#that clock is also in zoes trailer!

[megamyceted]

BAKER HOUSE / BENEVIENTO HOUSE resident evil 7 : biohazard, 2017 & resident evil village, 2021

[sharonisthebettercarter]

contemplated at shooting annie (which he unnecessarily did)

punched Hughie for stopping him from killing Kimiko’s brother, Kenji, right in front of her. Then said if he got in the way of him reuniting with Becca, he’d kill Hughie too.

Used an infant as a weapon and threatened to kill them

Is a hypocrite himself (obviously)

Killed a whale

Drugged Marvin

He was willing to sell Ryan to Vought knowing that it would likely mean another Homelander. He didn't care, because it meant he would have Becca.

Insulted Ryan, TO BECCA'S FACE (honestly, Becca should've never tried to make Billy like, let alone tolerate Ryan if she knew that Billy has a weak connection with children and is distrustworthy around them. Like she should've just told him to kick rocks and make sure he won't have a hand in raising Ryan either)

He said that Becca could just "have another kid", not understanding that kids aren't replaceable, like objects (jewelry, cars, houses, etc.) That attitude is fucking horrifying if you're a parent, and I'd worry that he would have that attitude towards any kids (whether mere mortal or supe)

He betrayed his team multiple times

Threatened to kill hughie multiple times

doesn’t care who he hurts in the process

Gaslighted ryan

Let's also add the fact that he CHEATED ON BECCA WHEN THEY WERE TOGETHER

Attempts to kidnap Zoe (based on what the trailers implying)

UNALIVES 2 CHARACTERS AT LEAST (ONE MAIN CHARACTER) wouldn't surprise me if it turns out to be Hughie, considering he threated to unalive Hughie numerous of times.

In all honesty, I hope he hallucinates an angry Becca and Becca's ghost haunts him in the next seasons, like Rhonda's ghost haunted Anika in "Empire".

don't forget unnecessarily attempted to blow up teddy stillwell~!

this shit would be why i roll my eyes anytime someone calls billy an 'aNtI-hErO' or 'gOoD', leik Y'ALL--

lol oh no dear gawd you poor bitch, my dear sweet beautiful angel baby child~<3

just wait until we get to the end of the story or even just a *little* bit further along... this ain't even the half of it...

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the ever expanding shit list on butcher can make homie look tame at times, but yeah no~. def not a good guy, def not right in anyway, one of the big main points of the story is proving butcher wrong and showing just how far his own head was up his own ass.

he's a secondary villain to the series, primary being h--VOUGHT (but also since people forget our *actual* hero is HUGHIE, and that the supes themselves are a SYMPTOM not the actual source of the problems *cough*cough*HEY REMEMBER STARLIGHT WHO EXISTS??* OR THIS WHOLE ASS ABUSIVE FUCKIN' COMPANY THAT EXPLOITS CHILDREN AND EXPERIMENTS ON BABIES LIKE NOBODY'S BUSINESS??????) and leik. he is *made* specifically to disappoint and prove the reader/viewer *wrong* about him (apart from prove himself wrong) by being his absolute worst with zero excuses for it at legit every chance he gets. mainly by being a serial killer butt~

he's *designed* to toy with our emotions and the hope that we see some *good* in him or give him the benefit of the doubt, because we are seeing the story mostly from *hughie's* perspective, and that is specifically how *HUGHIE* feels about him. and some are def blind to it (like hughie lmao) but some can see through butcher's bullshit (like *annie*)

like his whole damn niche is *dragging* homelander down to his level and causing chaos beyond his own wildest wet dreams at the *expense* of everyone else, and homie clocked that motherfucker before giving him the promise of that ticking time bomb explosion because butcher ain't the only one pushing him too far--but he is certainly the most devoted.

his *obsession* with homie completely consumes his life and everything he does. homelander *hardly* cares about billy beyond his being a persistent thorn in his side that *occasionally* provides *some* level of interest.

i think an easy gauge at what's really going on is to look no further than annie's perspective. many people are more than willing to overlook butcher's bullshit, but annie describes what's going on probably better than anyone i've seen.

for homie? she specifically says. "there's something *wrong* with homelander", but with butcher she just gets fuckin' mad MAD because HE. KNOWS. BETTER. and does worse.

the framing there isn't a mistake. leik at all.

post gen v, i saw a bunch of people calling for the gen v kids to join the boys or for butcher to 'adopt' them and the only thing i could think was 'dear fuckin' satan, for the love of GAWD, PLEASE NO' because the only thing butcher does and *would* do is~

ABUSE.

USE.

MURDER WHEN THEY ARE NO LONGER OF USE.

LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT.

it is LITERALLY all he does the WHOLE fuckin' time, and it's comin' to a head cause there is only so much bullshit his team will tolerate, and i--.

MM IS BETTER ANYWAY AND IF ANYONE SHOULD BE DOING ANY ADOPTING--

i need butcher... to stay THE FUCK *away* from the gen v kids because *when* he hurts them i will lose my shit--

i don't think hughie will die. given the comic, he's actually one of the few people i would say is actually guaranteed to survive (again, goes back to people forgetting *hughie* is our protagonist, NOT butcher), but he may be the one who ends up killing butcher, def not before billy does a ton of damage to showcase what an irredeemable scumbag he really is (i love him, i really do BUTT JESUS fuckin' CHRIST MAN--)

when it comes to ryan, that's a whole 'nother can o worms, but there's a part of me that honestly feels billy only protected him--not because he actually gives a shit about ryan specifically (let's not forget that moment he was about to beat ryan to death when becca died), but because he actually does care specifically about *keeping his promise to becca* and the leverage that ryan *is* over homelander.

and while i do think it's possible that through that and in his own twisted round about way, he *cares* for ryan in a similar way he cares for hughie (mostly just the connection to becca tho), i also think it's pretty likely there is a part of him that deeply resents ryan *specifically*, i think its SUPER duper fuckin' likely that as soon as billy gets the idea in his head that:

'ryan is a lost cause and can't be saved'?

