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vanessakirbyfans · 4 years

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After breaking out in Netflix’s hit global series and stealing scenes in 'Mission:  Impossible' and 'Hobbs & Shaw,' the British actresses about to display her range with frontier romance 'The World to Come' and gut-wrenching drama 'Pieces of a Woman.'

Vanessa Kirby was two days away from shooting Mission: Impossible 7 in Venice — reprising her role as the glamorous gunrunner known as the White Widow — when Paramount halted production. It was late February, and Italy had just recorded Europe’s then-worst outbreak of the novel coronavirus, at the time not officially labeled a pandemic. Tom Cruise’s billion-dollar blockbuster franchise had become the first major Hollywood casualty.

Seven months on, and with the film industry appearing irreversibly changed, Kirby is preparing her return to Venice. But it’s not for Mission: Impossible (she starts shooting that later in September). With The World to Come and Pieces of a Woman, filmed almost back-to-back in late 2019 and early 2020, the British star, 32, has the rare honor of having two films compete against each other in the Biennale, the first A-list film festival to physically take place since cinemas — and much beyond — shut their doors.

Appearing alongside Katherine Waterston and Casey Affleck in The World to Come — a frontier romance set against the rugged and patriarchal terrain of the mid-19th century American Northeast — Kirby plays flame-haired Tallie, who sparks an intense and liberating affair with a farmer’s wife, played by Waterston.

But it’s Pieces of a Woman — also heading to Toronto — and her quietly powerful and gut-wrenching turn as Martha, a woman dealing with towering loss after a home birth that goes wrong (shot in one hugely impressive yet frequently hard-to-watch half-hour take), that marks yet another new chapter for the actress, who already has condensed what many would consider a lifetime’s worth of career milestones into just a few years. A critics’ favorite on the British stage; Emmy-nominated and BAFTA-winning for her global screen breakout as Princess Margaret in the opening seasons of Netflix’s smash hit The Crown; part of two of the biggest action franchises around (she also appeared in Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw last year); and, for her next act, independent cinema’s newest leading lady.

Even before the reviews come in, Pieces of a Woman — also starring Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn and Sarah Snook — has found a fan in Martin Scorsese, who recently came aboard as executive producer.

“I haven’t stopped smiling,” says Kirby, speaking from the south London home she shares with her sister Juliet (a theatrical agent) and two close friends. “It’s such a mind-blowing thing.”

The actress was originally shown the script in L.A. by filmmaking couple Sam and Ashley Levinson (Ashley is producing the film for Bron Studios). Within 24 hours, she'd jumped on a plane to London, then Budapest, to meet director Kornél Mundruczó. “You know when you’re supposed to do something. ... It felt so right,” she says. “I wanted to show up and tell Kornél face-to-face how much I loved it and how much it touched me.”

Mundruczó, a Cannes regular who won the top prize in the 2014 Un Certain Regard sidebar for White God, also was taking something of a career leap, Pieces of a Woman marking his first English-language feature. But he found the right partner with whom to “take the big risk together,” likening Kirby to his favorite screen siren, Catherine Deneuve. “She’s someone who can express emotion for the unseen, and that’s very difficult,” he says. The World to Come director Mona Fastvold is equally praising of her star, describing her as an actor “who can truly disarm us” and their work together “one of most fulfilling creative partnerships I've had so far.”

Kirby, who cites Gena Rowlands as her cinematic idol (she has a photo from Rowlands’ 1980 drama Gloria in her room), says she had been “biding her time” waiting for such an opportunity: “I felt ready to lead a movie for a long time, but to actually do it was such a gift. Now that I’ve done it, it feels like a new stage for me.”

While there were few thespian genes in her family (her father is a top prostrate surgeon and her mother once edited Country Living), an 11-year-old Kirby caught the bug after watching a production of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. “I suddenly realized the power of telling these stories is that they can make you feel differently about yourself when you leave,” she says. “And I think that’s always been a goal for me since.”

Countless school plays — including an all-girl Hamlet (Kirby as Gertrude) — would follow, continuing on into college, where spare periods and evenings would be spent relentlessly rehearsing and putting on shows with friends (including Alice Birch, who recently adapted Normal People for TV). Audience numbers didn’t matter – several struggled to make it through a four-hour Eugene O’Neill adaptation, while there were definite walkouts when a group of them took Shakespeare's Julius Caesar to Edinburgh (“Why would you take Julius Caesar to a comedy festival?” she laughs).

It was all for the discovery, experience and thrill, which is why — just a few years later — when Kirby received her first paycheck, having picked up an agent and signed on for her first three professional productions, it felt strange.

“I still have the vision in my mind of holding that white paper and being like, why are you paying me? Someone’s paying me for this? Because I’ve done it so much.”

Performances of As You Like It, Edward II and A Streetcar Named Desire and collaborations with directors like Benedict Andrews would quickly establish Kirby as one of the U.K.’s hottest stage talents in the early 2010s. But by this point, screen had already come calling. BBC drama The Hour — a small part as a troubled young aristocrat alongside a pre-Bond Ben Whishaw — was her TV debut in 2011, landing four years before being cast in her most famous role to date.

The Crown creator Peter Morgan recalls going “rogue” when he chose Kirby, overruling the other show execs’ preferred choice for Princess Margaret. She had turned up to the audition looking like what he describes as a “catastrophic mess”; fake tan smeared haphazardly on her shins and hands stained orange (she’d forgotten to wash them after applying the tan).

“But she had an electrifying presence. ... You realized you were in the company of a rare and special talent,” he says, adding that her chaotic appearance plus visible nerves evoked the essential vulnerability he was looking for. “It was very Annie Hall.”

Subsequent screen tests — and the public reaction — confirmed what Morgan first saw, that Kirby was a “high-impact booking,” much like the royal she was taking on. “There was no room in which you were not conscious that Princess Margaret was there.”

To craft her Margaret, in which Kirby laid the largely unknown foundations that would support the royal’s more brash and defiant public persona in later life, she absorbed everything she could, seeking out footage where the princess thought cameras had stopped rolling, plastering her walls in photos and even listening to her favorite music on repeat (including a version of “Scotland the Brave” played on the bagpipes, much to her housemates' dismay).

“It was so exciting to play someone that was so complicated and so conflicted, who was really struggling with a sense of who she was,” she says. “But I also had to chart this journey carefully, across 20 years of a person's life, and try to make it believable and also set her up for the rest of the seasons that were coming.”

Mission: Impossible came off the back of The Crown, sometime in the middle of season two. “I think Tom had watched it, because he watches everything,” says Kirby, who was surprised to be warmly welcomed into the “Mission Family” during her first meeting with Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie. “On my way home I rang my agent going, ‘I think I got the job, I’m not sure.’”

Hobbs & Shaw arrived via another route, Kirby approached by creative duo David Leitch and Kelly McCormick after she led a 2018 summer run of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie at the National Theatre.

While different adrenaline-fuelled vehicles, Kirby used both blockbusters to creatively “subvert” the usual expectations for female characters in action films, particularly within the typically masculine Fast & Furious world. “I was like, I don’t want to have to be saved ever, I don’t want to have to wear anything compromising, I want her to have her own emotional journey.” Her efforts were rewarded when a journalist wrote that Hattie — Kirby’s fearless MI6 operative in Hobbs & Shaw — had been her son’s favorite character. “How cool is that?” (She found the writer’s email to thank her).

As Kirby waits to start on Mission: Impossible 7 (and also 8 — she says the White Widow will likely “float in and out” of upcoming storylines), and for audiences in Venice and Toronto to see her first lead role, this philosophy is set to continue into what could be yet another career progression.

Alongside a daily film club with her housemates (with titles ranging from a list she found of the Dardenne Brothers’ favourite films to the cult so-bad-it’s-good hit The Room), Kirby has also used the months of lockdown to consider her next creative step and dream: setting up her own production company.

“I feel so excited by the thought that there’s so many female stories that haven’t been told. And so many that have examined the psychology of a man in a particular situation, but not the woman,” she says. “I feel like there’s so much opportunity for that and that we do actually have a responsibility. Changing that space is very important to me.”

#Vanessa Kirby #Pieces of a Woman #The World to Come #The Crown #Interview #Articles

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frcmashes · 4 years

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featuring: hope mikaelson, landon kirby. hon. mentions: william halliwell, lizzie saltzman tagging: @chosenlonely summary: hope tells landon that she has feelings for someone else. surprisingly enough, all hell doesn’t break loose.

hope mikaelsonLast Monday at 6:26 PM

so, her door is still broken. she doesn't know why she hasn't fixed it yet. it'd be a flick of her wrist, a mumbling of a spell, and that'd be that. but it feels too simple. it feels too much like settling back into a normalcy that's intangible now. ( like maybe, if she's meticulous enough, if she acts like nothing ever happened, if she's careful about where the cracks were, no one will ever notice. except .. she will. and lizzie will. and god, it's not fair on landon to expect him to accept the damages. ) she's sitting on her bed, thinking over how the openness is a good metaphor, when she hears footsteps. " hey. " he makes her want to smile just by being around and she has to accept she's going to lose that feeling. ( she'll be fine, she wants to convince herself. maybe even take lizzie's advice. not everyone leaves. ) " you'll never guess what happened today. " she has to curb the ease that wants to overtake her, remember what lizzie told her. she, at least, draws the line on going over to meet him. " i'll give you three guesses. "

landon kirbyLast Monday at 7:48 PM

when a text comes through that says we need to talk, it's a surefire sign that something's up. even still, he tries not to jump to worst case scenarios as he heads to hope's room. he should be studying for a test they have the next day, but he's sure no amount of studying is going to help him now. it's too late, his mind already stuffed with about as much as it can handle. thoughts of the test fade away when he sees the splintered door frame, eyes widening as he crosses the threshold. " uh. " he looks between her and the door, using context clues to fill in the blanks. " either the monster of the week busted your door down, or lando's way stronger than i thought he was. " another glance. " krypto strength levels. " he's pretty sure it's not the latter, so his stomach churns at the thought of yet another monster coming after them.

