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adoredconnor · 3 years

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Hunter, Profiled

Chapter One - Beginnings

Summary: Sam and Spencer meet on a case where a serial arsonist terrorizes a college campus. Sam and Dean think it may be a phoenix. Takes place during the events Criminal Minds 1x02

Ship: Sam Winchester x Spencer Reid

Word Count: 3.8k

CW: Canon typical violence, heavy out of canon, monsters are still real

Spencer leaned forward in his seat, placing pawns on the chess board in front of him. The plane rides usually took long enough for Gideon and himself to fit at least one match in before arriving.

“Hey Reid, you got a statistic on arsonists?” Morgan asks, not once glancing over his shoulder.

“82% are white males between 17 and 27. Female arsonists are far less likely, their motive typically being revenge.”

“Sounds like our boy’s a student.”

The Behavioral Analysis Unit had been called out to identify and detain a serial arsonist who had been terrorizing Bradshaw College in Tempe, Arizona. The unknown subject, Unsub, had set multiple fires within a few weeks, and was escalating rapidly. As far as Morgan was concerned, the Unsub was a student on campus. Gideon, however, believed that the unit shouldn’t attempt to categorize the arsonist so early in the case.

The jet landed only a few hours later in sunny Arizona, though its beauty was darkened by the woes and depression of the students and faculty on campus. Aaron “Hotch” Hotchner and Gideon hit the ground running, immediately going to talk with the Dean of Students, Ellen Turner.

The Dean offered what little information that she knew, that diesel fuel had been stolen a day before a fire was set and chemicals from a chemistry lab. Hotch was worried, though his stoic expression never wavered, and expressed his concerns to Gideon.

Spencer went to investigate the scene of the first fire alongside Hotch. They approached the room, only to find it occupied by another man facing away from them. Spencer spared a glance towards the man before turning to Hotch, raising an eyebrow in concern. Agent Hotchner raised his eyebrows and cleared his throat, grabbing the young man’s attention in front of him. He turned around, slightly shaking the brown bangs across his head.

“I’m SSA Aaron Hotchner with the FBI, who are you and what are you doing on my crime scene?”

“Oh, uh… I’m Detective Sam Winchester, with Smith Detective Services. I was called on this case by the first victim’s mother.” Sam reaches a hand out to Hotch, who grudgingly shakes it. Sam turns to Spencer, seemingly noticing him for the first time, and offers his hand.

“O-oh, actually the number of germs passed through handshakes is alarmingly high. It would actually be safer to kiss,” Spencer stutters over his words, looking down at his feet as he finishes his sentence. Hotch glances at Spencer before moving into the dormitory to assess and analyze the damage and possible causes.

Sam peers down at the man standing in front of him, “As nice as that would be, I think Agent Hotchner might kick my ass if we kissed on a crime scene.” Sam admired Spencer’s red tie and beige shirt combination before turning to Hotch.

“The door was locked,” Hotch says.

“Matthew Rowland and his roommate watched as the doorknob turned against the lock,” Spencer states.

“But the unsub couldn’t get in.”

“So he pours the accelerant into the room from the hallway.”

“Wait,” Sam cuts in, “He wouldn’t have been able to see the fire.”

Spencer nods along and adds, “But he could hear Matthew Rowland screaming.”

Hotch looks at Sam again, “What’re you thinking Winchester?”

Sam takes a deep breath, “I believe he left quickly to avoid being spotted.”

Hotch shakes his head, “It doesn’t make sense.” He moves over to Spencer’s side.

“Pyromania as a mental disorder may just be a simple myth, but we do know from precedent that serial arsonists derive pleasure,” Spencer blushes ever-so slightly and moves his gaze away from Sam, “from pathological fire setting.”

“Sex and power,” Hotch agrees. Sam chokes down a cough.

“Why would he set a fire he couldn’t watch?” Spencer seems puzzled for the first time that day.

Sam quickly looks him up and down, “Well if that isn’t the question of the hour.”

Hotch heads out of the dorm and heads down to Elle and Gideon. “There was no device used on Matthew Rowland,” Gideon says, explaining the simultaneous ignition devices to an arriving Agent Hotchner. Gideon analyzes the third device in the box, “The unsub set that one manually?”

“He wanted to be there to enjoy the kid’s death,” Morgan inputs, only glancing up when he hears a knock at the door.

A man, roughly in his mid-twenties with short and slicked brown hair, strolls in with a light air of arrogance. “I don’t think so.”

“Who the hell are you?” Morgan questions, moving a hand towards his holster.

“Dean Winchester, private investigator, and you are?”

“That’s SSA Derek Morgan. Spencer, I mean Dr. Reid was just telling me about him.” Dean spins around to see his brother walking just slightly too close to Spencer for it to be casual. Sam notices his brother’s look and shuffles away from Spencer’s side. “Sorry, I’ve only been introduced to Agent Hotchner and Dr. Reid, and perhaps Agent Morgan.”

Hotch nods towards Morgan, who then moves his hand away from his holster. He gestures around the table, “This is SSA Gideon and SSA Greenaway. Now that introductions are done, let’s focus on the case.”

Elle nods, “Well if the target was Matthew Rowland, then why set the other two fires?”

The BAU debates for a while, attempting to figure out the motive behind the fires. Dean moves towards Sam, gesturing with his head to the other side of the room where they wouldn’t be heard. Sam speaks first, “So get this, the diesel fuel was stolen from the grounds shed before the fire that killed Matthew Rowlands was set. Those FBI agents are thinking pyromaniac with his heart set on revenge.”

“And what are you thinking?”

“I’m not sure if it’s entirely possible, but Dean, what if we’re dealing with a phoenix?”

“Why would a phoenix need to use gasoline to create a fire? It could’ve incinerated the kid in a heartbeat.”

“For the dramatics, and to see him suffer? I’m not sure yet, but there’s something more here than just some college student that’s a little too happy with a lighter.”

Hotch looks back towards the brothers, narrowing his eyes before turning back towards his team.

“You say ‘college student’ as if you weren’t one not that long ago.” Dean quips before flinching slightly. He knew that would bring Sam’s recent loss of his girlfriend. Sam glared down at his brother with tears in his eyes before moving back towards Spencer’s side.

Spencer turned and motioned for Sam to join him and Elle in their makeshift office space. They grabbed coffees and sat down, throwing theories and ideas at one another again.

“The timer sets the road flare, which then lights the chemical mixture inside the canister. Simple,” Elle states before taking a long drink of her coffee. Sam snorts.

“I mean, there’s a meticulous construction to it,” Spencer rambles on about the construction of the explosive.

“What if it’s a chemistry student or professor?” Sam interjects, sweeping his hair out of his eyes.

“Mmm… I say student. You need self-confidence to lecture in front of a classroom full of 30 college kids. Arsonists are socially incompetent. This guy, he doesn’t go on dates. He doesn’t go to parties. He doesn’t feel comfortable in front of groups.” Elle goes on. Spencer looks up towards her with an offended and sad look in his eye. “And of course he’s a total psychopath.”

Spencer shrugs and looks back down at the device he was fiddling with. Elle walks out of the room to get some air. Sam slides over towards Spencer. “Hey, I’m sorry about what she said. I’m sure she means well.”

“It’s fine, I’m used to it. She’s not wrong anyways, 23 years and I haven’t been on a date in my life.”

“I’m sure there’s plenty of guys and girls who’d love to go on a date with you. I mean, why wouldn’t they? You’re smart, handsome, and a FBI agent.” Sam’s eyes widen a fraction before he clears his throat. Within a second, he hears a fire alarm going off. Spencer looks towards Sam in alarm before taking off, Sam only a step behind him.

Derek and Dean find Elle walking down the stairs, and turn to the now smoking building in alarm. They sprint towards the building, only to find Gideon in there attempting to rescue the latest victim. Derek pulls Gideon away from the scene as Elle and Dean back out, clearing the rest of the students off the stairs and out of the building.

