#tbh each of them have probably said it about Carla at some point

[lukolabrainrot]

I have a few thoughts on the Spain trip and the timing of Luke’s post the day after A posted the story.

I want to focus on the slide with the two people on the beach. I do not believe that this picture is of two random people on the beach. He could have easily panned the camera to the left or right or even cropped these people out of the picture. I think he was deliberate in leaving those people in the picture because he is laying crumbs for the fans. I think the picture is of him and NC. If you look at her picture with a fan after she returned from Malta, her face is tanned looking like she was on a sunny vacation. I know Malta is sunny but she was there for work and I heard most of that work was in a studio. She did go on a boat tour with JD (rumored) but they were in a covered area of the boat. Is there a possibility that she joined L in Spain for a few days after she completed filming MFT? I also believe the trip was recent and I do not put too much thought into his hair length because they may be changing the style for S4 and it does not need to be as long.

The other theory I have is regarding A’s post on her insta story the day before to make it look she was with him. I think there was some manipulation on the picture to make it look she was there hence the flashing to distract. She may have known about this promotional deal with the hotel from earlier but she was not there. What if L with the aid of N set a trap for her and she fell for it by telling her when he was going to post? He let her have her moment to try to deceive the fandom and then he came in with his post debunking that she was there. Most of his postings seem NC or Bton coded and was set up to make it appear he was there by himself. I believe he was there by himself at some parts but a certain blonde may have joined him for a part of the stay. She guided him on what pictures he should take including that white t-shirt which to me is reminder of the Shameless t-shirt she was wearing.

In closing I think L is learning how to play this SM game from L and I believe they are strategizing on getting him through this rough patch. We probably will not see a confirmation of their relationship until later this year. We possibly could get a hard launch at the Wicked premiere in November which puts some distance between them the chaotic summer.

One more thing regarding L’s like on A’s post and him still following her. I do not believe they are still together and him liking her pictures is probably some sort of deal they have which allows him to gradually distance from her without additional chaos. She has demonstrated that she is as cunning as a fox and is messy. I have noticed a pattern on likes from members of his family on the last 3 post to her grid. The last upload his mother liked the photos but then it was unliked after a few days. His aunt and his friend Carla have also liked the bobble head pose post but then they unliked it. I believe L probably brought them up to speed. She is also vigorously looking for modeling and dance gigs based on who she follows and unfollows.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Hi Anon, I'm intrigued by your theories. I'll respond with a bullet point to each paragraph:

I don't think the couple is of him and N personally. The woman seems wayyyy too tall to be N 😅 Lukey Newts is great at a lot of things, SM and pics are not one of them LOL I think it's just a random couple tbh. N did have a little bit of a sunburn in Malta, so idk if the fan pics really prove she was in Spain with him.

HOWEVER, I flip flop between if either A or N were actually on this trip with him, but I will say this. 1) L was quick to clear up the rumors that were circulating about his post in his stories (which is new behavior for him). He said look, N and I are good. Also, look at all this stuff for one person. NO, A WAS NOT WITH ME. I think whatever SM agreement he and A have includes him letting her know when he is going to post something on his grid or stories. So I think he knew she was going to do her normal SM games, and he wanted to be the one to have the last word. 2) The pics of him in his post-- HE IS LOOKING GOOD. So I do think someone took some of those photos of him (and we know who takes great photos of him 😉). This (and the fact that he just looked glowy and happy) is the only thing that makes me think maybeeeee N did join him for a little bit on the trip. But I do agree that it seems like his post and stories had a lot of nods to N and/or Bridgerton Season 3, and I think he was getting pointers from N regardless if she was there or not. Hmmm, I wonder why that might be? 🤔😂

"I think L is learning how to play this SM game from N and I believe they are strategizing on getting him through this rough patch." I 100% agree with this! I think IF L/N are currently together, we are going to get a confirmation before the Wicked premiere. Mainly because of the fact that the paps are so far up their butts, and the wilding that is happening in some parts of the fandom. I think they would rather control the narrative and squash the wild speculation atp. HOWEVER, who knows?? I really don't have a great prediction on WHEN they will go public. I personally think it will be sooner than later, but I think it's kind of just a wait and see game atp.

I agree with everything in the last paragraph. No notes!

[is-it-mungojerry-or-rumpelteazer]

The realization that other people took things from the LOTR films that i didn't was quite surprising! Here's some of my Gimli thoughts.

I have seen a couple of people criticize the fact that Gimli is used as comic relief and . . . i never got that? To me Film Gimli is loud and boisterous and has a strong sense of humor and very little filter. He's a powerful warrior and a loyal friend. One of the things i love about the LOTR films is not just showing Legolas and Gimli come to respect each other as warriors but to enjoy each other's different senses of humor. Legolas in the film has a rather understated and dry sense of humor that is delightfully scathing at times. Gimli is a very funny character in the films and has a lot of comedic moments but, at least in the Extended Editions, he's a very well rounded character overall in my opinion. Tho i can understand why people would be critical of how he's portrayed. If need be i will proudly declare myself a Film Gimli Stan, tbh.

The thing about Arwen being connected to the ring . . . i never picked up on that? Is it some symbolism i didn't pick up on or interpreted differently? @roxycake I would love if you could expand on this a bit more! I am very curious!

This ask is already very long so I'll leave this here for now. But i have so many other thoughts I'd love to share if you're willing to listen?

Thank you so much for adding to this conversation! I would definitely be willing to listen to more opinions from you. I appreciate you and your taste a lot, and as I said, it's people disagreeing with us that makes us grow. So feel free to add more stuff!

I don't know much about the Arwen situation, so I will let Roxy get this one.

