#yeah no one earned any iconic behavior points in this episode

[juniperhillpatient]

Sozin’s Comet Part 1 Re-Watch

This is a great start to the finale & a strong set up for Aang vs. Ozai. The beach party at the start provided a lot of great comedy - especially Sokka’s “sculpture” of Suki. Oh, & on the topic of comedy, shout out to Melon Lord Toph, she always cracks me up.

I’ve already said I think the overarching season could’ve done a stronger job building Ozai as the big bad but in terms of the final episodes the tension is built well. Zuko attacking Aang to “teach him a lesson” - yeah that seems about right. Very Zuko behavior. We love a dramatic bitch. I loved the Gaang coming together & agreeing to do this together. This group of found family means the world to me.

For real though, the reveal about what was said during that war meeting is pretty chilling. Also, the way both Zuko & Azula were determined to get Ozai’s approval during that meeting was a super interesting glimpse at the dynamic between the three of them. I think that - in Azula’s mind - they were finally a happy family. Azula just builds off what Zuko is saying - she has no idea that he had a different perspective on the earth kingdom’s “hope” than her & Ozai, (how could she?) - she’s just building off Zuko’s points in a way that makes sense & would be expected of her. It’s sick & twisted, but Ozai is pleased. What I’m getting at is that this flashback shows what would seem like a war meeting gone well from Azula’s perspective. Zuko’s betrayal shortly after was clearly the first in a series of events that shocked Azula to her core.

Aang gets a lot of crap from the fandom for freaking out at the idea of killing Ozai. I do think though that while the others are 100% justified in advocating for Ozai’s death & I understand them & agree with them - I feel bad for Aang too. His culture was eradicated by the Fire Nation - his culture that is all about peace & forgiveness. The baby picture of Ozai is a nice touch to show that even 0zai is a human being, & taking his life would matter & should not be taken lightly.

Some people may not want to hear this but I think that if Aang had ended up killing Ozai, it would not be as satisfying as you think. It would have meant Aang going against his own culture, of which he is the last surviving member - & I just don’t think that ending would be as nice as it might seem on the surface. The first time I watched the show, I did really want Aang to kill Ozai but I’ve thought about it a lot more since then & I really do not think that ending would have been good at all.

I also like that they first thought it was a baby picture of Zuko because while it’s “haha funny” it’s also significant. No one is born evil. Not Ozai, & not Zuko. And the person Ozai is now? That’s 100% what Zuko could have become if he had not made the right choice & decided to fight for peace & balance & to confront his violent past & work to be better.

The ending with Ozai telling Azula that he’s leaving her behind is heartbreaking. How anyone can watch her complete childlike hurt - the desperation to please her father - & not feel empathy for her is just… beyond me. Azula learning that she’s getting left behind breaks my heart every time.

This episode was a great start to the final arc! That’s all I have for now.

[horde-princess]

A Meta on Catra’s Relationships with DT, Scorpia, and Adora

I’m so excited to write this finally ljsdflkj okay so. I’ve been thinking about why the creators would choose to center a whole season around this new character Double Trouble. They drove the plot and played a major role in a really important part of the story, Catra’s redemption. So I wanna think more about the purpose of this character and go deeper into a couple of their scenes with Catra.

tbh Catra and DT’s very first interaction says it all: DT literally takes the form of Scorpia and tells Catra “I’m about to become your new best friend.” As the season goes on, Double Trouble replaces Scorpia as a sort of artificial confidant for Catra. But it blows up in her face and the purpose of the whole thing is to shed light on Catra’s main internal conflict: her desire for love vs. her fear of heartbreak/vulnerability.

In other words, I believe Double Trouble was introduced as a foil to Scorpia. But if we think about how Scorpia is also a foil to Adora, then that means DT is like... a foil to a foil. So they’re not directly associated with Adora but a lot of what they do relates back to her. Yeah there are a lot of layers here lmao but basically what I’m gonna analyze is how Catra’s relationships with these three characters intertwine and build off each other in season 4 to set the stage for Catra’s redemption (and catradora endgame hollaaa)

So in the beginning, Catra and DT both understand their relationship to be a business arrangement. When does that start to change for Catra, and why?

Catra’s History With Betrayal

Just think about Catra’s relationships at the start of s4.. After the portal, Adora had basically severed whatever was left of their relationship, and that was shown to be weighing on Catra all season. Scorpia and Entrapta were the only other people she cared about, but Entrapta betrayed her (first by monopolizing Hordak’s attention then by refusing to open the portal), then Scorpia dared to question her decision to send their friend to die and her presence became a constant reminder of Catra’s guilt. In fact, the mere mention of Entrapta’s name in 4x03 causes Catra to snap and yell at Scorpia “we are not friends!” ... which of course isn’t true. Catra may think Scorpia’s annoying but she confided in her, her loyalty made Catra feel like she could trust her.. and that’s exactly why Catra always tried so hard to push her away. All the betrayals in her life scarred her so deeply that she wanted to avoid emotional intimacy at all costs. I’m about to get Jungian up in this shit bc we see a deep disconnect between Catra’s outward actions (her conscious) and her inner desires (subconscious) this season and it’s this i believe that leads to her breakdown in 4x10. It’s an unsustainable way to live.

Why Catra Trusted Double Trouble

So by 4x04, Catra had sabotaged her only two relationships. She was utterly alone, and vulnerable, and Double Trouble was in the right place at the right time offering their loyalty to her.. so Catra did what any emotionally stable person would do and subconsciously used a hired mercenary to try and fill the growing void in her heart. I don’t think Catra actually cared about DT much at all, like sure they got along and that matters on some level, but I think it’s more that Catra was in a vulnerable place and DT was the only one around.