*and* he's no longer of use to billy?

that poor kid's gonna fall to the 'just another supe freak/only worth somethin' dead' list for billy. :/

and i get it, it is fuckin' infuriating but he is supposed to be infuriating because we're supposed to realize just how full of shit and actually evil he really is under the bravado. he's just another extremist opposite of homelander to the point where even their desires and presentation, inner and outer, ring opposite.

boi is a wannabe frank castle with ZERO fuckin' principles.

but yeah, once you get to the point of trying to BLOW UP A FUCKIN' BABY, i--

[medicallymercury]

A History of Violence Trailer Review

so, the trailer happened…

I just feel a bit like

bros….. (usual ranting below the cut)

I’ll talk about Teddy first because what is the point of this blog at this point, if not to go on about him? I watched through most of it and I was like “wow, he’s not being slutty, this is amazing for me” and then we got to the end and I clocked into the PR job. For some reason, probably projection-related ones, I struggle to believe he’d cheat on someone. But Casualty has deigned that he must and I guess that Holbyverse infidelity is basically a minor moral offence that about 50% of the population of the city must have committed at least once. Still feels especially bad coming from Teddy; hypocrisy you can see from space or whatever I said about “New Romance For Teddy” in that post a while back. Him crying? Great, I’m horrible to my faves and I love all the episodes where he is sad. And Jan’s there for him, so their relationship hasn’t been ruined past the point of no return (which I’m not surprised about, those two were always going to reconcile). If it weren’t for the infidelity, I’d probably be really excited to see what happens next in Casualty and with Teddy but it’s kinda casting a shadow that I need to come to terms with.

Also, I’m a tiny bit convinced Sah might leave/be killed off and I have been for a while. I don’t think I’ve seen a picture of Arin filming in ages but I’ve seen loads of pictures of all the others together, without them. I thought it would be weird for them to fake-leave only to real-leave a couple months later but this trailer has also got me like 👀👀 for reasons I won’t specify because I’ll sound like a conspiracy theorist, I’m probably being silly and I’m not necessarily expecting that Sah will go but I’m definitely considering the possibility.

Brief acknowledgment of FAITH STUFF WILL NEVER BE OVER, WILL IT? Still no comment beyond that.

For all that I don’t enjoy Faith and Iain stuff, it does seem to be related to some Jacob and Iain stuff in the trailer and I’ve really been enjoying their interactions so there’s that. Honestly, Jacob joining the paramedics has made Iain feel like he’s more integrated into the paramedics as a team than he was when it was just him, Jan, Teddy and Sah.

The stuff with Stevie looks really, really good. I’m really excited to see where they go with that.

So does the stuff with Jodie and Max. And Max’s mum is back too! I do wonder if the same issue I’m having with Teddy right now might start to affect Jodie a little but at least she hasn’t got anyone she should be being loyal to. I also enjoy Dylan’s continued involvement in the Max and Jodie stuff.

New characters look great, we’ve heard about Siobhan joining and she looks interesting even if I’m still bitter about Donna, but I think Ngozi is introduced to us by this trailer so that’s exciting (though I do worry a new staff nurse means Ryan, who was slowly growing on me, is leaving). Also, Zoe returning, which is something I feel like we’ve known about forever now.

Brief, but there was Rida and Rash stuff and I hope we’re about to get a sweet romance with no horrors. I guess I love the horrors on some level, or I wouldn’t watch it, but it’s nice to have something pleasant happening in between.

Oh yeah, Charlie’s leaving. That’s the whole big thing. I know it’s a big landmark for the show but I don’t really care.

Overall, I guess I’m looking forward to it being back. The focus seems to be on the Stevie storyline and the Max and Jodie storyline, and at least that hopefully means that the continuation of the Faith Stuff will take a backseat compared to before the break. Teddy… I don’t know. I believed that the questionable things he did before the break made sense for his character, they felt like reasonable developments on his personality even if they weren’t always the writing choices I would’ve made (cough the proposal). But I struggle to believe he’d do this. I think he would have to be really going through it to do something like that, and I guess he has been really going through it, but unless the writers lean into that fact when making him do this, I think I’ll struggle to come to terms with it as part of his character. A real mixed bag of a trailer for me but at least Casualty-typical horrors are still being inflicted on the paramedics, some things never change.

[I recognise that Iain is also THE STRUGGLER right now, but this is how I made it so this is how it stays.]

[deans-mind-palace]

Cloudbursts

Pairing: Jared Padalecki x Reader

Summary: You were determined to do it. You never told anyone about your fear and you wouldn’t let it bring you down to your knees now! Not in front of all these people! Well, the anxiety attacks were an obstacle you didn’t think of...

Word Count: 1,543

Warnings: Anxiety attacks, please don’t read this if it triggers your own attacks! Aquaphobia

Author’s Note: Maybe it’s a bit based upon the song ‘Control‘ by Zoe Wees…  Based on this request by @fortheentries​. Hey! Could you do please one where the reader is an actor with anxiety and she has to do a scene with Jared and Jensen that triggers a panic attack. Jared understands and helps her calm down :) Enjoy reading and leave some feedback.