As for Gimli, again it's not one of my strong points, most of the information I have about this character in the movies comes from @carlandrea. So if you want to butt in, carla, (politely and civilly, of course), I will be listening in and learning from your discussion.

As for me, my point was less that Gimli was a bad character, and more that it was a bad adaptation. You say that "Film Gimli is loud and boisterous and has a strong sense of humor and very little filter", and my answer is, that sounds like a great character. But does that remind you of Book Gimli at all? For me, at least, Book Gimli is prideful, dignified, well-spoken, and kind of quiet. He does put his foot in his mouth sometimes, but it's usually when someone offends something he's very fond of, like his friends, or his beloved Galadriel. Apart from Aragorn, he's probably the best in the Company with his words.

In my probably not super based opinion, the treatment of Gimli and Legolas in the LotR movies... kind of reminds me more of D&D than Tolkien? Legolas is understated and dry, and Gimli is loud and has very little filter. Elegant, classy and a little uptight elves and loud, boisterous, Scottish dwarves are a staple of D&D. And they are fun! They give you great character dynamics, and I've played them all. And they look like they did a good job with them in the movies. But... they're not Legolas and Gimli. Not the book versions of them, at least. Can you imagine movie!Legolas going "I will go find the sun/she didn't want to come" or movie!Gimli stunning Celeborn to silence by being more elegant and polite than anyone expected a dwarf to be?

[himbo-buckley]

Intimacy, Sex and Buddie (better known as I have a lot of feelings about this show, some of which are related to the before mentioned topics) - Part 2

G’day friends, family and lost travelers! Welcome back to another instance of: I read too much into things!

This is where we really dive into the Character analysis and it’s gonna be a fun ride!!! (well, maybe. For me at least because thanks to 3.16 I am living! That episode validated me so much and now I truly believe I am right)

This is part two of a three part Meta / Character Analysis, and while you probably don’t need to read part 1, I would recommend it, so here is the link:

part 1

Also:

I should preface this by saying this meta was supposed to be a lot shorter and only talk about how both Buck and Eddie use sex to distract their respective partners from whatever topic they actually wanted to talk about but since I decided to rewatch the show to make sure I don’t miss any such scenes, it has exploded a bit and taken on more topics.

I should also mention that I am a Buddie shipper and while I tried, you will find several references and arguments for the ship in this Meta, not all of which necessarily call for a romantic pairing but just: These two are deeply connected and you cannot look at one without discussing the other and they are each other’s strongest emotional connection.

I should also preface this by saying that the whole of the 118 has some obvious intimacy / commitment issues except Bobby (which is sort of surprising) but *John Mulaney* voice we don’t have time to unpack all of that!

On another note I cuss a little in this Meta because my parents let me listen to TicTacToe as a small child and after that it never stuck that cussing is wrong so, uhm, parental supervision is advised or something?

This Meta will so far have three parts (this is part two), one for each season and is organised by episode so you could technically follow along

So here goes nothing, Season 2: (Also called „Why is Ryan naked so much?“)

Episode 2.01:

I’m not gonna talk a lot about this episode, because I feel like it’s been analysed to death already. Important to know is that Buck hasn’t yet given up on Abby coming back (see the shower scene), he is very lonely and there is a lot of homo- erotic tension.

Basically this episode goes like this:

Buck *after meeting Eddie*: nooooo, Dad, I don’t want a brother! He’s better than me! Put him back where he came from!

Eddie *takes one look at Buck*: Ui, you guys lied, he’s an ass - I like it! This is way better! We’re gonna be friends!

And then Buddie decides to something stupid to prove themselves (to each other) and they end up saving the day and bonding.

Also Eddie saying: „You guys hungry?“ after the Ambulance blows up? Iconic! He is such a little shit.

Episode 2.02 / 2.03:

(I’m putting them together because two-parter)

This episodes truly proves how hard they’ve already bonded, despite Buck not even knowing Eddie has a kid yet, especially from Eddie’s point of view: I actually think he started seeing Buck as his partner first. 

I love how he always takes charge, even in his first episode and expects Buck to go along with it - which Buck does (after some initial reluctance), because Buck is good at following orders and trusts Eddie. It might be an army thing, probably is an Eddie likes control thing. What is truly unique about Buddie, is the fact that Eddie defers to Buck’s judgement as needed, something he doesn’t do with anyone else, I think, unless the chain of command tells him to. Just look at how annoyed he is by Ali and her interfering.

That being said it really isn’t all to relevant for this meta, except to say: Interest- ing how fast they trusted each other and became a unit - I guess it’s true what they say: birds of a feather flock together.

Episode 2.04:

Here we get our first real insights into Eddie’s character (aside from that he is a little shit and likes to take charge) as well as some very nice shots of the man’s body, proving my theory that someone in charge really wants to get busy with Ryan Guzman. Which I am not exactly complaining about.

I do think however it’s a very noticable shift from the way they treat the other young, attractive guy in the cast. I talked about this a little in the first part of this Meta, how they went out of their way to hold Buck accountable and make him relatable, but refused to bank on his sex appeal, aside from a few scenes which mostly were about explaining why Abby reached out to him (and uh, we do not need to talk about how creepy that really was, do we?). Eddie though really gets sexualised from the get go. Or maybe that’s just me and I missed something? (Someone with more insight on such topics take the wheel? Because that really isn’t my area of expertice and I don’t wanna say anything false)

A main difference between Buck and Eddie at this point (or in general) is that Buck is always looking for connection. He craves emotional intimacy but it scares him because he cares too much and people keep leaving so he searches out physical intimacy - or he used to. Actually by Season 2 Buck is actively looking to connect emotionally with another person.

