#so to me. it always felt like ... after s4 joey had to do something different. bc he cant keep on using the same basic plotline

[lazarus-harp]

In your opinion, do you think s5 will happen? I know Joey has said that he's trying to find a new network for it, and I want to believe (cue x-files music) but idk...i just dunno how much I really do. Guess I've been burned too many times :/ seriously it happens so often that someone is like 'no no don't worry it's totally gonna happen soon' and then it gets delayed....and gets delayed again...........and then they're like 'nevermind sorry it's dead' ugh. And this isn't like me criticizing Joey or trying to be bitchy towards him!!! I know he works hard and stuff so if it doesn't happen I won't be pissed off at him or anything (well maybe a little but I'd never actually take it out on him bc that's just mean), it's just kind of frustrating I guess....

To be honest, though I've known my answer for this ask for a bit, I've hesitated in answering it. Because while I do have my own opinion on this from the context given, it's very likely I could be completely wrong. So I do want to say : take this all with a grain of salt rather then the holy truth! This is just my opinion on the situation regarding etn's production, not concrete facts. Though I'm flattered to be asked this question! Thanks so much for sending in this ask, anon, and I hope my opinion isn't as ... Disheartening as I think it sounds.

Here's the thing, the truth of this entire mess : it's extremely obvious Joey loves Escape the Night. He's a creator with a heart, and very actively supports the community around his show and loves to talk about it whenever he can. Literally when he left a video message for Manny on the web series, Reality House, he couldn't help but bring up Manny's death ; even when the show had nothing to do with etn. He just couldn't help himself, right? Joey has played Minecraft maps inspired by etn, he's played the Roblox etn game, he references it constantly with friends -- he made a whole video ranking the deaths! There is not a single doubt in my mind that Joey Graceffa adores the show he's made. Which counts for something, at least to me it does. When he told the audience he would do everything in his power to make a season 5, I can't bring myself to doubt that claim. If he loves the show, he's going to fight for it hard. And I think that's important to remember.

But to be blunt? No. I don't think season 5 of etn is going to happen. In the death ranking video, Joey brought up why it was hard to find a network, and I think people are forgetting about that explanation. He said it was hard to find one due to the fact Escape the Night already has four seasons, all of which are on youtube and probably can't be moved to another service. It would be jarring for a network to suddenly pick up where the original show left off when they had no hand in those produced seasons! Or when the seasons aren't even offered on their platform at all. As much as I want a s5, I understand it's practically impossible. And if we do ever get one, it's likely it won't be similar to any previous etn seasons ... Which makes me wary to even see it. The budgets will be bigger but Joey will likely have other rules to work around and other requirements to meet -- since all productions run a bit differently. I'm sure our beloved savant could make something good out of it, but again! It's unlikely we'll ever even get to that stage. So season 5? I'm not expecting it.

This isn't going to end on a hopeless note, though. Because I'm sure if Joey can't get a s5, he'll find something to do with the show outside of that. He's mentioned making a spin off series! Which is something I could see getting produced, since it'll have more wiggle room in terms of characters and story. And, though people forget this, Joey is an author! It's highly likely we could eventually witness Escape the Night become a book series -- be it with new characters and expanded lore, or with Joey twisting the original characters into ones he can use without ... Legal issues ( ex : calling them by their role names only ). We've seen him do this with the s1 board game, so I don't see why he wouldn't do it in book form as well. There's a lot of ways for etn to at least live on! It's just ... We're probably due for some big changes, since YouTube Red is no longer supporting the show.

What I'm trying to get at is this : seeing season 5 is unlikely and I, personally, wouldn't get your hopes up. But etn isn't going to fizzle out completely, either. It will continue somehow, simply because Joey adores the show too much to let it die. So I try and think about that more so then how disappointed I am over no s5, and it does help to an extent. We'll get Escape the Night content eventually! It's just a matter of what kind and when.

[steve0discusses]

S4 Ep 39: Pharaoh Can Fly (Selectively)

Guys, they’re back

Best storyboarder is back, and the visual difference between last episode and this episode is like when your art teacher picks up your charcoal and just fixes everything wrong with your gesture drawings. It’s like...I mean look at this:

I just really love and appreciate how illustrative this storyboarder is. And I say just storyboarder because this had about the same budget as the last episode--there wasn’t that much actual animation as per usual. But, all of the scenes were drawn so well, like panels out of a good manga. They just...they always nail it when they’re at the helm and I don’t know why they’re on Yugioh, but bless this storyboarder.

Plot wise, everyone got pulled into the dragon by gooey tentacles that came out of it’s stomach, don’t think about it.

Meanwhile, all of the minibosses could communicate with them and beg for help, yes, even the same miniboss who may have dressed up like Pegasus and catfished Seto Kaiba.

(keep reading under the cut)

The whole process of getting absorbed into the Orichalcos demon was a whole lot of symbolism and it was...kinda gross. Also kinda sketch. Also, for Kaiba it is a neat little nod to S1 when he had a vision that his brother was absorbed into a dragon mass.

I don’t think that the makers of the show remember S1, but either they just really like goopy dragons, or it’s a coincidence or I dunno, on purpose? Probably a coincidence.

