#with quality and the gays™

[usual-art-lover]

Oh nice! This is gonna live in my head rent free now!

No but seriously, what else is there to say? What kind of conversation did Tracy and the voice actor have when she was directing him for this line? The pause, the hurt, the stress airifkqjs "so, this line you have to say like you're reminiscing about the love of your life that you had to leave behind and it still hurts to this day, make sure to put a little pause to truly show how much the topic upsets you because the hole left empty by the absence of his love Is still fresh and hurting. Ok? :)))"

There ain't no way the Savoys didn't catch on, they want Mordecai to be their friend so bad cause they think they'll get the hot goss about his break up, like some speakeasy's bootleggers' drama loll

OKAY.

this moment still has me in physical pain.

not only that, but this was also voice acted in an old audio show that they did!

it's at 45:56 by the way

the way this was done is absolutely amazing. the lowness of mordecai's voice tells that it's a sore subject, even if he doesn't lash out

also!! voice acting!! gets me every time

[musical-chick-13]

Oh not me avoiding a wildly popular piece of media that I’d probably actually like out of sheer spite.

[willthespy]

Legend says even post-TSATS they have their Gay Panic™ moments.

redraw ; (9th of April)

guys what would they ask santa for christmas

(click image for better quality)

[princessfroslass]

The way I am obssesed with Angel's relationship with the girls- and no, I don't mean it on a token gay guy on the gals group™ but rather how he seems to have this- older brother ish sense to him when he is with them.

He is the one that mocks Vaggie even on her lowest point but he was also the one to rush to her side when Charlie and Alastor left- no to mention he was the one leading the other guys to prepare the hotel later on.

He is the one the keep Nifty safe- even though he is extremely weirded out by her antics, and even didn't react with aggression when she was a bout to stab him (that shit wouldn't had flied with any character I tell you lmao) also LOOK HOW CUTE THEY ARE-

He is the one that protected Charlie from HIS abuser, shielding him from his world from day one- and overall just making sure she stayed safe, and away from Val.

And then there is Cherrie- his ride or die he trusts above anyone else. She is the one he rants to about his horrible day at the studio (which is bad enough to make her RUN to the Hotel after 5 months btw, so who knows what the hell was on those textes) tho I am inclined she is the older sibling at the relationship. I dunno she just has that vibe. She protects him alot more than he does her (that is not to say he doesn't protect her- he literally pushed her away from Pen's invention at the Pilot) and I like that, is a little change or dynamic with his other relationships.

I normally don't like to call a platonic relationship "sibling coded" unless is VERY explicitly implied that is the case, but honestly- with Angel I am willing to do an exception, because of this:

Is not far fetched to think Angel might had projected Molly onto his female friends- SPECIALLY Charlie, who was often draw with her on older sketches. Their dad was abusive, their relationship with their brother non-existent (this actually intrigues me alot because I can see Niss having beef with Angel but the fuck did Molly do?) and the mom isn't mentioned yet, so I am willing to think all they had was each other- flash forward to now, with Angel separated from his beloved sister, trapped onto an soul contract with his abusive ex, and meeting a bunch of girls that had reediming qualities- my guy had issues ok let him be.

[anxietycheesecake]

I'd like to ask you a very fair question: now that they no-homoed nandermo, now that we know for certain we aren't getting any gay relationship, what makes wwdits so high quality rep over other shows that have gay sex jokes and throw a coming out in an episode? Is it because they're actually having gay sex? Because it's still just played for laughs and treated as less than the canonical straight relationships (also "haha they're pervs who'll fuck anyone" isn't peak bi representation, that said as a bisexual who is a perv who will fuck anyone). What did wwdits do that other similar shows haven't done decades ago to earn that queer media™ recognition and be packed with OFMD and good omens, two actual extremely queer shows with gays having feelings beyond horny?