January 21, 2020

hope mikaelsonLast Tuesday at 8:23 AM

she's learnt that the worst things are quiet. it's only natural that she's responded to the worst moments in her life with aggression, with violence, with noise. it filled the space, stopped her rampart panicked thoughts. it's self-preservation at it's finest. except ... this time, with landon making jokes about mysteriously strong dogs and showing up, she knows it's not possible. and equally, that it's not what she wants. for the first time in her life, she's going to have respond to quiet with quiet. ( if she's being stripped of all of her comforts, all of her coping mechanisms may as well fall to the floor beside them. ) a smile cracking, though she can't help if it seems insincere. not quite reaching her eyes. " as much as i'd love to have a dog who could do all of that, " would she? questions for another time. " i guess malivore's spitting out monsters again. " that wasn't something she'd missed. " this time it was a croatoan. " she's halfway to the truth.(edited)

landon kirbyLast Tuesday at 9:33 AM

it's guilt that he feels. right off the bat, it hits him square between the teeth and he flinches. right, the monsters were back. he knew that, might have forgotten to mention that fact when he'd gotten a little preoccupied with the existential crisis that came along with seylah re-entering his life. " i know. " his gaze is apologetic, shifting his weight from foot to foot. " some octopus monster came after me last week when i was walking lando. i meant to tell you, but -- " in truth, he hadn't been sure how he felt. it seemed impossible to tell someone what was going on in your life when you weren't entirely sure you even knew. " seylah's here. my mom. " a sentence that he never expected to say. " she killed it. " he shakes his head, hating the guilt and the dread that gathers in the pit of his stomach. everything with malivore makes it flare up, like a fever you can't shake off. " are you okay ? is everyone okay ? " there's concern in his gaze, crossing over to her so he can see for himself that she's in one piece.

hope mikaelsonLast Tuesday at 10:03 AM

he mentions monsters, and malivore, and how he meant to tell her but ... ( she's struck by how they've both been keeping secrets stuck in their separate crises of confidence. ) guilt is an emotion that was already sitting in the pit of her stomach, in her chest, every time they spoke and she kept everything to herself. first seylah, now lizzie. she isn't sure when she got a reputation for keeping secrets from her boyfriend. ( and she's definitely sure that it isn't one that she wants to uphold. ) she shifts on the bed, despite herself, despite self control, and moves closer to him. " seylah killed it. " god, if today is the day for honesty, she might as well come forth with all of it. if the croatoan walks through that door again, hungry to destroy more of life ( a process she set in motion ), she'll be defenceless. she doesn't know if it sounds revelatory, or just quietly accepting. ( an international assassin known for killing monsters. she wishes she had just been honest now. ) " i'm fine. everyone's fine. "

she feels awkward in the space, instead of reaching out for his hands, placing her own on her legs. " but, " inhale, exhale, focus, " the croatoan - the monster that was here today - is basically a venus fly trap for secrets. " she doesn't why it makes her smile, the absurdity of the situation and her nerves blending together. " it almost killed me for how many i've been keeping. " she deserves to feel guilty, he deserves honesty. " that trip we took to kansas wasn't for nothing. we met your mom. " it feels unconvincing, her shoulders shrugging high. " the reason none of us remembered is because she found the portal before we could stop her. i don't know why. " she doesn't know why. wishes she did. " i never forgot her. and no, i don't know that either. " she wishes she did. it would make all of this easier to explain. " i am so sorry, landon. "

landon kirbyLast Tuesday at 10:15 AM

he joins her on the bed, figures if they're unpacking heavy, guilt-inducing secrets, he should probably be sitting for it. he notices how her hands don't reach for him but doesn't think anything of it, not when his mind's preoccupied with what she has to say. a few weeks ago, he thinks he'd be angry; hurt that she hadn't told him something that important. except now, maybe he gets it. he's met seylah, looked in her eyes and found out some truths he's not quite sure how to stomach. if she threw herself back in that pit, well, maybe -- he doesn't get it, but he does. ( maybe she was just trying her best. trying not to hurt him. he's hurt anyway, but that's the thing about good intentions -- sometimes you can try your best and people still get hurt. ) he swallows hard past the lump in his throat, nods his head once. a venus fly trap for secrets. wow. he's kind of glad he missed that one, not so sure he'd want to announce to the world some of the truths he's been clutching. " i know why. " it's said quietly, like he's afraid to give life to the thoughts churning inside of him. " or -- i can guess. i don't remember, so i can't be sure. " that must be how he'd lost the picture. seylah took it. he wants to be angry, but he thinks he's just numb. " she never wanted to be a mother. it was -- " ah, nope. he cuts himself off, decides to spin it in another direction. ( he's scared of what will happen when he says it out loud. ) " turns out, you're not the only person in the room who's had their dad referred to as the great evil. " his smile is tight. " i know who my dad is. " a lengthy pause. " malivore. "

hope mikaelsonLast Tuesday at 10:43 AM

she shifts further towards him when he joins her, one leg falling under her to turn to him. she still yearns to touch him, can't think of a time she hasn't, but keeps herself checked. ( caught up in what he deserves. ) she wonders, waits in a space, for a few moments as his reaction forms. she'd understand if he was upset, even more if he was angry. ( that is, of course, how her own emotions register. ) she exhales when he starts to speak. i know why. she really hopes, prays, that what's about to come out of his mouth isn't going to be self-deprecation born out of a conversation with his mother. ( she can face her, recognises seylah's faults and tries to encourage her to be there for the person who needs her. especially because she's still haunted by the fifteen year old version of herself, begging her father to love her. )

" landon ... " it's sympathetic, but not interrupting. she's going to let him talk, let him air all of this out. especially if this is the last time he gets this safety with her. ( it's her responsibility, after everything they've built, to give him that. ) about his father, - a revelation she will quietly wait for - about them, about everything. and then, all of her plans fall dead before her. malivore. ( she's going to break all her rules. ) it's instinctive, shifting to hold both of his hands in hers. " hey. " she doesn't know if he's going down the same path she often does, doesn't know if he's questioning who he is and who he can be. doesn't know if he's talking himself out of the person he is to protect everyone else. but if his smile is any indication, there's a part of her in him.." listen to me. you are not your father. " she doesn't know if telling him will make any difference. but she tries. ( unlike before, all her face shows now is unflinching sincerity. fight. ) " and yeah, monsters are probably going to keep coming. " god knows why, but they'll keep going. " and we are probably going to have to deal with your mom, a and malivore. " protecting him from that reality does no good anymore.

" but last time i checked, " her hand shifts from in his to on his cheek, too gentle for her original intentions, " you're the person who told me our parents sins don't define us. " evil is relative.

landon kirbyLast Tuesday at 11:03 AM

he looks up when her hands cover his own, no longer trying to pointedly ignore her gaze. in ways, he's been stalling this conversation because he knew she was the voice of reason, would remove the filter of bias that clouds his vision when it comes to introspection. it's easy for him to say that she's nothing like her father, like the great evil they write about in history books, but somehow it's not as easy to stomach when the mirror's turned around on him. ( he's a hypocrite. he acknowledges it, doesn't know how to not. ) " i can't believe my own words are being used against me. " he cracks a smile, a real one this time. he squeezes her hands, sucks in a breath. " logically, i know you're right. we don't get to choose our parents, or our circumstances. " he certainly wouldn't have chosen the cards he was dealt. " ... but every time a monster shows up, or someone gets hurt, " his vision darkens. " it's on me. " his fault, his responsibility. so far they've been lucky, no one's gotten seriously hurt, but what happens when they do ? he thinks it's selfish, staying here when his presence puts people in danger, but he doesn't know where he'd go either. he has people here, people he loves -- people who love him. is it more selfish to stay, or to leave ? ( he's thought about this a lot lately, gone back and forth so many times it's like whiplash. ) " dr. saltzman kicked me out before -- maybe he was right. ". he pulls his hands back, rubs at the back of his neck the way he always does when he's anxious; when he's about to do, or say, something that might be stupid. except he's already done that, said the very ghosts of thoughts that have been haunting him the last month. or at least, the kohl's notes version. some truths, some revelations, should never see the light of day.

" i'm sorry, i didn't mean to unload all of that onto you. " a weak smile's flashed, his back straightening as he clears his throat. " guilty conscience, i guess. " a lopsided shrug of one shoulder, fixing his gaze back onto her again. " -- you wanted to talk to me about something ? i'm assuming it's not monster related. " it would be easy to assume that it was, that the truth monster would feed off the unspoken truths between them, but there's a nagging prickling at the edge of his rationale that says there has to be more.

hope mikaelsonLast Tuesday at 11:23 AM

" hmm, get used to it. " it's good advice, wise advice. they are nothing like their parents, not even if the most haunted things stay with them in the middle of the night. ( she shouldn't, however, be telling him to get used to anything. ) her smile is real, mirroring his, squeezes his hands back. ( she loves him, she really, truly does. she simply doesn't love him alone. ) she shakes off his admittance of blame, his accountability, as null and void. " no, it's not. " she's a hypocrite too. " dr. saltzman sent you away to protect you. not to protect us. "

she doesn't know if he's noticed, but they're a school full of supernatural witches, werewolves, vampires and all things in between. " and we might be in the middle of an apocalypse, " monsters engulfing them with the barrier down, mystic falls probably grateful for the reprieve, " but that doesn't mean you have to sacrifice yourself to stop it. " she'd do the same, if it were her. that's the whole problem. she understands where he's coming from, understands this yearning to protect the people he loves. she needs to work on it. ( maybe he does too. ) " we'll figure it out. all of us. " because that's what they always do. he diverts the subject, pulls his hands back, and she feels the anxiety that's become familiar start to cling to her. " don't be. " she shakes her head again, offers him a smile in reassurance. " i'm not. " she's not sorry he walked into her life, she's not he's malivore's son either. ( the only part she's really, truly, sorry about is what she has to say now. ) " i know the feeling. " a breath, swallowing around the truth as he had. now it's her turn to spill everything.." and that's actually what i wanted to talk to you about. " it's moments like this she's reminded why she doesn't like herself with words. they never come out right, she can never quite conjure them into the speeches he's capable of. seeming effortless and romantic and wonderful. that's just not who she is. " when the croatoan attacked today, lizzie was here. " her heart is pounding. rip the bandaid off, quick and easy. face the rejection, rebuild her life. ( listen to lizzie's advice. not everyone leaves. ) " and uh, she was in danger. and i got so scared, and it wasn't leaving. and i had to tell her everything. " rip it off. quick and easy. " i'm in love with her, landon. " it still doesn't taste right. does no one any good. " and that doesn't mean i don't love you. " she doesn't think she's ever talked this much in the quiet. " and it's not about you, or about her. it's not like i was trying. i just, " she doesn't know what she's searching for, " it just happened. " she's rambling. and not in a good way. " and i am so sorry. "

landon kirbyLast Tuesday at 11:53 AM

he wants to believe her. he wants to believe that he should stay, that he belongs here -- that he's part of the team. maybe not an integral member, he's more hindrance than help, but he knows now what he's capable of. ( his alternative self might have been a dick, but he's proof that he can be something more. something better. ) there's a light at the end of the tunnel, some glimmer of hope; of maybe one day, no longer facing malivore as an imminent threat. he wants to believe that, so for today - he does. ( it might not last. he might waiver, change his mind, but for now he ignores the voices in his head telling him to run and decides to stay. ) " all of us. " he repeats it with a nod, like it's a mantra that'll lead to their salvation. " together.". of all the truths he was expecting, all the possible scenarios he could have imagined, this wasn't one of them. he's stunned into silence; which, in a way, might be worse than being angry. he wants to be angry, he does, but it's hard to be angry with someone you love. " you love lizzie. " he repeats it, acknowledges the way he leaves out one of the key words. in. she's in love with lizzie. he doesn't like the way that tastes in his mouth, bitter and unfriendly. " you -- " he breaks off again, confusion clouding his processing as he opens and closes his mouth a few times. she loves lizzie, but she also loves him. there's a part of him that wonders, in a moment of darkness, if he's being punk'd. maybe will thought it would be funny, to catch the look on his face. except, no, none of them are that cruel. he has to believe that they aren't because if the people he loves are that cruel ... maybe he's never really known them. he swallows hard, fingers picking at the skin around his thumbnail as he works it over in his head. ( he can't look at her. he doesn't trust himself. not yet. ). there's a part of him that feels responsible. no, culpable. maybe he was't there for her, wasn't enough, and that meant she needed more. it's not like he knew what he was doing, or even how to take care of himself let alone anyone else. ( he's projecting; if he blames himself, maybe he won't have to blame her. or no one. who do you blame in a situation where everyone loses ? ) " how long. " it's murmured at first, not quite a question. finally he looks up, clears his throat and asks again. " how long have you been in love with her ? "