And like I made this joke and realized...what if they actually meant to make that parallel though? This is the America crossover season, and they have referenced America’s love of trickster rabbits before with Pegasus but do they know about Br’er rabbit in Japan? Do they know? It’s a pretty Americana Deep-cut, and I have no idea how common this folktale is outside of the states.

I see anime busting out absorbing goopy masses all the time so I’m gonna assume that there might be a Japanese folklore I don’t know about which uses a similar structure (although I’m also assuming it has an extremely different history and association ((which I won’t be going into because I don’t feel like putting a trigger warning on this recap)).)

And looking at Wikipedia, there’s people that think the original reference to moist, absorbing creatures could have even come from as far as India. Which is...fascinating to how it also developed in Africa, and then the Cherokee also made the same story independently and then it fused together here in the States to make it what was eventually made into a Disney movie that will never be released again--this is just a really old ass story, all in all, possibly like over a thousand years old.

And a FASCINATING google deep dive I won’t go into for obvious reasons but knock yourself out.

Also, lets get distracted for a sec and see how well this storyboarder drew a fitted jacket at that angle. Dear Lord, did they get reference for that or did their brain just already know that those folds would be there? You can even tell that Pharaoh has just a little bit of padding at his shoulders. Ugh. Guys this storyboarder is so freakin good at these little fitted jackets.

So, once Yugi and his friends are absorbed into the mass, where they should have died...and maybe some of them did, but I don’t know if I should add that to the Death Count because like...they could have held their breath in the amount of time they were stuck in there...maybe...Anyway, they are saved by being tossed into the figurative briar patch--by the souls all hanging out in the Leviathan’s stomach--which again makes me wonder...did they pull a folklore on us? Again, I have no idea.

Like a lot of the people in this dragon have been thorns in their side this entire season, they’ve all tried to kill them at one point--all the minibosses, Mai, Pegasus--but now they have decided to team up with Pharaoh (along with the rest of the human race) and offer whatever they can to free them from the grip of the gross dragon mass.

And like, the ending of the folk tale is that the thorny ass briar patch is also where the rabbit lives usually. It hurts everyone else, but the rabbit--the rabbit can deal with it. And likewise, Pharaoh is freakin dead. He’s at home here. He’s surrounded by spirit power, his friends and their friendship power, this is like his zone, and now he’s crazy powerful for it and will be for the rest of the episode.

And like Yami is a very trickster God (especially Season Zero Yami) so like...it does make sense that he would mirror a folk tale based on trickster Gods, even if it is by complete accident.

So Pharaoh imagines everyone’s tears as individual drops in a glass or something--it’s not a literal glass or anything--it’s just there because the only thing actually happening on screen was his hand hanging out of this dragon’s weird puss skin.

And he’s now a fully charged Sonic the Hedgehog and no longer needs Kaiba or Joey at all. Just gonna grab his God card demons and take charge of everything else from here on out.

By first exploding his buddies right the hell out of this lizard and across hundreds of feet of open ocean.

Joey decides to remind Kaiba that he lost the Battle City tournament.

Seto’s roast was actually in the show, PS. He is not super excited to be reminded that Yugi owns every card that he spent 2 seasons failing to get.

And then Pharaoh did something really, really...

...just really really wild.

OH OK.

YEAH JUST TAKE OFF.

GO AHEAD THERE���S NO REASON THIS WOULD BOTHER ME.

I mean he IS super powered right now but like...

Like...WTF?

4 SEASONS. 4 SEASONS I thought this guy was glued to Yugi like Peter Pan’s Shadow and apparently--he can bounce.

Can Pharaoh do this every time Yugi asks Tea out on a date and tries to instead make the ghost in his head do all the work now? Can Pharaoh just be like “NOPE” and then phase out of the house, leaving Yugi to actually do the hard stuff?

It really adds a level of complexity to their relationship if Yugi can get a room.

(If not a room for romance, but at the very least a room to poop in.)

OR has he been able to allow Yugi to wicked poop in peace this whole time, but the show just never felt like telling us because they felt like it wasn’t important (although it is crazy important)?

Either way I am just...floored at this character development.

Yami just let Yugi out of his sight for like...I want to say 8 full minutes. Just incredible amount of trust on Yami’s part. Incredible. Knowing Yugi’s track record, he should have died in those 8 minutes but...he was being babysat by both Kaiba and Joey.

So Yami summons the Gods and they shoot lasers--you kinda expect this sort of thing.

And this is...probably...the real reason why Dartz didn’t bother trying to attack Pharaoh 5,000 years ago.

I can still think it’s because of Bakura but like...this is probably the real reason. It felt pretty chump to just shoot a laser at the bastard. Pharaoh just had to be reminded that this is a thing he can just do. If he felt like it.

Which he never feels like doing, because he’s too busy watching Yugi’s every move, and getting distracted by High School shenanigans.

After this happens, the giant snake falls to the ocean, splitting into just sooooooo many ghosts.

Over 7.8 billion ghosts, if we’re to assume that this is most of the population on Earth.

(thinking the weird-o in the hat is probably a Duel Monsters card? The duel monsters were throwing themselves into the Leviathan at one point so this is probably like a dark magician boy or something...I just don’t get very attached to the monster cards so it was like...whatever. The cards die like constantly so who cares?)

It is a pretty set dressing. Like Christmas lights but...dead people.