Eddie on the other hand isn’t even on the same level as Pilot!Buck, because he avoids both physical and emotional intimacy (except with Buck because, you know, steam engine). The episode implies that it might be caused by Shannon leaving, but the rest of Season 2 and specifically Season 3 show us that it’s an Eddie thing (likely caused by his upbringing if you fast forward to 3.15). And it really makes me want to know how Shannon and Eddie met and how long they had been dating before she got pregnant. Probably not that long tbh.

One thing to notice about the episode is that it parallels Eddie both with Buck (neither wants to date one of those girls, both deflect about their reasons) and with Abby - watch 1.03 and 2.04 back to back, both are about a character taking care of a special needs family member, both have another family member consider them stuck when they themselves do not and both feature Buck trying to help (passively by talking to Abby on the phone vs. actively by having Eddie and Carla meet)

Also as I pointed out in another post the conversation about dating is kind of similar to the car conversation, and I really am clowning now - which is why I will not try and parallel the conversation between Maddie and Buck with the one between Bobby and Buck in 1.09!

I still don’t fully understand the need for that scene (you know which one) aside from being another instance where the boys get sexualised and giving us our first insight into Eddie romantically and also the first time he uses Christopher as a shield (also not the last).

The general take away from the episode is that Eddie is bad at asking for help and Buck is bad at asking for permission which means they fit really well - because Eddie doesn’t have to voice his needs and Buck doesn’t have to feel bad about steamrolling him.

In terms of the overall theme of this meta your main takeaway from this episode should be:

Buck - no longer substituting physical intimacy for emotional intimacy but also not seeking out emotional intimacy, both because he has a connection through Maddie and is building one with Eddie but also because he still considers himself spoken for, though the episode ends with him realicing he might not be (and then he keeps realising, because he is one stubborn mf).

Eddie - avoiding both physical and emotional intimacy and using Christopher to deflect, mainly because he doesn’t have the time for either (but still getting a connection through Buck, thanks to someone just punching right through his boundaries)

Episode 2.05:

no relevance, our boys are barely in it

Episode 2.06:

Well, if you want to write about Buddie crumbs than yeah, definitely important. Also, you can draw a definite parallel between Abby and Taylor, because Buck knew both their voices before he saw their faces and built an emotional connection to those voices. This fits because, well, Buck is afraid of emotional intimacy, but when it’s just a voice it’s easier for him to let himself be vulnerable cause it’s not an actual person.

Plus, considering the thing with Taylor is one sided prior to their meeting, he isn’t actually cheating on Abby. Or so Buck thinks. (Also Taylor doesn’t have a chance to hurt Buck and leave him because you know, she is not aware he exists?)

Also Eddie talks about becoming a firefighter because he missed the camaraderie of the army - aka the emotional connection he had with his squadron (is that the right term?). So technically he did actively try and seek it out - to a point at least. Because, as I will discuss in Part 3, Eddie may consider the 118 his family but his relationship with the other three firefighters in not on the same level than the one he has with Buck.

Episode 2.07:

Let’s all give a warm welcome to Shannon Diaz! I like Shannon, I think she is great (I also think she and Eddie are similar because they both run away from problems which is why they would never work out - unlike another possible relationship mentioned sporadically in this Meta, hint hint ;) ... okay, moving on)

We learn that „not in the picture“ means Eddie is still married, which begs the question how much Eddie has told Carla and the 118 about Shannon up to this point (as little as possible), what they assume about her (probably the worst) and if Eddie ever sets the record straight (I’m assuming yes, because while Eddie doesn’t share - Eddie is also protective of his family and Shannon is his family for better or worse - I really wish they didn’t kill her off and instead played out the divorce storyline because there was so much chance for growth! Although that was probably too similar to Athena and Michael, which is why they didn’t do it. So they fridged her. Damn, and I am still salty about it.)

I really love when she comes to the house, because we learn so much about them as a couple. Like how her eyes grow warm when he opens the door but Eddie’s don’t but then he goes in to hug her (and you can really tell that Ryan Guzman is an athlete in the way that he always acts with his whole body and conveys so much through movement). And the fact that Shannon immediately pushes to meet Christopher (probably because with Eddie you need to push, because he is very stubborn and also in need of control), and her saying she never thought Eddie would be into something so fancy? Yet another insight into Eddie’s character and into his upbringing, which while probably not poor seems to have been fairly modest.

Also love how they fight almost right from the get go, implying that it is their normal (as proven in 3.15). They really never stood a chance!

There is a lot of backstory we get through their fighting, both at the house and at the school, most notably that even in marriage Eddie was never able to fully open up to Shannon - aka be emotionally intimate with her. Which made her feel very alone.

And I don’t wanna defend Shannon and her actions because other people have said it before and this is not what this Meta is about but I can see her point of view. With Eddie and the way he just always needs to be in control and make the decisions she probably thought she had to do something drastic to get him to notice her and her struggles.

Interestingly enough Eddie is emotionally vulnerable with Shannon at the end when he tells her that he understands why she left and that he misses her, but then he immediately kisses her and look, we don’t know what happens next  but we can guess from the latter episodes.

And look, tbh with Eddie it’s a little bit harder to draw the line between physical and emotional intimacy than with Buck because Eddie’s love language is touch and actions, so technically in a way he is always emotionally intimate when he is physically intimate (probably why he didn’t wanna go out with any of the girls in 2.04 - Eddie, different to Buck, can not just separate feelings from sex, while Buck has a hard time reconciling the two)

On Buck’s side of this Meta he finally comes to terms with Abby leaving, which doesn’t have too much relevance for this meta except there are a lot of parallels between Buddie in terms of: how long is too long to wait - because while Eddie pretends to have given up on Shannon, he actually hasn’t, whereas Buck outwardly is still waiting for Abby but on the inside has given up hope - something they both come to terms with in this episode

Episode 2.08:

Fun fact: The german title of this Episode is Lovestorys. Can you guess if there is anything of relevance in it?

