I know I’m dreaming here but I really want Jim and Frenchie to have a weird little friendship this season. Like they were both kidnapped and as far as they know everyone else is dead so I’m just imagining them trusting each other out of necessity and then eventually getting just attached enough that they go a little out of their way to watch each other’s backs. I mean they still both have their own interests to protect and if Jim got a chance to escape and it meant leaving Frenchie behind or vice versa I think they’d still go for it but like checking after they raid a wedding to make sure they both made it out alright. Trying not to let each other out of their sight because they let the others out of their sight and now they don’t know what happened to them. That kind of thing.

Unsurprisingly on my mind due to TKP's blog going through it, I've been meaning to ask (if just to clarify) about if any details from the "Enerjak Reborn" saga ever slip into your universe, even if clearly can't happen due to the characters' relationships. A part of me assumes that the idea you mentioned of Locke becoming the threat he prophesized sounded like the most likely direct replacement for that, but I wonder if any other ideas end up still mimicking it?

First of all, I fucking love your username and as far as I’m concerned you DID decide on a good one.

Anyway, this is an interesting bit of the storyline because it’s in that nebulous place where my partner and I agree that it happened, but we’ve never actually hammered out exactly what happened. For the most part, the bullet points of Finitevus tricking Knuckles into getting hexed and Locke sacrificing himself to release him are agreed to have been in the RP’s backstory, but given the version of Locke that I wrote for the Brotherhood, I’m sure the tone of the situation was very different. I can only imagine what the situation looked like through Locke’s eyes, honestly. In some ways you could argue that Knuckles becoming Enerjak IS the realization of everything Locke worked for, so that begs the question of whether or not he would see that as his premonition coming true. It’s hard to say given that there’s so many other events that have happened leading up to this point that would’ve also gone differently based on the new circumstances, and some that probably didn’t happen all together.

However, here’s my immediate hunch:

1) The events of S3&K definitely happened in the RP’s backstory, although again I’m sure several events played out in different ways. The great point to this is that, as WE all know, this was the fulfillment of the mural that Locke saw on the wall in Hidden Palace, which unknowingly inspired his recurring dream. Locke, however, would’ve taken the arrival of Eggman and the Death Egg with a lot more confusion. Obviously this is the level of threat his premonition insisted upon, but Knuckles wasn’t the one to ultimately defeat it! Some ground-dwelling heathen actually took care of it!!! So no matter how much the situation would seem to fulfill the slot of the Great Evil, it obviously can’t be because Knuckles did not ascend to become the Savior in order to stop it.

2) It’s probably safe to say this cycle happened a few others times, because let’s face it, Angel Island has seen some shit. I don’t think the others probably ever compared to S3&K arc, though, both in terms of the impact it made on the situation (and Locke’s psyche) and the fact that the enemy just plain looks like the figure in Locke’s dreams.

3) This would probably mean that an already paranoid Locke is getting jumpier and jumpier every time a new threat arises, because by now there’ve been so many BIG bad events that he’s probably constantly worrying, “Is this the Great Evil?? IS THIS THE GREAT EVIL??” and his already frayed nerves are probably completely shot.

4) So imagine, then, when Knuckles -- Locke’s only pride and joy, for whom he sacrificed absolutely everything in his life and has been banking on saving everyone’s lives -- seems to have become the Great Evil himself. It’s not enough that he’s powerful on an otherworldly scale and seems to have gone mad with said power; the bigger shock is that Knuckles does, indeed, seem to be fulfilling the criteria of his premonitions. He’s not just terrorizing the rest of the world (which, let’s be honest, Locke probably doesn’t even care about), he’s also terrorizing echidnas. He left Echidnaopolis in ruins by forcibly removing the entire population, and he’s destroying a lot of lives by changing their bodies against their will. The entire echidna species is terrified of what he has become, and what else he might do. Maybe the fact that the Great Evil was enormous in Locke’s dream wasn’t about literal physical scale, but rather, a representation of the enormity of the threat that’s posed.

5) In a perfect world, I’d really like to imagine that this finally, FINALLY, brings Locke a desperately needed moment of clarity. Locke got to the state he ends up in because he’s so afraid of some ambiguous and unidentifiable threat, so maybe the fact that he now CAN identify the threat could be enough to raise that fog. Maybe seeing Knuckles as the evil they need to be protected from will finally be enough to jolt Locke back to reality, and allow him to see just how bad his decisions have been and how Knuckles’ state is, honestly, a very logical conclusion to the chain of events that came before it. Knuckles becoming the Great Evil was always a possibility all along, but Locke was so convinced of the contrary that he just literally couldn’t see it. Now he can see it. Now he can grasp how, no matter how well-intentioned he was, he absolutely, 100%, undeniably caused his son to become the one thing he’s feared all along.

