then stopped cause they started getting crazy or boring for me.

I’m not one for watching something with sex in it, nor a lot of demonic things in it either. Some exceptions have been Angel and Buffy, but those are more supernatural fiction. I tried watch Vampire Diaries and did enjoy it for a time, same with the Teen Wolf series, but they both got to a point I couldn’t stand them and just stopped watching and couldn’t get myself to watch them again. I’ve tried with Teen Wolf, but just got bored.

I did try watching some of True Blood to see what it was like and only came out enjoying the theme song and left that quick. I don’t think I made it past the first episode.

Tried watching Penny Dreadful and same thing happened. The Sabrina remake as well. One ep and then I ditched it. I hated the the demonic stuff and just dipped. Made me miss the 90s show I grew up all the more.

I used to watch Forever Knight as a kid, She Wolf, and Beauty and the Beast as well, but not really into watching the super older shows of late 80s early 90s right now.

Also sucks how I can’t get season 2 of Invisible Man (2000) in the US. UK is lucky and got the second season of Invisible Man, we only got Season 1, which I bought up so fast. Though based more in science, Invisible Man was another good one. Poor guy couldn’t catch a break. Miss it so much.

(The Invisible Man (2000) (Thankfully, though only 2 seasons, the series got to end with an actually ending.)

Thankful we keep getting Psych movies every few years or so, though movie 2 and 3 haven’t been available to buy yet, which is frustrating since they only show it on peacock, though 2 was on USA recently and 4 is in the works.

(Psych (2006-2014, Movies ongoing)

Enjoyed watching Dracula, the NBC, not the BBC one. That one I hated. I enjoyed Jekyll and Sherlock, but Dracula was horrible.

Dracula NBC ended too soon.

(Dracula (2013))

One I didn’t see until after it aired, that for a time was free to watch on old Hulu, was The Crow: Stairway to Heaven. Very 90′s, but enjoyable all the same.

(The Crow: Stairway to Heaven (1998) and yes that is Mark Dacascos probably known by many as The Chairman of Iron Cheif.)

Which I recently found out they finally have made a remake of the 90′s movie with Bill Skarsgard that I hope will be good. Just leaves adding any vfx and so on they need to before release.

Many will know him more as Pennywise the Clown and leads into why I sat through watching all of Hemlock Grove.

Only good reason to watch that show on Netflix. 

It has Vampires and Werewolves and more, but man, it isn’t worth it in the end with the plot they give.

So, yeah, really wish we got more immortal / undead whump with possible wholesome romances.

[kitkatisweird7]

My TV Watchlist

Over the years, I have had a ridiculously long backlog with regards to the shows I have yet to watch. As the ultra nerd who is into all kinds of random stuff, this can be hard to keep track of. So I thought I'd log a few of them here on Tumblr and perhaps I'll discuss them as I go. It's not even a fraction of the backlog but rather shows I have decided to prioritise.

1

Star Trek: The Next Generation.

I have had Star Trek on the watchlist for quite some time. I did attempt The Original Series but I wasn't overly into it as an introduction to the franchise. I suspect I'll get more into it if and when I go back. But my dad has always raved about Star Trek. While I grew up on Star Wars, dad was into Star Trek from childhood up till now. So I've always been curious about the franchise. So I figured I'd check out the series that everyone seems to adore. Watching the first episode as I type, I'm quite liking it and have enjoyed the random episodes of the show I've seen on SyFy over the last couple of years.

2

Charmed.

Strictly speaking I have already started Charmed, about a year ago. I quite liked what I saw, but didn't get chance to fully get into it. The general premise is lovely and it's just a cute little show. It did, however, get me hooked on the song Torn in the short time I spent with it. 90s fantasy stuff that teens were into is generally just a delight. Not overly optimistic about later seasons as I know drama led to a cast change, but such is the way of things.

3

Supernatural.