Sam and Spencer reach the building, looking up in disdain. Hotch reaches them and Elle, whom he tells to take photos of the crowd. Dean moves over to Elle’s side and begins taking photos alongside her, “Hey hot stuff.” He winks and she rolls her eyes, “What? Too soon?”

Hotch, Spencer, and Sam stand in the chemistry lab, watching the students closely. “Reid, since you’re more their age, why don’t you do the talking?” Hotch demands, rather than truly asking. Spencer looks at him with apprehension.

“Why can’t Sam do it? He’s around my age, at least from what I can tell. He’s better with talking and connecting with them.”

“Winchester. I need you to talk to the students.”

Sam turns towards the older man, narrowing his eyes before nodding, “Only if Reid comes with.” Another raised eyebrow from Hotch. “I get jittery sometimes, and it’s nice to have backup.” Spencer’s lips quirk up in a small smile.

Sam clears his throat, “Hi, guys. I’m Detective Sam Winchester and this is Dr. Spencer Reid. I’m a private investigator.”

“I’m a, uh, agent with the- the BAU, the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. Which, um, it used to be called the BSU, the Behavioral Science Unit, but not anymore.” Spencer rambles.

“What he’s trying to say is we’d love to know how you can help us,” Hotch smoothly cuts in, earning a stern glare from Sam. Sam turns to Spencer and gives him an encouraging smile before turning back to the students.

One of the male students gets up and walks over towards them holding a hand out and asking, “May I please?” He grabs the lightbulb from Spencer, “See this? Drill a hole in the side, fill it with gasoline or whatever’s good and flammable. Turn the light on. Boom.” After a quick judging look from Spencer, he continues on, “That is what went down, didn’t it?”

“The stuff’s all over the net,” a girl from the back chimes in.

“You wanna know what I think? I think it would be a good time to take a semester off.” The male student pushes the lightbulb into Spencer’s chest.

Sam moves towards Spencer, almost pushing him behind. “Don’t touch him.” Hotch looks at the men and the student before heading to the elevator. They all follow him in.

“Hold on. You need a key to get it movin’ after 10 PM.” The male student says, almost smugly.

“So what are you still doin’ here?” Hotch asks.

“I can’t leave. We’ve all got projects. You know how to solve the three-body problem? Computing the mutual gravitational interaction between the Earth, Sun, and Moon?”

Sam watches Spencer nod his head along to the student’s words. “You actually know how to solve that?” Spencer nods. “I figured that you were a genius for being a doctor at the age of… Wait, hold old even are you?”

“I’m 23.”

“You’re 23 and you already have a doctorate? I’m 22 and I don’t even have a degree.”

“Yes, as well as multiple other bachelor’s degrees. I’m working towards earning another PhD.”

Sam lets out a low whistle that has Hotch turning towards them, assessing. Sam meets his gaze and cocks his head a little before turning back to Spencer. He smiles down at Spencer for a moment before the elevator opens.

The BAU gathers around a table, listening to the Unsub’s message that was left on the hotline. Dean stood next to Elle, actually paying attention to the case instead of flirting with her. He glanced over to where Sam was standing. Sam was behind Spencer, who was perched on a desk. Sam’s hand rested gently on Spencer’s back as he leaned in to hear the tape better.

Gideon replayed the track again and again, something nagging at him. Dean turned towards Elle with a roll of his eyes after Gideon turned up the volume yet again. Gideon headed outside, Spencer and Sam following not too far behind. Spencer sits down at the base of a tree, watching Gideon pace around, “What if the Unsub is one of the students leaving?”

“No, he’s not done yet. He’s not going anywhere. Keep thinkin’,” Gideon says.

“You mean out--outside the box? That’s what Morgan is always telling me. He says that’s why I’ll never beat you at chess.”

“He’s probably right.”

Spencer chuckles and smiles before looking up at Sam, who was running his fingers through his hair, “Do you want to go get a coffee? You look like you could use one.” At Sam’s offended look, Spencer amended, “Not that you look bad, you look really good-- I mean you look fine.” Spencer blushed. Sam’s mouth quirked up for a second as he nodded. Sam offered a hand out to Spencer, who happily took it, and pulled him up. Spencer stumbled over a root and ended up crashing into Sam. Sam laughed whole-heartedly as he steadied the doctor. They set off, going towards one of the coffee shops right next to campus.

“So, this Morgan guy, he’s always telling you to think outside the box? How do you apply that to a case?”

“In this situation, what exactly is the box?”

“Wouldn’t it be the standard profile of a serial arsonist? If everything you know is already in the box, what’s left?”

“What you don’t know. The unknown.”

They approached the coffee shop, heavily decorated with photos of the sports teams from the college across the street. Sam pats his pockets for a moment before groaning, drawing the attention of the profiler next to him. “I forgot my wallet in my car earlier,” Sam explains. Spencer turns, ready to leave, when Sam stops him. “You can still get your coffee, I can tell you really want one right now. Go order and I’ll get us a table.” Spencer smiles at that and waits.

After receiving his concernedly cheap coffee, Spencer makes his way over to the table where Sam sits. Sam had taken off his jacket at some point and rolled up his sleeves, drawing Spencer’s gaze to the muscles there. His eyes flick up to Sam’s. Sam smiles gently as he analyzes Spencer’s eyes.

“You don’t mind sharing with me, right?” Sam says, glancing down from Spencer’s eyes to the warm coffee cup in his hands. Spencer shakes his head and holds the cup out to Sam. Sam takes a quick sip from the cup and thrusts it back towards the other brunet. “How much sugar did you put in this?”

Spencer chokes out a laugh. They sit in an amicable silence, broken only by the conversations of the people around them. Spencer’s knees bump into Sam’s under the table. Sadly, the coffee has run out and they have a serial arsonist to capture. Sam grabs his jacket and tosses it back on. Spencer can’t help the flood of disappointment in him as the strong arms of the man across from him disappear under the fabric.

They walk towards the campus once more and catch up with Morgan in their meeting area. Morgan finishes his phone call with Garcia and turns towards the two young men walking through the door, “Hey Reid, Garcia says it’s not ‘Karen’. It’s something more like-”

“Charown!” Gideon interrupts, speeding through the open doorway.

“Charown?” Spencer questions.

“Charown. I do it because of Charown.”

“It’s Hebrew.”

“Isn’t that god’s burning anger?” Sam interjects.

Dean, Elle, and Hotch enter the room to join the rest of the BAU. Elle and Hotch move towards where Gideon is. Dean hangs back near the other end of the room.

“The motive is now religious?” Elle asks.

“Well, you know, in a lot of religions God is related to fire.” Spencer spouts off.

Sam moves towards Dean, who gives him the look that says “what the hell are we still doing here”. Sam cuts a look towards Spencer and another to Hotch. They both turn towards the BAU members as voices rise higher and arguments start. Spencer turns away from them, seemingly overstimulated by the argument, before looking directly at Sam.

“Compulsion,” Spencer whispers. He nods to Sam and moves to the computer and video area. Dean gives Sam an odd look, which he shrugs off. He follows Spencer to the computer area, where Spencer sits intensely watching the tapes of the first fire. The screams of the first victim surround them and Sam turns away for a moment before steeling himself. Spencer taps the computer desk in deep thought before rewinding the video. He brings a hand up to his forehead to lean on as he intently watches the video. Sam stands directly behind him, pondering. He gets up from the chair and moves over to the whiteboard, where he erases everything.

“What’re you thinking Spence?” Sam asks, leaning against the desk that Spencer had just been at. He notices Gideon watching through the door and turns back to the computer with he recording on it. Gideon encourages Spencer to think outside the box, then leaves both the men to their thoughts. Spencer rushes over to the laptop again, replaying the same clip of where gasoline pours inside the first victim’s room.

