#yes this is my second time rewatching the full series in the span of a week leave me alone

[momoliee]

Here Is Why You Should Read Priest’s Modern Danmeis :

As much as i love priest’s period novels, i absolutely adore her more recent, modern novels even more. You can tell that her writing style has completely changed as she grew and gained more experience, giving an edge to her work. I definitely believe her modern books NEED to be as popular as her wuxia ones cause COME ON?

(i’ve written in depth reviews on my page for each title i mention)

First, my absolute all time favorite, one of my top 3, Mo Du :

I’ve read this series a total of two times so far, and I’m about to read it a third time cause it’s just that good. And here’s the thing, i almost NEVER reread or rewatch stuff ok.

Fei Du is one of the most complex characters that i’ve encountered in my reading experience, with the worst type of mental trauma that i could come across. His relationship with Luo Wenzhou is one of the most enjoyable and perhaps, priest’s best written romance. Theyre both equally flirtatious, equally bold, their back and forth bickering is full of sexual tension and their progression from enemies to lovers is IMPECCABLE.

And the plot? PHENOMENAL. The BEST mystery and thriller detective series that I’ve ever encountered, with each book having it’s own individual mystery, and no two mysteries are similar. From child trafficking to serial killers to drug dens and even terrorism….you name it. Each arc is well crafted, and by the end, you’ll truly be able to sigh in satisfaction. For priest to be able ro make you enjoy both the romance and the plot equally…shes a genius. a 27/10.

Trigger warnings: this book discusses heavy topics such as pedophilia, rape, drug abuse, suicide, self harm, and a lot of similar topics

Next: Can Ci Pin:

Her most underrated work and i cant even begin to understand why. I mean yes it takes place in outer space in a futuristic society where people live for around 200 years across the span of 8 galaxies (not there are no aliens, but there are concepts such as ais and robots) but like….you’ve all read sha po lang with its steampunk theme and you all KNOW just how good priest is at world building. Dare i say, priest is the best danmei author when it comes to world building.

Yes, this is perhaps her slowest and longest piece of work and i get why so many would get bored after the second book. But here’s the thing, ccp has one of the most complicated worlds and plot. the plot is actually one of the most confusing and heavy plots that i’ve encountered. so in order for the story not to fall apart, it was very necessary for priest to spend the first two novels and half world building as well as slowly laying out a proper foundation for the plot. That way, when she starts speeding up the pace, you are basically a pro who doesn’t need to backtrack, reread or double check anything. By the time i was done with the third novel, i felt like i knew everything about space politics, wars between galaxies, Ai and microchips, and everything in between. And that’s saying something cause im an IDIOT when it comes books and shows politics ok.

In this series, priest has seriously invested into every single side character, even those who’ve been dead since before the series even started. With extensive backstories, each and every single character grows on you as much as the main pair if not more, and you fall in love with the found family priest created as well as all the characters who are only talked about in flashbacks and past tense. Another favorite part about this series.

Now the main characters and the romance….chefs kiss. Lu Bixing has one of the BEST character arcs that i’ve come across. He starts off as this bright sunshine boy, goes through hell, becomes this depressed cynical man then finds his way back to his old self again all in the span of the novel itself. Being able to go through the pain with him then watch him heal, makes you very attached to this baby. Li Jingheng my all time cold prince biggest crush ok i love him. Their romance was SOO entertaining cause EVERYONE was rooting for them and everyone played matchmaker and wingman with them it was HILARIOUS. The comedy was top notch, the second hand embarrassment was real, but it made the reading experience feel much more organic idk i just enjoyed myself so much and laughed so hard. 20/10

Trigger warnings: human trafficking and experimentation, self harm and suicide

Third : Lie Huo Jiao Chou

Xuan Ji’s wings of flame are the highlight of the series ok. Almost every single scene has him whipping his wings out just to show off and his boyfriend eats it up everytime ok.

I absolutely love the amnesiac plot line where two past lovers meet again and yet are unable to recognize each other. Yet, slowly, as they spend more and more time together and one of them starts regaining his memories, the pining and longing begins. And oh does Xuan Ji YEARNS in the most beautiful way possible. And once they BOTH regain their memories in full, the angst is just the cherry on top. Being unable to resist each other yet still trying to pull away, the tension, trying to hold back…delicious.

The plot is so easy to keep up with and enjoy too. Both the story taking place 3,000 years ago and the one in present time are equally entertaining, where we see scenes of war and tomb raiding and investigations and a little bit of magic too. The visuals are fantastic, and the contrast between the two parallel settings is new and refreshing as a concept. 8/10

Trigger warning: main characters experience severe child abuse and neglect

Fourth : Guardian

Guardian is the most popular out of priest’s modern novels so i dont feel the need to say much.

Guardian discusses heavy topics such as death and what’s beyond. With an element of mystery where an investigation team search after where dead souls are being stolen to or why some souls are being sucked out of living people, the premises has an element of horror and goth that gives it this edge. Coolest ghost story around.

The main cast is also a hilarious bunch, and you sort of grow attached to the entire office especially a fat black talking cat. 7/10

Trigger warning: death and murder

I hope this is enough to convince you all to check out more and more of pipi’s work. Yes, sha po lang, lord 7, faraway wanderers and fuyao sect are amazing…but if you haven’t read priest’s modern work then yall are missing out ok. that’s it for now xxx

[mrbensonmum]

TV Show - CSI: Las Vegas IV

We did it! The middle of the second season brought the much talked about changes in the aspect ratio, and at the same time, although it was subtly hinted at the beginning of the season, the lab and the interrogation rooms also changed.

But before we can enjoy this new, wonderful, screen-filling view, we have to go through another tough battle. Because yes, I'm harping on it, but Catherine is really exhausting at the beginning of the second season.

So far, she hasn't been confirmed as supervisor, and she graciously declined the temporary takeover by Grissom. Yet she behaves constantly like a boss, always bringing up that she's not properly appreciated, and her interactions with colleagues are just impossible; that's just not teamwork, sorry. Yes, she's supposed to be portrayed as the strong woman, and I can understand a certain gruffness there, but I find her incredibly disrespectful when working with Nick, Greg, or Sara. They're her colleagues and teammates, what's up with that??

This brings us directly to another point that struck me in the first part of the second season, namely the treatment of Greg. The impetus for this came from a comment by Grissom when Greg dared to call Paul Millander clever in his eyes. You can do that, and yes, Grissom is particularly involved in this case, but that was kind of intense. It made me realize that Greg is being treated quite disrespectfully. After all, he's a crucial point in almost every investigation; let's remember how often Grissom is with him, gets some info, and leaves with the idea to solve the case. It's no different with the others, and yes, Greg can be difficult, but he simply doesn't deserve this treatment.

Now I've watched one episode in the new format, and it feels like they've changed quite a bit here. We've already mentioned the aspect ratio, and as a result, the camera shots of the city feel much more natural and fuller. But even with the individual characters, more is revealed or they are set in scene differently. There's more play with the composition of the individual shots, and it feels like the series has undergone a facelift. The aforementioned lab has also changed; it hasn't received the full glass setup yet, but the somewhat outdated look from the first season is gone. Now, they play even more with the light; through the glass fronts, some shots can be better executed, and characters are often accompanied by the camera when walking through the facility or from one lab to another.

Other actors also have one of their first appearances here, just like back then in Dr. House. So we see an even younger Jeremy Renner and a very young Amanda Righetti, who will later become a regular on The Mentalist. What becomes of Jeremy Renner should be known!

With Paul Millander, who pulled a pretty big rabbit out of his hat in his last episode, we've also dealt with one of the first episode-spanning villains. Tammy is still around, but I found that Paul was much more present, especially because he managed to establish himself as a judge.

Meanwhile, Grissom's hearing impairment has also become noticeable, which will manifest more frequently as the series progresses. I especially like the episode where he reveals that he knows sign language because I really like Deanne Bray. She's always a ray of sunshine when I see her in a series, and it's fun to watch her speak or gesture in sign language. I just saw that she's also in Heroes for a longer period (9 episodes). Luckily, this series is also still on my rewatch list.

Now that we're practically in full throttle, because Doc Robbins and Super Dave are fully on board, along with Archie, who used to sit behind the cameras at a university and now works in his role as Archie in the CSI, we can really get started. My brain is already being flooded with wild memories, and I'm more excited than ever that I started this rewatch.

And don't worry, I haven't forgotten that we've already had the pleasure of meeting the charming Lady Heather. But I'll save that for the next post because we know there's still a lot more to come.

[sofoulandfairaday]

The ultimate How I Met Your Mother Finale rant

I know this has been done before, and I know I'm several years late to the party, but I don't care, so IN THIS ESSAY I WILL tell you about why this finale takes the spot as the second-worst finale in TV show history (because Game of Thrones is still, to this day, unbeatable, and it will probably stay like that forever). 

But first, a little context: I've just finished binge-watching HIMYM. This binge has been going on for three days straight (my final exam of the semester is in a week and I should be studying, so the fact that the last few days were a partial waste of time makes me so mad). Second thing: I already knew how it would end, and yes, kids, it does ruin the show for you. It ruins the show so much it makes your blood boil when you rewatch certain scenes, but I will get to that. 

You might want to make yourself a drink because this is a complete list of all the reasons why HIMYM's finale sucks - I'm warning you, it's gonna be looong.

It completely invalidates the entirety of season 9

This is one of the complaints people most often have with this series, and I have to agree. It would have been so much better if the last two episodes never existed, and they just showed Barney and Robin dancing at the reception after walking out of the chapel, Ted noticing Tracy and then the platform scene. "And that, kids, is the story of how I met your mother". Cut scene. Honestly, I don't get the hate people give to season 9, barring the last 2/3 episodes, especially since season 8 was so much worse (except for a few honourable mentions, like The Robin). S8 was slower, less funny, and less deep, and while the authors took a risk by making s9 happen in the span of a weekend it paid off: they took their time introducing the character of the Mother to the gang and fleshing her out. They make sure to highlight all the little ways in which Ted and Tracy are perfect for each other, and even tie up loose ends, like with the Slapsgiving episode, that was a filler but it wasn't boring to watch (although it may be problematic for different reasons, I'm not Chinese, so I can't say for sure if it's cultural appropriation or just the authors making fun of a particular movie genre). 

