#unfortunately did die in this case r.i.p.

[mollysunder]

Maybe I'll say something longer later but I love sinco because I LOVE when characters get divorced and don't get back with their ex. I love when people in stories change to the point that they can't go back to the way things used to be. I love when characters can't love their ex like they used to. They don't fit anymore, they've changed too much.

I don't care if the change was good or bad, I care that it happened. I want to see a couple that's rooted in the present and build a future for themselves together. If they make eachother worse? Sure, whatever, just keep going and don't stop til someone dies.

[whenimgoodandready]

They said Marinette couldn’t be akumatized cuz she was “too optimistic”. Well, Hawk Moth tried to akumatize her in “Zombizou”, but that didn’t work. Strike 1. He tried to do it again in “Chameleon”, but that didn’t work either. Strike 2. So what’s it gonna take to really crack this clumsy aspiring fashion designer? You’d have to be conning and manipulative enough to orchestrate something so spirit breaking to have the schools Darling akumatized. The culprit achieves this. Find out how:

*Ladybug-Ever feel like you’re being watched? Like, you sense something off, but you just can’t put your finger on it? It’s creepy. Speaking of which, that creeper is Lila Rossi. During her “excessive traveling” she’s been spying on Marinette from her window growing increasingly jealous of all the love and attention she’s been getting. Especially from Adrien. Like how he gave her her own lucky charm bracelet (“Befana”). Season 2’s finale was the last straw for her, so that’s why she came back to school to ruin Marinettes life and take all of the attention for herself (“Chameleon”). After allying with Gabriel to be close to Adrien, she’s been keeping him up to date with Adriens whereabouts and how she says Marinette is a “bad influence” on him (“Miracular”). Gabe of course is only using Lila to trigger negative emotions for akumas. (whispers) She’s getting more wicked!

Since everyone seems to love Marinette, Lila thought she could sabatoge that and make her and everyone else miserable therefore she’d have to be akumatized along with them and Hawk Moth will get his miraculouses and Lila will finally see Ladybug fall. Well, Lila still doesn’t know Gabe and Hawk Moth are one in the same, but she’s technically “allied” with him (Hawk Moth) too, so she can get rid of Ladybug. How do they pull this off? Lila frames Marinette for stealing the answers to a test making it look like she cheated, faking an injury that Marinette pushed her down the stairs and even stealing her fox necklace found in her locker. All of which she planted and made look convincing getting Marinette expelled! Damn! She’s good at being a liar and it’s getting worse!

Marinette is so devastated by all this after failing to call out Lila and with that, Hawk Moth akumatizes Natalie as Catalyst again turning him into Scarlet Moth from last seasons finale so he can akumatize another whole army using his multiple scarlet akumas! Oh sh*t! Scarlet Moth akumatizes Marinette and-WHOA! WAIT A MINUTE! IT HAPPENED!? IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED! MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG WAS AKUMATIZED!? HOLY SH*T SHE TOOK OFF HER MIRACULOUS! OH GOD! WE’RE DOOMED! Don! Don! Don! SAY GOOD-BYE! SAY GOOD-BYE! CUZ WE’RE ALL GONNA-Huh!? What happened to Cataylst there!? Phew! Well thank God she’s still sick from the damaged peacock miraculous otherwise it would’ve been the end of the world as we know it. STRIKE 3! YOU’RE OUTTA HERE HAWK MOTH! :P.

Unfortunately, none of this saved the fact that Marinette was still expelled. Sensing fowl play, Alya attempts to play detective and figure out who did this to her best friend. Glad to see she’s siding with Marinette again cuz I’m sure she must’ve learned from her mistakes. During that time Marinette was put under house arrest by her parents to keep her safe while Gabe takes back the peacock miraculous from Nathalie fearing for her health. Not wanting to disappoint her secret love, Nat secretly steals her miraculous to become Mayura and creates a sentimonster of her own. Hmmm, she can do that!? Wow! She creates one in the spitting image of Ladybug! Complete with voice! Oh God! This is gonna be a toughie.

It was a toughie. “Sentibug” was sooooooooooo convincing, Cat Noir actually fell for it and even sided with her over the real Ladybug! 😫 Ugh! C’mon you stupid cat! Didn’t you learn anything!? It was over a love confession and he damn well knew Ladybug loved “someone else”, but his school boy crush just overpowered it. Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! Luckily, it was only for a quick moment until he was called out on his stupidity and the dynamic duo (along with the fandom) learned something new today, sentimonsters have feelings!

Before I begin my thoughts on this, I’d like to say that this ep come out on my birthday! Sept 10! 🎉🎈Happy (Belated) Birthday🎂To Me!🎈🎉 I consider it a gift from Zagtoon and Thomas Astruc, so merci! What a treat I got from this as one of the best things about this episode was when the whole class vouched for Marinette knowing she’s a nice girl who wouldn’t steal (anything that wasn’t a smart phone) unlike how they did in “Chameleon” siding with Lila. Much better! Then there was the well calculated plan to déjà vu “Heroes Day” using Scarlet Moth and Catalyst. I could see how it would’ve gone had it not been for Nats growing health issues. From the Season 2 finale, almost everyone was akumatized cuz they were all in shock that their town heroine, Ladybug, turned evil and “killed” Cat Noir in front of ‘em (illusion by Volpina) and it almost happened again cuz the nicest girl in school, Marinette, was accused of being a criminal leaving everyone heartbroken from her expulsion cuz everyone loves Marinette as much they love Ladybug! (Lila is actually good at elaborate plans in a villainous sense). It almost happened! Marinette got akumatized! The fans were right, her akumatized form would’ve been something justice related, Princess Justice, cuz she’s a huge advocate for it and her mother too! As Verity Queen! However, we never got to see it cuz of Nats health, but it would’ve been cool. Since Marinette was taking off her miraculous, was she gonna give them to Hawk Moth or just took ‘em off before she was fully akumatized for safety? During the almost corruption, Alya and Chloe stood their ground keeping cool in case they were needed for battle (didn’t see Adrien there or even the others who already had miraculouses there, so I don’t know what went on with them). Detective Alya’s research went nowhere as she couldn’t find any evidence to back-up her friend, so it was a bust. Damn, that Lila! The debate over Cats guess on who the real Ladybug was was absolutely jarring! Guy was too blinded by his love for her to think clearly! Do what your real Lady said and LISTEN TO YOUR BRAIN YOU STUPID BANANA HAIRED CAT! Well, we can’t blame the guy, I mean, it was pretty convincing and we need to remember he’s the Heart Thinker to Ladybugs Brain Thinker. Love will be their downfall. Wait for it. Turns out, Mayura can create her own image of a sentimonster and they actually have thoughts and feelings! Their free will is just controlled by Mayura. Once Ladybug figured that out, Sentibug turned over a new leaf, but sadly was short lived as Mayura destroyed her. R.I.P. Sentibug :’(. Oh God! What is this, the 25, 915th time Cat Noir has to see Ladybug die in front of him!? First it was all those heart wrenching times in “Desperada”, then her capture in “Party Crasher” and now this! Guys gonna be traumatized, I swear. Hawk Moth made another of his rare public appeareances and this was to fight his adversaries in Mayuras defense. A little thing I liked was when Gabe woke up and realized Nathalie was out and about as Mayura and asked Nooroo why he didn’t wake him up, his excuse was “You looked so peaceful!” (Badum-tish🥁). XD! Straight outta sitcom! Hawk Moth and Ladybug have a short Mexican Standoff (he had his son right there!) before calling off the fight to escape with their partners. That was close! They almost revealed themselves there! Nat is out of commission as both Catalyst and Mayura as her health is getting worse from the damaged peacock miraculous (let’s not have another Emilie incident) and with that, they’ll figure out another way to find Master Fu (this is after “Feast”. Master Fus ep). In the end, Lila got no comeuppance sadly and instead, became Gabe’s “muse”, but Adrien put his foot down and confronted her, in all his tranquil fury, to bullsh*t her way into bringing back Marinette since she’s too good of a liar to expose (nobody messes with his “not-yet-aware” love interest). This is one of those rare moments where Adrien is pissed off! The last time we saw him this angry was in the Christmas special! It’s scary! He warned her in “Onichan” and now, she’s gonna pay! You go Adrikins! (I would’ve gone a little more tougher, but still, you did good!). “Things aren’t always what they seem” is the quote of the episode here and it plays it straight (No Marinette, it’s not for your benefit). Lila made up yet another “disease” for herself that involves lying (well, its technically true) and is saved Marinette to get her back in school. A little heads up folks, this episode is after “Cat Blanc” and “Felix” and before the big two part finale. Just lettin’ ya know there, *click* *click*.