"Coffee. Coffee! Who wants coffee? I brought coffee!" you announced as you entered Jared's trailer. It was the usual meeting place for the three of you. Jensen lay spread out all over Jared's bed, shoes on, his head buried in the pillow. Your entry made him jump up from the pillow. He still looked sleepy and his blond hair stood wildly away in all directions. "Coffee? Did I hear right? Where's the coffee?" he asked and looked around frantically, which made you laugh. Then he saw you with the three cups in the door. "Oh, you are my lifesaver! Gimme! Gimme!" He reached for them. "Here's your elixir of life, you junkie," you said with a laugh and handed him a cup, which he immediately put to his lips and burned himself. "Fuck." he cursed and you rolled your eyes with a grin. It was the same every morning.

Jared came out of the bathroom and snorted. "Jensen just isn't ready to learn at this time of day," he said, shaking his head and smiling at you broadly with his sweet grin, which you fell a little more for him every day. "Good morning, Y/N." Oh, damn. He always pronounced your name so seductively in his deep voice. Why did your name sound like music coming out of his mouth? Your own thoughts confused you and you decided to pull yourself together. "Morning, Jared." You muttered and hugged him. He returned the hug, and maybe your touch lingered a little too long... "Thanks for the coffee," Jared said, and his lips touched your cheek for a moment and his stubble scratched your soft skin. Then he turned away. "Come on, Jay! Rise and shine, we got to get to the set!" Jensen moaned and hid his head back in the pillow before he reluctantly picked himself up and stood up. He also hugged you briefly and had to yawn heartily. Jared shook his head with a grin. "Come on, now."

A short time later you were brought to the set in a golf buggy. Jensen went through his lines one last time and sipped his coffee. Jared was talking to the driver, who was just telling him something about his family in Portland and you were just watching the movie area passing by. Soon your vehicle slowed down and the driver dropped you off at the trailer for the mask. You were changing when Jensen came around the corner and was still holding his script in his hand, which he was now waving with excitedly. He was already completely in Dean's costume. "Hey, look!" he drew the attention of Jared and you. "Today is the water scene! I forgot all about that." Almost instantly, your fingers tensed around the back of your seat. He wasn't the only one who forgot. You'd been trying to block that out for weeks, and apparently that worked so well, it made you panic.

"Shit, Y/N?" Jared looked at you anxiously from the side while Jensen was already called to the set. "Are you not feeling well? You look pale." You just swallowed and shook your head. "I'm okay." I squeezed his hand, but I could tell by the look in his eyes he didn't believe a word of it. Jared was called to the set a few minutes later, and you were left alone. You wanted to take another sip of your coffee, but your hand was shaking too much and the coffee almost spilled over, so you left the cup on the table.

You too were called to the set a little later. As soon as you arrived on the set, you could already see the cameras and spotlights set up to illuminate the scene. When you saw the green pool, you automatically pulled your robe a little tighter around your shaking body.

You should play a scene in a lake where you try to hunt a water demon together. The only problem was that you were terrified of water. Of course, no rain or water glasses or showers. But with bathtubs it was getting critical. Not to mention the ocean or a pool. That fear was deeply embedded in you, almost paralysing you. You stood irresolutely on the edge of the pool. Jensen was in costume and already standing in the pool while you were standing at the edge of the water. 
"Jump in!" he shouted to you laughing and was happy like a toddler about all the water. Without waiting for your answer, he disappeared. You were standing at the edge of the water and your toes got wet. When Jensen resurfaced, his blond hair stuck wet in his forehead and he shook like a wet dog. Your breathing became heavier and suddenly the pool in front of you seemed to go down endlessly. You couldn't make out the bottom anymore. Your chest tightened and no matter how much air you sucked in, you felt like you were suffocating.

Then Jensen splashed you wet and your heartbeat shot up. It almost exploded in your chest. Your chest became tight and you gasped for air. Blackness ran in to the edges of your eyes and took your sight. Your hands tightened around your robe and your vision became blurry. You had the feeling of drowning in air and at the same time not getting enough of it. Your lungs burned and screamed for oxygen. At that moment, Jared, who was standing a little further away, noticed your panic. "Cameras off! Cameras off!" he shouted and hurried over to you. "Jensen, shut the hell up."

Your chest was heaving and you tried to fill your lungs with oxygen. You were so anxious to just breathe. Unpleasant memories rushed through your mind. Fear sweat was on your forehead and your eyes were still fixed on the water in front of you. The noise around you only penetrated you as if from far away. You didn't notice Jared until his arms wrapped tightly around you. "C'mon, sweetie, breathe! In and out. In and out. Let's get you into my trailer. Can you walk for me?" He felt your heart pounding in your chest. Your hands were ice cold and your breath left your lungs shaky.

In the trailer, he pulled you right into his arms. While he cradled you in his strong arms, you hid your face in the crook of his neck and breathed deeply the familiar smell of Jared. Gently, he put his chin on your head. "It's all fine, sweetheart. Just breathe. You can do it. Just breathe in -" He waited some seconds while your chest heaved drawing air in. "And breathe out - that's it. And again. C'mon." His deep voice slowly calmed you down. You had your fingers cramped in his shirt and felt his strong heartbeat under the thin piece of cloth. His chest rose and fell regularly as he did breathing exercises with you. You pushed yourself a little closer to him and he pulled you tighter.

Gently he led you over to his bed, then he lay down. His head was propped up and he meant for you to lay your head on his chest. Shyly you lay down next to him, bedded your head on his chest and listened to his heart pumping. Softly he counted your breaths with you and you finally got your breath back. His body radiated a pleasant warmth and his fingertips glided gently over your arm. "Jared?" Your voice broke. "I'm right here, baby," he said, pressing a kiss on your head.