“Three times,” Spencer says. Sam looks at the man next to him and then at the footage. The doorknob to the victim’s dorm turned three times in a row. Spencer quickly gets up and moves to where the professor’s burned office is. Sam follows behind, easily catching up to Spencer with his long strides. Spencer wipes the soot off the professor’s door plate, revealing the number three. Once more he turns and walks hurriedly to the first victim’s dormitory. Sam and Spencer move the caution tape out of the way and enter. Spencer opens the drawers in the victim’s desk, searching for something important. Sam stands back, watching with a mixture of unease and curiosity. He finds the victim’s schedule, “Professor Wallace, Tuesday, three o’clock.” He gestures for Sam to follow him as they head back to the rest of the BAU.

“I know why the profiles never fit,” Spencer states confidently, “You were right to tell Morgan to not rely on precedent. The fires thus far have been completely task oriented.”

“So once they’re set the Unsub is done?” Sam asks. Hotch nods.

“Exactly. The Unsub is not a classical serial arsonist. He’s someone who uses fire because of a completely different disorder!”

“Which is?” Gideon questions.

“An extreme manifestation of OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He does everything in threes. And if I’m right, he’ll have to kill again. There’s a form of OCD called scrupulosity.”

Sam makes a confused face and turns to Hotch. “Religious obsession and compulsion,” the unit chief explains. Sam nods in understanding.

“So he has an obsessive fear of committing sin?” Sam ponders aloud.

Spencer nods, “It creates so much anxiety that he’s compelled to do something to ease that anxiety.”

Spencer presents all of the evidence he’s found so far and explains all the behavioral evidence connecting the Unsub to a pattern of threes and the fires.

“I think I know who it is. And it’s not a he, it’s a she.” Hotch states before calling the dean of the school.

While the dean sends over Clara Hayes’s file, they go over all the evidence leading them to Clara. “They were working on the three body problem,” Sam remembers.

Dean, Elle, and Morgan head to Clara’s room with a S.W.A.T. unit. They find the walls plastered with papers and the room filled with candles. “OCD? I’m thinking more like OMG,” Morgan says, earning a hearty chuckle out of Dean.

“OMG?” Elle asks.

“Oh, my God,” Dean and Morgan answer.

They read off the fire related biblical quotes on Clara’s walls and gaze at the pictures on her desk.

“Moloch was the demon sun god of the Canaanites. In order to keep from incurring his wrath the people would sacrifice their children to them by burning them alive,” Spencer tells the group in Clara’s room.

Hotch and Gideon give the order to the local officers to run into each building and pull the fire alarms to get the students out. Elle, Dean, and Morgan had found at least 30 homemade bombs in the building. What they didn’t know, however, was that the chemistry students working late at night were stuck in the elevator.

Clara finds the three students in the elevator and sprays them with gasoline, enjoying the sound of their screams. She pulls out a stick and lights it on fire, staring at it for a moment.

“Put it down Clara!” the male student yells.

Hotch attempts to talk her down, but she keeps telling him that they need to be tested or they’ll face God’s wrath. She mutters about Charown, Charon, Moloch, and other religious deities. Dean sprints up the stairs with Gideon, hearing a gunshot. Gideon stomps out the fire starter while Dean and Hotch hold their guns on Clara. She was helped downstairs and taken to medical care. Dean worked with the campus security to help the students out of the elevator.

The BAU had decided to stay the night and fly early in the morning the next day. Sam and Dean drove over to the hotel the agents had been staying at. Morgan walked over to the Impala, striking up a conversation with Dean on the car. Sam headed towards Spencer, walking with purpose to get to the man. “Hey Spencer. I was wondering if I could get your phone number? I’d hate to lose touch with a genius,” Sam smiled as he spoke. Spencer nodded and spouted off his phone number, watching Sam punch it into his contacts.

“I sent you a text so you can put me in your contacts. Don’t be a stranger, okay? It was nice finding someone so easy to work with.”

“I-I’ll see you around Sam.”

“Yeah, I hope so.”

Sam walked over to the Impala and got in, waving goodbye to Spencer as the brothers sped off to whatever case they had next in line.

Spencer watched until they were completely out of view before entering the SUV next to him, grab bag in hand. He had a feeling he’d see Sam again.

#spencer reid x reader #Spencer Reid #Sam Winchester #Sam x Spencer #supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #spn fanfic series #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #cm fanfic #angst #fluff #pining #mlm

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shakespeareanwannabe · 4 years

Text

Masterlist

Started: 2020-07-31

Updated: 2024-04-26

Top Gun Maverick Fics

As You Wish (a Jake Seresin x Reader Parent Trap AU

When arriving at Camp Silver Star, Abby Floyd was anticipating a summer of adventure with an ocean separating her from the three people she loved most: her mom, her Uncle Bob and her Aunt Natasha. But after a run in with Charlie Seresin, an extremely familiar looking and irritating camper in a different cabin, her summer plans take a turn that neither girl ever could have expected.

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11 (coming May 10th)

Triple Frontier Fics

Not Another Fairytale Ending

A year after the disastrous events that went down in Colombia, Santiago Garcia comes to realize that guys like him don’t get the traditional fairytale ending. Sometimes, if they’re lucky, they get something even better.

*Based on a few of @darksideofclarke‘s wonderful Pope headcanons*

1. New Beginnings: A year after leaving Colombia, Santiago ‘Pope’ Garcia returns home, ready for something...more.

2. Play by Play: Santi gets in way too deep with this woman that he barely knows, but finds that sometimes a leap of faith can be worth it.

3. Heartbeat: A first date at a Beer Garden shouldn’t be difficult to manage, especially with his team at his side, but Santi still has doubts.

4. First Times: While Frankie and Charlie start a new chapter of their lives, Santi and Bex are left wondering what comes next for them after they’ve been dancing around each other for so long. Of course, all things come to a head eventually, and they’ll find that some things are definitely worth waiting for.

5. Aftermath: The morning after Frankie and Charlie’s wedding, Santi and Bex continue to explore the new side of their relationship, and Santi comes to a startling conclusion.

6. Drowning: Santiago follows through with his escape plan, only to find that his freedom comes with a heavy price.

Protective Instincts: After everything he’s done, Santiago can’t fathom the idea of bringing a child into the world. But sometimes, life doesn’t work out exactly as you’ve planned.

Strange Comforts: With T-minus 10 weeks to go before the baby arrives, Pope discovers that it’s the little things in life that bring the most comfort.

Best Laid Plans: The last 7 and a half months have been a whirlwind, and part of Pope still can’t fathom the idea of being a father. But now that his kid is here? All bets are off.

Supernatural Fics

In His Glow

"Being his real brother I could feel I lived in his shadows, but I never have and I do not now. I live in his glow." A series of one-shots, each based on an episode. These are the moments we never got to see.

*cross-posted on ff.net under the pen name Fanpire101*

**if titles are not bolded, then I haven’t posted them yet, but they’re written**

1. Engineering the Future (ep. 1x01 - Pilot)

2. Now Starring (ep. 1x02 - Wendigo)

#fanfiction #masterlist #triple frontier #supernatural #dad!pope #fanfic #sam winchester #dean winchester #in his glow #jake seresin #top gun hangman #top gun fanfiction

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crazyariaisa · 3 years

Photo

Sara Shepard makes her debut in “The Homecoming Hangover” (1x07) as a substitute teacher for Mr. Fitz while he’s away. She’s writing up two main questions regarding a book that she’s teaching her grade to read. First, I’ll analyze Madame Bovary and the questions and how they could relate back to Aria. What Ms. Shepard wrote on the board was...

“Is Emma Bovary responsible for her own downfall? Or is she the victim of her own surroundings...”

There is more to the passage Ms. Shepard is writing on the board, but this is all that we get to see. If Emma is represented by Aria, the question that I’m getting is...