January 22, 2020

hope mikaelsonLast Wednesday at 9:42 AM

there's something off about hearing her truth out of his lips. yes, she does love lizzie. yes, she is in love with lizzie. but, no, it's not the same as loving him. she loves him in a way that makes her believe she could forever. with lizzie, it simply feels ... inevitable. like their whole lives, through chambers of miscommunication and resentment and lies, they've been supposed to get here. simple course correction from her faults, and lizzie's faults, and the world that kept them apart. loving lizzie is so different to loving landon. ( she wishes she could tell him that. could work through the differences and encourage them. tell him that as long as she has both of them, however she has both of them, she'll be okay. but, at this point, she isn't sure that's going to make any difference. ) " i do. " she loves them both. she can't choose, as though a choice particularly mattered. if she chose lizzie, she'd be choosing to wait. to put all of her loneliness on a person who's already found the antidote to hers. if she chose landon, she'd be choosing to lie to him. and they didn't lie to each other. ( not after everything. ) she doesn't know what else to offer, the truth on it's bare bones before them. any placation she offers, any differentiation she makes, she thinks will only help in the aftermath. as they speak, she thinks, they're still wading through the rubble. ( hence the door that's still lying, in pieces, on the ground. ).he asks her how long and she has to consider it for a moment. she's distracted by the movement of his gaze, hope flaring in her chest, wondering if this is a good thing. wondering how long it has been. she supposes lizzie's always stood out to her. as a person trying to get close to her first, and then an enemy who'd finally given up on her. and now as her best friend. she supposes that she's wanted to love lizzie for a long time. that love simply transcended boundaries, and definitions, now. ( it's just course correction, she thinks. but she doesn't think explaining her long and winding history with lizzie is going to do either of them any good. ) when she first became conscious that the way she looked at lizzie was different, though, she can pin point that. " after i slept with her. " after he slept with will, after they did a harmless, teenage thing. at least, it was supposed to be.(edited)

landon kirbyLast Wednesday at 10:16 AM

the answer he gets is both the one he wants, and the one he doesn't. if she'd known before, if they'd gone into that night on uneven footing, he thinks it would be worse. can he really be mad about this ? about something he happily went along with ? he's not sure. he's equal parts confused and upset, but the anger hasn't really registered. it would be easier if it had. if he was angry, if he could cling to it like a shield, maybe it could protect him from the inevitable crash. ( his walls came down around her and he isn't sure how to throw them back up. the dust crunches under his feet, reminds him why he fought. ) " okay. ". is it ? okay ? he's not sure. maybe it's because there's so much uncertainty in this confession; he's not sure what he's wading through, where any of the other moving parts fit into this equation. is lizzie in love with her ? if she is, where does this leave will ? leave him ? there's uncertainty in the unknown and that's what he hates about all of this. the unknown, of not knowing where he stands -- what this means. " does she -- " he pauses, rephrases. he's upset, but this is still someone he loves. hurting someone else because you're hurting just makes everyone lose. ( today, he chooses to keep fighting. he won't throw in the towel just because it's hard. not unless the fight's truly, and welly, over ) " is this -- are you breaking up with me ? " that's the question he needs to know, isn't it ? if this is a storm they're weathering, or if she's bailing out as the water comes rushing in. " are you and lizzie -- " he breaks off, can't really find the right words, but he thinks she'll know where he was going. she is, after all, someone who's always managed to see right through him. he assumes that hasn't changed. ( or has it ? he doesn't know. ). it dawns on him, in the pesky way that only regrets can, that while he was having fun -- she was falling in love. it's ironic, makes him want to laugh even though it's not funny. he does love will, felt some type of something from the very minute they met, but it was never like this. maybe in another life, in a world where there was no hope, no lizzie, but that wasn't the world they lived in. except for hope, it is. he can't hold it against her, knows the heart sometimes wants what it wants regardless of your best intentions, but can he live with it ? live with knowing there's someone else in the equation ? always wondering when the other shoe will drop and he'll end up alone ? that's what he's unsure of. that's what plunges his veins with ice water, sees him resisting every urge to run so he's not just another C O W A R D afraid to face the truth. ( he's been running for so long. maybe it's time he finally stopped. )

hope mikaelsonLast Wednesday at 11:40 AM

it's not okay, she knows that. intellectually and rationally she can recognise, if the roles were reversed, she'd be running for the hills. ( she wouldn't even know where to begin. ) she knows he could too, that he has before, but she chooses to take the fact they're both sitting in carefully elected silence as a good sign. he pauses, rephrases, recalculates, and it's odd to watch. she doesn't suppose she's ever really seen him fail with words. ( if this is stripping even their most basic inclinations, it's a cue of what they have to face. ) for once, she has to take his place. put everything behind honest sentiments and hope for the best.

in an odd way, asking if she's breaking up with him is a relief. " no. " she shakes her head, longs to reach out and grip his hands ( physical intimacy, actions are louder than words ) and simply lays her hands between them on the bed. an invitation for a more appropriate time. ( she's always worked in inches. push and pull. ) " the last thing i want to do is break up with you. " or be broken up with. the following question is undeniably painful but it's the kind of pain she could learn to live with. lizzie didn't reject her, or leave her. she isn't planning to. she isn't loved romantically, but she is loved. and, despite what her initial heartbreak would cue, that's enough. " we aren't. " she assures, and is surprised by how steady her voice sounds.." she loves will. and i'm okay with that. " she isn't, in some epistemic sense of what they could have had, but she is now. in their world. she'll have to be. ( right now, the wound is too fresh and she feels too of the situation to hope for anything else. ) " she's my best friend. " there's an unspoken statement within the title. she's going to be around. lizzie may not love her, may never love her, but she's going to be here. always.

landon kirbyLast Wednesday at 12:09 PM

when her hands move, there's a panicked part of him that thinks it's too soon. she'll reach, he'll flinch, and a chasm will open up between them. he doesn't want that, and he could practically cry when she lets them rest between them. god, this is why he loves her. why even right now, even in this period of confusion and uncertainty, she still knows what he needs; or what he doesn't. there's a ghost of a smile on his face, hands coming up to cover his face for a moment as he takes in a breath. this calm ... it's exhausting, if he's honest. he knows it's a choice, that he could easily work himself up -- yell, scream, hate, but who does that help ? what does it serve ? he's been on the receiving end of that kind of ' love ' in the past and he knows that's not healthy. it's not okay. ( this isn't okay, but he thinks they will be. ). he nods his head once his hands fall away, they drop into his lap as he organizes his thoughts. " i don't want to say this is okay because it isn't. " he has to be honest, even if it's hard. " but we always said we wouldn't lie to each other. so as awful as this feels right now -- i'm glad you told me. you didn't have to. " she could have sat on it, could have let it fester until it exploded at an inopportune time. that, he thinks, would have been worse. maybe irreparably so. " i guess i'm just confused. i don't know what this means for us. " he sucks in a breath, realizing that at some point he's stopped looking at her. he needs to see her now, meets her gaze and searches. he doesn't see any half truths, or things left unsaid. nothing that screams ' trouble ' and makes him want to run for the hills. ( though, he does acknowledge, it might have been easier if he did. the right thing and the easy thing are hardly ever one and the same. ). " i don't want to break up. " he wasn't entirely sure of that, not until he says it out loud. " but, " this is important, something he needs to say. " i don't want to wonder if things would be different if lizzie wasn't with will. " he doesn't want to be anyone's consolation prize. they both deserve better than that. " or wonder why i wasn't enough. " he thinks it has to be the intensity of this conversation, of the variety of topics covered, that gives him the courage to say; to not cower, to say what's on his mind and to not let it remain unsaid for god knows how long. " so if you need time to figure that out -- to be sure, i can wait. " he's not running. he's not going anywhere. " i just need to know we're ... on the same page. " or at least in the same book. he's not picky. he can acknowledge that there's a lot to unpack here, more than can be processed in a single conversation, but he's trying. he's trying because he loves her, that hasn't changed. ( he'd said he'd fight. so he is. )(edited)

hope mikaelsonLast Wednesday at 1:28 PM

staying, as with everything, comes in different forms. she's had people fight for her, barter for her, die for her. she's simply never had anyone ... stay for her. it's always seemed so literal to her. her father god knows where for most of her life, her family spread across the globe. sent away to a boarding school she didn't know how to adjust to with people she'd never met. ( she'd come to call them family, but she couldn't have known that then. in fact, she doesn't think she really knew that until recently. ) she knows that's why the word feels as rooted as the act. if crisis was quiet, deafening silence, then staying was loud. and vibrant. in her mind, at least. sitting here, ultimately in careful silence with the boy she loves, when he has every reason to leave ( even if there isn't a door to slam ), makes her realise she's been wrong. she always knew that emma, and dr. saltzman, and her parents, were right about her. she was damaged, and scared, and she internalised it and forced it into something powerful. anger was a weapon from a woman who could destroy villages on a whim. ( her aunts words chimed in her mind often ; people like you and me, we can't get angry. ) she thinks all that anger she's been holding onto - the anger that exploded onto lizzie before she imploded - turns her into a person she isn't certain she wants to be. she still needs to make peace with her parents ( and her culpability in their deaths ) and her family. but landon, even if he ran, even if he stole a knife, even if she sent him away and he went ... he's never left her. it's taken recognising not all victories are celebrations to recognise that. ( god, she loves him. )." i wanted to tell you. " that much is true. because they don't lie to each other. she might value that now more than ever. she can't blame him for anything he says next. confusion is better than anger, and it's a hell of a lot better than fear. she hopes like hell it stays that way. he continues, she waits. he doesn't want to break up, she doesn't allow herself to relax yet. she waits, and she listens, until she recognises she needs to take time to think of this. she doesn't want to be away from him, wait to be sure, about a reality that doesn't exist. ( her dilemma earlier ; choosing between them. she stands by her conclusion. it doesn't matter. she can have them both. )

she should do the unselfish thing. let them settle, let them recognise who they are to each other. if he can wait, so can she. ( but god, she doesn't want to. ) she takes a few moments, thinks about her answer, because she can't underestimate how important it is. " i don't want lizzie at the expense of you. " it sounds contemplative, like she's reached the only conclusion that makes any sense, as she meets his eyes. " and i understand if you need to take some time too. " she does. they're both staying. ( she hopes. ) " but i didn't fall for her because you aren't enough. " quite the opposite actually. he may have happened to teach her love didn't always end in tragedy. she wants to shift closer, but she doesn't. she simply keeps her hands as they are.(edited)