We also find out that the lost family of our minibosses Alister and Raphael, have indeed spent the last many years inside the Leviathan stomach, which is pretty tragic. We get a bitter sweet conclusion to Alister and Raphael’s story--although it’s not a full on ending for either character. Their life still hella sucks, they are in therapy for basically forever.

Where is Gurimo?

I don’t know what sort of job or life these two are qualified to have now, but youknow...Marik’s boat probably has jobs available.

Hold up. Can we talk about the windows?

I know absolutely none of you care about this, but I do, not to be picky or condescending to an overworked art team, but because I just want to know what they were trying to aim for.

There’s an iron stained glass style windowpane thing going on and that’s what’s really getting me. Like...I know these guys were technologically advanced, but why did you use this WW2 background? What happened to Ancient Greece that you were doing before?

Like doing a super past with future tech is so cool to me--I love that sort of concept art. That’s going into like Black Panther stuff where you’re referencing the earliest stuff in Africa and then blending it with stuff beyond our science. But Atlantis is a real big shrug and a “listen we ran out of time and had to press print,” and it’s such a shame. It feels less cohesive than even when this show does Egypt.

And yo this show and how it draws ancient Egypt--I feel like I’ve already talked about that. I have a feeling I’m going to talk a lot more about it next season. I’ll get to it when we get to it. I’m hoping that they have more time and budget to actually DO Egypt for once. (I say knowing they won’t)

Like it’s one of those things where this isn’t a history show, like at all, and it’s very much a fantasy. I’m not going to be like those sewing people on youtube that get annoyed because their TV show doesn’t have handsewn stitching in their Victorian bodices they rented from the costume department from an LA discount warehouse. Because, yo, it’s TV, and I can stretch my own imagination because it’s acting. (although I confess, I watch every single one of those videos).

But...the potential, y’all...the potential.

Anyway, Dartz isn’t dead. He was just taking his toot sweet time getting down the steps of his Gazebo.

This is where things get very anime. I get this problem a lot with anime, I really do--and maybe it’s just me. But like...sometimes it feels like anime changes the rules during the boss fight.

That happens a lot, right? Where suddenly the final boss reveals something that like...should have been addressed way earlier? And he’s alive but you don’t get why?

Anyway, Pharaoh reacts by getting maybe way too attached to his newfound independence.

Which like...I can understand Tea forgetting that Yugi is one people that is two people all the time, but the writers as well?

And what’s kind of great about this scene is that Dartz does see Yugi as two people here. He doesn’t look at Yugi, he looks at both. When Pharaoh is like “Leave me, Yugi!” Dartz heard all of that.

Just kind of a neat thing that we finally have a dude that can just...see Pharaoh for what he is, but it probably won’t matter because there’s like only one more episode left of this season.

Anyway, Pharaoh and Dartz have a chat about where evil comes from...and like...it’s some Yugioh lore, all right.

So before the show decides to give us the Genesis on Yugioh and reveal where the evil of the Orichalcos comes from, or if all evil was created by Orichalcos itself (which is IMPLYING stuff about Orichalcos) the snake shuts him the hell up.

As it should. Leave that Pandora’s box freakin closed. That’s going into extended universe of Star Wars books territory (RIP.)

As an aside--pretty sure that Yugi is standing outside that tornado. Maybe it was just the editing of the episode but like...

Yo I’m pretty sure Yugi is just standing there. For the first time, it’s not his nuts getting roasted. Wow. Tables have turned so much since he was dead.

Anyway, here’s the link for new people so you can read these in order

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

There’s only one left! We can do it! We can finish this season in 2020! And actually get back to recapping Full Metal Alchemist! ~~Woooo~~

Oh man that movie better still be on Netflix or I’ll have to buy it lolol.

[kayromantic]

Unpopular opinion: I could not see any of the relationships on DC last.

Andie was very ambitious and I saw her outgrowing a Pacey. She can be a bit controlling and Pacey is a very laid-back guy. I enjoyed Pandies dynamic though.

Pacey and Joey - I enjoyed their dynamic. They are more compatible than Dawson and Joey. They were able to have a mature friendship after their breakup and they grew with each other I didn’t put the other on a pedestal (well, maybe Pacey put Joey on a pedestal in S4).  Pacey was always the one who perused Joey which made their relationship unbalanced Joey. He pursued her in season three, and she literally chose Dawson before going to him. And season four she was hung up on Dawson. In season five she didn’t even care that he was sleeping with her roommate. And in season six she broke up with him for Eddie. Even in the finale he was the first one who told her how he felt and when she told him that she loves him, The next words out of her mouth were that she loves Dawson too. I know they made Joey’s feelings ambiguous to keep the viewers guessing but it made her seem wishy washy. We never saw Pacey dealing with his insecurities, he was sleeping with a married woman in the finale because he was unhappy because he didn’t have Joey. He out all his self worth on her. And Joey had commitment issues that don’t go away. Pacey have her that speech about letting her off the hook and Joey said she needs to stop running but I wish that we got to see that character development instead of being told it.

Dawson‘s was very career oriented which can make it hard to maintain a long term relationship. Additionally, he is very self involved; the women he dates do a lot of emotional labor for him and they support his dreams and goals, not the other way around.