“Is Aria Montgomery responsible for her own downfall? Or is she the victim of her own surroundings...”

Regarding Aria, if she were -A, she’d be responsible for her own downfall. As the show progresses, Aria descends further into insanity and loses control. Her surroundings could be represented by -A, her family, her best friends, and Ezra Fitz. If Aria was a victim along with her best friends, she wouldn’t be given any form of special treatment, and -A would be quite hard on her. Aria is most likely responsible for her own downfall.

“Madame Bovary” by French author; Gustave Flaubert was published in 1856. Here’s some information about a character from the book named Charles Bovary, Emma’s husband.

Charles Bovary is a shy, oddly dressed teenager arriving at a new school where his new classmates ridicule him. Charles struggles to a second-rate medical degree and becomes an Officier de santé in the Public Health Service.

So, Charles is an oddly dressed and shy teenager and gets a second-rate medical degree. He’s a mediocre doctor. Oh, the book is considered an Oxford World’s Classic. We only know of one doctor in the show. He rowed for Oxford University in “Pilot” (1x01), and his name? Wren Kingston. Apparently, Charles had his fair amount of struggles, and I remembered a conversation between Spencer and Wren from “The Jenna Thing” (1x02) that went a bit like this...

Wren: “I didn’t grow up in a family like yours. So I don’t know that kind of pressure. But I could imagine it could be unbearable at times.”

Spencer: “You’re not exactly a slouch Mr. Oxford. That drive had to come from somewhere.”

Wren: “Yeah, it came from me. My life has been my choice.”

He then approaches Spencer and says that the hat trick chair was inspired by an apple crate, revealing that he loves design, and he continues to flirt with Spencer. He commits adultery and proceeds to kiss her. The word (trick) now takes us to Ravenswood and The Great Charlemagne in (Now You See Me, Now You Do Not), (4x12). The mime pulling off the trick with Aria taking Emily, Spencer, and Hanna's attention so Cece could snag Emily and lock her in a crate had a heart. He made the heartbeat notion towards Aria instead of Spencer. This goes back to his love of beauty in (The Jenna Thing) (1x02). In (This Is A Dark Ride) (3x13), Aria is locked in a crate. Is this symbolic of Aria helping Darren Wilden and Melissa Hastings with the Queen of Hearts on the Halloween Train? It most definitely is.

Considering Aria is in the scene from “The Homecoming Hangover” (1x07), it implies that Charles and Aria could have some type of relationship. Do I think they were romantically involved? No. Do I know they’re related? Most definitely. Also, Aria’s dress has yellow roses scattered all over it.

The color yellow is bright and conveys happy thoughts, so it's no wonder that yellow roses showcase positive feelings of warmth. The yellow rose meaning is often considered that of friendship. However, the color once signified the negative traits of jealousy and greed.

The color yellow happens to be Bethany’s favorite color, and since I believe that Cece is Bethany, it means that Aria and Bethany have known each other for quite a long time. In “Scream For Me” (5x08), when Spencer goes to learn more about Bethany from Declan at the horse riding stables, she’s kicked in the face by a horse after being locked in a stable by Cece. The only weird thing happening with Aria when she starts volunteering at Radley Sanitarium is Eddie Lamb recognizing Aria instantly and not trusting her. The same as he did when he gained a gut feeling that Wren was up to no good when he was volunteering at Radley Sanitarium for the reading program during Aria’s junior year at Rosewood High. Rhonda and Aria have a revealing conversation that went like this...

Rhonda: “Was she a friend of yours?”

Aria: “Bethany? No, I never met her.”

When Aria answers Rhonda’s question, she avoids eye contact, turns away, and folds her arms over her chest to give the fans something to read and let the fans know that she’s lying. Considering how much Bethany and Aria have in common, it would appear that they’re more than friends, and they’re actually family.

If Charles and Bethany are both related to Aria, that means Aria is the most favored and gets away with everything she’s done. The family would go to any lengths for each other.

“The consequences have always worked for you, haven’t they?” - Jenna Marshall to Aria Montgomery | Kingdom Of The Blind, 3x03.

#crazyariaisa #pll #pll theory #pll clues #pretty little liars #pretty little liars theory #pretty little liars clues #aria montgomery #wren is charles #cece is bethany #wren is -a #aria is -a #cece is -a

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soberqueerinthewild · 4 years

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So @ober-affen-geil wrote this meta a few days ago, and I rambled in the tags of it a lot because it made me think about Michael’s trauma and insecurities and how it impacts his actions and relationships. I touched briefly on it in this meta exploring Alex’s trauma, but have been itching to explore it more, so now I am because Riley made me and also it won’t leave me alone and let me do all the many others things I need to do if I don’t.

***

When Michael was seven, mute, scared, and confused, the Evans parents came into the group home, they picked his Max and Isobel, took them away from him, and left him with the feeling that he wasn’t worth choosing, and that feeling has literally never left him. Michael’s perception [Everything I’m writing from here forward is about Michael’s perception, I am not saying this is an objective truth] is that it started there (they picked you two, and left me behind) and since that time he has never been anyone’s pick, never been anyone’s first choice.

Michael does know, no matter what he says, that Isobel and Max consider him family. But while he may accept that they love him, he knows they’d pick each other over him in a heartbeat. After Rosa’s death, he sees more proof of that when Max lets his lie stand to protect Isobel’s future. Michael sees this as Max choosing his parents over Michael too, and he says as much to Max in 1x11 (I didn’t have parent to turn to, you did, but you didn’t want to tell them, so we carried it ourselves). He feels Max picked maintaining a relationship with his parents over Michael, letting Michael sacrifice his future. And to add insult to injury, it’s not just family (Isobel and his parents) that Michael feels Max prioritizes over him, but later Liz as well. When Max resurrects Liz and tells their secret, he puts Michael and Isobel in danger (at this point, Michael doesn’t even think Max cares about him enough for his feelings or safety to be an issue. When he presses the point, he focuses on the “the fact that you would do this to Isobel…). He uses that same language about being “picked” when he talks to Isobel about it later (he was a grown ass man last week when he picked Liz over us) and himself relates it to not being picked by the Evans’s. In the finale, he once again feels Max prioritizes others over him, in choosing to kill Noah like Isobel wants (and really like Max wants) when Michael has questions he needs to ask him.

And then there’s Alex. As a teenager, Michael is distrustful. This idea of not being chosen has already taken root. He doesn’t understand Alex offering him refuge (Sometimes people can be nice to each other for no reason. Not in my experience). But he accepts it and starts to feel like maybe this is the person that will choose him first (Alex made me feel that there was a place for me here). But then things go to shit, and Alex leaves him behind, and Michael’s perception may be that this is Alex choosing his family (the military after all is the family legacy) over Michael. (That could explain that “your father must be proud. Finally a real Manes man” line). And every time Alex leaves, or won’t acknowledge him in public, it just presses so hard on this particular bruise. This belief that no one would pick him is so unshakable that he doesn’t even let it play out before he’s reacting. He gets defensive, he has to show he doesn’t care so it doesn’t hurt much (hence the “what happened, I was pretty wasted” in reaction to Alex’s rejection after the reunion, and the “don’t worry about it” in 1x03). He doesn’t need to hear why Alex doesn’t want Isobel to know about them, he’s already filled in the blanks. He has some hope at the drive-in, but immediately his fears are confirmed yet again when Alex rejects him after a run-in with his father. He should have seen it coming because it’s what everyone does.

We see it again in 1x10 when he goes to Maria in the bar with her fixed necklace. When she tells them they’re closed, his face falls, but he doesn’t really even look surprised, just resigned. Why would he have thought Maria was any different? She’s choosing Alex over him, and he should have seen it coming because he’s no one’s priority.