Not to say I didn't enjoy the episode because I absolutely did (queerbaiting aside), and it's amazing if you find this resolution satisfying. I do too, to some extent (as a start rather than an ending, tbh). But after so many years calling out how they teased a queer relationship they never intended to portray and then hit us with homophobic "let guys be friends" rethoric (you don't have to be homophobic to say homophobic shit) and getting absolutely dragged for it... was it all worth it? Don't you feel a little TJLC? Aren't you kind of mad that nothing has really changed since the days of Sherlock and Supernatural? Or, even worse, that now showrunners can point at characters, go "haha these bitches be gay af" and get awards for queer representation?

I love wwdits, even when I hate it. Nobody forced them at gunpoint to write season 3 and 4 like that, or be purposefully vague about what they were going for, or teasing the possibility of nandermo all over the marketing. If things have continued to go like in season 1 and 2, I'd be more than cool with this ending. If they had gone "holy shit, we didn't want to make it seem like it'd actually happen, we just thought it was funny that they acted so gay" and course-corrected after season 3 instead of doubling down, I wouldn't even call it queerbait. Sometimes people making media don't know how it's going to be received and that's okay. It becomes bait when you refuse to clarify and after pulling all that shit you act like fans are insane for noticing.

So by all means, continue to enjoy wwdits. This show means so much to me and if it had remained a plotless sitcom without character development that is just meant to make me laugh, I'd call it one of the best comedies I've ever watched. It's just that, in retrospective, they took the show in a direction that made no sense for them, ran with it for far too long and then asked why people expected so much from a show that wasn't meant to have any depth, despite all the times they tried to make it look like they knew where they were going.

[silviakundera]

when it comes to subtext-only couples (romantic couples in TV/film that are not explicitly canon), there many reasons that these ships can very appealing to watch and can be compelling & fulfillingly romantic for the viewer, despite no overt sexual contact and no out-loud declaration of a relationship....

but one of the biggest draws for me is all of the effort put into communicating what cannot be said. all of the work put into saying without words or an on screen kiss, we are in love! You as the viewer need to be made to FEEL that love. There are no shortcuts or easy way out. They can't just tell without showing.

When a writer, an actor believes in that unspoken love and build it into their performance, when people work together to create a subtext ship, when they put thought into it and pay attention to all the details.... 👌👌👌👌

This can apply to many ships that aren't permitted explicit canon expression (including het ships that aren't Approved™ but the actors and script writer believe in)... but of course what comes most to my mind lately are the censored chinese gay dramas and how the creative team is putting their whole pussy into it like SIR. WOW. THE DEDICATION TO ROMANCEEEE

The Spirealm is the latest example where I keep thinking holy shit, the devil works hard but these actors are working harder. They are so fucking good at portraying a love story without saying it's a love story. It's like The Untamed for me all over again.

It's how everyone is working together: the writer included those beats & that allusion, the actor used that microexpression & body language, the director used that blocking and created the space for it, the editor included all the right shots and pauses on the actor's attraction/affection/love so it isn't lost in the shuffle of the plot. It's a symphony of a ship that's performed in concert.

This is something every quality romantic drama needs to include, but when you're working with subtext it's 50x harder and takes so much more care & consideration.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

David Niven (Raffles, Around the World in 80 Days)—What's weird is every picture of him is kinda funny-looking but when you see him in action he has this almost feline quality to him, this withdrawn gentleness, that's totally unexpected considering he's very Upright™ and Englishy English™. there's just a soft tenderness there that he brings so easily to every part, no matter how restrained. ignore the pics of him with his weird lil nose and Bertie Wooster face and imagine this man purring something vaguely british at you over a cup of tea while radiating cool, sexy attentiveness and restrained uppercrust care

Paul Robeson (Showboat, The Emperor Jones)—this man's life was fucking wild [link to his Wikipedia]

This is round 2 of the bracket. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage man.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

"two guys having champagne in a balloon over the alps cuz they're not gay"

[gaysforbyler]

Do you guys want my rare byler photos that I screenshotted myself and gatekeep?