6) If Locke is able to have that moment, and think completely clearly again for even a brief time, then I have no doubt whatsoever that Locke would make that sacrifice to save him. No attempts to find an alternative, no hemming and hawing, no attempts to get everyone to kill Knuckles like in the comic, NONE of that shit. If Locke, the REAL Locke that’s been lost inside the madness all this time is able to wake up for just a few moments, emerges again and learns that the only way to save his boy from the fate he himself unwittingly doomed him to is for someone to give up their own life, Locke would make that sacrifice in a heartbeat. He said back on the day he activated the chaos bath that he wished he could take Knuckles’ burdens away and put himself in his place. This would be one way to do exactly that, to give Knuckles a shot at a real, normal life again, and to atone for the enormous mistakes he made that caused this tragedy.

I think if the situation arose under those sorts of circumstances, it would just make Locke’s sacrifice all the more meaningful. Allowing him to not only realize that he’s the one that ultimately caused all this, but to fully admit to it AND take responsibility without being harangued into doing so completely changes the tone of what he does. It’s not a situation where Locke sees sacrificing himself as something that has to be done, but something that should be done, to atone for his wrongdoings and save the one person he loves more than anyone or anything else in this world.

I don’t see the Locke of the comics as someone who would die for his child without the slightest hesitation, even after more skillful writers get a hold of him; I don’t see the fact that he does so unrealistic, but I honestly think the only reason he does it is because he can’t think of a way out of it. I mean, for fuck’s sake, shortly before doing so he was campaigning TO HAVE KNUCKLES KILLED. I think canon!Locke loves Knuckles in his own weird way, but I think his love for Knuckles comes second to his love for himself, and it always has. Canon!Locke is just simply too arrogant to think of someone else first, even his own child.

Locke the way I write him, however, was always ready to die so that Knuckles could live. It used to be because he felt Knuckles was too important to their people and needed to live to save them, but when all that baggage is lifted, Locke would still die for him simply because he loves him. He would die for him to make his life better, to free him from the prisons he’s been confined to both physically and mentally, to allow him to fully live. He’d die to save his son because he wants him to finally have the life he deserves -- that he always deserved. If the price of Knuckles being happy, healthy, and free is Locke giving up his life, there’d be no force on Mobius that could’ve kept him away from the Master Emerald to do it.

I don’t know if this is quite the sort of answer you were looking for, but again, this was the first impulse that came into my brain. It feels right to me, and probably would be worth exploring in a story sometime. Maybe someone could commission me for it or something, who knows. In the meantime, I hope this paints the picture as well as I’m seeing in my head.

Reply to @somuchflippinglitter’s commentary of my TWT Branch’s Character Growth Post

(Did anyone notice how often we see Branch in monochrome in TWT, basically Gray Branch again?)

Hi! @somuchflippinglitter I’m actually happy to see such a long, thoughtful post. You make some good points, and there are other points that, if I may, I’d like to explain my reasoning more clearly. BTW this is a verrry long post that I thought would work better as a separate post rather than a reply to a reply.

The original post (scroll through the comments to see the commentary I’m replying to)

https://dreamsinger-rose.tumblr.com/post/616517422712848384/twt-spoilers-branchs-character-growth

Some of Branch’s actions can be seen as out of character, yes. For me, the main one is how much more mature he seems in some ways, such as not acting as sarcastic as in the first movie, but I have assume that he’s had at least a year of being social and developing meaningful relationships with the other trolls, who no longer regard him as the ‘crazy guy who lives in a bunker and still thinks the bergens are out to get us’, because he did turn out to be right. So he has less reason to be sarcastic, and more reason to care what other people think of him.

Yes, Branch was definitely the “love interest” here. But because he was, he was the one person with the influence to make Poppy listen when it really mattered. Also, I guess you could say it was “rubbed in your face”, but then, he literally told her he loved her in the first movie (which could have been friendship-love). I can see two reasons for Dreamworks to emphasize his love-interest status: to clearly tell the audience he’s IN love with Poppy, and to show he’s grown emotionally-open enough to make the choice to confess to her. This also implies time passing and character growth.

I looked up the symptoms of PTSD and he fit all of them, (in the first movie). But his PTSD wasn’t caused by the singing and dancing that attracted Chef to capture his grandma, it was caused by the trauma of her loss and his subsequent guilt and grief. The ‘not wanting to sing or dance’ was a symptom of his PTSD, not the cause itself.

That’s why after Poppy and the others comforted him and didn’t heap blame on him after he confessed how it was his fault his grandma got killed, Branch’s grief, and especially his guilt (and self-blame) lifted, and right afterward we started to see him healing. His symptoms began to subside. That “happy shout” came after his confession, not before. He was able to sing when Poppy needed it, and that broke the no-sing/no-dance block in his mind, and that helped him heal even more.

I personally have been considering Trolls Holiday canon, and TBGO as an alternate universe, since we know both have wormholes and thus it’s canon, ironically, for there to be other versions of Branch. For example Branch’s bed is vastly different in each. TBGO Branch does have the same basic personality as movie/special Branch but somewhat different experiences.