Isobel’s line in 1x02 “Is there really nobody in this world you wouldn’t risk everything to save” must strike him as so ironic because Michael definitely has people he would risk everything to save, Isobel (I messed up, Iz), Max (starting with burying that body when they were preteens, preparing to sacrifice himself for Isobel AND Max in 1x04, coming to his aid with Noah in 1x13), and of course Alex. I’d wager by the end of the season he’d probably risk himself to save Liz or Maria as well. He’s a martyr, it’s what he does. But he DOESN’T think that there’s anyone who would risk everything to save him. Isobel and Max love him, but as he says to them in 1x04 in preparation to martyr himself, they have more important things in their lives, and he doesn’t think they’d pick him over that and definitely not over each other.

This narrative is so ingrained, and has been to his mind proven true, SO MANY times, that he doesn’t have any idea what to do when it’s tested in 1x12. When Alex yells “BUT YOU ARE MINE!” and is prepared to risk everything, risk his life to save Michael’s, it doesn’t compute. He’s settled into this idea and resigned himself to this, and truly doesn’t know how to react when confronted with someone willing to martyr themselves for him the way he constantly does for others. I don’t think he’s in a place to trust that from anyone, but definitely not from Alex given all their history. I look forward to season 2, and hope Michael has more people show him that he is loved, and for him to get to a place where he can accept it.

#roswell new mexico meta #michael guerin #roswell new mexico #rnm #sorry i really didn't edit this because there are a lot of things i should be doing that are not writing this #this is 100% riley's fault because i did not have time to write this #but she wouldn't let me leave it in dms

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whogirl42 · 4 years

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Episode 8. Oh wowee, episode 8.

Warning: I have a lot of thoughts and feelings because Marisa and Asriel finally interacted onscreen and it was glorious.

Let’s begin.

We all know Marisa has a... let's say, complicated relationship with her daemon. At his point, it’s no surprise to see Marisa abusing him in one form or the other. But we’ve never seen it like this before. Earlier times it was as a warning to behave or a slap as a form of punishment. This? This is something new. Marisa is gripping her daemon’s skin to the point of pain, a point so painful that she is closing her eyes and wincing. There’s no pretending it doesn’t hurt her too. This is self ham at its most explicit.

What has he done to deserve such treatment? What could have driven her to this? What did we see Marisa doing in the scene we saw her last?

Marisa is bracing herself for having to kill Asriel, one of the only two people in the world she cares about. Her entire self is rebelling at the very thought.

"What did he do to you?" Macphail asks, and it might have been her asking herself that question. "What power he still exerts. I knew you. An ambitious young woman with a good marriage well on her way to quite some position, and then that man came along and you melted."

That won’t happen again. Marisa is far from that stupid girl who made the worst mistake of her life over a crush. She steels herself for what she needs to do. She is sure in her convictions and no one, least not that man, will stop her.

Below, armoured bears are readying for an attack.

Lyra is probably still with the Gyptions. There's no reason to think Lyra would be down there below. Maybe the possibility of Lyra being there doesn't even cross her mind. Except Iofer is dead. After an armoured bear helped Lyra escape Bolvanger. And now there are armoured bears readying for an attack against the Magisterium. Lyra could be down there.

"Open fire," Marisa says. It's chaos down there, it's hard to see anything. But maybe she spots one bear running away. Maybe she spots a familiar red hat on its rider and sighs in relief. Maybe she berates herself for almost hurting her daughter again.

Or maybe Lyra isn't even on her radar, too consumed with thoughts of Asriel.

Marisa knew Asriel was doing something was Dust. She understands from his work that it has something to do with an energy discharge. The penny drops, and fear takes hold of Marisa.

He wouldn't. Would he? But the numbers all add up. Marisa isn't beyond hurting children and they're the same, Asriel and her, they always have been. He'd enjoy besting Marisa at something, succeeding where she couldn't. He couldn't. But who was to say how far his convictions went? Lyra shouldn't be anywhere near there. There's no reason for her to be there.

Still, Marisa is on edge. She demands Thorold tell her what Asriel is planning, even as she seems to have grasped the basics. She tries frightening him, appealing to the faith I'm surprised he'd even have after years of working for Asriel. Thorold lowers the gun but still doesn't say anything. Marisa tries a different tactic.

"Thorold, I should throw you to the wolves. But I won't. I’ll tell them that Father Macphail is staying here to analyse what we’ve found, and then I’ll take the troops to pursue Asriel and you will leave. He’s always been so reckless. He’s never treated any of us well, you included."

Did Thorold tell her anything off-screen? We don't know. There's nothing to suggest that they talk any more after this scene. Which means that Marisa - always in control - Coulter let her guard down, let herself seem vulnerable about Asriel, without any clear gain. This isn't a ploy to get something. This isn't her being emotional because Lyra's there. This is just her being emotional. For the first time in god knows how long, she's going to see Asriel again. And Thorold has been working with Asriel for years. He probably knew about the affair as it happened, one of the only people in the know. Both Thorold and Marisa know Asriel intimately, and there's a camaraderie to that.

I can't not mention Marisa's remarks about Asriel throughout the season.

"He's a failure of a man and a failure of a father." (1x02)

"He thought he could protect you. Another one of his ridiculous ideas. Couldn't protect a painting if it was drawn on the wall." (1x02)

"[About giving up Lyra] And Asriel had ideas on what was best." (1x06)

“And if there's one thing that man doesn't need, it's more toys to do damage with.” (1x06)

“He’s always been so reckless. He’s never treated any of us well.” (1x08)

And that’s probably barely scracthig the surface. We have no way of knowing how long it’s been since they last saw each other? Marisa told Lyra that she sometimes bumps into Asriel in the Arctic Institute, but there’s nothing to suggest that actually happened. For all we know, this could be the first time they speak since Asriel’s trial 12 years ago.

Marisa approaches him. He's sprouting out heresy like he always did, but she can't ignore it or roll her eyes or find better uses for his mouth. He's shattering her world, promising the end of everything she's worked for, everything she believes in.

Damn him, he has the audacity to smile.

This is the end of the Magisterium, that's what he said. The sun of another world. "Come,” he says.

She doesn't want to, but she can't help it. Whether it’s a miracle, an abomination; she is first and foremost a scholar, and this is extraordinary.

Something like peace settles between them, but Asriel is still saying things she does not want to hear. "Marisa, come with me," he says, like it's that easy.

Marisa's religious beliefs haven't been given much attention until now. She's played with the Magisterium, manipulating them to get what she wants and not giving a damn to what they say if when doesn't suit her. In the previous episode, she told Father Macphail the Magisterium has her devotion, but that didn't ring true. She cares about her experiments. That's her priority. Everything else is background noise.

Marisa fully believes that Dust in sin. She said it herself to Lyra in the Daemon Cages.

“Dust is not a good thing. Grown-ups are infected so deeply that it's too late for them. Condemned to a life of sin, guilt and regret. This is for a better future, a better life. [...] At the age that we call puberty, an age you'll come into very soon, darling, daemons bring all sorts of troublesome thoughts and feelings.”

She's trying to create a better world, one where humans aren't plagued with temptation and guilt. It's easy to blame this on the consequences of her affair with Asriel, and I do believe that fuels some of it. But to solely credit him for her motivations does her character a disservice. It took three-quarters of the season to touch on what drives her to these extremes, and I very much hope that they continue to delve into it in season 2.

Okay. This moment. This moment this moment this moment. This moment. Sorry, my brain loops and glitches whenever I see or think of this moment, because this moment.

This moment.

It's best with audio because then you can hear the way Ruth Wilson says Marisa’s faint protests. She's breathless, confused, torn, unsure. Everything she hasn't been up till now. Ruth Wilson is out queen our lord and saviour.

And Asriel, our favourite slut, is so thirsty for her, leaning in as she pulls away. It's been years and finally, he can kiss her again and he doesn't want to ever stop. His experiment just changed things forever, could change them forever. He and Marisa are the same, and he loved her years ago and he still loves her now, and if everything is changing then maybe finally they can get their happy ending.