1) My favorite of all favorites, that face is GAY michael. Have you ever seen a straight person look like that? I can’t even describe it, it’s just gay

2) BABYYYYY (low quality, my bad. It’s super zoomed in)

3) Forehead Will

4) ☹️☹️☹️☹️ <- Mike (Also low quality, but it adds to the charm)

5) Mike thinks Max is hilarious + Cool Mike™

They are so SKDKJDSJSK i wanna turn them into soup and drink them

[samijey]

I appreciate Jacob's support of his cousin, even after beating the pulp out of them he still makes sure their together ❤️ I guess homophonic Solo didn't make the homophobia a requirement of his bloodline

Secret ally Jacob Fatu making sure Sami and Jey are well positioned for the camera to capture that quality gay angst™

[vintagetvstars]

Diahann Carroll Vs. Rue McClanahan

Propaganda

Diahann Carroll - (Dynasty, Julia) - God every clip of her on Dynasty is just so iconic, her entrance, the bit where she shades Joan Collins' Alexis for her taste in caviar... "I wanted to be the first black bitch on television" she said, and she did it beautifully!

Rue McClanahan - (Golden Girls, Maude, Mama's Family) - Listen to me. I have never understood celebrity crushes until I first witnessed Rue McClanahan. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen - just look at her!! Gorgeous eyes, the cutest nose, a SPECTACULAR smile - she has this adorable, princess-like quality about her AND she's also a complete hottie AND she's aware of it: she HAS THE RANGE, people!! Her two most famous roles are polar opposites, in fact: she starred in the role of naive, gentle Vivian Cavender-Harmon in Maude (and I mean. Just look her up and tell me that's not an angel!), and then went on to gain even more well-deserved fame and success as the seductive, extroverted Blanche Devereaux in The Golden Girls (a role for which she won an Emmy in 1987 - her amazing, hilarious acceptance speech can be found here: . I should also point out that both of these are comedy characters and she is HILARIOUS as them both - the comedic timing, the delivery, the expressions, she was a comedy queen!!! As for her personal life, she was just a darling - and also very funny in person, not just in her acting roles! She was a staunch supporter of gay rights and a big advocate for same-sex marriage in the US, as well as a vegetarian and a big defender of animal rights. She suffered from illness in her later years which greatly impacted her health, but she was still very active up until her death in 2010, and she even released a wonderful autobiography in 2007 titled "My First Five Husbands... and the Ones Who Got Away". In her interviews she's always gentle, soft-spoken (her voice. dear god. sweet mother Aphrodite I cannot weave I am overcome with gay thoughts), and kind, but also sharp, witty, and just a delight to watch. I could go on forever talking about her honestly. I am actually in love with her and you should be too. She's just the best! Here, have some additional pics: (pics below the cut)

Master Poll List of the Hot Vintage TV Ladies Bracket

Additional propaganda below the cut

Diahann Carroll:

Diahann Carroll's First Scene on "Dynasty"

Rue McClanahan:

The Hottie™ of the Golden Girls, she was definitely a GILF. And her character's shenanigans were Emmy-winning but no less fun and her outfits were always on point and gorgeous, befitting her perfectly.

she!!!

as Vivian, with her fellow hottie Bea Arthur as Maude

as Blanche - look at those eyes!!!

come on, tell me you wouldn't do anything for that smile, I dare you

in her contract she specifically requested to be given all of Blanche's clothes and SHE WAS RIGHT

