#the backdoor pilot episode was so interesting

[atlantisview]

i’m still sad we didn’t get a prequel for the 100 😭

[liam-summers]

I feel like we don’t really talk about how there’s a through line from “I Will Remember You” all the way to “End of Days” and a resolution to Angel turning back time so he can prevent Buffy from an untimely death. (I acknowledge that the following was probably not intended by the writers, but I think there's sufficient evidence in canon to support this theory.)

In "I Will Remember You", the Mohra demon says the End of Days has begun, which leads Angel to go see the Oracles to confirm if this is true and asks what will happen to Buffy. The Oracles say she will die, sooner than she would have, and Angel asks them to take his human life in exchange for hers:

Jump to Season 7, in an episode titled "End of Days", Angel shows up with the amulet that would ultimately lead Buffy & Co. to defeat the army of Turok-Han and the First Evil. (S7 frames the battle as a war between evil and good, with the slayer/potentials as soldiers for good vs the First's army of Turok-han as "The Soldiers of Darkness")

So...if Angel had remained human in IWRY, Jasmine and Wolfram & Hart would've no longer had any interest in him. They would've never brought Darla back as part of a scheme to turn Angel evil, Angel would've never done the Trial and earned the second life that Darla ended up not being able to use at the time, he would've never spiralled and slept with her, Connor would've never been born, Jasmine would've had to find some other way to bring herself into the world (she needed Cordelia AND Connor to make it happen), the Angel Investigations Team would've never prevented "world peace" and Wolfram & Hart would've never offered them a job as a result, which specifically included the amulet that Angel brings to Buffy in the finale (that W&H was hoping he would wear). In turn, Buffy & Co. would have faced the army of thousands of Turok-Han, and more than likely died, with the rest of the world quickly following. (End of Days, literally)

And actually, now that I'm on the topic, I think there's also something to be said about the First Evil's introduction in "Amends" and how it specifically targeted Angel and Buffy. In my opinion, the First Evil was not only trying to get Angel to kill Buffy, but it was also trying to get Buffy to kill Angel. It was trying to manipulate them with the dream sharing, driving Angel crazy with ghosts from his past, trying to make Buffy believe that Angel was a threat and needed to be killed, but at the same time actually working to make Angel give in and turn evil and kill her, because it knew that the two of them would play a major role in it's ultimate demise. It's also interesting that Buffy's speech to Angel in "Amends" ends up becoming the motto of Angel's own journey on his own show, which he exercised in IWRY (choosing to continue fighting, even if it meant making hard and painful choices)

(screenshot from this gifset by @buffysummers)

and the episode is often seen as a backdoor pilot for Angel the Series.

A line that is especially relevant here is: "Maybe this evil power did bring you back, but if it did it's because it needs you. And that means that you can hurt it.", which he DOES end up doing...4 years later.

There’s also this:

Again, I realize that none of this was probably intended or planned, but I do find it really interesting that we can clearly see a domino effect/through line originating directly from the specific events that happened in each of these episodes. And I think it's especially beautiful that the end result had so much to do with Buffy and Angel defying destiny through the power of their connection, their love, their shared mission/values, and their impact on each other...all things that the forces of darkness greatly underestimated.

[psychic-refugee]

My original theory for S2 and the Stalker has completely been obliterated, and honestly from all the new big names attached to it, and the smaller names, it’s a lot to fit in only 8 episodes.

The cast is very crowded for an 8-episode season. With limited time and “space” in the story, I feel like with Wednesday the only common thread and obviously will be in every episode, and Ortega herself saying each episode will feel like its own movie, I feel like most of the actors will actually only get one episode.

There’s also some indication that some of the students have already wrapped up their filming (specifically Joy Sunday via IG posts who is a top billed star), which is very short to me if true and insinuates to me that only one or two episode will be at the school. Which also supports the other rumours that the Addams estate will be heavily featured.

I would like it if some of the students got a significant B plot to explore their characters more throughout the season, but I don’t have confidence in the writers to explore anyone but Wednesday. So far, every other character is just a prop for her.

My new theory is that the season will start at the Addams estate. Maybe a funeral to intro many new Addamses. Then each subsequent episode will have her deal with different Addamses and the family lore.

She’s also supposed to be on a break, so starting at the Addams estate makes sense to me.

In no particular order, but what I think will be included in episodes:

1: We see Wednesday’s home life and more interaction and possible backstory to her friction with Morticia. This will include Morticia, Gomez, Pugsly, and Grandmama. I don’t think Pubert exists in this universe.

2: Uncle Fester centered episode which will also serve as a backdoor pilot to his spinoff.

3-6: She visits with various Addamses, really expanding the Wednesday universe, each with their own issues she has to figure out. So, each episode is more or less a procedural, horror mystery/ “Outcast of the week” This will include Noah Taylor, Billie Piper, Christopher Lloyd, Francis O’Connor, Haley Joel Osmet, Heather Matarazzo, Joonas Suotamo.

Besides just having something to do over break, perhaps Wednesday visits family to test the stalker’s reach, who is still sending her proof of being stalked. When back at Nevermore, she finally figures out who the stalker is because she has eliminated who it couldn’t be based on how they’re able to stalk her from family member to family member and then back to Nevermore.

7-8: Break is over and they’re back at Nevermore. Enid will heavily be featured to talk about her status as a transformed wolf within her pack. Maybe talk about some issues with Ajax because he’s not a werewolf and now she has more options within the Werewolf community. We’ll also see what happened to Tyler and Sheriff Galpin. And it’ll introduce the new faculty at Nevermore.

