Barry Trivers and Gerd Oswald dropping “The Conscience of the King” on December 8th of 1966, only to never elaborate on Tarsus IV and Kirk’s past there

Titans 2x04 review

I am back againnnn. I think I may hold an unpopular opinion about this episode, but I actually enjoyed it. For me personally, if they’ve brought in Deathstroke who the OG Titans faced, then I think it’s only right that they give us a flashback episode and show us what happened, so that we the audience know just how much tension and WHY there is so much tension between the OG team and Dick but also the OG team and Deathstroke. 

Now, what I liked about the episode:

- Jericho is the sweetest person. He was literally minding his own business, cooking meals for his mother, fanboying over Bowie, being such a sweet dude. I mean how could Slade just kill his son like that? I kinda have an idea that maybe Jericho died because Slade thought he was working with the Titans, or that maybe the Titans decided to use him as bait for Slade (which I think is horrible, but I’m also thinking that maybe they didn’t believe Slade would actually kill him). Either way I’m really intrigued.

- Garth and Donna. Man oh man, was I really rooting for this couple. Their acting, their chemistry, I loved to see all of it. The thing I liked about them was that the reason why Donna was keeping him at arms length made a whole lot of sense; she was leaving for Themyscira in 6 months, he was soon leaving for Atlantis. But the telling thing was, in all his pursuits for her she never said she never liked him, in fact you could see just how much she did, so it made you root for them to find a way to make their relationship work. I really wish he hadn’t died though, not only because I believe they would have made such a great couple, but also because I was invested in finding out more about him. Two scenes that legit took my breath away; one, when Donna realised that he was responsible for her finding that damn Clown fish and two, obviously that whole scene when he dies and she runs to him and he catches her and their smiling and you think everything is gonna be okay and then BANG. I was shook.

- Slade is evil, point blank, but he’s also a really remarkable character and Esai kills it as him. Hats off to that casting director because they did a really good job in booking him. It’s really worrying though because I don’t know how the hell the Titans are gonna take him down this time. All I know is that they’re ALL gonna have to come together because whew lord, this man. In current time, I also don’t know how the hell they’re gonna get Jason back. Which wouldn’t have even happened if the team were functioning as teams should, but lemme not speak on that too much.

- I enjoyed seeing the dynamics of how the original team played out. When they went out in their uniforms they seemed to be really in sync with each other and know their roles. Them as civilians though, there was something that didn’t flow so right. 

- I also really love Dick Grayson. He gets a LOT of shit which I don’t think is at all fair or even justified. He is my baby boy, the love of my life, and I will root for him when people aren’t treating him right. Which I don’t think is gonna stop any time soon. Also, that ending? Curious... What’s the plan with Jericho... I also loved his scenes with Donna, you can tell how close their relationship is, how they are literally like a brother/sister duo and it’s so refreshing. I also thought it was touching how Dick knew there were no words for him to say that would make Garth’s death less of a blow, so to show his love he looked for the person responsible to offer to Donna. He basically gave her someone and something to let her anger out at - which was kind of what Batman did for him.

What I didn’t like; 

- Listen. I’m tired of seeing Dick and Dawn. Their relationship was whack, it lacked the chemistry, the passion, the connection. Dawn is also starting to get on my nerves. You are in a relationship with Dick Grayson, I would think being in a relationship with someone means you know their fragile parts, you know what they are sensitive about. You know damn well this man doesn’t have a good relationship with Batman, you KNOW he is conflicted with what Batman has taught him. And yet you knowingly open your mouth and tell him to be the very thing you know he is wrestling with. It makes no sense. And what’s even more annoying, is that when he becomes more like Batman i.e. more focused on the mission, less open with emotion, you pull away and it leads to a break up. You cannot tell someone to be half one thing and half of another thing and then get mad because it’s no longer convenient for you. Or, lets look it another way using Hank and Dawn’s current situation. Dawn says that Hank should leave the vigilante life because he’s clearly suffering (fair enough), but then lets say if someone in the team were to die, you tell him to go back to being a vigilante (which you know is his addiction) and then you get mad when he starts to become obsessive with it. It does not make any sense to me. I don’t know whether it’s visible, but I’m genuinely aggravated by it.