I should know better than to mention this show here. I'm well aware of the opinions of people on this show and the culture surrounding it, my second favourite show and another show in the early 2010s. Whatever that was all about, I'm really not interested. What I'm into is the recontextualization of old tales. Myths and legends brought into the modern day with a decent cast. Will I get that with Supernatural? Who knows. But a friend of mine was really into the show so I'm gonna trust her judgement as she is now piling through Buffy, my favourite show of all time, following a recommendation from me on the night we met. So I'm gonna guess that we've got similar enough taste that I'm going to at least find the show pleasurable enough to watch. Whether I'll like it more or less than Shadowhunters, be that the books, the film or the show, remains to be seen.

4

Stargate SG-1.

Stargate is one weird show. I didn't even KNOW it was a show when I first came across a Stargate. See, in a Star Wars Jedi Academy mod there is a map called Stargate and I had initially assumed it to be a random creation of someone added because the aesthetics kind of fit. But as it happens that is not quite the case. Turns out it was a movie turned show with multiple spin offs. It seems to be the kind of thing many sci fi nerds get into. Similarly to Star Trek, I have actually seen some of this show. I tend to leave SyFy on at night and fall asleep watching Stargate so I've seen some weird stuff. The general premise of the show is appealing, what more can I say? I'm excited to that.

5

Teen Wolf.

If I'm being honest, I don't even know why I've bothered putting this show on the list. The person who spent years recommending it to me is no longer part of my life and I don't particularly trust their perspective on anything enough to sit down and watch several series of a show. But having said that, werewolves plus teenage life sounds rather appealing. Fantasy works best when put at odds with teenage life in my opinion. It's why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favourite show of all time. But the balance is vital and if this show doesn't have it right, then I may have some issues with it. But when I DO go into this show, I shall do so with an open mind. Regardless of where the idea to watch it originally came from all those years ago

6

Red Dwarf.

Lastly, we've got another one from my dad. He once gave me a USB with 6 episodes of the show on it which regrettably I never watched. Thankfully, I am British and it is on iPlayer. I've heard from various sources over the years how good this one is, as a Sci-Fi comedy. Really looking forward to diving into it for that reason. I may wind up doing this one in between another show once I finish watching Sherlock, which really should not have taken 8 years given the show is 4 series long. In any case, one good day with that show should knock it out and open up the secondary show slot given I'm down to the last 3 episodes. Red Dwarf will be a nice change of pace as most of the "new" stuff I watch atm is a lot more high energy given I'm running out of comedies that actually interest me.

Anyways, that's the 6 shows that I've currently got resting towards the top of the backlog. That doesn't necessarily mean things won't get queue jumped. I mean, Hunger Games jumped the queue so I could try to bond with someone so I'm not above bumping shows up for other reasons than actual interest but that's how they sit at the moment. And given Firefly was supposed to be next, around a year ago, I've pretty much proven I have absolutely no rules as to what goes where. As I have no idea if I even WILL watch Firefly any time soon. Another show I only have any perception of because of that Jedi Academy mod, given the presence of the Serenity in it. Likewise, Dollhouse found itself dropping from top priority to "meh, when I get back around to it".

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors Review

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews. Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are regarding the show or the upcoming season! :)

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 1 of 2)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 2 of 2)

Synopsis: Set between seasons 3 and 4, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Erica, Nancy, Robin, and Steve are all trapped inside in the Video Rental Store after the power goes out on a dark and stormy night. With nothing better to do to pass the time, they begin telling each other scary stories and urban legends surrounding Hawkins......

Observations:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!! 🎃☠️👻🍫

This'll be a shorter review than usual since this was a fast read, but man this book was a lot of fun! The premise itself (i.e. certain main characters from the show trapped in the same location interacting with one another) is worthy of an entire episode from the show, and it's disappointing that Netflix and the Duffer Brothers never thought to film a stand-alone Halloween or Christmas or Holiday Episode (similar to what BBC Sherlock did). Even if it didn't tie into the mythology of the show, just seeing certain characters converse with one another when they barely do on the show would have been something I (and plenty of other fans) would have sat through.