So why does Catra trust Double Trouble when she won’t let herself trust anyone else? I’ve seen some posts saying it’s because Catra is self-destructive--i.e. she only seeks love from people who won’t give it to her because she doesn’t believe she deserves love--which is super true.. but I think her motivations can be better explained by saying that Catra knew from the start that Double Trouble didn’t really care about her, and that’s why the partnership was attractive to her (at first). She thought it would be safe--no vulnerability, no risk of heartbreak. But the truth is Catra’s just not as disaffected as she wishes she was.

The moment Catra really let her guard down was when Double Trouble saved her from the collapsing building in 4x04. 

can we just!! talk about this scene!!!! the way her voice shakes when she says “saving me” just, oh my god... like what a touchy subject for her, right? Shes spent her whole life resenting how Adora was always trying to “save” her from everything. I’m not sure but I think White Out (2x05) was the only other time Catra thanked someone for saving her life, and she just says “thanks for getting us out of there.” So her use of the word “save” here is special and it illustrates how deeply vulnerable Catra feels this season, and more importantly it’s a sign of character development! It’s no coincidence that the theme of saving is connected between DT, Scorpia, and Adora. It’s leading up to Catra learning to replace her resentment towards Adora with something closer to gratitude. 

But while the scene connects these relationships, it also highlights their differences. After Catra displays an astounding amount of vulnerability with DT, they coolly reply “well, I live to serve... for a price, of course.”

This right here is the first step of Catra’s breakdown. Suppressed desires making themselves known, one half of her heart rebelling against the other. She was pushing away her real friends and finding hollow companionship with someone she thought she wouldn’t get attached to, but it happened anyway.

The difference between Double Trouble and Scorpia must have become glaringly obvious to Catra in that moment. Whereas Scorpia was loyal to Catra out of love, DT was mostly interested in getting paid. And she was surprised by how much that hurt. She fucking hated how much it hurt, you can see it written all over her face. It’s why she fails Scorpia’s little test in 4x06. Because of Double Trouble, Catra’s true desires were threatening to break free, so outwardly she fights against it and acts more resistant than ever to being friends with Scorpia. She castigates her, calls her annoying and incompetent, harsher than we’ve ever seen... but she didn’t expect Scorpia to hit back (we did, tho. Scorpia’s an icon).

In four words Scorpia teaches Catra a hard lesson about what it means to earn someone’s loyalty. She knew she must’ve really fucked up if she somehow managed to push away the most loyal person in all of Etheria. And again the fake nature of Catra’s relationship with Double Trouble provides a reference for her to see why Scorpia’s loyalty, based in love, was so valuable, and why she shouldn’t have taken it for granted. It also relates to Adora because, similar to Scorpia, Adora had been trying so hard these past 3 seasons to connect with Catra, but she refused to forgive her and her behavior eventually forced Adora to cut ties. So Scorpia calling her out pushes Catra towards accepting some personal responsibility for everything that happened with Adora, too. Man there are just.. a ton of implications here.

Then Catra gives Hordak a fun pep talk but really it’s just her self-projecting all over him:

At this point her hateful actions and her goal to conquer Etheria are extremely out of line with her true desires and we can see it’s really affecting her mental state. It wasn’t just one thing or person that caused her breakdown, it was a combination of Adora severing their relationship, and Scorpia’s disappointment in her, and Double Trouble’s indifference towards her. All three of these situations were playing off each other and chipping away at Catra’s carefully crafted armor, revealing a desire to be loved hidden underneath... which she continued to fight against for as long as she could. Adora and Scorpia were playing their roles in helping Catra learn to take responsibility for her life, but those relationships wouldn’t have been so effective had it not been for how they were contrasted with Double Trouble’s indifference. Anyway have I mentioned how amazing and complex this show is????

Catra Loses DT and Scorpia Around the Same Time

4x07 is the last time Catra talks to Double Trouble before they get captured by the rebels. Coincidentally, Catra realizes that Scorpia left her just one episode later, which once again points to a connection between these two characters. From 4x08 to 4x11 Catra is completely alone, feeling like she has lost everyone in her life. It sets the stage for her meltdown in 4x10. But my fave part about Scorpia leaving is how it changes the way Catra thinks about betrayal. 

Even if Scorpia didn’t tell Catra where she was going in the note she left, Catra had to have assumed she was leaving to join the Rebellion because where else would she have gone right? So the two people Catra loves most have now BOTH abandoned her to join the rebellion. I don’t even wanna think about how triggering that betrayal must have been for Catra.. I don’t wanna think about how the next time Catra sees Scorpia she’s going to be a full blown princess with powers and everything, just like what happened with Adora. 

But there’s a key difference between Adora and Scorpia. Catra knows at this point that Adora didn’t want to leave her behind, but she did anyway to pursue some destiny that Catra wasn’t a part of, which left her feeling betrayed. Scorpia, on the other hand--the very definition of ‘loyalty’--left her specifically because Catra pushed her away. Her fear of vulnerability manifested as anger towards someone she refused to admit that she cared about, and it pushed her away.

Once again I think Scorpia is teaching Catra a lesson about taking responsibility for some of the shit in her life. It’s a privilege that Adora lost after being careless with Catra’s trust, and thus Scorpia was the only one in a position to reach Catra and help her. But I think that the things Catra learned from Scorpia are going to play back into her relationship with Adora and allow them to reconcile (when Adora deals with her own issues too).