Some episodes were arguably great: "Daisy" was amazing, and that whole fight between Marshall and Lily was so realistic and well thought out, "Sunrise" was extremely important for Ted's character development, same goes for Tracy and "How Your Mother Met Me", "Bedtime stories" was impressive, "Rally" was incredibly funny and proved once again what a beautiful character Barney Stinson is, so much so that even Robin never has doubts that he (the guy with the biggest commitment issues on the planet) will bail on her before the wedding, and says to Ted that "he always comes back". Daphne's character is super funny and the right amount of annoying, the shenanigans of the gang are well thought out and all of the characters (not just Barney) complete their arc in this season. The last two/three episodes butcher that.

Marshall and Lily

Marshall and Lily, arguably the world's most solid couple, are the only thing this God-awful finale gets right, especially Marshall, who is my second-favourite character, that finally gets everything he deserves. But what about Lily? They never mention her career after Italy, and I refuse to believe she goes back to being a kindergarten teacher as if her year in Rome meant nothing. I also refuse to think she becomes nothing but a political wife, the equivalent of Zoey, but without saving the world. We know she has three kids, but her postpartum depression is never really talked about much and they definitely had the screentime to delve into it. 

Barney

 Where do I even begin? Barney Stinson is, without a doubt, the best character in this series, the glue of the whole gang. I think the message they were trying to give is that, since his trauma stemmed from the absence of a father figure in his life, he could only truly heal by becoming a father as well. People also say that n°31 had to stay just a number, because who could match up with Barney Stinson? First of all, I call BULSHIT on that last point, because Robin wasn't the only girl Barney could have ended up marrying. I used to think that too, but it's just not true: that is the equivalent of saying that Barney was incapable to truly love a woman and commit to her, even after all the development he got, and that he only got one shot at love in life, and that's it. This goes against the point the showrunners try to make by having Ted and Robin end up together AND by having Tracy get with Ted in the first place: "it's never too late, you always have another chance at love, etc." And, let's face it, Barney and Robin are legendary, but Barney and Nora (hell, even Barney and Quinn!) were pretty good together too. 

Second of all, if they wanted to give Barney a kid, they could have easily done that, before Barney married Robin. Barney's "redemption" starts when he gets with Robin the first time, hell maybe even when we meet James for the first time: Nora, Quinn, finding out who his father is, the episode dedicated to the lies his mum told him/finding James' father, him getting to know his own dad, etc... those are all steps along the way. The s9 episode where Barney accepts the relationship between Loretta and the reverend proves how far he's come. So why not give him a daughter BEFORE he proposes to Robin? Have him cheat on Nora/Quinn with n°31, giving him a relapse, and having him get closer to Robin while struggling to be a dad to Ellie. That would have been great. 

Or, you know, don't give him children. What's the point of burning the Playbook if you're going to have him write the second edition? What's the point of having him do a complete 180 in the last few scenes and acting like having a kid is the only thing that makes him change? What's the point of doing that when the show spends entire episodes berating Marshall and Lily for "changing too much" when they have a kid?

Also, Barney is the "challenge accepted" guy. He loves his wife so much, he spent years wanting her, and then he gives up because there is no WiFi in his hotel. How does that make any sense at all? This is Barney Stinson, the "I will fly out to San Francisco and buy Lily a plane ticket", the "I will steal every girl from my best friend just to save him for Lily", the guy that wrote the Playbook (it takes effort to pull those plays off), the guy that planned for weeks his proposal, the guy that waited years to get back at the man who stole his first girlfriend, the guy that makes every night legendary... are you telling me that that guy becomes the equivalent of a bored housewife instead of living his best life while travelling the world? Come on. They don't even try to make it believable.

Ted

While watching seasons 7 and 8, I felt that Ted was becoming the worst character on the show: he was boring, depressed, basically had no good storylines, the whole thing with Victoria was pointless and inconclusive (and the whole "stop being in love with Robin" was completely out of character for her), but whatever, we could have accepted that because it passed the message that two people could be good together, without being soulmates - which, by the way, renders the TedxRobin ship pointless, because they were right for each other, but Ted and Tracy were soulmates. Him being hung up on Robin in the latter seasons is almost pathetic, and the thing he does with the locket is insane, not romantic - BUT I will say this: it can be seen in two ways, depending on who's watching. I personally like the two as friends, so I see the whole thing as a "Dahmer" situation, but I get the people who see it as a "Dobler" one and see what he did as a grand romantic gesture. 

The problem, though, is that the whole TedxRobin ship gets pretty old, pretty fast: it's an annoying on-and-off thing, that should have ended with the locket. Because, yes, Ted was in a dark moment, yes, he was probably depressed, yes, he thought Robin was his only shot at happiness, but he changes during season nine! He spends entire episodes letting go of Robin, including the one where she transforms into a balloon and flies away. Ted is the good guy, ultimately. He is the guy that is genuinely happy for his best friends. In one of the deleted scenes from the finale, he meets Robin years later and says that he's so happy with Tracy he never thought about Robin in that way anymore. All of that gets thrown in the trash. Why do that? To use a Harry Potter metaphor, Ted is Severus Snape, while Barney is James Potter: the former loved the girl of his dreams with all his heart, even to the point of creepiness, but they weren't meant to be together. 

Robin

This, along with the next point, is the worst of all: Robin is the worst character of the entire finale. Her relationship with Ted in season 2 is wonderful, and I say that as a full-on Barney/Robin shipper. There was never a problem in their relationship, apparently, but they then break up because they have an "expiration date" and ultimately want different things in life. Except that Ted is not her soulmate. The only times when Robin wants Ted are the times where (1) she can't have him because he's either trying to move on or (2) the times where it's convenient, for example when they become roommates again and they solve their disputes again. Around that time, we see perfectly that Ted had moved on and that the person getting hurt was Barney. It's one thing to see Ted and Robin in the finale as two people picking up where they had left off after they dated. But this is not the case. 

In season 7, we have the exchange that should have put an end to any and all TedxRobin drama, and that completely invalidates whatever the writers wrote after that about the two of them: Ted declares his love - "I think you know how you feel about me now. I don't think time's gonna change that. Just tell me: do you love me?" To which she answers "No". And Ted also says later to Marshall, that he's "happy because he can finally move on". 

What a load of crap. 

Getting over someone is hard, believe me, I would know. And, oftentimes, it doesn't happen until we find someone else to love (and from the moment he meets Tracy, there is no one else for Ted). But by giving Ted feelings for Robin after this moment, it takes away from the beauty of it- because it's one of the most heartbreaking feelings in the world when you declare your love to someone and they don't love you back. Ted and Robin were both honest at that moment, and it was the last genuinely good exchange between them. After that, during season 8 they try to show us Ted trying to get over her (and failing) and in season 9 Ted getting over her completely. This is also weirdly paced because at the beginning of s8 both are in happy relationships with other people and there's no jealousy (which is good, because at least they weren't toxic) and they seem just friends (when Robin leaves Nick to go see him in the middle of the night, she implies that she would do it for any of her friends), but after Ted breaks up with Veronica because of Robin everything is weirdly coated in this sort of tension between the two: first Ted loves her, but she doesn't, so when he helps her by taking her to Barney's proposal ("which means my best bro in the world has given me his blessing"). 

And, by the way, every time they try to paint Ted as the guy that comes through for Robin after this moment, they dumb down Barney's character. And still fail to make Ted a better guy than him (see: the carousel in Central Park). 

Yes, Robin and Ted have some chemistry, but it is nothing compared to what Robin and Barney have. Every time Robin is jealous of Barney, it doesn't seem like a stupid whim, just because some other child is playing with her toys (except, perhaps, during The Robin). Robin and Barney's relationship would need a whole other post, and the next time I rewatch the series I will write down all the things that make them perfect for each other, but, to me, the biggest difference between the two relationships is this: in season 6, when she's not dating either one of them, Ted accuses Robin of never making him feel needed while they were together, whereas Barney praises her for it. Those are elective affinities: that's what Barney and Robin have, and what Tracy and Ted have. 

Barney and Robin have more or less the same arc: they both get over their fear of commitment and they do that with each other. Time and time again, we are told that if they're ever going to settle down, it would only be with the other. The first time they break up is honestly so stupid, and even when they are broken up, they are the best of friends, which also makes Robin's behaviour in the finale look so stupid. The way the two of them fit together is unparalleled, both in a romantic and a platonic way. 

Think about it: Robin makes Barney a better man, while she makes Ted a worse one. 

Also, the whole point that there are different seasons in life for everything gets thrown out the window: apparently, Ted and Robin (that were a couple that ultimately worked in their young twenties) are the same people in their forties.

But that's not even the worst part. The worst part is that the two final episodes butcher Robin's arc as well: episode 23 starts with Lily saying "I want this girl to be in our lives" and we know Robin never made other friends outside of the gang, because she didn't need to, and now she walks away from everything because of fucking Ted?? This is saying "hey, Robin was only in the group for Ted, who brought her in, and now she leaves because he's not her puppy anymore". Robin was the one that was eternally indecisive between Ted and Barney and you're telling me that three years and many many life experiences later, she's still not sure? 

The point of her story is learning how to get over her fear of commitment, learning how to be there for her friends (there's an entire episode dedicated to that, and it's the one where Lily's pregnant and we meet Robin's ex-best friend in Canada), and how to balance her job and her life. Also, the way her character is treated is un-feminist and un-progressive: she becomes Ted's consolation prize. She is passive throughout s9. She cannot, ultimately, win the modern-day struggle most women have and balance out career and love life, so her true life, her "happy chapter" begins after she has already accomplished everything she wanted to and she's free for Ted. She doesn't even go back to him, she just the prize the main character wanted for all his life and only got in the end because his wife died (ONE SCENE, people, ONE SCENE!). Also, this makes Tracy the "broodmare" that gives him the kids he wanted, and his "happy family" experience before he goes to be with his one true love. 