Either way, Branch’s basic personality to me is someone who is guarded and not very trusting and therefore prone to anxiety when things happen that are outside his control, like how he got all stuttery in Holiday “D-did you say wormhole?” The Trolls to Trolls clips in particular gave me a lot to think about, since he acts a lot less confident in some of them compared to his confidence in the first movie. Totally blew my mind that all Poppy had to do to make him cave in (high-pitched voice/submissive body language) was MENTION his bunker, never mind its location.

It’s true that sexiness is in the eye of the beholder, but actually I have some solid scientific/aesthetic reasons for thinking of Branch as sexy. First, Branch’s character has been designed to look masculine: large nose, mouth, hands, feet. Broad face. Bigger teeth, compared to Poppy. Thick hair, which implies virility, something females unconsciously look for in a mate. Also, rather than letting his hair grow random and kind of ragged like the other male trolls, Branch’s hair is always neatly trimmed, which implies good hygiene, which is also something people find attractive. Whether he’s an animated troll or not, he’s been designed to look very male and therefore appealing to those who like guys.

Second, I’ve read articles/studies on body language and dance choreography. The “hip sway/push toward us” in particular is characteristic of someone trying to attract a romantic partner. His open arms are seen as inviting/welcoming, which is appealing. Also, him pointing his toes toward someone, biting his lip, and what looks like direct eye contact are also body language that says “he’s into you”. The eye contact in particular will be seen as attractive because it implies confidence, which is universally considered one of THE most attractive traits for either/all sexes.

So my point is it’s not so much that he’s an animated troll, but that a live human who has similar features (big hands, etc) and uses the same body language and eye contact is going to be seen as attractive by a large number of viewers, who will respond on an unconscious level. The outward appearance – blue-green skin, long ears, is not really what we’re responding to as far as attractiveness goes. Thus, to me, an adult female; Branch is sexy.

So, by ‘acting out of character’, did you mean because he was (selfishly) having fun as he danced to the new-to-him Kpop and Reggaetron music? Or do you mean you thought since he left Poppy that meant that he was being selfish and protecting only himself?

You’re right that he cared less about music than other things, although since he was the one who liked Country music and he seemed to understand the Funk troll’s story on a deeper level than Poppy, it was my understanding that he DID care. The reason he seemed out of character is because despite Branch’s love for Poppy, we have to remember his basic, unshakable core characteristic: protection/defense.

In the first movie, he built a bunker to protect himself. He expanded that protection to Poppy and his friends and eventually Bridget, because he came to care about them all. We assume that he’s now friends with much more of the village. (I take his random comment “Ah, what a troll,” when talking about Legsly as support for this.) So now his entire village is under his protection.

He had to make the hard choice to go protect the village when he knew Barb would be heading there (Barb didn’t know Poppy had the string) since Poppy wasn’t doing it. And he couldn’t make her, he could only try to persuade her, which he did. So he was behaving true to himself. He IS loyal to Poppy, but when she essentially abandons her post to go to the Rock trolls’ home, he has to step up and do what he feels is the right thing, no matter how badly he wants to keep Poppy safe. That’s why I think he’ll be a good king, since he put the welfare of his people ahead of his need to stay with Poppy.

Branch didn’t go all untrusting with Hickory because Branch didn’t KNOW Hickory betrayed them. He wasn’t there when the disguise came off.

In your take on Branch and Poppy’s relationship, it’s true that them not having a “good connection” felt a little too convenient after all the relationship-building they’d had over the past year or so. To be fair, if you were writing the movie’s script and you needed some reason for Branch to get motivated to try to confess his feelings for Poppy, what do you think might have been a better scenario?

Me, I liked the high-five because it was symbolic of the progress of the relationship – no contact in the first movie, trying but unable to get a strong connection at the beginning of TWT and a strong connection at the end of TWT. But yeah, not being able to make contact made it sound like their relationship had backtracked instead of progressed, which is out of sync with all the previous progress we’ve seen.

I would have loved to have seen more “vulnerable Branch”. They probably had scenes like that, but had to cut them to keep the movie short enough. It could have been laziness, I suppose. But if there had been more scenes like that, the movie would have been a romance story rather than an adventure, and kids probably wouldn’t have liked it as much. I hope we get to see some cut scenes on the DVD. (Me, I would have liked the movie to be like a half-hour longer and all Broppy scenes, haha).

Thanks for taking the time to give me your beautiful long reply to my post, @somuchflippinglitter You were very respectful :) and I honestly think analyzing a kids’ character is really important since kids learn a lot about the world by what they see on TV. Not so much the fantasy, but the way people relate to one another. Like, Branch could have tried to take Poppy back to the village by force, but he let her make the choice that she thought was right, while he did the same. Each respected the other. And I respect you.  

Sokabe’s wider Role in the Story

Taken it’s been many solid chapters since he has disappeared from the manga, I thought it fitting to have a closer look at the role Sokabe used to have in the story.