Marisa was able to convince Macphail to let her come along because she knows Asriel better than anyone else. The same is true vice versa.

“Lie about whatever you want. Lie about the Oblation Board. The Magisterium. Lie about the girl. But do not lie about your ambition your work or who you truly are. You used to want to change the world. Then leave the Magisterium. Come with me, and we will change them all.”

He talks between small kisses, tempting her, teasing her, seducing her. Despite her snapping remark at Macphail, Marisa does in fact melt. This will work, they can be together again.

But there's the one thing Asriel didn't expect. The one thing that Marisa herself hadn't expected.

But I love Lyra. Where did this love come from? I don't know; it came to me like a thief in the night, and now I love her so much my heart is bursting with it.

Rewatching the scene, you can see the moment she makes her decision. She leans her head back just enough so she can look at Asriel.

Then leans back in and closes her eyes. Lets herself bask in the moment, lets herself feel the love and safety and rightness of being with him envelop her. When she opens her eyes, when she pulls away and speaks the words that will put them on separate paths, her resolution is clear. She's resigned to her decision and its consequences.

And Asriel could have debated theology and politics until the end of time, if that's what it took to have her again. He can't argue this.

And so she leaves. And he lets her. And the two of them are just so unexpectedly soft with each other my heart can't take it.

Where's the furious fight? The cutting remarks? The bitter resentment pushed down all these years finally showing its ugly face? Where's the dysfunctional madness?

"Ah, those two. In a fight they're lethal. Around each other, they melt." - Richelle Mead, The Golden Lily.

Part of me is disappointed we missed out on that beautiful angst, the kind we'd probably see if they spent longer together, but another part of me loves it. Because they cut through the bullshit. With others maybe they'd put on an act, but it's just them. And they know each other. They'd see through the other's presences in a heartbeat. The whole scene is so intimate, so honest, they almost convince me they could be healthy. And that's the tragedy of them, I think. They're so alike, two sides of the same coin. They understand each other on such a deep level no amount of time apart makes a difference. In another life, they would work. They should work. But this is the reality they live in.

Confession time.

I have not read the books. I have no intention of reading the books, at least not the parts I haven't seen onscreen yet. The reason is that after episode 3, I picked up the first book, caught up to where I was on the show, and realised I enjoyed the show better. I'd rather experience the twists and turns first on the platform that I prefer, without having them spoiled first on a platform that just doesn't evoke the same emotional response. Please don't pelt tomatoes at me!

I vaguely knew the plot of the Golden Compass from the movie I half saw years ago, and from general knowledge. Going forth, I'm mostly blind. I know bits and pieces from Tumblr that I can't quite escape, (I.e: the quote from the books I used above that I've seen in multiple gifsets), and unfortunately, I already know Masriel's fate. The journey getting there? No clue.

Which is exciting.

I've understood that the show is delving much more into Maria's psyche than the books, and that her revelation that she loves Lyra has come earlier. I don't know what it means going forth, if there will be changes from the books or if it will stay the same for the most part. What I do know, is that I can't wait to see what happens next.

Marisa refused Asriel because of Lyra, but Lyra left their world. Next season, I'm sure Marisa will be just as ruthless and determined to get her back, that will probably result with her aligning with the Magisterium once more.

I'd love to see her find a way to once again place the blame on Asriel, but as we've seen, her bitterness and resentment tend to fade away when faced with the man himself. Maybe it'll be easier to cling onto now the novelty of seeing him again after so long has worn off. But I honestly don't know how it will go when they next see each other. The softness of this scene took me by surprise, just as each of them always does individually. One thing's for sure, their connection isn't going anywhere.

But neither is the reality they live in. The Magisterium. It'll be interesting to see just how deep her loyalties go because the show did a great job in showing me that she'll choose Lyra over practically anything, but like I said, it hasn't talked much about her religious convictions.

See, that isn't what I'd expect to hear from the truly devout. It's part of her power-play with Macphail, yes, but it doesn't scream religious fanatic.

I want next season to explore that side of her. Ruth is a fantastic actress and would portray the inner turmoil perfectly. But I need to believe there's a chance she won't choose Lyra. I need to be convinced in her conviction, to honesty fear that she's gone off the ledge. I love that Lyra is her weak spot, I love that in her own twisted way she believes she's putting Lyra first. But she's not just a mother. She's not just a scorned lover. She is Marisa fucking Coulter, cesspit of moral filth, mother of all evil, and I need to see her go dark.

Yes, darker than smiling as she attacks the daughter she loves, darker than killing a boy with her bare hands, darker than kidnapping and experimenting on children even as they continue to die. I want her to repulse me with her actions. I want her to cross every line imaginable. I want her completely unredeemable. And then have her love for her child override all those convictions.

I have high demands. I have high expectations. I have full confidence Ruth Wilson can deliver. I'm really hoping the writers and producers do too.

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debrasmorgan420 · 5 years

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Jafael - 1x02 (1/?)

Little early to hear the heartbeat.

#jafaeledit #jtvedit #jane the virgin #jafael #jane villanueva #rafael solano #*

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petesmediadiary · 4 years

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September 28th 2020

Podcasts: Comedy Bang Bang -- 675 Clothing Sausages How Did This Get Played? -- 67 Ring Fit Adventure LA Podcast -- 141 Sans Sherrif My Brother, My Brother, and Me -- 501 Face 2 Face: Jeans-Washed Acid TV: The Legend of Korra -- 1x01, 1x02 Last Week Tonight -- 7x24 The Vow -- 1x06 Schitt’s Creek -- 2x05, 2x06 Music: Pure Bathing Culture -- With Every Heartbeat (Robyn cover) Car Seat Headrest -- Scatterbrain (Radiohead cover) Gordi -- Hide and Seek (Imogen Heap cover) Wye Oak -- Goodbye Girls (Broadcast cover)

#comedy bang bang #how did this get played #hdtgp #la podcast #mbmbam #the legend of korra #Last Week Tonight #the vow #schitt's creek #pure bathing culture #car seat headrest #gordi #wye oak

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ober-affen-geil · 5 years

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There’s a lot of non-verbal communication on Roswell, and I’ve talked about it extensively as it applies to Michael and Alex. I will be doing something eventually involving the entire cast as well, but for right now I want to focus on how Alex uses it in two different moments to say the same thing: I love Michael Guerin.

The first in in 1x09 in the bunker with Kyle and Cam. Alex makes a snarky comment to Kyle about how Max “angsty nerd” Evans isn’t his type and Kyle, who has lost touch with Alex over the years and now benefits simultaneously from knowing him very well and having an outsider’s perspective, suddenly puts two and two together to make an educated guess.

“Is your type angry cowboy?”

And Alex responds with this x

One look that says a lot, most of which are warnings. “Back off.” “Don’t go there.” “Watch it.” “Step off, now.” “Thin ice, buddy.”

You know what it DOESN’T say? “No.”

Alex had the chance to downplay his association with Michael here and he didn’t take it. It would have been very easy for him to brush the comment aside like he did with Maria in 1x02 (Hadn’t noticed) but he doesn’t do it. He doesn’t deny what Kyle is implying, which goes beyond Michael being his “type” and they both know it. Considering that the last time we saw them together earlier in the episode Alex was breaking up with Michael, this is significant.

Alex has just cut romantic and sexual ties with Michael, he has no real claim to him right now. Except that he does. Michael is his family, his home. His Person. Alex can’t deny that to himself or Kyle so he doesn’t. He doesn’t confirm it either but Kyle knows him well enough to read between the lines. And when Alex then objects to Kyle implying that he intervened in Project Shepherd only to protect Michael and NOT to Kyle implying that Michael is his boyfriend, it’s really not even subtext.