Maybe Tyler confronts his dad about what he knew about his wife being a Hyde, if anything, and what it means to have a half-outcast child. Galpin will talk his son into accepting his responsibility in what happened, and Tyler voluntarily turns himself in and Thandiwe Newton is his new therapist, perhaps at the same insane asylum his mother.

Wednesday visits him before he’s on a long absence to get his powers and mental health in order. They make peace.

New students Evie Templeton and Owen Painter will feature. I wonder if Owen will be Enid’s triangle love interest, as he has dark, pale features like Ajax. Perhaps she has a type. lol

Xavier, Divina, Kent, and Yoko’s absence will be explained that their families feel that Nevermore has gone downhill and they are pulled from the school to attend an alternative Outcast school.

Steve Buscemi as the new Headmaster will do something to spring into the 3rd season and we’re left with a question about something. lol

[paperstorm]

#whoever is in charge of these things really seems to be pushing Carlos front and centre#and I'm having thoughts about that ---- what are these thoughts if you don't mind me asking? Always interested in your takes!

Oh basically just what I said in those tags haha! There is a feeling of something being set up, to me. In Carlos being in episodes even when he isn't really needed for the plot (the donut scene was hecking adorable, but was it necessary? not really, no. Tommy could easily have demonstrated her stress in ways other than eating three donuts), in the establishment of a new character that only has to do with Carlos and his storyline and likely won't even interact with any of the other characters (his scenes with Ranger Soup in 5x01 felt so much like a backdoor pilot to me, having watched other shows that did have actual backdoor pilots), in the way a lot of the promo seems to be focused on him - I said in the tags on the post you're referencing but I'll say again here, as much as I am truly delighted by the sneak peek we got this afternoon, it seems like kind of small potatoes compared to all the other things that are happening in 5x03! The gas cloud, Marjan got blown up. But that's the clip that got sent out, Carlos in a relatively unimportant part of the episode is what the promo team wanted out there generating buzz on social media.

I am NOT!!!!!! suggesting that I'm sure a spin off is happening I want to be very very clear about that haha because things can snowball. But it feels to me like there is a noticeable effort being made to put Carlos on people's radar.

[leighlew3]

Maybe it’s just wishful thinking but is it weird I kinda feel a growing albeit likely delusional hope that maybe Wolf Ent is wanting to give Tracy/Hailey her own show?

When she joined Chicago PD the ratings went UP. Her Hailey-centric episodes are often the best performing. She has a great history already with NBC, having first starred on Revolution and now a long, successful run in the Chicago franchise.

But hear me out further...

A lot of times a network will do what’s called a backdoor pilot where they dedicate an episode of a series to what a potential new spinoff show might feel like and be about. So —

Having an ep where Voight was gone (when has that ever happened lately?) and she ran point, and she was not only team leader but taking on a very Voight-like role of being there for and covering for and helping out a new (to be) member of the team… felt like an interesting and bizarrely random situation that had little shades of backdoor pilot-isms.

Remember, pre-strike we already saw her take off once to be on that FBI show in a crossover on an entirely different network (CBS) at a time when Hailey was majorly dealing with personal issues also. And the arc was supposed to last longer, and I have to wonder if maybe they were planning on her joining that show or getting her own show at that point but then the strike derailed plans and they couldn’t wrap up her story with Jay the way they possibly wanted to so then everything sort of shifted and fell apart, but they still plan on giving Tracy her own series now?

I mean, tonight Hank said Detroit was “Just another violent city.” And last week her saying her brothers were smart enough to get outta Chicago. And we see Tracy got a haircut IRL immediately after wrapping — was it just for a fresh start personally THAT quick? Or for a fresh look for a fresh show to be announced, where HAILEY has a fresh start elsewhere, that they’re about to start filming the pilot for ASAP…

I’m wondering if they’re writing off Hailey in a way where she gets an offer to head up an intelligence team elsewhere, like Detroit. I could see Hank even saying “Listen, I got a call from somebody I was working with in Detroit and they need somebody new to head up an intelligence (or homicide?) team. They asked if I knew anybody.” And since she needs a fresh start because too many demons in Chicago since she was a child… she takes it.

Look, all I know is the entire Chicago franchise is sorta running its course. Most of the shows are losing characters that have been around forever. Ratings have steadily declined overall. And they may be considering wrapping up the Chicago franchise within the next couple years.

But with companies like Wolf Ent and networks like NBC, they rarely wrap up one thing without trying to start something similar, but new.

Are they considering a new Detroit (or other city) based series, and want her to take the reigns? And that’s why a happy ending with Jay simply couldn’t happen, why she randomly trained so hard with Dante recently to be even more of a brawler badass, and why she got an episode last week showing her leading a team and being a mentor to another officer? And having seeds planted about leaving Chicago? And suddenly mentioning her having brothers elsewhere?

Will it just be like other characters before her and she leaves with this anticlimactic arc and that’s it, and Tracy just moves on to entirely new things?

OR — could we possibly get news soon of a new series they’re launching called Detroit PD or Intelligence: Detroit. Etc. Then of course eventually followed by a medical and or other companion series or two that slowly replaces the Chicago franchise within the next few years?

Just thinking out loud.

Could be nuts. Could be nothing. Could simply be that we say goodbye to Hailey forever soon.