[ephemeralnerd]

SNK 119: Big Brothers and Little Brothers

(AKA Paths No Jutsu and Central Nervous Nonsense)

Even before we get into the chapter, I would like to say that this is one of the best chapters in a while. Of course, not every chapter can be high-stakes desperation, but this chapter was exactly that and exactly what we needed. We haven’t felt anything like this since RTS. The Grim Reminder 2.0 at the festival was quite destructive, but it was nowhere near as brutal as this arc is. What shall we call this arc, anyway? Return to Shiganshina again? The Great Shiganshina Massacre?

Massacre is a very fitting word to use, since this chapter saw off many characters. 

An F in the Chat For:

Nile Dok, Dot Pixis, Rogue — basically the whole Military sans the SC

It hurt to see Pixis and Nile get titanised. Pixis is one of those characters that deserved an honourable death — he consistently put humanity before his own needs and being turned into a titan feels more an injustice towards him than anyone else in the military, in my opinion. While Nile wasn’t such a fan favourite, his actions over the past few chapters have proved that he was a good person too, even though he didn’t have the same kind of selfless abandon to risk his life on the front lines. We haven’t seen them in their Titan forms, though, which leads me to think that something relevant could happen with them. 

Porco Gaillard

R.I.P salty pork boy. I’m sad we never got more coverage of him relaying Ymir’s memories (I would have liked to see him interact with Historia, despite the lack of practicality in this situation), but his death was so fitting. Porco, despite having his doubts, was pretty loyal to Marley and his duty. His mission and his hate for Reiner were his two motivations, and they came together perfectly as he sacrificed himself for Falco. Since he was beyond regeneration anyway, he didn’t want Marley to lose the Jaw power. He also gave one last fuck-you to Reiner in two ways. One — reminding him that he was better, all the way to the end. Two — not putting Reiner out of his misery and letting him die. If anything, he just prolonged Reiner’s suffering and guilt at letting Marcel get eaten by Ymir. However, Porco didn’t die resenting Reiner. Seeing Marcel’s memories when Reiner touched Eren and he touched Reiner, Porco finally got the truth as to why Reiner inherited the armoured titan. It all just clicked. This was a perfect arc for a pretty good character, but if I have any criticism, it’s that Porco’s death felt quite rushed and out of the blue. 

Colt Grice

Dang. This one hurt the MOST. Colt wasn’t a remarkable boy by any means. While him qualifying to inherit the beast is a feat, he hadn’t really done much. But not every character needs to do much. Colt loved his family and no better is it shown here when he launches an emotional tirade at Zeke in an attempt to save Falco. He casts aside his loyalties, not caring what happens to Marley or Eldia — he just wants his brother to be safe. Colt constantly put himself on the line for Falco — when we’re introduced to him, he’s saving Falco’s life, sacrificing his helmet for him. He never has to do any of this. When Zeke screamed, he could’ve run away and saved himself. But he didn’t, because he didn’t want Falco to be alone. 

Gosh. That panel of him holding onto Falco is heart wrenching. Despite not being a stand-out character, Colt got one of the saddest deaths in the series. 

Dead, or just cosplaying as a corpse?

Theo Magath’s fate is pretty up in the air. This guy has survived every that life as thrown at him so far, and it would be most unceremonious for Magath of all people to go out like that. However, it’s difficult to survive a thunder spear blast. I mean, look what it did to Levi. 

Speaking of Levi (whom I will get to later), we still have no confirmation on his fate. Of course, Hanji wouldn’t rush away with him like that if he were dead, but we know nothing of the extent of his injuries (except from the fingers he lost). 

Did Shadis drink the wine? I know Shadis has basically no relevance now, and having him titanised wouldn’t affect anything at all, but it would be something poetic if the “non-special” one is the only one to survive. 

 Morality, My Favourite Shade of Grey

This chapter has made it increasingly difficult to predict what is going to happen next. How are our characters going to move forward? Are Paradis even doing the right thing? 

Everything is a mess. The commander is nowhere to be seen, the survey corps are in ruins, and our protagonist is headless. Suffice to say, things really could be better.  

Should Gabi have shot Eren? From a plot perspective, obviously not. We like our protags with their heads on, thank you very much. From a Marleyan perspective, Gabi’s basically Helos. She’s defeated the Eldian threat for the sake of Marley. But is Gabi doing this for Marley or for herself? Recently, her driving force has been the destruction of Liberio, and after Pieck talked to her in her cell, she could finally wake up and realise that Marley doesn't care about her one bit unless she’s used as cannon fodder. 

From an Eldian perspective, Eren’s death is the worst thing that could happen. If Marley possess the founding Titan, then the Walldians have no leverage in the world. It would essentially reverse all the work they’d done in tens of years.