The premise of this book is similar to the short Halloween Special comic I reviewed several months ago (you can find the link to it above), except that was set before season 1 and only featured one scary story told by Will to his friends. By contrast, this book takes place in-between seasons 3 and 4 after Steve and Robin get the job at the Video Rental Store, the Byers Family and El have moved to Lenora (meaning they aren't in this book), and each of the characters here get to tell their creepy tales.

The structure for Hawkins Horrors is similar to horror anthology series like The Twilight Zone, Creepshow, and Tales from the Crypt. It also reminded me a little of the Goosebumps series R.L. Stine wrote in the 90s. The big difference is while Goosebumps was tailored towards kids and had elements of comedy to balance out the horror, the stories told by the characters in Hawkins Horrors get pretty dark and gruesome, and some of them even end on chilling notes. This is not a feel-good book.

Each of the stories are urban legends surrounding Hawkins that the characters either insist are true (even though it's implied they aren't), or at the very least have some details tweaked. What's neat is, if you pay close attention, some of the urban legends told are similar to other famous horror stories, and arguably paying homage to them. Robin and Steve's story about the monster under Lover's Lake is the premise of Stephen King's "The Raft." Erica's story is similar to the plot of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (right down to the protagonist in a wheelchair seeing something he shouldn't have) except the climax takes a horrifying turn and the ending is ambiguous about the protagonist's survival. Mike's story comes off as a combination of Child's Play and The Twilight Zone episode "Living Doll." Matthew J. Gilbert wrote this book, and it's pretty clear he's a major horror fan. I wouldn't be surprised if he took inspiration for some of these anthology stories from other famous ones, and brought the Stranger Things charm to them.

On top of that, the book acts as clever foreshadowing for certain events in relation to certain characters in season 4. Nancy's horror story takes place at Pennhurst Asylum, where she will later go with Robin to learn about Victor Creel and what happened to his family. Steve's story about the monster under Lover's Lake hints at how he'll eventually gets dragged through the lake into the Upside Down:

Dustin's story is centered around D&D, and even references the Hellfire Club and Eddie (though Eddie is just referred to as "The Dungeon Master" at this point). Even Erica's story, about the only sane person who tries to warn others about how dangerous someone else is, has parallels to her being the only one at the town hall meeting in season 4 who stands up to Jason and calls bullshit on his attempts to paint the Hellfire Club as a Satanic cult.........only to get dismissed when most of the adults in the room agree with Jason and turn into a lynch mob as a result.

Hawkins Horrors was released on May 3, 2022, a few weeks before the first volume of Season 4 was dropped. I would not be surprised if Netflix and the Duffer Brothers told Matthew J. Gilbert plot elements from season 4, and gave him permission to subtly reference (but not completely spoil) said plot points. Even though I saw the show before I read this book, I still enjoyed the foreshadowing. Well played! :)

The stories were entertaining, but I was more invested in the interactions between the characters. Two of my favorite moments are at the beginning of the book, and towards the end when Mike starts telling his tale. The first is this interaction when everyone shows up minutes before the Video Rental Store closes, much to the annoyance of Steve:

Then there's this fun bit where Mike trolls everyone while the storm is raging and the power is out 😂:

It's also pretty amusing when one character tries to tell their story, and the others either question if it actually happened, starts poking holes in it (much to the irritation of the character telling their story), or even calling out when, from their perspective, the tale has a lousy ending:

It's interactions like this that make the book enjoyable. I'm glad we get to have most of the characters hanging out as friends without there being a crisis from the Upside Down that they have to deal with.

Overall, this was an entertaining read, and a fast-paced book. High recommendations to check it out when you can!

And once again, Happy Halloween everyone!

[wanderingmind867]

I've got a new idea that I'm very proud of! It's an idea for either a tv show or a series of TV Movies released every Christmas. It's about the goings on at a bar/restaurant/lounge every Christmas. I came up with this prompt all on my own after listening to a lot of Christmas music. I did use AI to bounce my ideas off of it, however. Whether it's a TV series or merely a series of TV Movies released every new Christmas season, one thing is clear: the show is only ever set during winter/christmas.

The Bar where the show is set is like a mix of a rustic old ski lodge and of an old cosmopolitan cocktail lounge from the 1940s. It's got a very old timey feel, at any rate.