But it’s just such a ripe character who still has a long way to go as far as healing from her childhood wounds that I don’t see them being able to wrap up in a couple of episodes left, and Wolf Ent and NBC seems to love her. And most actors don’t leave a steady, well-paying, familiar gig and character they love so suddenly — especially in the current television/Hollywood climate. And again that whole FBI crossover cut short pre-strike felt… odd. Like they were up to something, but ultimately couldn’t go through with it because of the strike situation delaying everything.

I mean, if she was simply leaving the show because Jay left, then they probably would’ve gone ahead and given them their happy ending. But they didn’t. Instead, they did the complete opposite and made it to where she could never get back together with him. Why do that if she was just gonna follow him off the show? Unless they needed her to be free and single for her new series to start fresh. And lastly, with her final episode being entitled “More” it makes me think she’ll take the new gig and leave Chicago to do more, be more, have more. “More” could literally be reflective of her desire for more, and more to come…

So, yeah. Something feels like it could potentially be up. And maybe we’re not seeing the last of Hailey Upton. Maybe we’re just seeing the last of Hailey in Chicago, and she’s about to go have her own show and her own team built around her, and work through her issues in a new city with new arcs and new relationships… which would be very much earned and deserved and AWESOME.

TBD soon, I suppose!

[purpledaisiesthings]

Where do I even start with that trash as series finale?

Everything was so rushed.

I must admit, I didn't watch a lick of the season after 3ep01. I only followed along on social media and I'm so glad I did. I knew it was gonna be trash and it was indeed trash. They pretty much ruined every single character. How is that even possible?

Simone, the literal lead got cancer? Like they didn't see any other interesting storyline other than piling on more trauma for the girl. Then you end the finale without us actually seeing her play the biggest game of her life yet. Trash.

Couldn't even let her be happy in a relationship. And even when she and Damon broke up, you then replaced him with this other dude out of convenience to attach her to another love story when they could have just let her be. We could have seen her get involved in other things that make her Simone. Did we see much of her in sorority? I feel like I still barely know this person even after 3 seasons. It's always about some boy with a dash of tennis. Must she have a boy by her side at all times? Then it had to be someone who was without his own agency. I know nothing about this dude either. It pretty much felt like it was a situation where, because Damon was not available, let's get her with this other dude that's available. She chose Damon when she had all the options in the world. She always gravitated towards him even when she was still married to Jordan, and when this rebound dude came into the picture. She always chose Damon. But then how convenient that the only way she could be with this dude is when Damon was not available. Rubbish. Make it make sense. It would have been more believable if she ended the season single.

The Damon build-up was all for nothing? Their story was being told from the beginning. It carried weight. The least it deserved was a satisfying end/break up that showed you cared and respected the characters.

I'm all for fan service, but when the fan service is at the expense of the story being told and doesn't make sense, then you should reevaluate.

I really don't understand. You can't write a character as important and integral to a show like Damon, you develop him only to pretty much erase him and his presence. Then when he finally shows up for the finale, you make her shun him like they didn't spend 2 seasons building up not just a relationship for them, but their friendship.

It's funny how, in spite of all that shite in his absence, the 2 episodes he had, his character was still elevated above everyone else's whether it was intentional or not. You can't help but write him with importance.

In my opinion, his character had the best ending and if you really think about it, the best overall arc. Everything he wanted to achieve when we were introduced to his character in the backdoor pilot, he achieved them and more. Growth 🤌🏾

So why would a lead character like Simone end up with someone else who wasn't equally as important.

Anyways, it's over. Sad that a show that started out with so much promise ended that way.

[moistvonlipwig]

should i poke the bear and ask for cwsg for the top 3 ask game? 🥴

consider the bear poked!

top 3 favorite characters: The legendary Lena Luthor, my king from the future Querl Dox, and uhhh I'm actually not sure who's third? Could be Red Daughter, could be James, could be Nia. Could even be Eve who fascinates me despite being underwritten. IDK. Depends on my mood. ...And actually if we count him as a Supergirl character and not as a walking backdoor pilot then it might just be Clark. I do like Clarky boy.

top 3 least favorite characters: Mon-El obviously, Ben Lockwood who Manchester Black should've gotten to strangle with his bare hands, and...there are several other annoying misogynists I could list here but I'm actually going to give this spot to Overgirl because it's still so baffling to me that none of the higher-ups thought, 'hey, maybe we shouldn't make a crossover where AU versions of Supergirl and Green Arrow are actual literal Nazis.'

top 3 otps: Kara/Lena, Lena/James, Brainy/Nia

top 3 notps: Kara/Mon-El is a no-brainer, Kara/William was a flop, and I can't believe it even needs to be said but. Kara/Alex. No.

top 3 brotps: Lena & Brainy my beloved <333 And I like Lena & Sam's friendship as well. Honestly a lot of the relationships in this show are great in theory but a little thin in actual execution, but I enjoy reading fanfics where Lena is good friends with Kelly, Nia, and/or iconic queen Jess the secretary. [I wish I could give a brotp for Kara but honestly I think most of her relationships suffer greatly from how they write her character.]

top 3 favorite episodes/chapters/scenes/games in series: My favorite is definitely 4.16 "The House of L." Bonus points for epic title also, like, that's an iconic pun right there. I look fondly on 4.11 "Blood Memory" as well which I think is probably Nia's strongest outing on the show and also is an episode that actually bothers to do something interesting with the Danvers sisters relationship. And in terms of episodes that are consistently entertaining I do really enjoy a significant chunk of 5.13 "It's a Super Life" although it's tainted by the terrible ending (as well as the foreknowledge of what comes after). [You might be thinking: what about XYZ Season 2 episode? To which I sadly must respond: Mon-El.]