But what if the Founding, Attack and Warhammer are passed on to babies in the walls? What if someone manages to inherit it? Remember what Magath said — they only need Eren’s spinal fluid, not his head. If there were any blatant foreshadowing in this chapter, that’s it. 

With Eren’s reckless behaviour, is he really the best person to hold all this immense power? One could argue that the pressure and holding the fates of everyone he holds dear within his hands could be the reason for his behaviour, but even then, all the characters are losing their trust in Eren, fast. Would it not be a relief for the wild goose chase to end? Or should they adopt Mikasa’s view and trust Eren to the end? Will the result of his behaviour justify the destruction, the distrust, chaos?

Another thing that I’ve been battling with is whether Zeke is an “ends justify the means” person or whether he is just plain heartless. Zeke has only shown proper, true affection for two people — Eren, and Tom Xaver, and that’s only because they would advance his plans and “agree” with his ideals. Well, the jury’s still out on Eren agreeing with the Euthanasia plan. 

Once again, here you can see that Zeke doesn’t care about anyone that isn’t useful to him. Even though he calls Pieck his “little dear”, he still doesn’t care whether she lives or dies, or what happens to the rest of the Marley crew. 

You could argue that him listening to Colt’s plea is demonstrative of empathy and that Zeke feels that what he’s about to do is truly unfortunate. However, I don’t buy it. For me, it just seems like Zeke is rubbing salt to a very raw wound. By hearing Colt out, essentially being like “too bad, I win”, and then screaming, all Zeke did was break their hearts even more. 

All he’s done is double cross people and murder for his own selfish gains. And while I could see his perspective — the sort of self-loathing he must feel is obviously incredibly painful — Zeke is ultimately pathetic. For a man with 11/10 smarts, his plans have fallen apart spectacularly, a plan which had a major flaw from the start. 

Eren is in control of the founding power. And what happens to that founding power after Eren’s beheading at the hands of Gabi?

If there’s someone you can count on to fulfil their promises, well… it’s Gabi. Not even Levi could fulfil his promise to kill Zeke (yet!). 

The ending panel leads us to the theorising side of this month. 

So, going forward, let’s address the most pressing questions.

 Questions, Questions, and More Damn Questions

1.Eren’s mortality. 

I’m personally confident that Eren isn’t dead. I think that the reason why Ymir (or Bucket girl, though I believe we can assume they’re the same person) resurrected Zeke was not for his own plan — because why would Ymir want her people to go extinct — but because he is instrumental to Eren’s. I think it’s obvious that this story will begin and end with Eren Jaeger. How he will recover from having his head lopped off, though…

 2. If life gives you lemons, make sandcastles?

I suppose the obvious way to go is for Eren to go to the paths dimension and get moulded like Zeke did. After the scream, there are tons of mindless titans around for this to happen. I don’t think Eren has been in the paths realm yet, so his reaction would be interesting to see. I imagine it would be something akin to him in Santa Titan’s stomach, less rage-y, but still good old “I’m free because I was born into this world” Eren. 

There aren’t many other ways. Consciousness transference seemingly won’t work in this case, since he’s not in Titan form and his CNS has been completely severed. 

A sort of plausible way is that he could be decoy 3.0 — he’s got a Warhammer-esque body underground and somehow this body is just a decoy. I don’t know how that’s going to work, and if I’m honest, I don’t really subscribe to this. 

The other way is if Zeke catches his head and somehow, they activate the founding powers. Remember, brain activity doesn’t stop immediately after death — even after a beheading. So, if Zeke’s reflexes are still point, which I imagine they are if he has a chance to complete his euthanasia plan — they could possibly enact it that way. 

But what if none of this is even necessary?

 3. It was all just a dream...

I suppose the wackest theory that’s circling is that Eren is conducting some       P A T H S memory game with us all. People have pointed out inconsistencies in the chapter that could just be chalked down to Isayama continuity error. Things such as:

Eren’s shirt changing, and him jumping out of his Titan with shoes and trousers after getting his legs bitten off

Pieck regenerating and re-transforming very quickly

Gabi riding a horse despite not knowing how to 

Colt’s rifle should be scorching hot after he got fried 

The only point where Zeke and Eren would have come into contact was through Zeke’s blood when he got shot. He’s actually not that far from Zeke when he falls from the wall. 

Another contact sub-theory is that Zeke touched the decoy Titan on the outer gate as he fell. That’s got to have Eren’s DNA on it, right? But the issue with that is Zeke isn’t the one to control the founding. I always assumed that the important point of contact was Eren, since he holds the power. 

Another issue that there are plenty of non-Eldians around, such as Mikasa, Yelena, and Magath. So, unless bloodlines are a lie… there’s no way that Eren can pull the wool over everyone’s eyes.  And now that it’s been confirmed that Yams had to rush 21 panels in 2 days, I’ve got to say this theory is starting to hold less and less water to the point where it’s almost debunked. 

 4. Friendship ended with Flying Falco Titan, now Jaw Falco Titan is my best friend 

Once again, Reiner evaded the grim reaper, Porco sacrificed himself and Falco is a shifter. What’s going to follow for warrior Falco? Now he hasn’t “saved” Gabi from inheriting the Armoured — well, personally, I don’t think any more formal inheriting is going to happen — how is Falco going to process all of this? From Porco’s sacrifice to Colt’s death and Gabi decapitating Eren, Falco’s got a lot to deal with once he comes to. 

 5. Yelena

TF is going on with Yelena in that panel. She knows something. She knowsss. Coupled with her behaviour in her meeting with Pixis and the (admittedly beautiful) panel in which she is watching the zeppelins go down, there’s something going on. She’s completely relaxed, like she’s at home in the chaos and disorder. If she’s pulling the strings, then everything must be going to plan. And the prospect of a Yelena-orchestrated scheme? Terrifying. She’s the only “Jaegerist” with any bite to their bark (Floch’s acts are entirely for show, even though he got the cadets to beat up Shadis he has no cunning or intelligence enough to properly outwit anyone on his own), and even then, she’s definitely got personal ulterior motives. Onyankopon has made it clear that she works on her own, barely lets anyone in on her plans, and is far too comfortable putting a bullet in a fellow Marleyan’s head. 

 6.  The Fate of the Formidable 

So, what’s going on with Levi and Hanji? Ever since Hanji made a water slide out of the river and escaped with him, we haven’t seen them. I also believe that a Levi is not dead, for the same reasons why Magath and Eren aren’t. Lack of closure. There’s so much to be explored with the fall of humanity’s strongest. Where will he go from here? Will he ever fulfil his promise to Erwin? How will he cope with the guilt, knowing that his failure to keep an eye on Zeke lead to about 70 Walldians being turned to titans?