"I don't wanna loose control." You whispered into the silence of the trailer. "It's okay to lose control." Then you both fell silent. His fingers kept moving up and down your arm. Only the ticking of a distant clock could be heard. A few minutes later you broke the silence again.

"When I was a child, my parents took my brother and me on a trip to a bathing lake. I had just turned fourteen. We visited this lake every summer and my brother and I used to play the game of who dared to swim further out. We competed to swim to the small island in the lake - we had never reached it before, but my brother was seventeen and had had a growth spurt. He passed me with powerful strokes and soon I was far behind him." Jared listened to me, then he interrupted me. "I didn't even know you had a brother." You swallowed, then you went on with your story. "It was our last swim race. He drowned that very evening. The circumstances were never explained. "None of the doctors could say what it was. Maybe a cramp? A heart attack? A stroke? Rare among young people, but not impossible." You were silent for a moment.

"Since then, I can't go in the water anymore. I'm terrified of it." Only now did you realize that hot tears were streaming down your cheeks. Jared wiped them away in a hurry. "I'm sorry about that."   "I don't wanna loose control," you repeated. His fingers grabbed your face and twisted it towards him. His eyes found yours. "I will always be there to catch you. Every single time, I promise you."

Wanna get tagged? Drop an ask/comment or tag yourself over the link in my bio.

Jared/Sam tags:  @ashthefirefox​ @rintheemolion​ @fortheentries​ @vexhye​ @traceyaudette​ 

[jbuffyangel]

Boom: This Is Us 3x09 Review: (The Beginning is the End is the Beginning)

Well now that’s a twists I didn’t see coming.

Let’s dig in...

Jack and Nicky

Jack has spent the last two weeks trying to clean Nicky up. It’s not going great. Nicky off drugs is no more amiable than Nicky on drugs. As I said before, he’s no picnic. But traumatized people seldom are and what they need is someone to never give up on them. For Nicky, that’s Jack.

But Jack is running out of time. He has 48 hours to clean Nicky up before he’s put back on his old base. Jack informs Nicky about the ticking clock after Nick punches Jack square in the jaw. DON’T HIT JACK NICKY! IT’S JACK!!!

Jack takes Nicky to a spot across the river. The town they are stationed in looks small from a distance. Jack tries to explain to Nicky Vietnam will be a distant memory once they get home. 

Source: @livelovecaliforniadreams 

Unfortunately, a Jack Pearson speech is not going to fix Nicky. I think it’s important for us to see that there are problems not even Jack can solve. He’s not God. Jack is just a man trying to save his brother.

But a “distant memory” isn’t how war, drug abuse and PTSD work. Even Jack had difficulty coping with Vietnam once he returned home. He tried to bury his pain and it became the source for his alcoholism. 

Source: @livelovecaliforniadreams​

So, if a man like Jack is traumatized from war what has it done to someone like Nicky? Someone who is gentle, sweet and, shy. Someone who doesn’t have a reserve of emotional strength like Jack. Someone who is unable to cope with his fear. Vietnam broke Nicky the same as it did Jack, but only one Pearson boy found a way to hold himself together in Vietnam. Only one Pearson boy put himself back together once he returned home.

Nicky: I don’t want to get clean, Jack. I see it all again when I get clean. I’m not gonna complete the mission.

This is probably the most heartbreaking line of the episode. We cannot save those who do not want to be saved. Nicky wants to be high. He wants all his memories washed away in a wave of euphoria. The drugs take the pain away and all Nicky wants is to stay in that place no matter how short a time. It doesn’t matter to him that he’ll keep chasing the same high, but it will become shorter and less intense. It doesn’t matter to him that he’ll need to take more drugs to have the same effect. None of it matters to Nicky because he’s an addict.

Jack returns from a mission to find Nicky missing. Then, there’s an explosion. A boat blew up with one of the men on it. Of course, Jack believes it’s Nicky and he dives into the river to save him. However, we never see Jack arrive at the wreckage or pull anyone from the water. The camera simply cuts away.

STORY TIME. So, before my husband and I began watching the episode he said to me he believes Nicky is really alive and he didn’t die in the war. I mocked him, quite thoroughly. 

Me: You are nuts. That’s the crap Arrow pulls. This is This Is Us.

Husband: He’s totally alive. 

Me: You are totally wrong and delusional.

Then, Kevin’s guide tells him he never found a record of his uncle’s death. I said to myself, “Well it was Vietnam. It’s completely possible they missed a body.” 

Source: @livelovecaliforniadreams​

And then we cut to old man Nicky living in a dilapidated trailer. My husband just quietly gloated. Now I have to eat crow for the next decade. Thanks a lot, writers.

This is absolutely a twist I did not see coming as evidence by my overly confident mocking. I have no idea how Nicky survived Vietnam. My initial guess is he faked his death and went AWOL. I don’t think Jack knew he was alive, but it brings up a lot of questions. As shockers go this was a spectacular one.

Kevin and Zoe

Is Kevin making a documentary with Zoe? I don’t know how I missed that, but apparently I did. His comment about getting a good ending makes a lot more sense to me now.

It’s cool to see Kevin walking the same roads in the same towns his father once was. 

Source: whitefluffyyeti

I was certain the man still living in the village was going to be the injured boy who Jack helped. Yeah, I was 0/2 this week. I’m not great at guessing This Is Us plots. lol The conversation proved fruitful regardless. This is a transformative trip for Kevin. I don’t think he sees in all the ways just yet. He’s getting answers to questions he wasn’t even asking. 