Alex’s reaction to Kyle’s statement is him acknowledging what Michael means to him, which is why Kyle is later able to say “If you care about him as much as it looks like you do...” with authority. Because Alex already told him as much.

The second moment is in 1x10 with Maria in the bar, and it’s actually in two parts. Maria who (unlike Kyle) has stayed close with Alex over the years and therefore fails to see the forest through the trees, makes a joke about two people Alex couldn’t possibly be in love with. Except one of them is Michael Guerin. And Alex, who most definitely didn’t come here to talk about this, reacts like so x

As with Kyle, he did not have to do this. He could have laughed it off and continued to play coy with Maria. And maybe this wasn’t really on purpose, maybe Maria caught him off guard and he’s already rattled from the conversation he just had with Michael and he can’t cover fast enough. But the end result is the same: This look tells Maria she hit the nail bang on the head.

But now she’s rattled too, because she knows what just happened between her and Michael and the Texas desert, so she needs to confirm what her sinking gut already knows.

“Please tell me you’re in love with Wyatt Long.”

And this time it is absolutely deliberate. Alex pauses for a heartbeat, enough to make sure she knows he’s heard her question and already regrets the hurt it will cause her to hear the answer. And then he tells her the truth. x

“No. I’m in love with Michael Guerin.“

And this. This has nearly as much magnitude as Alex turning to face Michael and saying “I’m tired of walking away.”

This is Alex actively claiming Michael in front of another person of his own free will for the first time ever. And I don’t mean “claiming” in the sense of “get away from my man” I mean it in the sense of “this is what he means to me”. Home can be a person, and Michael is Alex’s.

The last time we saw Alex with Michael in this episode he was having a minor crisis over the realization that Michael was trying to leave Earth, and he left Michael in the bunker because he needed some space to process. This is so important because it tells the audience that Alex really is done walking away; Alex wouldn’t have confirmed to Maria who Michael is to him if he was planning on backing out again.

He kept the identity of “museum guy” secret for 10 years because if he told some one, even Maria, it would make it real. And Alex hasn’t been ready to deal with that until now. With just a look and a shake of his head, Alex takes the last step and fully commits to Michael.

He loves him. Present tense.

#my roswell meta #roswell new mexico #alex manes #kyle valenti #maria deluca #list #a riley special

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mtvswatches · 5 years

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Friends 1x02 – The One with the Sonogram at the End

Click here for previous recaps!

In a nutshell: Carol is pregnant. We meet Ross and Monica’s parents. First mention of Ugly Naked Guy. Rachel deals with the aftermath of running away on her wedding day. There’s this beam that we will soon never see again.

Chandler: As they all discuss parent issues, Chandler admits to having an imaginary friend whom his parents actually preferred. Two episodes in and Chandler’s mommy/daddy issues keep being brought up. He takes the backseat together with Phoebe and Joey in this episode.

Joey: He is not given much to do, but a couple of personality “traits” are established. In the opening scene, he’s the one who doesn’t get the extended metaphor about sex, and as everyone is freaking out about the news of Carol being pregnant, he’s in the background digging into the lasagna because #priorities.

Monica: We get to see a bit more of Monica’s OCD tendencies, but it’s heavily implied at the beginning of the episode – and it’s something that I think it would’ve been very interesting to explore – that they derive from her constant need to please her parents because they always make her feel less than. I think it’s a great explanation for her relentless search for perfection in almost all areas of her life. You know, an “If I’m good enough, they’ll love me” kind of thing. Her parents were very unlikable, her mom being intentionally and surreptitiously evil and her father unintentionally hurtful but hurtful nonetheless.

Phoebe: We learn about Phoebe’s twin sister, Ursula, although her name is not mentioned. Phoebe explains that they don’t speak and describes her as “the high-powered, driven career-type” – a waitress. I always thought it was a great idea to have Lisa play both Phoebe and Ursula in these two different shows and have it be this be a meta-joke.

Rachel: Rachel has to meet Barry to give him back the engagement ring, and even though she’s kind of a mess about the whole thing (losing the ring only to find it in the lasagna she helped Monica make,) I admire how ready she is to take responsibility for the whole leaving-him-in-the-altar thing. Rachel and Ross also have a small moment at the cafeteria after commiserating about each other’s predicaments, and he honestly gave her some good advice, and it’s hard to deny that there really was a reason why everyone was rooting for these two to get together in the 90s. Of course, her meeting with Barry doesn’t go as expected when she finds out that he’s looking better than ever and it’s all because he went on their honeymoon with Mindy, one of her bridesmaids. She has a petty moment in the end when she calls Mindy, but all in all, I think she handles the whole situation with a lot of grace and it helps her eliminate any second-thoughts about her decision. Unfortunately, it won’t be the last we see of Barry.

Ross: We get to meet Carol in this episode, who is played by a different actress. I wonder what happened there, but I’m glad they did the switcharoo, actually. Ross learns that Carol is pregnant…

Priceless reaction, by the way. But even before the pregnancy reveal and the conflict, I must admit that Ross was handling the separation rather well. He truly seemed to have no contempt for Carol, even if he was trying to push too hard to get back together. Realizing you’re gay is not something you come back from, so I’ve always thought it was more about him trying to hold on to this idea of a perfect life he had. I don’t think he would’ve ever been able to trust Carol again if they got back together, lesbian or not. And well, we did get to see the alternate universe where they stayed together and it was… less than stellar. I don’t know how you all felt or feel about this, but I always got the impression Susan and Carol were really pushing it with how they decided to handle the pregnancy and the baby. I mean, Ross was the father after all, so it always rubbed me the wrong way how they purposefully tried to take him out of the picture and seemed offended when he demanded to be included, as if he had no right to demand so. It’s even more bizarre when you realize that Carol was still sleeping with Ross while having an affair with Susan, hence the pregnancy. So… how was Susan so on board with the whole pregnancy stuff from the get-go? It really took a long time for me to warm up to Susan because I always felt she was always overstepping. Say what you will about Ross, but I think it’s actually laudable how he was on board the minute he heard his baby’s heartbeat, and how he fought to be included in his child’s life.

One Iconic Scene: Rachel resting her head on Ross’s hand, it’s just so sweet.

BONUS QUESTION: Can you guess what episode was the first one I ever saw before I review it…?

#Friends #Rachel Green #Ross Geller #Monica Geller #Jennifer Aniston #Courteney Cox #Joey Tribianni #Chandler Bing #Phoebe Buffay #FRIENDS recap #FRIENDS 1x02 #mine

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stahlop · 5 years

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Once Upon a Time 1x03 “Snow Falls” Review

Review 1x01 1x02

This is one of my favorite episodes. This is the episode where Snow and Charming meet and we learn the origins of their backstory.

Synopsis:

Henry finds a John Doe at the hospital and is convinced it is Prince Charming. Emma convinces Mary Margaret to read to the man from the storybook to show Henry that he is just a regular coma patient, but it ends with him actually waking up! In the Enchanted Forest, we see how Snow White and Prince Charming first meet.

Opening: A troll in the forest.

New Characters:

Dr. Whale: We first meet him on a date with Mary Margaret and he’s obviously a cad. While Mary Margaret is talking to him he is blatantly checking out Ruby in the background. He also seems to be the head doctor in the hospital, and he’s in Regina’s pocket as he lies to Mary Margaret about David’s readings but lets Regina know that things have changed. We are not given any indication who he was in the Enchanted Forest.

Kathryn Nolan/Princess: Supposedly David’s wife in Storybrooke. We don’t learn much about her except that her memories tell her that she and David fought before he left and fell into a coma and she thought he had left her. She also says that the fight was all her fault, which makes her seem quite weak. In the Enchanted Forest she seems to be a princess that Prince James was engaged to. She’s very haughty and doesn’t seem to have much interest in James. She’s also very damsel in distress when Snow steals from the carriage, simply screaming instead of making any attempt at stopping her.

