I despise what they did with James Tartt's character this episode and his relationship with Jamie. I hate when every show/movie depicts awful parents doing the bare minimum out of nowhere to change and then has the abused child forgive their parent or make amends 'for themselves.' As if the only option for someone to heal from their trauma and abuse is to forgive and/or reconnect with their abuser.

Fuck that! It's unrealistic to expect abusers to just change out of the blue, and the person who was abused owes them absolutely nothing even if they do. Sometimes it is actually more harmful to someone's physical or mental health to try to reconnect. For the love of god, can we just let an abused character acknowledge what happened to them and find a way to move on without having to forgive their abuser?

It's especially egregious in this instance, where Jamie was being actively abused by his father as of just one year ago and hasn't even outwardly acknowledged/named that mistreatment as abuse. We just found out a couple episodes ago that his dad was responsible for Jamie being sexually assaulted at the age of 14! And now the writers expect us to think it's a good idea for Jamie to forgive and reach out to him (without even knowing his dad was in rehab in the first place)?

I wish the show was brave enough to not feel the need to try to narratively redeem a truly awful person like James. At the very least if they were going to show James 'changing,' they could have at least had Jamie acknowledge that change but ultimately decide to keep his father out of his life anyway. But I guess that's just too much to ask for. 🙄

all the mashposting got to me

(click image for optimal quality!)

and if we get Henry Creel | Vecna redemption arc at the end of Stranger Things 5 where he sacrifices himself to save Eleven and then it’s this scene where Eleven is crying as she hugs Vecna’s corpse, I think I’ll be so mad I’ll most likely cry.

like… they kind of pulled the same stunt with Billy when he decided to save Eleven in the end. and with Papa when he freed Eleven from the collar after he was shot. I’m not giving my opinions on either of these characters (Billy and Papa), but these are the examples of this trope that was repeatedly used on characters who are portrayed as villains in the show; they (somewhat) redeemed themselves before they got killed off.

**doesn’t matter if you personally think Billy and/or Papa didn’t redeem themselves or if you think their redemption arcs were not good, the point is, the show intended to give them a somewhat redemption where they are “better”, Billy decided to do the right thing and saved Eleven, Papa decided to “let Eleven go” (I know that was because he was dying, but in the end he tried to help her), so the point of this isn’t “whether or not they had a decent redemption arc” but that “the show gave their antagonists — if we considered Billy an antagonist — a redemption arc before they were killed off”.

anyway, this post is about Henry. and I only just mentioned Billy and Papa as examples of the pattern that’s been going on in Stranger Things when it comes to characters who are bad guys.

also, this may be nothing, but the fact they chose to give us Henry’s childhood and how he was abused at the Lab, as well as how he genuinely cared about Eleven and how he genuinely wanted to help her escape before things went downhill, might be a soft hint that he’s not a psychopath. because he’s not. (all of his crimes, Henry committed them because, in his belief, he was doing the right thing/what had to be done, he never did any of these terrible things he did out of pleasure, and all these hatred he harbored towards humanity as a whole could also be the result of how he’s been treated his entire life, whether it be by his own parents or by Papa and the people at the Lab who literally abused him since he was a child.)

I know I’m kind of rambling here, but what I’m saying is: give Henry a decent redemption arc where he doesn’t die in the end. give him a happy ending where he gets to learn how to love and be loved, the one where he can heal from his trauma and be happy. I know this is probably a wishful thinking, but Henry deserves better and I will always, always stand by this.

anyway, I know @twihs-blog is going to be amazing the next season ♡

🥺HE DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER!!🥺

Remus: *reading his book in the library*

Remus: *Hears soft classical music in the distance*

Regulus: *Reading a table next to him, having his earphones on full volume*

Remus: James, do you hear that to?

James: Oh, the classical music? That is reggie. He loves that kind of music

Remus: *Walks up to Regulus* What song is that?

Regulus: Oh, just Solas from Jamie Duffie. Don't think you know it.

Remus: *stares at him* That's my favorite classical song.

Regulus and Remus: *Dark academy fangirls squealing*

Sirius: *just walked in to the library* Is that my brother? And my boyfriend? Bonding?

She's a 10 but stops whatever she's doing when she sees Joseph Quinn content

So it’s later in the evening and the cooking’s all done and Ola’s out and about in the restaurant, saying howdy to all the boys —

— and there is Jamie, nifty in blue and his ICON cap and pleasantly buzzy from all the drinks Dani mixed, and Ola doesn’t exactly corner him, but he stops by and, “Ah, you must be Jamie! I’ve heard so much about you!”