January 24, 2020

landon kirbyLast Friday at 4:38 PM

he’s never known a love like this. never looked at someone and knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they were meant to be in his life. he’d thought maybe it was fate, the universe throwing them into each other’s trajectories because they were soulmates -- but maybe there’s more to it than that. maybe it’s not fate, not some cosmic intervention that they have no control over. maybe love is a choice; choosing not to run. choosing to stay. choosing to fight. ( i’ll always be the guy who fights, he’d said once. it’s a promise he isn’t looking to break. ) so he listens, really listens, and nods his head to ensure she knows; he’s not jumping in impulsively, disregarding the gravity of their situation. he knows that this should be a death sentence, a final nail in the coffin of their relationship -- so why isn’t it ? why isn’t he running ? why does he stay ? it’s easy. it’s not even a question, not something he needs to think about or dwell on. there were no nails. no red flags. one nail won’t keep the lid closed, won’t end the story before it even gets a chance to blossom.. he’s holding on because he has no reason not to. she’s never given him any reason to doubt her before, so why would he start now ? ( honesty, he’s learned, isn’t a trap; it’s salvation. ) so he doesn’t hesitate as he shakes his head, his hands finally seeking hers out. he laces their fingers together, squeezes twice. he knows with absolute certainty that this is what he wants; was there really ever any doubt ? maybe the easier option would be to leave, to throw distance between them and try to protect his heart. but does breaking your own heart to stave off future heartbreak ever really work ? whether by your hand, or not, the heartbreak stings all the same. ( why be miserable when you could choose to not be ? it’s a gamble but the best things in life often are.. ). “ i think i should move back into my old room. at least for awhile. ” it’s never been official, his presence here. he has his own room, cobwebs gathering on the bed posts as he spends his nights in hers. he isn’t ready to let go, but he rationalizes that a little space might not hurt them. could even be good. healthy. “ slow things down, a little. while we figure all of this out. i can’t say it’ll be easy, or that i won’t be jealous sometimes, ” better to be honest, ensure they’re on equal footing. “ --- but i love you. ” that’s important, needs to be said. “ that hasn’t changed. ” he offers up a smile, swallowing hard past the lump in his throat. “ ... and it’ll be okay. ” he believes it, means it whole heartedly when he says it. “ we��ll be okay. ” he can follow her lead, proceed in these uncharted waters together. in truth, he needs her -- need to be with her, knows she’s a calming influence when he feels like he’s one misstep from tumbling over the rails. he likes to think they balance each other --- drown out the demons, guide towards the light. ( yeah, it’s a choice. not one he’ll regret. )(edited)

January 25, 2020

hope mikaelsonYesterday at 3:45 PM

at the end of the day, she's optimistic. she knows that's far from her natural state, that she's been a pessimist pretending to be a realist for a long time now. ( really, she thought being left was an inevitable reality. perhaps thats where her ' realism ' came from. ) and she knows that she could never call this a good thing. it hurts two of the people she loves the most, carves a hole in her own chest to set her insecurities alive. it's not a good thing by any means, but it doesn't feel quite so ... crippling either. she feels safe. despite the fact there is a croatoan still running around, likely ruining lives and collecting secrets, as they speak. despite the fact she still has to fix her damn door. she looks at landon, notices how he laces their fingers together like he misses her just as much as he misses him, and realises that okay her life is pretty far from ruined. it's hit a speed bump, an unexpected complication, but it didn't crash. ( hopefully, it isn't going to when they turn around the next bend either. ) she still has a best friend, she still has a boyfriend. and, more importantly, she still has lizzie as her best friend and landon as her boyfriend. ( selfishly, she's kind of glad she's able to love them both. it's not a good thing but, one day when the dust of immediate revelations has settled, she thinks she'll be grateful for the ability to love two wonderful people at the same time. she's lucky that way. ).her smile isn't swayed by landon's suggestions, because none of them seem like leaving. because, even if they did, she knows he isn't. she squeezes his hands in return, twice, as she watches him. ( just for a moment, as they talk about the future as a certainty, she lets herself remember how in love she is. ) and sure, she isn't super excited about the prospect of sleeping alone more often, even less at the jealously she knows she can't deny, but she thinks that's a normal reaction. they're going to adjust, not change. that's what's important. " i think that's a good idea. " she could make a joke, ask about which nights she's allowed to stay over, ask about who lando's staying with, but she thinks it has to come up organically. when landon's ready to resume being the way they were, when they both are, they'll know. ( she's really looking forward to that. ) " i love you too. " she would usually kiss him at moments like this. when she doesn't trust herself. she's just going to have to get better with words. " and i know i can't ask you not to be jealous, but i can remind you of that. " that hasn't changed for him, he promises. " that hasn't changed for me either. " she doubts it ever will..we'll be okay, he tells her, and she truly believes him. not because she has blind faith in landon kirby, not because she loves him. but simply because she's thought actions speak louder than words ( hence her persistent preference for physical affection ) and he's sitting here with her. still sitting here with her. not angry, not rash, not throwing out everything they've built. talking to her. landon is staying, despite everything she's told him. that's why she believes him. ( and, more certainly, she thinks that's why she trusts him too. )

#( interactions )#( hope )#tw: ugly formatting

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all-things-tmnt · 7 years

Text

Thoughts on “Requiem” and “Owari”:

It all has led up to this...not just this season, but this entire series so far has been inching us closer and closer to this ultimate battle. Super Shredder is stable, and taking no prisoners; not even Karai. With all reserves long forgotten, Shredder sets out to claim his ultimate revenge that he’s been after for so long, but now the turtles are out for revenge as well. This is it; the final battle, and there will be pain, struggle and loss. What’s going to happen? Let’s break down this season four finale. I don’t know if you want spoilers are not, but they can be found under the cut, so if you don’t want them, don’t keep reading. If you think you’re emotionally ready for "Requiem,” I promise you that you aren’t. If you still want to watch it, click here. If you think you’re stable enough after “Requiem” to handle “Owari,” it’s here.

A requiem is a term used – mostly in the context by Catholics – to describe a mass celebrated to honor the dead. Hint, hint. Owari– Japanese for “close” or “end.”