top 3 other things u think ppl who like this thing should watch/read/play: I'm going to refrain from recommending other Arrowverse shows because I think that's too easy. But I do think my recommendations would depend on what you liked or didn't like about the show? If you like light-hearted superhero shenanigans you should watch DC Super Hero Girls (2019-2021). If you were frustrated by the show's surface-level pop feminism then you should watch Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997). If Lena Luthor's character type fascinates you then you should watch Severance (2022-ongoing). [If you're in it for Katie McGrath I can't help you, that woman was cursed by a witch long ago to only be in the worst shows you've ever heard of.]

my rating of this media out of 3, with 0 being lowest and 3 being highest: uhhh 1? idk. it's not 0

[sapsuckers-and-stardust]

This is apparently a spicy hot take but Spock’s Brain is not even close to my least favorite episode. Like yeah it’s stupid but I’m not viscerally uncomfortable while watching it. And parts of it were kind of funny or cute. Honestly as is true of many bad trek episodes, the first half was decent and created an interesting problem/mystery and they just didn’t know how to end it properly.

Meanwhile during The Omega Glory my body was turning inside outside because it is both extremely cringe and deeply problematic in a way a lot of TOS managed to avoid.

Or Assignment Earth where the entire episode is literally a backdoor pilot for a show that never was and also makes no sense from a trek point of view.

Or the Alternative Factor? Like that whole episode was SO bad. To me it’s more nonsensical and impossible to follow than Spock’s brain but way less fun. It’s played totally straight as a drama but like… i literally didn’t care about anything happening because it was so poorly explained. Not to mentioned endless bad-even-for-the-time special effects.

I don’t know like I don’t think Spock’s Brain is a good episode but I just see it so universally maligned as the WORST and like… it’s really not.

[aliteralchicken]

Do you think it's feasible to read all the important bits of the Dead Boy Detectives' history before the show comes out? (and also when does it come out I don't remember)

it comes out April 25th

I think it is possible to read all their appearances, but if you want their most important ones for the context of the show specifically:

•sandman issue 25, origin issue ( you don’t need to read the previous issues you just have to know that the dead have left hell)

• sandman presents: dead boy detectives (I think one of the characters is going to be based on a character from this run)

• dead boy detectives 2014, the run the show is primarily based on (12 issues)

they have other major appearances that might be important for the show, ‘children’s crusade’ is when they first become detectives and ‘run ragged’ is a short but interesting look at the type of cases they take on (it’s referenced in the trailer)

but if you’re pressed for time but still want to read their comics I would highly suggest sticking with the 2014 run

There’s also season 3 episode 3 of doom patrol (dead patrol) which was the backdoor pilot for the series, some things from this episode (like Charles weapons) are original to the live action and aren’t in the comics so watching that episode might be worth it as well if you have time

[elcomfortador]

In 1991, Fox attempted to sell audiences on a spinoff to Married... With Children called Top of the Heap, centered around Kelly Bundy's one-off boyfriend Vinnie Verducci, who was played by Matt LeBlanc. It only lasted six episode, but if you're a fan of Married, it's worth checking out because it very much has the mood and humor of the mothership show. (And it's streaming for free on Crackle.)

I'm sharing this scene, from the show's second episode, because not only is it a few more minutes with Christina Applegate's iconic Kelly Bundy, but also it does something interesting with Mona Mullins, the walking jailbait joke played by a pre-Chasing Amy Joey Lauren Adams. In most of the show, Mona exists only to be super sexualized, in a way that makes me think they were trying to give the show its own Kelly Bundy without really understanding what made Kelly a popular character. But in this scene, Mona gets to interact with another female character, and rather than regarding each other as rivals, they see in each other a kindred spirit. It's a very sweet moment for 90s sitcom tramps, honestly.

We cover Top of the Heap on Backdoor Pilots, a Patreon-only spinoff to my regular podcast, Gayest Episode Ever, so if you're ever curious about TV spinoffs and why some work and others don't, give it a listen.

Subscribe to Gayest Episode Ever: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts

[therealvinelle]

i've seen you answer a few questions about tvd so i thought i might ask, what are your thoughts on the main love triangle? and klaus/stefan?

As a caveat: I did not watch much further than the first few episodes of season 4, in fact I ragequit when one of the writers revealed we wouldn't be seeing Elijah on screen again until 4x20 at which point I thought, "Well I simply won't watch until 4x20 then".

And then 4x20 was a backdoor pilot to the spinoff The Originals and I simply watched that show instead.

All this to say, I was 100% a gung ho Vampire Diaries fan and you can tell by how closely I was following it, sadly the only TVD I know of would be the first three seasons. Same actually goes for The Originals, as I for reasons I don't remember wasn't able to access episodes post-season 3 so I wound up not knowing what happens after Hayley drives off with the entire family hibernating in her truck either.

Another disclaimer: it's been more than ten years since I watched this show and my memory may fail me at times.

With that:

The main love triangle

Having only seen the first three seasons, I think that Damon wishes quite badly he was a different man, and he is unable to take responsibility for his life and relationships being what they are. He would rather blame his failings on Stefan, and, whenever Stefan fails or falls short in some ways, it's immensely validating to Damon because who's the bad brother now?