Dawson and Joey - are incomaptible compatible. They have completely different outlooks on life. Joey cynicism was supposed to balance out Dawsons idealism, but it didn’t work in practice. Dawson saw Joey as a child and as an extension of himself, rather than a separate person. Joey and Dawson constantly held eachother back and could not grow with eachother. 

Dawson and Jen - they didn’t really seem compatible in season 1. I think the writing help Jen captive. Dawson never even asked her anything about herself. I can’t imagine that Jen liked listening to his ramblings as Dawson could get boring pretty quickly. I never even believed that she was sexually attracted to him and that is something to show try to address in S5 but I didn’t buy it. with that said, I did enjoy them in S5.

Gretchen and Dawson - was Dawson’s most mature relationship. Gretchen call Dawson out and helped him become a better person.  however, she was way too mature for him and deserved better than a guy who was pining for someone else. 

I don’t know how you want me to respond to this anon. I think this is a good time to point out that these are all just fictional characters and they can never be fully fledged human beings. Their actions, personalities and whatnot are choices made by a bunch of writers in a writers room who were probably less concerned with the long term health of the relationships they were writing and more of how they can provide interesting, compelling television doled out in 45 minute increments. I can’t really view stuff completely in a complete diegetic sense anymore especially when it comes to USTV which is subject to so much logistical and practical nonsense that it is a miracle that any show can remain completely consistent at all never mind keeping coherent arcs and forward progression at all.

Also like none of what you pointed out necessarily precludes any of these relationships from being something that could last for a decent period of time depending on your preference. I mean all the above tells me is that they are all seriously flawed individuals and that is what makes them compelling and their relationships interesting. It is just a matter of what each individual viewer is drawn to. And maybe because I am a fanfic writer at heart I am okay with the imperfections in the narrative. Do I wish there had been better lead up to the finale? Sure, but I like using my imagination on how to make stuff work. But that is just me.

[agentmanatee]

AOS 30 Day Challenge

Since I'm late to the party, I will be using this post to catch up.

Day 1: Favorite Season: S4 had the tightest story-telling with the pod structure. For a 22 episode season not to have a filler episode is quite a feat. Aida/Ophelia/Madame Hydra is my favorite Marvel - not just AOS - villian. Mallory Hansen's ability to play 4 different characters in one season in one show (sometimes multiple characters in the same scene) should have won her an Emmy hands-down. All of the cast should have won Emmy's for the performance in Self-Control (Everybody was on their A-game). My love for Robbie Reyes knows no bounds, and Gabriel Luna has mad chemistry with everyone (I pretty much ship Robbie with everybody he's not related to).

Day 3: Favorite story-line: Maveth. When I told my niece the story of FitzSimmons, she declared it "too much!" when I got to Maveth, specifically Hive and we stopped there. In a lot of ways it was the writers dipping their toes in adding more focus to Fitz and Simmons, who are portrayed by the show's strongest actors. I know a lot of people don't like the Will Daniels twist, but other than some hand-waveable plot holes, it really wasn't that bad. It was literally a "only two people on a planet" situation, and they thought that they would never see another human being again and that they were effectively dead to anyone on Earth; so their actions were understandable. Jemma didn't show interest in Will until she gave up seeing Fitz again, and Will initially did not act on his attraction because he respected and even appreciated Jemma's feelings for Fitz; he knew - even if Jemma didn't - that if given the opportunity to choose she would ultimately choose to Fitz ("No wonder Jemma loves you" was Hive channeling Will). If he survived and wasn't a villain I would ship him with either Joey or FitzSimmons (Fitz is canonically bi, Jemma deserves all the love, and the way Will talked about Fitz could be interpreted as romantic interest. He couldn't help falling for Fitz with the way Jemma talked about him), but I never submit prompt requests because I know how people feel about the character.

Also the planet of Maveth was a character unto itself, which is so cool. I really want to know what the light under its surface is; I don't but that it was a only heat source. Since sandstorms turned out not to be one of Hive's powers, Maveth or the cloaked figure (the personification of the planet a la Ego?) Jemma saw had to be the source of those. I suspect the civilization they saw evidence of were tied to the Confederation in season 5. Did they try to settle down and it backfired due to their culture? It very likely was how they knew there were Hydra leaders on Earth for them to manipulate. Will they ever confirm this? Doubtful. Finally, the mystery of Hive and what he was worked and exceeded expectations (his power set of terrifying!).

Day 2: Favorite episode: Inescapable. I was so excited for this episode I paid for it because Hulu was taking its time posting the episode. Of course a FitzSimmons episode would be amazing. The mind prison forced FitzSimmons to deal with issues they've avoided and together to boot. Seeing the turning point in their friendship at the academy and Coulson Recruiting them prior to season 1 was a hoot. I love how they revealed the other Fitz's death to him; he needed to see how the team mourned for him, to understand how much they loved him. Of course the whole scene was painful from him opening the bodybag to seeing the wedding ring to learning of Coulson's passing, but it was necessary and reflected how everything happens at once irl. Seeing their trust and loyalty in their bffs was heartening. And there is no doubt how much they are meant for eachother than when their darksides fall for and on eachother. They certainly learned some things there.