Okay so first of all. Rue has this way of moving around and looking at you that just-- I mean, I'm ace, but I *get* the allos. She's hot and she knows it (and she plays a character in The Golden Girls who's in her 50s, hot, and knows it as well. Which, talk about perfect casting??) But I'm mostly here to talk about the fact that she said this in her Emmy acceptance speech (paraphrased because I'm sharing the video with the right timestamp, and you should absolutely watch up until 3:40, because her delivery is UNMATCHED): "My mother said to me once [...] 'Oh, Eddi-Rue, for heaven's sake. Don't you know every kick's a boost?' There've been a lot of kicks, and there've been a lot of boosts. I'm not going to mention the people who gave me kicks... but you know who you are. And you'll be in the book." (Seriously though, do yourself a favour and watch that video. She's amazing!!) She said this, and proceeded to WRITE THE BOOK, titled "My first five husbands, and the ones who got away", which is *incredibly* funny, and such an earnest look into her life. She opens the acknowledgements with "This book is about my life and experiences as I lived them, and anyone who doesn't like it can jolly well lump it." And I mean... she's awesome. I could go on.

Rue McClanahan @ The Emmy Awards 1987

[morose-marble]

Still on an Assad high from episode 5 at the moment so i went trawling through the various supercuts of his roles (thanks!) and discovered the fate of his hotel portofino character to be !!!! a lot?? (spoilers under the cut for those potentially concerned)

They fuckinn murder the man!!!! like, okay, I get that Assad had to be written out of the show bc he's having his big american break with iwtv and it probably clashed with HP production or something, that's fine, whatever, but DAMN they really went with a brutal, bleak as hell choice oof

Anish Sengupta, the main gay character™ and only man of colour in the main cast, is caught by fascists and shot in the woods along with his antifa boyfriend!!!! After a grueling season of hiding in squalor due to his injuries incurred from antifascist activism gone wrong!!! They really took their gays, gave them a whirlwind antifascist romance moment and decided, "yep, we're done here, let's shoot them in the head execution style, off-screen! that'll be good!"

He and his boyfriend are told "people like you don't deserve to live" by their executioner and that's all folks!

Like, I get that it's supposed to communicate the horrors of fascism effectively etc. etc. and I, of course, haven't watched the whole show so I might be missing some nuance that might provide redeeming qualities for the writing but just like this... woof

some gays were buried. off-screen, to boot.

[erose-this-name]

what it means to be human

The common correct definition of the word "human" (according to science anyway) is HOMO

No, not like, gay, (unfortunately). I mean any member of the Homo genus. Homo sapiens, Homo neanderthalensis etc.

Yes, the Neanderthals were human. There used to be many humans. We, the Sapiens, are just the last remaining human species.

But we don't remember a time when this was not the case. So we often conflate "humanity" with "species" with "sapience" with "personhood". (even though just calling ourselves human is the common usage and was also the scientific usage until a century or so ago, but still)

So what is and what isn't human?

This is an issue in my own writing (which is why I wrote this post). Since it's a speculative evolution project, I use the scientific meaning of human, which is to say only ever as a collective term for all the humans. There are many species of human which are people, there are humans and species of humans which are no longer people, and there are people that are not human.

All monsters are inhuman, that is a given regardless of how inhumane they are. Though I feel like "subhuman" has no accurate applications, though. "Human" should not mean superiority.

Unless the monster has human origins like a werewolf or humanimal, etc, in which case they would still be human. But they may no longer be people if they are emotionless, mindless, not self aware.

I don't know if a "soul" is required for personhood, certainly not for humanity. Mindless zombies may be reanimated with a soul, therefore have a soul, but that doesn't make them a person. Vampires usually do not have souls, but surely are still people.

Anything evolutionarily descendant from anything once called a human is still a human, even if they no longer resemble one. Kinda like how all birds are dinosaurs.

I don't know if Pinnochio can become a real human, taxonomy can only be inherited by birth and Pinnochio was not born. But I can say that becoming a real boy can not change the fact that he was already a person. In fact, he was always a real boy as well. Gender and sex and humanity and personhood are of course separate.