Okay, first off for the millionth time, in case you haven’t read part 1 or you aren’t convinced yet or maybe you just forgot: Evan „Buck“ Buckley was never a sex addict. Kay? Good.

Also, remember when I said the show doesn’t sexualise Oliver the way it does Ryan? Yeah, this episode exactly. Buck has sex twice and we see less of his body than of Eddie just getting out of bed. Is it a contract thing? Was Ryan always running around naked on set? Did Oliver refuse to take his shirt off? Is he always cold because he’s vegan? Should I figure out Twitter just to ask the cast these questions?

(Also, remember when I said with Buck it’s mostly Girl on top, yay, it stays true)

In terms of actual relevant story, there’s that woman on the freeway (highway? Idk guys, I’m not from the US) reinforcing that Buck has finally accepted that Abby and him are over and then there’s the Taylor Kenny - story, which is sort of just beating the bush of sexual vs emotional intimacy with Buck trying for the latter and only finding the former (remember the Brunette from the Pilot? Yeah, that’s why I’m reminding you).

What I like is the fact that, after spending so much time calling out Buck 1.0 (and they should, because stealing a fire truck? Twice? Babe, for realsies?), this episode went: look, maybe girls like meaningless sex, too? Although, technically they have been telling us from the the beginning, that those girl were using Buck in the same way he was using them (again with the Brunette) - Buck just never understood that until Taylor.

We also get the soulmate scene with the very sweet couple, once again, rein- forcing how lonely Buck is and how much he is craving love and a connection and stability. That really is what his character boils down to at the end of the day: a lost kid trying to find his place in the world. And now I’m sad.

As for the Ali storyline, oh man, I’d really rather ignore it? Not because I have anything against the character per sey it’s just - we get to see their first meeting and then 5 episodes later their first date and by the end of the season they are in love love except by Season 3 she is gone? And in between she is hardly ever mentioned? So I really don’t know how to comment on their relationship in terms of this meta and what it means for Buck except: I think it was one of those right times right moment kind of things and Buck is sort of transfering a lot of his wishes and needs and feelings onto her, but their relationship has a weak foundation, which is why it ended so fast (except we don’t know how fast it ended because there is a 5 month gap between Season 2 and 3 and the breakup gets mentioned one (1) time. Soooooo...)

And Eddie, well, he was in the episode.

Episode 2.09:

I like this episode a lot and it tells us so much about Hen’s issues, but in terms of this meta: no relevance!

Sidenote: I do always forget they did Hen before they did Chim. Then again this episode in general feels very disconnected because there was no prompting, no connection to the present.

Episode 2.10:

Ah, yes, that one! The gift that keeps on giving in terms of Eddie and this meta (and also Buddie, but I’m trying not to be ship-y around here)

(One tiny sidenote though, I do think we see Eddie roll of off Shannon, and, while I don’t want to reinforce some stereotype about Top and Bottom, because I am not a gay man and therefore not qualified to comment, with Buck it’s generally girl on top? So Buck usually lets his partner set the pace while Eddie prefers to be the one in control? Okay, you know what, let’s just say it fits with their characters and maybe they match and leave it at that?)

(also, again with the Ryan shirtless, I mean, not that I am complaining, it’s just ... yeah, please, someone who knows this stuff come talk to me about it and explain because I don’t know and maybe I am seeing things?)

(sidenote #3 with actual relevance: They did not mention Buck’s girlfriend even once. They never do until the final.)

First of, this episode proofs what I said before: With Eddie there is no separating Sex and feelings. It is interconnected („We are working things out.“).

Also there is a point to be made about Eddie and control. So far we have always seen Eddie be the one in control and make decisions and this is our first real indicator that it actually bothers him, that maybe he wants someone else to tell him what’s right or wrong, too.

I’m gonna fast forward a bit, because we are nearly at the end of Season 3 irl and so far we have seen Eddie ask for help several times but only with two people - Buck and Lena - he actually takes the advice. I don’t want to say too much because it really fits better in Season 3, but wether you ship them or not, it is noticeable that out of everyone Buck is the one Eddie let’s help the most. The one he trusts the most.

(Man, they are both just two lost boys looking for their home, aren’t they? (and now I am sad again.))

There is also the topic of trust brought up, which you know, we hear about a few times from Eddie, and it really is such a big thing for him, isn’t it?

To fast forward again, that is one big difference between Eddie and Buck. Both struggle with self worth and trust but while Buck’s biggest problem is that he doesn’t trust people to like him, if they actually get to know him (or if they even want to get to know him), Eddie just plain old does not trust people? Because Eddie is a pessimist, so he doesn’t even try to connect, while Buckeroo trusts way too much and too easily and he is such an optimist and gives away everything and then he still isn’t enough - and then and only then does he give up hope (which is something we see happen in canon maybe twice? With Abby, maybe with Ali, and with Christopher, but again, Season 3 you guys!)

These two really are the different sides of the same coin, huh?

In relevance to this Meta, Eddie is trying very much this whole episode to be open and vulnerable and he struggles so much because he is very scared. The main issue with Eddie is always (and specifically with Shannon) by making himself vulnerable, he opens Christopher up to getting hurt as well (and vice versa because he can’t let Shannon into his son’s life without letting her into his own life) and this is what we see him struggle with in this episode and also what intensifies his already existing issues with intimacy throughout the show in general, his need to protect his son. 