Honorable mention to Self-Control. That was the first episode I have ever purchased. It felt like a movie, and the story is insulated enough I think I may suggest it as the episode to watch when trying to get people to watch the show (either this or Orientation). The entire episode was so gripping I held a pillow to my chest the whole time once it was revealed that either Jemma or Fitz was an LMD. It was such a good Daisy and Jemma episode team-up and jump-started a whole arc of them supporting eachother. It was also a phenomenal Daisy episode. She showcased her powers, and Chloe knocked it out of the park. The scenes between May and Coulson's LMD-selves were so very moving. Ming did such a good job of portraying how May's LMD differed from the others. The episode also revealed what Fitz and Coulson would change if given a choice (not that AIDA gave Fitz such courtesy).

I just realized I switched Days 2 and 3, but don't want to bother with copying/pasting on my phone

Day 4: Favorite male character: Leopold James Fitz. Fitz was my favorite early on and hands-down my favorite character after FZZT. I saw myself in his mannerisms and could relate to his hesitancy to throw himself in the field but doing so because it is the right thing to do. His passion and loyalty to his friends is unparalleled. I also wanted to give Ward a chance. And it's interesting that Fitz was the first of the bus kids to understand how "No one is born evil." It took the Framework arc for Daisy to really understand that. He even has a leg up on Mack here since Mack's first instinct with anything alien is to kill it ("I'm the guy that kills Gordon" is not something someone who values all life, whether he views it as human or not.), which is understandable given his experiences. Fitz was the first person to show Daisy acceptance after terrigenesis, even if he was mistaken to hide it. I didn't realize it the time season 2 aired, but I get a similar aphasia during migraines (it's actually the first and last symptom when it happens). Seeing any appearance by the Doctor makes me feel sick to my stomach because I know how frightened and sick Fitz feels to have that as a part of himself. Fitz loves with his whole heart and he is always driven to do what he believes is the right thing, which is unfortunately what made the Doctor such a formidable villian. He also is always willing to give second chances but not third. He was the first person to joke around with Daisy after the Miles fiasco: he forgave Mack and Bobbi for the real Shield thing; he accepted Daisy back into the fold in seasons 2 & 4 despite how much her abandoning the team felt like betrayal; he formed a father-son relationship with Radcliffe after what he did for Hive; he trusted and befriended Enoch, knowing he kidnapped and sent his closest friends to a freakin future hellscape. Fitz is such a good person. Of course, all my love for Fitz doesn't mean I don't love the rest of Shield's men + Robbie Reyes.

Day 5: Favorite female character: Jemma Anne Simmons. Jemma is a close second for all around favorite (I just don't relate to her as much as Fitz). On a superficial note, Elizabeth Henstridge is so beautiful and hilarious, I have a giant girl crush on her (her smile is dang radiant). I love how they flipped gender stereotypes by making Fitz the emotional one who wears his heart on his sleeve and Jemma the practical one, who shoves her feelings in a box rather than express them. Jemma's cockiness is more real than Fitz's cocky front, too. I wish I had her confidence. Jemma also loves with her whole heart, as much as she has to hide it to function sometimes, and does what she believes is the right thing. She even revealed herself in the future dystopia because she could not stand aside when a stranger was hurt and she knew how to help/save him. Jemma jumped out of the Bus to save her team and jumped at a grenade to help them not thinking she would survive either occasion. She blamed Lash's murdering of inhumans on herself as she has the tendency to hold herself accountable for things that aren't her fault (she shares this trait with both Fitz and Daisy). She doesn't get lost exploring the details within the big picture, which is why she's so good at problem solving. She learned to kickass physically and has always done so mentally. She knows how to let her foes know to fear her. She has the self-awareness to know what traits she needs to work on to complete any mission. She does and would do anything for her team. She's also an incredible leader whether in the field, in the lab, or for the entirety of Shield. She is incredible.

Daisy Johnson is a very close second. And I can't rank May, Bobbi, and Elena. I also have girl crushes on all four of these ladies.

Day 6: Favorite relationship: S3 Shield Team (Coulson, May, Daisy, Fitz, Simmons, Mack, Bobbi, Hunter, Yoyo, Joey, Lincoln and Andrew). OK so I cheated here; we didn't even see everyone be in the same episode. So what? Season 3 had some of the best dynamics from the main team to Daisy's Secret Warriors it's no wonder people love season 3 so much. How can I pick just one? You have Coulson interacting with everyone (except for Joey), Lincoln's fear of May, Her mentorship of him, Fitz and Bobbi, Fitz and Hunter, FITZSIMMONS, Jemma and Andrew, Daisy and Mack, Mack and Huntingbird, MACKELENA, Doug, Fitz meeting his dad Holden Radcliffe, Radcliffe and Hive's "children"...Now I'm getting into characters that weren't on a Shield team. The characters and their relationships with eachother is what this show does best and what makes it such a good and beloved show, not the action or plot twists.

[almondbiscotti]

Stuff I’ve Watched this CB

Sorry, really got a lot. I’ve ranked them from most recommended to least recommended. And separated movies from series. And have included some shows I’m planning to watch! 

Series

Kim’s Convenience S4 I LOVE APPA. Was a bit appalled I didn’t know S4 was out on Netflix because it’s one of my favourite shows on Netflix. It’s REALLY GOOD. So many laugh out loud moments, the characters are WONDERFULLY fleshed out and the chemistry between the actors is through the roof. Story telling is also amazeballs. 10/10 would recommend.