The mother

This. This makes me so mad. One whole season spent on building up Tracy's character, just for it to go to waste. It would have been so easy to screw her up, but she is hands down the best thing about s9. She's the perfect woman for Ted and the episode shot through her perspective is the sweetest. By the end, I liked her more than Robin and Lily. She was the perfect addition to their group, she fit together with them in a perfect way, and they show us the biggest moment of her and Ted's life... for what? To have her die in a few sentences? And I don't care if they shot a funeral scene, I don't care if the finale was supposed to be 40 minutes long, because, in the end, it wasn't. The scene where Ted meets her is the second most beautiful one (after Barney's proposal to Robin) and the climax of the whole show, but they ruin her... and for what? The chemistry Ted has with her, he has with no one. The joy she brings him, the way she understands him, is unlike any other. I am sure that one of the reasons they killed her off was the shock value and I hate it. 

I cannot stress this enough: Tracy makes Ted a better person. When he's with Robin, Ted is "the nice guy" in the most selfish and narcissistic version of the trope. When he's with Tracy, love comes easy to Ted. Also, the scenes between the two of them are arguably the best Ted scenes of the show.

The kids' reactions (ugh)

It's not really what they say- it's the way they say it. The end of HIMYM was not supposed to be funny, even though the show is a sitcom. It was supposed to be bittersweet and beautiful, because it's the end of an era, and the writers must have known that. So, Ted finishes telling his story, reveals to the audience that their now-beloved Tracy is dead, and the reaction is: "No, ahah, you totally have the hots for Aunt Robin" (their words, not mine). Like, what the actual fuck? I cringed when Penny said that. It's tasteless and not fun at all. Even if it has been six years... It's still your fucking mum, show a little bit of sadness at the thought of her. 

The reason the show ended this way

What makes me especially mad is that I know for a fact that the reason they went with this ending is that it was the original one, always intended for the show, from season 2 onwards. And, if you watch it right after s2, it makes sense. But if you consider the eight years that passed and the massive character development, then no, it's not the best possible one. So many things hadn't been decided yet back in s2, especially about Barney, Ted, and Robin, and I hate that they didn't dare to scrap their work. This ending probably had sentimental meaning to the writers, but authors have to do what's best for their characters, not themselves. It's like with GoT, in a way: I think that the authors were all too aware of the impact of HIMYM and didn't believe that their finale would live up to the expectations... which compelled them to make the worst decision possible?? Every single character is OOC during the episode. Oh, and Marshall and Lily moving in the last episode is a ripoff from Friends (or maybe a tribute? Idk). Anyway, I believe that the authors were too attached to their sentimental version of "what should have been" and didn't give the characters the endings they truly deserved.

"Life works this way" // "Life only moves forward"

Some people say that the show is realistic because that's how life works. But I call super-BS on that. That might be true, and yes, people do get sick and die (Max, Marshall's dad...) and life does go on. But then, you don't frame it the way they did. It's just bad storytelling if you do it like that. And the problem is not the structure of season 9, because the characters develop in that season. The problem isn't even the mother's death. The problem is Ted ending up with Robin because that's not life moving forward for him, that's him, doing the same thing he did in 2005, 25 (twenty-fucking-five) years before! 

In conclusion, this finale is incoherent and inconclusive, and not satisfying at all. The only character that gets a good ending is Marshall: why is that? What makes his ending great? It's the fact that his character arc is respected and he finally gets what he's been working towards for more than ten years.

[godkilller]

@izzabizz139

I wanna hear you rant about the Gin vs Hitsugaya anime fight bc I love seeing your pov and you clearly write better than whoever extended that scene :) pretty please

          out of character.  DON’T ENABLE ME SO MUCH !!  No but I cackled when I first saw this ask because oh my god, clearly you saw a taste of my annoyance about the anime adaptation -- no, adaptation implies it was accurate, I’ll say the anime’s take was “inspired by” the manga’s quick run-in. I’ll start by saying this moment is supposed to be a bit important considering, via the audience’s point of view, THIS IS THE FIRST WE SEE OF TWO CAPTAIN-RANKED SHINIGAMI CLASHING. The only other captain-involved fight we’ve seen thus far in the manga is Kenpachi  ( who is an outlier and should not be counted... no, I joke... but, still, Ichigo was not an equal to him, his sword was sliced through like butter. )  The whole reason I enjoyed this encounter between Toshiro and Gin was simply this; it wasn’t some fancy multi-chaptered fight. IN THE MANGA, THERE ARE ONLY TWO BLOWS MADE. One, by Toshiro, to begin the fight. The second, to end it, is Gin’s strike.

          I want you to know that I’ve rewatched this specifically to answer this ask, and only due to this, as I wouldn’t have ever sought it out otherwise. HONOR MY SACRIFICE.

          Read more for length. I’m merciful.

          In the anime, they monologue at each other, and it’s mostly a combination of Toshiro making three separate death threats  ( he starts this off by saying “I’ll kill you before Hinamori arrives” and then goes on rewording it each time, and then also repeats the death-threat he gave Gin prior to this conflict about “I’ll kill you if Hinamori bleeds” )  and then also Gin and Izuru talking about how truly powerful and amazing Toshiro is -- no, this isn’t me being bitter or petty, I literally shit you not, Gin has a line that is legit “AS EXPECTED FROM HITSUGAYA TOSHIRO, CAPTAIN OF THE TENTH DIVISION, A CHILD PRODIGY OF TH' SORT THAT ONLY COMES ALONG ONLY ONCE EVERY FEW CENTURIES. HOW VEEEERY DANGEROUS. YOU’RE SERIOUS, AIN’T YA?” like don’t get me wrong, love a good sarcastic little shit comment like that, but the amount of times the anime pumps Toshiro up like he’s their shinest new cash cow ( and he is, at this point, it is not even 50 episodes into the series and they’ve realized everyone likes him and he’s jumped to high ranks in popularity polls... earning him filler spotlights, and eventually his very own non-canon movie )  so everything coming out of Gin’s mouth feels like more bullshit than necessary. Izuru’s already literally monologued, internally, how powerful and amazing Toshiro is anyways. Why this ?

          Not to mention that, prior to saying that long-winded shit, Gin’s haori changed length three times  ( and once it was longer than his entire body by several feet, and no not in a ‘to show motion’ way )  and most importantly Shinso was drawn, consistently, at katana-length for the duration of their little spat where the following, too, happened: Gin frog-leaps after doing a backflip, Toshiro gives Gin two (2) haircuts, Gin ruins some floorboards and gives Toshiro at least one splinter in his arm, Toshiro whilst wearing socks lands on Shinso’s blunt edge and pushes the sword down with his footsie because that’s how that works, there’s another backflip somewhere in there that Gin doesn’t need to be doing, twirl, twirl, and ballet, Gin’s face elongates until his chin is bigger than his face, Gin spends ten+ seconds purely dodging very close strikes to his face as Toshiro is the only one making breathy growly and ‘tsuuaaah’ sounds, there is a brief moment of no gravity as Toshiro keeps hacking at Gin midair and Gin blocks it over and over again but they still stay in the air but they’re not standing or jumping or using reiatsu they’re just like, momentum-locked I don’t fucking know, Gin frowny faces as he blocks because like somehow this kid who doesn’t even have more reiatsu than him, whose arm strength should not be an issue, is like. making him nervous?? as sword sparks fly. if you know me at all you know I hate when they fuckin’ firework sparkler-ify swords clashing.

          Anyways, all of this happens whilst Shinso is the wrong length and Gin’s hair is getting purpler by the second and this entire thing is somehow a big jack-off to Toshiro’s immense strength even though he’s screaming and wailing at Gin like a child and Gin’s just a vessel at this point to Enhance Toshiro, which, fine, okay, but at least be more accurate with it god damn. ANYWAYS,

          THEY JOUST. They literally run at each other, swords centered, and run past / to the side of one another. Jousting. “Cause that’s how that works. No slashes, no cutting motion. Just swords centered, because the animators were like “no worries guys I know swordfighting basics that’s a legit pose” yeah it is WHEN STATIONARY. Not rUNNING IT DOWN.

          And then Gin’s sleeve is cut, somehow, from the Jousting, because wow Toshiro wow wow wowowowow, and then Toshiro comes back and starts wailing at Gin again and Gin blocks it, again, and it’s all very annoyingly repetitive, and Gin’s frowning and sparks are flying and Gin’s using Shinso, the katana-length wakizashi I guess, with two hands because like I said, the animators knew basics and basics are “katana are used two-handed” like. Okay, you’re not wrong, but I cannot stress this enough: SHINSO IS NOT A KATANA. It’s shorter and meant to be used single-handed!!!! sTop!!! So then Gin rips off the tattered part of his sleeve and throws it at Toshiro, who swipes it away from his face using his Zanpakuto because that’s intelligent and a piece of cloth was definitely threatening enough to use your sword to bat it away  ( btw, Hitsugaya wasn’t holding his sword with two hands at this precise moment, so he could have just... used his other hand )  and then Gin goes in for the classic “stabby stabby rapidly at you while the animation gets a little breather because we repeat this cycle a few times with flashy bgs and phew money made” ... WE ARE FOUR MINUTES AND THIRTY SECONDS INTO THIS FIGHT BY THE WAY. Gin does this for seventeen (17) agonizing seconds straight. Yes, I counted. That was sixteen and a half too many seconds for me, personally.

          Toshiro somehow lassos Shinso whilst Gin is stabby stabby-ing with Hyourinmaru’s chain component. I say component like it’s somehow some type of beauty guru’s lipstick holder, but really am I that wrong ? When else has he ever used this feature ? Anyways, he lassos Shinso because yeehaw I guess, god I’m falling apart at this point can y’all tell????? I need a drink.

          and so, because now Toshiro has Gin’s sword somehow trapped with chain even though it’s just looped around it, he backflips over Gin for a cool trickshot, no blow issued, just vibes, and Gin uses a big brain moment to tug Shinso and the chains slide off. okay now what. We’re past five minutes into this fight, nonstop.

          SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD TIME FOR GIN TO PAUSE AND APPRECIATE TOSHIRO AGAIN! “I see, I shouldn’t have underestimated you, HItsugaya Toshiro” I’m starting to have a feeling Gin’s VA was told to just wing these lines because the amount of times he fills silences / Gin’s mouth movements with Toshiro’s long-ass name is astounding, he’s definitely drawing blanks here but he sure as hell knows one thing: that damn ice-boy’s name. He continues by saying “I suppose I’ll end up regretting it afterwards.”

          Toshiro says that’s not enough, and it’s really dramatic and cool. His eyes even glow all icy and blue and pretty, like his flowy reiatsu. Aesthetic points were gifted entirely to Toshiro’s animations in this scene. Gin was finished in MS Paint and each new scene they had to draw Shinso from memory and try to remember what hue of purple his hair was at gunpoint. Toshiro lets off a big wave of reiatsu and then it vanishes, and he jumps up reaaaally high. like this guy’s flying. his eyes arent glowing anymore that’s sad. Bring Back Glowing Eyes For Strong Shinigami 2k21.

          Toshiro releases his Shikai, and it’s badass, the sky darkens, Izuru looks distinctly more worried than usual, and Gin’s frowning with his teeth out like Bugs Bunny’s having a bad day, all is right in the world. Toshiro and his released Shikai have a nice moment for the Pics, and a big epic freeze frame blur moment happens with it all coiled and swirling around him. Wrow!  ( click the ‘wrow’ it’s a link to my exact reaction )  Izuru narrates for the third time about how powerful Toshiro is, his reiatsu, his Zanpakuto being a deity who is only unlocked every few centuries. The strongest ice-type sword. Pardon the pun, but that’s... you could say, so cool.

          It can even control the weather. So hey, next time it’s rainy, cold, icy, or snowing and you’re unhappy, it’s time to direct a big fuck you at Toshiro.

          Gin dodges the first dragon, and blocks the second with Shinso because blocking water and ice with a sword makes sense right? This actually takes a solid amount of seconds as Gin cuts through the entire length of this ice dragon noodle. Things dissipate, and pause, too, to really drag this out. Surprisingly, this reveals that Gin’s made a boo-boo, his left arm’s frozen, which doesn’t even mean anything because Gin is right-handed, and Toshiro teleports himself behind Gin in true fighty fashion.

          We have arrived at seven minutes and just under twenty seconds of this fight, and Gin turns, DOES THE UNTHINKABLE, gasp! He opens his eyes. His red, dull, evil, gray-eyebrowed with purple hair eyes, and shoots Shinso through its hideout spot behind his haori. This nearly takes off Toshiro’s eye and upwards of his head, but the little guy dives down fast. The rest happens in slow motion, supposedly, because it takes an eternity and people talk entire full sentences in its span of time.

          Gin asks Toshiro if he’s sure he’d like to dodge that  ( it’s a little late for that ) and says that Momo’ll die if he does. SHINSO SCRAPING ALONG AGAINST HYOURINMARU STRANGELY MAKES NOT A SINGLE SOUND. Mute. Even though before they had no problem animating and adding sounds to them smacking blades earlier. There are soundless sparks though, so there’s that. Yay. Can you tell how exhausted this’s made me? I need a nap.

          Shinso is already more than halfway towards Momo, still unconscious, she most definitely has a serious concussion via Toshiro backhanding her midair consider she’s been unconscious for longer than ten minutes. Toshiro has time to get up off the floor where he dropped to dodge, realize with a shocked gasp, turn, shout her name, and watch as Rangiku arrives in a random glow of gold which never happens ever again and blocks the attack with Haineko. Haineko almost cracks on the impact, and continues growing in damage as Rangiku holds Shinso there, implying that she’s stopped it from reaching one-hundred sword’s lengths to pierce Momo. Yes I’m including that implication / note in here because we love to see Rangiku succeeding in life and being Not-Helpless, all while potentially damaging Haineko severely if it wasn’t able to hold him off. Yikes, Gin!

          Rangiku threatens to join the fight if he doesn’t withdraw his sword. Gin smiles, withdraws it, and then Shunpos away.

          Whatta mess. Oh, and the anime fight was pretty fucked up, too.

          This is a long post, but here’s the manga version:

Toshiro leaps into the air,

This is where the fight actually starts between them:

And end. 

Five pages. Two blows. Does not equate to ten minutes of non-stop fighting and monologues. Sometimes, and I mean this in the most unbiased way possible, less is more.

[annakie]

It took three and a half months, but I’ve finished my Doctor Who Rewatch.

It’s time to talk about seasons 10, 11, overall wrapup thoughts and some best/worst lists.  Very long post below.

I started doing this back at the end of August as more of a joke when I was going back and cleaning the terrible cringe stuff off the first few months of my blog, then ended up taking that project from when I started the blog in May, 2011 until late 2016.  I realized that I had too much going on IRL right now to revisit my life at the end of 2016 when things took a sharp turn the wrong way, so I haven’t picked that back up again.  I still might at some point.

After the start of the nostalgia tour I:

Cried about Doomsday

Still hated the Manhattan episodes but renewed my love for one of my favorite characters of all time.

Reflected about Martha Jones and being an overly-zealous defender of a fictional character

Cried a lot over meeting and losing River Song in the span of an hour and a half.

Made my way through Season 4 and found myself still mostly loving the show.

Finished Season 4 and was starting to tire of Ten but knew I had more content to get through.

Didn’t post again til I was done with Amy and Rory.  Loved Amy, Rory and River even more, especially Rory.

Watched an episode I remembered I didn’t like just because of the guest actors.  Only marginally helped the episode.

Disliked the second half of season 7 even more than I used to.  Felt meh about Clara.

Warmed to Clara more in seasons 8 and 9.  Still, was ready to see her go.  Loved Twelve, though the first half of season 8 continued to be rough.  Adored the Husbands of River Song for the 6th+ time.

 Took a brief moment to love Bill.

Full disclosure on the rewatch: I skipped most of Fear Her except the first and last few minutes, and actually haven’t gotten back to Waters of Mars or the one 11 Christmas Special with the kids who’s father dies.  I may or may not pick those up in the next week or two.

So tonight I finished rewatching all of Thirteen’s episodes and wanted to talk a bit more about Bill, and then a lot about Thirteen, and some general thoughts about the whole rewatch.

Bill Potts is too good for this world.  I remembered loving her during her season but was blown away on the rewatch with how much I loved her, and almost all of her season.  Her energy, her story, her smile, it’s infectious.  It’s infuriating that so many people didn’t watch Bill because wow she deserved a lot more attention that I feel like she got, and also I feel like the show itself turned a real corner that season.  Season 9, yes, definitely better than 8 and 7.5.  But It’s like Moffat or the writers in general kinda grocked into several important things and made the show more progressive and less cringe?  

There wasn’t an episode I thought was bad, even the more filler episodes like the one in space with the air being a commodity was tense and fun.  I’m not sure I’d skip a single episode.

And then Bill, I think, ends up getting an even shittier deal than Martha in her season.  Left alone for ten years in a shithole mopping up floors, only to be turned into a cyberman and get left extremely traumatized, and sacrifice herself.  A very good story.  A very sad and frustrating ending.  Except that she does get to “transform” and travel the universe with Heather.

Maybe she did eventually go back home and finish living her life from not long after she left in the TARDIS the last time -- it’s entirely possible.  The Memory-Bill in Twice Upon a Time (the Twelve & One crossover) remembered traveling with Heather, which means her memory was taken from some point AFTER.  So maybe she got to be an ethereal being for a long time, and then eventually went home to Earth.  Or maybe she’s still out there traveling the stars with Heather.  Either way, she deserves a good life, and a good ending, even if we never know the true ending.

Twelve -- I love him.  Again, he had a really rough start but Capaldi is an amazing actor and he owned the role. I don’t think it’s actually possible to rank my favorite doctors from the new Who era, they’re all different, all great.  And Missy -- such an amazing villain.  Paired with Simms-Master was so, extremely fun, but even on her own, I think she’s now my favorite incarnation of The Master.  (I’ve only seen a few episodes of Old-Who with Delgado, and I really love Delgado’s Master as well.)  

Nardole was also a fun addition to the season.  I know technically he was considered a full companion and enjoyed him when he was there, but tbh, to me it was all about Bill.

But hey, when Twelve left, it was a good time for him to go -- I really think three seasons is the sweet spot for length of a Doctor.  I was so ready for Thirteen and The Fam.

I remembered loving Thirteen when her episodes were airing and, I was right to.  Jodie Whittaker is so good -- I never doubt for a second that she’s The Doctor.  The show one again feels very different with a new doctor / companions / showrunner.  I honestly loved the lack of Doctor-Angst in the season.  Thirteen is so much more brightness and sunshine and I think it was a good way to swing the Doctor after Twelve.  I also liked that there were a few comments about changing genders, a little bit of frustration from noticing how people treated her differently, but it was neither an earthshattering thing that made EVERYTHING DIFFERENT nor was it a non-event.  I really think they handled it well.

I will say that I think some of the critics were right, that the season itself could have used a bit more of an arc.  Not a heavy arc, like seasons five and six had, but a bit more than Tim Shaw showing up in the first and last episodes of the season.  It looks like next season is going to have that.

The arc that was there though really came from Graham and Ryan’s grief about Grace and their relationship growing.  Honestly, I remember when we learned that one of the new companions was going to be a 60-ish year old dude I wasn’t looking forward to that at all, but honestly, I love Graham.  He’s an actual good guy, he loves deeply, he’s allowed to show his emotions, he handles things WELL.  He’s not perfect but also I felt like they wrote his character so well, he wasn’t an arrogant guy expecting everyone to follow his orders, he cares deeply for Ryan and even had some great scenes with Yaz.  

Ryan and Yaz are both also just so fantastic.  I loved getting to spend time with Yaz’s family both current and past.  I actually learned a little history in the episode that took place in Pakistan (and loved having a benevolent alien storyline there, love that episode so much).  I also loved that they allowed Ryan to show grief and sadness, and vulnerability too.  

I was definitely feeling the 13/Yaz vibes on the rewatch, and although I wouldn’t say I’d be upset if they did end up doing a Ryan/Yaz storyline, I also wouldn’t be upset if they didn’t do any romance storylines at all.  I didn’t miss it this season, and 13/Yaz seemed more likely than anything.

I also loved that they took on racism in a couple of big ways this series.  I felt like the only big swing-and-miss episode was Ker-Blam! where they were so close to really hammering down a good message in the episode and then it felt like Jeff Bezos himself came in and rewrote the last 10 minutes.

TBH there were a couple of episodes that I had COMPLETELY forgotten about, especially the one with Chris North and the big spiders.  Like while I was watching it I had a vague memory of seeing it before, but not up until then.  I’d also forgotten about the New Year’s episode last year with Ryan’s dad.  I only remembered to watch it because after the final episode I was like “Wait, wasn’t Ryan’s dad supposed to be in this season?” and so I went to hunt for the episode.

SO... that’s it.  I was actually a little shocked last night when I finished up the New Year’s episode and realized... I was DONE.  I made it back through eleven seasons and... it was worth it.  

Some final thoughts... and I’m just picking a few things out here off the top of my head, I wasn’t keeping a list all the way through so I’m sure I’m going to think of other things after hitting Post, but here we go.

---------

COMPANION RANKINGS: God Tier: Martha Jones

Faves: Bill Potts, Rory Williams, River Song

I love you so much: Donna Noble, Amy Pond, The Fam (All together!), Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith, Wilfred Mott

Very very Good: Rose Tyler, Nardole

I Still Like You: Clara Oswald

---------

FAVE SEASON: I mean, it’s still gonna be Martha’s season with an honorable mention of the second half of 4.

If you take Martha Jones out of the equation, it’d probably be either 6 through 7.0, or Bill’s season.

LEAST FAVORITE:  The second half of 7, for sure, and the first half of 8 is kinda rough.  It’d be easy to say season 1, as well, but I don’t think that’s entirely fair, as I think the age of the show really shows there and there was a lot of getting-on-their feet they had to do.  There’s still a lot of good there, you just have to look for it harder.

---------

Favorite Specials: 

The Husbands of River Song, #1 favorite no question

The Day of the Doctor a close second. 

Honorable mention to the Night of The Doctor for the canonical return of Eight.  Seriously, the first time I saw that it may have been the single most joyous moment of New Who for me.

Least Favorite:

I mean, I haven’t rewatched two of them yet since I remember not liking them.  

Also Voyage of the Damned was just even worse than I remembered it.

I Cried The Hardest:

Amy and Rory’s leaving in The Angels Take Manhattan

River’s death in the Library

The end of Doomsday

Danny’s death

The end of Vincent and the Doctor

Prem’s death in Demons of the Punjab, maybe the only single-episode character death that hit me that hard.

Happiest Tears: 

Martha leaves the Doctor

The group in the TARDIS towing Earth home in Journey’s End

Twelve and River get 24 years together

Ryan calls Graham “Grandad”

Jackie and Alt-Pete meet/”reunite”

Heather shows up and... “saves” Bill, they go off on adventures.

Best Twists: 

John Simms Return at the end of season ten.  

YANA is the Master

Oswin is actually a Dalek

Heaven is run by Missy, and the Cybermen. (Damn I really love twists concerning the Master don’t I?)

Bill discovers she IS a Cyberman

Loudest cheers: 

Mickey showing up in Doomsday

Martha laughs at the Master

Rory’s speech at the beginning of A Good Man Goes to War

The Doctor punches a racist who insulted Bill

Best dramatic moments: 

Jack and the Doctor talk about Rose in Utopia

Twelve takes several billion years to punch through a wall

Just This Once, Everybody Lives!

Turn Left

The Doctor says goodbye Idris in The Doctor’s Wife

Missy and the Master’s mutually assured destruction.

Biggest Laughs for a good reason: 

The entire poison scene in the Unicorn and the Wasp

Basically everything about the Doctor attempting to be normal in The Lodger.

Right, putting Hitler in the Cupboard.

Doctor, when I’m on a date, do not put the Pope in my bedroom.

Biggest Cringe: 

Penis-head half-human Dalek

Concrete blowjobs

Anytime a lady slapped/hit a guy not in self-defense

Old goblin Ten / Jesus Ten in Last of the Time Lords

Most of The End of Time part 1

Eleven forces a kiss on Jenny in The Crimson Horror (THAT deserved the slap.)

There’s a lot of things I could point out in season 1 but I’m grading season 1 on a curve.

Favorite non-companion recurring characters: 

Danny Pink

Brian Williams

Jackie Tyler

Worst Villians: 

“Love And Monsters”

“Fear Her” 

The eye-crud sleep monster with Twelve

I kinda wanna say the Daleks are so overdone it’s hard to get excited about them anymore, though I did kinda like what they did in “Resolution” (13′s New Years episode last year.)

OK I honestly don’t know if I want to put “A sentient universe who is in the form of a large frog and just wants a BFF” in best or worst but I feel it belongs SOMEWHERE.

Best Villians:

Missy

Whatever the fuck that thing is in Midnight

House

Got a Raw Deal award:

Adam (Seriously, he was told nothing and did nothing wrong via what he’d been told?!

Donna

Bill (Seriously, TEN YEARS SCRUBBING FLOORS? only to not be saved by 2 hours and then turned into a cyberman and killed again?)

Most Bothersome Lack of Continuity:

The rules for meeting yourself / interfering in the past.

Uh so who was the Not-Danny astronaut in “Listen” anyway?

Most Improved on a Rewatch:

The Fires of Pompeii because... ten and twelve?  It used to be one of my least favorite eps of season 4.

the Daleks in Manahattan episodes I guess just because I liked them more this time though they’re still not great. 

Seeing all of River’s timeline in such a short period of time

Gotta say I enjoyed Planet of the Dead a normal amount when before I used to really dislike it.

Best Premiere of a Doctor:  The Eleventh Hour Roughest Premiere of a Doctor: Deep Breath, since I’m grading season 1 on a curve. Best Exit of a Doctor: Honestly?  I’m gonna give this one to Nine.  He sacrificed himself to save Rose, and he died too soon.  It seemed a fitting end, if too quick.

Roughest Exit of a Doctor: I’m going to go with Eleven here.  It came at the end of what I felt was the worst period of New Who.  The episode itself was... I kind of felt like it was overwraught and didn’t pack quite the same punch as the other three.  Say what you will about the “I Don’t Wanna Go” line with Ten and Twelve needing to be convinced to regenerate at all.  Matt Smith did the best with what he was given, but he wasn’t given much in the entire last run of his episodes after having some of the BEST episodes the previous two and a half seasons.

Best Premiere of a Major Companion: Honestly?  Still gotta go with The Eleventh Hour, for both Amy and Rory and the great way they were both set up and the mysteries of the season.

Worst Premiere of a Major Companion: If you don’t count Asylum of the Daleks (which I thought was great) as Clara’s premiere, then it was definitely Clara’s “The Bells of Saint John”.  No contest.  I don’t think ANY of the rest of them were done poorly, TBH.  I guess I’d have to go with “Rose”, because the Autons themselves are pretty meh and the plastic wasn’t great.

Best (Main) Exit of a Major Companion: This one is more difficult. Doomsday deserves a nod.  Martha Jones walked the world and ended on her own terms.  Journey’s End saw the end of an entire era of companions we loved.  River showed up and died on the same day, but her final appearance is one of my favorite episodes ever.  The Angles Take Manhattan was SO GOOD.  But The Doctor Falls was exciting and tense and tragic.  Hell, even Clara’s final episodes were great.

Honestly, this shouldn’t even be a question.  I can’t choose.  I can’t think of a single one I didn’t love.

Anyway, thanks for reading this, if you got this far!  Know what?  Doctor Who is still a great show, even if it’s not an obsession anymore.  I can see myself doing this rewatch again in a few years, and I’m super looking forward to the next season starting in a couple of weeks!

[aifastic]

Hello everyone! I wanted to do a quick update on what fics I'm working on right now bc heck, I'm bursting at the seams with enthusiasm at finishing all these beloved projects dsfsgsbd

TF2

Reaching Out is at its final lap! Working on how to round everything up in a satisfactory way dsgshsb this thing is a monster of a Secret Santa and I'm super sorry to Nova for like, the nth time for taking so long ;-;

Penthouse Bloke is just starting, but the fourth chapter is difficult to tackle ;-; I'm still working on it--and on a heavymedic spin-off on how they got together in the Penthouseverse (lol). Expect more Penthouseverse fics in between chaprer updates!

Heavymedic Groundhog Day AU is uhhh being worked on pretty slowly, but not at all abandoned.

Together With You and Finding Home are on standby till I get new ideas. Meanwhile, I'm thinking really hard and a new helmet party idea is swimming around the lazy pool in my head. But it's a secret for now!

"Spy gets stuck on a tree" sniperspy. Yyep.

A Way Out

Hands On's second chapter is on its way! Working on it is high priority now just bc I don't want to lose my ideas before I write them--and bc AWO might or might not be my new thing I can't stop talking about dsgsvdbd

A new, angsty, hurt/comfort with much hurt story is coming along too! Leo is haunted. In many ways. Oohhhh

Many AUs are being drafted and in standby till I play the game (I've watched full Let's Plays many times but I want to have the game fresh in my mind for this. Ditto for the previous story.)

Mortal Kombat

Yes! Surprise! A World Reset!AU with human kombatant!Raiden is being worked on. Expect very complicated Raiden/Johnny Cage/Sonya Blade bc I can't help myself dsfsvsvxv. A series with many fics!

Half-Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware

I, uhhh, had my reasons to leave. Nothing related with my readers! You've been lovely all the way. I just didn't feel comfortable writing fic anymore for my ongoing series, and I decided prioritizing what made me happy. Now, however, I discovered I can lift a pen--or, well, use my keyboard--again for this purpose. So! Reflections might be finished! At least, I'm working on future chapters. Don't expect them soon, but the work is not abandoned. I don't know what to tell you about the Darnold installment though. I'd have to rewatch the streams, which I'm still not quite feeling like doing. They're awesome, but I have zero attention span dsgdbdbx

Thank you very much for reading this! You can check my ongoing stories (and finished ones!) at my AO3: AifasInTheSky.

(Sorry for the long post, Tumblr mobile doesn't let me put the Read More bar dsvsgsgd)

See y'all soon! 👋

[qsdblogging]

Another 10 TV Shows You Should Give A Shot If You Haven’t Already

This is the third installment of my recommendations of shows for you to add to your own lists. I watch a lot of television and I’ve got, what I consider to be at least, a wide variety of shows under my favorites.

If you haven’t seen the first or second list, you don’t need to unless you want to see another list of ten shows you may want to check out if you’re looking for anything new to watch.

Warning, though, some of these don’t end the best way and may end up more as a disappointment. I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

I. The Librarians.

Does this have to do with the movie franchise The Librarian? Yes. 

The Library has chosen a new group to help safeguard magical cursed artifacts throughout time and around the world. An art historian, a thief, a mathematician, and a warrior are tasked with finding and saving all the mysterious, ancient artifacts. (IMDB). 

This show covers action, adventure, comedy, horror, fairy tales, and much more. It’s a good choice of a new show if you’re a fan of Doctor Who and Warehouse 13, which then makes this feel like a strange mixture of the two shows. 

You might find some familiar faces in Rebecca Romijn who has played the older version of Mystique in the X-Men movies, Christian Kane who’s acted in Angel, Leverage, Supernatural, and is quite the Country singer, and Noah Wyle who is the original Librarian from the movie series reprising his role, Fallen Skies, ER, and Donnie Darko.

II. My Babysitter’s A Vampire.

Technically, this did air on Disney. However, it was a Canadian production if I’m remembering correctly. The show follows after the events of the movie by the same title, so I suggest giving the movie a watch first for some background before diving into the show. 

Now, because of the fact that it aired on Disney, it is a little more child friendly but it’s still quite a good show if you’re looking for a laugh. It holds more than just vampires and while things happen a little quickly (in the movie, at least) everything makes sense.

Unfortunately, it only has two seasons, but it’s worth a watch if you’re looking for something a little more light-hearted than most of this list.

III. Killjoys.

In the Quad, a planetary system on the brink of a bloody interplanetary class war, a fun loving trio of bounty hunters attempt to remain impartial as they chase deadly warrants. (Taken from IMDB).

Set in space with loads of action and adventure with all the added scifi bonuses. And while I haven’t gotten around to watching the show in full myself, I do quite enjoy what I’ve already seen of it. 

I highly recommend giving it a shot.

IV. Dark Matter.

Set in the 27th century, Dark Matter focuses on six people who wake up on a deserted spaceship with no memory of who they are or what exactly they’re doing there. The six of them reluctantly team up and set off to find answers regarding their presence on the ship together with the help of a female android.

If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m quite the fan of scifi and futuristic shows. Dark Matter was unfortunately cancelled, but not until it already produced three kickass seasons. 

V. Stargate SG-1.

If you’re a scifi fan, chances are you’ve seen this or heard of it. Maybe you’re like me, who grew up watching it over and over again because rewatching shows seems to run in the family. 

However, if you want to give this a go, be aware that there is a movie you need to watch first, Stargate (1994), that gives a bit of background before jumping into the show. Warning, actors were changed from the movie to the show but once the show started, those actors stay in those roles. 

Stargate SG-1 follows a secret military team formed to explore other planets through the discovered form of space travel, the stargate. It spans over 10 full seasons and a couple of movies too. Plus, two spin-offs.

I highly recommend watching this show if you’re a fan of scifi, ancient mythology, and just wacky goodness in general.

VI. Stargate: Atlantis.

Stargate: Atlantis is the first of two spin-offs to Stargate SG-1. This team is sent to a whole other galaxy in order to expand interplanetary communications and trade and end up coming across a whole new powerful enemy. You might see a familiar face or two pop up and I don’t just mean characters from SG-1. 

It’s a great spin-off and while the third spin-off (Stargate Universe) is not on the list, if you like the first two shows, you should give the third a shot. I, personally, have not seen or gotten around to seeing the third installment of the Stargate shows just yet, so I won’t recommend it until I do.

(Plus, Jason Momoa is in this one!)

VII. Sleepy Hollow.

When Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to his founding fathers, things get a little crazy in the town of Sleepy Hollow.

While I’m a huge fan of sci-fi, I’m also quite the fan of fantasy. Sleepy Hollow was a wonderful show while it lasted and while it’s been a while since I’ve watch it on any screen, I know I’m still going to love it as much as I did when I first saw it. 

(Keep in mind, there are some issues that happened BTS with the lead Nicole Beharie [played Abbie, who is pictured above] and how they treated her alongside her character, so I completely understand not wanting to give this a go if that bothers you!)

And you might recognize a few faces amongst the cast. Orlando Jones who’s known for his role in American Gods, John Noble who’s known for roles in Elementary, Salvation, Legends of Tomorrow, and Fringe, Nikki Reed who known for the Twilight Saga, and Janina Gavankar who is known for her roles in The Morning Show, The Vampire Diaries, and The Mysteries of Laura.

VIII. Firefly.

Now, if you know underrated shows, there’s a high chance you know Firefly. Firefly is one of Joss Whedon’s works that unfortunately got cut way too short in its life span. 

Even with only 14 episodes to its single season and a movie that wraps up the story on the big screen (but don’t worry, there’s extra content available online to find to know more about the lovable Browncoats), Firefly is highly respected.

Set in the future, the show follows a ragtag team of renegades aboard a small ship named Serenity (Class: Firefly), they find themselves wrapped up in a bigger mess than intended and work their way out of it the best they can while still evading the authorities trying to hunt them down.

Now, Firefly had been aired out of order so I highly recommend searching up the correct order before giving the show a shot just so you understand everything going on. 

The cast is full of familiar faces that include Nathan Fillion who is best known for his roles on Castle, The Rookie, Big Mouth, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Con Man, plus his upcoming role in the second Suicide Squad film, Gina Torres who is known for her roles in Angel, Westworld, Pearson, and Suits, Morena Baccarin who’s known for her roles in the Deadpool movies, The Flash, Gotham, and V, and a young Zac Efron even appears in an episode. 

I will always highly recommend this show to people looking for something quick to binge while also being highly entertaining and catching. 

IX. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

If you’re a Whedon fan or was alive at any point in the 90s, or have a father like mine, you’ve probably seen this show. Hopefully, you’ve at least heard of it if you haven’t seen it. The title kind of explains it, but you get seven full seasons (plus a bunch of comics that continue the story afterward) plus a spin-off. 

The show follows Buffy Summers, the chosen Slayer at the time, and her adventures after moving to a new town (after burning down the gym at her old school to kill a bunch of vampires, but she can’t really explain that one to the authorities) that happens to be sitting above a Hellmouth.

Between the action and slightly disturbing relationships, Buffy the Vampire Slayer handles a lot of teen angst and comedy. 

I always laugh throughout the one scene from the episode Hush and if you know what scene I’m talking about, you know why. 

It’s truly a great show and had a great ending. Highly recommend starting to watch ASAP.

X. Angel.

Lastly on this list, Angel. If you don’t know, Angel is the spin-off to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It follows Angel, the vampire, after he leaves at the end of season three of Buffy and moves to the lovely city of Los Angeles. Along the way a few familiar faces show up and new ones get added to the mix.

Some soul-reading karaoke happens, and a few people get killed along the way. Maybe even get turned into a puppet once in a while. 

Overall, it’s one of the best spin-offs to exist and holds it’s own through action, comedy, and pure spite. 

I highly recommend giving it a shot. It’s up to you however if you try watching it at the same time it lines up with Buffy. My dad does it due to crossover episodes, but I know it can be quite the difficulty figuring out. 

It’s up to you when to watch it. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

Tom Dominoes.

My 7x15 rewatch post. Forewarning, this is a lengthy post. 

Second memory manipulation, Keenler, and Keenler baby. 

"A ghost. Life’s full of ’em." 

Disappearing before Red's eyes.

"I learned that from you, how to prey on the emotions of those that love you most."

"You’re just like your husband. You’re exactly like him. Like all the sick, psychopathic animals we lock up."

They just ran full parallel right through Ilya for Liz's second memory manipulation. Extraction to flashback, extraction to flashback.

Red: All you need to do is take care of yourself. And stay safe.

Red: I have an appointment. This is a war that must be fought on many fronts. You have yours. I have mine. Be safe.

Cooper: Listen to me. I know we've looked the other way or even helped blur the lines from time to time in the interest of justice. But going after a legal shipment because you personally believe it deserves to be stopped is over the line, and I won't allow it. Red: Well, how are you going to do that? By sending me to my room without supper?

Bounce back to The Deer Hunter, pulling in Tom's murder of the harbormaster and falls in parallel with Alina Park's 7x14 Anchorage storyline. Mentioning this due to my opening lines of dialogue regarding Liz. 

Liz: Are you scolding me? Red: Yes. Yes, I’m scolding you. That was foolish, Lizzy. You could have been - Liz: Killed. Red: Exactly that. Killed. Liz: What are you gonna do? Ground me? Take away my phone privileges?

Cooper: By stopping you. Red: Touché.

Bounce back to Liz in 1x19.

Liz: Finding you, stopping you. You’d think I’d be happy you’re gonna spend the rest of your life in prison. You’d think I’d get some satisfaction out of that, but I don’t.

Red kicks on his record player, which taps us back to S6 with Red's record player, and S5 - S6 with Tom's record player. I'm talking about Fowler's murder and my Tom domino for that. I believe Red framed Tom for her murder at the time in which he murdered her as a result of the Fokin frame. Soundtrack, "Who We Are" by Welshly Arms. Red's murder of Kemp plays out a bit like Fowler's. I may have to compare those scenes at some point. 

"Ever since that woman broke into our apartment and dragged him off and tried to access his memories... I mean, whatever they did to his..." - Linda

Blue Malibu to Blue Mustang.

Ilya: The blue car is back.

Ilya: The blue car. It was back. It was right there.

Dembe: Is he having another episode? Red: Yes. Blue Chevy again.

Ilya: I know what I saw ... Raymond. She's watching.

Tom and his blue Ford Mustang and that deer blood on the windshield comment in 2x22 for Liz's second memory manipulation. Ilya suffering flashbacks while suffering the blue Chevy Malibu. The blue Chevy, the blue Chevy. Yeah... that second memory manipulation is coming. 

Doesn't matter Liz's position with Ressler, I suspect she'll have flashbacks that coincide with the 2x22 fake boat sex with Tom, and they should parallel Ilya's flashes in these scenes. Taking note, he flashes to the Belgrade explosion in this scene. This should parallel the Orea bombing because I believe Keenler had sex that night rather than the night of her birthday dinner.

More for Liz’s memory manipulation.

Ilya: Dembe. I know what I saw, Dembe. Wife: You're tired. You should lie down.

Liz waking on Tom’s boat. She "saw" what Tom wanted her to "see" just like Rostov saw what Katarina wanted him to see. Illusions tricking the senses. Dr. Krilov back to Stenhil.

lya: You know I'm not making this up. I know what I saw.

Ressler: Everyone seeing what I'm seeing?

Liz: I've got eyes on Carly.

Liz: She's a wreck. He'd have to be blind not to see it.

Red: I’m not sure I’d associate a high-security containment cell with my girlfriend, but I guess love is blind.

Red: The idea that a whole world that I couldn't see had suddenly revealed itself and been brought into focus... felt like a miracle. Cassandra: Because it was, given how often we miss what's right in front of us. Red: What I see right in front of me is someone I misjudged.

Who's in front of Liz in 6x22? Ressler in the box. Romeo & Juliet.

Cooper: The hell with the heat. I'm asking if you think Kemp is guilty Ressler: Yeah. Cooper: Then take him. But do it quietly.

Bounce back to Liz on the run in S3. Ressler let her go.

Laurel: Do you believe she’s innocent? Ressler: My job isn’t to determine her guilt or innocence. Laurel: You didn’t answer my question. Ressler: My job is to apprehend Ms. Keen, and I have no problem doing that. Laurel: I am not asking about your job. I’m asking what you believe. Ressler: Elizabeth Keen is not a terrorist. Laurel: So you believe she’s innocent? Ressler: Yes, I do. And I believe that if she is given a fair trial by a jury of her peers, there aren’t 12 people in America who wouldn’t agree with me.

Cooper: We're done here. Mr. Kemp's attorney just secured a hearing on his arrest. Kemp: Is this a great country, or what?

Sounds like Solomon in S3.

Ressler: You know of the damage you’ve done? That your organization has done to this country, to my friends? Solomon: I don’t care about your friends, and I hate this country. Well, “Hate’s” a strong word. I like the part where I make bail and catch the next plane to France.

Linda: Things in our life were normal and quiet and ordinary before you came back. And I know the two of you share a past I can't even begin to imagine, but Frank and I had a life too. Together. Our life was good. It's his life with you that's troubled. Ilya: Is it fair to blame Raymond? Red: Listen to your wife.

Linda’s dialogue fits several of Liz’s throughout the series. Like these two.

“I had it all figured out. I was gonna have a baby. And a husband. And then he showed up.”

"I had a very simple life. A husband I loved, a dog. It was my first day on the job. And suddenly, I was flying over restricted airspace."

When Linda speaks of their history, it reminds me of the many dialogues where everyone talks about Red and Liz and their connection because they have a shared history.

Connolly: All this talk about some personal connection between Reddington and Keen, why he chose her, some shared history - what if Reddington doesn’t care about Agent Keen and it’s all been a manipulation?

If they don't hide well enough, if they remain unsafe like Liz did in S2, this could become a problem later in the season or series.

Linda: You're sick, Frank. Something is wrong. And we need to get you help. Red: She's right. You need help. There are people I know who... Linda: Raymond. You don't understand. We need to do this on our own.

Bounce back to Liz in 2x22.

Red: Andropov - do you have a lead? Liz: I do, and I’ll handle it on my own because that’s what I’m capable of.

I keep thinking about Naomi Hyland.

Dembe: There's someone in the driver's seat. Red: You know what the hell this means.

Back to 7x2, and I will be putting this to gif.

Liz: My question is, what the hell happened? Red: You did. You and Agent Ressler.

Keen2 in S2.

Cooper: You've seen the video. Carly Ambers is 24. A pawn being used by her boyfriend - a two time felon. She was visibly nervous. She was paying in cash, a classic indiction of an illigitimate purchase.

Liz being an unwed mother.

Liz: I was nobody to him. The illegitimate daughter of a childhood friend.

Woman: His arrest is all over the press. This is outrageous.

Man: What's outrageous, is Mr. Kemp's disregard for reality. Your honor, you know what happened here. Carly Ambers didn't wake up one morning and suddenly decide to collect 60 identical guns over the span of four months. That is unreasonable to believe.

They are all over this memory wipe of Liz's. Like Liz waking up one morning and deciding to shoot the AG. "You've seen the video. Carly Ambers is 24. A pawn being used by her boyfriend - a two time felon. She was visibly nervous. She was paying in cash, a classic indication of an illigitimate purchase." Again with illigitimate. Liz, Tom's pawn so he could help get a bullet in Red's chest just like that cashier. Illigitimate purchase, meet illigitimate child...Agnes. "Who's the father?" This run of dialogue falls in with The Corsican in S6, and you can throwback to Glen last week with his Eye of the Tiger mantra.

Red: Do you like magic? I love magic. Card tricks, coin tricks, close-up magic. Even those guys with the tigers. I heard they trained their cubs by masturbating them. Is that even conceivable? I’m sure it’s just a vicious rumor. But talk about a commitment to one’s craft. A tiger? Quite a handful. Moreau: What are you talking about? Red: You. You’re the tiger. A wild creature someone is trying to stroke. A magic trick is a con, and you’re the mark in the middle of a very complicated one. And the only reason I’m still alive is because you know it. You could have tracked me down anywhere. In a dark alley, in the bathtub. Instead, you came here, to a public place. Why? Because you know you’re being had.

Dembe's scene with Liz's PI parallels the homeless girl in S6, but it also parallels Tom and Liz in 1x22 when Red told her they can't leave him alive.

“You better not leave. I’ll kill you.”

Liz: You lied to me.

Sounds like Liz when she showed Red that DNA report in 4x22. A test taken by Cooper himself. Playing opposites now because Ressler will be the one with the DNA report this season to play opposite Tom.

Liz: When you told me I'd be carrying the guns. You knew you were sending them with Ressler. Cooper: Yes. Liz: That whole conversation was fake. Put on for my benefit, so that I'd think I had the guns. You don't trust me. Cooper: I'm sorry, you're actually angry at me? You betrayed us. You told Reddington which truck to hit. I was right not to trust you. You chose them over us, over your job. Over the law. Liz: Some laws deserve to be broken. Cooper: Not by you. Not while you're carrying a badge. Liz: You knew I would tell him. Cooper: I thought you might. And I couldn't take that chance. I'm angry at you, Elizabeth. And disappointed. But most of all, I'm worried. With Reddington, we blur the lines so often, it's sometimes hard to see, for all of us. What worries me, is that - at times, it can be especially hard for you. Liz: Because I have dark impulses. Cooper: Yeah. And today, you gave into them. Liz: So, what now? Cooper: I just delivered 6,000 guns to a man I believe have no moral compass. God knows how many people may die as a result. Today was a terrible day. Andi t might be more than I can handle if I thought you and I couldn't forgive each other.

This conversation also taps back to Liz's conversations with Dr. Fulton and Red's dialogue to Liz when she was searching for Tom's killer. Also to note, Cooper's plan played out like the conversation Red and Liz put on for Kirk's benefit back in S4. Because they're now playing who's the mommy instead of who's the daddy. Here are those dialogues.

Cooper: Wait a minute. You two have been working together on this? Liz: Yes. Our public disagreement was staged for Kirk’s benefit. Aram: You think he’s got a tap into the Post Office? Red: I know it. René Le Bron’s death was proof. Ressler: You sicced us on Le Bron as a test. You knew that if Kirk was listening and he heard that we were going after Le Bron, he’d try to get to him first. Red: We set the bait. He took it. Cooper: A human sacrifice. Red: I prefer the term “tethered goat.”

Tethered goat, meet the lamb they chose to take to slaughter - the woman from Paris.

Dr. Fulton: Anger is not an unhealthy emotion. It generates passion, risk, the desire to paint outside the lines. I’m drawn to that. And my guess is that you are too.

Liz: Unsolved cases. I fixate on them. How unfair they are. That people get away with murder. I-I know it sounds corny, but I, um - I obsess over the need for justice. Dr. Fulton: Even if it means painting outside the lines - or the law. Liz: Yes.

Dr. Fulton: In our sessions, you were everything I could’ve hoped for - comfortable with your darker impulses.

Red: I’ve cautioned you that in your pursuit of Tom’s killer, you need to restrain your darker impulses. Liz: Which I’ve done, mostly - more or less.

Liz: Cooper says we blur the line between right and wrong so often, we can't see it clearly anymore. I know, I can't. Red: I disagree. I find you increasingly clear-eyed. I'm sorry that the task force had to take sides today, but it meant a great deal to me to know you were on mine.

Red: Any news? Dembe: The woman in the blue Malibu. She's a private eye, Raymond. Hired to learn what she can about Ilya. It was Elizabeth. She hired her. She knows you're not Ilya, and she's been keeping it from you. Red: I understand. Liz: Is everything alright? Red: To being on the same side. (Red toasts) Liz: At long last.

"Same side" bounces back to Minister D and Ruin.

You pay no mind the truth If it ain't on your side Well who's on your side? Who is on your side now? While I lived the fall From your letting down Did you mine your ruin? You can't blame it all On the set of your ways You can raise your walls And protect what you've lain But you're cracking your roof

Red's "Any news?" goes back to S5, which also plays into S3 & S4.

Red: Tell me you have news. Dembe: I was able to trace the suitcase to a bus station in Columbia Heights. But it’s gone. No witnesses, no surveillance.

Tom: God, I missed you. I have some news. Liz: You’ve got news? I’ve got news. It’s about Reddington.

Ressler: We understand your reservations, but - the fact is, the last time we met, we were just doing our jobs. 

Back to Tom in 2x21 with this one.

Tom: Look, I know things are complicated. I know you’re going through a bad breakup. But from what I heard, the guy’s a total loser. Couldn’t cook, made crappy pancakes. So, I wanted to see if you would join me for dinner - tomorrow. Uh, I made a reservation at 7:00 at this great little place on the corner of 32nd and M.

Tom: I was doing my job.

Tom: I told you that I was in love with her because that is exactly what I am supposed to be. That - is my job.

Not only was Dr. Krilov and Tom reintroduced, but so was Brimley - the very person who handed us a double unicorn foreshadow in S6.

Brimley: You'd be surprised. The real breakthrough actually happened during Oregon Trail. And then, there was such a great feeling of comfort and familiarity with Chutes and Ladders. A real sense of nostalgia. Dembe: Did she tell you who hired her to watch Ilya? Brimley: Not yet. But I think you're gonna be very surprised with the level of detail we're going to get with Scrabble.

I suspect Liz will find Ressler “familiar” when the two share their scenes in her apartment in the Brothers episode, all pertaining to her second memory manipulation. 

Red's plan vs Cooper's. Red's looks a lot like Park's truck ride in Twamie's episode. Cooper's looks like Red's duck hunting plan when they faked Liz's death in S3 as well as Sutton Ross's with the vans when he took Red in 5x22.

Cooper: Thank you, Mr. Reddington. It's a pleasure doing business.

Family.Business.

Alter Ego marks.

Ressler: So this guy really is the luckiest half-wit in history. Samar: Or the biggest mark.

Liz: What’s the catch? Red: No catch. A bet. On yourself. A dance with Lady Luck.

This one bounces back to 2x21.

Tom: I just want to apologize because I should have done it a long time ago. Liz: What’s the catch? Tom: There’s no catch. It’s just a little hope. Liz: Hope? That what, we’ll just work through this screwed-up situation we’re in and go back to playing house?

"Three-card Monte" - "Find the Lady" - "Find the Queen"

Dembe: We'll have to guess and get lucky. Red: Lucky? There's no luck in Three-card Monte. It's a sucker's game. I play sucker's games, and I don't like to guess.

Three cards - three identical vans

The Ressler - Liz - Tom love triangle.

“I assume Tom is the father.”

A confidence game in which the victims, or "marks", are tricked into betting a sum of money, on the "assumption" that they can find the "money card" among three face-down playing cards.

Eye on the lotto sign while Red talks to Glen on the phone. Not just any lotto. West Virginia. Pete and Lena from S5. Virgina is for lovers tshirt. Dumb luck of a gambler. Lady Luck. This taps back to Glen, blowing up balloons and betting on red in 7x8. King and Queen cards in the background during that scene. 

"Find the Queen"

Glen: Save it, Chief. Another time. If I can get to the Eagles Club now, I can still make it in time for a little roulette and a cup of Trudy’s raspberry sherbet party punch. Wish me luck. Red: Roulette - that’s your game? Glen: Of course, baby. And you know I always bet on Red.

Glen calling Red Chief like Tom did in S5. 

Tom: Nice work, Chief.

Turning back time. 

Red: Yes, it's right up the street from Cher's hotel. Yeah. We get the ice, pick up the diva, and in a half-hour, she's serenading Trudy with "If I Could Turn Back Time." Best retirement party ever. Yeah. No, Glen.

Yes. "You should be looking forward, not back." The Blacklist about to turn back time for Liz.

"She'd just been accepted to college. The girl, Sophia. Had her whole life ahead of her. All the good and all the bad. The triumphs, the mistakes - gone. Like a story, erased."

Liz's story with Ressler, erased by Dr. Krilov. Back to what Red said to Cassandra about a whole world that he couldn't see suddenly revealing itself.

Kemp: What consequences? Red: The wrath of men like me. I object to what you're doing, and I don't need to convince any court to agree with me. In my world, if I think you're guilty... I just execute sentence. Kemp: Please. Please, don't do this. Red: I heard... heard someone else beg at the point of one of your guns. She said "please" too. And then she was murdered. Now, I understand it can be hard to see tragedy for what it is until that tragedy befalls you or a loved one. Well, I'm here to tell you that's happening to you. About an hour ago, a violent criminal bought one of your FineCal 9s on the street for $100, and now that criminal is going to shoot you with it. Tragic.

Kemp sounds like Alistair Pitt.

Pitt: Please. Don’t. Don’t do this.

Red's wrath. His conversation with Kemp is a lot like his conversation with Liz in S6.

Red: But in my world, there are no laws to hide behind. You can act in bad faith as long as you're willing to face the consequences.

Liz: Are you upset? Red: Conflicted. Liz: About what? Red: I live and work by a very strict code built on loyalty, justice, trust. I survive because I eliminate those who betray it. Up until now, no one has been spared, not even my closest associates. Not even Kate Kaplan. Liz: So that’s what you’re conflicted about? Whether or not to kill me because I betrayed some “code”? Red: You can mock it because you live in a world with institutionalized codes, where order has already been imposed by powerful forces outside of yourself, where there are laws and rules for everything. I live in a world with no laws, no rules, and certainly no order. So I have to impose my own. I’m not conflicted about killing you. I’m conflicted because I can’t. Because I can neither kill nor trust nor forgive.

"The wrath of men like me" bounces back to Dembe in The Mombasa Cartel.

Red: You see that, Geoff? That is what a good man does. That is what separates men like him from men like you - and me.

$100. That's how much Jennifer paid the homeless girl in S6 to get Red arrested.

Dembe and Brimley with the board games reminds me of Red receiving the record player in prison. Scrabble and Parcheesi. Oregon Trail. Scrabble bounces off The Endling. Oregon Trail bounces off Garvey Conclusion.

Dembe: “Two of your oxen have died. One round of play without an oxen card, and everyone in your party has died.” Red: I have oxen. “You have died of dysentery.” Damn it!

Red: The guns they make are the tools of my trade. In the right hand, that's exactly what they are. A proper tool.

A bit like Red's conversation with Jennifer.

Red: You haven’t asked any real questions yet. You’ve expressed curiosity about the tricks of my trade - a pedestrian form of legerdemain mastered by any number of experienced outlaws.  

They bring up "red flags" in the gun purchase.

"I got a few red flags. She bought 30 FineCals a few months ago, and she wants 30 more."

"The dealer knew there were red flags. He warned Mr. Kemp that she might be a straw purchaser."

Ressler in 2x17, both on screen and in deleted scene.

"You know, not everyone’s so anxious to leave. Put a flag on Tom, all his known aliases - he hasn’t left.”

"Looks like Tom's in a little bit of trouble and he's gonna bring that trouble to you. So... be careful.”

Red: This is a moment that woman will never forget. We should buy her something to celebrate.

Ressler: What you’re doing here, is celebrating your birthday, with me.

Liz: It was Cooper. He checked me. Red: You seem put out by it. Don't be. Take it as a compliment. Liz: That he doesn't trust me? Red: That he knows you're a person of conviction and principle. Liz: A lot of good my principle did. Kemp got all of his guns. Red: Yes. He got his. Liz: What'd you do? Red: I acted on my conviction and principle.

This bounces back to S2 & S3.

Liz: Am I a good person? I’m not so sure anymore. Red: I’m sure.

Principle.

Cooper: Guess my principles aren’t what they used to be. Neither are yours. Connolly: That’s where you’re wrong, buddy. I never had any principles. That’s why I’m on a rocket to the top.

Ressler: My father was a cop. He died because he wouldn’t go on the take. Was set up by his own partner, Tommy Markin. You know, I spent all these years wanting to believe that he died for the right thing. I’m not so sure now. Tom: Principles are a bitch, man. I avoid them at all cost.

Red & Liz without Wing Yee's and moon eyes.

Red: Edward's gonna make a run to this restaurant he loves... China Moonlight... for some of that tea-smoked duck. You should look at the menu. If everything goes as planned, we'll be in and out by dusk and have dinner on the flight home.

Almost bottomless bottom. "Yeah, but I saved your butt." Fake boat sex, 2x22.

Red: How proud Sam was when you got into the FBI academy.

Red: Happy birthday, Lizzy. You’ve become everything Sam dreamed you would and more.

Red: Share it with someone special.

Ressler: It's Special Agent.

Wear it for someone special.

Red: Write down the relevant details and, please, gift wrap one bottle of Rossi No. 1.

Ressler & Liz on opposite sides in S3.

Red: To being on the same side. Liz: At long last.

Saram to Keenler, now on the same side. 

♪ At last... my love has come along... My lonely days are over... and life is like a song ♪

Red: How proud Sam was when you got into the FBI academy. How proud you'll be.

This bounces back to 4x9 and 3x14.

Tom: Hey, here’s Daddy wondering how much damage we’ve done to our sweet little girl. Liz: Well, it’ll make for an intriguing college essay.

Liz: I know, the whole idea that Mozart will improve cognitive skills is a myth, but they say babies start learning in the womb, so on the off chance it’ll get him into Harvard...

Liz: She's a wreck. He'd have to be blind not to see it.

lmfao!! Sounds just like Liz. A wreck. I think perhaps a car wreck is coming, given they've placed both Agnes and Liz in the rearview mirror.

Final note: Cooper and Ressler seem to be switching S3 positions with each other, which is interesting. 

Cooper: Given what we’re up against, I’m willing to - Tom: Throw out the rulebook. Cooper: Bend the bindings a little.

Ressler [To Tom]: You are a lying scumbag, and I don’t trust you. Ressler [To Cooper]: If you do, you’re a fool.

Cooper couldn't trust Tom, but went with it anyway to save Liz. Now he can't trust Liz because she's become more like her dead husband. But, Cooper's getting ready to look like an ass. Spent a great deal blaming Red for the danger Liz has been in. Trusted Tom enough to marry them. I can't wait for him to find out Tom wiped Liz's memory as they switch Ressler over to the other side...

Red: I don't know. My hunch is - Harold put the shipment with the badass in the bunch. I think I think it may be you.

... you knew you were sending them with Ressler.