It should be noted that in the end Eddie puts Christopher’s wishes above his own well-being which is in fact what he will always do because Christopher is the most important person in his life.

As for Buck in this episode, well, after having so much development in his last episode, he really was there more as a sounding board for other characters. However I will mention that, after the show points out the whole thing is none of his business twice, Eddie then turns around and makes the Shannon thing Buck’s business, because well, connected and all that. Trusting and giving up control. Emotional intimacy. Just repeating myself now.

Episode 2.11: No relevance.

Episode 2.12: No relevance.

Episode 2.13: No real relevance.

There is the scene in the hospital between Buck and Eddie that reinforces the peas in a pot thing they got going on and a reverse from the Christmas Episode when Eddie asked Buck about what he should do. Here Eddie acts as the sounding board (even though Buck has already done the thing but then so has Eddie by hiding Shannon).

This is also yet another instance of Buck trying to help another person with no regard for his own safety but I’m with Eddie here: I have sisters as well. I too would do countless stupid things to save them with no regard to my own safety and I’m a girl - I was not raised on the believe that is was my job to protect them from harm like both Buck and Eddie probably were (because gender rolls).

Also Buck thinks it’s his fault that Doug even found Maddie and Eddie explains to him why its bull. To reinforce the whole connection thing, it is very noticeable that these two always give each other exactly what the other needs - with Eddie from the get go always working on building up Buck’s self worth and Buck always lending a hand to Eddie and taking control when needed (remember Carla? That was Buck taking control for Eddie because Eddie didn’t know what to do).

There is also the short scene when Shannon comes to the hospital and it prob- ably did a lot to help rebuild Eddies trust in his wife.

Episode 2.14:

STOP MAKING EVAN BUCKLEY WORRY ABOUT HIS FAMILY 2k21 (because it’s too late for anything before that)

It’s also our first real: Eddie can be a dumbass, too sighting and there is that one scene (you know which one) which in text is not shippy at all, but ended up in every gifset because Oliver is looking at Ryan like he wants to eat him alive.

Aside from that, this episode really isn’t about them and that’s okay.

Episode 2.15: Crime is hard. That is all.

Episode 2.16: No relevance.

Episode 2.17:

First of all, Eddie is not shirtless? At the beach? Damn, what’s wrong, 911? Is it because Gavin was there? Have you used up all your contracted shirtless scenes by now? Did Ryan find out he was the only one running around set half naked?

Also poor Eddie, you know, you’d think getting married your done having those: what are we - conversations and then bam: there it is again. He really can’t catch a break, can he?

Also I know it’s been said before, but I’ll say it again: Eddie Diaz is not in love with Shannon. Maybe he has never been or maybe he just stopped at some point, but right then and there he isn’t in love with her. He does however love her deeply (she is after all the mother of his son) and she is his family which is sort of where the problem in their relationship lies. Because Eddie, who has problems with trust and intimacy, frankly doesn’t care enough about Shannon (and also doesn’t trust her enough) to try and be open and vulnerable with her, which is what he needs to be in order for them to work, a fact that Shannon seems to be aware of and have accepted.

(Because if you have to wait for a sign on what to do in your relationship, yeah, you already know - you’re just not accepting it.)

And this episode is so heartbreaking and I just had to stop myself from ugly crying because Shannon loves Christopher so very much. And I just hate that they killed her off, so in my mind I have already half plotted a fix it fic in which she survives because that was just unnecessary angst.

Though that’s the topic of another post.

In terms of the relationship-story I am similarly floored as I am by the „Help!“ scene because (at least for me) this is the first time I have seen media really address that yes, you can be a good parent and still not be ready for a serious relationship because those two things are very different. Sure, you sometimes see examples of it through subtext but never before has it been so outright stated.

And I like that both Shannon and Eddie ask themselves that question, but come to a different conclusion - or actually they don’t. Like I said above, for Eddie this relationship fits because it’s easy and he doesn’t have to change or better adapt. He can just keep avoiding the hard stuff (being vulnerable) and still have the good stuff (sex). And then Shannon might be pregnant again and look at his speech at the restaurant: He is basically saying our child is awesome, so we should get back together because if we make such awesome children than we can’t be that bad together. And that is so very wrong, which Shannon understands.

The problem is, that Eddie doesn’t fully understand why their marriage hasn’t worked in the first place. If you tie it into 3.15 Eddie Begins, I think for Eddie, the reason why Shannon left him was a little to get back at him for leaving her and a lot about feeling left alone and being unable to cope with raising their child alone, but all of that is gonna be different now because he will be there for her physically and emotionally as he is no longer in the army! So the issue is solved. They should be a family again. Even without a new kid. After all: they love each other.

And look, those are all fair reasons and true but the thing Eddie doesn’t understand about relationships in general and his marriage to Shannon in particular is that she also needs him to be emotionally vulnerable with her. Shannon needs Eddie to let her be there for him, just like he is trying to be there for her. Because relationships are always a two way street.

SO obviously this is where the episode ended. There were no more scenes af- ter that. Nope. Bit weird how it was so short but you do you, 911, you do you!

And well, Buck was there too.

Episode 2.18:

I’m just gonna come out and say it: Ramon and Helena are bad parents. Flying to your daughter-in-law’s funeral only to bad mouth her and then try to take your son’s son away again? Yeah, I do not like your style. I wonder how much of Eddie Begins was already planned at this point or if they built that plot about his family for 3.15 based on this episode. Huh. We might never know. (except Twitter)

Also me thinks Eddie choose LA because of Pepa and Abuela, not because of Shannon. She was probably just a bonus.