I really can’t wait to see Levi and Hanji again. I wouldn’t be mad if Isayama took chapter 120 to go back in time to them and end the chapter where we are now (the scream, Eren getting shot).

 7. What do you get when you destroy her hometown? Gabi Braun pledging to hunt you down

What now for Gabi? She’s solidified her place as a murderer now. The fandom is once again ignited in hate towards her, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the same in the story. Someone needs to do something. They can’t just let her go because she’s a child, it’s unrealistic now, especially given her track record. 

Gabi’s shot at Eren though is still within character. I’ve seen people complaining that because she came to the “Eldian ≠ Devil” realisation last chapter she shouldn’t have shot. I disagree. Gabi now realises that most Eldians (such as Kaya’s mum) just lived a peaceful existence and didn’t hurt anyone. So, she understands that not every Eldian is a devil, simply because they’re Eldian. However, she still has a viable hatred towards Eren for what he did in Liberio. He has done something, something she believes he deserves to die for. 

Whether or not she’ll have a change of mentality, we’re yet to see. I personally don’t think so. Gabi is so far removed from her fellow Eldians and Eldian identity that she could never see the benefit of Eren’s actions.

All in all, spectacular chapter. Exactly one question has been answered (will Zeke scream?) and millions of others have been asked. Is that not the Isayama way?

10/10. I cannot wait to see this animated in what probably will be 2021. 

[inevitable-anna]

Escape The Night S4X02 Spoilers.

Hello, I thought that I would do another one of these posts because the new episode comes out today and I really enjoy making them (when I don’t accidentally delete them). Warning spoilers below!

[[MORE]]

I love the Collector's voice, it sounds really nice.

I’m liking the new intro. Ro having a dragon toast her dumpling(?) is great!

"The mummy's mind is a blur of hate and revenge" Ohh, that's really not good!

Mortimer! Don't confront the Sorceress, who you saw murder a guard, about the evil things you saw her do! BECAUSE SHE HAS NO PROBLEM WITH STABBING PEOPLE!! Ya dum dum!

"You've such a sweet face. I'd like to do sick things to you.” Dammmnnn! I wasn't actually expecting her to say something like that!

"I need someone a little more fierce for my plans" For some weird reason, the 'fierce' bit reminds me of Ro's promo with the lion? I don’t know why?

Okay, I actually really jumped when the Pharaoh came running in!

"I'm not gonna be Captain Save-a-ho."

Bretman is stepping up! Go Bretman!

"I'm following them! I'm following them!" The way Ro follows the paw prints is so cute and funny!

Ohhh, who is this shady lady?

Gabbie: "Is this the Collector?"

Everyone: "No!"

Ohh, she's the Pharaoh's wife and queen, huh? Then we solved the mystery, she's the one who killed him!

"So, we gotta split up, which is always a great decision in every horror movie that's ever be made." I love Alex bringing up horror movie logic.

"So, I unfortunately, had to break a crystal for the better good of the group." SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER!! Sorry, I was channeling my inner Yzma for a second there!

"Mummy's return"? Well, didn't the whole group read the prayer/incantation to release him?

Rosanna and Destorm mimicking the picture is so funny because Ro is so short!

Destorm high-fiving Ro after mimicking the picture is so sweet! I still hope that they become friends!

Tim saying "Ugh! More puzzles? What's up with all these supernatural people and their love of puzzles, man?" Is hilarious!

Tana just got snatched 'like a wig off a drag queen!'

"I eat and I speak" if the images are, mostly, body related, would it be a mouth? Yep, a mouth!

I love Bretman! He's great!

Ro getting the rocks and saying 'here you go, Destorm' (in the confessional thing) only to look up and see the Pharaoh gives me major Velma vibes from 'Scooby Doo' when she loses her glasses and looks up to see the monster in front of her.

Ro got captured! :(

Destorm scaring Bretman by yelling "that's how you do it" is great.

Bretman is seriously stepping up! He's doing great!

15:10 GABBIE REFERENCED THE MEME!!!!

Oh! Put the glowy stick of lies on the Pharaoh's wife!

I love how they decided to test the Sorceress with the glowy stick of lies and the way she moves her arms, as if she's saying 'try me, b*tch'

Called it!

Why do they have to kill her? Can't they just prick her finger or something?

Wasn't actually expecting the Sorceress to go stab crazy on the Pharaoh's wife!

Gabbie: "Thanks, Sorceress" Justine: "Thank you" Sorceress: "Don't mention it." I love how Justine and Gabbie thank the Sorceress for murdering the Pharaoh’s wife.

The way the Sorceress waves at the group while covered in blood is great!

"So far, the weakest link to me, is everyone but me" Destorm! Rude!

Ro pleading her case as "I'm the team player, and I'm not coming for anybody. I'm just here to support everybody... and I really wanna get home. I have a fur baby at home. She doesn't have anyone else." I love her so much!

"I voted for Rose because I knew nobody would. And I wanted to just ruffle some feathers." Destorm! YOU ARE RUINING THE FRIENDSHIP THAT YOU AND RO COULD HAVE HAD!! I liked you up until now! Don't ruin it! And you got Rosanna's name wrong!

Poor Tana! Poor Justine!

WHAT THE HELL JOEY?!!? "Tana and Justine are in the challenge, I'm like, 'All right. Justine, we'll see you in a minute." THAT IS SO MEAN!!

If I remember correctly, the reason the group buried Justine alive was because she failed to save Andrea in her first challenge, so why is everyone so sure that Justine is going to win?

Tana: "she's gonna beat me.” Gabbie: "for sure, but we loved having you here." HOLY MUSICAL BATMAN!! WHY DOES NO ONE BELIEVE IN TANA!!!

Thank you, Ro! "I feel sad for Tana, seeing her doubt herself because she's really capable." Okay, at least one person believes in Tana!

"Justine, we love you. Tana, we love you, too" okay, at least, that was sweet.

"Flesh eating beetles" ...woah, those sound absolutely lovely!

Go on, Tana! You can do it! I believe you!

Go Justine! I believe in you too! You’re both so close!

Oh no!... Oh no!

"Mummy, stop! Bring me the jewelled key!" TANA JUST SAVED JUSTINE FROM THE PHARAOH! That's some really quick thinking! Good job, Tana!

"Okay, we'll get there" oh! Tana is so sweet! She just went and hugged Justine to comfort her!

NO! THAT'S NOT FAIR! THAT’S NOT FAIR!!

"I don't blame, Tana, and I know she didn't wanna do it, but I was like, 'Girl, this is not how it works.' This is... this is it. Like, you have to do this, or we both die." Oh no, poor Justine! This is heartbreaking!

"I hate this bittersweet feeling. Mummy, I just wanna go home." Oh, this is so freaking sad! That last sentence breaks my heart! I'm actually tearing up!