This idea could be viewed as similar to shows like The Love Boat. An anthology series, but with a few characters connecting all the stories to each other. On the Love Boat, the crew of the ship were the characters who tied everything together. Here, it's the bar's staff who tie all the stories together. At least one staff member shows up during each of the 3-4 stories told in one episode.

Since I just brought them up, let's discuss the bar's staff:

First, there's the bar's owner (I don't have a name for him yet). He's an old man who always seems to know just what to do to boost his patrons spirits during the holiday season. He's also got a bit of an aura of mystery to him, mostly because it's implied he has some sort of history with Santa. Whether they be Best Friends, Distant Relatives or something in between, it's clear he's got some sort of connection to Santa and the North Pole.

I want him to be like Ricardo Montalban on Fantasy Island, this older man with an aura of mystery surrounding him. Personally, I like conclusive answers though. So I'll probably address the mystery at some point (after a season or two, or during the third or fourth special). I'm leaning towards the relatives ideas, personally. I think it's a clever idea for how they might know each other.

Also at the bar is a somewhat washed up old lounge singer (don't have a name for him yet either). 70-75 years old at the beginning of our series, he's been working for this bar since sometime in the late 90s (let's say he joined the staff around 1996 or so). He always wanted to make it big and be a successor to his idols Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, etc. But sadly, this never quite worked out as planned. He was sometimes able to book some small gigs, but he could never afford to play any big venues.

At some point in his 30s, he falls into a deep depression because of this. For almost 9 years, he wouldn't perform his music anymore. It's only because he happened to stop in at this bar for his 46th birthday that he's performing again. He fell in love with the atmosphere at the bar and with the feelings of love and camaraderie displayed there. He loved it so much he asked if he could perform at the bar, acting as a form of In-house entertainment. The bar's owner said he liked the idea a lot, and he's been working here ever since. In fact, his 30th anniversary of working for the bar is slowly approaching.

[raconteur-multiverse]

🔮Twisted Wonderland Theory Guess 🔮

“🤔 Is MC/Yuu is descendants of ‘Balance Keeper’? Or Alice from series ‘Alice Comedies’?”

Never thought we are going to follow MC/Yuu's journey to Episode 07 Diasomnia soon. Probably the main story will began on winter seasons. Suddenly I want to discuss about the MC/Yuu, along other Yuu from Twst comic and Twst novel. We already know a two main character that resemble as MC/Yuu (Not official yet),Enma Yuuken (Comic) and Kuroki Yuuya(Novel). Since it's school of boys, means the MC is a male, while in the game the MC gender is neutral. Can be male or female. Same like other games too.

Even MC/Yuu doesn't have a magic skills in Twisted Wonderland, MC has a unknown ability that can read predict what will happen on those students. Sort of a dimension psychic mind to see subject past and presence. Also, MC is the first person who met Mickey Mouse in the mirror. Dire Crowley did gave MC "Ghost Camera" in Prologue, a camera that is able to take a picture of anything possessing a soul. Sounds very similar how we make a moving pictures to make a animation short film in 90s. In scene old Disney "Alice in Wonderland" at “Alice Comedies”.

I did realize something of MC's ability "Time sight" of Future, Past, and presence. It is similar ability of Master Yen Sid, The Balance Keeper. Yen Sid is also can see someone's past like MC's did see Villains Past in different parallel. It could possibly MC is Yen Sid's Descendants. Why you ask? MC and Yen Sid almost similar, they're not in Heroes or Villains side. More like Tritagonist or Rebel. A person who knows which path they must follow and will seek the truth in knowledge. Plus, remember when the magic dark mirror in Prologue Can't see the colors of MC's souls due ceremony NRC? That is why MC is resemble of "Balance", between light and dark like Yen Sid. So, MC souls color is grey. Even the students see MC more like Cheeky and Blunt. No matter MC doesn't have a magic, but MC did have a secret talent That no one can have. Now let's talk about Connection MC with Grim. Grim's name is from story fairy tale. We maybe think Grim is similar with Stitch, but actually he remind me of Julius the Cat from "Alice Comedies". His mischievous, helper, and comedic is similar with Julius.