Interesting things in “Requiem”: - Shredder gets stabilized just in time for the finale. Greeeeeaaaaaaatttttttttt timing. - Aren’t Footbots supposed to be adaptive? Shouldn’t they be better at fighting Shredder? I mean I get he’s more powerful now but these Footbots aren’t performing like that normally would. - I wouldn’t say there was ‘no emotional reaction’ there. He did pause briefly to identify her...but I will say it’s unsettling to see him be able to kill her and not care now. That spelled trouble. The one advantages the good guys had is gone. - The writers themselves are even openly acknowledging here that they parallel their parody shows on the finale. I’m dead. - The stairs joke had me rolling. - That awkward moment when Chris Bradford sticks his butt in your face. - That even more awkward moment when after he sticks his butt in his face, the child still willingly accepts the piggyback ride. - Okay...the fall thing was a little too in your face. (Mainly because this episode got spoiled for me and I already know what happens at the end but I mean even if I hadn’t, I would have figured it out from that alone.) - This entire Leo-Splinter scene in the dojo hurts me and I’m not ready to talk about it here so we’ll just save it for the break downs. - Super huge appreciation bullet for the fact that Karai and Shini went to hide with the Mutanimals because they knew their old lair wasn’t safe anymore. Karai has gotten so much wiser and Shini is just awesome so... - That predictable moment when 10 seconds after you point out the place you’re staying is safe from your biggest enemy, the alarm indicating that your biggest enemy is there goes off. - “Is anyone actually watching the monitors?” - Shini / me. Also, Shini’s sassy pose is my life. - @ me *is upset we missed like half of what apparently has been the greatest battle ever.* - Shredder: “I AM HERE TO KILL ALL OF YOU.” *Leaves without killing anyone.* - Why does Raph say, “hurry, Leo!”? Why not “Hurry guys!” or even “hurry, Sensei!”? Why is it specifically Leo? Hahaaa. - Splinter literally pulls Karai out by her arm. So you know how painful that would be assuming that even worked? Don’t ever tell me her arm was not disconnected by this action. - The fact that Leo knows CPR appreciation bullet. (I want back story on how he got trained in that.) - The fact that Leo was the only one who reacted in that way dis-appreciation bullet. (I think it should have been Donnie, personally.) - LEO’S FACE WHEN HE SAVES KARAI IS MY FAVORITE MOMENT OF THIS EPISODE HANDS DOWN. - Splinter having that vision telling him which enemies went which way only further fuels my theory that HE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN but also kinda kills it because if he knew then why would he send half the team after the wrong pair and I just don’t know what’s going on anymore. - Not saying Splinter’s advice wasn’t good or anything but what on earth does “leading from your heard” have to do with this situation, exactly? If anything, Leo is using his heart to voice his concerns about this plan not being good at all. - Four seasons in and Leonardo is still the worst driver I have ever seen. (Seriously, he’s lucky there were no people on that sidewalk.) - Revisiting old areas for fight scenes makes me happy. - #ThrowbackThursday #ThrowingItBackToTheLastThursdays - The rocket-shooting horses are a bit much... - I super appreciate going back to the Wolf Hotel for this battle, because I recognized it as the first place the turtles fought Shredder before Raph even said it, so I’m already both aead of the curve AND pumped. - 2012 forever throwing that full moon in my face...but seriously, nice entrance. - Um, Splinter’s back should definitely be broken– no, he’s fine? Okay. Moving on. - Casey going to catch Raph warmed my heart...even though he fell off the building as a result. He was okay in the end...but seriously, Casey moving to save Raph like that. Best friend points. - You’re gonna try to convince me that Splinter can take the beating he took and keep fighting, but April gets on little but and she’s useless? April is (arguably) more or less the most powerful being on that rooftop because of her powers and she only uses them when it’s convenient. (She could literally levitate Shredder off of that building and drop him if she wanted to.) - It was so nice of Shredder to pause and wait for Splinter to get over there in front of April and Raph before he started shooting. He’s such a polite villain. - I’m just sitting here wishing we could watch Donnie’s fight more because he’s all over that carousel showing off how adaptive he can be in a fight and we have to sit here and watch the Leo-Season-Four-Trope where he gets hurt/almost dies only to be saved by someone else at the last minute. - Pretty sure Leatherhead just casually murdered Rahzar and we just kinda breeze through that so I mean...okay... - YOU WANT ME TO SIT HERE WATCHING THIS AND BELIEVE THAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS BATTLE WITH SUPER SHREDDER, APRIL HAD TIME TO FACETIME DONATELLO AND ASK FOR HELP. I CAN TOTALLY BUY THAT SHE WOULD CALL, BUT SHE LITERALLY JUST SKYPED HIM FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE BATTLE. - That awkward moment when Splinter pauses and it’s the typical moment of, “the good guy has the chance to end this now but stops for whatever reason, thus allowing the big dramatic thingy that’s about to happen to happen.” - I think we all hate Shredder just a little more for calling Splinter, “brother” just now. - Leo’s scream is so confusing. I mean it’s implied that he saw Splinter die, but Splinter was stabbed after Leo screamed? I don’t get the placement of that scream. - Also, Seth Green’s scream is 11/10, would recommend, one of his best moments in this show if not his absolute best. - Seth Green’s moment when he says “father...father.” is 151827367289128372891827284/10 definitely recommend, I want that on my tombstone when I die and I want the quote to be credited to Seth Green. Like, guys, I’ve heard that line too many times at this point and it still gives me chills. - Also, look at Leo’s eyes. Look at how huge they are. I’ve sucked at pointing this out for a majority of the episode, but the eye animation has been so incredible. - They really love giving April the super saiyan hair these days. - SUPER APPRECIATION BULLET FOR CASEY AND THE 1990 REFERENCE. THEY EVEN DID THE “OOPS” LINE. - Leo’s hand on Splinter’s torso is literally shaking while he’s holding Splinter’s body. Like, the animation in this episode and the attention to detail...I can’t. It’s so good. - Seth Green’s line of, “no, please...” is 94875483920938478290938476718928374382938478912837891028374829128374678912387483923847678292394723985649024889342089429172095739874829462398794060/10, definitely would recommend and at this point, I’ll probably have “I survived Seth Green’s performance in Requiem” tattooed on my body at some point in my life being 100% serious. Guys, Seth has KILLED IT in this episode. I can’t even believe how great he’s doing. - On a far less serious note, I know this is a children’s show and we can’t really see blood or anything totally graphic, but Splinter looks surprisingly well put together for someone who was just stabbed through the chest and thrown off a building to crash onto the ground and fall to his extremely untimely death. - I lost it when Mikey said “poppa...” I lost it. - I lost it again when they all carried his body away. - I refuse to feel anything over Shredder still being alive because I knew that was the case but still slightly annoyed. - This is probably not something I should point out considering the trauma we all just went through, but...Where is Slash? They literally left Slash on that rooftop. Interesting things in “Owari”: - I’m actually so glad they buried Splinter out at the farm house and that they had all of their friends and allies there to wish him goodbye, because Splinter really did touch so many lives. - PIGEON PETE IS THERE. OH MY GOD THERE HE IS!!! - KIRBY O’NEIL IS ALSO THERE. LOOK AT THIS GATHERING OF ALL OF 2012′S LEAST RESPECTED SIDE CHARACTERS! - Seeing April in her old outfit threw me for a second. Hahaaa. - They totally got me with that shot of all the turtles by his grave. I really thought Leo was going to be alone there. So when he faded and his brothers were still there, I was surprised. Good for you, 2012. You still have some surprises for me. - Drugs are bad, Leonardo. No but seriously, if vision Splinter becomes a regular thing, I would be okay with that, because one; it showcases and highlights just how much Leo depends on his father and how lost he is without him (especially with that “I can’t go one without you, father...” line) and two; it keeps Hoon Lee in the series. - Even in the hospital, Karai’s makeup is still fierce enough to kill a man. Slayyyyy. - Seeing these five interact like siblings is the happiest thing I’ve seen in this series in ages and I feel like I’m alive again. - Casey’s new mask appreciation bullet. - Black outfits appreciation bullet. - Okay, so...I gotta say the goofy dialogue bugs me a little bit. This is supposed to be a serious moment where they’re gearing up to end their greatest villain, and avenge literally every wrong thing he’s done against them...and we get dialogue about toes. Like, I know we have to throw in some light stuff for the children watching...but that’s the best they could do? It feels like they’re not taking this moment seriously; both the turtles and the writers. - I guess Leo finally canonically said Booyakasha. - Love the concept of having to battle our way through the woods. - The arrows gave me flashbacks to season two’s finale. Feels. - The lighting in this whole forest fight sequence is 10/10, would recommend. - April’s powers confuse me more and more with every fight. - I’m pretty sure Raph just murdered Fishface. - Yes, because Super Shredder would be lying in bed chillin’ like a villain. - NO 2012. DO NOT TRY TO CONVINCE ME BAXTER STOCKMAN WAS HAPPY AS A FLY. We have seen him complain numerous times about his mutated for and make multiple attempts to become a human again. I do not buy that whole monologue and refuse to believe that Stockman wanted to remain a fly. - I cracked up when Donnie called him “Michael.” You guys, I seriously cracked up and I don’t even know why. - 2k3 references all over the place in this funfest of an episode. - We’re wasting a lot of episode time taking out enemies that are not the Super Shredder... - Casey should have been dead. Casey should have definitely been dead by the time they finally shut down those traps. Although I will say I laughed at the emojis. - SINCE WHEN CAN APRIL EVER DO THAT? SINCE WHEN CAN SHE MAKE A FORCEFIELD? WHAT EVEN ARE HER POWERS ANYMORE? - Incase you guys had forgotten that Leo was now suffering from extreme amounts of pressure to be leader now, Tiger Claw was given a line to remind you of all of that. - I’m sorry but Leo’s lines in his fight with Tiger Claw are so lame and I’m dead. - TIGER CLAW KEEPS PET TIGERS AND I’M EVEN MORE DEAD. - SINCE WHEN CAN APRIL JUST FLOAT ALL OF HER FRIENDS? I AM SO DONE AT THIS POINT. LOL. - Oh, there’s Shredder. Nice. We have...five minutes to defeat him, if we want some sort of closure scene after this. If we don’t want that, we have seven minutes. Aaaaaaaaand, go. - Aaaaaaaaand Casey and April don’t even get to do anything. Nice. - It’s canon that Raphael’s best insult in the moment they all starred Shredder down was “freak nut.” - It’s canon that Michelangelo’s best insult in the moment they all starred Shredder down was “cheese grater.” - Serious appreciation bullet to the camera angels and choreography of this fight. It was so cool to watch all the turtles fighting in sync for a few moments and landing hits. - Also absolutely LOVED watching them attempt to retromutate Shredder. Like seriously, A+ choreography for this entire fight sequence. - At least April gets to be somewhat useful in this fight... - GO MIKEY GO MIKEY GO! - Super appreciating this Mirage-ending setup. I knew Ciro wanted to go this route to close this arc but seeing it actually happen with the 2012 spin on it is really cool. - Watching Leo question Shredder while they were fighting one on one was really interesting, and even more so when Shredder paused and actually questioned what he was doing for a single second. But Leo didn’t even give him a chance to finish the thought, which absolutely raises so many questions. Where could that moment have gone had Leo not immediately stopped Shredder from contemplating his destiny? Like honestly, the curiosity is consuming me right now. - I’m really glad Super Shredder paused long enough for Leo to have that vision of Splinter. - THANK YOU 2012. OMG. THANK YOU FOR RECREATING THE CLASSIC MIRAGE ENDING. I WILL FOREVER WISH THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN SPLINTER TO END IT ALL, BUT I’M ALSO MORE THAN PERFECTLY CONTENT IT WAS LEO. LIKE, GUYS, THAT’S THE CLASSIC ARC AND SEEING IT REINCARNATED IN WHAT HAS BEEN A GREAT SERIES SO FAR REALLY JUST DROVE IT HOME. I’M SO PUMPED RIGHT NOW. ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE WAS ALWAYS THE POSSIBILITY THAT NICK WASN’T GOING TO LET CIRO AND BRANDON DO THIS ENDING. LIKE SERIOUSLY, THE FIRST TIME HE PITCHED IT TO THEM, IT GOT SHUT DOWN SO HARDCORE. BUT THAT WAS SO LONG AGO AND I’M JUST SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW. GUYS. GUYS. SEND AN AMBULANCE. - Well...that ended fairly quickly. I mean we don’t even get to see them celebrate or hug or anything. - Yeah Leo delivered the final blow but it was actually a team effort to get there and everything else so...can we throw some recognition to the others, too? No? Okay... - This ending scene feels really final. We still have season five and possibly other seasons beyond this, but as far as the main story goes, this does feel like an ending and I’m pretty grateful for that. - Here’s to you, season four. You ended on a high note. If you’re still alive (no pun intended there) after all of that, let’s try to keep hanging on for these break downs. I’ve already said this in the bullet points, but I’ll say it again; this finale was spoiled for me about a week ago on my dashboard because someone didn’t tag their spoilers...but I digress. The point of this breakdown is to talk about that little moment with Leo and Splinter in the dojo. I think it makes a lot of sense that Leo would be the one to confront Splinter about his “being distant.” See, the thing is, Splinter and Leo are so close, and to see how much the thought of eventually losing Splinter scares Leo in this opening scene is a reminder of that. It’s a pretty subdued moment from an emotional standpoint, as in there’s no snapping or lashing or anything. Just Leo trying to keep his composure as his father reminds him that one day, he’ll be on his own, and it was just a really sweet moment...but it begs the question, did Splinter know what was going to happen? I think he did. He seems very calm while telling Leo he’s going to be gone one day, and very adamant in reassuring Leo that when that day comes, Leo can handle it. The fact that Splinter had been meditating and “distant” prior to this scene strongly hints that maybe...just maybe, Splinter knew something like this was going to happen. And that makes everything totally heartbreaking. Also, side note: I super appreciate Splinter telling Leo that saying he was chosen “because he asked” at the time to temper his ego was a phenomenal explanation and as a person who has spent the last four seasons bitter over the fact that it was because Leo spoke up that one night in the dojo, I feel like I’m at peace. Hahaaa. The voice acting in "Requiem” was the best it has ever been, but there is one actor who so greatly out shined everyone else. Do NOT ever try to argue with me and say that "Requiem” wasn’t Seth Green’s absolute best performance as Leonardo in an episode. Don’t ever try to, because I will fight you until the day I die that Seth Green has never impressed me more than he did on this one. From the way he screams to the way his voice breaks when he’s calling his father, I had chills throughout this entire episode when Seth delivered lines. Since his first episode, I’ve always felt like Seth was trying to fit into the role. And it was especially difficult for me to see him as Leo, who is my favorite, because of his acting roles in the past, like Chris Griffin in Family Guy, or the evil son from the Austin Powers movies. In the beginning, you could tell he was new and awkward, and it made me miss Jason Biggs as Leo more than ever. But he slowly grew into his role as the leader and blue and I’ve slowly adapted to his voice. Now, with this episode under his belt, I can honestly tell you guys I love Seth as Leo, and I couldn’t even imagine this episode with anyone but him voicing the blue turtle. I just can’t even...I’m still so awestruck at how great he did, and I couldn’t ever praise him enough for this episode. Give him an Oscar or an Emmy for part one. ...Which makes it weird to see how he kinda lacked a little in “Owari.” I don’t know what it was, but honestly, Seth fell short of the bar he set in that first one in the second half for me. Not saying he didn’t do okay...but after hearing his voice crack and break and just leak pure emotion in that first episode, I was honestly expecting the same level or greatness I’d seen in “Requiem” to be present in “Owari,” especially considering the big events that happen in that second part. Part of me believes it was mostly due to Seth not having as many like earth-shattering lines and screams like he did in part one. I mean, granted, we went from “no, please...” and “father...father” in “Requiem” to “you’ve used up your nine lives, pussy cat,” but still... Granted, he did have some good moments in “Owari,” too, like his conversation with Splinter and even his conversation with the Shredder, but for me, it was no where near “Requiem’s” level of awesome. So now that we’ve seen what Seth is capable of doing in this role, I hope we get more dramatic moments in season five, specifically so we can hear Seth’s talents come out again. It would be a crime not to. Alright, let’s talk about the big event of the first episode...Splinter’s death. This is tricky to explain, because there’s things I loved about this and things I don’t like about it, but overall, I think this death scene did more good things than bad. So let’s talk about the bad and end it with the good. And no, I’m not saying I’m glad Splinter’s dead or it’s great he’s gone. - The thing is...this is about the fourth time we’ve watched Splinter die. Yes, fourth, if you think about it. First, in the season two finale, Shredder threw him into the drain thing and for a few minutes, we had to assume he was dead, even though it was immediately explained that he had survived at the very end of that same episode. Then, we have the death at the end of season three in “Annihilation Earth,” when he died to be brought back to life via time travel one episode later and ultimately saved from that death 15 episodes later. Finally, the third one came in “The Super Shredder” and/or “Darkest Plight,” where after their battle with Shredder, Splinter pulled both he and himself into the chasm near the underground city, and the turtles had to go searching for him an episode later (you might not consider that a death but some of us do, especially when April has the line, “I can’t sense him”). Anyway, the point is, we’ve seen this happen, three times before this instance, and it kind of pushes me to believe this isn’t anything new, which feels a little short for me. I always expect new and exciting things from season finales, and this wasn’t new and exciting for me. And, because I’ve seen this happen, it doesn’t emotionally phase me as much as I want it to...which sucks, because this should have so much of a bigger impact than it did. - I think what’s most offensive to me about Splinter’s death is not that it’s been repeated so many times, but that of all the characters in this show, Splinter was the one who deserved to die the least. Not just because he was a good person and he did so many good things and he raised these four heroes and all of that...but honestly, the