Justine trying to fight/stab the mummy is badass and sad! At least she was able to try and fight this time.

Justine deserves better!

Tana deserves better!

R.I.P Justine Ezarik.

First death - buried alive.

Second death-neck snapped by Pharaoh.

At least now the Collector doesn't have to worry about paying Justine the residuals she asked about? (I'm sorry! Trying to lighten the mood)

What! Why is the midnight clock at 12 already?!

"Okay, I need to breath." Oh no, Ro's panicking :( please someone hug her!

Yes! Tana is pulling her weight! You shouldn't have underestimated her!

So... Justine is in hell now. She deserved better!

Ro asking "Joey, where did she go?" Is so sad. Ro's face at 25:44 is heartbreaking! She has just found out that Justine is dead and that Justine is imprisoned in hell forever and you can see the pain and shock on her face. Looking at her, at this moment, actually hurts my heart because she looks so sad! Please please please, let Ro escape this season!!

"Just put it in the slot" "Hey... that's what she said" thank goodness for Tim and his sense of humour!

A coin? Oh! Is it a doubloon, you know, the pirate coins?

That fog outside the window doesn't look like a good thing! Is it pirates?

IT’S NOT PIRATES! DEFINITELY NOT PIRATES!! STRANGE BIRDMAN ALERT!

STRANGE BIRDMAN GOT ALEX!! I REPEAT! STRANGE BIRDMAN GOT ALEX!!

I’m really excited for the episode today! Please let me know if you have any questions or thoughts about this post or the new episode, I would love to hear them!

Have a great day! :D

[bluephoenixdruidicprincess]

Shadowhunters Season 3 Episode 8, A Heart of Darkness Review

Welcome to another Shadowhunters review. Because I love to torture myself with ridiculous and illogical writing. But actually this week's episode, whereas it was ridiculous and illogical, I didn't hate this episode. It wasn't great but for an hour of television, I could tolerate it. So here we are with Season 3 Episode 8, A Heart of Darkness.

I would like to preface this review with saying that I am NOT a huge supporter of this show. I do enjoy certain elements of it but I'm not what would be classified as a devoted fan. For me, Shadowhunters is not a good show and I do get very critical of the show in my reviews. Honestly, for me, I watch the show because 1) I'm too curious not to and 2) I find that this show can be so bad its funny and that's how I reap enjoyment out of it. I am not at all invested in this show or its characters anymore. I'm just watching to see what happens. If you're a die hard fan and you lash out at everyone who has a different opinion than you, you might want to skip these. I'm just saying. My reviews may not be for you. If you do decide to be a total troll, well then pay attention to the below disclaimer. 

This is going to be an honest review of my thoughts and feelings regarding this episode. If you're the kind of Shadowhunters fan where you only want to hear positive things about the show, this is not the place for you. If you decide to stick around and get offended by what is said, then that's on you. I warned you. Just know that if you send me any rude comments or messages, I will 100% ignore you. I find that's the best way to deal with bullies. I work 14 hour days. Do you really think I want to waste my incredibly valuable free time dealing with derogatory comments? Hell no. This review will consist of my honest opinions. Opinions are never right or wrong. I'm not telling YOU how to think and feel. I'm telling you what I, quirky and socially awkward me, think and feel. So please, lets discuss with dignity and respect. If I'm critical about this show, it's only because I want it to get better. There is, in fact, a difference between hating a show and being critical of it. I do not hate Shadowhunters, I am being critical and analyzing the flaws as I would with any other show. There are positives but there are also negatives. It's great if you want to promote positivity with this show (and I encourage you to do so) but that doesn't mean I'm not going to point out the things that are legitimately wrong with it. Also, keep in mind that despite the fact that I do like the books, me being critical of this show has nothing to do with my fondness for the books. I don't really care if the show deviates from the source material as long as the changes are good, it makes sense, and it doesn't create plot holes within the confines of the world the show has created. My problems with this show are problems I would have with any show or book for that matter. I think it's perfectly reasonable to take issue with a show that has plot holes, shoddy world building, and inconsistent characters. There will be spoilers for the books and movie. 

This episode could actually have been very enjoyable if the show had bothered to take its time with previous character arcs. There were quite a few character moments that made me legitimately feel things in this episode. Not enough to cry or anything like that but if the show had bothered to learn that you don't have to cover two books a season and slow down in which case they would've had time to properly explore and flesh out some of these character dynamics, it would've resulted in me probably being moved to tears in this episode. But unfortunately, the show did not do that so what could've been very emotional moments just continues to fall flat. And I realize I just contradicted myself a little there so let me explain. I did feel things in this episode for the characters but the characters and their relationship dynamics have been so shakily developed that it was more me feeling for these characters as if they were their book counterparts. I'll delve more into this explanation as I go through this review. 

The Episode Where Shadowhunters Got All Teen Wolf On Us

You know, I'm not even mad that Shadowhunters pretty much stole an entire plot point from another supernatural teen drama. Shadowhunters does love its tropes even though when they do it, their version is somehow much more boring than the original plot point it was inspired from but that's beside the point. And honestly, if you're going to take a plot point from another supernatural teem drama, you can do a lot worse than Teen Wolf. Not to mention, the specific plot arc they used from Teen Wolf is one of my favorites with the plot highlighted by the amazing character relationships of the Sciles (Scott/Stiles) bromance and the slowest of slow burns, Stydia (Stiles/Lydia). Both were amazing character dynamics within the show that I greatly enjoyed. R.I.P. Teen Wolf. I still miss you.

Shadowhunters didn't do quite as well with this plot as Teen Wolf did simply because Shadowhunters does very little to actively develop their characters in general but nonetheless, I did quite enjoy this plot point, flaws and all. 

This segment was probably my favorite of the entire episode. Alec and Izzy going to help bring Jace's soul back to the surface was really interesting. The show has spent so much time on these character's love lives that a lot of times we forget that these three have spent most of their childhood together. That they do have real bonds with each other. From what we've been told, they were a moderately successful team before they met Clary and it was really great to see that dynamic again. In the book, it's actually Clary who's able to break through Jace's possession and it works there. But for the show, it's definitely something that makes more sense if Alec and Izzy were the ones to do it. Show Clace just doesn’t have the relationship foundation to make that plot point not cheesy. I suppose the show could still go back and make Clary be the one to do it and just like earlier this season, it'll still be cheesy and I'll still hate it. So I'm really hoping the show doesn't go for that. That it'll be Alec and Izzy that will motivate Jace to push past the possession. But at the same time, I’m not holding my breath for that one. This is Shadowhunters after all; I’m not sure it knows how to not be cheesy and cliché.