Dirty Money S1&2  10/10 would recommend! I really liked Dirty Money because I learned so so so so much from the show! I do think the producers had no intention of being unbiased and presenting a neutral stance on the “villains” because I wanted to punch every single “villain” every damn episode. If you’re looking for objectivity and “both sides of the story”, I don’t think this show is for you. But that said, everything presented is factual so I did learn a lot. Supplemented with additional reading post show, I felt like a whole new world was opened to me. :) 

Kingdom S1&2  JUST WATCH THIS. IT’S SO DAMN GOOD. 

Only issue I had was how damn ridiculous it was that whenever a horde of zombies were running towards our protagonists, they’d just stand there and do their typical Korean AISSSSSHEEEEBYEFUCK stance for like a full 17342154 minutes while the music and tension builds and the zombie horde comes closer and closer and closer and THEN they finally decide to run. Eh friend, what siah. Also, I concluded from watching Kingdom that if there ever was a Zombie apocalypse, I’m completely and utterly FUCKED. But I live in ridiculously hot Singapore surrounded by water... so I guess I’ll be alright? 9.5/10 

Derry Girls S1-2 Irish Catholic School Girls, I’M SOLD. I mean, come on. How can I not LOVE this show? It’s HILARIOUS. And having spent 10 years in an all girl catholic school, Derry Girls really really resonated with me. The characters are laugh out loud hilarious, and all really likeable! The only issue I had with it is that the characters don’t really grow very much over the course of 2 seasons. So season 1 first episode vs season 2 final episode, it won’t matter even if you watched it backwards.

Because the seasons are very short, only 6 episodes per season and there are only 2 seasons so far, it doesn’t matter very much. For now. But I reckon if they had like 7 seasons, it’s going to get VERY repetitive. But at the moment, ISSA GREAT! 9/10

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency S1 8 Episodes of ABSOLUTE CRACK. It’s based off something Douglas Adams wrote so I wouldn’t expect anything less. Acting isn’t great but the storytelling is riveting. If you enjoy Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (the book), it’s very likely you’d enjoy this. It can get quite frustrating sometimes though because it’s so ridiculous so if you’re looking for a detective series based on solid logic, look somewhere else. But if you just want some fun and silliness mixed with some smart, this is wonderful. 8/10 

Never Have I Ever S1 I had a lot of trouble liking the main character but on retrospect, it might be because the character doesn’t even like herself that much to begin with. Had quite a few laugh out loud moments and the Asian family moments were very relatable.  THE MOTHER. THE MOTHER IS EVERYTHING. She’s my favourite, I would watch an entire series with just her. The main problem with Never Have I Ever (in my opinion) is that it tried to do a lot of things to prove the same point. So it does get a bit frustrating after a while. By the 3rd episode, I’m just like GET ON WITH IT I GET IT. I GET THAT FAMILY IS MOST IMPORTANT, I GET THAT SHE’S NOT GRIEVING HER FATHER. So... it can get a little cliche and repetitive. To me la. But still funny, still good. :)  8/10 

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt S1-4 The opening track really really grows on you. UNBREAKABLE! They’re alive, damn it! IT’S A MIRACLE! Created by Tina Fey, this show is silly and full of fun.

I really liked S1-3. It’s a very light-hearted show that makes you feel really good watching it because it’s just so positive and optimistic. S4 got a bit too ridiculous for me and the characters started doing some really weird shit that is a bit too incredulous (it was never a logical show based too much on reality to begin with but S4 was really a bit much). But if you like shows like The Good Place, I reckon you’d like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. 8/10

The Circle USA Can’t remember why Housemate and I started on this but it was actually not bad! I think it’s because the OG characters were really likeable! JOEY! JOEY IS A PRECIOUS PUPPY THAT NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS. It’s not very intellectual and I was never too invested in any of the characters or relationships. BUT! great if you don’t want to think too much and just watch some mindless TV that isn’t absolute trash. (TOO HOT TO HANDLE I’M LOOKING AT YOU.)  7/10 

Tiger King S1 SIEOW ONE THIS SHOW. It’s an absolute MINDFUCK. I started with many questions, I finished with A BILLION more. I don’t even know how to describe or explain this show. IT’S MADNESS. There are big cats, gay husbands who turn out not to be gay, tiger queen who allegedly killed her husband and fed him to her tigers, crazy dude who tried to pay some other dude 5k (i think? or 3k? seriously it’s crazy) to kill tiger queen, big guns and expired meat and pizzas?!?!! Yah, Mindfuck. CRAZY/10

Cable Girls S1-4  Season 1 and 2 were BEAUTIFUL. The characters have so much depth, the acting is impeccable, the costumes are AMAZING, the cinematography is inspiring, the story telling was riveting. Then season 3 and season 4 happened and... I will pretend the show ended in S2. -_- Character development took a major hit from season 3 onwards. But I would still recommend Cable Girls because the acting, the acting is AMAZING. 10/10 for s1&2. 5/10 for 3&4.