Only thing something connection to this, MC resemble as Alice and Grim as Julius. Alice met Julius the Cat in Cartoon land when Alice done visit Mr."WD" in his animation workshop. Julius always accompany Alice wherever she goes to seek new adventure she never see before. Same how Grim will always accompany MC to seek if there's a chance to return to real world while help Grim to graduate in Night Raven College with others too.

I do believe that Dire Crowley and Ambrose could it be Yen Sid "Apprentice". Both of them had same level mastery magician, Ambrose with Light Magic and Crowley with Dark Magic. While Yen Sin both light and magic, Balance Magic. I got feeling that Ambrose approach to Dire Crowley more like his "Kouhei/Junior", while Ambrose is Crowley "Senpai/Senior" (if it's true). One thing I suspicious on Crowley is, Crowley could be doing this Overblot situation is following the original Villains role story by choosing students that is already Have Villains heritage magic. Like Riddle, Leona, Azul, Jamil, Vil, Idia and Malleus when everyone is in Coffin due ceremony Dark Mirror. Grim could be part Crowley's plan too or it just Crowley himself pretend he didn't know anything. Ambrose actually knows what's going Due VDC last year in Episode 05 Pomefiore. Which means Ambrose can predict future like Merlin. For Crowley, he could be resemble "The Phantom Blot", character from "House of Mouse" and monster in "Epic Mickey". Since who else knows about "Blot" thing?

Last is connection with Mickey Mouse, we know that Mickey as iconic mascot of Disney. Funny of my thoughts that Ambrose and Crowley remind me of Mickey and Oswald the Lucky rabbit. While Grim as Julius the Cat. In Epic Mickey, Oswald feel jealous and annoying that his "father"-Loves Mickey the most, same goes to Toon people who always remember him than Oswald. Same goes Crowley is sick that people more support to RSA and Ambrose than NRC and himself.

[sircolinmorgan]

I think you're right because once people DO become aware of him they're like omg where have you been all my life??? lol

I reckon Endeavour was hurt by being falsely lumped in with the likes of Midsomer Murders and other twee mystery shows because it's a period drama and the IM and Lewis connection made it seem like something designed for your parents or grandparents. Compared to Sherlock at the time which was hailed as something new, modern, and exciting. Then once the chance for initial hype passed it became one of those shows which had been on long enough to be ignored.

Funnily enough I think Endeavour has already aged much better than Sherlock and that's why it's getting noticed a bit more now.

that's true actually. the early series of endeavour were during Peak Sherlock Era so it stayed under the radar while sherlock got all the attention. it's a very similar kind of show to sherlock, 3 or 4 90 minute episodes solving a crime, but it has aged so much better you're right. the writing for one thing, endeavour has it's badly written moments and the writing for certain characters could be better but it never feels like it's laughing at the audience or talking down to them like sherlock did.

[70s-show-diary]

My one (and only) post about That '90s Show

I used the weekend to watch season 1 of That '90s Show. I ultimately decided to watch it for Red and Kitty, and because I couldn't justify forming an opinion without having first given the show a chance. That being said, as most of my thoughts about the show aren't the most positive, and because I want to respect the fans who enjoyed the show, I decided to compile what will likely be my one and only post sharing my thoughts on the show below the cut.

I will say this: I didn't hate the show as much as I thought I would. I enjoyed the humor and the effort they made to maintain a similar tone and vibe to the original show. Of course, Red and Kitty were the highlight of the show, and I enjoyed seeing them as grandparents. I enjoyed seeing the appearances made by the original cast as well (with the exception of Jackie, but more on that later). I even enjoyed seeing Eric and Donna as parents. The new kids were okay, too. They certainly don't have the same chemistry and dynamic that the gang from the original series had, but when you are limited to ten episodes per season, there's not much you can do to really develop characters and their relationships. With more time and devotion to developing these characters, I believe that I could grow to like them more.