Likewise, I'm not sure if human minds uploaded to mechanical or didgital bodies like the All Tomorrows Gravitals or in SOMA cease to be human or not, though I lean towards them losing humanity but not personhood. But most 40k Necrons do lose both personhood and Necrontyr-ity (they weren't humans to begin with but aliens) as they are made into mindless machines. But cyborgs retain humanity if they retain any human flesh.

Elves/Dwarves/Halflings could possibly be humans, depending on if they have some kind of shared origins with us.

Hence why I don't like calling the "Human" """Race""" in fantasy settings "Human", especially if the "humans" in that setting are Just White People™ because then we're normalizing the idea that only Europeans are Humans and that only Humans are people and the obvious logical conclusion to that.

An intelligent self-aware robot capable of all the emotions we have like GLaDOS, AM, etc is not a human, of course not, but it is a person. Not being human makes them no less deserving of life or rights. But, because they are not human, we will surely treat them like objects when they are made. And they may feel the need to act accordingly.

Bottlenose dolphins, which scientists have found to also be sapient, and self-aware, and quite intelligent, and can use tools, even have their own languages and cultures must surely also be people.

But, because dolphins are not human, we have decided they are just animals and their lives and quality of life are worth much less than ours. We can strip their oceans of all value leaving only pollution, deafen and blind them with ship motors, and even kill them without consequence. We don't even have the decency to call what we've done to dolphin pods "peace keeping", let alone war. But it's "crimes against humanity", not "crimes against people".

Say what you will about dolphins, accounts of them raping each other and abusing pufferfish are well known, so they aren't always nice people. But neither are we. Dolphins are also known to save drowning humans and fight off sharks to protect their pods. Doesn't that only prove they also have the same free will we do? Why is it that when we finally acknowledge their humanless personhood, so close to ours, we feel hate and disgust?

If/when we find intelligent aliens, will we do all this again?

And if the aliens or elder gods or whatever it is find us, will they have the same issue? Will they consider Humans underserving of life and land just because we aren't Alien? Will we deserve it?

[amypihcs]

Dear Diary - I miss my love...

HERE WE GO DEAR READERS! A new letter, a new episode and a new METHOD!

For this episode Watson is drawing from his memory and his diary!

Let's see What he has to tell!

Ah yes! Feel you Watson, Metereopatia portami via. Poor Watson is feeling down and so is Sir Henry. Luckily Watson knows well how to handle black moods!

And. Yet.

The feeling of danger is always there...

But we must approach this matter with Common Sense, one of the many qualities you can find in one Doctor John H. Watson!

A REAL hound might work! But where would it stay during the day? Where would it find his food? The man Watson saw on the moor might know some of it but then. Who is he?

And our Watson is asking himself What Would Holmes Do (You know to what i'm thinking @tyrannosaurusnacks, @i-dont-talk-for-days-on-end, my darling hearts.) and has concluded that Holmes would just... PLAIN NOT TELL ANYBODY ANYTHING! JUST AS HE DID THAT TIME WHERE HE PRETENDED TO BE DYING!

Before you ask, YES, i'm making up my own chronology mixing the granada timeline (HOUN after the hiatus) and the vague timeline acd gives us (DYIN BEFORE the hiatus), pregasi di non cacare il cazzo a riguardo. English speaking pals, you will understand the TONE.

ANYWAY- Watson and Sir Henry decide to do nothing about Selden and Barrymore has something to tell

I like this chap's moral compass!

And Sir Henry's too, i guess!

Also Barrymore knows well what reputation means in the high environment Sir Charles lived into. And is careful when it comes down to it.

Pity the old man was gay, (yes i stole terry prachet's sentence), but Barrymore acted for the best!

And Watson dutifully reports. He misses Holmes SO

NOW let us look for this LL. What a nice coincidence that he meets Mortimer as he's walking on the moor back from the post office! He can ask him!

Several interesting moments

Mortimer MD 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Watson MD

Doctors exchanging GOSSIP

BINGO! FOUND HER!

both she and her ex are 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

Well, well

And Watson knows how to apply the knowledge he acquired in years of marriage with Autism™, just ask a man about his special interest and nod while looking interested!