As for Buck (and Ali): the actors seem to have had fun doing those scenes? I guess? Other than that it’s a little cringy and very out of nowhere and probably more caused by the show having money left over and deciding to built a new set. ANd damn what a set. I wonder how Buck is supposed to be able to afford that because that apartment has probably about 50-75m2 considering there is a kitchen and a living room as well as a room behind the living room and probably an extra room in the upper floor as well (someone do a floorplan and also tell me why Buck needs so much space and wether they think I could move in with him. My apartment is not this nice and LA isn’t that long a commute).

Point being I don’t know why they brought Ali back in the first place, especially in this episode. She was never mentioned after their first date, so why? Just to give people something to discuss during hiatus?

There was no point to have those two incredibly lovey dovey scenes only to have that scenes about what he wants to do next because all those scenes? Would have worked just fine with, you know, his sister (except a little different because incest). Who actually has the what if you can’t go back to being a firefighter - scene with him. So why have a girlfriend you barely introduced and never used before? I’m not mad, 911, just confused! (Fuck me, I really am getting twitter)

As for the topic of this meta, there really isn’t much too tell. Ali honestly doesn’t figure into things except to create more abandonment issues.

I should point out that this episode reinforced the whole Buddie connection thing - from Eddie holding Buck’s hand the whole while he’s pinned to saying „Almost (back to normal)“ to Buck going to Eddie’s ceremony despite probably still being on somewhat of a bed rest.

Other than that, that’s it for Season 2. Whew!

Before I let ya’ll off the hook, though (look, you’ve read it this far, you can now just bear it a bit longer) I wanna comment real quick:

Compared to Season 1 Buck barely had any character development (mainly because he had so much in Season 1 and sometimes stuff like that needs to settle - real life would be the same way)

Eddie however has nearly no development at all and in fact as of Season 3, not a lot has changed in that regard. His issues just became more obvious. Which is something I actually like a lot, because one: he went through a lot of shit in a fairly short amount of time and two: he is such a stubborn and reserved character, anything else wouldn’t be in character and ultimately feel rushed. Plus, because this is his personality it’s feels like we’re actually getting to know him like you would a person in real life? Piece by piece, no unnecessary exposition. Or maybe that’s just me, I don’t really know anything about storytelling.

I also want to comment on Buddie real quick because it would be dishonest if I didn’t and also it’s just glaring me in the face:

The thing is, while I do not necessarily believe they have any intention of making them romantic (because I have been burned too often and just recently by a show that liked to praise itself for its diversity (so a heartfelt fuck you to Sera Gamble and who ever decided to kill off Quentin Coldwater, because that character mattered so much and you destroyed it)), I do think we are right when we talk about connection and parallels and being each others person and just generally being each others closest relationship. Because they parallel their stories so much and they connect them so often and they did do it from the get go like as early as Episode 4 - which was already written and probably already shot by the time Episode 1 aired. So there. I said it. Buddie is real, wether it’s platonic or romantic, it is real. And that also matters!

(although of course if they went with romantic? That would matter a bit more! Tim Minear, listen to me, you could make TV history! This would be bigger than Supergirl making the sister gay in the second season! Ya’ll would be legends, revered by fans for years to come! Also I’d bake you a cake?)

And there you have it! Season 2! We made it! And only like 2000 words more than Season 1.

Can you believe at this point I have written nearly 10.000 words on these two exceptional characters and their issues? And it’s technically only one issue, like I’m ignoring so much stuff just glaring at me right now!

(also on a side note, this is where I tag @angelcamael , who asked me to do so and @greyhello because she inspired me to write this meta in the first place and while it is now ... no longer about that original topic, I’m still gonna tag her)

[hopevalley]

5.5 My Heart Is Yours (Thoughts, Part IV)

This is the final post, I promise!! Here is your navigation:

PART I -- 1.) The Frank Mess & 2.)The Adventures of Bill & Uh...Bill!

PART II -- 3.) Jack & Elizabeth & 4.) The Burned Church & 5.) Thatcher-Thornton Relationships

PART III --  6.) Community & Teamwork + More Relationships & 7.) The Wedding

PART IV -- 8.) The Reception & 9.) Wrap-Up Thoughts

We left off as the wedding party exited the church. That means it’s time for:

8.) The Reception

The saloon is decorated nicely. Fresh pretty linens on the tables. More flowers. Flower petals on the floor, candles burning on each table... Hey, one time I was at a reception and the tealight got so hard it shattered the glass it was in. Fun times. You’d think after the church fire they’d be cheap with the candles, but no. Of course not. Nobody on this show ever learns anything. Because crises don’t actually affect anyone.

Anyway, overall, it looks nice.

Elizabeth puts credit where it’s due: the dress, which all the women, including Florence, worked hard on. I like that their hard work gets an acknowledgment after-the-fact. 

It’s Congrats Hour! But just to Jack. Hey, wait until you get 304102 people asking you every other day how married life is treating you. Haw, haw. Gets old real fast, bucko.

I thought this was a cute little bit. 

I’m glad they didn’t leave them hanging entirely at the end of their last scene. This was pretty nice. I wish Tom looked a little more thrilled in this screenshot, but I feel pretty confident that he’s happy to be invited.

This is obviously a bit different in terms of, you know, most of the chairs being pushed back already... And the food gone. Most of the weddings I’ve been to, toasts go early, before the food. Then after food, push all the chairs back and dance.

Which reminds me of the lack of cake.

None of it distracts me from the candles on the stairs. You’d think these dopes would have learned their lesson after the church incident, but no.

Very nice. He did keep it short! And it was heartfelt and sweet. A nice toast. No sentimental “I remember when Jack was in training and he was a dork” montage that lasted for five full minutes. Bill isn’t very long-winded, generally speaking, so I wasn’t too worried, but...with this series you can’t ever feel safe.