We can also say a little about how Double Trouble’s betrayal contrasts with Scorpia’s and Adora’s. I think their complete emotional detachment is the perfect frame of reference for Catra to be able to acknowledge that even though Scorpia and Adora left her, they DID love her, and they never stopped trying to reach out to her--at least, not until Catra crossed a line with both of them. At some point, Catra went from being justified in her feelings of betrayal to overdoing it, placing too much blame where it didn’t belong and closing the door to forgiveness. So I think that’s the role that Double Trouble played there, helping Catra see that difference. Like even if someone leaves you, hurts you, it doesn’t always mean they don’t love you. Relationships take work and understanding and forgiveness and you have to learn how to handle that or you’ll always be alone. Scorpia’s the pure embodiment of that lesson, and she’s lighting the way for Catra to navigate the much more nebulous waters of her grudge against Adora.

Double Trouble’s Betrayal

So now Catra is feeling abandoned by Scorpia and Double Trouble (her only friends) and we see the disconnect between what’s in her heart and the front she’s been putting on come to a head in 4x10 when she has that meltdown. She’s kind of losing it because her fear and heartbreak are driving her down a path that she doesn’t actually want. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. In 4x12 she continues to hold on desperately to the idea that beating Adora will make her happy, because at this point she doesn’t see any way to turn the car around.

There’s an absolutely fantastic scene early in 4x12 that sets up Double Trouble’s betrayal beautifully, like really it’s a masterpiece. Catra’s childhood friends walk in on her in the locker room and they’re laughing and joking around and for a second it’s like... Catra longs to be a part of that again.. To have friends, to be happy. But then Kyle accidentally kicks one of Scorpia’s old doodles (a painful reminder that she’s gone) and Catra freaks out and attacks them. Kyle’s like “we used to be friends, why are you treating us like this?” So she lets them leave, feeling alone and miserable, and THAT’S when Double Trouble waltzes in... having had just made a deal with Glimmer to double cross Catra.

God it hurts so much. The contrast between her pushing away Scorpia and her real friends, and then her childlike relief upon seeing the person who just sold her out.

This scene gives me fucking chills with the nightmare-ish music and everything.. It’s like, at this point DT is just fucking with her, they’ve already got Catra figured out. This face touch is so cruel and fits with the show’s motif of manipulative affection, too. For me it felt very disconcerting to see Catra like this... unaware that she’s been defeated yet she’s so emotionally vulnerable here, she’s like putty in Double Trouble’s hands. Scorpia leaving cracked her open and, as they’re the last person left standing with Catra’s trust, Double Trouble’s in the perfect position to come in and break her.

So the next episode 4x13 has that crazy scene where Double Trouble totally obliterates Catra and I’m not even gonna talk about it lmao because yall have already done a great job analyzing it. But I do wanna draw attention to the fact that this is the only thing she says in this whole scene:

Can you believe that’s what mattered the most to her in that moment? Not that literally everything she had been working for for the past 4 seasons had just turned to dust before her eyes, but the fact that this random mercenary she hired betrayed her. And there was no anger at all, just... heartbreak.

And then look at what she says to Glimmer afterwards (setting aside the fact that Catra is basically giving up on life...) she says nothing about the war, nothing about winning or revenge. The only thing she’s thinking about is how lonely she feels.

So by the end of Season 4, I think Catra did finally figure out what she truly wanted in life. She didn’t want to be on top just for power’s sake, she wanted people to respect her, to love her, so that no one could hurt her anymore. But she was so obsessed with winning that she ended up losing everyone’s respect. Wow haha if only she could get a second chance to earn it back the right way.... like say if, idk, she was trapped in space jail and forced to team up with her sworn enemy to survive and they came out best friends or something <:)

To sum up, Double Trouble’s role in Season 4 was to break Catra’s mask and force her to consider what she truly wants. I think their betrayal taught Catra to really appreciate what a terrible mistake she made in pushing Scorpia and Adora away. It taught her the difference between someone leaving her because they don’t care about her, and someone cutting ties with her even though they do care for her very deeply, they just couldn’t take Catra treating them like crap anymore. It showed her that what Adora did was nothing like what DT did. That’s what a betrayal feels like when the person doesn’t care about you. Someone who doesn’t care about you isn’t going to beg for your forgiveness for 3 seasons and risk being obliterated from existence just to get you back.

But the real beauty of season 4 was how Catra hitting rock bottom had almost nothing to do with Adora. With the help of other friends Catra has begun to find her own reasons to change, she’s acknowledging her guilt and heartbreak and discovering the person she wants to become. She’s learning to take responsibility instead of just blaming other people. And this character development had nothing to do with romance, just like how Adora breaking free of her destiny and learning to let go of control had little to do with Catra. I love the different perspectives on love that they give us with Catra, Adora, and Scorpia. I love how this show takes the “love conquers all” trope and subverts it, saying that sometimes.. love breaks you. Sometimes it’s not enough. Sometimes it’s used as a weapon. Sometimes you have to let go of people you love, but it opens up space for you to figure out who you are and what you want and to conquer your own demons. You’ll come out the other side with a better understanding of what real, healthy love is supposed to look like. And maybe in the end, the love you always sought will find you again, in its own time, in its own way. 💘

[magicofthepen]

Gallifrey Relisten: The Inquiry

So this time I’m posting my reaction thoughts before listening to the corresponding @podofrassilon episode, so I’m curious to see if there’s anything that’s a) the same as someone’s thoughts on the podcast or b) in wild disagreement with someone thoughts on the podcast, because both are fun. And I might do a followup post if there are new things I want to talk about after listening to the podcast? Although mostly I’m just excited to hear other people talk about this episode because there are a few key things that fall under the category of “this is probably an interesting thing to theorize/speculate about but I haven’t really done that and it would be cool to hear other people do that.”