In some ways, Vietnam became what Jack said. It looks completely different with a little time and distance. Kevin sits down with the villager and he’s hoping he will recognize either the woman in the photo or his father. The villager recognizes neither, but the conversation goes in a direction Kevin wasn’t expecting.

“They both hid their war stories. They both pretended to be okay for their children.”

Two sons, whose father’s were once enemies, have a chance to sit down and discuss who their fathers were. Kevin and this villager have very little in common, but they have this thin thread that connects the past and present. One day we are enemies on a battle field. The next we are drinking tea and sharing stories about our loved ones. It is a crazy, wonderful and frightening world we live in. 

As disappointed as Kevin is not to get any answers about the necklace, I think Jack would be profoundly proud of his son. Kevin found the answer Jack wanted him to find. The necklace was Jack’s reminder to hold onto his humanity no matter the circumstances. The thank you was a constant reminder to be a good man, which gave Jack purpose. By sitting down with that villager, and sharing stories of their fathers, Kevin found the humanity his father searched so hard for in Vietnam. Kevin connected to the little bit of peace Jack had during his time at war. 

But discovering Jack’s brother Nicky is alive? That’s the BOOM ending Kevin wanted for his documentary. 

So much of Kevin’s search is focused on the woman wearing the necklace in the photo. Kevin is almost driven by fear that there was another woman his father loved and he held on to her for all these years even while married to Rebecca. We know the truth though. There is only one woman in Jack Pearson’s heart and it will always be his Bec. 

Vietnam has never been about a woman for Jack. Vietnam is about Nicky Pearson. Kevin is going to find the brother Jack lost years ago. Jack’s son is going to do what he couldn’t. Kevin is going to bring Nicky home. 

Source: @livelovecaliforniadreams​

Kate and Toby

I just need good things for these two, particularly since our marital rocks Randall and Beth are headed for a rough patch. I want Toby and Kate to enjoy this pregnancy. I know how impossible that is. There wasn’t a day of my pregnancy I wasn’t absolutely terrified, because I had a miscarriage. My pregnancy with my daughter also became an absolute nightmare and I wish in those earlier days, when I wasn’t so sick, I had been able to enjoy more moments like Toby and Kate had tonight.

Kate doesn’t want to be surprised about the gender of the baby. I feel you girl. One of my few happy days of pregnancy was finding out we were having a girl. Toby and Kate are terrified knowing the gender will make it more difficult if they lose the baby. But Toby eventually comes to conclusion that it will be devastating if they lose this baby too. There is no protecting themselves from that pain, so they might as well enjoy the pregnancy while things are good.

And things are good. They are having a boy. Of course, they will name him Jack. I accept no other suggestions.

Source: @livelovecaliforniadreams

Kate also decides to finish her degree after she is turned down for a job she’s perfect for, a chorus instructor, because she doesn’t have a college degree. I cannot describe how insanely challenging it is to continue your education when you have children. It’s not impossible, but it is difficult. So, Kate should absolutely use this time to finish her degree.

Rebecca and Tess

Soooo… Kate outed Tess to Rebecca. My initial reaction was NOT COOL KATE.

But then I thought about it. I realized if it were my child, niece or nephew I would want someone close by to know so they could keep an eye on the child. If Kate lived nearby she probably wouldn’t have said anything. Telling Rebecca may make Tess hesitant to trust Kate going forward though. Bottom line: Kate betrayed Tess’ trust, but she did it out of love and concern. Sometimes a child’s privacy has to be sacrificed in order to protect and help him/her.

I love Rebecca because she’s just so damn earnest. She is a beautiful 5’7” column of love. Rebecca so desperately wants to help sometimes she oversteps. She almost always backs her way into help. Rebecca screws up the opening move, but she lands the dismount.

Carrying secrets does way on your soul and body. Rebecca has had her fair share of secrets. It’s kind of a Pearson family trait to bury your feelings deep and I admire Rebecca for trying to break the cycle with her granddaughter. Tess decides to tell her parents largely because of her grandmother’s advice and experience.

Randall and Beth

Oh boy.

Randall has his first city council debate and even though he gets his mojo rolling it takes awhile. Unfortunately, his campaign manager informs Randall he is just too far behind Sol Brown and he’s going to lose the race.

Source: @livelovecaliforniadreams​

Tess tells Randall and Beth she might be gay and the three have a touching heart to heart. They are parenting goals. Randall and Beth sit down to regroup and drink some wine. Beth finally tells Randall she wants him to drop out of the race since they have so much going on around the house. Beth didn’t anticipate much of an argument since he’s losing. After all, Randall promised her that if the race ever got to be too much for the family that he would drop out.

Unfortunately, Randall does not keep his promise. He tells Beth has to see this through.

Wow. Just… wow. I don’t think being married to a Pearson is always the easiest thing because these children are occasionally narcissistic. We’ve seen it with both Kate and Kevin. Randall was our shining star though and he just came crashing to the ground.

I don’t think Beth was ever jazzed about Randall running for city councilman, particularly for a city I think he lives at least 45 minutes away from. But she put on her supportive wife hat and went out campaigning. She even tried to make Randall’s dream her dream. It didn’t work.

Things have changed though. Beth finally mentions their finances and how they’ve had to dip into savings to make “the dream” happen. 

Blessed be to Jesus someone finally addressed the bills. They are officially not the Rockefellers. I couldn’t figure out what the heck was going on. Then add in Deja and Tess’ emotional upheaval and Beth’s unemployment… she is absolutely right. There’s a lot going on right now.

But here’s the kicker – none of those “things” going on right now directly relate to Randall. He’s not the one in emotional upheaval or unemployed. Randall is fine so Randall is going to do what Randall wants to do. However, I have a feeling if the shoe was on the other foot and Randall was in emotional upheaval or lost his job the whole household would grind to a halt to help him through it. Or at least Beth would.

I don’t understand how Randall can say his family will always be his number one priority, when Beth outlines all the ways this campaign does not prioritize the family. Randall is very clearly putting his campaign before the family. So, as of right now, the campaign is more important to Randall than how his wife feels or what his family needs. Of course, he made promises to potential constituents, but the promises he made to his wife and daughters is more important.

I talk a lot about balance in a marriage. Marriage is never 50/50. It’s more like 60/40 or 30/70 or 90/10. Our needs shift in a marriage. One partner is giving more while the other is receiving more. What’s important is the support shifts along with the needs in the marriage and that’s what makes it 50/50. One partner cannot carry the supportive weight 100% of the time. That doesn’t make for a healthy relationship.

I believe Randall and Beth have a healthy relationship and an outstanding marriage. However, I think there’s been a continued focus on Randall for quite awhile. All for good reasons, but now is a time where the needs have shifted and therefore so should the support. But Randall isn’t shifting. He’s not giving the same as he’s received. The spotlight needs to shift to Beth and Randall refuses to take a step back. And Beth has every reason to be pissed.

The flash forwards reveal the “she” everyone is going to visit is Rebecca. There seems to be some apprehension on Tess’ part, so maybe Grandma isn’t doing well. Rebecca would almost be in her eighties. Also, the way she described her bones aching in present day felt like some kind of clue to whatever medical issue may be going on with Rebecca in the future.

Tess tells Randall she will call her mother in the car and then it cuts to Beth standing on a balcony watching ballet dancers. 

Source: @livelovecaliforniadreams​

She is obviously running her own dance program, since her assistant called her boss. So, Beth’s passion is dance and she found her way to it. YEAH!!! She remembers to bring “Pin The Tail On The Donkey,” a Big Three birthday party tradition, so maybe it’s Rebecca’s birthday. The flash forwards seem to imply Randall and Beth are not together, but I don’t believe that for a second. I think the heaviness comes from whatever is going on with Rebecca and not from marital strife.

Beth and Randall are going through a rough patch right now, which happens in a marriage. This feels like a bomb going off right now because there are some long simmering issues Beth and Randall have to deal with coming to a head. However, I have no doubt they will work it out though. 

I’d start by apologizing Randall. 

Stray Thoughts

Kevin is my travel soul mate. I’m a planner too.

I want a shirtless selfie. How do I get a shirtless selfie Kevin?

Copacetic? Annie is like 5! Mini genius alert.

“Return it like Serena.” YASSS SISTER.

A city councilman shoveling my driveway? Randall gets my vote. SOLD.

[gorgnn]

NO THEY MADE THE DAD HOT IM SUPPOSED TO HATE THAT GUY

[musemash]

METROPOLIS AT 90: RESTORED & REVERED – by David D. Fowler / Updated Jan 22, 2022

METROPOLIS, released in 1927, still stands as one of the most important films ever created. This landmark sci-fi epic was directed by FRITZ LANG, and scripted by THEA VON HARBOU. There is no known copy of the original film, but several excellent restorations have been done in recent years. MFF presents several of the most interesting available versions at the links below.

While floating aimlessly about on the treacherous surface of that vast repository of the Collective Unconscious known as YouTube, I recently stumbled across a distinctly different incarnation of the film. It then occurred to me that this recently updated edition would be a most appropriate way to honor such a groundbreaking film during this 90th anniversary year.

This version has a modern musical score by the Australian duo of Benjamin Speed and DJ Trip, aka THE NEW POLLUTANTS. The score was performed live, with cellist Zoe Barry and vocalist Astrid Pill. It features the wonderful extended edition of the film, including almost 30 minutes of additional footage.

You'll find this edition of the complete film at the end of the first section below. MFF is also happy to offer the restored edition with the original orchestral score; the quirky 1984 music video version by Giorgio Moroder; and an impressively ambitious fan production – colorized, with dialogue and sound effects. Just for fun, we also include the 2001 anime, which was partly inspired by Lang's classic.

As I am all too prone to doing, I got just a tad carried away with this fascinating subject – and spent quite a few hours tracking down a large number of other resources to spice up this post. You’ll find more than a dozen lengthy excerpts from the movie; a variety of music videos; a PINK FLOYD fan edit; making-of videos; and some highly informative articles. Hope you enjoy the results.

METROPOLIS Trailers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHPCXuTP0DY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiaX7_MQY6Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JBmwGxvTNk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VxgQN2GfMY Music Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PAdQ5anhZE The Metropolis Case https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mLsac8vuIw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI1wSbEy_AM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7v5HVNB4ek Making Of Metropolis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6JWprch1eo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84BcdT8senc Lost Footage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elas0LOcz8E Highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySY1Cr5Sh5k Shift Change https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJLhMULBEX0 Moloch Explodes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9fuNWGrX4U The Big Clock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q030WNZvXrA Freder & Maria http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqU-jWQrUk0 Legend Of Babel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3XHMDkxsT8 Maria Captured https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0De8dFmZ7Q Transformation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVZdcchHyKc Dance Of The Seven Deadly Sins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inRzMk-C6aU Imposter’s Sermon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI1hRiFcbDQ The Great Revolt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v77D-IvjVsY Goodbye Blue Skies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNPyrVaC2LM Wish You Were Here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0qgl3e9620 Welcome To The Machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AY09DJkQMY Have A Cigar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKfyrqTA0o4 The Turning Away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6kSNpibYoI A New Machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--P7jnAjYDM High Hopes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPPj4B6AyrE Learning To Fly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFqfdr0cwos A Great Day For Freedom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bV61hG0jIw Vera / Bring The Boys Back Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXn7SIpHY-8 Brain Damage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMdDHfdj_b8 The Post War Dream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsY1lV-gt9o Dogs Of War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P6eHpDnmO8 Run Like Hell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbbqjRAHQZ0 Coming Back To Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHc7L0hlTYQ Great Gig In The Sky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4uZ8zL1AXE Restored Editions https://archive.org/details/Metropolis1927EnglishVersion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BBnMCAIuQg Moroder Edition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1qIj4Vce8g Colorized / Dialogue Edition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySN8mJnbSxw New Pollutants Edition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp8B_pY9WdA Metropolis: Anime https://putlockers.fm/watch/qvoYOWGl-metropolis.html

MYTHOPOLIS Modernist Dystopia http://www.denofgeek.com/.../metropolis-at-90-the... Parody Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6mAwVANhCQ Summary http://public.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/sf/metropolis.html Restoration http://www.theguardian.com/.../metropolis-fritz-lang-berlin http://www.rogerebert.com/.../great-movie-metropolis-2010... https://scifist.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/metropolis/ https://cinema1544.wordpress.com/cinema-1544/metropolis/ https://mercouris.wordpress.com/.../metropolis-a-film.../ http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/.../con.../notes_on_metropolis.pdf Metropolis Analysis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvd18-s8_ys Interactive Walkthrough http://pivarski.watson.org/metropolis/ Soundtracks http://theassemblycut.com/2015/03/30/rescoring-metropolis/ Futurist Dystopia http://www.wilderutopia.com/.../h-g-wells-on-the.../ Influence Of Metropolis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLxe92EgT9Y 100 Years Of Cinema https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLxe92EgT9Y Loss Of Humanity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JpCg-j_rHQ Dystopian Magic Tricks http://filmschoolrejects.com/.../the-dystopian-magic... Death & The Megamachine https://writerswithoutmoney.com/.../metropolis-1927.../ Occult Symbolism In Metropolis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9qcaGbIDgM http://vigilantcitizen.com/.../the-occult-symbolism-of.../ Crucified To The Machine http://www.strangehorizons.com/.../20030106/metropolis.shtml The Cathedral Vs The Skyscraper http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:527129/FULLTEXT02 City, Cinema, Modernity http://www.mariabuszek.com/.../Readings/KaesMtrpls.pdf Proto-Fascist Anti-Utopia https://themetropolistimes.com/.../metropolis-a-proto.../ Tropes In Metropolis http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/Metropolis Fritz Lang & William Friedkin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or0j1mY_rug Reviews https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veh_RBJyxj0 http://www.rogerebert.com/rev.../great-movie-metropolis-1927 http://moria.co.nz/sciencefiction/metropolis-1927.htm http://www.moviediva.com/MD.../reviewpages/MDMetropolis.htm http://www.filmsite.org/metr.html http://www.popmatters.com/.../192532-double-take.../ https://philosophynow.org/issues/37/Metropolis http://www.bostonphoenix.com/.../documents/02402061.htm http://unaffiliatedcritic.com/.../metropolis-1927.../ https://bilgincan.co/.../dichotomy-in-the-mis-en-scene.../ https://blogs.nd.edu/moderncrises/2011/11/07/metropolis/ http://www.philfilms.utm.edu/1/metropolis.htm https://towardsagreatercanon.wordpress.com/.../metropoli.../ Kraftwerk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P2iUJucbk4 The Advent / Industrialyzer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e44I5vcOqY4 You’re The One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmTjVTZH5nM Monster’s Ball https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA725CJCvBI Love Kills https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3wa16YLTaQ Here She Comes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYICtAkv5XA Springintgut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8q4jLdYCzI The Day The World Went Away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDjkWXTJ3Vs Moloch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lRSGc7S-0g Shadowplay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCHCLUUIFo4 Savior https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rONaxram8IE November Rain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0Da8Vhjm6Y

[daleisgreat]

Avengers: Infinity War

Last night was the soft opening for the 11 years in the making MCU phase/season/arc/whatever finale that is Avengers: Endgame, but today Friday, April 26th is the official opening day. Yesterday I went to a friend’s place who has a big ‘ol 4K TV and I watched my first UHD in the form of last year’s Avengers: Infinity War (trailer) as a nice refresher going into one of the biggest cinematic releases ever this weekend. I am glad I did experience it again in 4K HD because there were so many little things I forgot and so much transpiring that it made the two and a half hour runtime breeze by before I knew it. Like with my entry on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 yesterday, I will probably tiptoe into light spoiler territory for Infinity War so reader beware! Unlike the previous Avengers film, Age of Ultron, Infinity War does not kick off with the Avengers on another routine mission kicking ass. It is a polar opposite where quintessential Marvel villain Thanos (Josh Brolin), yes that same Thanos who was teased in the post-credit scenes of the previous two Avengers films has finally arrived and lays immediate waste to Heimdall (Idris Elba), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth). It is in this opening scene where it is established Thanos is after the six Infinity Stones that were seen scattered throughout previous MCU films to gain ultimate power and use it to instantly eliminate half the world’s population. The dark nature of the opening scene foreshadowed what would be the grimmest, darkest film yet in the entire MCU. While this is a more serious, high-stakes film, there is still a fair amount of witty exchanges and zingers throughout, especially once the Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) get in the mix.

Infinity War sees Thanos and his children travel to all reaches of the galaxy to acquire all six Infinity Stones. This leads to many awesome CG battles involving nearly the entire roster of the MCU sans a handful of characters who are explained why they are absent. This also leads to the fun dynamic of experiencing heroes from different films interact with each other for the first time and sometimes putting differences to the side to combat Thanos or at other times getting in a dispute of 1ups-manship in the case Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and Thor. I will give props to the masterful MCU directors Joe & Anthony Russo for experimenting and segmenting off the traditional teams in order to see how new hero mash-ups play out on screen, and they nearly all gelled wonderfully together and resulted in a ton of awesome ‘What If’ scenarios coming to fruition on the big screen. A couple quick favorite team-up scenarios that stood out for me was early team-up scenes with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and Hulk/Bruce Banner colliding with Thanos’s forces. Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), ‘teenage’ Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) and Thor venture out in their unique arc in order to find the ultimate weapons to take on Thanos in what was an odd, but fun pairing to see unfold. When we get to the final act two huge battles play out simultaneously. A huge battle on the planet, Titan unfolds with Iron Man, Spider-Man, Nebula (Karen Gillan), Peter Quill, Drax (Dave Bautista) and Doctor Strange as they attempt to combine forces in one last gasp to takedown Thanos in one-against-all war that was one of the top highlights of the film.

While the battle on Titan is happening, almost every other MCU hero imaginable teams up in Wakanda to engage in a gigantic war with Thanos’s army. This was a CG delight to consume as almost every hero no matter how big of a lead or periphery they were in past films gets a chance to shine in what is easily the biggest confrontation of any MCU film. I thought it was awesome the Russos’ gave the women time to shine where Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Okoye (Danai Gurira) rally up against Proxima (Carrie Coon). This Wakanda War has a finale and payoff that will be one of the most memorable for not just comic book movies, but nearly all of cinema. Needless to say, JAW-DROPPING MOMENTS OF CONSEQUENCE occur from the fallout of the end of the Wakanda clash and it all builds up perfectly to get everyone primed and ready to see the follow-up to this in Avengers: Endgame. It would not be fair for me to go this whole time without one little quibble, and it is a feint one that I cannot fully get behind, but bears mentioning. This is a star-studded cast, and props for Marvel Studios for squeezing almost everyone in. Unfortunately, this expectedly has the side-effect of some standout stars getting short shrift so everyone can get a modicum of screen time. I was surprised Captain America (Chris Evans) came off as a bit player compared to others and ditto for at least several others. I still am stunned that Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson), who is a constant for many past MCU films, is only in one scene. For what it is worth it seems at least every person I felt who got slighted in screen time at least has a moment or two to have the spotlight on. It oddly reminded me of recent Wrestlemanias where WWE’s roster got to be so enormous the last couple installments went on to be nearly seven hours in order to cram almost the entire roster on the show in some way or another.

While I watched the 4K UHD at a friend’s, I made sure to pull my BluRay out of my backlog box to dive into the extra features. Coming right off GotG2, I love how Infinity War follows the same format for extra features with a making of special, gag reel, deleted scenes and a commentary track. The Marvel gag reels are always a riot, but this one clocks in short at only two minutes! The deleted scenes are worth checking out because it is the only place where Happy (Jon Favreau) makes an appearance and it is where Quill and Drax have a fun argument for control of music over Quill’s precious Zune player. There are four brief making-of specials that combine for just over a half hour. A couple of the specials that focus on the huge cast and another on Thanos feel more like extended trailers with brief interview snippets, but the back half dealing with both of the final act battles are worth checking out as the cast and crew have a lot to show in how they pieced together these huge battles on the big screen. Finally, the commentary with the Russo brothers and writers Christopher Markus and Stephan McFeely is a recommended commentary track worth your listen, or read which I will tip my hat to Marvel to for being one of the few companies out there to subtitle their commentary tracks! Commentary highlights are constant fascinating reactions to the unique hero pairings throughout, love for Brolin’s acting in his mammoth mo-cap setup, interesting insight on why the Russo’s were determined to make sure they got one specific hooded Infinity Stone protector back into the MCU and hearing all four react to the powerful scene between Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Thanos. Other than the making-ofs being a little on the lacking side, this is another fine set of extra features from Marvel Studios.

I realize I am many weeks late to saying this, but I highly recommend giving Infinity War a viewing again before going into Avengers: Endgame. I absolutely loved this film from beginning to end, especially on this second viewing. With a year going by after seeing it in the theaters there was so much I forgot that transpired in these two and a half hours. I have not seen such a fast-paced film of at least this length since Inception. Somehow, I have managed to avoid all trailers for Endgame as I did not want a hint of what to expect out of it and I am insanely amped up to see this MCU event that has been building to this finale all the way back since 2008! If you do not have time to give Avengers: Infinity War a re-watch then I hope this entry has at least brought you back up to speed on the broad strokes of it going into Endgame. I cannot think of a better way to wrap this up by quoting what the man, Stan, would say: Excelsior! Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street The Accountant Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: Civil War Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Countdown Creed Deck the Halls Die Hard Dredd The Eliminators The Equalizer Dirty Work Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Hercules: Reborn Hitman Indiana Jones 1-4 Ink The Interrogation Interstellar Jobs Joy Ride 1-3 Man of Steel Man on the Moon Marine 3-6 Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Mortal Kombat National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets The Replacements Reservoir Dogs Rocky I-VII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Shoot em Up Skyscraper Small Town Santa Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Take Me Home Tonight TMNT The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Vision Quest The War Wild Wonder Woman The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Days of Future Past