I miss Sokabe. As long as he was still around in the manga, the dynamics in Team Tosaki (and the fractions bordering next to it) were still uncertain and it was always fun to witness how they would develop next. Since Sokabe is gone this energy has become kind of... stale. If you have a great antagonistic character don't make them leave too early.

What makes a character an antagonist in this manga’s mess of motivations and ambitions set on the grey scale though? I always viewed him to be the different side of the same coin as Tosaki: Just as much driven by ambition, just as ruthless in his approach. All while showing to have enough patience and foresight to plan in a long time manner, thus becoming an element one couldn’t dismiss in its potential to bring in unexpected positive or negative dynamics that carry gravity. And yet: Despite his wish to win over Tosaki’s position of job, Sokabe proved himself to be reliable, the messenger link keeping Tosaki connected to his position once his place on the hit list had forced him into hiding. Gradually Sokabe earned his part in the story and the periphery of Tosaki’s team: For a long time he kept providing support and information despite Tosaki’s fall from favour in the eyes of their superiors.

Proving to stay useful like this might have been fuelled by Sokabe’s own ambition, but Tosaki never made a secret he viewed him with contempt, letting this bias influence his treatment of him. Yet he had no hesitation using him whenever it was convenient – demanding him to participate in risky tasks like digging up information about Sato’s background (that at this late stage of the manga might prove to be crucial). Sokabe openly stated it would bring him into trouble should it be known that he had shared this knowledge. So, motivation aside, Sokabe deserves respect and at least some recognition for remaining this patient when constantly getting confronted with this kind of capricious whims.

I also have the impression he genuinely felt supportive towards Tosaki’s goals up to a certain point. Because that’s it: Sure, he had a rivalry dynamic with Tosaki going on, but once matters got serious and counted, Sokabe always proved to be reliable. Yet Tosaki made the impression he was not only taking Sokabe’s help for granted but at the same time acted dismissive towards him. Everyone would grow tired of that at some point.

Chapter 53 reflections: Tosaki getting a call from his mysterious secretary, speaking with them. Once upon a time, I was hoping for mystery secretary to show up for real in some panels. It felt like they could have been an interesting addition to the plot, bringing all kinds of fresh dynamics into it. Because given the fact Sokabe later explicitly pointed out that he hired one, instead of just getting a nebulous phone call informing him about what Tosaki had done to the secret data, it didn’t seem random. I could only assume their presence had gotten introduced for some kind of reason.

But, with this plot thread leaving left hanging empty and leading to nowhere since many chapters, I guess we won’t hear any more concerning that subject. Which would be a missed chance, really. With Sokabe framed in the position of an antagonist towards side Tosaki, it would have been interesting to see him humanized a bit, by showing that despite his unapologetic approach and motivation he still had people in his life caring about him –like a subordinate he got along well with- instead of going the safe and convenient route and showing the baddie is liked by none. It would also have added an interesting layer on his repeated comparisons with Tosaki (them looking vaguely alike is no coincidence), showing that both men might be able to commit heinous deeds but at the same time are able to care for people in their lives. Proving like this that the capability to commit evil acts wears no easily recognizable face (but that it sometimes may wear glasses).

Sokabe pointing out Tosaki’s inability to let go of the wish to return into the familiarity of his old life despite already having wilfully committed heinous deeds is framed as him being the antagonistic part here. But honestly, keeping in mind the atrocities we already saw Tosaki commit: Sokabe has a point here. With the manga speeding on Tosaki’s redemption in his final chapters, instead of following the more time-intense path of the gradual betterment he already had started walking -even going so far as to retcon his repeated threats towards Izumi as holding no weight- the story also tried to make a point that Tosaki is supposed to be the lesser evil than Sokabe. Which he really isn’t. Both were willing to use the suffering of ajin used for experiment for their personal gain, with the difference that Tosaki tried telling himself he did it for a good reason, using the illness of his fiancée Ai as an excuse, even though she once told him explicitly she didn’t wish for him to go down an questionable path should he ever feel pressured to do so. Sokabe on the other hand uses no such excuse, ironically appearing as the one staying more true to himself here by not explaining away his readiness to go down dark paths for the sake of reaching his own goals.

Soon after the glove panels the action in the main timeline intensified fast and Tosaki suddenly saw the need to kill Sokabe, getting wounded deadly himself in the process. All this for the sake of trying to prove that Tosaki never had been a real threat to Izumi and had been on her side all along. Frankly? It would have been more impactful if Tosaki would have been on Izumi’s side despite him intimidating her in the past, despite him holding data about her able to reveal her status as an ajin should she ever stop standing in his favour. That would have been a meaningful redemption. Tosaki already showed potential for change and even regret – seeing him earn a change would have felt more rewarding than seeing him being forced by canon to backpedal on his past flaws entirely, on top of this being allowed to find a quick solution in death, escaping any incoming conflict caused by his acts for good. Through the story he proved ready to act ruthless for the sake of reaching his own goals many times. On a more complex note, this also made it more meaningful once he lessened his harsh treatment towards Izumi, him starting to treat her more humane: Implying that though he stayed ready to keep using other ajin, interacting on a daily base with her wasn’t letting him stay unaffected. This slow redemption and thus humanization of his was one of the more engaging parts of the manga, and I’m disappointed that after a strong start it got rushed, letting it end in a manner not feeling true to what we encountered at the beginning.

