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After an extremely long break, I’m very happy to say that the new chapter of my John and Sara fic is now live.

Chapter Five gets back to the investigation with a trip across the bridge to Brooklyn - but is it ever safe to go it alone?

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I’ve always enjoyed Stranger Things but I wouldn’t have described myself as fan - until this season.

Season 4 Part 1 hooked me in from its opening seconds and didn’t let go until the final credits rolled. The tone shift towards darker themes and all out horror made the character beats and humour even more impactful, and I never thought that an episode clocking in at over 100 minutes could still feel too short!

There were so many aspects of this season that I loved: Vecna’s origin story, Freddy Krueger’s cameo, the sparks flying between Steve and Nancy (and Robin and Eddie being co-captains of the ship), the link to satanic panic, Max’s letter to Billy, Kate Bush, Dustin in general, and that moment between Hopper and Joyce.

While the California storyline felt like the weakest of the four - and it was always a wrench to be taken away from the Hawkins crew - I think separating the characters and allowing them to pursue their own path while at the same time weaving those pathways together was a genius move by the Duffers.

Vecna is the series’ most compelling villain so far and his connection to Eleven feels like it’s setting up an awesome eventual showdown. It’s also so satisfying to see how the events of previous seasons are being revisited and that the characters are being given the space to feel, relive and hopefully process their trauma.

For the first time since the series premiered, I feel compelled to do a complete rewatch ahead of Part Two. So, better late than never, I’m officially a Stan; I want to spend more time with these characters and in this world, watch all the Stancy fanvids, listen to the soundtrack on a loop, and scour vintage shops for 80s threads.

I can’t wait to see how the Duffers are going to tie everything up by the end of Season 5. This feels like a show that we can trust to stick the landing while also, inevitably, leaving us wanting more.

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If you’re missing The Alienist and don’t want Sara and John’s love story to end just yet, check out my continuation fic The Admiring Angel. Chapter 4 is now live: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31066592/chapters/76748699?style=disable

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On those days when I’m tempted to settle or start believing that the butterflies aren’t worth waiting for, I rewatch this scene and remember what it’s really all about…

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I can’t choose! Team Paxton? Team Ben?

I don’t think any show has had me this torn over a love triangle since season three of the Vampire Diaries.

It’s so tough to make the love triangle trope feel fresh but Never Have I Ever is knocking it out of the park!

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I’m late to the party but I finally watched The Wilds and I can’t believe I haven’t seen more people raving about this show!

1. How refreshing was it to watch a whole series focused on female stories? And for those stories to showcase so many different aspects of what it means to be a woman. I love a good romance but I really appreciated the way that The Wilds highlights other influences on the characters’ lives - friendship, ambition, religion, caring responsibilities and family conflict - and how they can be just as impactful and emotive as a love story

2. There are no dud characters. I instantly connected with Leah’s story and that feeling of a first love that tips over obsession. Keeping yourself stuck in the pain and depression because somehow that feels safer than actually letting go. But as every girl took their turn in the spotlight, my heart went out to them all. I’d initially ignored Martha and Rachel - they seemed one note at first  - but they really won me over. Even the island’s surviving mole was sympathetic. It was impossible to hate her

3. It had echoes of so many of my favourite films and TV shows; the complex dynamics of female friendship and jealousy from Mean Girls, the limitations of the boxes teens can be forced into from The Breakfast Club, and the flashbacks from Lost but still felt original and surprising

4. The real villains - the Dawn of Eve organisers - were the weak point for me. Gretchen, in particular, felt a lot like a caricature. The final episode did provide more context but even then her real motivations weren’t exactly clear. What were they trying to achieve? Sure, it might be intentional on the writers’ part to keep that side of things murky and enhance the mystery, but I can’t help but feel the story would have been stronger and the stakes even higher if the experiment’s purpose had been clarified. The viewer could have been put in the middle and feel more conflicted, understanding why the experiment exists but also hating the way the girls were being treated

5. How could I not mention Toni and Shelby? I did say I’m a sucker for romance after all. And while I have a soft spot for Peter, the antagonist/lover trope never fails to draw me in. The tension. The chemistry. The way ‘I’m a notorious hothead’ Toni completely chilled out after they hooked up. But saying that, I loved all the relationships between the girls - romantic or not. The trope of former enemies realising they’re not so different after all might have been done a million times before but The Wilds still sold it well. Fatin and Leah. Dot and Shelby. Rachel and Nora. Every bonding moment felt genuine and earned. 

6. I need this quote on my wall: “I don’t want to be afraid anymore. I don’t want to be afraid to be in love or to love who I want, freely, fully, without reservation. I want to find my people, whoever they are. I want to find my strength. I want to make a life where we’re not always doing and trying and fighting. I want a life where we can just be.”

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It’s been a week - and more than a dozen rewatches - and I’m still not sure 100% where I stand on the Carmuel short story (and full disclosure: I haven’t attempted Season 4 yet - not sure my shipper heart can take it!) 

So starting with the positives; this episode felt like a gift to the fans and an acknowledgement of the impact this pairing - and Ester and Itzan’s chemistry - has had on the success of Elite. 

I loved the fluff: Samuel being a hopeless romantic in bed, Carla’s final heartbreaking voice note, the very hot Truth or Dare game, and the sweet moments they shared while living together. 

It was so good to see them have fun together and actually smile for once! Sure, some of Samuel’s lines in the first short felt a little too confident for his character, but the lightness and humour was a huge relief after the pain of the previous season.

But despite loving a lot of the scenes, I don’t think the short stories brought the closure for Carmuel that we were promised. There was just so much left unsaid. Would it have killed them to have an actual conversation? I know that Carla naturally holds back but there were many missed opportunities for her to open up, whether it was during the drinking game or when Samuel was nagging her about visiting her parents. If she’d been allowed to explain any of her actions in season three to Samuel - her Dad’s threats, her relationship with Yeray, her drug use - I would really have felt that this relationship is the truest thing in her life. 

The break-up was inevitable and it was always going to be rushed in a short story but it still felt like their conflict came out of nowhere. To boil their issues down to money and class - and for Samuel to do a complete 180 - just didn’t seem believable to me. 

This is the person he described as the love of his life, the person he can’t imagine a future without, and the person he still fought for after everything that happened in season three. But it took just seven (apparently blissful) days together and one argument to convince him that he’d never feel good enough? Carla might have been the one to call things off but it seemed like it was Samuel’s shifting feelings that had driven her to that decision, rather than her desire to leave him.  

All that being said, I do still have hope that they’ll reunite down the road - even if it happens off-screen. It’s a classic right person, wrong time situation and with some time apart - Samuel becoming more sure of himself and Carla learning there’s strength in vulnerability - they could still be the perfect match. 

Now, please tell me someone is already writing a fanfic about those missing seven days...

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CARLA & SAMUEL in Elite Short Stories: Carla Samuel, Part 2.

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I’m really hoping that Elite Week isn’t getting progressively more devastating…

Rebe, Caye, and Guzman were the comedy trio we never knew we needed.

Guzman and Nadia’s story was bittersweet.

Ander, Omar, and Alexis got the tears flowing.

Am I being super naive for still holding out hope that Samuel and Carla’s short story won’t completely destroy me?

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Oh how I’ve missed these idiots…