man never got any resolve. And I guess you can argue that that’s what makes this death so dramatic, but honestly, like I’ve already said a bunch times, we’ve seen this happen already. This is a man who’s lost everything so many times before, and was given fleeting moments of happiness to compensate for that. You know what we never got? A moment where Splinter and Miwa could be happy and honor Tang Shen together. A moment where this father and daughter, after being ripped apart for so many years and so many times by so many horrific circumstances, like kidnapping and death and mutations and etc., could truly just breathe and enjoy each other company for the sake of finally being done with all of the bad and work on building a future with their little family all reunited. Or many a moment when Splinter could have meditated and been at peace knowing that everything was truly past him and nothing like that would happen again. OR SPENT MORE TIME WITH HIS SONS (OTHER THAN LEO!) Because we’ve seen some good moments between Leo and Splinter in the series, but moments with the others were far and few. There was just so much Splinter needed in life that he never got, and so much that he deserved and we as viewers who watched him go through all of those terrible things in his life deserved to see. Splinter deserved true peace and happiness after all of this, but he’ll never get it. It makes me feel like the writers said, “Splinter dying would be a good big dramatic event to stick in this finale so let’s just got with it.” Honestly, I would have been happier if they’d like paralyzed him or made him lose a limb or something. As long as he was alive and got to exist knowing that everything was finally over and that he and his sons AND DAUGHTER could be happy together. Karai didn’t even get to say goodbye to the father she was just starting to know, and honestly, she is seriously just a victim in this show as well. But, because I’m not totally cynical, I can say that of all the times we’ve seen Splinter die, this was the best one in the worst possible ways. This was, without a doubt, the most violent death we saw Splinter experience, hands down. He was stabbed through the chest back in season three, but this time, he fell off a building. And he hit the ground. And his sons watched it (and definitely heard it, but that’s an entirely different thing, I’m sure; point it, it was beyond scarring.) And you know what they did right this time around? The writers made sure nothing else was going on when this happened. The Kraang weren’t invading, the world wasn’t ending, none of it. It was just stillness and silence as they Splinter is impaled and then thrown off the building to his death. You know what the best thing the writers did this time is? We get to see the emotion. We get to see the initial reactions. We get to witness the boys break down and hear them cry in agony as they come to terms with the fact that this time, there is no undoing this. We’ve never gotten to see the boys break like this before (aside from Raph freaking out in the season two finale), and it’s about time we got to see it happen. In fact, the emotions we see are so perfectly laid out and heartbreaking, that you can totally forgive the fact that this is not anything new. It’s almost like we can overlook Splinter’s previous deaths, because it’s finally the proper emotional response and it’s like we’re really seeing this for the first time. Watching these four boys break down at the loss of their father is the most beautiful thing this series has done so far, and the reactions are a part of what has solidified “Requiem” into my list of top favorite 2012 series episodes. These reactions are what I’ve been waiting for every time we’ve seen Master Splinter die, and I feel like all that waiting might have made it the more impactful. But seriously, props to the voice cast for their super deep cries of pain and the animation team for the mannerisms we see, like the shaking and the curling up and everything else. This death scene was hands down the best we’ve ever seen. Next thing I want to break down is each character’s reactions to Splinter’s death, because each one was hella interesting and if I don’t break them down, the stress will kill me. - We gotta start with Leo, because he absolutely had the most shown reactions, as in, this episode showcased him the most, and I know that upset some of you. I’ve had quite a few messages telling me that this episode was so painfully Leo-centric, that it almost wasn’t fair at all to the others that went through the exact same thing as he had been; the loss of their father. And to some extent, I agree with you and feel we should have seen a little bit more of the others...but I’m actually completely fine with the way this panned out and that we saw Leo so upfront. It’s not because I’m biased and because Leo is my favorite, but more so of how the way this episode has been structured and how the series overall has shown us how close they are. I’ve never seen Leo, or any of the turtles, refer to Splinter so much as their father in one single episode. It’s like Leo was reminding us the entire time that he’s more than just their teacher, but he is their dad, and hearing it so many times made watching them lose their father all the more unbearable when it happened. But looking at Leo specifically, can you imagine how scared he is? How that conversation he had with Splinter a few hours prior just had to be replaying in his head? How Leo realizes that he is truly and completely on his own now? Leo’s always had Splinter to guide him when he didn’t understand things, and he’s still so young. That safety net is gone, and Leo is all too aware of that. You can hear it in the way he begs for Splinter not to be dead. “No, please...” He’s saying, “please don’t leave us. Please don’t leave me; I can’t do this on my own. I’m not ready. I need you.” All of this mounting pressure and responsibility that has just fallen on Leo is why they showcased him the most here, and it’s evidence from expression and emotion that Leo has never been more lost in his life. And he can’t even speak, because he’s trying so hard to be strong, but even he can’t stop himself from crying. And the little moment he remembered, when Splinter gave him his katana...my heart hurts, because he was definitely remembering how Splinter had told him that he knew from an early age that Leo would be the leader some day. And look at him now. Dear God, my chest is ripped open and I am bleeding out. - Donnie is so broken that he can’t even speak, which in itself is something we don’t see regularly. See, Donnie is always the one who has a way of explaining things. Donnie always knows what’s going on and how to process the events around him, because he’s the smartest being in the group and probably in all of existence. Here, he’s utterly silent. Here, he can’t understand what’s happening or why. All he knows is that he’s hurting beyond measure and he can’t for the life of him figure out how to make it stop. He can’t fix this. There’s no equation he can solve or no one thing he can invent that can undo what has been done. Nothing he can do can bring his father back. His father, who didn’t always understand his inventions but who always supported him in making them. His father who always had a way of teaching him the things he couldn’t figure out on his own and who raised him since day one. His father, who was his biggest support system in life and who never failed to be there for him no matter what was going on. It’s gone. It’s been ripped away from him in the worst way imaginable. And he’s faced this loss before, but there was always something else to focus on. Wether the Kraang were invading or the world was ending, Donnie always had to put his pain on hold to focus on something else. But now, there is nothing else. There’s just the death of his father, and Donnie has never known that one could hurt this badly. Nothing scares Donnie more than being unaccepted, and the one person who accepted him the most is gone. So all he can do is just cry. - Casey is behind Donatello in the background and his response is pretty interesting to see. He just folds his arms and looks away like he’s too tough for this whole thing, but really, he’s so hurt to have lost Splinter. We never really saw them as close, but I’m sure they had their moments, and honestly, look at the timeline. Casey was scared beyond reason when he first met Splinter, because rats were Casey’s phobia in the beginning. But overtime, Splinter helped Casey conquer that fear, and I’m sure Splinter helped Casey in other areas as well. In the beginning, Casey couldn’t even look at Splinter because he was afraid of what he would see; now, it’s the exact same principle, but for entirely different reasons. And that in itself is tragic. - If you didn’t feel like you were being stabbed repeatedly when we saw Mikey, you weren’t watching the right scene and I encourage you to go back and actually watch it. Michelangelo is the child of this group; he is the most innocent and the most pure. And he just lost his dad. Mikey can’t even breathe; seriously, when you listen to him before he’s able to say “poppa,” he’s struggling to breathe, and that’s exactly what I would expect from Mikey. As scatterbrained as Mikey can be, he’s not stupid, and Mikey definitely understands the gravity of this situation. He understands the finality of death, and how this time, there’s no bringing Splinter back. It’s a sharp contrast to how we saw Mikey handle this scenario the first time in the season two finale...when he was the one comforting Raph and telling Raph that “Splinter would be okay.” Now, he’d got no one to console him, because they’ve all lost the same thing, and Mikey knows this time, it’s not going to be okay. He can’t have his father back this time. And no one thing that anyone could say to him would make this okay. Nothing is going to take that pain away. Especially when you remember that Mikey actually saw Splinter hit the ground. He observed and heard Splinter’s body smash into the concrete as he and two of his brothers desperately tried to catch him and failed. He heard Leo, who he’s always known to be in charge and on top of things scream in recognition that they failed to do anything useful in this situation. We see Mikey collapse into sobs while still holding Splinter’s hand in the end, and my soul is totally crushed for him. - We actually see Raph walk up to the group and it’s very evident that he’s still in complete and utter shock. It’s like mentally, he hasn’t fully processed what just occurred. And seeing it first hand hasn’t made it any easier to understand. But now everything’s slowed down and he’s forced to face this heart-wrenching reality that his father is gone. His father, who has always understood him when no one else did. Who always was quick to forgive and empathize with his temper issues because everyone else around him failed to get it. The one person who understood him better than anyone is gone. The one person who raised him to understand that his anger did not define him, and who taught him how to channel and control his rage. That support system is gone, and Raph must feel like he’ll never have that level of understanding in his life again. Splinter never failed to reassure Raphael that his anger issues were a part of who he was and that he could use it to bring about change and positivity rather than destruction. Can you imagine losing the one person who has never given up on you since day one, because he was once where you were in life. Raph can’t, and yet, there he was, suffering that exact loss. All he can do is cover his face with his hand and wipe the tears away, because even though he’s the tough guy in the group, even he isn’t strong enough to hold back the tears. - We don’t see much of April’s reaction initially. Well, we know she was angry, because she shot Shredder off the roof with a psychic blast powerful enough to shatter a cement wall. But sadness-wise, we only get a quick glimpse. But because we’ve seen how close April and Splinter are over the series, that quick little shot of her and Casey walking behind the turtles sadly is all we need to know April feels like she’s lost her own father. In a lot of ways, Splinter did father her. Splinter was always there to help her, wether it was training, offering her a place to stay and protection or anything in between. And April cannot believe she lost that in the ways that she did. Splinter was April’s adopted father, and the two of them were so close since day one. They might not be related by blood, but the loss hurts her just as much as if they were. You know what upsets me a lot in this finale? how little a role Karai got to play. I mean, seriously, the girl is one of the biggest aspects of this story, and she didn’t even help get to avenge her father. Or get some payback for all the hurt and suffering and lies she experienced in her lifetime. Karai deserved just as much a happy ending as Splinter did, and in a lot of ways, she is happy now, and I like to see that. But at the same time, I wish we could have gotten to see her take some of her own happiness for herself. Watching her fight for 30 seconds in part one and then lying in a hospital bed to be told her real father was dead and not get to see her kick some butt like we know she can hurt a little. The pacing for “Owari” was all over the place, and not in a good way. I mean, I get that it was a nonstop battle episode, and I think it definitely had to be...but this episode would have been A LOT better if we could have spent two full episodes on breaking into Shredder’s evil fortress. Seriously, 2003 gave this arc like a full four episodes, and they took their time to really go through getting to the final battle with Shredder. In this episode, much like 2003, the turtles have to go through all of Shredder’s forces before they get to him, but they gave themselves four entire episodes to do just that, and a full episode to battle the Shredder. Here, we have literally 22 minutes to take out MULTIPLE henchmen AND THEN Super Shredder himself. The ending of “Owari” is a decent wrap up for the main story. They did a pretty good job tying up the main plot, but there’s still a lot of unanswered questions and loose ends that worry me. What about Timothy and his story? If Rahzar and Fishface are still alive, will we see them again and will we retromutate them as well (honestly I was kind of hoping for that to happen)? Will Leo and the others still have visions of Splinter in the future (or is it just Leo since he’s considered the most spiritual in this series)? What about other mutant villains we’ve seen over the last four seasons, like Snakeweed or Spiderbytez? Those are just the tip of the ice burg; there’s still a lot left that I hope we get resolution for in the coming season or seasons, depending on how far they was to take it. This finale ties up our major story, but we need to address our other side stories as well. Don’t let me down, season five. I guess I’ve ranted enough, so let’s get ready to close this out with final thoughts...but there’s just so much to say. Looking at season four as a whole, it had a lot of weak moments for me. I felt the space arc dragged at times and the resolution to “Annihilation Earth” wasn’t as strong as it should have been. I also felt a little cheated with April’s corruption arc and how all of the build up led to one episode and a resolution I wasn’t totally a fan of. Leo’s constant trope throughout the season – especially in the space arc – of almost constantly dying and getting hurt got super repetitive and annoying at times as well. There were moments of this season that drove me absolutely nuts and there are definitely rants of mine to prove that. However, season four wasn’t a total loss. For all the chaos and discord, they also had some really high points; I felt that some of the episodes we got were the best of the series overall. When I compare these two episodes side-by-side, I think “Requiem” wins out. While I appreciated the Mirage-based ending and the brilliant filmography and choreography of “Owari,” it just didn’t hit the emotional levels “Requiem” did. “Owari’s” fast-pacing hurt the episode as a whole a little bit. I was really excited to see Leo deliver the final blow, but I think the other characters deserved to get more hits than they got. We had to go through so many other bad guys before we got to Shredder, and Shredder was the whole point of this episode. They did a great job in the time they were given, but they should have given themselves more time. Expand on Raph (maybe?) killing Fishface. Show us Leo’s reaction to Tiger Claw’s comments after they had a moment to stop and for him to process them. Let Donnie struggle to believe that his retromutagen really didn’t work for a few minutes. Give Mikey a few more epic shots as he swings his nunchucks in battle. It was all just so rushed. And the moment when Shredder was actually pondering what Leo had said to him about destiny...where could that moment had gone had we had more time for it? When you rush an episode, you lose the potential for those things, and you can argue that we already had so much emotion and grief to deal with from having to see Splinter’s death, but this episode called for even more expansion on that in so many moments, and we just didn’t have the time for it. We didn’t even get to see the boys run up to Leo and jut all process that their brother had both survived and ended the ultimate battle they’ve all been fighting for years. There’s no way they held those reactions in until they were all on the rooftop with Karai. So many things needed to happen that didn’t. "Owari” was a good episode, but for me, “Requiem” shined so much harder. It did an excellent job in setting us up for the final battle with the Shredder, which ended entirely too quickly. All of the little details and development that went into “Requiem” really showcased how wonderful this show can be. From little things like the animation of the eyes with the pupil shrinkage and expansion to how hardcore the cries and dark moments were, it was a phenomenal episode with very few flaws. I wish that “Requiem” could have been the episode to lead up to the two-part finale, and not have it as part one of the finale itself. So for “Requiem,” I’d give it a 9.5/10 and “Owari” gets a 8/10. We’re not through yet; season five is coming. Honestly, “Requiem” set a new standard of episodes for me in this series. I want to see those same emotional highs come out in the future of this series. We’ve already established that things can get insane in this show, but season four overall especially. We saw everything from more violent action to actual character deaths to so much more pain than we’ve ever seen, and I’m extremely optimistic that season five can keep this momentum going. Like Casey said at the very end, Tiger Claw is out there and he has a serious revenge complex now. On top of that threat, we have so many loose ends to go back to as well. There’s a lot I want to see in season five as well. I want to see Karai and the turtles team up more; maybe even live together. I want to see the turtles struggle to adjust to life without Splinter for a while; Leo learning how to be a leader truly on his own, Raph have outbursts and no one to empathize with him, Mikey try to cope without having a dad, and Donnie go through life without Splinter’s wisdom and guidance to reassure him. I want to see Alopex come back as the fight with Tiger Claw gets more sever. I want to see Casey continue to improve. I want to know just what the hell April’s powers are, because they keep changing. Hahaaa. So much. So many things. And I’m confident season five can take us there. If anything, they’ve already promised us more multi-episode arcs, which will be cool. Season five will begin with “Scroll of the Demodragon,” in which the turtles meet new foes after they were sure they’d defeated all the old ones. We have a bit of time in between now and the season five premiere, so let’s talk about this finale, and about season four as a whole. Send me all of your thoughts here. Previous review for The Tale of Tiger Claw here. All season four reviews here. All episode reviews index here. Podcast review here.

#teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt #tmnt 2012 #tmnt 2k12 #reqiuem #episode review #owari

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racingtoaredlight · 5 years

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The degenerate’s guide to college football TV watch ‘em ups, 2019 season, week 11

I typed “Bama LSU” into tumblr’s gif search and this was the only result. I take it as a representation of my flawless technique as a writer.

Let’s see if I have the heart or interest to write anything worthwhile below. I’ve probably already done the best work possible in this world. FBSchedules and Vegas Insider are supporting this post materially, unwitting yet they be.

Saturday, November 9

Matchup Time (ET) TV/Mobile

Vanderbilt at 10 Florida 12:00pm ESPN

This doesn’t belong on television. This is not the kind of thing people should waste their lives on and I mean that for the players and coaches.

4 Penn State at 17 Minnesota 12:00pm ABC

Gophers +6.5 is an absolutely sure thing. It’s either that or there is no god. You can only choose one.

WKU at Arkansas 12:00pm SECN

Have you guys followed the whole Deadspin saga from the last few weeks? My favorite part was that Maidment guy that set the whole cycle in motion and then had to write a bunch of shitty content himself to make the site look sort of normal after everybody quit. I laughed heartily at his horrible writing but I can’t help feeling I’m that kind of brainless dummy clacking away at a company laptop to produce as little impact as possible with my unoriginal words. Anyway, enjoy this version of the Petrino Bowl.

UMass at Army 12:00pm CBSSN

Army is favored by 34.5. Army is fucking awful. It’s insane that UMass has a win over an FBS team this season. Once you get blown out by UConn, people forget all about your big win over Akron. Anyway, take UMass to cover because, as many are saying, Army is fucking awful.

Purdue at Northwestern 12:00pm BTN

As today’s contemporary children are quite fond of saying, it’s gonna be a no from me, dawg.

Texas Tech at West Virginia 12:00pm ESPN2

Long gone are the days of Holgo and... the guy that coaches the Cardinals now. They both used shitty seasons to get better money this year. So now Texas Tech vs. West Virginia is just bland gruel hardly fit for a shithead on his couch.

Maryland at 1 Ohio State 12:00pm FOX

We’re into the BCS rankings part of the season so now Ohio State is ranked #1, which I mostly agree with. I still hope they lose way more often than not but I’m sort of ambivalent here. Last year Maryland fucked up and blew a great chance to upset Ohio State and I watched it with friends who are not football degenerates a day or two after our friend’s funeral. On that note, Ohio State -44 is a strong recommend.

Florida State at Boston College 12:00pm ACCN

A week ago I would not have guessed FSU could fuck themselves so thoroughly against Miami that they’d be playing with an interim head coach this week. The rumor mill for the permanent hire in Tallahassee is hilarious: Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Bob Stoops, Jim Leavitt and Deion Sanders. The nicest thing I saw about Deion’s resume was that he was the OC for a high school in Texas a few years ago. I don’t think that was his sham unaccredited school. That school was in Florida, wasn’t it? That’s quite the resume to put up against the other four. Coach Deion is a dream we can all have.

East Carolina at 25 SMU 12:00pm ESPNU

Condolences to SMU as Memphis didn’t continually shoot themselves in the dick like they normally do in high profile games. This should be a good bounceback game but the action on the line (moving 3 points towards ECU) tells me people didn’t really think that much of SMU in the first place.

12 Baylor at TCU 12:00pm FS1

I honestly don’t have any sort of read on whether Baylor’s 8-0 record is because they’re back to being good or if they’ve just feasted on mostly shitty teams. Which I guess is all they ever did under Briles, anyway. Well, TCU sucks this year so I’m not really excited to check in on this one unless there’s an exciting finish like TCU is driving with under a minute to score their 10th TD of the day before time expires to seal the shutout.