What we got instead was a rushed solution for the sake of redeeming Tosaki quick. During the Iruma base arc, we’ve seen Sokabe imply he knew about Izumi’s status as ajin and that he would have been ready to use this as a threat to keep her in line, once Tosaki would have been out of the way. So, in other words, we’ve seen him do the exact kind of intimidation Tosaki used against Izumi. But instead of acknowledging Tosaki’s past flaws, it was retconned as him never having possessed intentions to reveal information about her at all, his threats supposed having been empty all along. More, Izumi no longer was allowed to hold conflicting feeling towards the man who gave her a second chance at a point life had already robbed her of everything (at that time out of purely self-serving motivations, not because he cared about her personally, make no mistake) but at the same time had the habit to threaten her into compliance: The manga lets her claim she “knew all along” about his threats being empty, letting her thank him instead for everything he “did for her”: Thus reducing her struggle to stay safe in an hostile environment that could turn on her any time as her playing along in a connection of mutual convenience she never had the need to feel in danger. All of this for the sake of rushing the final confrontation between Tosaki and Sokabe into a quick solution: Reducing Sokabe from skilled schemer to moustache twirling cartoon villain who is suddenly wielding a narcotic gun, oh so heroically getting taken out by Tosaki, who went from ruthless opportunist who slowly experienced a change of mind to a player only holding a bluff of cards in his hand, never having needed the redemption he already had started earning. For the sake of protecting sudden damsel in distress Izumi (female characters only allowed to act badass when convenient) who is no longer allowed to hold her own complex motivations and grievances, but now got reduced to another prop supposed to support Tosaki’s softened origins. (Sadly the story isn’t giving us time to dwell on this, as she is already kept busy again with having to cater towards demanding and ungrateful manchildren who are making no secret they’re taking her for granted.)

I can only assume letting the started redemption of Tosaki -his mending of his relationship with Izumi- letting reach its organic end would have taken too much development. Time the manga wasn't willing to give this plotline, so it got speeded along by simplifying and outright retconning already established circumstances. These three characters would have deserved better. But sadly it is unlikely we’re getting much more on that front: Tosaki getting wounded deadly erases the question how his and Izumi’s complicated relationship might develop further. (Him letting his fiancée join in death also erases the question what she would have said finding out her boyfriend went against her wishes to not engage in questionable actions should circumstances ever pressure him. On top of this him justifying his actions by stating he committed them for her sake only.) With Sokabe also dead he no longer poses an uncertain force towards what is left of Team Tosaki – be it as a potential threat or as source of unexpected support, making the final showdown between these manga’s two opposing sides less uncertain and thus sadly much more predictable.

Sam and Rowena? I’m still bitter about Sam and Eileen. Hope it’s ok to say that. I want Sam to have a significant other but I don’t get Rowena.

Hi hi! And absolutely, it’s fine to say you’re bitter about Eileen, because damn… 

*takes five minute break to feel all the rage about 12.21*

Okay, now that that’s set aside for a moment, I’m going to attempt to speak rationally about this. Let’s see how well I do. Y’all can grade me at the end. :P

Yeah, for the entire two episodes that we came to know Eileen, it really did feel like they were setting her up to be a potential love interest for Sam. They used many of the same tropes they’ve used for other potentially romantically linked characters (*coughdestielcough*), and gave Eileen a family history and personal goals that narratively paralleled Sam’s. Her parents died when she was 6 months old, and she was forever changed by a supernatural being who killed them. She was raised in hunting, but always had a desire to pursue the study of Law. She and Sam spoke a common narrative language, as it were.

And then in 12.17, we learned that she and Sam had carried on a close communication for more than a year. It was clear from that little skype chat that even though she communicated with both Sam and Dean, and that they did all discuss matters related to hunting and general life stuff, that it was Sam she had a much closer relationship with the second she effectively said goodbye to Dean and continued her personal conversation with Sam.

That whole conversation– two episodes before the Mixtape reveal– was yet another reminder that “things happen offscreen,” and “Sam and Dean have personal emotional connections with people that develop even when we’re not actively being told about all the details on a weekly basis.”

Dean: All right, well, what are we lookin’ at here?Eileen: Working on it.Dean: Well, go get ‘em, Eileen.Eileen: That’s the plan.[Dean gives Eileen the 'thumbs up’ and Sam shifts the monitor back towards him.]Eileen: Bye, Sam.Sam [smiling]: Bye.[Sam disconnects the call]Dean [smirking]: That’s cute.Sam: Come on.