Spoilers for/mentions of: A Blind Eye, Lies, Enemy Lines, plus vague references to overall character arcs. 

“I am Lady Romanadvoratrelundar, President of the Supreme Council of Gallifrey and All Her Dominions, Holder of the Wisdom of Rassilon, Preserver of the Matrix, Guardian of the Legacy of Omega.” Romana, please.

“What is Narvin after? Why does he take part?” “Because he has no choice.” No, Narvin definitely was the one who called the inquiry, Leela has a valid point here. The motivations are a bit...weird, idk, in Weapon of Choice Narvin wants to hold Romana accountable, but this not-impartial inquiry with Brax in charge is definitely....not that. Was he hoping there would be a more genuine investigation into the Gryben incident but it didn’t work out? Did he care less about the inquiry after Romana didn’t actually end up starting a war or something in Weapon of Choice? Did he just want to make a point that when she crosses a line, he’ll make sure it isn’t forgotten? 

“He’s CIA, of course he’s up to something.” The venom directed towards the CIA here...it’s a bit hilarious. Listen, I know, I know that Romana has solid personal reasons to distrust the CIA at this point, but I’m still like...bold words from a future CIA Coordinator. 

“Whatever happened, the CIA recruited Narvin and he never looked back.” This is flagged purely to note that I’m excited to hear people’s Narvin backstory headcanons. And also, I’m not sure if I just never pay attention to this, but who was running Project Alpha, if not the CIA? That kind of weapon feels like it would already fall under the CIA’s supervision. 

There’s definitely a messy dynamic there with Narvin and "Torvald” and trust — Narvin lets “Torvald” hang around, but doesn’t actually want to tell him everything about Project Alpha. Obviously Narvin doesn’t know "Torvald’s” real identity, but at what point does he realize that Real Torvald was in league with Free Time? Is there a time when he shifts from some semblance of trust to strictly pretending to trust him? Does Narvin really trust anyone ever at this point? 

Romana figures out a way to track the device, but like. Has no one been looking for it this whole time? 

Darkel agrees to let Leela go as an impartial observer, and is generally pretty chill with Leela? Also pretty chill in general? Another big “I want to hear Thoughts about this” thing is Darkel’s shift in attitude towards Romana and Leela between The Inquiry and Lies — I think I’ve seen some ideas about it, but it isn’t set up in the same way that you can hear Narvin getting increasingly pissed at Romana the longer series one goes on. 

There are these recurring discussion of trust in this episode — Romana: Don’t trust Narvin. Or Torvald. Leela: I do not. They have let me down before. / Narvin: Do you trust the President? Leela: Why do you ask? / Leela to Brax: I trust you. And actually, it’s all about who Leela trusts (or is being told to trust, or doesn’t trust), which is super interesting considering the end of the next episode is going to leave Leela with some major trust issues. 

“Trust is something that is earned. Perhaps one day [Braxiatel] and Romana will earn your trust.” “I doubt it.” Well, Leela and Narvin are both half right. 

I wrote down “Andred you asshole” and now I genuinely can’t remember what I was referring to, but it sounds right. 

Narvin has moments where he’s almost being respectful towards Leela, but ruins it — i.e. “That Savage knows more about the art of war than you do.” 

Romana’s insistence that “Andred is probably dead and really you should move on” is uhhhhhh not the most supportive behavior but also dear god she really wants to be Leela’s favorite doesn’t she. 

The iconic: “One thing our President cannot be accused of is incompetence.” speech. :)

“I can make mistakes. And my mistakes have consequences.” A flickering moment of self-awareness from our favorite disaster president. 

Romana: “I’m going, Narvin, and you can’t stop me.” Me: yeah that’s the show isn’t it.

When exactly does the “metaphorical bridge at midnight” scene take place for Brax? He doesn’t seem to know about the threat of the data bomb yet, and he’s already dealt with the sculpture by the end of the episode in Present Times, and the meeting is clearly meant to be close to the present, but I’ve never really thought about when exactly it falls.

Kind of related: I am in general really interested in hearing other people talk about Brax because I don’t have many Brax thoughts myself? Mainly because I’ve only listened to Gallifrey (haven’t listened to Benny, haven’t read any of the books), so I feel like I can’t really form strong opinions or headcanons or theories about Brax’s character because there’s so much I don’t know about him. 

This is something I’ve seen other people talk about, but Narvin is actually being considerate of Leela’s feelings in this episode? “With all due respect to your late husband” — it backfires, but he is trying to acknowledge her loss even while he’s criticizing the Chancellery Guard. And then the whole bit where he hesitates to tell her exactly what Andred said to him, and quickly reassures her that Andred was lying when he was saying terrible things about Leela. I think Narvin’s behavior in that latter scene is partially motivated by trying to keep her calm and drag out telling her about Andred until Torvald can get there for backup (she was threatening him), but there’s another part of it that does seem quite genuine.   

Yet another episode this season where the solution is to let the bomb go off, to let events run their course. 

So if Brax and Narvin were the only people who knew about Project Alpha, how did Arkadian know to steal the device to try to provoke a war? Certain Theories About Arkadian aside...the question of how the heck he knew it existed and how to go after it is an interesting one. All questions about Arkadian are interesting ones tbh, considering there are no answers about Arkadian. 