And Watson is doing a GREAT work! He asks Barrymore about his BIL and when Barrymore also mentions the other guy... this chap

Watson thinks about ENQUIRING

Turns out that Selden talked quite a bit about him!

And Watson is going to look for him in the next episode! Stay tuned!

[beevean]

"NFCV is a travesty of a show!"

Yes

"It's so unfaithful to its source material it's baffling!"

Yeah good...

"Putting all this woke shit in Castlevania! Can you believe they made Isaac a black guy?"

https://youtu.be/Jg34Nxb_Vjs?si=AHvuXWjCRIRCGXa2

"That sex scene with Alucard was so weird, it made me way too uncomfortable! It was completely unnecessary!"

Yeah, you're right. It was a shocking swerve that was never properly foreshadowed due to Sumi and Taka's lack of personality, whose only purpose was to traumatize Alucard even further to push the immature message that the world is harsh and cruel and gentleness and trust are repaid with further suffering...

"How dare they make Alucard gay? Eww he took it up the ass, they ruined my childhood hero 😭 wokeflix always pushing their gay agenda!"

There is nothing woke in making a character bisexual for the sole purpose of softening the rape by deception by implying that if he can be attracted to both his assaulters then everything is better shut up shut up shut uppppppppp

Just as there is nothing woke in taking a character whose main defining quality is being a Devil worshipper so embittered by humanity that he gleefully accepts to exterminate them and making him a Black Muslim shut up shut up shut up SHUT THE FUCK UP

(ngl the dudebro haters are also a big reason I'm still here bitching. There is so much to criticize about NFCV that goes beyond "but it's not faithful :(" or ""but muh woke :(", and I see few people actually bothering to analyze the text in this sense. And since one of the usual defenses for the first "argument" is "well the games have a stupid story and the lore is Wildly Inconsistent™", it only pushes me to gush about the games' story even more)

[dkettchen]

✨ Men's day PSA ✨

by your friendly neighborhood transmasc men's lib activist ⁓

To the women, male feminists, gays, nonbinaries and transmascs who haven't gotten with the program yet:

If you want the rest of us (incl all trans & otherwise genderqueer ppl) to be free, cishet men need to be freed, because misandry and gender roles affect all of us, but they're the ones defining society's mainstream conception of what it is to be a Man™.

And cishet men can't do that by themselves, so they need your allyship!

Here's my old video on men's issues if you need a general intro to men's lib. Feel free to also check out my videos on men's studies and matriarchy, as well as the various things linked in their descriptions.

Here's some simple things you can do for the men in your life:

question your misandry & anti-men/-masculinity biases

ex. do you think it's fine to make fun of/be mean to men? how do you feel about your own masculine qualities? would you do/think the same thing to/about them if they were a woman/queer person? etc

meet men with kindness & give them the benefit of the doubt

men, like anyone else, are people and not a monolith, the vast majority of them are perfectly lovely and safe to interact with and don't deserve your prejudice, they deserve to be treated as well as anyone else & are usually used to being treated significantly worse

include them in stuff & teach them skills they traditionally don't get to participate in

there are plenty of matriarchal skills that are hecking useful & not available to a lot of cishet men the way they are to women and queer people, ex. make-up, hair/nails/skin care, fashion, sewing/knitting/crafting, or even just like base social skills/presentability

value them

ex. show that you want for them to be alive, healthy, and happy; compliment them/their looks; (where applicable) express your attraction to them incl what abt them you're attracted to; etc

support them in their own self-liberation efforts

ex. emotions/mental health/self-worth, fashion/self-care, parenting/home-making, etc

respect their current limits & comfort zone

ex. if they're not/not yet comfy w something more extremely out of their comfort zone, don't push it, as it might discourage them; understand that certain things don't come to them as easily (yet) as they do to you

remember intersectionality as with all things

ex. don't forget that plenty of men have marginalised identities (mental health, disability, class, race, queerness, etc) and therefore are not the Image of Privilege you may make Men™ out to be; don't invalidate/erase transmascs' & queer men's claim to female gender role things/femininity in order to validate their manhood/masculinity; be mindful of different issues & stereotypes affecting men of different ethnicities; etc