The problems that I had with the show are the exactly the problems that I expected to have, and it all stems from the very existence of season 8 of That '70s Show. I do not consider the end of season 7 and any of season 8 to be canon. In my happy bubble, Jackie and Hyde never break up (or make any of the other poor choices that followed), Eric didn't have to travel across the world and break-up with Donna to find a path for his future, Kelso didn't destroy his future as a cop, and Fez didn't become a creep. I grew up with these characters, consider them my friends, and hate what season 8 did to my friends. (I care waaayyy too much about these fictional characters, but I digress.)

Therefore, I've never entertained the idea of a reboot/spin-off series because I knew better than to hope that a spin-off series would ignore season 8. A spin-off that would've attempted to fix these mistakes, while just as unlikely, still wouldn't have been good enough (for me, at least) because I like to pretend all of that unpleasantness never even happened.

Real world circumstances made me even more wary of a spin-off series. AK and MK being married in real life was a sure sign that Jackie and Hyde would never get back together in a spin-off series. But the real nail in the coffin was the despicable and unforgivable actions of DM. With that, I knew Jackie and Hyde were essentially over and we would never see Hyde again. (Don't get me wrong, I am more than relieved that T9S does not associate with DM, but the loss of the character Hyde was tough for me).

So really, it's not entirely That '90s Show's fault that the futures that I had hoped for these characters was unrealized. However, there is a difference between not getting what I want for these characters and completely disrespecting and destroying these characters who are beloved to me (and so many others who have connected with them for years and years). I would've accepted whatever future T9S offered for these characters had they done it in a way that respected the growth and development that they made in the '70s. Jackie being with Kelso instead of Hyde? Fine. But give me a good reason for it. Not the absolute garbage that is Jackie cheating on Fez with Kelso (of all people!) and going on their second marriage. Eric and Donna having a child (and naming her Leia) essentially as soon as Eric came home from Africa is just not something I believe the Eric and Donna from T7S would have done. (I do however, accept this with a grain of salt, because the entire premise of T9S hinges on Eric and Donna have a teenager in the '90s). While Fez finding success in his salons was cute, him not having found love since Jackie cheated on him also didn't sit right with me. And while the best choice...the only choice was to not include Hyde, what I've read about the decision to have Hyde basically drop off the face of the Earth and cut off all ties to his found family is probably the most disrespectful thing that they could have done to write off his character. All that is to say, I could've taken anything except the blatant disrespect that they gave to my friends.

What I wasn't expecting was the sense of heartache that I would feel watching That '90s Show. As I previously stated, for years now, I never held out for a faithful reboot/spin-off series. But watching this show...it really makes me mourn the spin-off that could've been in a perfect world. I truly loved seeing Red and Kitty navigate a household of teenagers again, but this time as grandparents. My heart squeezed when Kitty hugged Eric in the first episode and when Donna and Eric did that cute head-shove from the original series. I couldn't help the smile when Kelso burst in with a "buuuurnnn!!!" in true Kelso-fashion after all these years. Fez's "I said good-day" in his commercial and rivalry with Fenton. Kitty throwing a birthday party. Red's grumpiness. Kitty's signature laugh and Red's muttered "dumbass" comments. I've seen every episode of T7S (with the exception of season 8) so many times that I have entire episodes memorized, down to the timing, hand gestures, and inflections. So seeing my old friend's back in their elements, doing these things again but in new scenes that I have never seen before was certainly... surreal. But none of that nostalgia is worth letting T9S destroy my friends and destroy all their growth and character development. All it has done is make me mourn the faithful spin-off that will never be.

All that is to say that I think I'll be leaving the ''90s behind and returning to the safety of the '70s.

[ncisfranchise-source]

Brian Dietzen‘s Jimmy Palmer wasn’t always destined to be an NCIS series regular. In fact, he was only booked for one day for his late Season 1 debut on the hit CBS drama as the late David McCallum‘s Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard’s assistant.

While speaking with Decider about his work on the show with McCallum, Dietzen tells us, “There was a prospect of the role of Ducky’s assistant being kind of like the drummer for Spinal Tap, meaning there would be a different one just about every week, that he would be going through them like crazy.”