It genuinely took me several times listening through Gallifrey before I realized that they did actually destroy a planet at the end of the episode because they’re very chill about it? Oh, this device is So Terrible, but yeah, it’s cool if it kills everybody on that planet because that’s how Time Goes. It’s not even really made into a moral dilemma? Idk it always felt a bit tonally inconsistent with the other episodes this series, which I think is why I genuinely did not follow this bit of plot for so long.

Okay, so when the timonic fusion device was stolen, it was snatched right before detonation? And wasn’t there a whole thing in episode one about how the detonation sequence couldn’t be stopped? (I mean, it wasn’t a real detonation sequence in episode one, but still). The point is: they stole it like a second before it blew up and really quickly turned it off...how? (This is mostly just me being nitpicky for fun, I don’t actually care that much about the details, this is Doctor Who.)

Kind of alluded to this above, but yet another episode that ends with Narvin being pissed at Romana (here for disregarding Brax breaking the rules). 

Next Episode Reaction: A Blind Eye

Previous Episode Reaction: Square One

[lovedinapastlife]

Riverdale 3x16 - BIG FUN

BUGHEAD IS BEAUTIFUL~

Oh damn this episode is surreal in a way I’m not entirely comfortable with. But it’s exciting! Everyone’s looking forward to moving on from the craziness of dead bodies, breakups, and…drug trades. Amidst college and running businesses and stuff. Obviously. Normal high school stuff. Kinda reminds me of the nostalgia for season one.

Was the opening Mr. Musical Theater’s big number? Shucks, I wanted more of a sampling. This was mostly talk-singing, which…I’ll take. Kinda like the awkward rocking in the hallway haha.

Lili wearing green makes her eyes pop and my heart go poof. Similarly to Jughead’s adoring fuzzy feelings, I’m sure. DANG. They’re in HIS room now. Are they staying together?! Yay!

Aw I kinda like the idea that Betty and V would help Cheryl look and feel her best after being tossed over (ish)

I love the intros. “Bro it up. Two single straight dudes” like wow.

Chainsaw line is iconic, especially when moving to cut to the title. You think Kevin was subtly trying to dig at Cheryl for forcing him to cater to her?

LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR - another theme of this season

Betty rolling her eyes is amazing.

I love that the girls choreo’d their own fanciness. I liked Cheryl’s batch better but tbh I didn’t enjoy the dance-off and it’s hair-whip noises. Maybe it was so hyped in the behind-the-scenes videos that I found myself cringing at the octopus moves? And Toni’s batch wasn’t in sync so it was that much more awkward to watch. But I did love the “SHUT UP, TONI!” and look B+V exchanged afterwards. Yeah just gonna say up front this episode react is probably not gonna sit well with Toni stans.

Hiram dropping dramatic family stuff and racking up a bill at the Five Seasons. Who would’ve thought he’d be the one to instigate that divorce, right? Veronica cries almost disturbingly well. I’m not sure why she’d want them to be together after the assassination attempts and affairs and general shenanigans, but hey—it’s Riverdale.

Oh god is Betty the only one who notices the death-blue drinks and scary Gargoyle Pig person? These kids are stupid. I did catch Sweet Pea/JD with his slurpee which made me happy. FREEZE YOUR BRAAAAAIN~ Judge away the whole party, Betty. They tend not to be great luck in this town.

“Brainiac?!” Did she just call Reggie that?! HA. Oh geez I hate Evelyn (but I love her flouncy scrunchie and graphic shirts) and I hate Kevin and their stupid cult and drugs. Why can’t brownies ever be normal on a teen show?! Also, HI MIDGE!

I do love the idea of throwing a party to take ownership of Sisters of Quiet Mercy. If only it wasn’t so cult-y. Why are there people in swimsuits in the drowning tub while Archie jumps over them? Also, drugged-up dancing got some good Kevin hip waggles and some yikes s1 arrogant Reggie vibes. But Veggie is on again for 30 seconds? Okay then.

Jughead eating in the background as Betty side-eyes the circle share is such a glorious mood. Aw and then hugs for V. I am LOVING this side-eye mood. How did people not know Archosie was happening when they were always in the practice room, at each other’s houses, and walking in the halls together? So much awkward is happening that the cringe levels are through the roof. Kevin’s hand on his heart was so over-the-top. I kinda loved it? And I’m surprised V didn’t have more of a reaction to the Archie stuff, tbh, even if she’s got bigger things on her mind.

Oh no Toni’s got a solo and it’s here for the color of blood. Literally. Is she pointing at their crotches? Ugh her stripping musical threesome was so insulting it made my stomach churn. They just tried to make it seem like Sweet Pea wants something deep and yet he’s ready for a random hookup again? Peaches hasn’t even had any lines or anything to do but stand around looking smug. They’re trying so hard to make Toni sexy and it’s just feeding the lesbian/bisexual slutty stereotype. Can this show do hookups? Ever? There’s been no sexual/attraction buildup to this “threesome” (honestly Toni hasn’t even been a good friend to SP lately) and there was no fallout afterwards either! She was just like, “COME STRIP ONSTAGE WITH ME and this other person you’ve never talked to but beat the shit out of you one time. Oh wait no I’m good with my clingy yet complimentary ghost gf, you two have fun byeeeee”

Jughead and Betty flirting makes me feel slightly better

OH GOD NO KANGS. At this point the bile I’d been suppressing was legit in my throat. Like, why does attraction/love have to be tied to something awful 90% of the time in this show? Kevin and Fangs could’ve been a cute couple if they built up their connection beyond two lines over the course of two seasons. But no. Cult psychedelic weirdness over Midge, just like Moose and Kevin. Maybe even over Joaquin. DO WE NOT LEARN? I’m not even gonna start with the Farmies.