Money Heist S4 Was quite hyped for this and was really quite let down. The beauty of Money Heist has always been structure in chaos, elegance in the mess. S4 was very frustrating because it didn’t have that. I felt like they were trying very hard to make you think the heist team was going to fail and started to fill in weird impossible things to ensure the plot was still able to proceed. Did not enjoy S4 as much as I thought I would. :(  But if you have invested in the previous seasons, you know you’re gonna watch it even if it’s absolute crap anyway. 6/10

The Letter For The King S1 Ep 1&2 Premise was quite interesting, trailer was interesting enough. But DEAR GOD WAS IT SLOW. And also, literally ALL the characters were unlikeable! I don’t understand why anyone would make a show with entirely unlikeable characters. I couldn’t get past the 2nd episode but I went ahead to read a few reviews and recaps. Yeah, was a good idea to stop at episode 2. Would not recommend. 2/10

Movies

Game Night  Rachel McAdams is QUEEN. A really loltastic film. Is a really good post dinner wind down to end the day film. And particularly because I can relate to how competitive our main couple was. :) Some parts don’t add up and there are a few times I think the story becomes a bit too much for itself, trying to layer upon layer of twists, but still a good fun movie! :) 7.5/10 

The Half of It Heartwarming. :) Enjoyed it because i think the main protagonist is very likeable. And she’s so... plain and relatable. I hate to say this though but... I found the whole movie quite forgettable. Like, it didn’t feel very deep to me though it did touch on quite a few intense and deep topics of first love, family, self acceptance etc. But it’s just doesn’t reverberate through every cell of my being. The whole movie is just so gentle and because it is so mild, it becomes forgettable. Acting is good, character development is okay I guess. But generally... just mediocre to me. But not bad. I just wished it wasn’t so... light and airy. I wish it made me cry. 7/10

Cabin in the Woods Housemate wanted to watch it because it’s horror-esque. I was okay with it cos it’s horror comedy. And also Chris Hemsworth. :D Was quite loltastic. Though SPOILER ALERT Chris Hemsworth’s character dies a bit too early for my liking. I really liked the over the top inclusion of various different monsters near the end. Was fun trying to identify them. Fun movie! Not very scary but quite a bit of gore that’s peppered with lots of humour to make it okay. 7/10

Extraction LOTS OF CHRIS HEMSWORTH. But plot wise... hmm... Housemate enjoyed it because he said the fight scenes and the things our extractor does are very real and is what a trained professional would do in the high pressure situations he finds himself in. They probably had a great consultant to keep things realistic.  I didn’t enjoy it as much because I felt that our hero was... too powerful and the bad guy was too bad. Almost caricature-ish. Difficult to have character development like that. But hey, I didn’t watch it for depth, I watched it for Chris Hemsworth’s face so... very much satisfied. :) 7/10 

Other Stuff I’m Planning to Watch 

After Life S2 I liked S1 so... just a continuation I guess. Typical English humour. Also, I watched S1 dealing with a death of a friend so the show does have some sentimental meaning for me.

Hollywood S1 New show seems promising! There are blacks, gays, sex, extortion, glitzy costumes, glamour and really blonde blondes. Also the guy who plays Sheldon Cooper in BBT. High hopes, I have high hopes! 

The Victims’ Game DETECTIVE SHOW SOLVING CRIMES. I’M SOLD. 

Whoa fuck, I really watch a lot of Netflix. 

[lazarus-harp]

JoeyxMatt, u say???? (I was looking at that ship chart you just posted, cute art btw, I like how they're all blushing it makes me 🥺 as the kids say) 👀👀👀 that's a new one...no hate just curiosity, what makes you ship them? I know MannyxMatt is a big one (I love that one mostly cuz I love Manny, lol who doesn't) but I guess I've never really thought about JoeyxMatt before

awh thank you so much for the compliment! that really means the world, i whipped it up quickly so im not super proud of it but ... im glad someone is fond of the chart! purposely made them all blush because, ya know, shipping! it made me very 🥺 as well,,, love the s3 cast if that's not obvious so they typically pull at my heart regardless haha. but *claps hands together* thanks so much for this message as well! i'd love to explain away any ships people are curious about! joey x mat isn't common in any sense of the word, so i completely get the confusion. mat x manny is still my favorite detective ship by far ( who doesn't love manny indeed! ) but believe it or not, joey x mat ( or joeypat as i'll call it ) is ... so close to matny for me. i love both ships a lot for different reasons, so let me explain away! everything is placed under read more for convenience purposes~

my first introduction into the pairing itself was on ao3. there's only two fics in the tag and both are very thought provoking in terms of joeypat, so it's easy to find them if you're curious! they're also in my bookmarks. anyway, i read the first fic the moment it came out and remembered being intrigued by the idea of joey and matthew together in a romantic sense - especially in the way it was shown in the context. not necessarily a super healthy thing, but co-dependant with genuine affection sprinkled in there. so i decided to explore it in my own time and see if i could find myself actually shipping it ... which, as you're aware, i totally do. while there's not many scenes exchanged between them in s3, there's subtle hints here and there that hints at a very complex dynamic. the detective is a character everyone views differently due to how much character he has, but in my opinion, i don't think mat ever truly hated joey. he was scared, like anyone else, but he was mostly suspicious. and the only time this hurt/personal turmoil turned into anger was when mat realized he might have to die - something he didn't want. ( personal side note, but i think this conflict also adds to joeypat in a way. gives them more flavor, but that's just how i like my ships tbh )