Now for Abigail’s toast.

Florence: God, take me Home this instant. Clara and Jesse: Yeah a love thAT doESn’T coMe aLonG eVery dAY!!! :3

This was the only sweet part of what she said, tbh. Everything else was too Jack/Elizabeth-centric and it came across as kind of creepy and weird to me. I mean, by all means...make a toast and talk about the sparks flying or whatever, but don’t make it sound like their love story is something special when people fall in love every day.

Sorry, Lori. I know you wrote these yourself, but they were pretty mediocre. Painfully so. I kind of cringed through them. I expected something better than Bill’s toast, but he did a much better job.

Then we get the Father/Daughter dance!!

ADORABLE. SIGN ME UP. I loved this tiny little bit. It was the perfect amount of reliving a memory and sweetness.

They dance all of five steps and this JACKass cuts in (haha...get it?).

No??? YOU MAY NOT??? That’s so rude. You don’t cut in on the father/daughter dance!!!! Mr. Thatcher would be so offended. Elizabeth would be horrified and embarrassed. If this was to show us that Jack doesn’t know anything about anything, it would work, but it’s obviously an attempt to save time by avoiding showing us a longer father/daughter dance. A shame, because the father/daughter mother/son dances are probably my favorite at weddings.

They dance for like, four seconds and then everyone else files onto the floor, which is also very rude lmao like look, I’m not one for traditional etiquette but this is a wedding. Guests dance after the bride and groom get that first dance in, not 7 seconds after they start dancing.

(The kid to the left. His hand peeking out of his jacket. LOL.)

Mr. Thatcher is dancing with Dottie, Lee and Rosemary are dancing, Bill and Florence are dancing. You’d think it’d feel nice but it feels...lacking. 

I blame the fact that there isn’t a toast from Rosemary or Lee. I blame Abigail’s painfully mediocre toast that felt like the rest of this hyperfocused plot. I blame the slightly too gaudy decorations (might have been nice to use those to do up the church instead, and leave the saloon “lacking” in decorations imo) and table settings.

I mean, it was a very rushed scene!

And I think what upsets me the most about it being rushed is that...it didn’t have to be. It shouldn’t have felt that way.

And let’s be real, who didn’t want a little scene of Jack and Elizabeth walking back to Elizabeth’s house with her dress slung over her arm and his suit jacket around her shoulders? I know I did. It could have been so cute, it could have ended on a little kiss where he’s about to carry her over the threshold. A nice soft way to end this that didn’t feel like the writers had to rush through the reception.

But hey, again...I’m not writing this show, so what I think doesn’t matter! ;) Stay tuned for when I actually attempt to rewrite this series, though.

9.) Wrap-Up Thoughts

If you followed along this far, you really deserve something special! Sadly all you’ll get is a thank-you from me. This is the part where I casually air out my grievances about everything I’ve already complained about, but it’s condensed and easy to follow.

Things I liked a lot:

The wedding morning scene with Elizabeth and her father.

Bill going out of his way to make sure Jack got to walk down that aisle. He said last episode that Elizabeth was family so in a way he did this for her, too. I thought it was super sweet.

Jack’s face when Elizabeth tells him what Bill did for him. He just looks so sweetly touched! I love it.

Things I liked:

Frank showing up. FINALLY.

Tom and Jack interacting.

Jack and Lee interacting.

Jack worrying about Bill.

The kids trying to do things right.

Tom and Julie getting some interaction.

Things I hated:

All the scenes that were wastes of time.

The writers giving Bill and Frank extremely OOC lines just to make everything focus on Jack and Elizabeth’s wedding.

Lack of Julie and Elizabeth interaction.

Look, as far as the things I hate go, they have one thing in common, and that’s the fact that they were utterly unnecessary and only served to force everything in this episode to orbit Jack and Elizabeth’s wedding in a way that just feels uncomfortable the more you dare to think about it. 

The whole fitting scene where Jack “almost sees her dress”? Pointless, because its only purpose was to get the dress to the church. The rehearsal scenes? Existed only to set up the children alone at the school rehearsing so that they wouldn’t be supervised and would start a fire. The rescuing-Opal scene? Pointless except to make Jack look like a big hero or something I guess? Ooh, Jack could have died! Sorry, but if Bill hadn’t gone in his stead to escort that prisoner, Jack could have died. That little point was already covered. They should have taken it seriously. The infirmary scene? Its only purpose was to make sure they acknowledged that the kids Did a Bad Thing and have it appropriately forgiven.

We already had a “catastrophe prevents the perfect wedding” event for Lee and Rosemary and it was more interesting and plausible than what we got here. It also felt like a huge deal because 1) Rosemary is so pushy and wants to get her way about literally everything, so 2) the lack of decorations for her wedding and her going through with it anyway meant something for her character development. 

Believe it or not, Hallmark, you don’t have to throw forty anchors overboard to keep this ship from actually sailing. 

It doesn’t help that the church is so messed up afterward that in reality it could never be fixed appropriately on time. I would have loved a cute scene where maybe a window was damaged, the curtains burned on it, the wall was a bit scorched, the floor marked up. The kids could feel they’d ruined everything but half a day could fix it up well. 

BUT NAH. They burned out the front of the church almost entirely and acted like it was possible to fix it in a day and a night, and have it inhabitable by a crowd immediately afterward.

Absolutely not? Paint takes a long time to dry, especially when it’s chilly. The windows would need to be custom made and framed, the frames painted beforehand and dried. These guys painted everything perfectly without even taping anything off. Without seemingly breaking a sweat. They got new pews and replaced the floor and fixed the walls in that short amount of time? 

That church would smell like smoke and wet paint for the wedding. Awful.