I really enjoyed how we got to see Alec, Izzy, and Jace sparring with each other as kids. The dialogue was cringey as hell but the actual idea behind the scene I really enjoyed. I liked the song that Izzy sang to Jace. I thought that it was a really nice touch and I certainly never expected the show to use that song. It's not in the context of how it was used in the books but I felt like it was very effectively used in this scene. And Emeraude's pronunciation of french wasn't half bad, either, so I'll give her that. I like how the first part of their journey starts with "Three go in, three come out." And the journey ends with the same "Three go in, three come out." If you haven't stuck with me through my Supernatural re-watch you wouldn't know this, but I'm a huge sap for episodic symmetry. I absolutely love it when that sort of thing happens. Shadowhunters needs to do more of that instead of having these one-off scenes that have no bearing for the rest of the episode and the rest of the season for that matter. And then the plot point ends with Alec and Izzy in total despair after Lillith gets Jace again when they promised it wouldn't happen. Which I also really enjoyed. Obviously, not the part where they're in deep emotional pain but, you know, plot symmetry. 

Of course, not everything with this plot was great. For starters, the insinuation that Alec's parabatai bond is the strongest connection there is has me a little iffy. The show's version of a parabatai bond's strength goes up and down. It has no consistency so I have a really hard time believing that one. Then Magnus also talks about how what he's doing is super dangerous and it could be the end for Alec and I'm just like, "As opposed to when?" Whenever Alec does stuff like this, he always ends up in the worst possible shape. Seriously, if we're to look at the parabatai bond through the eyes of the show, why would anyone ever want a parabatai? Other than to receive an abundance of tracking abilities, that is. I wish the show would stop focusing on the dramatic elements of parabatai-ness and start showing the positives of having a parabatai. Because at this point, I see none. 

I also wish we got an explanation just in general of how this process of going into Jace's mind works. It feels really convenient that for starters, Magnus has the ability to project Alec into Jace's mind using the parabatai bond and then he also has the ability to bring Izzy along for the ride as well. How? Who knows. I guess it's a spell that Magnus just happens to know even though it doesn't really make sense that Magnus would have any ability to influence runic magic. This sounds more like something a Silent Brother would be able to do as opposed to a warlock. Warlocks have power to manipulate demon magic. The runes stem from angelic magic. His magic shouldn't have any power over angelic magic. But I should stop this. The apocalypse will hit before this show ever explains its magic system or its world-building. And I'm talking fire and brim stone apocalypse not that whole Walking Dead/zombie apocalypse thing society is currently obsessed with. The zombie fad is dumb and I hate The Walking Dead with a blood searing passion.

And again, kind of an issue with the plot is how little we have to go on with Jace, Alec, and Izzy's relationship. This is what I meant when I felt emotional about scenes but it was more on the behalf of the book characters than the show characters. We haven't really been given a lot on the show about how Jace, Alec, and Izzy functioned together so it was easier for me to use the book counterparts as surrogates in this scene and that's what got me emotional. Thinking about how the book characters would react in this kind of situation is what illicited an emotional response with me. Whereas the show characters aren’t too terribly written, I don’t have much of a connection with any of them and we have this show’s dialogue and poorly executed plots to blame for that.

I'm also going to be nitpicky here. Why was Lillith having Jace stab Clary over and over in his head? In order to make sure Clary couldn't reach him anymore, Lillith had to take away his love for Clary with an anti-love potion. He supposedly doesn't love her anymore so why would him continuously stabbing Clary in his head be an effective means for torture? He doesn't love her so he shouldn't be affected by it. I feel like I’m missing something here.

Also, not sure why Asmodeus would care if LIllith killed Magnus. Why would he care about some half-human whelp that resides in one of many hundreds of dimensions out there? It makes sense why Lillith cares about Jonathon because her ability to have children was taken from her so she clings to Jonathon. However, Asmodeus is hardly in that same boat. He can have any number of children in the hundreds of dimensions he can visit. Why would he care about Magnus? I guess we'll see whenever he gets introduced. I’m honestly not excited for that.

Like with Lillith, anything Owl Jace had to say was super bland and uninteresting. And nothing he had to say was all that ground-breaking or hurtful. It's like insulting someone while you're tired. You're literally too tired to put any bite behind your insults. You're just insulting for the sake of insulting. It was super obvious that he was talking and no one really cared what he had to say. I certainly didn't. And I'm not entirely certain why Simon thought yelling at Owl Jace was somehow going to make Jace feel bad. Was he not told that Jace is being possessed? It was really weird and I didn't care about it. It was cheaply manufactured drama and that’s the worst kind. Owl Jace also made a comment about Alec being with Magnus but at the same time truly wanting to be with Jace instead and I'm just like, "Where the hell did this come from?" Alec being in love with Jace hasn't been talked about since Season 1. I didn't even realize this was still an issue within their character dynamics. The show definitely should've re-introduced this particular character dynamic before mentioning it in this episode. But they probably didn’t have any time what with the million and one side characters they have in this show.

Clary's Interrogation

This entire episode, we have Clary being interrogated by the Mortal Sword and in what it accomplishes, it works. But what it does with her character, I dislike. So initially last episode, I had this head canon that the reason Clary decided to stay behind unnecessarily was because she's dealing with a lot of guilt regarding the consequences that have arisen from her using the wish on Jace. This is her way of making amends for what's happened. I'm all for this character arc obviously because Clary never being held accountable for her actions is something I despise about this show's writing. I really want Clary to "grow-up" (even though she's 18 and she should already have been taught that decisions have consequences a long time ago) and learn that there are consequences. That just because you break the law for the right reasons doesn't absolve you of guilt. You do a bad thing for the right reasons? That doesn't make the bad thing a good thing. You should still be willing to hold yourself accountable for the bad things that happen as a result. In this way, Clary is very similar to her father. Valentine did a whole mess of terrible things and he attached a bunch of justifications to those bad things in order to make them good things in his eyes and refused to hold himself accountable for the lives he destroyed. Looking at it through this, can you really say Clary is much better despite all of her protests? If she goes unchecked, Clary is surprisingly a lot like her father. So I was really hoping that Clary was having a bit of an epiphany and I was super excited to see this play out. 