and so ensues the ep5 fight, where matthew offers up the savant to die on a silver platter and tries to charm everyone into the plan ; all while showing no remorse for a broken down joey. but this doesn't ruin the ship like everyone seems to think? mat has shown the same kind of confused anger towards manny in ep9 and yet matny is fairly popular. because despite that scene, people can tell mat still cares deeply for manny, like manny also cares for him. if that's the case for matny, i don't see why this doesn't hold true for joeypat either. yes, this is one of their first concrete interactions, which doesn't give the fans solid ground to their previous dynamic ; but it's obvious mat was simply looking out for himself. so he took the boiling suspicion and lashed out at the most likely candidate he could get away with, which was joey. ( you could also read the whole scene as matthew being wounded over joey not trusting him, but that's up for debate! just wanted to place this idea in everyone's mind )

despite this, and despite joey's vote for matthew, there's a scene during the ep5 challenge that proves the savant holds the detective so highly. usually when scorned, he's quick to throw someone under the bus and not feel tinges of regret until after their death ... but despite knowing mat 'hates' him, joey says this and expresses distress when it's the final trial :

joey actively encouraging someone who just humiliated him and wished death upon him isn't something he typically does. there's a high chance mat would've won and still tried to kill him in another challenge ; but joey doesn't care. he doesn't want the detective to die here and it shows. i think it's so interesting and it's something you easily miss, but once you catch it, it's so obvious how much joey admires, respects, and cares for matthew. enough so to even take the other's attacks as long as it meant mat was still around.

the death of mat affects joey so much he's willing to revive him despite, again, not knowing if the other will come back angry at him or not. a rare selfless act for him, if you will. he just wants him back and chooses to do anything to achieve that. resulting in understanding on mat's part and devotion from joey's ; which shapes their relationship throughout the rest of the show. before this, it felt like the savant's feelings were ... unrequited at best. but when mat returns he hugs joey even if joey didn't expect it and they have this newfound understanding. i think my favorite part for this ship ( and a main reason for why i like it ) is that they both are intimately aquatinted with death, in a way nobody else is. they're the only two who understand it, and that creates this level of relationship no other ship in s3 can reach unless you purposely revive someone else. i think it's neat to explore ; the two of them stumbling through newfound life and cold bodies, smelling of cooper and feeling half empty. joey's fiercely protective of matthew after his revival and while mat doesn't openly cling to him in turn, you see he appreciates it. retreats back into it when feeling threatened. showing some level of trust and need on matthew's part.

( which in it's own merit is intriguing. matthew is pretty bold in most of his affections, but for joey it's this subtle thing. i quite like that as well, it's fun to explore )

some good joeypat moments in the show :

after his revival, it's no doubt that joey becomes a source of comfort for matthew. the savant takes time to constantly show humanity to the other no matter the situation, and it's so clear joey is infatuated with mat to some degree ( like half the characters in s3 are, let's be honest ). but ahem, that's mostly all the canon moments they have - yet that doesn't stop people from doing what's done best ... elaborating on the ship themselves! not every etn ship needs lots of canon moments to be achingly tender or good, ya know?

i think this ship hits for me because of how their relationship turns out. mat never hated joey, but joey thought he did. then mat dies after they argue and there's no resolution which leaves the savant destroyed ... and when he gets the chance, he doesn't hesitate to greedily take the detective back for the group and for himself. matthew proves to joey he never hated him per se, and they carry on in this little dance of relying on each other even if it goes unseen. the thing about matny is that from a canon perspective, they don't get the chance to thrive, tbh? mat is suddenly in the place of joey and says things he regrets but manny is dead and gone for good before mat can fix things, or do more with their bond. joeypat gets the chance to grow together, however, seeing as they both survive. they have to handle the aftermath with the same burdens and they're the ones stuck with this budding tension they get to mess with. it's genuinely a little sad this ship isn't touched upon more given the abundance of potential they have? the fandom thinks matthew hates joey after s3 or after s4 but i don't think the detective could hate joey if he tried. he knows that selfish desire within the savant because he has it himself ; has experienced death himself. joey is almost like looking into a distorted mirror for him and i think that's why he's so all over the place when it comes to the savant. loving someone in the world of etn is never easy, after all.

basically! i ship it for a lot of reasons. the death aspect, the fact joey respects the detective more than he's ever shown before with another, and their development. in my new fic, jmn, i hope to expand the joeypat audience a tad with some good ol slow burn - just like i had done with crimewave. it deserves some backing and there's so much creative freedom with it! two men drowned in guilt and reeking of death, desperately clinging to threads and forever stuck together. a tension crackling between them as well as this deep rooted comfort they can't find anywhere else. it's infatuation and borderline co-dependant at it's finest, but isn't every etn ship that way in some capacity? it's just ... interesting. i truly think joey's happy ending lies with the detective and vice versa. matny is still my favorite ship, that's true, but joeypat is right up there beside it.

hope this helped explain it! my shipping thoughts are always so abstract sometimes and i do better explaining it one on one but maybe this was good nonetheless? thanks for showing interest and leaving me this ask <3 they always mean the world