Character Observations:

Snow/Mary Margaret: Snow is a forest bandit and a real tough woman, a far cry from the meek Mary Margaret that we have seen. She is stealing to survive and knows her way around the Enchanted Forest. She is tough, as she decks Charming with a rock, and witty, she starts calling James, Charming, because of the way he speaks to her. She’s also resourceful; she knows she can sell the jewels to the trolls and she has the dark fairy dust to eventually take the Evil Queen out with. Mary Margaret, on the other hand, is very docile. She doesn’t seem to have a mean bone in her body and pretty much goes along with everything everyone tells her. She cowers in Regina’s presence and doesn’t have much of a voice around her. She’s also very unsure of herself. She also believes in hope and love, while Snow has been beaten down enough that she is very cynical and has no hope. Mary Margaret starts to believe that John Doe could be her Charming soulmate as shown in Henry’s book, right up until Kathryn shows up. Snow just sees Charming as the way out of the Enchanted Forest, but realizes she can’t leave him when he’s attacked by the trolls. It’s his attempt at saving her twice (once from the queen’s guards and once from the trolls) that opens up her heart to him.

Regina/Evil Queen: Regina is her spectacular, horrid self as usual in this episode. While not in it much, we see her control over Dr. Whale as he calls to tell her about John Doe’s readings, and that it was Mary Margaret that set them off. And while she seems to have her eyes and ears everywhere, she does not seem to know where Henry is most of the time. She’s so busy trying to hold her curse together that she is not being a good mother. But she still technically has Henry, so her dig towards Emma and Mary Margaret at the end “Not having someone is the worst curse imaginable” is very cruel. We don’t actually see the Evil Queen in this episode, but we are told that she blames Snow for ruining her life. Most likely referring to whomever she loved that Snow somehow took from her.

Emma: Emma may not be trying to undermine Henry as blatantly as Regina is, but she is trying to show him that fairy tales don’t exist in more subtle ways. Henry comes up with the plan for Mary Margaret to read to John Doe to ‘wake’ him up, but Emma goes a step further by having Mary Margaret go along with it with the intention that it won’t work and it will help Henry believe that his fairy tales aren’t real. It may not be as manipulative as Regina, but she’s still letting Henry go through with the plan with the intention that he will be disappointed and will possibly question the storybook. Imagine Emma’s surprise when John Doe not only moves, but ends up awake. Emma, of course, will just sweep this under the rug as coincidence, because she can’t possibly believe in fairy tales. Emma, at this point is also living in her car, after having been kicked out of Granny’s due to the felony law. Because of her need to be independent and non-reliant on anyone, she turns down Mary Margaret’s offer to stay with her. After the whole search for David, Mary Margaret’s hope getting torn out from under her, and Regina’s not having someone comment, Emma decides to take Mary Margaret up on her offer. So they are now officially roommates.

Henry: He is more of the catalyst for this episode rather than the narrator. He’s still telling us things about the curse, but he’s the one who discovers Charming in the hospital and gets the ball rolling to have him wake up. We also see that he lies to Regina, a lot, as she doesn’t seem to know where he is half the time. His main purpose right now suggests that he is just guiding Emma (and the viewers) through Storybrooke but has no real purpose of his own. He is not in any danger from Regina. He sees through most of her lies and manipulation anyhow.

James “Charming”/David Nolan: We learn a lot about both Charming and David in this episode. Charming is brave; he goes after the bandit despite the guards there to protect him, and he fights the trolls with Snow, risking his life; resourceful; he manages to catch Snow in a trap, knows she is wanted by the queen and uses that to his advantage in him helping her, is good, not only with a sword, but with a bow and arrow as well (as evidenced from his Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves moment); and, of course, charming; he’s sentimental about the engagement ring because it belonged to his mother. Charming is a real go getter, except for the fact that he has to marry the princess to merge their kingdoms together. We don’t know a lot about David’s personality yet. He has amnesia, so he doesn’t remember anything about his life (or possibly Regina never invented a backstory for him because she thought he was dead), and he’s definitely attracted to Mary Margaret, but he’s married to Kathryn.

Questions:

What’s up with the feathers again? So far we’ve seen them on two of Snow’s outfits in the Pilot, Regina’s curse outfit, and now on the princess’s dress. Is this an Enchanted Forest thing, or do the bird feathers mean something?

Why does David’s scar still have blood on it? He received it from Snow at least a year before the curse hit. It should not have blood on it, especially since he’s technically been in a coma for 28 years.

How much time is supposed to have passed between Snow robbing Charming and him tracking her down? I really don’t think he would have had enough time to build a freaking net trap without her knowing. Did she go to her tree trunk dwelling before going to the trolls and now she’s come back? If he just discovered her there, how did he set it up without her hearing him?

How does John Doe wake up from a coma and walk out of a hospital? His muscles should be atrophied. I guess this is another thing we can say is because of the curse. Instead of his muscles atrophying they reset themselves every night since time didn’t move. And where are all the nurses? Because David was hooked up to machines yet none of them alerted anyone in the hospital that they weren’t hooked up to anyone anymore? It should have indicated he was dead since it wasn’t registering a heartbeat or brain activity. Emma had to look at the video surveillance to see what time he got up and left.

Why do trolls need money or jewels?

Was that water deep enough for David to drown in? I know they say you can drown in an inch of water, but he wasn’t even face down in the water, he was on his side. I just feel like he should’ve been face down in the water if we were to believe he had drowned.

How does this curse work? I know I asked this in the Pilot, but did Regina have contingencies built in for if time started moving, or does the curse adapt to things like that? Did Kathryn have memories of her husband, David, before he woke up, or were those built in after?

Observations:

David’s scar is from Snow hitting him with a rock. Ouch!

I know it’s a television show, but Snow looks pretty good for living out in the forest. She apparently has perfectly fitting clothes, can bathe often, and still wears makeup.

Charming tells Snow that he will find her, but it’s much more menacing than when he woke her up in the Pilot.

Whale tells Mary Margaret that John Doe has been in a coma for as long as he can remember.

We see the flying monkeys in the storybook again.

Snow’s wanted poster says she is wanted for crimes again the queen; murder, treason, and treachery.

The security guard was Sleepy. We’ve now been introduced to Sleepy and Grumpy from the seven dwarfs.

The trolls climbing up the bridge reminded me of the trolls in the movie Willow.

The old Toll Bridge sign in Storybrooke has an R graffitied on it so it says Troll Bridge.

Mary Margaret’s version of CPR is basically a long smooch. Was it True Love’s Kiss that actually revived David?

The ring Mary Margaret wears is the engagement ring Charming was going to give to the princess.

Names:

James - English form of the Hebrew name Jacob, which means supplanter. He was a twin who deprived his brother his rights as the firstborn son

David - Beloved. Also known as the famous king in David vs. Goliath.

Kathryn - pure

Nolan - derived from the Irish, Nuall, which means noble. Fitting as both David and Kathryn were nobles in the Enchanted Forest.

Ruby - red stone

I love learning the backstory of Snow and Charming. It’s nice to see that it was not love at first sight and from what we see in the Pilot, they eventually do find their way back to each other. It’s also nice to see Snow as someone not to be trifled with, as in the stories and movies she is the epitome of innocence. Regina is a loathsome as ever, but it’s nice to see her reactions to her carefully constructed facade crumbling and now she’s attempting to deal with it. She is someone who needs to be in control and she is having a hard time staying in control with her world, literally, falling apart.

As usual feedback is welcome. Please let me know your thoughts about anything: the episode, the characters, the formatting, etc.

@searchingwardrobes @thisonesatellite@justbecauseyoubelievesomething@laschatzi @profdanglaisstuff@mariakov81

#once upon a time #once upon a time rewatch #once upon a time 1x03 #once upon a time snow falls

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