Just as a side note to this, because I cannot refrain from mentioning my ship; Kory would have never told him to be Batman. Ever since they met she’s always wanted him to be the best version he can be. Even in Trigon’s dream when Dick wanted to stay and search for Batman, it was Kory who was like ‘yo, you’ve got a wife and a kid, go home and be with them. this life isn’t for you anymore’. Dick and Kory’s connection is so pure, you can literally see the hearts in this man’s eyes when he looks at her, he is completely enamoured. Just them standing next to each other is so powerful.

- The timeline between Hank/Dawn/Dick confused me. Did Dawn and Hank break up after they beat up that pedophile, then she got with Dick (at the same time as the Titans were formed), and then somehow Hank got involved in the Titans, and then Dick and Dawn broke up and then Hank and Dawn got back together. The movements are too wild for me. 

(Also, another side note, I do actually like Dawn but there are things she’s doing that I can’t get behind)

What I hope to see next week: 

- Kory’s reunion. I know they have to deal with Jason and figure out a way to save him. But so help me God, if they don’t give me a emotional and tender dickkory reunion I will riot. It has been WAY too long. I already know Kory’s reunion with Rachel and Gar will be great, so I’m not to worried about it. 

- I also hope we see more Gar. I’m actually gonna fight someone with the lack of Gar scenes we’re getting. The writers are moving mad. There is so much content you can give for Gar and yet we’re not seeing any of it? I want to see him changing to more animals, I want to see the tension between him and Dick being talked about ffs, I want him to have his own agency. 

- Next week is gonna be a wild one. I wonder how Dick will react when Gar tells him the news? Obviously it’s not gonna be a good reaction. How will Gar himself handle it. How will the rest of them handle it? I’m really looking forward to it. 

Things about the Season 3 Finale of Handmaid's Tale that Don't Make Sense

I will say first that I preferred this episode to much of the season, even if there were parts I thought were unrealistic to the point of absurdity while I was watching it.  But after a day and a half, the list of nonsense keeps growing.

June was walking with an armed escort since her walking partner is dead.  While some of the girls were sneaky about their soap, it was a lot of them - and some were downright Not.Subtle.  I'm not just talking about Janine, either, but let's start with her.  Why didn't the guardian - whose whole job is to make sure the handmaid in his charge can't get up to something - not even notice? it wasn't like she just grinned, either, she was giddy and spoke and talked about how she couldn't wait.  If my job is to make sure the person I'm guarding doesn't get up to something, in particular if I'm used to seeing myself as above the person I'm guarding, then I'm asking questions.  I'm demanding answers.  I'm checking the bag.  This guy stands next to her and stares into space.  Did she just get the guy who's really bad at his job?  (How convenient!)  Is he so used to assuming that "those silly women chattering on about nonsense" can't be plotting anything serious?  (Really bad outlook for a guard to have)  Given some of the other guardians we've seen and how they handle far less communication between handmaids, why doesn't this guy seem to give a shit?  Is he secretly in the resistance, too? Is literally everyone except Fred, Serena, and Aunt Lydia?

For reference, Rebecca and her martha traveled about 12 miles by modern roads, likely much more than that when you factor darting through woods and back yards.  How the hell big is the martha network that one in Lexington knew about this plot?  How does a martha from central Boston, whose duties generally aren't going to let her go too much outside the city, get information all the way out there?

Oh, and how the hell did the martha get rohypnol?  You can make it impossible to get antidepressants, but date-rape drugs are still floating around?  Was the use of that particular substance deliberate, given the assault in Gilead, rather than simply making it sleeping pills or whatever Mrs. Lawrence took?