His love for Katherine is not only about Katherine, but about being chosen by someone over Stefan. Because, as Damon will try to tell himself, just because she was sleeping with both of them and decided to turn them both, doesn't mean she didn't prefer Damon (after all, she had to compell Stefan, while Damon slept with her willingly. Victory for Damon!), and also- look, don't question Damon on this. It's fine and he's a well adjusted man, and once he has rescued his lady love from her tomb she'll tell him how much better he is than Stefan.

Enter Elena, who looks exactly like Katherine, is living in Mystic Falls just the same as Katherine, and who has drawn Stefan's interest.

Damon, eternally pulling Stefan's pigtails and being a goddamn creep, starts creeping on Elena, this does not work. Instead, however, he learns that Katherine faked her entombment, and has in fact been living her best life for the past 150 years. Worse, Damon and Stefan were never more than boytoys to her.

Cut to Elena, who is just as beautiful (in a very literal sense of the term), only she is kind, genuinely loves Stefan, the polar opposite of Katherine in every way.

Damon transfers his emotions from Doppelganger B to Doppelganger C.

Stefan, meanwhile, seems to... fall in with Elena, for lack of a better way to put it. They meet, he is confused about the resemblance to Katherine for long enough to get to know her, by which time he's into it, and Elena sees a very handsome and pleasant man who is easy to fall for.

The trouble with Stefan is I don't really have a grip on his character, he is... there, for three seasons, and he has his character moments and his speeches, I can tell you things about his personality except I can't.

He is one of those people you can know for years but never actually know who, having killed his father and become the Ripper for so many years, seems to be that he is running away from himself. That is the only way I can interpret his strange nothingness, as well as bizarre decisions like coming to live with his nephew Zach and attend high school.

I think Stefan wants to surround himself with people, form relationships with them, and through that find a sense of identity that he can enjoy. Which is where loving Elena comes in, as she is kind, generous, mature, vulnerable, and fun- the type of person you can lose yourself in, and have those simple moments of happiness Florence Welch sings about.

In other words, while my real ship here is Elejah, Stelena trumps Delena any day.

Klaus and Stefan

Klaus is a deeply sad person who is only interested in dating two people, and they are his sister Rebekah and his brother Elijah. At the time he met Stefan Elijah wasn't around, so Stefan became replacement Elijah.

(The proof of the Elijah projection lies in the fact that Klaus was fine with Stefan sleeping with Rebekah. He is historically not fine with outsiders doing this, you have to be family for Klaus to accept these things.)

"Look, Elijah," Klaus would imagine himself saying to Elijah, "I have a new brother now and he is hotter, cooler, and not a total bore like you! Stefan loves me more anyway," and then Elijah would sit and cry and give Klaus so much attention and it would be great.

As for Stefan, I think he just liked partying.

They probably did fuck, but Klaus is too embarrassing for Stefan to ever admit as much.

[themanyfeelsofaudrey]

One Chicago Rewatch Recap

So I recently decided I wanted to do a full rewatch of Chicago Fire, PD, and Med because it's been a while since I initially started watching all of these shows back in 2021. I just finished season 1 of Fire and I have so many thoughts: *Peter Mills! I completely forgot that he existed but I remember the first time watching it not liking him? But I can't remember why because so far he's great. *Shayveride having the most wholesome friendship hits so much different now *On that note, I really wish they would've been able to have a baby together, I think it would be so cool to see Kelly with a 10ish year old now in the current seasons. *Otis :( *Everyone looks so young!!! *What was the reason for the show to introduce Jimmy, Boden's stepson, only for him to never be mentioned or talked about ever again *Herrmann and Cindy being the original wholesome power couple in the franchise god I love them *I've never been a Dawsey shipper but I love the pining and tension between them in season 1 *Voight being the main antagonist for the first half of this season is so funny to me. The way his character is written is just *chefs kiss* *Also the entire PD backdoor pilot episode is incredible (and so was Meds if I'm remembering correctly) *Scott Eastwood just. randomly being in a few episodes of this franchise sends me *I honestly forgot about the Molly's storyline so when Herrmann didn't just own a bar from the beginning I was a little confused *I completely forgot that Joe Cruz just straight up abandons a civilian (Flaco the gang member) in a burning building and then announces that the floor is cleared but it made me CACKLE I will always ride at dawn for Joe Cruz, if Joe Cruz has 0 fans I'm dead Overall I love this season and it's nice to see how exciting the shows used to be with the original cast and everything. I do think out of all three shows, Fire has done the best job at staying consistently good and entertaining (although the arson investigation storylines are starting to drive me up the wall) Anyway I plan on doing these little updates whenever something major happens or at least once for the end of each show's season. Also if anyone is interested in a really helpful tool to watch all of these episodes in the proper order there's an amazing spreadsheet with all of the info on it that is kept up to date. Speadsheet made by @PetitCartonVert on tumblr and it is pinned on their page :)

[galvanizedfriend]

what do you think about the baby plotlines? about hope and the twins? do you think they ruined any chance of klaroline being together? or do you think kc could have been together for real and had a good relationship if the babies didn't exist?

This might seem surprising since I have written over a million words of baby fic (although I will argue that it's not a baby fic, it's a fic that contains a baby, which is very different 😌), but I hate the baby plot. I'm a clown. 🤡

It's not about Hope or the twins in particular, nothing against them, I just think that suddenly including magical babies in a supernatural story about vampires is just about the stupidest thing you can do. Vampires are not supposed to have babies, period. I remember watching the backdoor pilot episode of The Originals not having the slightest clue what to expect because I wasn't in fandom back then, or even following anything about TVD, just watched the episodes as they came out, and the moment they revealed The Originals' move to New Orleans was about a baby, I turned off my TV. Whoever thought that giving Klaus A BABY was the best thing they could do for him, is an idiot that should've been fired on spot.