Archosie scene. Fun spin dance, but I still think they’re cute paper cutouts of nothingness at this stage.

Oh, of COURSE Weatherbee joined a cult. Loser.

I love Cheryl’s Heather Chandler vibe and scrunchie. Good call about making Toni test the tea for poison. Aw, I kinda wanted to see Ghost!JJ.

I have basically a folder full of stills of this scene and narrowed it down to these. Aw baby Jug, Betty understands better than anyone what he’s going through. When Betty was trying to get Jughead to look at her I legit felt emotional. And then they were beautiful. Forever. WE FINALLY GOT THEM DANCING! Oh and on his knees! Proposal vibes! I might’ve watched this scene EIGHT BILLION times for the eyes and hands and general endless soulmate love vibes. Like, this scene made the episode for me. They were so emotional and invested and harmonized like angels and I needed that in my life so thank you, universe. I hope Cole and Lili get to do amazing scenes like this together in the future because it was beautiful.

Ch*ni kinda interrupted my mains with their totally different vibe and zero choreography, even though they did sound lovely. Neither of them have changed their behavior to make their relationship work internally, whereas Bughead are sick of the external forces of the town trying to destroy their childhood icons/innocence and bonding over their love for each other despite their familial madness. I need a Bughead exclusive soulmates cut. Thank you.

Haha um...I think closing the drug lab in general would be good? Maybe not during the musical when Betty might be vulnerable again (and the rest of Riverdale) but hey...it’s entirely possible it’s emotional and not logical of me to say that ;) Sheriff FP seems extremely unbothered by mobile drug labs in town so why should we be, right?

HIRAM! SAY IT LIKE IT IS! I love that he called out Veronica’s shock over Hermione trying to have him killed. Twice. How rude.

I actually really liked Cami’s interpretation of “Lifeboat.” It’s pretty, but I’m not sure it added much to her story? Same with her attempt to have her parents go to opening night together. Maybe that song is more of an overarching theme for her story this season. Ish? But she also distances herself from people? Mehhhh overanalyzing Riverdale hurts my brain. And then her ploy to have one last happy memory is just them not looking or talking at each other and she feels worse. Ouch.

Why is there so much old stereo equipment in their house? I know they worked at a garage/scrapyard, but I didn’t see any speakers? I care too much about set dressings but whatever. Poor FP is dealing with hazards of being on the job. Gladys had hilarious delivery like, “Oh nooooo. Drugs. That’s terrible.” Also, she’s totally drinking beer in front of him, a recovering alcoholic. Classy. And also telling. Jughead and Betty are just side-eyeing in the background.

Did Cheryl send herself all those roses?! XD I did think the “blot” moment was cute but I still don’t understand what’s changed. I don’t even know if Veggie is a thing. Probably not. Okay then. Did love Reggie looking in the handheld mirror totally in-character though.

I KNEW THEY’D BURN THE PLACE DOWN ONE DAY! Omg the puns. The fire extinguisher. The kiss—oh oh my. Arson and tender body touching. All right. I’m down. Do they have a car now? Is Bughead gonna live in it? I cannot handle their passion in the best way possible.

The finale choreography was terrible. Oh my god was that cringe. I mean, couldn’t we at least get them looking at each other for a sec like the adorable Bughead moment of holding hands? Or someone helping V when looking at her parents? I get that they’re entreating the audience to be better (like Betty’s speech a billion years ago), but it didn’t hit the mark with me for some reason. My expression was mostly a mix of the Jones’. Was it just me, or did everyone onstage look like they were in some range of pretending really hard not to feel uncomfortable?

HI CHAD! The cult is terrifying. Also, if all the psychos are there, why aren’t Alice and Polly in attendance? The woooooorst. Was no one else inclined to clap like a normal person? Evelyn in general was interesting, trying to earn her father’s approval and everyone’s trust, but it’s usually so messed up on drugs and stuff that I don’t quite enjoy her scenes. Everything with the Farm is usually deferred, which annoys me, but we’ll get our answers soon, I’m sure. I want more Chad. I’m curious if the buildup is gonna pay off ^-^

And people are going through windows next time?

I really wanted the “hell” line from Heathers when Bughead came back from burning stuff down but I will live. Okay. Put our bids in for next season’s musical now and how long it’s gonna take us to get a promise/engagement ring on Bughead. Thank you.

[wazafam]

Darcey has become one of the most iconic players in the 90 Day Fiancé scene, with stints in Before the 90 Days, and amassing so much popularity that she reappeared on the show. Darcey and her twin sister even earned their own series on TLC called Darcey and Stacey. It's not difficult to see as to why they were given their own reality show, as the fashion design owners' relationships seen by millions of viewers have entertained as well as lent people the ability to observe relationships in a much more personal sense. Her sense of style, relatable flaws and insecurities, down-to-earth yet showy nature, and lack of luck in the relationship department have made Darcey an admired figure from the series.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: 7 Couples That Bug Us On Pillow Talk (& 7 We Wish Were Cast)

A woman progressively working towards self-improvement, confidence, and self-love, she's inspired many to self-reflect on the state of their own egos and how they treat others as well as themselves, not to mention the many enjoyable or shocking moments they got to spend with Darcey. Even reality stars are human - Darcey has no holds about it when it comes to her emotions and learning experiences.