But no. Apparently, the only reason she's doing this is to buy time for everyone else. And this makes absolutely no sense. When the Clave apprehended her, they didn't know who dug up the grave. They literally only know the story BECAUSE she stayed behind. Because they had someone to use the Mortal Sword on to tell them who dug up the grave. If she had went with everyone else, the Clave still wouldn't have had any idea what's going on. My head canon makes sense but what the show did instead makes absolutely no sense. It just makes our heroine look dumb and not in a "this makes sense for her character" dumb because I respect that sometimes characters make dumb decisions based on their character arcs. This is just dumb story-telling that wasn't properly thought out at its conception and no one bothered to tweek it. Seriously, who edits these scripts? Does no one in the Shadowhunters writing room care that their show makes no sense? That their characters are dumb simply because the plot demands them to be but yet they still expect the audience to view the characters as these legitimate, hyper-intelligent adults? Shouldn't you as a writer care about something like that? Why do the writers have zero respect for their audience's intelligence? Because I've got to believe that these writers realize how dumb their characters are and they're just hoping the audience will go with it. And the truly depressing part is that I wish I could say that this is only a problem Shadowhunters has. But I've seen other Freeform shows and they also display the same level of lazy writing. If Freeform wants to get on the level with CW, it's not going to be enough for them to be more "edgy" (and they’re barely edgy as it is), they also need to work out the kinks in their story-telling. That's where their real problem lies.

And Clary, for whatever reason, can resist the Mortal Sword which, eww. Mary Sue attacks again. I get that this episode was attempting to exposit information to the Clave so our characters are on a time crunch. But it was completely unnecessary for Clary to have this ability to be able to resist the sword and just further pushes her into the Mary Sue archetype. At this point, we get it. Clary is strong and amazing. The show's really laying this theme on thick. You would have to have an IQ of -900 not to have picked up on that Clary is supposed to be strong. Seriously, what does this show have against allowing Clary to be vulnerable? Even in her emotional moments, she lacks vulnerability. Because even when she cries, she's still perceived as better than everyone else because she has the audacity to show how she's feeling. That her feelings is what makes her better than everyone else. Clary eventually, in probably her biggest Mary Sue moment ever, is able to push the sword away from her and tells the Clave she's happy she used the wish. Because it stops anyone else from being able to use it to destroy the downworlders. And I can't help but feel she's making a lot of assumptions about the Clave here. That if they were to ever use the wish, she believes that they'll use it to rid everyone of demon blood. The only one who's guilty of that is Valentine. She has no idea if the Clave made a wish, it would include downworlders. It might but it might not. It's all in how you word the wish. 

But at the end of the episode, Jia Penhallow (Aline's mother) asks Clary if she has any final words before she places punishment and Clary asks Jia to think if it were Aline, and Jia was in the same situation, wouldn't she have done it for Aline? And Jia just verbally bitch smacks Clary by stating no, she wouldn't have. Because she understands that there's things in this world bigger than her and her daughter. That being a shadowhunter is about sacrifice. I'm not too fond of the overarching theme that shadowhunters aren't allowed to feel which seems to be what's driving this scene (honestly that particular theme can curl up and die in Season 1) but I do like the idea that despite Jia loving her daughter, she would let her daughter go if she had to weigh her daughter against the fate of the entire world. And Clary has always kind of scoffed at the idea of shadowhunters "being dead inside" as she so blatantly stated once in Season 1. She views it as a flaw within their society and in certain aspects, it is a flaw. Love can make you stronger and them shutting emotion out completely is a bad thing that I hate that the show decided to implement but when it comes to doing what's right and helping the most amount of people which is what shadowhunters exist for, you have to accept that sometimes sacrifices are necessary. And shadowhunters live a life where dying young is something that's expected and they come to terms with it at a very young age. They respect that in order to save the world, they may have to give everything up. That's the cost for the power they received. So in that respect, I do like what Jia is saying here and it's definitely something Clary needs to hear. Hopefully, this will spur some much necessary character development Clary’s way.

Then Jia sentences Clary to death and of course the show chooses the most dramatic punishment possible. Honestly, I feel like death is the wrong punishment to give here. It's kind of giving Clary the easy way out (not that I believe for a second that Clary is actually going to die) but if it were me, I would want Clary to survive to watch the repercussions of her actions. For her to see the world be seeped into hopeless despair. That's the kind of punishment I would give Clary. For her to see just how much her actions could have destroyed the world. But like I said, this whole death sentence scene is completely moot because we all know she's gong to escape. 

I know this section turned into a bit of a rant but to be clear, I do appreciate what this plot accomplishes i.e. the Clave finding out about Jace and Clary being put in a tight situation however I do not appreciate what it does for Clary as a character. I was hoping for some character growth but it doesn't look like we're going to get it. 

Simon/Maia/Jordan Love Triangle in Full Swing

Now that I've finished with my rant lets get on to another thing I liked. I really enjoyed how the Simon/Maia/Jordan love triangle played out. It was awkward when it needed to be, it was dramatic when it needed to be. Really the only thing I wish the show had done more of was develop Simon and Jordan's bromance a little more. Because it really feels like they've known each other for at most a week. If we take the Maia drama out of the mix, it feels a little contrived that Simon feels this betrayed over a guy he barely knows. Also, I’m sad that it looks like the Jace/Jordan/Simon bromance isn't actually going to play out. Damn you, writers. You had a chance to actually make your show fun and interesting and you blew it because you insist on covering two books a season when it isn't necessary. Just slow down and have fun with the characters. Why are the writers in such a rush to get through the books? They don't have the rights to The Dark Artifices/Shadowhunter Academy/Bane Chronicles. They only have The Infernal Devices and I find it highly unlikely Freeform is willing to produce a period drama. And if the show's attempt at original characters is anything to go by, I really don't have a lot of faith that they can pull off their own original story arcs. At least not in the interesting way Vampre Diaries and The 100 manage. 

I really liked how Maia's drama with Jordan unfolded. It's true. It would be so much easier for Maia to hate Jordan if he was still the same person that left her bleeding out in the woods. But he isn't and she's having a lot of problems dealing with this. And I do enjoy seeing this sort of complexity with these characters. It's not something this show is very good with. So when it does happen, it's always a real treat. Hopefully, the show won’t drop the ball on this.

Time To Talk About Lillith

It's that time again. I guess I have to summon up a section to talk about Lillith, the blandest of the bland. Her blandness even rivals Show Valentine's. Also it would be nice if Lillith would stop sucking as a villain. She keeps on failing in her plans and it’s really difficult for me to take her seriously. She's basically the Rita Repulsa of Shadowhunters.

So first off, what is going on with Ollie? Is she possessed or is her blood tainted? I really can't tell. If she was possessed, why would she be surprised by the power Lillith has? But I suppose the real question is when will Ollie die already? Seriously, just have her fall off a building or something at this point. I don't care. Just get rid of her. She's a boring character and stop wasting screen time on her and give that screen time to characters I actually care about. I don't even care that she's an LGBT character. She does nothing I care about. And honestly, I really hate it when LGBT characters are put into a book or show just to make a statement about how progressive they are. I love having LGBT characters but I only want them to be in the story if they contribute to the narrative. If they have little to no place within the story, I want them gone. All I care about is them as characters. If you're not going to do anything with them, then what's the point? And I feel the same way in regards to hetero characters. If you don't add anything to the story, I want you gone.

Let's talk about this business with the seelie queen. So Lillith attackes the seelie queen's knights because she wants the seelie queen to take the mark off Simon. And I actually like the idea that the seelie queen's reasoning for marking Simon was to protect him because the seelies believe in protecting those who are unique. It makes sense. They're immortal so they need unique creatures to pass the time. But I really don't like how weak the seelie queen was protrayed here. I don't think it's in character for her at all. Even if she's beaten, she's still 5 steps ahead of everyone. She's immortal, basically ageless, she knows she'll get her revenge. She's patient. I couldn't get behind this moment because it didn't feel like the seelie queen. It just felt very convenient and didn't align at all with the character we’ve seen previously.

And the episode ends with Lillith escaping with Jace. Nice to know my prediction this weekend was corrcet. Owl Jace did escape and it was for dumb and contrived reasons. I'm very disappointed in you, show. Quit being so predictable.

Overall, even though it felt like I ranted about a few things, I did enjoy this episode in a way I haven't enjoyed the show in a while. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad, but I could tolerate it. It had some nice character moments which I lived for and bits of the plot weren't half bad. Truthfully, if the show spent a little more time building up their character dynamics, this episode might've been able to move me to tears. I'd probably give this episode a B- to B. Like an 84%. Not bad at all. Next week is the two hour finale so those episodes better be good. I can barely focus on this show for 42 minutes. These episodes better be something special to warrant airing the episodes 9 and 10 back to back.

As always, I'm open to discuss this episode with anyone. Did you agree? Did you disagree? Just remember these are my thoughts and opinions. I'm not telling you how to think and feel. I'm telling you what I think and feel. I don't police anyone on fandom so I expect that you don't police me and we'll get along fine.

[popcorn-for-dinner]

Hurry! Call your mum (After reading this post though).

“Take care of yourself”. Those were my mum’s last words to me. An uncanny representation of the selfless life she led. A fellow stand out of that conversation with her was my response- I remember replying something to the effect of “Me? You’re the one in a hospital bed”. It was a very Hollywood-type of response which makes sense because even back then, Film and TV were my only frames of reference for those types of uncharted territory moments. There I stood, faced with several facts and emotions I strongly wanted to dismiss as fake and this plagiarised response was the only thing that felt real to me.

11 years (to the day) and few things still feel real. There are some days when the pain is so visceral that you want to shut down and there are days when you almost forget, which in turn leads you to hate yourself for getting to that point. Most days though, you are in an in-between state which is the most difficult of all. Frankly, there is no manual for this.

The one thing that remains though, through it all, is how she made me feel. The things she did, her life of service, the lengths she would go to for her family and how all these things affected the man I would become. That is what I am inclined to write about. I am not going to eulogise my mum because I could do that forever. I would rather use the space to praise our mums.

Using some of my favourite TV mothers (because Film and TV blog, obviously!), I want to look at some of those things that make our mothers such incredibly awesome human beings. And as for anyone unfortunate enough to be in my shoes, this is to remind you why she will always be a part of you.

The Villanueva women (Jane the Virgin)

There are few things purer than a mother’s love for her child. While it might seem the bare minimum that a parent loves their child, there is something transcendent about the love a mother has for her child. It might sound clichéd but clichés are clichés for a reason. This kind of complex, raw love is not displayed more honestly anywhere else than among the women of Jane the Virgin- Alba, Xiomara and Jane Villanueva. 

The kind of love that can go from a screaming match one moment to teary apologies the next. The kind of love and friendship not only between grandmother/mother/daughter but also between 3 adults all within their rights to make their own decisions, mistakes and arrive at their own epiphanies. 

As many of you reading know, that adult relationship is an invaluable one. One that can provide you with the clearest advice and infuriate you in equal measure. To take this type of love/relationship for granted would be the greatest mistake anyone could make.

Rainbow Johnson (Black-ish) and Elizabeth McCord (Madam Secretary)

Being a woman is difficult and being a working mother borders on the impossible but so many of our mothers do it and do it flawlessly. As Elizabeth McCord (Madam Secretary) and Rainbow Johnson (Black-ish) prove, our mothers are most times the smartest people in the room but know when to show it. They take their natural empathy, selflessness and all-round incredible attitude into the workplace, which only provides the best results. However, no matter how difficult or stressful work gets, their priority always remains the family they have at home and for this, we are forever grateful.

Cersei Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)

Now, wait, hear me out. Cersei might be an all-round terrible person who would rather let her people die than swallow her pride and fight alongside her contestant for the throne but her one (only?) redeeming quality would be her love for her children. From Cersei's point of view, everything she’s done, she's done for them.

For the purposes of this post, Cersei and Daenerys are probably more similar than they are not. Both show (admittedly to an extreme degree) what mothers are willing to do for their children and the lengths they will go to protect their family members (Which of our mothers hasn’t contemplated starting a seven-kingdom war?).

Jessica Pearson (Suits)

Sure, Jessica doesn’t have children of hers but honestly after years of dealing with Mike, Harvey and Louis, are you really going to contend with me on this?

Jessica not only reiterates the point of being the smartest person in the room, she personifies it. She shows that no child is ever too smart, too old or too successful to be put in their place. Something most of us learnt from an early age, but sometimes need reminding. She is always on hand to put out any fire even putting out some before they start. She is also not above letting a fire burn to see how they deal with it.

OG Status: The first Aunt Viv (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)

During Janet Hubert’s run as Aunt Viv (Seasons 1-3), the Banks family was blessed with one hell of a matriarch. Smart, funny, woke, stern but approachable. She showcased a side to the black woman/mother that wasn't commonplace on TV at the time. She also perfectly embodied many of our mothers. To this very day, watching any of those episodes, I never fail to see my mother in her. She showed that many mothers, especially MOCs (Mothers of Colours- yeah feel free to make that a thing too) were incredible, strong, complex beings and she quite frankly was a combination of every value I have spoken about in this post.

I love my mum and will continue to do so for the rest of my life. For anyone who has lost someone as close, you know how difficult it can be. You also know how precious the time you spent with them was. You look back on the memories with such fondness and sometimes it is just enough to get you through the day. What is lasting, as I mentioned earlier, is the impact they have on you. That can never be erased and as much as I wish I could spend another day with my mother, I am eternally grateful for the years I spent with her. I am grateful because she has permanently made me a better person.

So, no need to procrastinate it, go ahead, call your mother and tell her how much she means to you and how much you love her. 

But just in case, to all mothers out there, I say a heartfelt thank you.  

R.I.P Izevbua Martha Imoukhuede

Bankole Imoukhuede

@banky_I