I hate it. It’s what I like to call “forced wholesomeness.” Like I’m all for the town coming together to help someone, but it needs to feel like that person actually needs the help and support. For example, when several people from town made a point of helping Edith. Or when several women came to help Carla give birth. Or hey, when Rosemary stepped in with Lee to help Mr. and Mrs. Lawson have a nice wedding anniversary. I mean, that’s the kind of wholesome content that feels genuine and real, and these examples are all of a handful of people pitching in. When the entire town pitches in, it should be for a Big Cause--like, you know, someone in the town they care about can’t afford surgery or something.

This particular episode’s theme of “community togetherness” went too far. It was too much. It didn’t feel genuine. It felt forced. It makes Jack and Elizabeth feel like the town darlings instead of, you know, two people who happen to make their lives in the town. 

EVERYTHING feels like it has to revolve around them and it shouldn’t feel that way. 

I should see Jack and Elizabeth as people who reside in a town made up of many other people, some of whom really love them and many of whom don’t care a whole lot about their romantic inclinations. Sign me up for a few characters going way out of their way for Elizabeth and Jack, but not the whole town. People have jobs to do and lives of their own. Who were half the people who were at the wedding? Why wasn’t Jesse there? I mean, it’s so ridiculous it’s hard to swallow. 

I talked earlier about other plausible avenues this could have taken, and I honestly feel that if they were going to waste half the scenes in the episode trying to ruin the "perfect” wedding, it should have been allowed to be ruined. Bill should have showed up halfway through the wedding or not at all. The church should have been declared unusable. Elizabeth getting married in a quick-attempt wedding gown (maybe a much plainer white dress) and her mother’s hairpiece. 

And if they didn’t have the guts to follow through on “ruining” their star characters’ wedding, then they should have done a genuinely heartfelt episode with more relationship scenes between the cast (Frank/Abigail, Jesse/Clara, Julie+Elizabeth, Rosemary/Lee) and given more time to Bill’s storyline--for example, made it scarier, gave Jack a reason to think something bad had happened and made it more about Bill’s life than the rings; imagine knowing your mentor & one of your best men might be dead because he was doing you a favor! What an awful backdrop for a wedding!

There’s something to be said for commitment as a writer. Your job is to commit to the story you’re telling. It’s natural to “fake out” the readers a few times as the story progresses, because life is full of twists and turns and sometimes things don’t end up as bad as we fear they will. That’s believable. Sometimes an action you take IRL feels like it’ll come back to haunt you, but then...it just doesn’t. There’s nothing wrong with occasionally throwing something like that into a story, especially with characters who fit the tone well via being prone to anxiety or worry.

WCTH did this reasonably well with Bill finding AJ. Her constant negativity about how Bad Things were going to happen was justified, but it’s not as if she ended up dying. And heck, the follow-through is that she’s still on the run and will, soon, have to face trial. So things turned out okay, but the consequences were still things the character(s) had to face.

Again, you can kind of “fake out” readers now and then by throwing in something that sounds like it’ll be a problem, and then letting the problem be...less of an issue than expected.

The writer’s pratfall of fake-outs comes when everything you write, every conflict, every trial, ends up being a fake-out.

And that’s where When Calls the Heart is right now. They’ve been faking us out over and over and over from almost the beginning of this series, and at this point? I’m tired of it. It’s dull, it feels trite. I can’t take the bait anymore, because I know it’s bait. 

They released spoilers warning us of the fire. They showed Bill dressed for and at the wedding, which is obviously happening in the church. What was the point of taking the time to fake us out and spoil us that the fake-outs were fake-outs? 

To say I’m annoyed is...an understatement.

Look, I have no issues with them telling us Bill will be in “serious jeopardy” or whatever in E8 and then showing him wandering around right as rain in spoiler images for E9. Whatever. That’s their prerogative! But also, it’s not an event the fandom has been long anticipating. 

Besides, I can’t imagine they’d actually kill him off or anything. Of course he’s going to be okay! It’s just fun to watch his shenanigans, especially when AJ is also involved.

But for this wedding stuff, they went way out of their way to release spoiler videos of dramatic things...while also showing us that the wedding would be perfect in literally every sense of the word.

I know the problem. I know it! 

It’s the lack of commitment. It’s like they kinda wanted to ruin the wedding but were afraid fans would react negatively to it.

COMMIT YOU COWARDS. 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m fairly happy with this episode. There were a lot of nice things mixed in with the annoying bad things. I’m just really tired of every conflict that occurs feeling pointless; it’s like none of the characters seem to ever fully face the consequences of their own actions or the actions of others. It’s tiring. Henry Gowen gets out on parole due to a simpering over-the-top completely inappropriate plea by Abigail which really just makes Bill look like a liar (as if a mean judge would let her finish that sentence without punting her off the stand lol). Oh No the Rings but then Bill’s on time anyway. Oh No the Church but then the church is magically fixed anyway. Oh No the Decorations but somehow the church is 500% more decorated than it was for Rosemary’s wedding and they had plenty to do up the saloon. 

The only thing this show has consistently committed to? 

Is kicking off new characters the second they’ve served whatever dramatic role they wanted them for. And hey, Frank was like the sole exception to that but we’ll be losing him next week, so...what does that say?

And you know, I’d say “Good on Hallmark” if he and Abigail “breaking up” is a fake-out (and they actually end up getting engaged or something), but I know it’s not. I know it’s just them finally getting rid of a character they clearly haven’t known what to do with for an entire season, now. So I’m extra irritated about it.

Anyway, despite my salty long post, this episode was...pretty good. If nothing else it did have a few heartfelt moments in it, and there is no doubt in my mind that those were its saving grace.