10 Darcey Hints to Jesse About Proposing

Among one of their very first dates, Jesse, who is almost 20 years her junior, takes Darcey out bike riding in Amsterdam. Everyone has their own idea about what a perfect date looks like - apparently, Jesse's is taking his girlfriend on a bike ride, even though she's clearly a little uncomfortable.

Not the most familiar with bike riding, especially in the middle of a busy city, Darcey laughs and yells as she struggles to maintain control, though maintaining a good sense of humor. Turning it around, she suggests they visit the Diamandt Museum and mentions her diamond ring... suggesting perhaps someday it should be replaced by something more official, much to Jesse's discomfort.

9 Darcey & Tom's First Night Together

Still reeling from her toxic relationship with Jesse, Darcey has a hard time settling in with Tom on their first night in an Airbnb he purchased them in London. Surprised he arranged for them to be in two separate rooms, Darcey states she likes his room better, suggesting not that they switch, but rather hinting that they sleep together for the night.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: 10 Ways Anfisa Has Changed Since The Show

Tom isn't sure how to deal with her overflowing emotions. The night becomes awkward as both adults are faced with Darcey's need to heal from her previous relationship and a general need to feel validated.

8 Darcey & Jesse Try to Have a Family Dinner

Towards the tail end of their destructive relationship, Jesse gaslit Darcey on the day that they're supposed to make dinner for themselves and Darcey's two teen daughters.

Jesse becomes incredibly passive-aggressive, stating everything he does from that point on is "for the kids" even though it's really out of spite, often making the girls uncomfortable and forcing Darcey to put on a brave face for them. The girls stand up for their mother, marking the death of 'Jarcey' as Jesse and Darcey's incompatibility finally gets in the way of family.

7 Tom Tricks Darcey into Thinking He's Proposing

Though Tom has only just been introduced in the Darcey timeline, there are already some red flags. His resistance to accommodate her and try and mold her into someone she isn't make it more and more apparent that there is manipulation going on. In his trying to tame the lively, glamourous, and particular Darcey, he subtly tricks her by showing her a box and presenting it importantly.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: 10 Best Quotes From Larissa

Smart on her behalf, Darcey gets excited but downplays it as well as to not act too quickly, only to be presented with a huge, gaudy-looking key to his house instead of some fine jewelry, as she was previously expecting. Nonetheless, Darcey was grateful for the gesture, and likely is happy it was just a key and not a ring seeing as how toxic Tom ended up being.

6 Tom Shows Up at Darcey's Door

In a petty act, Tom shows up at Darcey's house in Connecticut to give her his letter. It's an awkward event as Stacey is the first one to answer the door, responding "Are you kidding me right now?" after seeing Tom and bowing her head in secondhand embarrassment.

She calls after Darcey, who doesn't take any of Tom's words seriously when he claims he's apologizing for his abusive and childish behavior when they broke up. Darcey righteously doesn't give him the satisfaction of being "forgiven."

5 Darcey's Heel Gets Stuck

Perhaps in a moment of foreshowing in what is to come, Darcey is in the airport on her way to meet Jesse for the first time when her pointed heel gets stuck in the escalator.

While it's a funny happenstance, the anxiety is palpable as Darcey becomes stressed over barely being able to walk in her scuffed-up new shoes before joining someone who she thinks is the love of her life.

4 Darcey Catches Tom in a Lie & Breaks Up With Him

When Darcey and Tom are attempting long-distance, she catches a picture of him on social media with another woman. Rightfully angry at him, she prepares herself to confront him and end their relationship altogether.

RELATED: 90 Day Fiance's Most Popular Couples: Where Are They Now

When they meet in New York for the last time, Tom continues accusing her of manipulation, and not letting him have any power in the relationship. She brings up the other woman to him, catching him in his lie. His face suddenly shifts, having been found out, and he responds awkwardly, "Yeah..." They break up, he immaturely says she put on weight, and Darcey pays for the check and leaves, unbothered.

3 Darcey Makes Herself Up During Quarantine

Quarantine hit everyone in some sort of way. In an update for 90 Day Fiancé, Darcey films herself and her family talking about how their lives have been affected during the pandemic.

Humorously, she and her sister Stacey attempt doing their own nails. Darcey also shows off her makeup routine, broken acrylics, and hair extensions falling out.

2 Darcey Freshens Up at the Airport Bathroom

Before her first in-person meeting with Tom, Darcey uses her womanly know-how to freshen up after a long flight from the US to the UK.

Taking advantage of the fact that the driver is there to pick her up instead of Tom, Darcey spends approximately 45 minutes with her things strewn about the airport bathroom, cleaning, re-dressing, and dousing perfume on herself. "Gotta smell like an angel," she remarks, before strutting out the bathroom.

1 Darcey Stands Up for Rose

Darcey stood up for Rose when Big Ed went on the attack on the Tell-All episode. While not being outright rude to Ed and rather taking a more diplomatic approach, Darcey explains how Ed is selfish and manipulative, much like what she went through with Jesse and Tom.

She also lifts Rose up and says she should be treated like a queen. The statement causes the other women to stand up against Ed and support Rose as well in a positive domino-effect.