And then 12.21 happened. And dashed that potential. If 12.21 didn’t inspire more coda fic than any other episode, it’s gotta be near the top of the list. *I* wrote coda fic of 12.21…

Eileen is actually alive and what we saw was some sort of trick. Eileen was never there and Ketch actually killed a shapeshifter made to look like Eileen to rattle Sam and Dean, but she’s actually still in hiding. She’s too good for that, and wouldn’t have allowed herself to be caught out like that…

I mean, all of that could still be true, and her apparent death at the jaws of a Hellhound controlled by Ketch was just the most pointless … it didn’t even bear the narrative trigger that Charlie’s death did (i.e. the other pointlessly gross murder of a woman in the most horrific way possible just to further the manpain). The worst of Eileen’s death, to me, is the fact the same writers are attempting to ~do something~ with the character who murdered her. It’s not even remotely clear what that something is, but they’ve given him a half-assed redemption arc that none of the other writers seem to want to touch (and good for them, honestly).

So yeah, I definitely understand the bitterness.

But like with Charlie, the other characters have to keep living, and they’re put into new situations in which they grow and change and as a result of continuing to live… they do move on.

Take Rowena, for example. She’s been in near 30 episodes to Eileen’s two (It’s not really fair to include 12.21 in Eileen’s count, even). And she has had a pretty incredible personal character arc as we’ve learned more about her. Rather than spend half an hour recounting her entire plot history, I’m just gonna point everyone to her page on the superwiki for a quick, bare bones assessment of the technical plot details of her evolution from enemy to adversary to reluctant ally to possibly… friend…

http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/Rowena

So now that we’re all refreshed on how Rowena has managed to grow closer and closer to the Winchesters, let’s consider why. Because again, her redemption has always been closely tied to Sam. And since 13.19, quite literally on a cosmic scale through the revelation that all of Billie’s books on her fate end with her death because of Sam.

The show has paralleled Sam’s struggles since s10 directly to Rowena. Think back to their uneasy alliance during s10 during a time when Sam was going off the rails in an attempt to save Dean from the Mark. He hallucinated Rowena in 10.19, in an episode where the hallucinations were specifically crafted to drive the person experiencing them to their own death. And now Sam will apparently be the cause of Rowena’s eventual demise… although the mechanism of that isn’t textually clear yet, there is a definite potential romantic reading to it.

That information came to light in 13.19, in an episode where Rowena had to confront the ghosts of her past via her grief and all her regrets about her life and her lost son. It was also an episode where she was forced to confront reality, and to lay that baggage aside so she could move forward with her life. Where she had to acknowledge that her choices now could change her fate, that she was no longer the victim of fate that she’d been battling against since her lover abandoned her in poverty with a baby more than 300 years ago.

Sam was critical in her even getting to that point at all. He helped her (against Dean’s advice) restore her powers so that she could protect herself and finally achieve the security she’d been fighting for against the Grand Coven, against the old Men of Letters, against Lucifer, against the world in general that drove her to seek shelter from people who would only abuse her along the way. Sam did that. He was framed as the key to her being able to save herself, as well as the potential eventual cause of her demise.

But what if it isn’t literal death that Sam will bring her, but a choice? She’s kept herself alive for hundreds of years, resurrected herself at least three times in canon alone, and is effectively immortal because of it. But… what if she chose something else? What if, like Lily Sunder, she made the choice to stop pursuing immortality? What if she laid it aside because she was able to find true happiness in a human lifetime? They effectively opened the narrative doorway to that possibility, while putting Sam in the position to be the one waiting to unlock the door for her.

Eileen was an excellent narrative mirror for where Sam was back in s11 and s12, but through it all, Rowena has been given what has the potential to be a much deeper, more meaningful personal connection to where I’ve been hoping they would take Sam for years now.

Sam has struggled against his own nature, over what he perceived was “done to him” when he was a baby, and whether he’s even human or not, since season one. Rowena being a natural witch, born with these powers and choosing to do good with them now because she’s finally in a place of security where she can even consider that option, could potentially mirror Sam finally feeling at peace with his own entire life, you know?

Because Rowena has never run from her own powers, or from the reality of the Supernatural. She’s had essentially the entire opposite issue to Sam’s lifelong conflict of resisting that life. And from what we’ve seen so far of Rowena’s journey in relation to Sam, they very well could be setting up a “meet in the middle” sort of balance between them.

Rowena is perfectly positioned to confirm to Sam that he’s not a freak, that he’s wonderful exactly how he is. And Sam’s perfectly positioned to confirm to Rowena that she deserves safety, security, and happiness and can choose to fight for something bigger than her own personal survival.

I mean… what’s not to get here?

eta: Also please just let someone be there for Sam. Let someone care about him and take care of him and give him a kiss and a hug and be there for him in the morning. Let him have nice things.