If they wanted to explore the whole father-child situation, drawing from Klaus' immense well of daddy issues, they could've used Marcel. It would've been so much more powerful and so much more interesting. The thought that Klaus, out of all the Originals, would just decide to embrace fatherhood after getting a one-night stand he didn't even like accidentally pregnant makes NO SENSE AT ALL. This is the man who stabbed his siblings and carried them around in coffins as a love language. And people want me to believe that this violence-first, emotionally constipated hybrid would want to raise a child. Sure.

As for Caroline's pregnancy - I guess once you have established that Klaus could make magical babies, then anything was possible. The excuse they used that Candice was pregnant was so dumb though. So many movies and shows have been shot while the actresses were heavily pregnant, but their characters weren't. Catherine Zeta Jones was six or seven months pregnant in Chicago. Everyone in Grey's Anatomy had babies. Ellen Pompeo had three onscreen babies but none of them were written to match her real life pregnancies. In fact, Candice had to wear a prosthetic belly because she wasn't pregnant ENOUGH. So stupid.

HAVING SAID THAT. I don't think the babies were the reason why Klaroline didn't happen. At the end of the day, it wouldn't have been something that would've kept them apart if the writers had wanted to go there. If anything, babies could've brought them closer. I mean, Klaus should've been completely inept when it comes to taking care of another human being who's entirely dependent upon him. Caroline, as a carer at heart, could've seamlessly fit into the narrative. And especially after they gave her babies as well, they could've easily connected through their snowflake kids.

In fact, my personal headcanon (somewhat backed by real canon) is that they did. Klaus gave her money for her school, and while I don't think he did it so he could send Hope there later on as Legacies tried to make us believe, I do think the reason he ended up allowing Hope to attend the school was BECAUSE Caroline was there. He trusted her with his daughter, in a way he probably wouldn't have trusted anyone else, particularly because he was absent. He needed to know she would be safe and in good hands, and that was definitely not because of Alaric. And I also think they kept in touch during all those years where Hope went to school there and he went on a murder bend around Europe. Hayley couldn't get a hold of him, but Rebekah IMMEDIATELY knew who she could reach out to to find him. If Caroline hadn't seen or spoken to him in 15 years, that would make no sense. The way Klaus is all 'Trying not to flatter myself that you're here on a sudden whim to see me' implies more intimacy than two people who hadn't spoken in over a decade would've had. They were definitely in touch. How much touching was involved is up to your imagination. :)

One thing I wish Legacies had explored was Caroline's relationship with Hope. They obviously had one, we were just never shown it, which is sad, because there were so many interesting layers that could've been explored. It's also in my personal headcanon that Lizzie would've been fascinated with Klaus had him and Caroline ever had a chance to be together and he got to hang around her kids as well, and the irony that her middle name is Jenna is just delicious (Klaus wouldn't have felt the slightest bit of remorse). It would've given Alaric so much grief.

In conclusion, Klaroline could've been together with or without the babies. They weren't what was standing between them. Stupid writing was.

[jaggedjot]

Ok so my (probably wrong) theory about why we havent gotten a title for ep8 is bc I think the last ep of s2 is a "backdoor pilot" for s3 where we get a glimpse of how or who lestat will be telling his pov of everything idk why i think this will happen but for ep8 title to be a spoiler must mean something. I think they will wrap up louis/iwtv book in 7 eps so the extra ep might be the pivot to lestat or not lol idk

From my understanding, IWTV Daily have said that it is not clear which of the titles relate to what episodes and, looking through the list again, I do strongly suspect it is not in order. At this point we can't say for certain then that it is the eighth episode title that is missing.

I can't verify IWTV Daily's source for this information, and I do not know enough about how the WGA works to make a definitive claim about it, but these titles have not been officially announced, and so I think we shouldn't treat it like a teaser where the eighth episode title is being tantalisingly withheld.

As to what the eighth episode will be about, I do agree that there is going to be lead in to the third season, but I don't believe that it will be (and frankly I hope it won't be) a soft pilot or reboot of the series as Lestat's memories take centre stage.

Louis doesn't really have a resolution or ending in the original book (which is thematically true to the central question that the story is asking: what if we are never able to move past our feelings of guilt, grief and regret?), his story just peters out. While I am perhaps more cynical and pessimistic than others about Louis, if I had to speculate, I think the eighth episode would primarily revolve around Louis considering how he could, finally, begin to move forward. And I think the way that Louis may attempt to do this (and, if I am correct, there will be a very interesting discussion about whether this is actual progress or merely another angle from which Louis can contemplate the same thing) is to interrogate Lestat.