Speaking of whom - so Lawrence is just going to let it go that June either let his wife die or actively killed her?  The look at the end of the funeral last week seemed to indicate he knew or at least suspected.  But this guy, who clearly adored his wife and tried to protect her for *years*...doesn't even take his anger out on June? She's mouthing off to him and he just shrugs and lets her do it?

Rebecca looks to be about 8-10 and doesn't really remember before.  She's one of the oldest kids in the bunch.  The younger ones have literally never known a pre-Gilead time.  Why are none of them upset at being taken somewhere?  Why is not one of them crying for mommy and daddy?  Why aren't any of them whining that they want to go home?  Hell, it's been several hours and a lot of walking - none of them are complaining that they're bored or tired or itchy or hungry or bored.  Has Gilead managed to break children of complaining? Because *that* is quite a feat!  But seriously, if at age 6 my neighbor (whom I knew and trusted) had told me "we have to go now, be very quiet" and made me leave my home without my parents, I would have tried to be quiet for awhile but would have had a LOT of questions.  Like why aren't Mom and Dad here? Where are they? Are they ok? What's happening?  Why do we have to be quiet? Why are we going through the woods and not on the street? To avoid being seen - but why? Why can't the guards see us? They see us all the time.  And if the answer came that she was taking me out of the country, I would have a lot more questions about why and why couldn't mom and dad come and what would it be like there.

And by the way, "you can be anything you want to be" doesn't really work in a world where there don't seem to be professions other than "martha" or "commander" or "lady of leisure" or "sex slave."  Getting to wear whatever you want doesn't really make sense if everyone wears the same thing, either.  It's not like the kid is going to think "oh, good, I can wear red because I like that colour but here only those women wear it."  Like...that's not helpful.  And I get that nothing she could say would be helpful to these kids because how do you explain a completely different world to someone who has no concept of what that world includes? But these are not helpful answers.  So let's go with what the kids might have a concept of - what refugee children talk about when they leave:  violence.  Guys with guns on every corner (yay canada!).  People who disappear without warning.  Though maybe the kids won't have any concept of that, either, because the commanders' families are kept so isolated and protected.

Were all the kids from commanders' families? They made it sound like Rebecca was an anomaly in that regard, but technically all the guys in suits with wives and handmaids are commanders.  And those are also the only homes that have marthas.  Everyone else has econowives, and everyone dresses in grey - even the kids.  So these children, in their pale pink and blue, they all have to be the children of commanders/wives/handmaids, right?  Why were only Rebecca's parents looking for her? Sure, she'd been gone longer, but if it's getting dark and my child isn't home, I'm going to be pretty freaked out and calling the guys with guns to find her, especially given the community turmoil lately - Nicole was "kidnapped," Serena and Fred and the guy from DC were all "taken" by Canada...considering how protective everyone is of their children, particularly in this world, they don't seem to pay very close attention to the kids' whereabouts.

This has bothered me since Emily at the beginning of the season but came up again: When you're trying to avoid being seen by helicopters overhead, TAKE OFF YOUR WHITE HAT!  It's bad enough you're in red...though I suppose given how few handmaids were on this adventure at least a few of them could have changed into spare martha dresses so they blend into the woods a little better.  (June has several dresses, you can't tell me marthas - who cook and clean - only have one.  You're telling me that the woman who thought to soap the back gate so it wouldn't squeak, who has gone undercover before, couldn't think to change into less visible clothing?)  But at the very least, the white thing on top of your head is going to be incredibly visible at night, even without flashlights.  Take it off ffs!

Was Janine always going to be going?  Why are no other handmaids trying to get out?  We have a handful of marthas who see this opportunity and are getting on a plane, but only Janine - crazy, traumatized, batshit-screwy Janine - has the wherewithall to think "...if a plane's leaving, it could take me with it too"?  Has she finally stopped trying to get back to baby Angela?  And if so, can she give June lessons in that because this whole "I'm staying behind to find my daughter" thing is getting to be a really old plot device.  

Were we supposed to be surprised that June was wiling to forego her seat on the plane? Because from the reactions of the other characters, I think we were supposed to be, but I was never under the impression she was leaving with the kids, I assumed she was going to stay and try to do another of these hair-brained schemes in a way that got more people of colour killed because that's what she does at this point.  