Same with Rowena.

Stray notes after watching The Last Jedi

Or: why does this movie just keep getting worse whenever I remember it?

The notes are after the cut just in case someone hasn’t seen the film yet or doesn’t want a long ass bullet point post in their dash. Some of them are serious and well thought-out, some are nitpicky and some are there just for the heck of it.

“Let the past die. Kill it if you have to.” - Why, that’s just peachy, Rian! Too bad the future your selling is a little shit.

In general, Rian Johnson doesn’t seem to have much respect for the past. See tathrin’s post about all the things established in TFA that were turned upside down in this film, but I think Johnson doesn’t have much consideration for the original trilogy either, reducing Chewbacca to a background character and trying to replace “May the Force be with you” with some other, less inspired line.

Seriously, why are they saying “Godspeed”? Did monotheism reach a galaxy far, far away and they now, suddenly, have a notion of God? And, while were at it, why is “treacherous snake” a thing, now? Are there snakes in the Star Was universe? ‘Cause, so far, all animals have been on the fantastic side of things. What else is there? Do they have kittens??? That’s an important question...

The movie had A LOT of hamfisted comic relief. Of course there were some honestly funny scenes (I will forever laugh at Rey feeling the Force with her hand), but most of the jokes felt very out of place. For instance, the first scene, with Hux and Poe. I laughed my ass off at that interaction, but that’s an SNL sketch, not a Star Wars scene. I was half expecting Matt, the radar technician, to show up.

Seriously, someone should tell Rian Johnson that he isn’t directing Guardians of the Galaxy. In more than one scene, the excess of jokes killed what should’ve a truly great, emotional moment.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much indifference do I feel towards porgs?

The ammount of queerbaiting that went into promoting this film was insane. Look, actors on franchises like this one have media training, so whenever, say, Oscar Isaac ran his mouth about the possibility of Finn/Poe being canon, he was at least authorized by Disney to do so (worst case scenario, he was instructed to sell this narrative). I didn’t particularly care about the ship and I think Poe Dameron could’ve died in TFA without any harm to the franchise, but to hamfist that non-sensical romance between Finn and Rose after feeding the fans’ hopes for a gay pairing was, in my opinion, downright cruel.

And don’t even get me started on Poe and Rey’s meaningful gaze at the end of the film, with Poe going all “I know” as if he’s Han Solo or some hot shit like that! Poe/Rey is the worst possible ship to become canon. Yes, the worst. Yes, you heard me, worse than Reylo.

Speaking of Reylo: after TFA, I said that I low-key shipped them ‘cause that’s the kind of fucked up ship I like. Look, there are people in this website who like to wear diapers and want to fuck Pennywise, so, screw you, I’m not apologizing for wanting to read fics about a fictional pairing made up of two adults. HOWEVER, this is not the sort of thing I want to be canon. From the get go, my opinion on Rey’s official love life has been “either she ends up with Finn or she ends up alone”. That being said, I think they handled the relationship between her and Kylo Ren very well in this film. I’m glad they didn’t deny the fucked up sexual tension that was going on there, especially coming from Ren’s side, and chose to play into it. A failed redemption arc fits them perfectly and Kylo Ren’s “please” when he asks Rey to rule beside him was a great moment for the character and one of the few truly emotional moments of the film.

But that thing were they get to hit on each other through the Force, sharing sad stories and touching hands? Yeah, I’m pretty certain I’ve read that fic. Actually, I’m pretty certain I’ve read about three fics like that.

Let’s keep on the Kylo Ren track for now, then: he did get some very nice character development in this film. The Last Jedi was more his than any other character’s, even Luke. For a minute there, before the movie came out, I thought they were going to make some changes to him due to the whole backlash, but they went full “overgrown angsty kid” with him in a way that actually made him more compelling. I like the way Luke’s fear ended up pushing a conflicted teenager into the Dark Side and that Kylo is still very much stuck at that moment. As usual with Sith and Sith by-products, Kylo Ren is moved by anger, and his anger feels much more real after this little bit of backstory.

Who is Snoke, though? Are they going to explain that in the next movie? It feels like they should’ve done it in this one, but I hope they at least give him some context before the trilogy is over.

Sooooo... Did your conflicted antagonist cladded in black, with black hair falling all over his face, just trick his bald, deformed Dark Lord by using his occlumency powers? *Owen Wilson voice* Wow.

“The Supreme Leader is dead. Long live the Supreme Leader.” - A perfect example of a really amazing moment botched by comic relief, ie, Snoke’s little tongue falling out of his dead body.

After the film ended, @robogigante​​ complained a lot about Hux’s transformation from an actual, threatening villan into a punchline, and, you know what? He’s right. There’s a scene there that looks like a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do I hate evil, square-headed BB-8?

I’m sort of glad Rey’s parents aren’t anyone important. Star Wars relies too much on heritage and it’s a nice change having a hero who isn’t Space Jesus or Space Jesus’ direct lineage. Her scene in the cave was incredibly beautiful.