Jamie blinks a couple of times at that, trying to imagine all the times Sam might have talked to his extremly supportive dad about him, and succeeding only far too well. “Oh. Uh, yeah. I mean… I’ve, uh. I’ve tried to do better, so. But. I guess. Uh. Yeah.” And he shrugs a little, unhappily, because he really doesn’t know what to say to this gentle giant of a man whose son he terrorized for six unfortunate months a couple of years back.

Ola just looks at him, frowning but not in a nasty or angry way. Cocks his head to the side. “Yes. Samuel’s told me.”

Jamie makes a face at that but before he has time to say anything else – offer any apologies – Ola plows on: “He’s told me about his very good friend who’s been such great support to him in this last year, in spite of him not having much support of his own.” He pauses, making sure that Jamie is hearing him: “I’ve been glad to hear he has such good friends. Samuel has been very fortunate.”

“Oh.” Jamie blinks again. And again. His eyes are wide. A slight shine to them, maybe. He looks away from Ola; away from Sam, happily (and inexpertly) (but still succesfully) flirting with Simi by the bar.

And Ola puts his arm around Jamie’s shoulders and it’s warm and it’s heavy, but it doesn’t weight him down; it grounds him. “Tell me, Jamie,” Ola rumbles, as he gently guides Jaime to one of the stuffed benches by the wall. “What do you think about—“

(And if Sam looks up from his conversation with Simi and if his eyes stray to the men on the bench… he’d smile, yeah, soft and aching and pleased with the way Jamie – seemingly unconsciously – is leaning into Ola’s touch, listening and grinning and gesturing wildly as he answer whatever questions the older man asks of him. Sam sees them, and he smiles.)

WHY HAVE I NEVER SEEN THIS POLAROID OF MY BOYS

every time i think im over the haunting of bly manor i see an edit of dani and jamie that just breaks my heart all over again

#NOT MY TEAM #JAMIE BEING THE ONLY ONE SEEING IT #AND NO ONE CARING ABOUT WHAT HE SAYS #MY VILAIN ORIGIN STORY

incorrect ted lasso

Sam: When you bring your partner to meet your parents it's basically a double date. Jamie: Why would my father meet my partner? He doesn't even meet me.

JAMIE: He's not the Doctor I know.

DOCTOR: I am too, Jamie McCrimmon. I am another aspect of him, just as he is of me.

JAMIE: Eh?

DOCTOR: I was him, he will be me.

JAMIE: Who will I be?

🤣

Oh Jamie, I love you. Don't ever change.

more thoughts regarding Henry Creel’s time at Hawkins Lab because I’m so (not) normal about that guy.

okay, so do you guys remember when Doctor Brenner rewarded Two with a candy when he did good during the lesson?

now don’t mind me imagining him giving young Henry a candy, when Henry was the only kid there, as a reward to try to urge him into complying / into trying to do good. I’m not saying candy absolutely worked for Henry, but after all he was still a kid. and I don’t think Virginia was the kind of parents who allowed her kids to have candy. so idk dude, imagine young Henry not wanting to give in and accept Brenner’s so called gift before he gave in and did what Brenner wanted in the end, because I bet, at the beginning, Brenner gave or tried to give Henry candy without Henry having to do anything for it, and once Henry — a kid, mind you — got a taste of candy and asked for more, Brenner said he had to do something to earn it first.

just imagine Henry wanting candy. imagine Henry agreeing to be good for Brenner because he just wanted the candy. imagine candy being the only “normal” thing Henry had during his childhood. imagine Henry, now as an adult, still having a secret longing / nostalgia for something as simple, as childlike as candy.

@twihs-blog I think I made myself cry…

Not to get sad but you ever think about how Ted's fear of being a bad father to Henry kept him from being a good coach to Jamie. Because Jamie needed someone to guide him. Jamie didn't need help with the talent department, or the confidence department, he needed support. He needed someone to be proud of him. Like after the game against Man City where Ted walks by and he sees Jamie being mistreated. Jamie needs the opposite of that. He needed Ted in a different way than the rest of the team needed Ted and Ted was unable to give him that. Ted failed Jamie in a way he didn't fail any of his other players and I think it's so interesting to think about. Because I personally think Jamie still doesn't think Ted likes him very much. I think Jamie thinks Ted only brought him back to Richmond because he needed the same thing everyone needs from him - he needed a good football player. He didn't need or want Jamie, just his talent.

I love Ted this isn't anti-Ted at all but I really feel like he did wrong by Jamie.

🥺I need him to come back to me🥺

jamie kennedy as randy meeks in scream 2