NEXT: 90 Day Fiance: 10 Facts TLC Tries To Keep On The Down-Low

90 Day Fiancé: 10 Most Memorable Darcey Scenes | ScreenRant from https://ift.tt/3ldbQWQ

[transformationalpsychology-blog]

How to Outsmart Your Excuses to Become More Productive

This article originally appears on: http://averyhayden.net/how-to-outsmart-your-excuses-to-become-more-productive/

I open my laptop and tell myself, “Time to write that new rationalization article.” Before I open Word, I notice the Netflix icon on my desktop and I think, “Well, it’s been a long day, I’ve earned a quick break, it’s important to rest.” So… I start the first episode of House of Cards.As the episode nears its end, I say, “Okay, but this is the only episode, after this, I’ll get back to work.” The credits roll, and I tell myself, “Just one more episode.” This pattern repeats itself for a good four hours until eventually I tell myself, “I’ll write the rationalization article tomorrow.”Rationalization

Behold the power of rationalization. Rationalization has two steps:

We feel a negative emotion: stress, resistance, fear, etc…

We Make up a seemingly logical explanation for that negative emotion.

In the above example, I felt stressed about working, so I rationalized that I deserved to take a break by watching some Netflix before getting to work.

We all rationalize. Emotions are the most powerful driver of human behavior, and our emotions often don’t align with our long-term goals. Intellectually, we may want to lose 20 pounds, but emotionally, our brain would much prefer to sit on the couch and eat Cheetos. Intellectually, we may want to be a standup comedian, but emotionally, we’re terrified of risking social humiliation. Intellectually, we may want to start a business, but emotionally, we don’t want to risk failure.

Emotions Trump Logic

The intellectual center of your brain (generally speaking, the neo-cortex), is the part of your brain that sets goals, thinks about the future, and uses a certain degree of logic in its decision making. But that part of your brain isn’t nearly as powerful as the more ancient emotional centers in your brain.

Neurologically, emotions specifically exist to guide your behavior. For example, it isn’t a coincidence that sex feels good, that feeling is your brain’s way to convince you to have as much sex as possible.

Many of our decisions are guided by emotions and make no logical sense. Logically, smoking, quitting the gym, or ordering a 2,000 calorie meal at Taco Bell are all uniformly bad decisions. Yet, they feel good (if for only a moment), so your brain invents rationalizations to make those decisions seem logically sound.

Rationalization can be dangerous because it causes us to lose perspective. When we rationalize we do what feels good in the moment- which often contradicts decisions that will help us progress towards our long-term goals.

Many of our long-term goals are worth pursuing, yet, we will never accomplish them if we buy into our rationalizations every time we experience some emotional resistance.

This creates a conundrum because any worthwhile long-term goal will bring about emotional resistance. If you want to get in better shape, at some point you’re going to feel an emotional desire to quit. If you want to build a business, at some point you’re going to want to give in to your fear of failure and quit.

So, how do we overcome rationalization (well, some of it) so that we can more effectively accomplish our long-term goals?

Awareness is the Key

Awareness is the key to outsmarting rationalizations. Rationalizations are only effective because they seem to make logical sense. If you feel stressed, it makes sense that you might think, “I deserve a cheat meal,” but if you notice that your inner dialogue is just a rationalization, you can choose to act against that rationalization.

As soon as you tell yourself, “Yeah, but today isn’t my cheat day, I just want to eat fast food to cope with my stress,” you can will yourself to overcome the rationalization.

Of course, this is easier said than done. The first step to becoming aware of your rationalizations is to understand that wherever there is emotional resistance, there is rationalization. This means that whenever you feel uncomfortable, stressed, or fearful, you should be skeptical of the voice in your head.

Whenever you feel strong emotions, the intellectual center in your brain is taking a backseat to the emotional center: your long-term goals are no longer being prioritized, and your mind will try to convince you to take the easy way out.

When you notice you are rationalizing, don’t fight against yourself, this will just cause you more distress. Instead, ask yourself questions, challenge your thinking. For example, you might ask:

“Am I rationalizing right now?”

“Am I really too tired to work?”

“Will I regret this decision tomorrow?”

“Is there another way to think about this?”

“Why do I feel so much resistance, should I avoid it, or face it head on?”

When you engage in this kind of self-inquiry, you will sometimes realize that you are in fact falling for an emotional rationalization, and once you are aware of this fact, you will be free to make the decision the rationalization is attempting to prevent you from making.

This isn’t a quick fix, it’s a long-term process. You won’t always catch your rationalizations, and sometimes even when you do, you’ll still listen to them. But, at other times you will outsmart your rationalizations and act in spite of them. Over time, through asking yourself questions like the above, you can limit the power rationalization has over your life, and take more conscious control of your decisions instead of being constantly swayed by the emotions of the moment.

Also, you can join the new Self-improvement Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1091142534353121/ Here, we share and discuss ideas about improving our lives.

[juniperhillpatient]

Oh yeah I’m supposed to be writing a re watch post for Nightmares & Daydreams. I really don’t feel like it tho lol

All I have to say about Aang’s dreams is they were funny but there’s nothing worth getting analytical about there. Also, it’s crazy how little the show built up Ozai as a big bad this season. This is like, the most we’ve ever seen of him in one episode & it’s parody dream versions.

The fire siblings interactions in this episode, I already wrote a separate post about.

Zuko & Mai’s scenes were really cute tho so I wanna quickly say that before I move on from this episode. Again - Zuko & Mai are actually such a soft pair, why did I let fandom make me believe they were like, a contentious couple?

Mai is super soft & caring in this episode, & I notice she’s fully by Zuko’s side 100% as he navigates the drama with the war meeting. She doesn’t push him to do one thing or another or change the way he feels, she just tries to be there for him. Mai is actually a very caring & attentive girlfriend & it’s really striking me during this re watch because I think she gets flanderized into a dark mean goth by fandom - maybe even by me in the past, I don’t know. She can be very soft & kind toward Zuko though.

No one earned any iconic behavior points this episode. That’s all I have to say about it lol