They did point to something else in TFA, though, implying heavily that her origin was important and that Kylo Ren already knew about her. That was some Moffat level of badly written plot twist right there.

There’s something Emma Watson-y about Daisy Ridley. This is neither a compliment nor a complaint, just something I hadn’t noticed before.

Both Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver grew a lot as actors since the last movie, especially Driver. Even though it’s still hard to take Kylo Ren seriously sometimes due to Driver’s cry-baby face, he’s way more convincing in his rage and intensity than he was in TFA, where his acting felt a little too mechanical.

However, some of the other actors aren’t living up to their potential. John Boyega’s charisma is extremely underused and I know for a fact that Domnhall Gleeson can do a lot better than what he was given here. In a couple of scenes, even Hamill and Fisher seemed a little uncomfortable in their roles.

“Shit, we’ve already signed Lupita’s check! Gotta shove her in here, somewhere!” - I’m so sorry, honey. You are so beautiful and talented... You deserved way better than that.

Kelly Marie Tran is adorable and I absolutely love her in interviews and such. She seems like a delightful person. However, her character was completely unnecessary. Her only purpose was to serve as a future love interest to Finn, and I’ve made my thoughts about that pairing quite clear already.

“...it’s saving the ones we love...” - BITCH, YOU’VE KNOWN HIM FOR WHAT? A DAY?

As a matter of fact, all of that storyline felt completely unnecessary. It was as if the writers didn’t know what to do with Finn so they gave him a spunky sidekick and a pointless mission just to kill time. I found myself wishing he had spent the whole movie in a coma, and that’s really sad, because I really like John Boyega and was hoping he would become a strong protagonist for the franchise.

Another thing @robogigante​ pointed out (and I’m quoting him ‘cause I know he’s not making a post of his own) is that Holdo had no reason whatsoever to hide her plan from Poe or anyone else in the Resistance. She just... didn’t like Poe Dameron that much...

Excessive jokes aside, casino planet was okay and helped flesh out the Star Wars universe a little bit more. However, much like Phasma, Benicio Del Toro’s character (whose name I already forgot) was just another Boba Fett, all flash and no substance, and I particularly hate that “squeaky clean abused little children representing hope” crap. It’s one of the tackiest tropes in existence.

I did get the feeling that that kid is going to join the Resistance on the next movie. Like they’re going to do a ten year jump to justify Leia’s disappearance/death. It would also help the Rebels to get their shit back together, Kylo Ren to gain more control over the First Order and Rey to learn some more about the Force in order to meet her fate. The existence of that child is still horrible and that ending was so over the top I can’t even put it into words, but it’s a good hook for a leap that, if handled well, could be very good for the story.

I also got the feeling that they originally inteded to kill one member of the original trio per film. That would’ve been cool. Too bad Leia will have to die off screen.

Was it just me or is the timeline in this movie really weird? Poe’s plan seems to take place entirely in a day, maybe two, while Rey apparently spends at least a week in Luke’s island.

I’m glad Carrie Fisher got to have at least one badass Force user scene before dying. Her flight among the debris of the Rebel cruiser was a beautiful reminder of how powerful the Force can be, on par with Luke’s astral projection, not to mention a gorgeous scene in its own right.

Holdo and Leia definitely had a torrid love affair after the Organa-Solo divorce came through. No one will ever convince me otherwise.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do I love the crystal foxes?

There was a preoccupying absence of wipe transitions and epic soundtrack inserts. Actually, I don’t even remember hearing any music at all. The editing was way too conservative. It didn’t even feel like a Star Wars movie, sometimes.

How is it possible that The Force Awakens was basically a remake of A New Hope and still felt more daring that The Last Jedi? Look, we already know you’re not killing any of the characters ‘cause they have to come back for the next installment, but raise those stakes a little bit, jeez! Give Kylo Ren and Snoke more conflict before their face-off, give Rey an opportunity to actually scare Luke with something that matters, give Finn and Poe a mission that actually means something to the Resistance, not a MacGuffin to keep them busy... Anything!

The Last Jedi is actually an okay-ish movie, to be honest, but, in a way, I think I disliked it even more than the prequels. Sure, The Phantom Menace is objectively a much worse film, but at least it had soul. George Lucas’ midichlorian and CGI packed soul, but soul nonetheless. The Last Jedi has nothing. I know Star Wars movies are all about the money, let’s not delude ourselves that this is in anyway high art, but this one just felt like the biggest money grabber of all. There is no personal investment in it whatsoever and no sign of what makes Star Wars Star Wars in the first place.

When’s Lando coming back?

BONUS: I am never watching a fucking 3D movie again in my life. The background always seems out of focus, it’s too expensive and I hate putting glasses on top of my glasses. I don’t care if I have to wait a month to watch the next Star Wars, I don’t care if I get spoilers, I’m not watching anything in 3D ever again.