[thegeminisage]

tng update time. last night we watched "datalore" together and this morning i caught "angel one" on my own

datalore: not terrible!! i felt really bad for data the entire time of course. kind of delighted to find out he is amnesiac-adjacent in this episode, at least as far as not knowing where he comes from or why. i've gotten used to thinking of him as friend-shaped but lore reminded me of just how creepy he actually does look because he was making the creepy faces

the planet and lab were cool though it was hilarious that one of the pieces was just an ass with the crotch faced away from us to protect data's modesty lol

i liked the bit about data having an off switch.it is ironically such a human vulnerability. we have those too! it's called head trauma.

ik what i said about picard not being a dick anymore but i noticed he IS still a dick sometimes and it's mostly to either wesley (valid) or data (may he DIE). i was glad data told him not to call lore "it" and that he APOLOGIZED. he should apologize to data more often

lore is literally just a data who is better at masking btw. like thats all it is. he thinks using contractions makes him allistic and he's like ha ha look at me i'm better than you meanwhile he has to use a little laser to remove his own facial tick and his special interest is murdering humans and good for him

one thing i HATED about this ep was once again wesley made a valid point and everyone told him to fuck off. meanwhile whenever hes fucking around they let him do whatever he wants. this is making me CRRRAZY. all this stuff about you would have listened to me if i was an adult!! i'll kill the little brat myself

however the episode was immediately rescued by the appearance of this meme:

which sent me immediately into screaming hysterics because i was NOT expecting to see it in its original format here. i quite literally had to pause the episode and explain this meme to catherine with tears running down my face

angel one: not as bad as the skip/watch lists led me to believe (i didnt have to play it on 2x speed for example) but still pretty fucking terrible. oh what if WOMEN were in charge wouldnt that be WEIRD AND SCARY? meanwhile the women are wearing what pretends to be "no makeup" in 1987 and theyre super fucking hot

i thought that blonde chick was rthe one from tos's backdoor pilot and even looked it up but no she just moves her face the same way

riker's slut outfit really was something. he was such a good sport about it that i thought it was kind of mean of deanna and tasha to laugh at him but considering how women are treated on this show they deserve to actually. tasha especially.

absolutely bonkers that he tried to turn the head woman down and she slept with him anyway. close encounters of the space babes riker version??? quite literally the man said i'm not an object to be seduced and then he got seduced. wild

anyway, the morals of this were all over the place. they cant remove these people bc theyre not bound by the prime directive but they literally are interfering with this planet's system of laws etc...also the fact that like everyone is arguing for gender equality when the genders are reversed is all well and good when they live in a utopian society where genders are equal but we live and star trek was made in the real world where the genders are NOT equal so it just comes out sounding like but what about the meeeeen?? i mean. what about them?? sorry.

i. HATED. the b-plot of this episode. everyone's like oh no i wonder how this virus spreads! and then they allow worf to stay on the bridge while he does those dad sneezes. maybe this episode should have been before the other to explain data's sudden hyperfixation on learning to sneeze lol. like ik all infectious disease media hits different post pandemic but jesus christ we had more sense than that even BEFORE the pandemic

tonight we do 11001001, and then i'm doing the next FOUR on my own...rough.

[intuitive-revelations]

How would I pitch a DWCU?

With a lot of renewed discussion about the idea of Doctor Who spin-offs in light not just of RTD's interest, but also the Disney+ deal and other rumours, I wanted be a bit self-indulgent and do a post showing what kind of ideas I would be pushing if I were in his shoes.

With these I've tried to include variety in genres, settings, and structure, so story ideas wouldn't overlap and there would be room for creativity. In general the aim has been to keep away from the typical "modern day Earth Defence" / "exploring the universe" DW clone ideas that often get pitched, since things can quickly get redundant there - especially if you start having series centred around past companions and/or other Doctors. While Torchwood and SJA worked, even that I thought was pushing it.

While some of these are more of less building on existing ideas, there's a couple I've put a lot of thought into (eg. in the case of Citadel, I've been playing with series outlines and episode-by-episode plans for almost a decade!), pulling from what we've learned from previous attempts like Class.

CITADEL

A "Thrones"-like political thriller, telling the story of Rassilon's rise and fall on ancient Gallifrey, from his campaign against the Last Pythia, to the Eternal Vampire War, to the Anchoring of the Thread, to his disappearance into the Dark Tower. A tale of progress, revolution, war, imperialism and corruption. Combining decades of (often contradictory) DWEU lore from dozens of authors into one complete story, CITADEL features many familar figures from the TIme of Legend, including Omega, Tecteun, Patience, I.M. Foreman, Vandekirian, Thremix, and, perhaps... the Doctor? This would be perhaps the most ambitious series, but one I think could potentially appeal not just to fans, but also to new audiences. I also think now is a good time for it in terms of the greater franchise, given the Timeless Child revelations, Jo Martin's Doctor and some interesting Dark Times details introduced in the Time Lord Victorious storyline and Flux. The biggest challenge IMO would be to tell a complete story without destroying all the mystery of the era - so there'd definitely be a need for ambiguous situations and unreliable narrators. Some plot threads (eg. the exact connection with the Doctor, did Rassilon really kill Omega) would need to be simply hinted at and left unresolved, rather than explicitly explained. The show could potentially also be treated "Fire and Blood"-style as a possible account, rather than the definitive history.

DOCTOR WHO: THE ANIMATED SERIES

A hybrid CG/2D animated anthology series telling stories starring past Doctors, companions and other characters, ranging from classic stories featuring duos like the Eighth Doctor and Charley, to side trips revisiting one-off characters like The Ghost, or catching up with departed companions like Bill, Romana and Leela. The series would double as a testing ground for returning characters, and potentially backdoor pilots for other series (eg. "Doctor Who: Unbound", or an Eighth Doctor limited series). I think it would be great opportunity to get creative without requiring too much investment. It could more or less be Big Finish in an animated, on-screen medium. While stories would be largely standalone by default, there's also plenty of room for crossthrough story arcs.