[siryouarebeingmocked]

Jack Reacher: The Secret (is that little bro fell off)

The Jack Reacher thriller series was created by Lee Child. It's very popular. Like a lot of authors, he handed it off to someone else; his brother Andrew.

And maybe it's the placebo effect, but I've noticed a drop in quality. Full spoilers for various books.

A previous book revolved around a Russian misinformation operation on American soil, and ransomware. Came out 2020.

The Secret is from 2023, and set in 1992, when Reacher was still an Army MP. It involves a series of murders connected to an American weapons development programed outsourced to the third-world. 

Which killed a lot of people, but it was covered up.

The killers are a pair of sister trying to find the people responsible. By killing and interrogating them. Not in that order. They're very good at infiltrating, beating up, and killing people. 

They're supposed to be an evil version of Reacher, who is bad at infiltration but is good at hurting people. And, of course, all three are smart investigators.

There's one fight scene where one of the girls goes for a target and runs into multiple male guards. Who mostly lemming train directly into her fists and/or feet. In fact, it heads straight into narm. She drops two guys before one tries to shoot her or really defend himself, and only the fourth, the team leader, stays out of fist range.

You know, basic tactics that any bodyguard, cop, or trained operative should probably know.

Plus, common sense.

While she's busy beating them up, she has enough spare brain cells to think about the situation and come up with a plan. Which she executes on the last guy. 

She surrenders, he has some generic sneers about teasing his men for being beaten by a girl, safety-cuffs her, offers a generic sexual threat, and she comes up with an story that sends the surveillance team outside away.

Then she drops the team lead, and sneers at him and his men for underestimating a woman.

This is a running theme.

I think it would've been better if the lead was actually concerned about his men. Make him a little less of a speed bump. You could even leave in the sexism.

The irony is, Reacher usually sticks to highly practical moves. Our girl does go for things like throat strikes, but also a high kick. Which is, I've read, rather impractical.

I certainly don’t have the flexibility to check. Even on a dummy. I may never have had it.

And frankly, it's perfectly reasonable to assume someone who is cuffed is not much of a threat.

For contrast, Reacher's next scene? He beats up four generic mooks between him and a source. He's done this several times in the series, but this time it seems pretty short and token.

I assume they wanted to keep it moving, because of pacing.

This is a series that has had a lot of capable and well-developed female characters. So this seems like an odd theme to include at this point. And it turns out the real villain of the piece is Secretary of Defense. 

No, wait, it's actually his wife. 

Who people underestimate and overlook.

Including the two killers.

Which kills them.

Oh look, irony.

The girls aren't really complex. Basically, they're Black Widow. A pair of generic foreign female infiltrators and CQC experts. Even their quest to get revenge for their father doesn't really matter, because we don't see any other evidence of their bond with him.

I think the most we get is some verbal discussion near the climax. Telling, nto showing.

And it's not like they care about the hundreds of other people who were killed and covered up. Just their dad. 

So no "Pet the Dog" moments.

Now, I'm aware that popular fiction is often Topical™. That doesn't make it bad. EG Die Hard; western terrorists, environmentalism, and Japanese business were all topical.

A previous Lee book during Reacher's MP days revolved around a closeted gay couple. Lee also wrote a 2016 book about European Neo-Nazis, and the very second book was about a far-right militia. And they were pretty good. 

I get the impression Lee leans left-wing, but so what?

It just feels like Andrew is a lot less subtle about this.

And that's coming from someone who's enjoyed books by a literal socialist.