Why the hell did you think there wouldn't be guardians at the tarmac?  Even if Rebecca weren't in the group, even if no one were looking for these kids (and they should be, btw), but just in general: it's a plane that brings things into Gilead.  They're not checking for contraband?  Because if they're not, then the guardian are a) stupid and b) missing out on fantastic bribery/extortion opportunities.  

Did June tell Lawrence about giving away his art collection? Because poor Billy is in enough trouble already, but he thought at least he's be able to go raid that house.  But now that Lawrence stayed behind, I'm just picturing the bartender showing up in a truck to take out paintings and being greeted by a very angry commander.

Not one child pops up or down from the group at the wrong time.  Clearly these writers/directors have never seen an elementary school concert.

Back to the tarmac.  They made a big deal about June bringing her gun.  Why the fuck is she throwing rocks?  Is it because she's worried she's not a good enough shot?  If so, why bring it? And even then, since your goal clearly isn't to kill him - just distract him - given that you're throwing rocks which aren't going to hit him unless he's a blind moron...why not shoot his car?  Shoot, as long as you hit *something* he's going to turn to look for the source, you duck, repeat, same as the rocks only at least that way poor Janine gets the fuck out of Gilead.  And all the other marthas.

BTW, when June takes off running to draw the gun away from the tarmac...did everyone else go board the plane? They could have, but somehow Janine was still in Gilead.  Were the rest of the rock-throwers?  Because most of them are going to end up dead otherwise.  But the plane only seemed to have a small handful of adults, and the only one we saw enough of to recognize was Rita.

Ok, so we get to Canada, and I have to ask: Do they just have a hanger ready for refugee planes at all times? Because this operation was very well-stocked for a plane that just departed 40 minutes ago, and given that they had no idea kids were on-board, I suspect there wasn't a whole lot of communication beforehand about the plane coming, so how did the refugee assistance people even know to go wait at a hanger? That's also a really nice hanger for a random cargo plane.  Was all of that arranged in advance?  Because otherwise I imagine a sudden flurry of calls to Moira and co from the head of the RAFC going "holy shit, a plane full of refugees just arrived at the airfield where the fedex planes leave from, get people down here to help!"  But they've clearly been there awhile setting up and knew to expect people...but not to expect kids.

Unlike Hannah, who kind of remembers June but doesn't really feel connected to her anymore, Rebecca not only recognizes her dad but runs to him and throws her arms around him, as happy to see him as he is to see her.  So she doesn't remember before, but remembers her dad clearly enough to have actively missed him.  That...doesn't make a ton of sense given what we've seen so far.  Like, she's happier to see her dad than Oliver was to see Emily, and Oliver has had his memories of his mom actively reinforced by Syl this whole time.

(On a separate note, the most wrenching moment of the whole episode was Luke hoping for Hannah.  I love when shows use "the audience knows something the characters don't" to heighten emotions like that.)

Why, when Fred picked things to tell Tuello, did he go with pimping June out and NOT with the fact that they raped her to induce labor?  Is it because Fred still thinks that was totally fine, but June/Nick was a betrayal somehow?  Because given the fight they had at the house, it was clear Serena had decided after the fact that it was wrong and tried to throw it in his face when he was adamant he did it because she told him to and because he was trying to "fix [her] mess."    

(Also was I the only one who thought it was going to be that she had done something way worse? Been the one left holding the bag on the terrorist act that started the civil war?  Had secretly poisoned some prominent people? Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if she were the one who came up with the Ceremony in the first place, and architects of war crimes are still war criminals - hence Lawrence, remember?)

The morning after 52 children and a handful of adults escape Gilead, 6 women in bright red robes can walk through the woods near the tarmac from which the kids went missing to search for, rescue, and carry back another woman all in red...without anyone noticing.  Sure, that sounds like the guardians we all know and love for convenient plot purposes.