PATERNOSTER ROW

A series starring the Paternoster gang remains a good choice, even if audience familiarity will have dropped off quite a bit by now. As with a number of these series, while alien incursion stories would be a possible choice, I would personally push for more mystery / detective stories instead, since that genre isn't covered elsewhere. I think PATERNOSTER ROW would work pretty well for a younger audience, but would be best keeping some serious tones in the same way SJA did - eg. there should definitely be deaths in their investigations. While Strax is excellent comedic relief, I would also want to take his character a bit more seriously, closer to his debut in A Good Man Goes to War, exploring his role as a 'nurse' and his relationship with Sontaran culture, considering that he could in some ways be considered a parallel to the Doctor.

UNIT

Another often suggested spin-off, and the one I think might be closest to actually happening sometime soon given the ending of Power of the Doctor, UNIT would be the one "Earth Defence" show I would allow, as well as the one which would be most likely to crossover with the main show. In some ways, it would be a Torchwood successor, though would not approach the same maturity of that show. Along with fighting alien invasions, it could also have a more X-files-ish, conspiracy/investigatory tone, playing with things like the Black Archive, along with internal conflict between the science and military sides of the organisation, especially with its own funding troubles in recent years - perhaps with a splintering into UNISYC being a major plot point? Obvious characters include Kate Stewart, Osgood and potentially the Big Finish UNIT cast. Martha would be a good choice too, along with UNIT one-offs like Malcolm, Bambera, and Magambo. With Kate's line in the last episode, I think UNIT could potentially also be a hub show not just for bringing in past companions as guest stars, but also potentially other characters like the Class and DW Redacted cast

SUMMERFIELD AND SONG

Newly released from Stormcage, Dr. River Song teams up with her old Luna University lecturer Professor Bernice Summerfield to uncover ancient secrets in this ongoing buddy-archeologist adventure series set in the 52nd Century. But even now, free at last to live her life, can River escape the watchful eyes of her old guardians? And why is Benny in this time, away from her friends and family in the 27th century? Along with River and Benny, returning characters include Irving Braxiatel, Professor Arthur Candy, Tasha Lem, John Hart and more. Along with being the long suggested River spin-off, the series also doubles as a continuation and soft-reboot of Benny's franchise, introducing her to general audiences, picking up after her most recent stories.

I, DAVROS

A spiritual adaptation of its namesake Big Finish series as well as the main range story 'Davros', I, DAVROS is something of a model for the more unique experimental spin-offs I'd like to see. Following loosely from threads introduced in The Magician's Apprentice / The Witch's Familiar, I imagine this as a limited miniseries (or perhaps even a single TV special/movie?) focusing on Davros, exploring his history and psyche, while also featuring a present day story that could tie-in to a return in the main show.

DOCTOR WHO: REGENERATED

More or less just the idea of an official version of my Doctor Who Regenerated edits, in which whole classic episodes can be remastered, colourised and edited for a re-release for modern audiences (I personally like the idea of new cuts with more modern pacing, episode lengths etc., but a restored version of the original cut would have to be available too). The project could also see the reconstruction, editing and/or restaging of missing episodes, even if it requires being creative with the constraints - eg. a painted, hand-animated version of Marco Polo, with a live-action framing device with Polo's diaries. A lot of this understandably sounds like a pipe dream, but from my own experience and research I honestly do think that film technology is getting to the point where this could be achieved with a realistic budget.

MASTER WHO

Like I, Davros, MASTER WHO would be a one-off limited mini-series focusing on a villain, in this case the Master, who effectively co-opts the show from the Doctor (hence the logo). This is another series, like Citadel, that we're kind-of in a perfect position for, given the Master's attempt to steal the Doctor's identity and body in the last episode. I imagine the series exploring the Master's current internal conflict, having gone back to their old ways since the Vault, yet ending up stuck in a state of self-hatred.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

TORCHWOOD - an obvious choice for a series or movie, given it's already recognisable even to non-fans, but would depend greatly on good-will for a John Barrowman return, and I don't think would work without Jack. It also would be redundant with UNIT, at least if they were both in the same medium, though a Torchwood movie + a UNIT series combo could potentially work.

If I did bring it back I would also continue leaning into the dark high-concept style of Children of Earth and Miracle Day (with big ideas akin to something like Black Mirror or Years and Years), though would probably aim to bring back the Cardiff Hub given how iconic it is.

CLASS: ONGOING - of course I'll mention this! But I will acknowledge that, even if there was a large enough demand, actors aging would make an on-screen continuation difficult at this point. Doesn't mean elements or characters couldn't return in something like UNIT, or they couldn't be revisted in the Animated Series.

GALLIFREY - I'd love to see an onscreen series like the Gallifrey audios, to potentially interweave with the main show over a relative time "modern day setting", but of course Gallifrey isn't exactly around right now... It would also be redundant to air it at the same time as Citadel.

As I've mentioned before, I think there would be so much you could explore with a post Time War / Hell Bent Gallifrey and I think Chibnall kinda squandered the opportunity, personally, as much as I've enjoyed much of the Timeless Child arc. A shame really.

Tangentially related series (THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, DIRK GENTLY, BLAKE'S 7) - this I think would be a really clever way to go if you wanted some more content without burning out DW, since you could reuse elements, props etc. and potentially do some crossover stuff (imagine a character like Chronotis popping between series, complete with explicitly shown TARDIS!). These are often rumoured for possible reboots/revivals so there's already interest there. I haven't included them as they're kinda in a different category. but did mock up a Hitchhiker's logo: