#very looking forward to see gil and martin together

[fuckyeahprodigalson]

Here, showrunners Chris Fedak and Sam Sklaver preview what's next.

What can we expect from Paul, or should I say John, having Bright? More memories for Bright? More insight into John? That dynamic is so entertaining.

Chris Fedak: You're going to get plenty of that in Episode 11, along with some of the most insane things we've done so far. If you think we've pushed the envelope in the first 10 episodes, Episode 11 is waiting out there to beat you up. It's an incredibly insane episode. It's not only going to have action and suspense and all those things we love, but it's also going to have a great psychological duel between Bright and John Watkins.

Sam Sklaver: Watkins was there with the Surgeon back in 1998 and they knew each other and they confided in each other the way that only two serial killers could. John knows a lot about Bright's past that Bright's also going to want to hear. We're going to get a lot of insight into their relationship.

Dr. Whitly is back in Episode 11 as well, because just having Watkins and Bright together isn't enough. We also get to see Dr. Whitly and Gil Arroyo together. [It's] a pretty explosive episode we're so proud of.

As a result of Bright being kidnapped, will we see more of Gil, Dani, and JT with Jessica and Ainsley?

Fedak: Absolutely. Episode 11 is definitely almost a real-time thriller in the way it plays out. ... Having 12 more episodes gives us the chance to really explore those characters and also just give them time to get together.

Sklaver: Our show really harmonizes the best when a case and the family are intertwined throughout, and it's something we're always looking to do.

Who has the most trouble dealing with Bright's kidnapping? Obviously his family is deeply worried.

Sklaver: My mind went to Dani. [She's] really itching at the surface because as we learned, Dani doesn't have many friends and Bright's one of her closest ones. It's hard to say Bright's mother or father wouldn't feel it the most, but there's something in the relationship that Dani and Bright have where she is really pushed in this moment to find her friend in a very exciting way. An argument could be made for everyone. When Dr. Whitly finds out....

Fedak: One of the things that's exciting about 11 too is we will be getting Dr. Whitly out of solitary and that's going to be a big part of the search for Bright.

Obviously Bright is going to survive, but what can you say about how this experience with John will change him?

Fedak: It's going to deeply change him. I'm not even going to promise you that he's going to survive. As a storyteller I refuse to do it, even though there are hopefully many seasons of the show after this.

Every time we look at Bright's arc in an episode and especially in the first half of the season, building up into this crescendo of Episodes 10 and 11, we want to test the bounds of what he's gone through and essentially push him. This is going to change him inextricably and it's going to be a challenge and something he has to deal with. We have this amazing actor in Tom Payne and he's able to capture not only the pathos and the pain of it all, but he's incredibly fascinating to watch as he does it.

Shannon is dead, right? This isn't one of those they could possibly get to him in time for a miraculous save situations.

Fedak: That is 1000% a dead man. There's so much blood on the table, I don't even know [if] with the superpowers of Greg Berlanti, we could bring him back to life.

Sklaver: Which is a shame because we loved Sean in the role and we loved the turn he was able to make, going from an adversary and this terrible nightmare of a man for young Bright to someone they could actually connect and then eventually have fun with. When we realized he had to be killed, it really made us sad. What's fun about our show dropping around in time is when we go back to 1998, which we often do, Sean is someone we can bring back and we probably, hopefully will because his performance was so amazing.

What did you want to do by showing a different cop in Shannon from Gil, Dani, and JT and with Shannon and Bright's dynamic?

Sklaver: He has the more normal approach to it, which is, this serial killer's whole family has to be messed up. There's no way that Jessica didn't know what was happening. There's no way his kids didn't know what was happening. This is a very popular conception that a lot of people have and Shannon was very helpful to show us that.

Young Bright saved [Gil's] life. He knew from the beginning that young Bright wasn't a bad person, but Shannon didn't. It explains a lot of the reasons Jessica, Bright, and Ainsley are who they are today. A lot of their defense mechanisms they built up over time are because of people like Shannon, who never believed they were actually good people.

I loved Jessica throwing her shoe into Bright's TV, which was one way of coping, but we then see her taking back control by talking to the press at the end of the episode. Where does she go from there?

Sklaver: She's now on the hunt. She wants to put her husband away for a very, very long time. At Claremont Psychiatric, with the privileges Martin has set up, he's way too available to still be in their lives. Jessica really wants to put him into solitary forever or, fingers crossed, get him in the chair. She is driven, and this is really going to be a path we're going to follow her on, to find another victim, and no good deed goes unpunished.

Fedak: It's a very dangerous path. She's putting herself out there. It's a big deal for her. It's definitely about her owning her past, but she's stepping into a very dangerous world.

[erzherzog-von-edelstein]

what do you think the relationship is like between Austria and prussia is like ? , are they like cousins who can’t stand each other or what ?

On the most general level, I think I take a much more favorable view of their relationship than most people who write about them. Because I see a lot of them hating each other and being unable to stand each other, and that is not how I see it. So, fair warning, long post ahead.

If I can tangent a bit, I think the common image of them comes from the fact that they are the only significant canon German states that we have, so it creates a kind of dichotomy that could be buffered by adding other German states who balance out the dynamic. Because with just the two of them, it becomes more of a “who gets to influence Ludwig” push and pull custody battle. There isn’t really room for them to be on the same side or to work together in the political arena, because having the two set up of such opposing personalities makes it seem like there will inevitably be conflict and there is no one else to balance that out. This is why I have felt the need to introduce other German states in Unification before I wrote more of it and then I got distracted and still haven’t written more.

Also introducing them in canon with possibly one of the worst points in their shared history does not help either. Of course they’re going to look like they hate each other from the perspective of the Seven Years War. Canon does much the same thing by introducing Russia and Prussia’s dynamic through the Battle on the Ice. 

So, with all that clarifying out of the way, here’s my take on them:

- First off, I know I have clarified this before, but it is always worth saying. The German states all call each other cousins though they do not know how they are actually related to each other. Cousin is the easiest way to explain it without trying to sort out the specifics. The irony is that Gilbert and Roderich are actually first cousins 

- So, to avoid starting at a bad point, let’s discuss the crusades. The Teutonic Knights were founded as a crusading order, so Gil certainly had contact with other orders and with the kingdoms that were involved. And the dukes of Austria were involved in crusading as well as financing the Holy Orders. There is a rather amusing instance of Austria bullying a young Arthur for his lunch money, but I’ll get into that some other time. That would be the point where Roderich and Gilbert met each other. Gil as a young knight and Rod as an ascendant Duchy within the Holy Roman Empire. If I could sum up their relationship at this point, it would be what their position dictated at the time. Gil, the knight, showing proper deference to a lord, no matter how much he disliked bowing to anyone.

- In the years between the crusades and the War of Austrian Succession there is relatively little between them, which makes sense considering their geographical distance between them. There are a few points of interest though: 

- First, Austria was generally friendly to Poland, though there was a war when Austria tried to force the election of a Habsburg monarch that was ultimately unsuccessful. I wouldn’t describe Rod as supporting Poland really, he was basically forced out of Polish politics and then decided he had other priorities anyway. This indifference meant that I doubt Gil would really add him to the list of people he hates because they supported Poland, that list is basically just Saxony and Lithuania (though we could absolutely also add Hungary there too)

- Second, it may be a bit of a given, but Austria was part of the massive conflagration in the German states over Martin Luther in the early 17th century. Brandenburg-Prussia was a part of the Protestant side of the Thirty Years War, but in all fairness it was more of a victim as Sweden left a bloody swathe through the German states (the losses in Brandenburg are absolutely staggering.) I hesitate to assign friendships and hatreds based on the Thirty Years War, because the German states basically all ended up bitter at the end.

- Third, and perhaps the best one to lay the groundwork for what comes next, the elevation of the Elector of Brandenburg to King in Prussia was approved and supported by the Holy Roman Emperor, who was a Habsburg at that point. So, Roderich was directly involved in the first step to Gilbert’s rise to prominence. For that period, he was trying to act like a kind of mentor and support to Prussia. Of course, Gilbert viewed this as patronizing, but Roderich was approaching it with some good will.

-The War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War are a huge low point for them. It’s when they viewed each other as the greatest adversary. For Gilbert it was toppling a giant to add to his own prestige, and he viewed Rod as an obstacle to overcome. Rod viewed it as a stab in the back and a massive insult after he had supported him before. 

- A lot of this feud died with Fritz and Maria Theresa. As much as I would love to imagine Gil playing 4D chess to permanently supplant Roderich as the most powerful German state, that’s not really what happened. In fact, Joseph II admired Fritz and did not carry on his mother’s strongly anti-Prussian campaign. 

Look at all the tension in this meeting between Fritz and Joseph II. I mean, there’s a certain kind of tension, but we’ll ignore that.

- Which takes me neatly to the Napoleonic Wars, or nearly. Both of them recognized the threat to stability that was the French Revolution, and combined forces to invade France and restore stability. The French were able to keep them at bay. But, putting this in terms of Rod and Gil’s relationship with each other, they decided they didn’t dislike each other enough to prevent them working together. Rod had a personal reason to intervene on behalf of the queen, but Gil agreed with him because they are actually remarkably politically similar. When it came to liberalism and the threat of Revolution, they were absolutely on the same page.

- The Napoleonic Wars are something of a mess to explain all the alliances, but suffice it to say that Rod and Gil were on the same side for most of it. And when it came to the alliance that actually defeated Napoleon, their ability to work closely with each other was vital. Put bluntly, if they really hated each other they would not have been able to get rid of that little Corsican.

- Aside from a few points of political tension in the Congress of Vienna (Saxony and Poland mostly), they were generally on board with creating a new vision of Europe. If anything, the Napoleonic Wars allowed them to bury the hatchet of their previous conflicts and to move forward together. The German Confederation allowed them a place to take their issues without coming to blows. It was something meant to improve their relationship and prevent war, and for a time it worked.

- I cannot emphasize enough how Prussia was willing to follow Metternich’s general plan for Europe, because it’s the biggest piece of evidence against them being eternal enemies. The Concert of Europe was a group project, and Austria just happened to be leading it.

- Of course, the Revolutions of 1848 kind of blew that up for a time. Granted, though the Frankfurt Parliament weighed them against each other as potential German leaders, I would not say that Rod and Gil saw each other as enemies at this point. They were both staunchly anti-liberal, and neither would have accepted a crown from a revolutionary mob. They saw each others as collaborators in returning the previous status quo.

- One person changed all of this, like the giant of history that he is. Graf Otto von Bismarck. He made a point of strengthening Prussia at Austria’s expense, which ended the political co-existence. But, even then, Bismarck mulled over the necessity of war with Austria, because forcing that kind of direct conflict would ruin the decades of peace between the German states. Fully turning against Austria was a heavy decision. Gilbert mirrored this feeling I think. He didn’t want to hurt Roderich really. Why would he? They had supported each other for half a century, and been relatively consistent allies. But, Roderich was going to be an obstacle to German Unification, and Gilbert couldn’t avoid that fight. Also, I think the English translation of the name of that war makes it was more dialectic than it was. I do prefer the German “German War” or “Brothers War” because that’s ultimately what it was, half of the German states against the other half, not just Prussia and Austria.

- And again, it is clear that Gil didn’t actually want to hurt Roderich with the war, because he elected not to invade Vienna or to make any demands for land. This was an incredibly lenient treaty, especially compared to what Prussia would do to France. The exclusion from the German Confederation, as critical as it was for both of them going forward, was not a particularly spiteful action on Gil’s part. He just needed to make sure he wasn’t competing with someone with a stronger claim to being German emperor (because the Habsburgs had held the title of Emperor of the Germans for a very long time.)

- And in the First World War they were on the same side, and I cannot help but imagine Gilbert immediately going to help his old ally when it was clear that the Habsburgs were floundering. Not that it prevented the collapse of the empire for either of them. Perhaps the greatest irony of it all is that even with all the scheming and plotting, the Habsburgs and the Hohenzollerns fell from power at exactly the same moment anyway.

- After the war Gilbert helped Roderich get back on his feet, since the loss was absolutely debilitating for him. From there they rekindled the rather warm relationship they had in the early 19th century, this time without the political machinations because neither of them were particularly powerful anymore. 

And....I was going to use this post to also state my feelings on PruAus as a ship, but since this has gotten absurdly long already I will wait for another ask.

[queenbrightwhitly]

Trust You (Pt 2)

A/n: should I continue this story?________________________________________

The investigation was full of dead ends. You missed your team, you missed Gil, JT, Dani, and mostly Malcolm. 

When you finally had a chance to escape the FBI you headed straight home to get ready for tonight’s Christmas dinner. You baked your special homemade Christmas cookies and picked out the best wine you had. Correction, the only wine you had. 

You were certain Mrs. Whitly had a much better tasting and far more expensive wine, but she insisted you bring something you liked. This was also the first time you would be meeting Ainsley as Malcolm's girlfriend, making it two people who knew about your and Malcolms' relationship. 

You finished getting ready, putting your shoes on, and headed straight for the door. Malcolm hadn’t texted you to say he was on his way, so you figured he was still with Gil and would hopefully not take too long. Although knowing Malcolm you knew those chances were slim. 

Once you arrived you lightly knocked on the door, trying your best to ignore the press that was crowded in front of the yard. Most of the press didn’t seem to have internet in you but some were still trying to ask you questions about your relation to the Whitlys and if you were involved in the investigation. You were grateful once Jessica opened the door; greeting you with a smile she stepped aside and let you in. 

“Oh Y/n, so glad you could make it.” her smile slightly fell though checking to see if anyone was behind you. 

“He’s not here yet I assume?” You asked, knowing she was probably expecting Malcolm to be with you. 

Jessica sighed, shutting the door. “No, and he hasn’t called me yet so I can only imagine he's with Gil.”

You smiled sadly at her, knowing she must have been frustrated with Malcolm and his absence. He did promise to be on time and although he still had half an hour it was best to bet that he wouldn’t be coming anytime soon. You pulled out your phone to send him a quick text to not forget about the dinner, hoping he would see it and make an effort to be just a little late. 

“Well, now who is this?”

You looked up to see Ainsley walk toward you, looking you up and down curiously. You smiled, putting out a hand to shake. 

“I’m Y/n, L/n, I was hoping Malcolm would be here to introduce me but I’m his girlfriend. Also part of Gils team.” Ainsley's eyes lit up, she smiled wide at you now looking very interested. 

“I’ll be damned, so Malcolm actually found someone whos crazy enough to put up with him.” Ainsley turned to her mother now. “So, what? I’m the last to know?”

“Actually,” you spoke up. “Malcolm and I haven't really told anyone about us. You and Jessica are the only ones who know.” 

Jessica smiled, taking a hold of your hand and pulling you towards the dining room. She set your cookies and wine down on the table and walked over to sit on the couch. “Since Malcolm is still going to be late we might as well relax until he shows up.”

Malcolm was certainly going to be late, about 3 hours late. After waiting on him, Jessica finally just said to sit and eat without him. You had a feeling this would happen, but it didn’t make it any more disappointing.  Once you finished your food, talked, and had a few glasses of wine you decided it was getting late and it was best you head home to rest for another day of FBI torture.

The next morning you got ready quickly and made your way to work. Malcolm hasn’t messaged you at all last night, which wasn’t two uncommon for him. Especially when he was up to something he probably shouldn’t be.

When you walked inside the prescient, it was just as crowded as it was yesterday. Everyone seemed to be moving around as frantic as the day before, too much for your liking anyways. You noticed JT standing next to his desk, he was having a conversation with Dani and whatever they were talking about didn’t look like it was good.

“Y/n.”

Turning around you saw Gil standing in the doorway of his office. His arms were crossed and he looked like he hadn’t slept all night. He raised his finger in a come here motion, turning around to walk inside his office.

Making your way over you followed him inside his office, closing the door behind you. Gil was deep in thought and motioned for you to sit down.

“Gil? What’s going on?” You asked, watching as he paced back and forth.

“It’s Malcolm.”

Your heart stopped, instantly thinking upon the worse. “What happened?” You managed to get out.

“The junkyard killer took him.” Gil sighed, rubbing his hands down his face. “We have his grandmother in the interrogation room-“

“The junkyard killer has a grandmother?!” You spoke up, barely able to comprehend the situation.

“Malcolm was running a lead with a former detective, they went to his childhood home. The detective didn’t make it and he took Malcolm, I know he’s still alive I just haven’t gotten anything out of her as to where he could’ve taken him.” Gil looked down to you, he seemed to contemplate asking you something.

“Gil, what else? What are you not telling me?” You leaned closer to his desk. “Whatever you wanna say, say it.”

“I need a favor.”

“Okay?” You urged him to keep going.

“I’m going to try another person who might know something. I want you to come with me, but it’s got to stay between you and I.” Gil waited but when you didn’t respond he continued. “Dr whitly.”

Your eyes widened. “You want me to go and interrogate Dr. Whitly with you?” You thought it over carefully, you knew Malcolm didn’t want his father meeting you, he was scared about him finding out about your relationship and didn’t want him to use you against him. “I can’t.”

“What?” Gil asked confused. “Why?”

You sighed. “I know Malcolm wouldn’t want me to meet his father, I can’t just-“

“Y/n I know.”

You looked up shocked. Gil didn’t make any sudden movements. “You know?”

“You and Malcolm.” Gil stated. “I’ve known for about two weeks now.”

“How?”

“Malcolms not the best liar, despite being a genius, he’s an idiot when it comes to you.” Gil sat down across from you. “I’ve known him for a long time, it’s okay.”

You looked at him nervously, fidgeting with your fingers you looked up questioningly. “It’s... okay?”

Gil smiles softly, nodding his head you knew that was a silent approval from him. “Now, are you coming or not?”

Gil and you walked to Dr. Whitlys room, the tall man who you learned was named David escorted you both, opening the door. “Martin, you’ve got visitors.” 

Turning around Martin looked shocked to see Gil standing there instead of Malcolm. “Lieutenant Arroyo,” Martin spoke, his voice sounded worn out. “Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? You know the last time you surprised me like this-” Martin stopped for a moment before continuing. “I still owe you that cup of tea, don't I?”

“I switched to coffee.” Gil shrugged nonchalantly. 

You flinched slightly at the sudden laughter coming from Martin His breath was wheezing and he looked to be enjoying himself. He then stopped once he noticed you standing behind Gil, you hadn't spoken a word since you walked in.

“Who’s this? She apart of your little team? Oh! Do you work with my son! “ Martin pipped up, but before he could continue Gil put a handout. 

“Never mind her.” Gil took a look at Martin saying the same thing you were thinking. “You need a chair? You don’t look so good.”

Martin sighed heavily. “Oh, are we saying all of our inside thoughts now, Gil? Cause there's a few I could say.” He quickly took a look back at you.

Gil nodded, “I’m here to talk about John Walkins.”  

Martin looked impressed. “So, Malcolm figured out his name, that didn’t take too long. What was the final piece that pulled it all together- Where is Malcolm?’

“I said I’m here to talk about Walkins. You want to stay out of that hole they pulled you from, I can’t be the only one talking.” Gil threatened. 

After that Martin continued to ask questions about the case and everything John had done. You were starting to get impatient, just wanting to figure out where Malcolm was and stop playing these games with his father. You noticed Gil himself was starting to get irritated, he kept asking about Malcolm, but before Gil could get any further he proceeds to talk aloud thinking Malcolm might be listening. 

“But I-I can still help you and your sister! Your mom's probably a hard one to sell.” Just like that his demeanor changed looking back at Gil. “Where is my boy?”

“You don’t get to choose who questions you!” Gil said. You watched as Martin walked toward Gil slowly. 

“But I can choose who gets the answers.” He looked down at you then back up at Gil. “Where is my... boy” He asked his voice taking on a darker tone this time.

“John Walkins has him.” Martin looked down at you this time. You thought this might have been the first time he actually took interest in you. You took a step forward continuing. “We need your help Dr. Whitly-”

“No, no, no.” He spoke over and over, his expression falling, you knew you were losing him. 

“Roughly 12 hours ago Malcolm was kidnapped by Walkins. We don’t know where he is.” You watched as Martin just kept shaking his head over and over. 

“He- If John had him he's dead. Hes dead.”

Gil Stepped in this time. “Focus-” Gil urged. “We are running out of time-”

“No, there's no time it's over. My son is gone.” Suddenly Martin started gasping, falling to the ground with a thud his whole body started shaking. 

“Mr. David get a medical!”

As soon as everything died down with Martin Gil told you to head on back to the precinct. You couldn’t help but dwell on Martin's words, he really seemed to believe John Walkins had already killed Malcolm, but you didn’t wanna believe it just yet. You had hope for Malcolm, that he would be okay and get himself out of whatever situation he had himself in. Instead of going back to the precinct, you thought it best to check up on Jessica and Ainsley. Jessica had been messaging you all day, asking for updates, if you found him yet. She mentioned that Ainsley was coming over to help find Malcolm. 

Knocking on the door you waited as Jessica opened the door, smiling brightly at you she stepped aside to let you in. “Y/n! oh please come inside! Ainsley is in the dining looking over the evidence of the junkyard killer.”

Walking inside you saw Ainsley was indeed looking over the photos from John Walkins' case. Although something was off, she seemed to be frozen in fear.  “Ainsley?”

Her hands were shaking violently. “Oh my god.” Getting up quickly Ainsley ran towards the basement, both Jessica and you looked at each other before quickly following her. 

You found her searching through old boxes, frantically looking for something. “It’s here somewhere I know it.”

“What is it?” Jessica asked, her tone was obviously fed up with her ignoring her. 

“Mom, I need to tell you something.”

“Oh, now you're scaring me.”

Ainsley quickly looked up. “Good. Do you remember Mr. Boots?”

Confused, you stood by Jessica watching her still search the boxes. Not exactly sure where this was going. 

“Your imaginary friend?”

“Yes. What do you remember?”

Jessica stuttered for a moment. “You invented him right before they took Martin away. Child Psychologist- and we had a fleet of them, said that it was perfectly normal for a girl your age to have an imaginary friend. Especially in a time of trauma.” 

Ainsley stopped for a moment, unwrapping a cloth to pull out a figurine of an angel. “How can he be imaginary if he gave me this?” She held it up for both you and Jessica to see.

Looking at it, you knew you had seen this before but you couldn't remember where. Jessica sighed, “You’re confused. That figurine was from your father. It's one of the last things he gave...”

Ainsley got frustrated. “An angel? No! Dad got me books on Marie Curie. This? This was from Mr. Boots.”

“John Walkins...” You slowly whispered, everything coming together now. You couldn't believe it. Jessica still hadn’t caught on though. 

“This photo is from John Walkins' house. The angels, they're just like mine. John Walkins was Mr. Boots.”

“And you didn’t tell me there was a strange man in our house?” Jessica's voice trembled at the horror of what was possibly their reality. 

“No! No! I thought... I thought he was a ghost. Because when I followed him down here to dads hobby room, a-and I would turn the corner, he had... he disappeared.” 

You thought about what Ainsley was saying, all the thoughts running through your head, going through the ways John could come in and out, without being noticed. He disappeared? A sudden lightbulb went off in your head, your eyes widening in horror. “Oh my god.”

Before you could say anything else all three of you heard a sound from behind you and Jessica. A wood board being moved from inside Martin's old hobby room. You watched as John proceeded to come out, with an axe in hand. “Run,” Jessica whispered. 

“Jessica go!” Pushing her forward, you watched as they both ran up the stairs. Reaching for my gun, John had already made his way to you, before you could aim he swung the axe at your hands. 

The gun flew and you cried out in pain as the axe graze your skin cutting deeply causing you to bleed. John Walkins pushed you up against the wall, your back and head taking the hardest impact. “I’ll save you for later, but I gotta go take care of some business first.” Letting go, he watched you drop to the ground. He kicked you once in the stomach making you spit out blood, ensuring you wouldn’t get back up. 

You laid on the floor, watching him go up the stairs. Struggling to get up you tried to find your gun but you couldn’t find it anywhere. You knew this wasn't the time so you dragged yourself up the stairs, feeling every bit of pain through your ribs as you moved. You suddenly heard the cries from ether Ainsley or Jessica, making your adrenaline kick in and hustle to them. Your head was pounding but you knew you had to do everything to keep them safe, you would never forgive yourself if something were to happen to them. 

As you were making it upstairs the power went off. A loud crash was heard and you bolted yourself up two steps at a time. You instantly took notice of Ainsley on the floor her head was bleeding. Jessica threw a lamp at John, instantly turning around and basically picking up Ainsley, she looked over at you. “Y/n!”

“Go take Ainsley, I’ll hold him off!” You looked over to the fireplace, picking up one of the metal fire irons. 

John looked at you, whipping his hair from his face he flipped his axe in the air as he grinned wickedly at you. Stalking towards you as you stepped back with every step he took forward. “You’re an ambitious little girl, I see why Malcolm likes you.”

“What did you do with him?” 

John shrugged. “I showed him the truth, made him see what I and Martin saw all along. After I kill his family, I’ll kill him, but maybe not before I force him to watch me kill you. If you can live that long.” Taking a swing, you ducked as the axe went crashing near you, breaking a vase and pictures. 

You used the opening you had to hit him in the back, he screamed out and used his empty hand to backhand you, making you stumble backward. He put all his weight on your right hand, hearing a gross sound you felt the pain shot throughout your arm, you had no doubt that it was broken. You tried to scream out in pain but he used the axe to choke you, instantly cutting off any sounds you tired to make. The pressure on your neck was blocking any oxygen, your vision was starting to fade to black. Thinking this was all over, a sudden door slam from upstairs made him pause his movements. He grunted, taking the axe off your neck and instantly made his way towards the sound. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll come back to you.”

You tried to respond but your voice only came out in raspy breaths. Dragging yourself across the floor you managed to pull yourself up the wall, not doing anything but hearing the sounds of his axe breaking a door and Jessica and Ainsleys screams. You felt tears fall down your face as you shut your eyes tight, one last attempt to get up, but that only brought more pain, making you hit the floor again. You wanted to cry, scream, anything to take the attention off of them and back onto you. 

Suddenly you heard footsteps come closer to you, and it was the sound of feet and not shoes. Getting closer and closer, you opened your eyes to find the owner dragging himself in the dining room, the sound of metal clanging against metal along with it. 

“Malcolm.” You managed to gain your voice a little to get it out, it was raspy, hoarse, and painful but you were thankful that got his attention. 

He turned around, his eyes instantly found yours. His eyes widened at your state in front of him instantly making his way over, he bent down and hunched over you. “Y/n, oh god. I’m so sorry.” His hand went up to cup your cheek. His eyes were starting to tear up as he looked you over. 

“N-not...F-F-Fault.” You smiled weekly at him, he gently took you in his arms, carrying you to a corner of the room. He then rushed to grab you a blanket and pillow, resting it behind your head. 

“I need you to stay here, don’t say anything okay?” Malcolm looked into your eyes finding an understanding. “No matter what, don’t say anything until I get you.” 

“Fam-ily....Up-s-stairs.” You warned. 

Suddenly Malcolm heard a crash, knowing full well what you were telling him. His expression was unreadable, but you could tell he had a plan. Kissing you on the head he whispered a quick “I love you.” Before he stood up and you watched him move to the middle of the dining room. 

Being so disoriented, you didn’t really focus on what Malcolm was doing, only that whatever it was made lots of movements.  

“Walkins!” Malcolm shouted. The noise upstairs stopped, you knew he got his attention. You smiled upon hearing Jessica yell his name back. They were alive.

“I know you're here!” Malcolm yelled. “This is my house. My family.” Again Malcolm yelled his name, you couldn’t tell where from this time though. “I’m gonna find you...and lock you in the dark.”

You could see John from where you were in your corner, hoping he couldn’t hear your rough breaths. You watched as he slowly walked towards a box, one you hadn't notice there before. He started to really fight with himself, struggling with whatever he was thinking of. 

Then you saw Malcolm come from behind, walking up to him, hitting him on the back with something, causing John to yell in pain as he went down. 

“This is my house.” You had never heard Malcolm talk like this before, his voice was something you didn’t recognize. You tried to focus your hearing but your head was pounding like crazy. Everything seemed to be quiet, calm even. 

Then just like that Malcolm was in front of you, his hand reaching out for you. “Hey, it’s me, it’s over. You’re okay.” Malcolm rubbed his thumb across your cheek, his warmth instantly invading your skin. He slowly helped you stand up, watching you carefully with every motion you took to ensure he wasn’t hurting you too badly. Malcolm placed your arm around his shoulder holding you against him as close as he could. You finally noticed Malcolm's other hand that was wrapped in white bandages. You tired to ask him what happened but your voice was gone at this point and you didn’t try forcing the question out. 

Malcolm walked you to his mother and Ainsley, taking every step slow, for both his sake and yours. You both made your way to the bedroom; looking up, you saw Jessica holding a pair of scissors, instantly she set them down and rushed over to Malcolm. You saw this coming and took a step back out of Malcolm's arms, walking towards the bed you sat down watching both Malcolm and Jessica. 

“Oh god.” Jessica tried to hug him but he instantly groaned out in pain. 

“Watch the hand,” Malcolm said. 

“What happened? Are you okay?” She checked him over. Worried, she gently grabbed his arms. 

“I’m alive,” Malcolm responded. 

Jessica sighed in relief. “Wheres Walkins?” She suddenly asked. “Is he... did you?’

Malcolm shook his head no. You smiled softly, you saw how tired he was, how much he just needed a break. You wanted to take all the pain away but you knew this would take some time.

“No. But he’ll never be able to hurt us again.” Malcolm said softly. 

Jessica sighed out in relief. At that moment Ainsley had appeared from the bathroom, smiling she ran towards Malcolm, taking him in her arms. Malcolm grunted a bit but held her close to him, hugging her back. Jessica instantly joined them, all three hugging each other tightly. 

Malcolm glanced over at you, his eyes tearing up just the slightest. He looked so relieved and tired. You smiled sweetly at him, mouthing an ‘I love you.’ to which he smiled back. That smile didn’t last long as he was holding Jessica and Ainsley. He began to look deep in thought, his eyes glossing over not showing much emotion. You wouldn’t forget that look and would have to remind yourself to talk to him about it later. Eventually, his eyes closed and he squeezed Jessica and Ainsley in more.

The next couple of mornings was you arguing with your doctor. You had been in the hospital for almost two weeks now. You hadn’t imagined that your injury’s were that big of a deal, besides your broken hand. Apparently you had two broken ribs, a concussion, along with a damaged vocal cord that of course kept you from talking. Which only made it just as frustrating when trying to talk back and forth with your doctors. The one thing you were not excited for, was the stitches in your hands from when John swung his axe. Even if it was your own hand, you still had trouble looking at it.

Malcolm was being taken care of himself somewhere else. He protested at first that you two should be in the same ambulance, than leading to him trying to get a room together. Nevertheless doctors and his mother thought it best you two get your own room, probably to keep from trying to break out of here at the same time.

You missed him though. You hadn’t seen him in almost two weeks. From what Gil told you it sounded like Malcolm was going to be just fine, at least for Malcolm standards that is. Watching tv in your room the sound of the door caught your attention.

Looking over you saw the person you’ve been waiting to see these past two weeks. Malcolm walked in smiling as he shut the door behind him. You smiled back, using your wrapped up hand to motion for him to hurry up.

Malcolm laughed, making his way toward you. “You certainly seem to be doing better.” Malcolm said. Sitting down on the right side of your bed next to your leg. Resting his hand on your thigh he started to draw random shapes with his thumb.

Leaning over you picked up the white board and black expo pen that was resting on your table. Quickly writing, you turned the board to face Malcolm.

“You okay? I missed you.”

Malcolm smiled softly, taking your hand in his. “I should be asking you that. According to Gil, even though you didn’t look as bad as me, your internal injuries were much worse than any of us.”

“Eh, been though worse.”

Malcolm laughed, but it was short lived. “I’m so sorry Y/n.” Before you could write anything he continued. “I don’t understand how I didn’t figure it out sooner. He was right under our feet the whole time. Literally! Because of it my mother, my sister, you. All the people I love had to pay the price.”

You started shaking your head frantically. Malcolm didn’t need you to write what you were trying to tell him. He already knew.

“It is my fault, Y/n. You could’ve gotten killed, my family-“ before Malcolm had a chance to finish you took the white board and hit him with it. “Ow, what the- Y/n?”

Grabbing a hold of Malcolm face, you made him look at you, refusing to let him move as you forced his head to lean against yours. Malcolms eyes were beautiful yet so much damage was behind them. Without even taking your eyes off of Malcolm you took a hand away and scribbled something down on the white board. Shoving it in his chest you watched as he looked at you confused, than moved the board to see what you wrote.

“Stop.”

Malcolm looked down at your whiteboard, his eyes softened as he looked it over. You reached over to take back the whiteboard to erase it, now writing down something else. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Malcolm looked down at you confused.

“Your mom and Ainsley. Are they okay?”

Malcolm nodded. “My mother is back to herself, which means my apartment is now in lockdown mode. Ainsley on the other hand is already getting back to work. Just another day with the Whitlys.” Malcolm laughed lightly, noticing how you didn’t react he look hold of your hand. “Why the long face? Whats wrong?”

You shook your head, brushing him off as you tried to put on a reassuring smile. Malcolm of course didn’t buy it. “Y/n, you trust me right?”

You nodded, scribbling more on your board. “I thought I lost them. I couldn’t do anything to stop him.” Quickly erasing what you wrote, you continued. “I’m sorry.”

Malcolm frowned, he tried to look at you but you were looking down messing with your white hospital blanket. “Y/n, you can’t honestly believe what happened was your fault?”

When all you did was shrug Malcolm moved closer to sit right beside you. His arm brushed against yours and he raised his hand to your chin, gently moving your face towards him. “Darling, you did everything you could. Guessing by all your injuries I would say you just about sacrificed yourself to protect my family. My mother and my sister are alive because of you. My mother made that very clear to me the other day.”

“She did?”

Malcolm nodded, laughing lightly as he looked to be remembering something. “She told me how you gave her time for her and Ainsley to make a run for it, you held him off as they ran upstairs. If it weren’t for you, they both could have came out of this a lot worse.” Looking you over his smile slightly fell. “However, this definitely wasn’t my favorite outcome.”

“I love you.”

Malcolm smiled, moving some hair from your face he leaned over and kissed the side of you cheek lightly. Moving downwards to your shoulder he kissed you gently over and over.

After awhile of you and Malcolm going back and forth, he got up to go and talk to one of the doctors about when you could leave. He wanted you to stay longer but you were very eager to get the hell out of here, and he knew you would probably end up going yourself if he didn’t.

As soon as he left you started scrolling on your phone. A few minutes pass before you heard your door open again. Looking up, you expected to see Malcolm but was shocked upon seeing Cholete instead. She walked in, closing the door behind her and walked towards you.

“Surprised to see me?” She smiled. “Heard you were feeling better.”

If you didn’t know her you would’ve thought she was actually here to check over your well-being, and maybe that was a small part of it but it certainly wasn’t the main reason. Grabbing your white board you started writing.

“More or less. Not why you’re here though.”

She laughed a bit. “You caught me, I must be slipping up or you must be getting good at profiling.”

“Learned from the best.”

She nodded knowingly, taking a seat on the bedside chair she leaned back, her arms folded. “Saw Malcolm at the nurses station, didn’t bother telling him I would be leaving today.”

“But you’re telling me?”

“Believe it or not Y/n, I actually don’t mind your company. You work hard, act on instinct, don’t really let much get in your way. To put it simply, you’re pretty damn good at your job.” She said it so monotone you would’ve thought she was being sarcastic, but you knew she probably didn’t do that much.

“Where are you going with this?”

She smirked, getting up from her chair she pulled a card out from her pocket. “I don’t trust Bright, I don’t think I will anytime soon. If I was you, I wouldn’t get too caught up with him. Get out while you still can, and before it gets you killed, like it almost did this time.”

You furrowed you’re brows, you wanted to say something so bad but you both knew you couldn’t write fast enough.

“Malcolm does things without a second thought sometimes, he acts without thinking about what happens to him. You honestly expect me to believe that he didn’t know what could happen upon entering the childhood home of that monster.” She didn’t say it as a question. “One of these days those actions are what’s going to get him killed, or worse, someone else.”

“What do you expect me to do?”

“If you’re smart enough to use your head and not your heart. You’ll leave him.” She than set her card on your bedside. “If not, well than I hope my next visit won’t be at your funeral.” Before she walked out she looked back to. “You can’t trust him, not completely anyway. If you don’t wanna take my advise, that’s on you, but at least do yourself the favor of asking him.” When you looked at her confused, she sighed a sad smile present. “Ask him if he knew John would come, even it was a thought in the back of his mind.”

Just then the door opened and Malcolm walked in, he froze as soon as he saw Chlote. Looking between you both he was certainly confused, but you could also see a part of him get protective. “What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too.” Colette smiled.

Malcolm scoffed. “You and I both know you never like to see me.” He looked back at you. “You okay?”

“Relax, I was just about to leave. I was only checking up on a friend.”

“You two are not friends.” Malcolm quickly responded. You knew he was trying to play nice when she first came to the station, but now it seemed Malcolm wasn’t going to act anymore. The only other person he seemed to act this way about was his father, which reminded you, you never did tell him about meeting Martin Whitly.

Colette rolled her eyes. “You don’t get to decide that.” She looked back to you. “You were right by the way.” Opening the door she smiled knowingly at you. “You did learn from the best.” Just like that she was gone.

Malcolm looked back at you, confused about what she meant. “Learned from the best? What is she talking about?”

Even though Malcolm was confused you understood perfectly. Malcolm was the best, so if even Colette knew the chances of John going to his home, why wouldn’t Malcolm. But that was her point, Malcolm did know, he just pushed it in the back of his mind, because Malcolm always did stuff to find out more, it was always to find out and study more even if it gets him in toruble.

“Hey, are you okay?”

You jumped, finding Malcolm right beside you. Nodding slightly you kept thinking about what she said. Even though you didn’t wanna admit it you couldn’t help this back of the mind curiousness that you had. Then again, this wasn’t the time. You couldn’t write out what exactly you wanted to ask him right now, and you wanted to make sure you didn’t give him the opportunity to come up with the excuse of you needing rest to drop the conversation.

You grabbed your bored and quickly wrote something down. “Talk about it later.”

Judging by Malcolms face, he wasn’t satisfied with that. However you also knew he wasn’t one to push you on a topic if you didn’t want to talk about it. Rather he would ask you about it later.

The rest of the day consisted of Malcolm getting you out of the hospital and back home. Although the deal was you had to stay with him, no argument. He wasn’t going to take you out of his sight for a few days, and you would say that was a bit extreme and annoying, but if it meant Malcolm would stay out of trouble because he was taking care of you. All the better.

When you both finally made it back to his place it was already almost 2am and your voice had come back for the most part. Although when you spoke it sounded groggy and it burned a little bit.

“Take a seat, I’ll get you some water. You need to take your medicine.” Malcolm walked over to the kitchen. Following him you took a seat at the island stool, watching him walk around the kitchen.

Handing you your water and medicine, you nodded and forced yourself to swallow it down. You coughed slightly from the sting that came from it going down your throat. Malcolm smiles sadly at you, he put some hair behind your ear as he watched you take all your pills. 

“Hey.”

You looked back to him, he had a far away look in his eyes. “Malcolm?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He huffed out. “I feel like you wanna say something to me, and I know pushing you isn’t the way to go but I feel like this is about something else. Something you’re feeling guilty about?” He said it as a statement, which just made you feel worse. Before you could say anything Malcolm continued. “Please don’t be mad I profiled you.”

“I’m not mad. I do need to tell you something but, I don’t think you’ll like it.”

Malcolm scoffed. “Can’t be any worse then Cholete saying you two are friends.” He meant it as a joke but you weren’t laughing.

“When Gil and I were trying to find you, he became... desperate. He asked me for help on something.” You waited for a response but he didn’t say anything waiting for you to continue. “I visited your father.”

[unorthodoxsavvy]

Prodigal Son x Hannibal

Fandom Crossover Headcannons:

Hannibal and Will give Malcolm tips and advice on cases.

Hannibal’s calm and seductive energy is a stark contrast to Martin’s obnoxious and sarcastic energy, however, talking about murder is a serious topic that engages Martin, and they could talk seriously for hours, even if they could never work together.

Will finds Martin interesting and charming, and understands why people are drawn to him.

Jessica adores Hannibal for his fine tastes and upscale nature. Finally, someone on her own social level who hasn’t shunned her out of her community.

Ainsley enjoys engaging Hannibal and writing down things he says in their conversations, however Will doesn’t really like talking to her as she’s a reporter.

Dani and JT don’t like Hannibal. He’s a bit too posh for their taste. One of the reasons both Dani and JT get alone with Malcolm is their similarity in age, and they don’t have that with Hannibal. To be honest, they think he’s quite stuck-up. Will, on the other hand, they don’t mind. They don’t exactly like him, but they can bear being in the same room as him.

Edrissa loves talking to Will, and Will seems to get along with her as well.

Gil senses the authority in Hannibal and therefore treats him with respect as an equal, taking his opinions and thoughts very seriously.

Gil looks forward to working with Jack and his team on any cases that are out of his jurisdiction.

Malcolm ends up going to Hannibal for informal therapy which deals with the serious parts of his life that his childhood therapist just isn’t as well-equipped to handle.

Hannibal looks at Malcolm’s kitchen and considered murdering him on the spot for the indecency.

Seriously all this man eats is twizlers and lollipops, Hannibal must make him a meal sometime, maybe he should even cook for Malcolm once a week and package up daily meals....

Will vibes with the fact this man only eats candy, because, he too, is depressed as fuck.

Hannibal enjoys Malcolm’s extensive weaponry collection and doesn’t understand how a man who can put so much time and care into building such a unique, priceless, and tasteful collection only eats HALLOWEEN CANDY-

Will likes Sunshine and often holds her.

Malcolm loves all of Will’s dogs because who doesn’t love all of Will’s dogs-

Malcolm and Will share an unspoken bond and understanding of each other both being nuerotypical and pick up on each other’s stims, tics, habits, social cues, etc.

Malcolm is able to meet Abigail and he really likes how intelegent she is. It’s not often he feels like he can engage in stimulating intulectual conversation with those younger than him, and he offers whatever he can to help her in her pursuit of an education and career.

Hannibal finds Sunshine’s existence amusing.

Hannibal desires to bring out the serial killer in Malcolm much like Martin does, but Will tries his best to guide Hannibal away from that and let Malcolm be without breaking him even more. The last thing a broken boy like Malcolm needs is Hannibal inside his head.

Jessica thinks Will is strange but she’s happy that Malcolm has found another person to get along with who seems to care about him and perhaps even understand her son better than she does. Jessica does not see Hannibal for the killer he really is- it’s not that she’s blind to killers, but that Hannibal is so manipulative that even Jessica, who knows what to look out for, can’t detect him.

Somehow Malcolm always manages to avoid eating the people-parts of Hannibal’s meals but Gil, Ainsley, and Jessica are not as lucky.

Edrissa knows by looking at one of Hannibal’s meals that they’re people and she tells Malcolm but Malcolm isn’t really sure what to do about it. It’s not that he doesn’t trust her, he just already has enough on his plate without adding humans to the menu.

[applepiewinchesters]

Dr. Whitly (Malcolm Bright x Reader)

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

“Where are we going?” you asked for probably the tenth time in a row as the cab drove down the street.

Your boyfriend Malcolm sat next to you, he sighed, taking your hand in his, “I told you it’s for the case,” he said, the same answer he’s been giving.

“Yes, I know that, but where?” you told him, rolling your eyes.

“If I told you, you wouldn’t come with me,” Malcolm spoke, turning to look at you, giving you a soft smile.

“Well, we better not be going to the dentist,” you said, making him chuckle.

“No, not there, I’d never put you through such torture,” Malcolm joked, making you smile.

“If this ends badly you’re sleeping on the couch for two weeks,” you informed your boyfriend.

Malcolm smiled, biting his lip, “You’ll be fine, don’t worry,” he told you.

A few minutes later you were pulling up to a large brick building with a wrought iron gate, CLAREMONT PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL the sign out front read.

Your eyes widened as you turned to Malcolm, “Are you fucking insane?” you asked, nervousness already bubbling up in your stomach.

“Possibly,” Malcolm said, trying and failing to lighten the situation.

“Malcolm, we’re not going to see your father, this is not happening,” you said sternly, using your mom voice on your boyfriend.

“He won’t hurt you, not with me there,” Malcolm told you, trying once again to reassure you as the cab pulled up to the front doors of the building.

Malcolm handed the driver a few twenty’s, telling him to keep the change as he climbed out of the car.

You had no choice but to follow him, the cabbie probably wouldn’t be too happy about you refusing to leave the car.

“That’s not what I’m worried about Malcolm, you can’t keep coming to see him, it’s not good for you, he’s manipulating you,” you said, trying to keep up with Malcolm’s brisk pace as he walked.

“It’s fine, I’m fine, you’re fine, everything is fine,” Malcolm spoke as you two walked inside and to a front desk.

“Malcolm Bright, here to see my father, this one here is with me as well,” Malcolm cheerily told the old woman at the desk.

“Sign in,” she said, her voice bored as she pointed to a sign in sheet in front of you two.

Malcolm quickly signed both of your names before grabbing your hand and pulling you down a hall of max security doors before stopping at one, he banged on the door a few times and a tall man opened it.

“Here to see my father, she’s coming too,” Malcolm said, not even giving the man a second look as he pulled you down another hallway to yet another large metal door.

A loud buzzer went off as the guard from before went in before you both, you reluctantly followed Malcolm in after, your hand gripping his tightly, now slick with sweat from your anxiety.

“Ah Malcolm my boy, what can I help you with this time?” came a lively voice, it could only belong to one person.

Martin Whitly stood in the middle of the cell, his ankles and wrists chain together, a sort of leash keeping him chained to the wall and a safe distance away from you and Malcolm.

You were practically hiding behind Malcolm, peering over his shoulder at the man before you. If he wasn’t obviously a deranged serial killer, he could definitely pass for a loving grandfather in the cardigan he was wearing.

“You have someone with you I see,” your eyes widened when you realized the older Whitly noticed you, you weren’t exactly hiding very well to begin with though.

Malcolm basically had to force you out from behind him, moving so that you stood beside him, your hand never left his.

You’d never dealt with people like this before, you were a fucking psychiatrist, you didn’t work with serial killers you worked with divorced middle-aged women and teens with eating disorders.

The stories you’d heard about Martin Whitly were enough to send shivers down your spine, and now that you were in the same room with him, you felt as if your chest was going to explode.

“Yes, Martin, this is Y/N, my girlfriend, Y/N, meet Dr. Martin Whitly,” Malcolm said, introducing you like it was just another family get together.

“Nice to meet you, you’re even prettier than Malcolm described,” Martin told you, a sickly-sweet smile on his face.

“You told him about me?!” you asked, your voice shrill as you turned to Malcolm.

“In passing,” Malcolm said quickly, voice sheepish.

“Don’t you worry, I won’t be trying to murder you or anything while you’re here,” Martin told you, chuckling. His attempt at reassuring you definitely did not help at all.

You stepped back until your back hit the wall, while Malcolm strolled forward, asking his father about a case, it seemed they had a copy cat killer on their hands. Of course, he was copying The Surgeon, it couldn’t have been a copy cat Ted Bundy?

You know, someone you didn’t have to visit in prison because the were already DEAD.

Quietly you watched Malcolm and Martin work, it was like they’d seen each other every day. Malcolm was showing his father what looked like some medical drawings, but you completely tuned out the conversation.

You were honestly just trying to keep it together. If Malcolm had told you that you were coming to meet his father, you’d possibly have some time to prepare, and would not be acting like a little bitch.

It was only a few minutes later when Malcolm grabbed your hand, snapping you back into reality, “Come on,” he spoke.

“Hope you see you again, both of you!” Martin called as you two left the cell.

When you finally signed out and left the building you stopped walking, effectively stopping Malcolm as well, who was still holding your hand.

“You know I’m pretty sure I’d rather be at the dentist right now,” you said, voice icy as you pulled you hand away from Malcolm and crossed your arms over your chest.

“I-I know, I’m sorry but I wanted you to come with, I…. didn’t want to go alone,” Malcolm admitted.

“Then take Gil! Or Ainsley! Or fucking tell me next time I’m going to meet your serial killer dad!” you shouted.

“You’re right, I’m sorry, you never have to come back, I promise,” Malcolm told you.

It was silent between the two of you until the cab pulled up, you huffed, stomping towards the car.

“You owe me big time for this one, Bright,” you said as you brushed past your boyfriend.

Malcolm sighed, he was in for it, this was something you were going to hold against him for weeks, so he made a note to himself.

Next time, don’t bring your girlfriend with when you go to visit your father in a maximum security psychiatric hospital.

   A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this one, remember, requests are open so please feel free to send something in! Thanks for all the love! ~ Sara :)

[jess-rewatches-prodigalson]

Episode 18: Scheherazade

This episode is wonderful. Here are my thoughts.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

0:12 - Sooooo did Malcolm convince Gil to let him take the Surgeon case files from the precinct?

0:32 - Malcolm was eating Chinese take out? IDK. That stuff is pretty greasy. Something tells me that Chinese take out is not a good food to eat if you have a sensitive stomach.

1:24 - To be clear - Eve and Malcolm are not dating in this moment correct? They broke up last episode? Am I wrong?

2:04 - So Malcolm did want to go to this thing right? He genuinely likes ballet and his mom decided to make it a mother/son date. Ugh. So freaking adorable. <3

2:10 - Listening to Jessica talk on the phone is really interesting here. You can see that she’s embarrassed that she’s there alone and annoyed that Malcolm stood her up. She’s trying to be quiet and discreet on the phone so none of the nosy rich people notice but - of course - you can see them all looking at/talking about Jessica  in the background. I feel really bad for Jessica here. She doesn’t belong in the average person world because she’s rich and she can’t hang out in the rich people world because they’re all a bunch of overgrown high schoolers with the bullying and cliques to match.

2:24 - Look at how excited Jessica is initially - when this woman b**ch starts talking to her. Jessica looks hopeful that someone is going to actually be nice to her. Her gorgeous face drops when this Cricket woman starts being a b**ch. Props to Jessica for dragging this woman about the admissions scandal though.

2:53 - Ok. I immediately don’t like Endicott. Why? He clearly only saved Jessica because he wants to get in her pants. However, I love the way Jessica looks at him. She’s hopeful, flattered, and grateful. She almost never looks this happy and it’s a damn shame.

3:35 - Quick side note: Jessica looks amazing in that dress. Blue looks good on her….wait. Do you think she wore a blue dress because it would look good with Malcolm’s eyes? Not in a creepy incest way - just in a “I’m matching with my son” because we have a close, non-sexual relationship way.

4:50 - hahaha Cricket got blood spatter on her face. She deserved it.

5:00 - “You know your Mom called this in right?” - I love this. Jessica didn’t call 911. Before anyone could even think of calling 911 - I promise you Jessica was on the phone with Gil. Because Gil has always protected her family. She trusts Gil despite the fact that - like her son - she trusts almost no one since Martin was arrested.

5:02 - Again. I LOVE THIS TEAM. Talk about character/relationship growth. Dani and Malcolm making lighthearted banter. JT being really forward about telling Malcolm to go and check on his mother (who just witnessed a murder). I love that we are now at the point in this team’s relationship that JT and Dani love Malcolm so much that they worry about Malcolm’s Mom. <3

5:16 - Props to Edrisa. She’s a little neurotic and often anxious. BUT check out the way she laid down the law with that dude who was touching evidence. This girl is great.

6:00 - “Welcome to 2020. Can’t rule anything out.” - Can we just appreciate this line. It was probably written in late 2019 or before the whole COVID-19 nonsense in 2020. What a timely, well-delivered line. They probably writers probably did it by accident too. They were probably trying to allude to the craziness that was about to unravel with Endicott for the rest of this season. I love this show.

6:15 - JEALOUS GIL ALERT. Honestly - this was amazing. Gil is so jealous (not hiding it well btw) but he’s trying so hard to be a professional.  ALSO - check out the way that Endicott is looking at Gil. Endicott knows that Jessica and Gil have feelings for each other. He also knows that Gil suspects him as a murderer (for this case and the 1x19 case). Yikes. If Endicott has Gil injured, maimed, or killed in 1x20 I WILL THROW HANDS.

7:07 - This is cool to me. Jessica is mad at Malcolm but she doesn’t call him “Malcolm Whitly”; she calls him “Malcolm Bright”. This implies that Bright might be Malcolm’s legal last name. If it’s not - it means that Jessica respects her son. No matter how angry she might be at him - she would never intentionally harm him. She’s a good mom. (ALSO EDRISA’s REACTION ahahahaha and the way that Malcolm closes his eyes when he hears Jessica’s voice like “Aww shit. I’m in trouble.”)

7:30 - Honestly, I think it was both. From what we learn in this episode - Malcolm likes ballet. He’s probably sorry he missed the murder (because you know he’s Malcolm) but I feel like he was also looking forward to the event. Even if it meant that he would have to schmooze some rich people and listen to his Mom be a little nervous and a lot extra throughout the night.

7:45 - YES. YES. This is the perfect reaction to Eve. One that I’m sure a lot of fans can relate to. Yes - we hate the fact that Eve manipulated her way into Jessica and Malcolm’s lives. We hate that she broke both of their hearts. However, we sympathize with her brutally dark childhood and the loss of her sister. You can hate someone’s actions without hating the person as a whole. AND RIGHT HERE you can see that duality on Jessica’s face.

8:08 - At least Malcolm isn’t lying to Jessica? But dang. He looks so guilty about telling his Mom that he’s planning on visiting Martin. Probably because he knows Jessica will worry about the meeting, Malcolm’s mental health, and all other potential fallouts of Malcolm’s “plan”.

9:15 - Look at Malcolm here. He’s staring at Eve with a mixture of fear and concern. For once - he’s not focused on Martin. Malcolm’s concern for Eve and Eve’s pain is overpowering the discomfort and anxiety that Malcolm experiences when he sees his father.

9:20 - “You’re prettier than I imagined.” Ugh. Go to hell Martin. Malcolm looks so freaking ashamed to be Martin’s son right here. Look at his sad little face. :(

9:38 - What a toxic parent. He’s a serial killer and he’s still trying to make his ex-wife seem like the bad parent. Martin needs therapy.

9:45 - Holy hell. Malcolm looks terrified…..actually Martin looks a little scared too.

9:52 - I love this. Malcolm is so afraid of what Martin might do to Eve that he jumps over that red line. Also - take a second to notice how Malcolm grabs Eve. It’s not intimate. Definitely not the way you’d grab a significant other or a close friend. His hands aren’t touching her. He has his hands clasped around each other and his arms wrapped around Eve’s shoulders. This is a very gentlemanly way to grab a lady - even in a panicked, dangerous situation when he’s probably acting on sheer instinct and fear. Malcolm’s not thinking of where his hands are positioned. This is how he reaches for her instinctively and I respect it.

10:05 - Malcolm looks so scared here. Eve slapping Martin was definitely not part of the plan. Eve is improvising.

10:40 - Again. Check out the way Malcolm grabs Eve’s shoulder. It’s not the way you’d put your hand on a significant other’s shoulder. They are not dating here.

10:43 - Look at Martin’s face. It’s twisting in disgust. Is he actually feeling guilt for being a terrible father? I thought psychopaths couldn’t feel remorse? Maybe he’s just disgusted that his son is in a relationship with a woman who would have the nerve to insult Martin to his face?

10:50 - “I’ve told you all I can.” Martin’s eyes show fear in this moment. After watching 1x19 - I see why.

11:09 - The way that Martin shouts “Malcolm” is haunting. You can see it upsets Malcolm too by the way he grips his head. I wonder if Martin used that tone of voice with Malcolm as a child? Martin supposedly acted like a perfect father but what if Martin was verbally abusive to Malcolm when they were home alone together? Maybe this is how he conditioned Malcolm - like with that “Boy!” in 1x14, right before Malcolm stabs Martin. What if he drugged Malcolm to make him forget then too? Is that why Malcolm looks like he’s having a traumatic response to his name being called in that tone?

11:16 - Malcolm is impressed by Eve but also a little scared of Eve. Her performance was alarming to him. He didn’t expect her to be that angry.

12:04 - Edrisa is a national treasure. “I disagreed” bahahahaha. OMG. Even Gil looks amused at this one.

13:15 - “To maintain a comfortable lifestyle”. Seriously - do the writers want me to suspect Endicott? I seriously pinned it on him the whole time I watched this episode for the first time. Now I know better - but he’s still a sleaze bucket who has killed people.

13:34 - I love how no one on the team is buying Malcolm’s “my rich Mom took me to watch ballet as a kid” act. They know there’s more to it than that. They know Malcolm well enough to know when he’s lying.

13:40 - Gil is like “I’ve known you since you were 10. Jessica did not take you to the ballet for as long as I’ve known you. I would’ve heard about it.”

14:05 - I wish Malcolm always looked that happy when he declines one of Martin’s calls.

14:26 - This is seriously disconcerting. This is the most sincere and serious behaviour that we’ve ever seen from Martin. Martin is scared. Now that I’ve seen 1x19, I understand it. He’s afraid for himself. Of what Endicott may do to him if this gets out. I still can’t quite figure out if Martin actually cares about what happens to Ainsley, Malcolm, and Jessica though. I don’t think he’s capable. I hope I’m wrong.

14:32 - Soooo Mr. David doesn’t know about this. That makes sense. Did Mr. David see Martin get slapped? Are these phone calls recorded? Is that why Mr. David gives Martin that look? To remind Martin to keep quiet about the slap because it could cause Mr. David to lose his job? Are they friends? Ugh. This relationship is so fascinating to me.

15:33 - Look at Gil. He does not like the catty attitude of these ballet dancers.

15:45 - OMG. JT looks like he’s watching reality TV. He’s amused, a little confused, a lot shocked, and he can’t look away.

16:00 - I don’t like this Joesph dude - because he’s a jerk. BUT he has a point. These ballerinas seems very unstable. In the emotional sense.

16:12 - Dang. This is brutal. I didn’t like the way this girl was acting - but no one deserves this.  

16:53 - “I’m right here. I’m right here.” UGH. Gil saying this is so freaking sweet. All I can imagine is Gil saying that to Malcolm as a kid when Mal wakes up from a nightmare. <3 Ugh. The thought is warming my cold, dead heart.

17:15 - It’s a little concerning that Malcolm looks so excited about being in the same building as an active killer. ALTHOUGH - he regularly visits his serial killer father. Maybe he’s so used to being afraid of killers that he doesn’t even register it anymore? He’s so focused on solving the case that his own safety doesn’t even register as a concern?

17:23 - Papa!Gil is angry. I’m picturing him giving Malcolm a lecture in this tone of voice after Malcolm did something stupid when he was a teenager.

18:00 - Malcolm is having the time of his life. Look at this boy go. He has a group of suspects to profile and they’re all standing right in front of him. Life can’t get much better.

19:30 - Yep. This dude is a jerk. Also - Malcolm looks tiny next him. How tall is that dude? I know Tom Payne is short but damn.

19:36 - Question: why wasn’t Fiona in this group that was initially being profiled? Was she not in the building?

19:55 - Look at this. Jessica totally wants to talk to Martin. She is so pleased that she finally has something to rub in Martin’s face to make him jealous/angry. Also - can we all just appreciate how Jessica picks up the phone?!? When she’s addressing Mr. David?!? hahahaha comedic GOLD.

20:12 - Martin is losing his marbles. He really is an attention whore. Dang.

20:18 - “Martin stop being a helicopter parent.” - Yo. Jessica, I love you but you are a hypocrite.

20:30 - And this was the moment that Jessica forgave Eve for betraying her and Malcolm. Hahaha look at how absolutely delighted Jessica looks when she finds out that Eve struck Martin. hahaha

20:35 - Look at the way Martin glances over at Mr. David as he asks Jessica if she’s paying attention to him. It’s as though he’s reigning himself in because he knows Mr. David will hang up the phone and leave the cell if Martin loses it. Martin is so desperate for attention that he’ll take a bad phone call with his ex-wife over being alone in his cell. I almost feel bad for him. Almost.

20:43 - Huh. Do you think Gil saw that photo? How do you think our jealous cop reacted?

21:03 - Ok. So, in this scene Martin is chained to the wall. He’s talking on the phone. Mr. David is in the room. NO one else. WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS REGARDING WHEN MARTIN GETS CHAINED TO THE WALL?!?!? There have been so many scenes when Martin is not chained to the wall and he’s alone with Mr. David. I have so many questions about how this works.

21:06 - Martin’s toddler-esque hissy fit is freaking hilarious. This dude is unstable.

21:24 - Martin’s flashbacks have to be true. Right? So we can all say with 100% certainty that he took Malcolm to the cabin and held a girl (Sophie) in the cabin.

21:43 - Poor Mr. David. :( He looks so done with Martin’s nonsense. Why doesn’t Mr. David quit? He could easily get a position guarding a less insane prisoner. He’s been with Martin for 20ish years. At this point he’s either a) friends with Martin, b) developed some sort of twisted Stockholm Syndrome, c) working for Endicott, or d) getting paid a lot of money.

22:34 - Fiona is a nasty Queen B and I’m annoyed that Gil can’t arrest her on principle.

23:25 - “He upset some very powerful people. They made his escape from Cuba possible.” ….Soooo Endicott is definitely a shady dude. I still think he had something to do with Javier’s death.

23:40 - “Jessica’s friend?” - Dang. Gil, you’re jealousy is showing. <3 hahaha also he looks so freaking unsurprised. Gil’s like “I knew he was shady. I KNEW IT!!” And I find it really interesting that he refers to Jessica by her first name in front of Malcolm. Usually, he’ll say “your mother” or “your mom”. This indicates that Gil currently feels personally involved in Jessica’s life. This is a situation that is affecting him as opposed to Malcolm so he’s referring to her as “Jessica” instead of “your mother”.

24:02 - OMG. Gil, please stop being so obviously jealous of a woman in front of her son. Her son is a profiler. He can see through you and you’re probably making him uncomfortable (look at the way Malcolm looks down and smirks after Gil does this he knows). Regardless, this is the single funniest thing Gil has ever done on this show.

24:15 - Are Endicott and Gil really having a weird, not-so-subtle “guy-off” over Jessica while talking about the investigation?!? Malcolm looks hella awkward. He’s like “Fake-Dad vs. suspect/Mom’s crush. What do I do?”

24:43 - ENDICOTT DO NOT PRETEND THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW MALCOLM WAS HER SON. Your shady ass has totally been keeping tabs on her whole family for the past 20 years.

24:50 - DANG. Check out that look that Jessica gives Malcolm. It’s like “Do not embarrass me in front of Nicholas. Do not tell your sister what you’ve seen. Do not discuss what you just witnessed with me. Ever. This did not happen.”

24:54 - Gil, buddy, I love you but looking at your watch is super obvious. Please reign it in. Your jealousy, while hilarious, it not attractive to a woman.

25:09 - I feel so bad for Malcolm throughout this whole scene. He’s clearly still interested in solving the case but he has this confused, slightly disturbed look on his face as he watches the whole love triangle fight go down.

26:06 - Once again, the whole “guessing JT’s name” is my favourite running gag on this show. Look. Even JT is into it now. He used to be super annoyed by it. This is how much JT and Malcolm’s friendship has grown. I’m so proud of these losers.

26:20 - OMG. hahaha “Posion.” Is Gil considering poisoning Endicott because he’s really that jealous?!!? I doubt it. More likely - Gil is suspecting Endicott of killing Javier. HOWEVER, I also think that this is a very subtle hint by the writers that Endicott is going to poison Gil in the season finale. I DO NOT WANT TO BE RIGHT - but I have a horrible dread that I will be.

27:00 - Seriously? Martin gets an iPod too? Is he really a prisoner?!? This dude lives better than me.

27:30 - So Martin is mad at Malcolm here. “Kids.” Huh. So did he actually try to kill Malcolm that night? Or did he chicken out when he got up to the cabin?

28:13 - HOW THE HELL DID MARTIN GET EVE’S PHONE NUMBER?!? Magic? Does he get internet access? A phone book? He has Mr. David find it for him?

28:25 - Check out Malcolm’s face. He looks longingly and sad as he stares at the ballerinas. He stares at them with respect too - not lust. He really likes ballet. <3

29:00 - Is Malcolm projecting here. “You took a chance on him when no one else would.” Did he quit dance because of how people treated him after Martin was arrested? Does Malcolm identify with Javier?

29:10 - Listen to how Fiona praises Javier’s work ethic. It almost feels like she’s talking about Malcolm. Of course, she isn’t, she doesn’t know Malcolm. BUT the writers know Malcolm. Is this a subtle hint that Malcolm is not a killer? That he’s incapable of being a killer? I mean - they even go so far as to have Fiona say that something about Javier’s performance was off - not his work performance but his personal performance. Is that a reference to Malcolm’s deteriorating mental health? Maybe I’m reading way to much into this…

31:14 - Does Malcolm even know he’s projecting here?! I don’t think he does. Gil sees it though. Damn. I’m surprised he didn’t challenge Malcolm on it. Or hug him. Ugh. My heart is broken.

33:05 - Is Malcolm so shocked that he doesn’t move? Or is this just Malcolm’s passive suicidality at work here? Watch Gil tackle him to the ground though. <3 I’m in love. This is the father Malcolm deserves.

33:36 - hahaha look at Malcolm’s precious little ballet jump. Gil sees it too. Gil is like “Wtf? This kid totally did ballet at some point. How did I not know about it?”

35:15 - Look at how freaking proud Gil is of Malcolm. Gil - a man who likes classic cars, has sports trophies in his office, and drinks fancy liquor. Gil is, in a lot of ways, stereotypically male. He finds out that his dorky pseudo-son did something as stereotypically feminine as dancing ballet (and enjoyed it) and Gil doesn’t bat an eye. He doesn’t get mad. He doesn’t tease Malcolm. He just looks at him with pride. We need more men like Gil in this world.

37:00 - Anyone else extremely upset by the idea that Martin put his son to bed like a Good Dad before going downstairs with the intent to murder a woman?

38:25 - I feel really bad for Sophie. :(

39:20 - Soooo is Sophie still alive? Or did Endicott have her hunted down and killed?

40:29 - This isn’t the first time in this series that Martin has bashed Jessica’s parenting skills. Or the first time he’s hinted that Jessica did something bad to the children. Given Jessica’s behaviour toward Ainsley and Malcolm - I doubt it. That woman adores her children. However, she does have a drinking problem and I’m starting to wonder what Martin thinks makes Jessica so bad. Is it simply because she divorced him? Or that she kept the children from him? Or is it something more?

40:50 - Well at least Malcolm knows Martin has been gaslighting him. :(

41:06 - Soooo Mr. David totally heard that conversation. Makes you wonder if Mr. David is working for Endicott. The things that Mr. David knows…

41:50 - So Eve definitely broke up with him here. Again? Honestly - I have no idea when these two were actually together.

43:21 - I do not like that monster inside the Whitly house. No no no no.

Well. Thanks for hanging out Prodigies. See you next time.

[mautadite]

april book round up

20 books this month, which i didn’t see coming. i had more free time than expected, even with working from home and *makes vague hand gestures*. i still have a scribd membership so almost all these books came from there. also i’m putting some thought into reviewing on netgalley, so a couple from there as well.

american fairy tale - adriana herrera ⭐️⭐️⭐️ contemporary m/m romance in herrera’s dreamers series that follows immigrants and children of immigrants. this second book was fun, a kind of fairy tale romance as the title suggests. a rich guy/poor guy situation which isn’t usually my cup of tea, and the domineering, throw-money-at-every-situation personality of the rich guy got on my nerves, and i wasn’t totally sold on the way the conflict was resolved? but i enjoyed it. herrera’s books just have this down to earth vibe that i love.

unfit to print - k.j. charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ historical m/m romance. vikram, a young lawyer doing a lot of pro-bono work in the indian community in london, lost touch with his childhood friend gil years and years ago, is pretty sure he’s dead. so imagine his surprise when he comes across him in an unlikely occupation in an unlikely place. this was a charming, touching novella, really interesting historically, with a lot of cool titbits about porn in the 19th century. very sweet romance-wise.

american love story - adriana herrera ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ another dreamers novel, this one about a black professor and political activist and a white ADA who had a fling a while back and are now living in the same town. and same apartment building. lol. it did get into real world politics, which i know some people don’t like, but i honestly thought it well done? there were some great bits in this, good insight, one really harrowing moment, and just really great chemistry and character moments.

wanted, a gentleman - k.j. charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ more historical m/m romance from k.j. charles, which i always like, but this one i REALLY liked. which surprised me, because it’s a novella, and with novellas you never spend enough time with characters to really know them and their story and get attached? but that’s exactly what happened here. a well-to-do ex-slave and a poor gazette owner team up to untangle a young love affair. i seriously loved this, the characters are so good together. T__T

far from the world we know - harper bliss ⭐️⭐️ contemporary f/f romance about a young widow with a traumatic past who moves to a tiny new town to take care of her ailing aunt, and slowly falls into a relationship with the owner of the local newspaper. the premise was good, but this honestly felt like every single harper bliss book i’ve ever read, except it had nothing to recommend it. ask me why these characters even like each other. i can’t answer! 

the hound of justice - claire o'dell ⭐️⭐️ the second book in a series that re-imagines the sherlock holmes universe, except as near-future scifi set during a civil war, and both holmes and watson are black lesbians. i LOVED the first book (with a few caveats) and i’ve been looking forward to this one for so long... but it was disappointing. in terms of the writing, in terms of the direction the characters took, in terms of the plot... i have to wonder if i read the first one with rose-tinted glasses. :/ won’t be continuing this series.

the vintner's luck - elizabeth knox ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ *CLUTCHES MY CHEST WITH BOTH HANDS* in my goodreads review i said i didn’t know how to talk about this novel, and i still don’t. but i ADORED IT. so completely. in early 19th century france, the young son of a winegrower climbs a hill on his father’s property, and there, meets an angel. this is the story of them falling in love, but also about family and friendship, love and death. it’s written SO beautifully, and i’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

the family fang - kevin wilson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ OOOF. i went into this knowing that several friends loved it so i knew i probably was gonna too and i DID. it’s about two siblings whose parents have been obsessed (since before the birth of their children, and until the present day where they’re both grown) with the idea of creating perfect art, and how the kids survive that. i actually didn’t enjoy reading many parts of this, but only because it was so well written, if that makes sense? like, it took me right in there with some of the shitty emotions and just made me feel. OOOF.

mrs. martin's incomparable adventure - courtney milan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a VERY sweet and charming historical f/f romance between a wealthy 74-yo widow and the cute young 69 (nice) yo landlady who comes to ask for her help. and then they have an adventure! i read it at a great time, because i was beginning to feel really bummed out about how people are trivialising and discounting the lives of older people in this crisis, and there was a really great message of like... life not being over until you SAY it’s over, living like you have 20 more years left. i loved it a lot.

his convenient husband - robin covington ⭐️⭐️ m/m contemporary fake marriage story, about a russian ballet dancer and the widowed american football player he marries to get citizenship. and then they fall in love for realsies. i love fake marriage as a trope, it can be so cute but this was very meh. if a book is gonna handle racism/homophobia in such a shallow way... i’d honestly prefer if the book just pretended those things don’t exist lol. :/ it’s also very very rushed and not well plotted at all. alas.

once ghosted, twice shy - alyssa cole ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ alyssa cole is like my good luck charm, because starting here, i read a bunch of lesbian romance novels that i really liked. this one is part of a series about reluctant royals, and follows the dapper assistant to a prince as she falls for a girl who seemingly ghosts her, and then meets her again months later. it’s a novella, and sort of relies on the fact that you would have met one of the characters in a previous book (which i did read). but i really really liked it, thought it was super cute, and the mcs had great chemistry. it was almost insta-love, which i really don’t like... but i still like this book so much. also best cover?? BEST COVER. 

who'd have thought - g. benson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ now THIS is fake marriage done right!!! f/f contemporary romance about a struggling nurse who comes across an ad offering a chunk of money in exchange for one year of marriage... and the person on the offering end turns out to be the cold, stuck-up but brilliant doctor at the hospital where she works. this was the perfect slow burn, with great character writing, really good set-up, very believable arc as they slowly fall in love. it got me so emotional at times. definitely gonna make sure i read more from this author.

three reasons to say yes - jaime clevenger ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ f/f contemporary about two women who strike up a romance while on vacation in hawaii; one an overworked professional, one a doctor-mom of twin girls. another winner for me. just an extremely cute, very genuine butch/femme romance. it’s funny because i definitely nitpicked on a lot of things in this book, but i only remember the parts of if that made me so fond.

we set the dark on fire - tehlor kay meija ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ f/f YA fantasy in a world deeply divided by class. in the upper echelons of society, girls are trained either to become one of the two wives of upper class men; the primera and the segunda. the story follows a girl who has faked her social class becoming the primera of a very powerful man, getting involved with revolutionaries, and developing a surprising relationship with her husband’s segunda. really interesting world-building, some lovely writing, a really heart-felt core. i had my nitpicks with the plot but i still super enjoyed it, really want to read the second part.

a tale of two mommies  - vanita oelschlager ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ netgalley book. a cute children’s story about a kid with two moms. <3

crier's war - nina varela ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ more f/f fantasy YA, this one with the added benefit of being about something that i ADORE reading about in fiction: artificial life. in this fantasy world, automae were created, perfected, became aware of their place in society, fought a war for their autonomy... and won. the story opens up 50 years later, in a society ruled by robots, where humans are subjugated. it follows the current robot ruler’s created daughter and a young human rebel whose one goal is to kill said daughter. i loved this SO much, the enemies to lovers trope was peeeerfect. i wish the writing was tighter, and some plot elements could have used cleaning up, but i enjoyed this so much. the ROMANCE especially was... gah! <3 the second book comes out soon, but i want it like, now.

second dad summer - benjamin klas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ another netgalley book. a fun and charming primary/middle school story about a kid spending the summer with his father, and his father’s new boyfriend, who he doesn’t quite get along with. over the summer he makes new friends, nurtures some plants, learns some lessons. i thought this was well-written, touching, and does a pretty good job of telling kids about queer stuff. 

tempting fate - sloane kennedy ⭐️⭐️ contemporary m/m novella (short story honestly) about two ranch hands realising their feelings for one another. it was fine, i read it because i was in the mood for a quick HEA and i got that, but it was also kinda flat and there were several kinda irksome things about it. i reeeeeally don’t like overly possessive characters, lol.

all the reasons i need - jaime clevenger ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ more contemporary f/f romance, this one about long time friends who have been in love for ages, slowly coming to a place where they can finally admit their feelings and try to embark upon a relationship. again, while on vacation! this was a lot more sombre than the previous clevenger book, as it deals with past abuse and eating disorders. but i also found the writing to be better in general, and the relationship between the two women was just... so great. the writing definitely isn’t pulitzer prize-winning or anything, but there are so few good butch/femme books out there, i ate this up, and will def. be reading more from this author.

interpreter of maladies - jhumpa lahiri ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ speaking of pulitzer prize-winning authors... i’ve had this author and this book specifically at the back of my mind since secondary school; one of my literature teachers really loved it and would bring it up all the time. i really enjoyed it! it’s a collection of stories about the indian diaspora in america, as well as life on the subcontinent. i really like her writing (very simple, very precise, but very evocative) and there were a few really striking stories.

and that’s it for april. look at me, actually writing this entry on time, lol. for may i’m just gonna... keep reading whatever catches my eye on scribd i guess. i remember vaguely saying that by this time of the year i would have moved on to reading the books on my physical bookshelf that i haven’t gotten to yet but... i go where the wind takes me etc. currently reading silver moon, about women who turn into werewolves once they hit menopause? absolutely metal.

[satin-swallow]

Mystery at Mountbatten || Chapter Two || Tall Tales

“‘So, naturally, the ghost is a viable suspect,’ the sarcasm was heavy.”  

Fandom: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries Characters: Phryne Fisher & Jack Robinson Rating: T Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Ghost Story

With the death of Gilbert Rodgers on his conscience, Frederick Willis is forced to seek protection from an unconventional source - almost as unconventional as what he has say.

Please read and comment at AO3 if you have a moment. Thank you!

“It’s easier to dismiss ghosts in the daylight.”

(Patricia Briggs - Dragon Bones)

~*~*~

“I’m never going to get to the station at this rate,” Jack Robinson complained in a tone that seemed a little too satisfied for its purpose. His hat and coat were on, but not quite ready for departure, one pushed back slightly off his shoulders and the other perched precariously between his head and the eggshell white of the entrance-hall wall.  

“It’s rather more fun on this side of your desk anyway,” Phryne Fisher answered, holding on to his tie for good measure.

He smiled down at her with a softness that had appeared only in parts before she’d had to fly her father to England. Of late, however, it seemed fixed to every movement of his features, and she had to admit that somewhere between his bold appearance in London and their inevitable return to Melbourne, she’d grown quite addicted to it. Their reunion had been exactly the whirlwind he’d anticipated; the dizziness of her life was that much more vivid up close, and she had wasted no time at all in introducing him to it. It had been surprising in equal measure, however, and Jack had found in their intimacy an unprecedented picture of her quietude. She had quickly upended all his expectations, and replaced every hope that had previously assailed him in moments of anxious longing.    

“I should go,” he coaxed.

“Should you?” she challenged.

“I should,” he kissed her lightly - still marveling after months that he was so simply able to do so - and straightened his hat, pressing her back somewhat gingerly to set the rest of him to rights. This time, she did not resist, letting him go and content to let him go. It was a peculiarly domestic delight; she knew quite comfortably that he would be back that evening and there was more of them to be had. It was starkly distinct from saying goodbye and never allowing herself the need to say hello again. She could not deny how much she was enjoying the shift.

As soon as his tie was straightened, of course, he was kissing her again, and Phryne chuckled against it.

“Go,” she pushed him towards the door, only to be peppered with a half dozen little pecks, “or I’ll. have you. arrested. You impossible. man! I’m in rather well with the Inspector, you see.”

The look he gave her - as she all but shoved him out onto the front step - was one of absolute adoration, so subtly hidden beneath his patently serene countenance, she might have missed it a thousand times. She had no doubt that she had missed it a thousand times before. But now she seemed able to see him in so many shades, now that he had held her in the quiet hours of the early morning and looked at her in the half-light with a myriad of tiny differences.

What had been concealed before, had become a brilliant parade of colour to her since.

“And don’t be late for dinner,” she warned with a healthy dollop of humoured irony, “you almost sent Mr Butler’s blood pressure through the roof last week. I can’t imagine what might explode if you ruin his Boeuf Bourguignon.”

By that, he knew that she loved him.

His smile, then, was utterly unveiled, “I flatly refuse to be held responsible for the ulcer you’ve already given him.”

Another kiss and he was gone, Phryne finding her back pressed against the door in the way it had been once before, when she had hoped for that same kiss and come up wanting.

It was good. Impossibly good. Frighteningly good -

A knock. She grinned.

“Honestly, Inspector, I hardly know how - ” her face dropped all playfulness at once, “Aunt Prudence!”

The change was jarring as the bustling matriarch locomoted her way into the hall, clearly in a state of high nerve as she spoke on a rattling rail, “Phryne, I absolutely must talk to you; something ghastly has happened!”

“What is it, Aunt P, and who - ?” a young man, tall for the youth in his face, trailed in behind her.

“This is Frederick Willis,” Prudence introduce with her usual gruff business, “You remember Chester Willis, from the Bridge Club?”

Phryne took instant pity on the boy, “How could I forget such enthusiasm for trumps?” She’d rarely seen a social bridge game with quite that level of disdainful competition - if this was the son of Chester Willis, he’d had a calculated and aggressive upbringing.

Frederick didn’t meet her gaze, pale and seemingly only interested in the tiles on her floor.

Phryne blinked, instantly curious and concerned in equal measure. “Come in,” she gestured at once for the parlour, “I’ll have Mr Butler put on some tea.”

Aunt Prudence nodded her agreement with a restrained tick, before moving into the next room and taking up a seat on of one of the armchairs. Fredrick followed wanly, standing by her side with his hat crunched between his hands. He was dressed in the uniform of an elite boys academy, St Martin’s: a boarding school known to Phryne and any who were well-placed in Melbourne society, and one which gave Scotch College a run for its money – which, of course, was considerable.    

Slipping passed the boy, she rang for tea and took up her own place on the edge of the chaise, her attention turning intentionally to Aunt Prudence first, “What’s happened?”

“There’s been a terrible accident,” Prudence said, her glance moving to the floor in a grim and honorary silence, “young Frederick here has lost a very dear friend.”

He did not flinch.

“I’m sorry,” Phryne said, watching him closely as the warmth of her tone cushioned about him. His eyes finally drifted upward, and what Phryne saw in them changed the game entirely. There was pain, of course, but also a buried fear that drove curiosity to intrigue in earnest, it was a horror that had settled into the hazel and turned it sour. He slowly nodded his thanks.

If it weren’t for Aunt Prudence’s presence, Phryne might have suggested fortifying his tea.

“Why don’t you sit down, Frederick,” she suggested, afraid he might otherwise fall down. Prudence gave her niece a stern look that seemed to say that he had been like that all morning, and something must be done.

He did sit, with equal silence.

The air stalled around them.

“Chester was in such a state this morning, he called me – at first I was thoroughly confused as to what good I could do in the scheme of things, but –” Phryne’s sidelong glare was enough to stop the story from being stolen from its teller.

Silence followed once more, but a flicker from those hazel eyes suggested it was now a somewhat grateful one.

“Can you tell me what happened, Fred?” Phryne asked. The emphasis fell in all the right places, asking what he could manage more than demanding information. The shortening of his name, too, unpinned their distance and unfamiliarity.

He seemed immediately to analyse who could be trusted, but the sight of such a pretty face, and the contrasting pressure of having to confront the police at some point, drove him finally to accept this status quo.  

“It was trespass, Miss,” he said, rather as though he was pulling off a scab and darting his eyes back to the floor.

Aunt Prudence looked as though she’d been struck, her shock was so palpable. It was the first thing she’d heard him say above a murmur.

“A noble pursuit, occasionally,” Phryne smirked, a little impishness slipping in despite her understanding that trespass had led to fatality.

He looked up at her directly, a flicker of a smile. Relief seemed to slip something from his shoulders. He was met, however, with the fact that he now had to tell her the rest.

“There were three of us. We just wanted to have a look around. Gil – that’s my friend, Gilbert Rogers -” he stopped, the horror returning. Phryne waited respectfully. “He’d heard rumours, stupid ones,” Fred could feel the whole awful mess bubbling up under her sympathetic gaze. It all sounded so trivial, but it was time to get it out. “There’s supposed to be a ghost that haunts the place,” he offered in a way that sounded more like his father than himself, “it was just a bit of idiotic fun. But we got caught. We were upstairs, heading towards the bedroom where she’s supposed to have been seen, and Arthur got scared, ran off - ”

The name descended on the room with a clunk, and Phryne could not help but look at Aunt Prudence, despite how long it had been since Arthur had left them.

Her Aunt did not look at her.

“I ran downstairs to go after him, and then I heard a scuffle on the gallery,” he hesitated again, “and then a window breaking.”

Phryne pieced the conclusion together gently, “Gil?”

He nodded, fighting tears with a disgusted grimace as he forced the feeling back into his gut. There was quiet as Phryne shuffled the details around in her head.

“I’m assuming from the fact that you’re here in my parlour, instead of a small room for questioning, that you haven’t taken this to the police?” she asked. In truth, it was a question directed at Aunt Prudence more than anything, wondering why she was suddenly involved.

“It’s not that simple,” Aunt Prudence offered. Phryne simply waited for the explanation.    

“The groundsman,” Fred said, “the one who… struggled with Gil. He collapsed. I couldn’t help him, either…” he looked back to the floor.

Understanding blossomed over the entire conundrum, even as the grief of his ‘either’ pierced.

“You’re the only one who knows what happened,” Phryne finished.

“Arthur Johns is still missing,” Aunt Prudence said, her voice betraying only a little of her investment in that name. Her glance, and Chester Willis’s reputation said the rest: they didn’t want to come forward with this until they were sure of the outcome – the profile alone would make a circus of it in good society. Phryne could give them some assurance of Frederick’s being cleared.

In more ways than one.

She outright refused one possibility – she was hardly about to manipulate the man she loved for the socio-political agenda at play – but she was happy to offer support on the other. If not for Chester Willis, then for the poor boy who had lost his friends, seen the worst, and now sat with the sword of Damocles hanging over his head. She would undoubtedly go in to bat for him, where the investigation was concerned.

Of course, there was no way to avoid the fact that telling the police was the only viable first option.

Phryne shuddered to imagine how quickly lawyers would be involved should she pass that suggestion by his father, and Aunt Prudence was a formidable enforcer.

She strategised.

“I’d be happy to help, Fred,” she leaned forward, blocking Aunt Prudence from the line of their conversation, “but –”      

***

It had been a hurricane of activity from ‘but’ to City South, and Phryne’s ears might still have been ringing from Aunt Prudence’s objections. As it was, though, Fred was much more decidedly placed, his honesty earning from Jack the outcome she had expected, and allowing her to turn her attention to the more functional aspects of the case.  The questioning had yielded details in abundance, Jack’s methodical approach drawing more from the boy on the context and the nature of the events, a proper description of the boys and their miscalculated plans.

It was one detail, however, that had truly caused a stir.

It was a detail that had set the air alight with fascination, and put an abrupt end to the interview – well, alongside Mr Willis’ descending on the room with lawyers and demands, red in the face and ranting.  

It had also set Phryne’s stylish pacing into motion, and it now flourished in Jack’s office, her mind ticking over at a dangerous speed as she waited for him to release the boy into his father’s custody, ready to pounce as soon as the Inspector strode back through his door. She had made it as far as a breath in when his hand was raised in objection.

“Don’t,” that breath had been enough to tell him that something outrageous was about to be said, “Don’t say it, don’t think it, and especially don’t look at me with that face.”

“You haven’t even stopped to find out which face I’m looking at you with,” Phryne immediately defended.  

“I don’t have to,” he turned, taking up the seat behind his desk, “I’m familiar with them all.”

A smirk, “I wouldn’t be so sure, Inspector.”

“No, but then you rather like never being sure of anything,” he charged.

A beat.

“Like the non-existence of murderous spectres?” she grinned, ignoring his censure, and launching into the speculation he had known was coming.

“Phryne,” he was exasperated at once.

“Considering Fred’s evidence, the idea is not exactly without credence,” she said.

“Without credence?” he seemed genuinely concerned about her, “Are you honestly arguing that it was the ghost? That pushed that boy through a window?”

“You heard what the groundsman said before he died,” she offered.

“Allegedly,” Jack pressed back, unwrapping the file that had been hastily sent over by the investigating police. “The groundsman – a Walter Harcourt, according to the locals that found him this morning – isn’t here to bear witness and verify the facts.”

“You’re forgetting that Frederick Willis wasn’t there to bear witness, either,” she said.

“So, naturally, the ghost is a viable suspect,” the sarcasm was heavy.  

“Stranger things have been suggested,” she reminded him, “you’ll remember the ‘ghost’ of Dorothea Curtis.”

“Experience has taught me that the simplest explanation is ordinarily the most valid,” he argued.

“Not to mention the most boring,” Phryne countered, taking up her prized position on the edge of his desk.

“Well, I’m sorry to deprive you of the entertainment,” Jack said, leaning back into the familiar to-and-fro as though nothing at all had changed, “but life doesn’t always conform itself to the most inventive.”

“But – ”

“According to his own account, Frederick Willis burst into the room mere seconds after the window was broken and found a man, still feet from where his friend had fallen, or was pushed,” he said, his brows daring her to contradict him.

She huffed.

“All right, fine, we’ll do it your way,” she acquiesced, “but that still leaves me with one pressing question.”

The way she was looking at him had grown far more identifiable in the past few months, if not a lot more familiar, and it was clear that she was enjoying their characteristic tussle every bit as much as he was.

A sigh, “What’s that?”

“If Walter Harcourt did indeed push poor Gilbert Rodgers through a window to his untimely death,” her voice curled about the mystery as she leaned towards him, “then who, or what, killed Walter Harcourt?”  

***

“Fright,” Elizabeth MacMillan announced with characteristic unflappability.

There was a delighted pause as Phryne’s eyes brightened into a familiar diversion, “You’re kidding.”

“Technically it was a heart attack,” Mac finally looked up from Harcourt’s chart, leaning against the cool medical slab that held his corpse, her face remaining unmoved despite the obvious vigour in her friend’s, “but it was undoubtedly brought on by an abnormal hormonal event, probably adrenaline, which resulted in a massive cardiac episode.”

“So ghastly apparitions aren’t quite so ridiculous a proposition, then?” Phryne suggested, making sure Jack knew how very affirmed she was feeling by the news as they stood side by side across from the doctor.

“I’ll leave that brilliant hypothesis to your fanciful mind,” she returned, “but I can tell you that whatever he saw in that room, it certainly killed him.”

“Couldn’t the realization that he’d killed a boy have brought about the same effect?” Jack was unconvinced.

“Absolutely,” Mac agreed, casting Phryne a look that indicated no loyalty in her scientific opinion whatsoever, “I can’t draw any medical conclusions about the what, only the how.”

“It’s suddenly grown very pedestrian in here,” Phryne deflated a little, narrowing her eyes at the vile betrayer.  

“All the same,” Jack quickly cut her short, “it puts our investigation squarely back into the realm of the probable.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Mac offered blithely again, her smile quite obviously enjoying the power to play the pair off each other.  Jack shut his mouth – he should have known. “There is something of the mysterious about the whole thing,” the good doctor continued, “and it’s here, around the victim’s eyes.” She rounded the edge of the slab, moving away from Harcourt’s feet and picking up a small instrument on her way. She gently scraped at the corner of the eyes - still so stark in the shock that had not subsided from his features - and held up the result for both to see.

A crusted white powder lay in the base of her little scoop.

“What is it?” Phryne asked, her curiosity taking over from her earlier playfulness even as she leaned forward to examine it all the more closely.

“Damned if I know,” Mac answered, tossing a smirk Jack’s way, “it’s not related to any bodily chemical I’m familiar with, hence the mystery.”

“An escalating number,” Phryne smiled.

“Of a distinctly corporeal kind,” Jack refused, “have you sent it for spectral analysis?”

“I have,” Mac seemed impressed, “I’m waiting on a Professor at Melbourne University. Here’s the kicker, though – I found the exact same substance on the face of Gilbert Rodgers.���

A pause from both.

“Was any sign of it recovered at the scene?” Phryne asked.

Mac shook her head slowly.

Phryne frowned, her thoughts turning from the intrigued to the suddenly sinister, “So, it seems our victim and our visionary have met before.”

“Somewhere else,” Jack agreed.

“Seems so,” Mac placed the scoop back onto her tray.

“From Fred’s telling, it was Gilbert that was really driving the whole thing,” Jack thought aloud, “pressing the other two boys into accessing the house, perpetuating the story of the ghost… maybe he and Harcourt weren’t enemies, but accomplices. Maybe Gilbert lured the others there for some nefarious purpose, using the ghost as a pretence.”

“But to what end?” Phryne asked, “Both of the other boys escaped.”

“As far as we know,” Jack said, “Arthur is still missing.”

“Then why kill Gilbert? And why the cryptic last message to Fred?” it was Phryne’s turn to play the sceptic.

“I don’t know,” Jack readily admitted, “which certainly warrants a little closer investigation.” His conclusion earned a blink from Phryne as she realised that the outcome she had desired had just fallen so neatly into her lap.

She smiled at him, feeling the bright blossoming of that emotion that was increasing between them – the delicious co-incidence of finding the same path by such different means, “That’s the best idea you’ve had all day.”  

*~*~*  

[longislandweekly-blog]

Robert De Niro (left) and producer Irwin Winkler on the set of Goodfellas (Photo courtesy of Irwin Winkler)

While the name Irwin Winkler may not immediately be recognizable, the venerable Hollywood producer has had a hand in midwifing a number of classic films, often alongside his late partner Robert Chartoff. Together Winkler and Chartoff produced such films as Raging Bull, The Right Stuff and They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? The duo was also responsible for giving a nearly penniless and practically unknown Sylvester Stallone a shot with Rocky and taking the ride along with the fledgling screenwriter/movie star through the subsequent sequels to some degree. All this and more is recounted in Winkler’s forthcoming memoir, A Life in Movies: Stories from 50 Years in Hollywood. Pulled together over the course of a year, Winkler explained how the project came about as an answer to questions about what he actually did for a living.

“What happened was that over the years people kept asking me what a producer does, especially friends who I knew weren’t in the entertainment business. Even some people that were in the movie business would ask what a film producer does. So I started making notes of what was happening day to day on some of the movies I was involved with,” he explained. “I decided at some point to do it as a narrative and turn it into a book, so there you are.”

Given that he was drawing from a journal he’d kept over a number of decades, the Brooklyn native found turning the book around to be a rather breezy endeavor. The combination of thorough notes and an equally sharp memory draws a compelling chronological narrative that traces Winkler’s initial break, working his way up through the William Morris mail room and getting his first production break via the 1967 Elvis Presley film Double Trouble. The budding film executive came into the business at a unique time—just as the old studio system was on its last legs and a new class of directors that included Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, John Boorman, Peter Bogdanovich, Brian DePalma and Steven Spielberg,were redefining filmmaking. For the most part, Winkler enjoyed his walk down memory lane.

“It took me about a year to write the book, which I think was pretty fast. But I think it was because I had all those notes to refer to. I wanted the reader to see what the notes looked like. There’s a section in the book where I went from producing to directing Guilty By Suspicion, where I kept those actual notes in the book, so you could see what it looked like originally,” he said. “It wasn’t challenging because I had a good time doing it. There were a couple of times when I was in pain when I had to remember what I went through on some films. I think Valentino was a very difficult film and I was unhappy with it. Revolution was a very difficult film. Those times were a bit painful, but obviously, there were many joyous moments in making films.”

While A Life in Movies is a juicy read, it is less about salacious detail and more what goes on behind the scenes of trying to get movies made. To Winkler’s credit, the end part of the book has a section dedicated to projects that never made the leap to the silver screen. Among them are movies about the relationship between lyricist Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, a Ray Bradbury adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and a biopic about famed Hollywood choreographer Busby Berkeley. For Winkler, it was about maintaining the thread of honesty that runs through his memoir.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

“I didn’t want to look like everything I did came out okay and was successful, because they certainly weren’t,” he said. “Many things, for whatever circumstances, never got made and I thought I should include that in the book.”

At the upcoming Cinema Arts Centre event, the self-described “nice Jewish boy from Coney Island” is looking forward to meeting with the numerous cinephiles that will undoubtedly be in attendance.

“I hope they ask me some interesting questions and I can give them some half-decent answers. I think it might be an opportunity for the audience to delve a little deeper into some of the questions they may have about what I may actually have accomplished or did from time to time,” he said. “Frankly, the whole book, as it should be, is from my point of view. I’m curious to find out what people, who are the general audience, would think about certain things that I wrote about.”

The 87-year-old film exec shows no signs of slowing down. He is at various stages on numerous projects over the remainder of the year including The Irishman, the Netflix-backed project helmed by old friend Scorsese and featuring numerous actors from that world including leads Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. Also on tap is Creed III, to be directed by title actor Michael B. Jordan, and also a Gershwin project that’s been languishing for the past three decades and is currently on the Winkler front burner. It’s what keeps him getting up in the morning.

“I still get the kick out of making movies, coming up with something fresh and different and the new ideas and a new way to do an old idea. I’m still excited by it, so I guess that’s why I’m still making movies,” Winkler said.

Irwin Winkler will be appearing on April 29 to discuss his book A Life in Movies: Stories from 50 Years in Hollywood as part of Long Island LitFest. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington. For more information, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org or call 631-423-7611.

Also read about Irwin Winkler’s favorite films.

Cinema insider Irwin Winkler chats with Dave Gil de Rubio about his long career in the film industry and his new book A Life In Movies which chronicles it all. While the name Irwin Winkler may not immediately be recognizable, the venerable Hollywood producer has had a hand in midwifing a number of classic films, often alongside his late partner Robert Chartoff.

[jeroldlockettus]

How to Win Games and Beat People (Ep. 247 Rebroadcast)

Games are fun, but winning is better. (photo: Arwa Gunja)

Games are as old as civilization itself, and some people think they have huge social value regardless of whether you win or lose. Tom Whipple is not one of those people. That’s why he consulted an army of preposterously overqualified experts to find the secret to winning any game.

Listen and subscribe to our podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or elsewhere. Below is a transcript of the episode, edited for readability. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, see the links at the bottom of this post.

*      *      *

There is a pretty good chance that you or someone you love has recently given or received some sort of game as a holiday gift. If so, there is probably an even better chance that the playing of said game will ultimately lead to competitive urges that had been capably subdued to that point. It will perhaps even lead to tears. No one likes to lose. Wouldn’t you like to avoid the tears of defeat? The following episode will help you do that. It’s called “How to Win Games and Beat People.” It was part of our Self-Improvement Month series from 2016; we’ve updated it slightly. If you want to hear the rest of the series, our podcast archive is at Stitcher or here.

*      *      *

It’s an activity that seems to be eternal and universal:

MARY PILON: We do know that board games are just about as old as civilization itself and human beings.

It’s an activity that is inherently communal:

GREG MAY: They are here four nights a week playing this card game that’s been around since I was a kid.

And it’s an activity in which the mere participation brings joy, regardless of outcome. Right?

TOM WHIPPLE: Losers look for joy; I look for victory.

Ah, victory! Well, if that’s how you feel, then this is the episode for you: “How to Win Games and Beat People.” Because winning feels like this …

KRISTEN: Hot damn! Woo! Yeah!

*      *      *

I love to play games. For a long time, I was afraid to admit how much I like playing games because it seems a bit childish. And as adults, we are encouraged to do away with childish things. But you know what? I’ve changed my mind. Because playing games means that you’re taking part in the glorious progression of civilization. My favorite game, for instance, is backgammon.

Mary PILON: So backgammon is a great example of a game that has ancient roots, in this case Greek.

And that is …

PILON: Mary Pilon. I’m the author of The Monopolists, a book about the secret history of the board game Monopoly.

Pilon knows the history of other games as well.

PILON: Senet goes back to Egypt around 3500 B.C. Go and Liubo, which are Chinese games, also go back to the earliest known civilizations. Ur goes back to Mesopotamia. Parcheesi goes back to India. Dice: Mesopotamia. Backgammon: Byzantine Greece. Checkers: ancient Egypt. And then, of course, Monopoly, 1904. And a whole bunch of other stuff in between.

Game-playing boomed in America. Much of the boom emanated from Massachusetts, home to both the Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley companies. Boston had a lot to do with it.

PILON: It was a major port; it was a major shipping hub. So a lot of these games that had ancient roots were coming through via the sailors and folks on ships.

In the U.S., ancient games were modernized. New ones were invented. And history itself conspired to create demand.

PILON: So, first of all, you have electric lighting. Now you could play games at night.

Also, child labor was going out of fashion.

PILON: We start seeing laws that allow for children to go to school. Just across the board, you have a rise in leisure time. Board games become part of a lifestyle that previous generations wouldn’t have even conceived of.

Fast-forward now a few more generations.

Martin WALKER: Newer games allow more — there’s more creativity, there’s more strategy. Like, the classic games are fun, but Monopoly or Chutes and Ladders, you’re just rolling dice, something happens, and that’s it.

That’s Martin Walker. Walker is a grad student in Knoxville, Tennessee. Today he’s visiting New York, and he’s at a board-game café in Greenwich Village called The Uncommons, with his wife, Jenny Chin, and a friend. They’re playing a game called …

Jenny CHIN: Takenoko.

WALKER: Takenoko. It is a map-building, bamboo-growing, panda-eating board game.

ANN: Jenny, I will slay you. I just started this game, and I will slay you.

WALKER: She will throw me under a bus.

CHIN: All right we’ll see about that.

WALKER: We’re going to find out who’s the most competitive.

ANN: It’s not really a competition, and it’s not really a group-work thing. We’re just —

WALKER: We’re each helping to grow a farm. But we’re also taking advantage of what they built and taking it from them.

ANN: It’s kind of similar to Settlers of Catan.

CHIN: Yeah, you’re building the same map, but you have your own agenda. Yeah.

ANN: It’s horrible!

Greg May is the founder of The Uncommons.

Greg MAY: I’ve always loved board games. And I’ve always felt like there needed to be a place — a sort of home — for games in New York City.

So that’s what he started. With a collection of nearly 1,000 board games.

MAY: There’s been this explosion and growth in games that weren’t around when I was a kid.

Gil HOVA: I’ve designed Bad Medicine, which is a party game where the players are all pharmaceutical companies making horrible drugs.

Gil Hova is a board-game designer and publisher who lives in Jersey City.

HOVA: I usually drop by here just to see how things are going, what people are playing, what’s been selling, that sort of thing. I have a game coming out later this year called The Networks, where the players are all running television networks starting with three horrible public-access shows and slowing improving their network over five seasons. The business has been incredible. I’m almost sold out of Bad Medicine at this point, out of my entire print run. And I raised over $100,000 on Kickstarter for The Networks.

That is a true fact. And Hova is not the only game designer crowd-funding his work. Kickstarter has an entire division dedicated to games. Since 2009, nearly $1 billion has been pledged to games. A lot of these are video games, not old-fashioned board games. And before you get too excited about some board-game renaissance, consider the sales numbers on board games versus video games. Board-game and puzzle sales in the United States bring in about $2 billion a year. Video game sales total $36 billion a year. So for every dollar we spend on board games and puzzles, we spend roughly $18 on video games. In any case: the instinct to play some kind of game, with some kind of opponent, is extraordinarily common, and long-lived:

PILON: Just about every civilization with dates that go way, way, way, way, way back, they were playing games. Some of them were race games — so that’s what you think of a path with little markers that you move, trying to get ahead of an opponent. Some of them were more strategy-based. Some mimicked the world that was around them, and had warfare as a theme or religion as a huge recurring theme in early games. And often games were used by religious leaders as a way of fortune-telling, but also winners of games often had a spiritual aura about them, because they were able to win something that combined luck and skill.

Pilon herself is a gamer.

PILON: So, my family has taken to playing Settlers of Catan at holidays, and it’s an extremely popular game. It came out of Germany, like a lot of really fantastic games do. There’s many things I love about it, but it turns us into animals. It brings out the best and worst in us, particularly the adults. At least at one Thanksgiving, there had to be a handwritten apology note; there were accusations of theft; it really gets extreme. But it’s a great way for everybody to get together.

Tom WHIPPLE: Some people — I’ve heard some families, they get together at family gatherings and they think, “This will be pleasant. We will play a few games and we will have a lovely evening.” And I sort of just find it extraordinary.

Now I’d like you to meet Tom Whipple. We’ll get to his c.v. shortly.

WHIPPLE: I have an early memory from when I was 9 or 10, and we were gathered with extended family and we were playing a game — I can’t even remember the game, but what I do remember is that my Uncle Terry, when he beat me, this 9-year-old who he had seen grow up and play with his kids, he stood up, he jumped on the sofa and he pointed at me and with each point and with each bounce of him on the sofa he says, “I win, you lose. I win, you lose.” And that sort of taught me, I suppose, the morality of game-playing that I’ve taken with me. It’s about: I win and you lose. So I suppose this book was an attempt to codify that in such a way that I can eventually beat Terry.

Whipple has written a book titled How to Win Games and Beat People. In his day job, he’s the science editor for The Times in London.

WHIPPLE: I mean, “editor” is a very grandiose title. There are two of us who cover science for The Times and we try to read the major journals — Nature, Cells, Science — and see what the interesting and important science stories of the day are, and then we try to make them accessible in 600 or fewer words for the public.

DUBNER: And are you — or have you ever been — a scientist yourself?

WHIPPLE: I am a mathematician by training. I studied for a maths degree and then I left, possibly because I discovered I wasn’t as good at calculus as I was at writing about things. But I try not to let scientists know that I’m a mathematician because then they don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot which is—

DUBNER: Oh, and you want them to talk to you like you’re an idiot?

WHIPPLE: I want them to talk to me like I’m an idiot, particularly if I’m at CERN or something like that.

As we mentioned, the title of Whipple’s book is How to Win Games and Beat People. Nothing particularly bloodthirsty about that. But the subtitle: “Defeat and demolish your friends and family.”

DUBNER: I was hoping, and this is going to sound terrible — I gather if you still want to beat Terry, that he is still alive — I was hoping he’d meet a grisly death after doing that to you.

WHIPPLE: Terry is alive, and he is aware that I am on my way to take the advice in this book and try to get my own back, because it’s been a long time coming.

 Today, how to win any game — if not with grace, necessarily — with Tom Whipple as our guide and his book as our bible.

WHIPPLE: Really the premise for it — I suppose the elevator pitch — was: it’s preposterously overqualified people advising on games. So I have a Special Forces soldier on pillow fighting, and I have a structural engineer on Jenga. And game theorists all over the place.

DUBNER: But let me ask you, I guess, an obviously paradoxical question about your mission here. Let’s say I’m the only one who reads the book, and I learn how to win every game, then I plainly have an advantage. But if you read the book, as well, then you have the same advantage and then the game-theory puzzle becomes a very different one, does it not? 

WHIPPLE: I mean, yes. You’ve described a meta-game theory problem. It’s game theory about a book about game theory. How many people read my book before it’s a failure? I’ll just say — I think both my agent and publisher would agree with this — I’m very happy to take that risk. If enough people are prepared to buy my book, I’d consider that I’d won a completely different game which is the game to get a house in Kensington.

DUBNER: Let’s take Jenga. First of all, describe why you went to a structural engineer to figure out the best way to win at the game.

WHIPPLE: I spoke to a structural engineer who spent a lot of the time talking about how he likes to beat architects at Jenga because his fundamental hypothesis was they can do all their fancy drawings but he can play Jenga. But actually the most interesting person was a woman who invented it I spoke to. And she said that when she plays Jenga with people, she is often accused of cheating, because she likes to put her elbow against the tower when she is pulling out the blocks to stabilize it, and people say you can’t do this. And she says, “Well, look, I invented the game. There are only three rules!” You can only use one hand; you can only take out one block at a time; and if that block touches the floor then it’s over.

And her other tactic was — I don’t know if you played with those annoying people who aren’t trying to get as high as possible and instead of taking one from the outside, the ones on either side, they take the one from the middle, which means that that row is then useless to you; you can’t remove any more. Well, what she would do is: she would pinch the ones on the outside, the one on the left and the one on the right, and move them together so that she could then take one out and get another piece of value out of that row and again, she says, “People say I’m cheating.”

For the beloved sport of stone-skipping, also known as stone-skimming, Whipple spoke with a guy called:

WHIPPLE: Kurt Steiner.

Who had a relatively simple goal in life.

WHIPPLE: He said to his wife, “I want to quit my job to become the world’s best stone-skimmer.” And for five years he trained. But the interesting thing about this was: there is a lot of theory on this. It’s a standard undergraduate physics problem. And I was going to go to one of these physics professors to find out from them what the optimal way of throwing a stone is, and they all agree on the angles and the velocities and the spins and all of this and they get their undergraduates to work it out.

And obviously the problem with that, as I know well having studied maths, is there are — angles, velocities, and spins are all based on a perfectly spherical stone in a frictionless environment that does all these things. And actually what Kurt Steiner discovered was that none of it was true. And it’s one of these wonderful things where you think science is so advanced that normal people can’t do anything about it, but he’s definitively proved all this science wrong because he got 88 stone skims.

DUBNER: And does that make him something like a world champion?

WHIPPLE: It exceeded the previous one by more than 20. Essentially he stopped counting. The YouTube clip is up and I’d urge everyone to Google it because this is his Sistine Chapel. I mean he’s given this gift to the world of this stone that just floats along the lake; it’s absolutely extraordinary. And the way he did it was: he aims — rather than the physics which says you throw it in at angle and it comes out at that angle, he throws it at about 30 degrees and he throws so fast, he uses his whole—

DUBNER: Thirty degrees down or up?

WHIPPLE: Thirty degrees angled towards the horizontal.

DUBNER: What would look like straight down into the water.

WHIPPLE: It would be pretty close to straight but he throws it so fast. What he does is he moves his entire body, so he swivels his shoulder — and he’s got colleagues in the profession who’ve had sporting injuries as a consequence of doing stone skipping — where he swivels his whole shoulder back and brings his arm and it’s almost like a whip and all of the movement goes into the very tip of his arm and out goes the stone as fast and with as much spin as possible. It looks likes it’s going almost directly down into the water. Except by the time it hits the water, it’s not going directly down, and it comes out at about five degrees.

DUBNER: Okay, so here’s the thing. Most people listening to this are probably not going to take up stone skipping, only because it requires a lot of things, you know: the water, the stones, an arm, a fair bit of lunacy, and so on. But many, many, many people who listen to this do routinely play games with their friends, family, people they love, people they might not love so much. And I would like to propose that you and I, right now, on the radio, play a few of these games against each other and see how it works out. Are you up for that, Tom?

WHIPPLE: I’m absolutely up for that.

DUBNER: I asked you to prepare a little bit by bringing into the studio a couple of the games that I’ve brought into the studio. And I do want to make an admission to you, which is: as a professional, I have not acted professionally here, in that typically, I would read the book, or at least most of the book, of the person I am interviewing. And in this case I purposely did not read it, because I did not want to know your secrets, yet. So let me apologize for not having read your book, yet.

WHIPPLE: That’s fine. I mean this slightly fills me with dread because it means it makes it all the more embarrassing when I lose.

DUBNER: Well that was kind of my idea, Tom. I was thinking that if I could maybe beat you — I thought we would play four games — and I thought if I could beat you at one where you have the optimal strategy for all four, that a 1-3 record might make me look a little bit like a hero. 

WHIPPLE: As game theorists call it, I think that would be our Nash equilibrium, because if I can only lose on one then I would be very happy as well.

DUBNER: So how would you feel about one victory and one draw for me? Would that push us over into the hero category for me, or not quite?

WHIPPLE: Well, if we are going to do games like Rock, Paper, Scissors, then there is an element of chance I can always blame. I can always say it’s only 60 percent in my favor.

DUBNER: Oh! Already blaming with the chance, yeah.

WHIPPLE: I’ve got to get the excuses in early.

*      *      *

Tom Whipple agreed to play four games with me. I have prepared by not reading his book. What follows is a substantially edited version of our battle, because it took us more than two hours to play, and I don’t think even the most devoted Freakonomics Radio listener is interested in listening to two grown men play board games for two hours. Whipple was in a radio studio in London; I was in a studio in New York.

DUBNER: I thought that we could begin with Connect Four. Does that work with you?

WHIPPLE: Yep.

DUBNER: Now, I should also say that in anticipation of this game fest, we have brought a couple of participants into the studio here to act as, well, might be referees because we want to make sure that — no offense to you — but I cheat a lot at everything, so—

WHIPPLE: Well, the point of this game, or this book, is that we shouldn’t really trust each other and we are all out to win, so, no, I understand.

DUBNER: Well said. Okay, so I’ve got here, Arwa Gunja. Arwa, can you just say hello?

ARWA GUNJA: Hello.

DUBNER:  And Arwa, is there anything you can say in a sentence or two, do you want to take a pledge of honesty as moderator or referee?

GUNJA: I will take that pledge. I also brought with me my iPhone, so I can record anything if we need it for the record. And I also have a very official referee’s whistle here.

DUBNER: I just have to say Tom that I didn’t know about the camera so my strategy needs to change very rapidly. And Tom, do you have someone there with you in London?

WHIPPLE: Yeah, I have, if Molly Fleming will say hello.

MOLLY FLEMING: Hi.

DUBNER: Hi, Molly. So, Tom, you apparently know how to win at this every time, presuming you go first, I understand, correct?

WHIPPLE: Well, yeah, it is possible to win every time presuming you go first; that’s been proven by computer. And I know a very good strategy for ensuring that so long as no one makes any stupid mistakes along the way, you always win if you go first. And probably if you go second, but it depends upon my ability and your ability not to make stupid mistakes along the way.

DUBNER: So I guess I should let you go first then.

WHIPPLE: You go first and then I’ve got something more to blame.

DUBNER: Okay, you want to play yellow or red?

WHIPPLE: I’ll play yellow.

Whipple and I each had a board in the studio with us but, because we couldn’t see each other’s board, we agreed to label the boards so we could replicate each other’s moves. So, we labeled the X axis with numbers 1-7, from left to right, and the Y axis with letters A-F, from bottom to top.

MOLLY: What I found really interesting was that this was a tactic used by Beyonce on Kanye West in Connect 4. And we’re on the side of Beyonce here, is all I’m going to—

DUBNER: I’m Kanye then?

MOLLY: Yeah. You’re Kanye.

DUBNER: Who won?

MOLLY: Well, Beyonce.

DUBNER: Did she go first?

WHIPPLE: I think you’ve heard of the Fischer-Spassky chess match.

DUBNER: I have.

WHIPPLE: This was the equivalent in Connect Four. It was, at least according to showbiz press, and if you can’t believe the show-biz press, then where are we in the world? Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Beyonce were backstage in 2009 and what do the three biggest names in world music do when they’re backstage? Well they had a Connect Four tournament and Kanye West, who describes himself in his music as God’s vessel, lost 8-1 to Beyonce.

DUBNER: That’s an argument for atheism right there.

WHIPPLE: She is indeed my inspiration for this game.

DUBNER: Wow, so you’re not channeling a mathematician; you’re channeling Beyonce, which is a much more formidable force.

WHIPPLE: Exactly, yeah. You don’t argue with Beyoncé Knowles.

Our Connect Four match went on and on for the next 20 minutes, until we were down to an inevitable finish:

GUNJA: That’s game Dubner.

WHIPPLE: Oh dear, it’s not good for Blighty.

DUBNER: Tom, so plainly I stumbled into a lucky progression there and happened to beat you.

WHIPPLE: Well, that’s very sweet for you to say that you stumbled, but what I will say in my defense: in some sense what we just had is the classic Connect Four game. Sometimes you’ll lose because someone will spot a cunning little fork or you won’t spot that someone has got three in a row. But often you end up filling it up and then you are forced in the last column to make a play that you know is going to give your opponent victory. It’s a German word zugzwang. Have you come across this?

DUBNER: I haven’t; I like it though.

WHIPPLE: The Germans have a word for everything, and it’s not surprising that maybe in the milieu of central European politics they had this word because it’s a word that means being forced to do something that will guarantee your enemy victory.

DUBNER: Oh, I zugzwang everyday, I have to say. I’m glad to know there is a word for it.

WHIPPLE: Well, there you go. So, that’s zugzwang. We mentioned the epic struggle between Kanye West and Beyoncé Knowles. What was also reported at the time was that the reason she won was because she had read the master’s thesis of a guy called Victor Allis. Now obviously I could have interviewed Kanye West for my book; I could have interviewed Beyoncé Knowles. But why interview either of them when I could can go to a Dutch computer scientist called Victor Allis? He had designed a program that always played the optimal move in Connect Four. And it had been proven mathematically to be perfect. There are four and half trillion different combinations in Connect Four.

But what he said to me, he was a relatively keen player and he says, “I bet you’ve lost games of Connect Four where you feel ‘that was just bad luck.’’’ And I suppose before I had spoken to him I could have put what happened to us down to bad luck as opposed to extremely bad play on my part. And he says, “it’s not bad luck. It is not bad luck when you put that there, when you are forced into zugzwang.” Because actually if you go first, you will be in the situation where you will find that final four in the row — you’ve got these three dangling, waiting to be filled, and you will find that the final four in the row, it will be completed on an odd row. If you go second, it will be completed on an even row and that’s exactly what we found. If I did a three in a row, ready for completion on an even row, by the end of that game, I would have won. But you had won on row number 3. And you won, and that’s why.

DUBNER:  All right, shall we disgorge our checkers because that’s always been to me the most fun part of Connect Four?

WHIPPLE: Here they go.

MOLLY: I’m going to have to bow out, I’m really sorry. I’ve got to go.

DUBNER: That’s okay, Molly. It’s our fault for slow playing …

MOLLY: No it was really lovely; it was really fun. Good luck with the next one, not that you need it.

DUBNER: Thank you very much.

So we lost our London observer but, having one victory in hand, I wasn’t too worried. Our next game was Hangman. We would play two rounds – one with Whipple guessing my word, one with me guessing his. The guesser could guess 10 wrong letters before being hung, representing the head, torso, two arms, two legs, the rope, and three lines for the gallows themselves.

WHIPPLE: So all I need to know is how many letters.

DUBNER: Okay, and I’ll tell you there are four letters. Now tell me immediately, is that a good thing to go short, or bad?

WHIPPLE: Oh yeah, it’s a very good thing to go short.

DUBNER: All right. Go for it.

WHIPPLE: So, “A.”

GUNJA: That is a miss. Nine guesses remain.

WHIPPLE: That is a miss. I’m going to go down the vowels on this but you don’t always, so I am going to go “E.“ 

GUNJA: That is a miss. Eight guesses remain.

WHIPPLE: Oh you have done something with a “Y” or something, haven’t you?

DUBNER: Or have I?

WHIPPLE: Exactly, I can do nothing but stick to my strategy, so I am going to go for an “O.”

GUNJA: That is a hit. You’ve got an “O” in the second spot. Four letters, the second letter is an “O.”

WHIPPLE: Okay, and so now I am going to shift it, that was my attack, my sort of basic attack strategy. So now I am going to go for a “T.” 

DUBNER: Beautiful guess.

GUNJA: That is a miss.

WHIPPLE: That is a miss. Damn.

GUNJA: Seven guesses remain.

DUBNER: We don’t even have the gallows built yet, but soon we will get to your body.

WHIPPLE: I am going to go for an “S.”

DUBNER: That’s a negatory, Batman.

GUNJA: The gallows are complete.

WHIPPLE: The gallows are complete. Oh gosh, you’re marching me towards my doom. I am going to go for an “R.” 

GUNJA: Another miss. Five guesses remain.

DUBNER: If I wanted to march you to towards your doom, I would just challenge you to another game of Connect Four, no offense.

WHIPPLE: Okay, and at this point I am going to have to think, I’ve got to take the strategy that you’re being tricky and you’ve gone for something like a “J.” 

GUNJA: The first letter is a “J.” So you have a “J,” second letter is an “O,” and two blanks. Five guesses left.

WHIPPLE: Well, I am going to go for — this a good question. See now I am looking at what words would actually work.

DUBNER: I can’t imagine that there are that many four-letter words starting with J-O

WHIPPLE: So this is completely — I’m thinking “Jowl.” 

GUNJA: Game Whipple!

DUBNER: Beautifully done! Tom Whipple!

WHIPPLE: Oh you’re just overpraising after the Connect Four disaster.

DUBNER: I’m not. I’m really impressed. “Jowl” I thought it was a good word.

WHIPPLE: “Jowl” is a really good word.

DUBNER: And you emerged with everything but your head intact, which is, you know, something. So, that was really well done. So you’ve just proved that from the guesser’s perspective you’ve had a strategy that happened to work beautifully there. Could I learn that strategy as well pretty quickly?  

WHIPPLE: Quite boringly there is a table in my book which got the first letter on the board. The strategy for this, I should say I spoke to Nick Berry, who is a data scientist at Facebook, who looks into these things in his spare time. And what he said to me was, “Tom, I bet you think you’re good at Hangman. You’re not.”

And then he said, “People who think they’re good at Hangman, the more naive ones, what they guess first is vowels,” which is, indeed, what I used to do. So I was at the lowest level of sophistication on his strategy. And then he said, “If you get a bit more sophisticated, you learn about letter frequency analysis.”

It actually started in Baghdad in the 9th century. There was a guy who went through the Koran and wrote down — a guy called Al-Kindi — wrote down the frequency of every single letter that popped up, and he didn’t just do this for fun; he did it because cryptography at the time was almost always based on letter substitution. So for instance, you would change the word “cat” — you would add one to each letter — so you would change the word “cat” to D-B-U and then you would send your letter and he realized that if he knew that a particular letter popped up more and had a big enough corpus of data to decode, he could begin to work out which letters were which. So he blew apart cryptography by doing this.

So from that, we have the basic letter frequency in the English language. And he said, “Well I bet you think this makes you sophisticated.” And then he said, “well, actually it’s not.” Because if you think about it in Hangman what you’ve got is a lot of words you’d never use. A lot of the most common words. You’d never use the word “A” in hangman. You’d never use “and” or “of” or “the.” If you play hangman with somebody who puts down the word “the” then that really is the time to reconsider your friendships. And so then he produced a different letter frequency of the words in the English language excluding those. So previously it was E-T-A-O-I-N, and if you get rid of those words, you’re left with E-S — for “sugar” — I-A-R-N.

DUBNER: So that’s the optimal kind of first guessing streak, yes?

WHIPPLE: No. ‘Cause then he said, you’ve forgotten about the amount of information you’ve been given. I’ve just been told that this is a four-letter word. Well, the frequency of letters in four-letter words is completely different. Think about it. Think of all the endings that you can’t have. You can’t have the “-ing” ending. You can’t have the “-tion” ending. It would be mad if the letter frequency in four-letter words is the same as the letter frequency in the English language. So actually the most common letter in four-letter words is “A,” but the most common letter in five-letter words is “S.” It’s “E” in six-letter words, and it’s “I” in thirteen-letter words.

DUBNER: Once you land the first letter then you reassess the kind of word that you’re thinking about or no?

WHIPPLE: Well, yeah, so his whole principle behind this, which I certainly subscribe to is: the really key thing is to get that first letter. So let’s say, as was the case with this, it’s a four-letter word, and I’ve guessed “A” because that’s the most common letter in four-letter words. Well if that doesn’t come up, you’ve just changed the search again. The frequency of letters in four-letter words that don’t include the letter “A” is completely different. So that’s your strategy for getting the first letter. And then obviously you could extend this if you had a lot of time on your hands. But I just went back to the letter frequency in the English language. Then I went to the letter frequency for silly buggers and just decided to go “J,” so I went a bit off piece there.

DUBNER: All right that was very stressful though, that was fun. Can we play another?

WHIPPLE: I’m sweating, yeah.  

WHIPPLE: I’ve got a three-letter one up on my end of things.

DUBNER: All right, so I’m going to use your chart because that’s what it’s for. And I see that if I have a three-letter word, the optimal calling order is A-E-O-I-U-Y-H-B-C-K, so I’d be a fool to ignore your advice, except for the fact that you wrote the advice.

WHIPPLE: Well, exactly.

DUBNER: So I have to think that you would have been thinking, “Well of course he is going to call ‘A’ because it says ‘A’ right there” and therefore why would you put an “A” in, especially when I told you I was going to use your advice. And then I think, “Well is he the kind of person who would go to the second most frequent or maybe the third or maybe the sixth?”

WHIPPLE: Or I could have just done “cat,” because I would have just thought that you wouldn’t think this way.

DUBNER: Once again you’re deep inside my head. I would like to call “Y.”

GUNJA: “Y” is a miss. Nine guesses remain.

DUBNER: “O.”

WHIPPLE: “O” is not in it.

GUNJA: Dubner has 8 guesses left.

DUBNER: “A.” 

WHIPPLE: “A” is the second letter.

DUBNER: Oh, so you went easy on me. Either that or you thought you were pulling the double switcheroo because “A” is the first letter in the optimal calling order.

WHIPPLE: I’ve forgotten how many switcheroos we’re on now.

DUBNER: Now I think it calls for some psychoanalysis. So, what did you have for breakfast today, Tom?

WHIPPLE: I had toast and bagels.

DUBNER: Was there jam on your toast?

WHIPPLE: I couldn’t imagine where you were going. Yes there was lashings of jam of my toast.

DUBNER: I’m not familiar with the word “lashings,” but I’m focusing on the jam. Do you have pets at home?

WHIPPLE: I have pet tortoises.

DUBNER: But no feline-type pets?

WHIPPLE: No.

DUBNER: How do you feel about feline-type pets?

WHIPPLE: I’m ambivalent towards feline-type pets.

DUBNER: “C.”

WHIPPLE: That’s the first one.

DUBNER: “T.”

WHIPPLE: I think that would be the one I was going for. I think a treble-switcheroo on telling you it was “cat.”

DUBNER: The minute you said you were ambivalent, cause can I tell you why? Nobody is ambivalent about cats. Either love cats or you hate cats.

WHIPPLE: You’re right; you’ve got my tell. You’ve got my tell.

So Hangman ended in a draw — he won his round, I won mine — which meant I’d already achieved my goal of one victory and one draw in four games against the game expert, meaning I could afford to lose the last two games. Which was fortunate because – well, here we go:

DUBNER: How about we play Battleship?

WHIPPLE: Let’s do Battleship.

DUBNER: Is there a large advantage to going first?

WHIPPLE: I don’t think anyone has particularly done the maths on it, but I don’t think it’s huge.

DUBNER: All right, Tom you can go first then.

After multiple rounds of Battleship, Tom Whipple had taken out one of my ships and was dangerously close to taking out several others. I still didn’t have one hit.

DUBNER: So, I’ve got to wonder now. I’ve really scattered the board. Ten scattered guesses and not a single hit, and I can’t remember ever playing 10 first guesses and not a single hit. So I’ve got to think that rather than scattering, you’re maybe clustering and that there is quadrant that I haven’t wandered into where I will find the motherload. Would the quadrant include H8? 

WHIPPLE: It would not.

DUBNER: Again, you did put ships on the board, yes?

WHIPPLE: There are ships, there are photographs to prove it, they are just using their British pluck to evade your artillery. F8.

DUBNER: F8, hit and sunk. You’ve sunk my 3-hole ship. So you’ve now sunk a 4 and a 3. So I can tell you because you’re my friend, and I think your going to beat me anyway, I am worried about my strategy now. Do you understand why I’m worried besides the fact that I’m behind?

WHIPPLE: Is it because you’ve been putting ships next to each other?

DUBNER: Yes, thinking that I would—

WHIPPLE: Confound me.

DUBNER: Confound you, but if indeed I’ve done that consistently, then the confounding will come to a crashing halt.

WHIPPLE: But see you began that by saying, “Because I’m your friend,” so I think you’re just trying to gain my trust so that you can lie.

DUBNER: I appreciate your thinking of me as strategically as that and as nastily as that.

Clearly my strategy was a horrid failure. An embarrassment. I did finally get a few hits, including Whipple’s destroyer – that’s the ship with just two holes, the hardest one to find.

WHIPPLE: You’ve gotten rid of my most valuable ship.

DUBNER: All right, well, that’s something.

WHIPPLE: So people who play this competitively, which are vanishingly few, would not generally put many ships on the outside of the board.

DUBNER: Why’s that?

WHIPPLE: Well, if you think about the hunt strategy, once you’ve targeted it, once you’ve hit someone’s ship, you then have to look at the four squares either side of that hit to see which way the ship is going; to see if it’s going up, down, left, right. If you’ve got it on the edge of the board, you’ve immediately put it in that situation, and for exactly the same reason, ideally you wouldn’t put ships next to each other because then there is a chance in hitting one, just in your search strategy, you’re going to get a hit on two.

Now, because that’s a strategy, obviously you then have to mitigate it, which is why I put one of mine on the edge of the board, because people know it’s bad to put them on the edge of the board then it’s — sometimes, you want to mess around with them and put them on the edge of the board.

DUBNER: So it sounds as though you’re saying that your planting strategy, your setting-up-ship strategy, is to place them what seems to be randomly, while avoiding the edges.

WHIPPLE: Yeah, semi-randomly, avoiding edges and avoiding put them together but occasionally putting them together and putting them on the edges if that doesn’t sound too ludicrous…

DUBNER: Yeah, yeah that makes sense, that’s sort of an 80-20-ish sort of rule.

Finally, calling “J9,” Tom Whipple took out my last ship.

DUBNER: J9 hit and sunk to the winner Tom Whipple. Congratulations, well played.

WHIPPLE: You too.

DUBNER: I am so shamefully embarrassed by my horrible play here, but hopefully it can help another player win another day.

WHIPPLE: Yeah, it’s demonstrated a point. You are a cautionary tale in Battleship.

It was time for our final game of the day: Rock, Paper, Scissors. We agreed to play best of nine throws.

DUBNER: We used to say, “Rock, papers, scissors says shoot.” That’s our rhythm, but tell me what you do.

WHIPPLE: I normally do “1,2,3” and then “present.”

DUBNER: You don’t say “shoot” though?  It’s a very pacifist version of Rock, Paper, Scissors. “1,2,3, present.”

WHIPPLE: It sounds like what baboons do with their bottoms, doesn’t it?

DUBNER: So you’re running the show here so we will say “1,2,3 present” is what we are going to say?

WHIPPLE: Yeah.

DUBNER: All right and we will say it at the same time? Are you ready to play then?

WHIPPLE: Okay, let’s do it.

DUBNER: So let me just say something before we go. On the first throw, I’m throwing rock, OK? Ready?

WHIPPLE: Okay, let’s do it. 

WHIPPLE & DUBNER: 1,2,3 Present.

WHIPPLE: Paper.

DUBNER: Rock.

GUNJA: A win for Tom.

DUBNER: A win for Tom, and I told the truth.

WHIPPLE: Yep, okay.

WHIPPLE & DUBNER: 1,2,3 Present.

WHIPPLE: Paper.

DUBNER: Scissors.

GUNJA: Scissors cuts paper, that is a win for Stephen.

WHIPPLE & DUBNER: 1,2,3 Present.

WHIPPLE: Rock.

DUBNER: Scissors.

GUNJA: Rock crushes scissors and that is a win for Tom. So it is 2-1, Tom.

WHIPPLE & DUBNER: 1,2,3 Present.

WHIPPLE: Paper.

DUBNER: Scissors.

GUNJA: Scissors cuts paper. That is a win for Dubner. So it’s two all.

WHIPPLE: Two all.

WHIPPLE & DUBNER: 1,2,3 Present.

WHIPPLE: Rock.

DUBNER: Scissors.

GUNJA: Rock crushes scissors, that is a take away for Whipple; that is 3-2 Whipple.

DUBNER: You may have noticed by now that I have employed four scissors consecutively.

WHIPPLE: I have. I have, and I think you flagging it up means I’m definitely going to do rock next time.

DUBNER: It’s what I call the super-seamstress. A seamstress I understand is three scissors in a row, but the super seamstress — I think I may have invented the super seamstress. I’m not sure.

WHIPPLE: I think that’s accepted in competition play.

DUBNER: I know there are many names for these patterns. So let’s see what we’ve got, ready?

WHIPPLE & DUBNER: 1,2,3 Present.

WHIPPLE: Rock.

DUBNER: Scissors.

GUNJA: OK, rock crushes scissors; that is a win for Whipple. It is now 4-2.

WHIPPLE & DUBNER: 1,2,3 Present.

WHIPPLE: Paper.

DUBNER: Rock.

GUNJA: Paper covers rock, that is a win for Whipple, it is 5-2 Whipple.

WHIPPLE & DUBNER: 1,2,3 Present.

WHIPPLE: Scissors.

DUBNER: Rock.

GUNJA: Rock crushes scissors, that is a win for Dubner, it is 5-3 Whipple.

WHIPPLE & DUBNER: 1,2,3 Present.

WHIPPLE: Paper.

DUBNER: Paper.

GUNJA: That’s a draw.

WHIPPLE & DUBNER: 1,2,3 Present

WHIPPLE: Paper.

DUBNER: Rock. Well done. That was a beautiful …

WHIPPLE: Oh that was really tense; it was just good for the game.

DUBNER: Very well done, very well done. So now that we’ve heard me get crushed by you, the master, give us your masterful advice on Rock, Paper, Scissors.

WHIPPLE: Well, the first thing to say about Rock, Paper, Scissors is that there shouldn’t be a strategy. The optimal strategy is that everyone plays randomly, and you are equally likely to win or equally likely to lose, which makes it a fantastic psychology problem, because humans are incapable of being random.

The reason I know what to do is because there was a bunch of Chinese researchers who decided that they were going to find themselves a phenomenally indulgent grant awarding body, and they were going to get 300 students to play 360 games of Rock, Paper, Scissors and then they were going to look for strategies or look for ticks. The non-randomness that could be exploited.

And the ones they found — it’s almost embarrassingly as an insight into how the human brain works. So if you lose, if say, my rock beats your scissors, then you’ll think, “right, I need to make these scissors more powerful. I’m going to go to a more powerful thing, so I’m going to go to rock.” So if you lose, then I have to think, next time, if you lost on scissors, you’re going to play rock, so I need to shift up to paper. And if you win, then you think, “well that went well. I think I’ll stick with that one.” So if you won on rock, then you would be likely to stay on rock, and so I should go on paper. It gives you an edge.

I mean, I don’t think it’s — there’s a huge element of chance, and I can’t say it would have actually made the difference in our game as opposed to being chance, but it gives you just that small edge in a game that is meant to be purely random game of chance.

DUBNER: So, I assume that according to your master strategy, that my subversion strategy of throwing five scissors in a row to create the appearance of basically lunacy is a bad strategy.

WHIPPLE: I was just sticking with that particular strategy so I wasn’t particularly noticing. The only thing I would say is that when we drew, I went with a different strategy, which is I went paper, because scissors, contrary to what you what you were doing, are actually the least used statistically of all of them.

DUBNER: Scissors are the least? I assume that rock is the most?

WHIPPLE: Yeah, they are used — the other two, paper and rock are pretty equal but scissors are 29.6 percent of the time, when they have been analyzed.

DUBNER: So, Tom, you have crushed me at Rock, Paper, Scissors. You beat me soundly at Battleship. We hung each other once in Hangman and I got lucky on Connect Four. So here’s my question for you: having become master or at least a surrogate master for the proper masters of all these games and having written this book about how to win games and beat people, is there any element of joy that’s diluted when you win by knowing the optimal way? It’s not cheating, but it’s kind of a different version of gaining an advantage over someone else.

WHIPPLE: I think joy is the wrong paradigm for this. Joy is a sort of thing that people say, “Oh it’s the taking part that counts.” It’s the battle cry of the loser. Losers look for joy; I look for victory. And that’s what I’ve got and then I’ll go and live my cold, shallow life, but I’ll have won. And so who’s the real loser?

*      *      *

Freakonomics Radio is produced by Stitcher and Dubner Productions. This episode was produced by Arwa Gunja. Our staff also includes Alison Craiglow, Greg Rippin, Harry Huggins, Alvin Melathe, and Zack Lapinski. Our theme song is “Mr. Fortune,” by the Hitchhikers; all the other music was composed by Luis Guerra. You can subscribe to Freakonomics Radio on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

 Here’s where you can learn more about the people and ideas in this episode:

SOURCES

Tom Whipple, science editor of The Times and author of How to Win Games and Beat People: Demolish Your Friends and Family at Over 30 Classic Games with Advice from an International Array of Experts

Mary Pilon, author of The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World’s Favorite Board Game

Gil Hova, board game designer

Greg May, founder of The Uncommons, a board game cafe in Manhattan

RESOURCES

How to Win Games and Beat People: Demolish Your Friends and Family at Over 30 Classic Games with Advice from an International Array of Experts by Tom Whipple (Dey Street Books, 2015).

“A Knowledge-based Approach of Connect-Four: The Game is Solved: White Wins” by Victor Allis (Vrije Universiteit, 1988).

“Social cycling and conditional responses in the Rock-Paper-Scissors game” by Zhijian Wang, Bin Xu, Hai-Jun Zhou (2014).

EXTRA

Watch Kurt Steiner set the stone skipping world record.

Read this Quora forum for an explanation of how to win Connect Four.

MUSIC

Pat Andrews – Get Faster

Olav Rasmus -Vorren Victory

Stuart Rau – Samurai Funk

Interkosmos – Goodnight (from London Sessions)

Matthew Reid – Coventry Variations

Phil Symonds – Bar Fight Blues

Milan Grajetzki – Pixel Dude

Leon Ayers Jr – Survival Game

Eleggua Productions – SUV

Marco Pesci – That Funny Clown

Joshua R Mosley – The_Main_Event

Pat Andrews – Bombed_Bluegrass

Pat Andrews – Network_Sports_theme

Eric Tingstad – Durango (from Mississippi)

Whalehawk – Alligiance Of War

Paul Avgerinos – Enemy Ship

Tim Besamusca – Valiance

Johnny Sangster – Levanto Adventure

The post How to Win Games and Beat People (Ep. 247 Rebroadcast) appeared first on Freakonomics.

from Dental Care Tips http://freakonomics.com/podcast/games-rebroadcast/

[fuckyeahprodigalson]

Gil and Jessica's dynamic is changing as a result of him being in the Whitlys' lives on a more regular basis now and the truth about the girl in the box. What's coming up between those two?

Chris Fedak: We love the Bellamy-Lou dynamic and the water under the bridge vibe that's playing out there. It's something we're looking to explore and there's a tension to it because Gil is the hardened cop from a totally different world than Jessica, and Jessica's thing's closer to a vendetta.

Then the fact that Lou and Bellamy have chemistry. As showrunners, Sam and I can't just go, "Chemistry here, chemistry there." We have a cast that's incredible and they can have this vibe and energy that makes us go, "What else is emotionally happening here under the radar?"

What's coming up in terms of the investigation into the girl in the box after Jessica's move with the press, especially balancing that with things like Bright's kidnapping and cases of the week?

Sam Sklaver: Chris and I never wanted the girl in the box to be a multi-season story. We always saw her as someone who was very, very interesting and compelling because of young Bright's connection. She was the woman that he found that started the avalanche that ended with him calling the police on his father. She was always a very, very important story in Bright's past, but she was never the only important story in Bright's past.

What we're most excited for is a thrilling resolution to this story. We want to reward our audience, and we're really excited to move on to other stories as well. This is something we're heading to with the speed and intensity that Prodigal Son normally moves at.

What else can you preview about the second half and any dynamics you're looking forward to exploring?

Sklaver: What we love is the idea of living a little bit more in 1998, both seeing Martin out and about at the height of his power and also seeing the aftermath of the arrest, the trial of the century and all of the important and colorful players on the defense and prosecution that put together this People vs. OJ case that really did captivate the city and the nation.

We're very, very excited to delve a lot more into that and in [doing] that, learning how Martin is currently set up at Claremont Psychiatric with the privileges he has and the important people and relationships that had to get him there.

While staying true to our case of the week structure, where we get to tell these amazing stories with our NYPD crime team, we also get to tell these family stories about the Whitlys I'm just captivated with.

Fedak: We've got a lot of really exciting cases coming up as well because we pretty much go through an encyclopedia of psychological disorders and crazy crimes. ... We just want to tell as many Keiko [Agena, who plays Dr. Edrisa Tanaka] stories as we can possibly tell, and we're looking forward to exploring her character.

Are there any new recurring characters you can talk about?

Sklaver: When we get into the trial against Martin Whitly, there's going to be some very fascinating characters on [both sides] who we're going to get to see back in the day and in current time.

[esprit-de-corps-magazine]

ST LAMBERT-SUR-DIVES: Major David Currie Puts The Plug In The Jug Of The Falaise Gap

(Volume 24-08)

By Bob Gordon

Most Canadians can recall the shooting rampage in and around Parliament Hill on October 22, 2014: Michael Zehaf-Bibeau fatally shot Corporal Nathan Cirillo as he stood as the ceremonial guard at the National War Memorial, then, still armed, entered the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament where he was eventually killed.

Far fewer Canadians recall that this was not the first instance of violence within the precincts of Parliament Hill. Almost 50 years earlier, on the afternoon of May 18, 1966, 45-year-old Paul Joseph Chartier died when a bomb he was arming in a second floor washroom exploded prematurely. Parliament’s Sergeant-at-Arms, LCol (ret’d) David Vivian Currie, was one of the first men on the scene. He later told his son simply, “The poor bugger was all over the walls.”

The CBC hastily produced a 30-minute news special that aired that evening, only hours after the shooting. The program concluded with an interview with the Sergeant-at-Arms. With otherworldly calm, Currie dismissed the day’s events as small potatoes, concerning, of course, but no need for panic. “Apart from stopping everybody and searching everybody, and asking for an ID card, the sort of thing you might expect from a police state, I don’t know what more we can do really.”

Unexpected though his calm might seem, it was hardly out of character for Currie. Twenty-two years earlier that attitude had carried him through one of the fiercest and most important small-unit actions the Canadian Army fought in Normandy. Then a 32-year-old Major commanding “C” Squadron, 29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment (The South Alberta Regiment), in August 1944, troops under his command were assigned the task of putting the plug in the jug that was the Falaise Pocket. They closed the Falaise Gap. Currie’s “coolness, inspired leadership and skilful use of the limited weapons at his disposal,” as the citation reads, earned him the only Canadian Victoria Cross of the Normandy campaign and the only one awarded to a member of the Canadian Armoured Corps in the Second World War.

David Vivian Currie was born on July 8, 1912 in Sutherland, Saskatchewan, a few kilometres north of Saskatoon, where he attended King George Public School. He travelled south to Moose Jaw to attend Central Collegiate and then Technical School to learn his trade as an automobile mechanic and welder. In 1939 he joined the militia and in January 1940 he enlisted in the regular army with the rank of lieutenant. He was promoted to captain in 1941 and to major in 1944.

The South Alberta Regiment (SAR) did not arrive in Normandy until seven weeks after the invasion. On July 29, passing through Caen, the unit war diary innocently reported, “The destruction and stench of the city finally brought home to all ranks that they were nearing a battlefield.” Currie’s first experience under fire was Friday, August 4. The SAR War Diary notes, “Major CURRIE found it necessary to dismount and lead his tanks into position while mortar bombs were landing all round the area.” A mere two weeks later, the SAR were leading the 4th Armoured Division as it attempted to close the Falaise Gap and “C” Squadron found itself at the sharp end.

The day the SAR arrived in Normandy was also the day the German front cracked. Since D-Day the Germans had held a line across the base of the Cotentin Peninsula running west 90 kilometres from Caen at the mouth of the Orne to Coustance. Operation COBRA, launched west of St Lo on July 23, was designed to press the German defences back out of the bocage and their anchor on the western coast of the Cotentin Peninsula. The objective was the capture of Avranches, at the southern end of the peninsula, on high ground overlooking the bay forming the corner between the peninsulas of the Cotentin and Brittany, and its bridge over the See River. It fell on July 31 and the next day Patton’s Third Army exploded west into Brittany, east towards Le Mans then Paris beyond and north turning the German flank. This last pincer created the Falaise Pocket.

When their left flank collapsed and armoured forces raced north behind their defences while the Canadians and British drove east from Caen, the Germans were threatened with the loss of the Seventh Army and the Fifth Panzer Army. Hitler, demanding a counterattack on Avranches, exacerbated the threat by pushing forces, particularly armour, deeper into the pocket, rather than preparing for an orderly withdrawal. When the Canadian Army captured Falaise and the Americans pushed north from Argentan, the only German escape route was the Falaise Gap, a seven-kilometre stretch running along the Dives River from Trun south to Chambois.

The only bridge that could support armoured vehicles over the Dives between Trun and Chambois was at St Lambert. On the afternoon of August 18, General Guy Simonds ordered the 4th Canadian Armoured Division to push on from Trun through St Lambert-sur-Dives one kilometre to Moissy. At 1500 hours Currie was summoned to regimental headquarters and given his task. In what can only be described as a backhanded compliment, his regimental CO, LCol Gordon “Swatty” Wotherspoon, later noted that Currie “wasn’t a brilliant tactician, but he was very stubborn, and if you gave him an order to do something within his capabilities, he would do it — period.” Three months later Currie told the CBC, “I remember thinking at the time that it was the toughest job the regiment had ever been given.”

Currie had only very limited forces at his disposal. “B” Company of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Major Ivan Martin) was placed under Currie’s command and accompanied his “C” Squadron of the South Alberta Regiment. His “C” Squadron was down to 15 tanks and the accompanying Highlanders mustered only 55 effectives. It has been erroneously reported that a troop of M10 tank destroyers accompanied Currie’s force. In fact, they remained laagered with the HQ Company, actively participating in its defence when it risked being overrun. In total Currie’s small force numbered approximately 130. Additionally, as supporting artillery had not kept up with the advance and flying conditions were temporarily abysmal with rain and cloud blanketing the area, the small force had to attack ‘naked’ without supporting arms.

They set out at 1800 hours on Friday, August 18. Having covered four kilometres with neither casualties nor contact as they were approaching the north edge of St Lambert, flares lit up the Norman night, an 88mm antitank gun barked, and Currie’s small force was down to 13 tanks. Both crews survived, but half a dozen were wounded. Currie proposed deploying his tank crews as combat infantry and to immediately start fighting into the village. However, his regimental CO, “Swatty” Wotherspoon ordered Currie to retreat 1,000 metres to Pt 117 and renew the attack in the morning. Demonstrating the courage that would carry him through the next two days, Currie, alone and on foot, reconnoitred the German positions locating armour, antitank guns and weapons pits.

At first light on August 19, Currie’s small band attacked St Lambert again. Almost immediately a Sherman was hit and brewed up. According to the Highlanders War Diary, “C.S.M. Mitchell, together with Pte. M. R. Holmes ran forward out of cover, and under the direct fire of the enemy, climbed upon the tank. After a full five minutes, during which they ran the added and imminent risk of death or injury from exploding ammunition, they managed to pull the driver out alive.”

Subsequently, Captain John Redden located a Panzerkampfwagen (PzKpfw) IV and rushed to Currie’s tank and pointed it out. Currie’s gunner destroyed the Panzer, earning the SAR’s first confirmed kill (and a bottle of rum from “Swatty”). The advance slowed and a PIAT team from the Highlanders 10 Platoon set off to stalk a second German tank, a Panther. Team leader, Lt Gil Armour, was able to disable it. The War Diary reports: “Lt. Armour climbed on top of the tank with a 36” grenade in his hand. Just as he was about to drop the grenade in the turret, a Jerry officer looked out. Lt. Armour was the first to recover from their common shock. He forced the Jerry to come out. But the Jerry was armed with an automatic pistol and closed with him.” The officer was quickly shot by another Highlander. A second crewman was Sten gunned when he opened his hatch and finally the patrol was able to get a grenade in an open hatch. Individual battles like this typified the day’s combat. After six hours of fierce fighting they were only halfway through the village.

Early that evening Currie was reinforced by “C” Company of the Argyll’s and “C” Company of The Lincoln and Welland Regiment (with a platoon of “D” Company under command) at 1800 hours. But in the face of the bitterest opposition from superior numbers, his force could make no further progress. Currie’s force now amounted to only a dozen tanks and 60 infantrymen. It dug itself in and was soon battling furiously against one counterattack after another, refusing to give ground and accounting for hundreds of the enemy. The Argyle’s commanding officer, Major Ivan Martin, was fatally wounded that day; while conferring with a German medical officer about handling wounded German prisoners, an artillery shell struck nearby killing both.

The close combat and absolute confusion was captured by Highlander Arthur Bridge in a post-war memoir: “Our section moved into a house and took positions in the ground floor windows covering the main street. During the night one of our boys went upstairs and found five fully armed but very weary Germans having a sleep.” Throughout the night German infiltration efforts persisted.

August 20th was the fiercest day of the Falaise Gap battle. From the other side of the hill a German daily SitRep [Situation Report] stated, “At St. Lambert-sur-Dives the battle for a breach lasted for five hours.” An order issued that day by Montgomery made clear that the key to the battle was the Canadian blocking force at St. Lambert-sur-Dives. Headed, “General Instructions for completing the destruction of the enemy in the Normandy ‘bottle’ Point Seven” stated, “The bottleneck is the area Trun―Chambois. Canadian Army will be responsible for keeping this tightly corked; the cork will not be withdrawn without authority from me.”

At one point a Canadian tank, overrun by German infantry, was compelled to swivel its turret to wipe them off the hull. Currie himself used a rifle from the tank turret to fire at snipers while the main gun engaged German armour at a greater distance. The SAR’s War Diary reported the confused situation: “At about 0800 hrs waves of German Infantry began moving against the positions. It could hardly be called an attack as there was no covering fire plan, simply a mass movement of infantry.” It went on to note, “From a PW it was ascertained that the idea behind the attack was a mass recce to find any holes in our lines to enable the large forces trapped in the pocket to find a way through.”

Interestingly, the War Diary also notes a dozen reinforcements arrived from an unusual source: “C Sqn freed 12 American PW from the Jerries and put them to work with ground weapons.” Bridge reports that at one point his platoon encountered a Universal Carrier whose driver was being held hostage by two Germans and who were forcing him to drive them through the Canadian lines to their own lines. As night approached on the 20th the disorganized but desperate German assaults began to taper off.

Calmly the Argyll’s War Diary for August 21 notes simply, “The heavy fighting in St. Lambert ended today.” In total Currie’s troops destroyed seven tanks and 40 vehicles. A total of 300 Germans were killed, another 500 were wounded and 2,100 others were taken prisoner. Currie’s force of less than 150 personnel had caused almost 3,000 German casualties. By plugging the last escape route from the pocket, they played a key role in the capture of thousands of other troops and prevented the withdrawal of innumerable more tanks and vehicles.

Three months after the battle, upon the announcement of his Victoria Cross, Currie was interviewed by the CBC where he revealed his preternatural calm and understatement. Asked by the interviewer about his immediate reaction, Currie said simply, “Well, I was staggered. I sat down and had a cigarette and thought it over.”

[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: 2018 AFL State of Origin Teams

THIS column has long been a strong advocate for the return of State footy to the AFL, a league longing to get the representative stuff right but never quite has. The constant tweaks and rejuvenation to the hybrid games against Ireland further proves that there’s a thirst and commitment to scheduling fixtures outside of club football each year but that we’re still yet to crack it.

State of Origin was born and bred in Australian Rules football, not Rugby League, and a successful reincarnation of the glory days, a three game series each year played during the pre-season, would be just the most glorious opener to the football season ever.

The format, again, would be simple, the big three states play each other once, every second year the fixtures reverse, allowing each state to play each other once at home over the two year period. No amalgamated sides or the poorer states, just Victoria, SA and WA battling it out, an elite standard of our game we have not seen in decades. It would too further grow the game in the northern states, mirroring the interest that the rugby league equivalent drives in the southern states.

A part of this grander plan would see the State sides selected the prior year during ‘awards season’ to which we are now entering, so with that in mind let’s enter the realm of this alternative future and see what it would look like if we had State of Origin to look forward to next summer.

Firstly, a fixture, and it’s amazing in its own right:

 Saturday, Feb 17, 2018       Perth Stadium        WA   vs.    VIC

Saturday, Feb 24, 2018       Adelaide Oval        SA    vs.    WA

Saturday, Mar 03, 2018       MCG                        VIC   vs.    SA

 What better way to open the brand new Perth Stadium than with WA hosting Victoria, 60,000 Western Australians going bananas as they see their state side play for the first time at home in 20 years.

Adelaide hosts week two, the Croweaters welcome Franklin, Fyfe and Kennedy, then it’s the big one in week three, Victoria hosting South Australia at the MCG in front of a properly big crowd.

It’s important to note that whilst these three games are played, the first three weeks of the JLT series would be played in and around these matches, by players not selected for their states,

The fourth and final week of pre-season games would be played the weekend of March 9-11, where all players would be available for their clubs, ensuring the most minimal impact to clubs preparations for the home and away season which starts late-March.

Now onto the selections, which in this make-believe world would be immensely prestigious, up there with an All-Australian selection, to be picked for your state truly a massive honour.

 **please note, the 40-man All-Australian squad was the basis of selections, it filled the Victorian team almost in itself. For any vacancies it was then my judgement, and those long-term injured were not considered, so no Scott Pendlebury for Victoria or Nic Naitanui for WA, even though in all likelihood the latter probably has to play.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

B          Rory Laird (Adelaide)              Heath Grundy (Sydney)         Tom Jonas (Port Adelaide)

HB       Shaun Burgoyne (Hawthorn)   Phil Davis (GWS Giants)        Shannon Hurn (captain, West Coast)

C         Ryan Burton (Hawthorn)         Brad Ebert (Port Adelaide)     Brodie Smith (Adelaide)

HF       Chad Wingard (Port Adelaide) Justin Westhoff (Port Adelaide) Shane Edwards (Richmond)

F          Orazio Fantasia (Essendon)   Tim O’Brien (Hawthorn)          Daniel Menzel (Geelong)

Foll      Sam Jacobs (Adelaide)          Bryce Gibbs (Carlton)             Lachie Neale (Fremantle)

Inter     Brodie Grundy (Collingwood) Jared Polec (Port Adelaide)    Hamish Hartlett (Port Adelaide)            Bernie Vince (Melbourne)

Emerg Paul Puopolo (Hawthorn)       Caleb Daniel (Bulldogs)          Travis Varcoe (Collingwood)

 Not the strongest SA team compared to bygone eras, but the key forward stocks aside it’s not too bad. Tim O’Brien is the luckiest footballer in the land but especially since Matthew Pavlich has retired and Taylor Walker is from Broken Hill, close but it’s not quite South Australia, so the young Hawk has to get in. Backline is fairly strong, the small forward brigade is decent and look, it’s not to the standard of Victoria or WA but they are still far superior to any of the other states still and in State footy, with a good game plan, who’d be super confident betting against them?

 VICTORIA

B          Jake Lever (Adelaide)             Michael Hurley (Essendon)    Sam Docherty (Carlton)

HB       Michael Hibberd (Melbourne) David Astbury (Richmond)     Dylan Roberton (St Kilda)

C         Rory Sloane (Adelaide)          Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong) Zach Merrett (Essendon)

HF       Josh Kelly (GWS Giants)        Tom Lynch (Gold Coast)        Robbie Gray (Port Adelaide)

F          Eddie Betts (Adelaide)            Joe Daniher (Essendon)         Toby Greene (GWS Giants)

Foll      Matthew Kreuzer (Carlton)     Dustin Martin (Richmond)                   Joel Selwood (captain, Geelong)

Inter     Josh Kennedy (Sydney)         Matt Crouch (Adelaide)           Marcus Bontempelli (Bulldogs)            Dylan Shiel (GWS Giants)

Emerg Adam Treloar (Collingwood)   Trent Cotchin (Richmond)      Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)

 What do you say really, it’s a terrific side. Astbury rewarded with becoming one of the best lockdown defenders in the comp, even in a side featuring arguably the very best in Rance. Eddie Betts qualifies as a Victorian, which is a luxury this side doesn’t really need, and the list of quality midfielders available is an embarrassment of riches. Dangerfield and Martin together alone is just scary.          

 WESTERN AUSTRALIA

B          Neville Jetta (Melbourne)       Alex Rance (Richmond)         Tom Barass (West Coast)

HB       Elliott Yeo (West Coast)         Jeremey McGovern (West Coast) Jason Johannisen (Bulldogs)

C         Mitch Duncan (Geelong)        Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn)        Bradley Hill (Fremantle)

HF       Sam Menegola (Geelong)      Lance Franklin (Sydney)                       Jeff Garlett (Melbourne)

F          Jack Darling (West Coast)      Josh Kennedy (West Coast)   Charlie Cameron (Adelaide)

Foll      Paddy Ryder (Port Adelaide)  Patrick Cripps (Carlton)          Nat Fyfe (captain, Fremantle)

Inter     Rory Lobb (GWS Giants)       Stephen Coniglio (GWS Giants)        Daniel Wells (Collingwood)            Nathan Wilson (GWS Giants)

Emerg Michael Walters (Fremantle)  Stephen Hill (Fremantle)                     Alex Fasolo (Collingwood)

 Very nice backline, good level of star quality up forward and through the middle, this team would be very competitive with the Victorians. Nowhere near the depth of course but 22 on 22, especially with 60,000 screaming home fans opening a new stadium, they’d be quite the value bet. The idea of Franklin and Kennedy in the same forward line is just insane.

 So there it is, whilst we celebrate the All-Australian team, the Rising Star, and the rest of the honours rolled out in the period between the home and away season and Grand Final day, here would be another prestigious recognition rewarding those players who have had fantastic seasons.

Plus, unlike the All-Australian team, we would then have the utter pleasure of seeing these three sides actually play off against one another, in three huge games, in front of three monster crowds, to open the 2019 year of football in a way the football fan could either barely remember or barely curtail their excitement.

Who doesn’t want to see Buddy Franklin in the time-honoured gold jumper with a black swan head down to the forward line, crossing paths with the likes of Dangerfield, Martin and Bontempelli walking towards middle in the navy Big V?

And even though they aren’t at their pinnacle, a sea of red at the Adelaide Oval, especially hosting Victoria in 2019, would be one of the best sights in all of sport. They go mental for Crows or Power games, more so the Showdowns, but the Croweaters hosting the Big V, that’s a whole another level of fanaticism. 

Bring it back Gil, you’ve got my number, let’s do this.

(originally published August 29)