Thankfully, that never came to fruition.

After shooting a scene with the show’s original chief medical examiner, both McCallum and the show’s creator Donald Bellisario picked up on their chemistry, leading to Dietzen’s status as a recurring character who eventually became a mainstay just ahead of Season 10.

Following McCallum’s passing at age 90 in September 2023, the CBS series planned a tribute episode in his honor, co-written by Dietzen and writer and executive producer Scott Williams.

Dietzen, who had previously co-written a couple of NCIS episodes alongside Williams, tells us he was “honored” to help pay homage to McCallum.

Still, he admits there was one harsh reality of developing this particular episode: “This is the episode no one wants to write,” he says, “because that means we’ve lost someone important to us.”

Now playing the chief medical examiner himself, Dietzen reflected on the notable on-screen mentor-mentee dynamic he shared with his late co-star, emphasizing Ducky’s “encyclopedic” nature while reminiscing about the “teachable moments” passed on to him.

“And, because it was David, he always wanted to infuse curiosity within Ducky,” he tells us.

As for how their off-screen camaraderie influenced the upcoming tribute, Dietzen says that their “relationship had a lot of similarities” to that of their characters, noting that he “learned a hell of a lot from David over the years.”

“Having 20 years of friendship to draw from and knowing that there’s a lot of people out there that never even met the guy but felt like they knew him, and loved his work and loved him over the years, dating back to the ’60s,” he says. “I knew that a lot of people felt the same way that I did about him, and I wanted to do honor to that.”

The episode, titled “The Stories We Leave Behind,” follows the cast — whom Dietzen lovingly refers to as “the NCIS family” — navigating the loss of Ducky by “working on one of his unfinished cases involving a woman whose father was dishonorably discharged from the marines,” per the episode synopsis.

Dietzen emphasizes that they “definitely wanted to have a real NCIS ” installment as opposed to “a clip show of old Ducky scenes,” and “thematically, [they] wanted it to be linked up to the themes of loss and the themes of thinking of the stories that someone has left behind.”

“When we lose someone, what do we leave on this Earth? Those stories,” he says. “And sometimes those stories are embodied as human beings, such as with this case, [when] this Marine’s daughter is left behind.”

As for the stories Ducky left behind, some of which are woven throughout the episode, Dietzen quips, “God knows there’s a ton of them.”

“The guy talked a lot,” Dietzen laughs. “Ducky was never one who was short on words, so it was wonderful to be able to go back through all these episodes and reminisce.”

[that70sshowgoldencouple]

We've gotten a sequel, but what do you think about a prequel? I think I'd like to see young Red woo Kitty, what were they like? How did they communicate during the war? Did he have her photo by his bed. My head canon is set up like Young Sheldon/How I met your mother with Kitty and Red sitting with an album and telling their story to the grandkids and then flashback and they narrate things.

Hi @crimsinsky thank you so much for the ask!

I've seen more people talking about this since the sequel and I once did a poll on instagram between what people wanted to see more a Pre Series Red and Kitty show or a Sequel with them as Grandparents and it was a close tie. And this was before That '90s Show was an idea shared with us.

Honestly, I don't think I'd be too on board with the idea. I'd much rather see more of Red and Kitty as grandparents. For several reasons:

It would be hard to find actors for young Red and Kitty, Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith play them so well, as great as the actors were in the flashback scene where they meet I much more preferred the Halloween ep where DJR and KS are made up to look as their younger characters.

Plus I love seeing Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith working together again.

Pre-Series Red and Kitty are not the same Red and Kitty we know. It's been talked about before Red was very different from the Red we see in T7S. I can already hear people making comments about how Young Red is not how Red really is. Of course he's not. He's not yet a father and hasn't gone through his time in the war. Also we'd never hear him call anyone a dumbass since he didn't discover the word till after he and Kitty are married.

I talk more about it here when I was asked a similar question a few months back and my feelings about a prequel really haven't changed that much. It's funny that you mention How I Met Your Mother because I had the same idea in this post . It's something I *might* get on board with but I'd much rather see Red and Kitty as grandparents telling them stories about quick their relationship like we saw in That '70s Show.

Or maybe they could do an episode in That '90s Show like in Everybody Loves Raymond where Frank and Marie are telling a story and as they narrate a flashback scene is done with Ray and Debra in the roles of Frank and Marie only this time it's be maybe Leia and Jay in the roles of Young Red and Kitty. That could be fun, I love that ELR episode.

My inbox is like The Forman House, it’s always unlocked and open! Stop in anytime 😀

[aprillikesthings]

s2 ep2 Ties that Bind

eheheheh

ahem

Took me way too long to realize this was a pun on "drill" as in an object Entrapta would use to make things (I think it's a carryover from the original 1980's series, I could be wrong)

plot

Oh god Entrapta lived in the Crypto Castle. This is long-ago enough that "crypto" didn't mean bitcoin.

Glimmer: we're going to go get Entrapta by ourselves.

whyyyy

Plot shit: Mara destroyed the Watchtower and that's why Light Hope is constantly glitching, and nobody stops to think Mara might've had a good reason, but also

I spent the mid/late 90's mildly obsessed with music from the 1960's, okay, and yes I know this is the cover of a Bob Dylan song, but it's also one of Jimi's best songs

I read somewhere that all the times this character's voice repeats or gets distorted weren't added effects, the voice actor Can Just Do That.

sorry just laughing at Catra being undignified and scratching her butt

ANGY KITTY

another one for the "never pause shera" sub

wait one more

more angy kitty (and more cartoon bondage, per the episode title)

yes this is a funny bit but also I love that they're showing farmland.

One of my continual gripes with the entire fantasy genre is how often they don't show anyone farming. Especially in pseudo-medieval fantasy worlds, the vast majority of the population would be spending their lives as farmers, but also PEOPLE HAVE TO EAT. Where is the farmland. Where. Where is it.

(I loved the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movies but it always bugged me that the ONLY farmland we EVER saw was in the fucking Shire. What is everyone else EATING.)

EDIT: later in the episode it's implied this is just dead grass they bring back to life??? to me it looks like a field of mature grain! Meh.

no she's just gay

I'm not going to take screenshots (bc they're on screen for like a split second each) but the images of multiple characters as horses that Swift Wind is imagining are SO GOD DAMNED FUNNY

ew, Catra!

Meanwhile Bow and Glimmer debate the ethics of keeping a hostage. As multiple posts back in the day point out, literally every main character in this show commits war crimes lol

why are you sniffing your foot

H E L P i cannot stop laughing she's just :}

this whole scene is such a huge part of why so many of us headcanon her as a huge brat lolol

THEY DID A MEME AGAIN AHAHAHAH

this is what happens when a tv show is made entirely by people in their 20's

fangie

do we headcanon her tongue as being as rough as an actual cat's or closer to a human's? I tend to assume somewhere in the middle.

For Reasons.

pfft

AAAHAHAHAH she's like :>

I love how Catra is totally just yanking their chains but the moment Glimmer mentions Adora, Catra goes back to Angy Kitty: "yeah??? she'll leave you, too!" like oh, is Adora a sensitive subect? hm?

Poor Scorpia's infatuation with Catra is hard to watch bc I know it's so one-sided :(

One of my friends ships these two a LOT and let's be honest, I can see it

(Also as many people including Nate have pointed out, they're actually really similar as people; their differences are almost entirely due to their upbringings.)

now kISS

unintentional pun alert

plot plot Adora is convinced she has to be "a better She-Ra than Mara so I don't hurt people like she did."

Awww there's a great little moment between Adora and Swift Wind. Adora apologizes for making Swift Wind, uh, sentient I guess; and Swift Wind says "Adora, I wouldn't trade my voice and my wings for anything. I've got the chance to change the world now. To make it better than when I found it. I can't imagine ever going back, can you?"

they fix the Watchtower, Glimmer and Bow make it back to Bright Moon with the knowledge Entrapta is alive and working for the Horde, episode is over