Georgia Tech at Virginia 12:30pm RSN

For as long as I live, I will only ever think of the 1990 game between these two whenever they match up.

Air Force at New Mexico Postponed

This game is postponed due to the death of UNM defensive end, Nahje Flowers. R.I.P.

UTSA at Old Dominion 2:00pm ESPN3

South Alabama at Texas State 3:00pm ESPN3

Charlotte at UTEP 3:00pm ESPN+

Stanford at Colorado 3:00pm Pac-12N

19 Wake Forest at Virginia Tech 3:30pm ACCN

If VPISU hadn’t fucked it at the end against Notre Dame last week they’d probably be ranked ahead of Wake Forest. After Wake Forest loses this week, the boys from VPI might actually jump over them, anyway.

USC at Arizona State 3:30pm ABC

Now this is more like it! I don’t mean this game is interesting for watchin’ ‘em up or gambling, but the part where both teams are unranked and struggling. USC just hired a new AD from Cincinnati and he... knows Urban Meyer? Or the draw of being from UC will be just too much for Urban to resist? Or Urban picked the guy himself as a condition of considering coaching in the Coliseum? Still seems less than done to me but I’m still holding out hope that Urban Meyer never coaches again and his family leaves him.

Louisville at Miami (FL) 3:30pm ESPN2

Still fading The U for now. The 9 sacks and the easy win over FSU were nice but FSU hasn’t had a good offensive line since Jameis Winston won the Heisman and things are in a bit of disarray there. Louisville is a better team than most people realize and they’ll run straight at Miami instead of whatever the FSU gameplan was last week. Things may have turned a corner in Coral Gables but I’m inclined to believe the biggest leap they made last week was beating up on a familiar foe who is very down in the dumps and ready to quit at a moment’s notice.

UAB at Southern Miss 3:30pm NFLN

UAB failed us big time last week and now they’re a road underdog. I didn’t realize the Favres had crawled back to being decent. I don’t have a take on the line but this is probably the best game that’s been stuck on NFL Network so far this year.

Georgia Southern at Troy 3:30pm ESPN+

Each year I struggle to remember which one is Georgia Southern and which one is Georgia State and each year I fail to attempt to fix that.

UConn at 20 Cincinnati 3:30pm CBSSN

UC on UC - it’s gonna be a bloodbath! The Ohesians are only favored by 34 against the sad huskies. That seems like a slap in the face to any reasonably well prepared football program, let alone a top 25 one.

Illinois at Michigan State 3:30pm FS1

Illinois is a half game up on Sparty right now and rumors are flying that D’antonio is gonna retire after the season. Now, let’s go kill Tom Izzo. Michigan State is favored by 14.5 in this game and, seriously, can they even score that much in one game? Take the Illini and know that you’re on the side of good even if your bets don’t come through.

2 LSU at 3 Alabama 3:30pm CBS

Weeks of press for this GAME OF THE CENTURY OF THIS YEAR THIS WEEK and then the BCS poll comes out and it isn’t even a real 1 v. 2 matchup. That’s funny. I keep waiting for something to go wildly wrong with LSU but also feel like Bama being favored by a touchdown seems off, especially if Tua is at less than full operational capacity.

16 Kansas State at Texas 3:30pm ESPN

I’ve thought Texas was overrated all year and look at them now. Favored by 7 at home against a better team. Even unrated Texas is somehow still overrated.

18 Iowa at 13 Wisconsin 4:00pm FOX

This has all the makings of a great all-time eyerake. Wisconsin -9 seems absolutely insane but so does Wisconsin #13.

New Mexico State at Mississippi 4:00pm SECN

A classic rivalry game.

North Texas at Louisiana Tech 4:00pm Facebook

A spirited game between the 096ers and the Karl Malone Got His 13-Year Old Cousin Pregnant While He Was In School Heres always gets the blood pumping.

Georgia State at ULM 5:00pm ESPN+

ESPN+ games don’t count as watch ‘em ups. Does anybody in the comments actually pay for this shit? It seems insane. $8/month for access to 30 For 30 that you effectively already have and the + is the absolute worst filth college sports can throw at you.

FIU at Florida Atlantic 6:00pm Stadium

Really have no idea what to tell you. I think I understand both of these teams and then I’m proven wrong week after week. I’m rooting for FIU if that helps.

Appalachian State at South Carolina 7:00pm ESPN2

South Carolina is favored by 5.5. That’s more than the homefield bump. Does App State run the same offense as Georgia where the QB isn’t allowed to throw past the line of scrimmage and running backs are encouraged to run straight into the backs of their offensive linemen?

Missouri at 6 Georgia 7:00pm ESPN

Hey, speaking of Georgia! They don’t get nearly enough credit for being the worst team in America to watch for entertainment purposes. It’s like Kirby Smart is trying to take all of the late career criticism that Mark Richt faced at UGA and The U and reach the same end point by the time he’s coached four season in Athens.

Utah State at Fresno State 7:00pm CBSSN

Jordan Love. I just don’t know. He’s like a more careless version of Josh Allen. Is somebody really going to draft that in the first round? He has a year of eligibility left. I don’t know if he’s due to graduate in time but if he could find his way to Missouri that might really benefit both parties.

Washington State at California 7:00pm Pac-12N

A fine specimen of Pac-12 After Dark but only like 8% of the country can even watch it legally.

15 Notre Dame at Duke 7:30pm ACCN

On a positive note, whatever happens in this game we can all laugh at the losers.

Liberty at BYU 7:30pm ESPNU

Bergie’s Watch ‘Em Of The Year!

Tennessee at Kentucky 7:30pm SECN

Let’s go whiskey!

5 Clemson at NC State 7:30pm ABC

Clemson is outside looking in at the CFP! Panic! They’ll be #3 next week!

Iowa State at 9 Oklahoma 8:00pm FOX

In the parlance of our times, Iowa State is a messy bitch who loves drama. Will the Sooners get bailed out if things are tight at the end? Absolutely. But I would still put a dime or even a quarter on the Cyclones to keep it closer than 14.5.

Wyoming at 22 Boise State 10:15pm ESPN

I think if I surveyed the commenterate here they mostly hate Boise State and that tells me you’re a bunch of idiots. A nothing program rising like they did without a Phil Knight or an oil magnate backing them and they play their home games at night on blue turf? How do you joyless pricks live with your humorless brains? I fucking love MWC football and I love the blue turf. This is a great game. Long live the Potatoes.

Nevada at San Diego State 10:30pm ESPN2

The real late night games are all MWC this week and that is fucking beautiful. Just look at this. SDSU was ranked last week but then we switched over to CFP rankings and those pricks couldn’t just give us one more group of five school. Nuhvaddduh is OK this year and SDSU isn’t quite rolling up the rushing yards they have for the past five years so maybe this will be entertaining even beyond the pretty laundry?

San Jose State at Hawaii 11:00pm Spectrum Sports

I don’t actually know what Spectrum Sports is now that I think about it. This is, on paper, a pretty even matchup. If you want to keep yourself occupied into the early morning hours, SJSU at +7 seems a decent value in these here puffy, darkened eyes.

#saturday post #watch em up #degenerate football #football #gambling #tv #rtarl watches tv

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redsthoughtsandthings · 5 years

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losing myself, chapter 1

Buzz. Buzz. I feel my phone vibrate under my left thigh.

Buzz. Buzz. Again. This time drawing unwanted eyes in my direction.

Buzz. Buzz. Nicole, my favorite person to suffer through Chemistry with, nudges my right leg with her knee.

“Damn girl, stop that before Miller notices!” she whispers, jutting her chin at Dr. Miller, our professor, who had paused lecture to look for a problem in the book some newb in the row behind us who actually uses the textbook had asked for help on.

Buzz. B- before it gets a chance to vibrate again, I grab my phone and discreetly move in to my desk. I place it as covertly as possible between my notebook and my calculator so Miller can’t see his biggest pet peeve. The last thing I want during my morning lecture is to be called out for phone use by my least favourite professor.

“Drinkys grand reopening tn!!”

“Is it true they’re doing $1 mixies??”

“please tell me we’re going out tonight”

Despite the fact that it’s barely 10 AM, my phone is flooded with texts about tonight’s drinking plans. Our favorite Thursday night bar had closed the previous semester and I think I speak for all of Augustine College when I say we weren’t the same without it. Until today. Drinkys was reopening, under a new name but who cares what they call themselves if they can give us a reason to party on a Thursday.

The buzz of the grand re-opening is floating around campus and blowing up my phone all day. After essentially sleep- walking through Chemistry and Physics I try to sneak off to my dorm to take a nap but Nicole catches me.

“Hey! Where ya headed?” she asks, even though she knows me way too well to really need to.

“I’m getting into bed and blowing off the rest of the day.”

“We both know you’re too weak to resist going out tonight.” She teases. Her favourite joke is that I have the willpower of a baby when it comes to socializing. “We need to do some work now so you’re not feeling guilty about it later.”

“It doesn’t matter, I have no classes on Friday remember?” I try to get out of there before she can guilt me for it but it’s too late.

“C’mon, come to the lib with me you know that every extra hour we work today…”

“...is an extra hour we can sleep in Sunday”, we finish together. That was our motivational mantra since we met during freshman orientation. I reluctantly follow her back through the damp grass, leaving green prints on the tips of my white sneakers, to the front steps of the library.

Calvert Library is a multipurpose place on our campus, used almost equally for studying and mingling. It ranges from low to high socializing directly corresponding with high to low levels of stress on campus. A bar opening on a Thursday night was a higher level stress situation for all those who weren’t blessed with Fridays off, like I was, so the library was quiet although packed. Nicole and I found two isolated desks behind a great row of bookshelves to work, but without her no longer able to see me, I snuck out of there within the hour. Tomorrow, I promised myself, I’d make up for the extra time she put in today so we could sleep in the same amount on Sunday and not miss our time honored tradition of “weekend recap brunch” on Sunday morning before grabbing a smoothie and heading to the library to spend the rest of the day working.

I head back to my room, roll a joint, and head back outside. I walk out the back door of the dorm , across the street, past one of the many statues of that clutter our campus, and down the 100 foot staircase leading into town, just until I’m sure I’m completely out of sight of any wandering Public Safety officer, before lighting the joint. Being from a place where weed is legal, having to hide my daily sesh was the one thing about college I couldn’t get used to. I walk laps up and down the set of steps while I’m smoking and head back inside sufficiently high. I walk back into my room and my roommate Sarah is finally back.

She takes one look at me and yells, “how dare you smoke without me!” I laugh in her direction, fully knowing that she’s never done drugs in her life and a random Thursday afternoon isn’t how she was about to start. Sarah’s just gotten back from soccer practice and has the music blasting while she strips off her sweaty clothes and gets ready to shower. We’re both singing along to our favourite boy band and dancing around the room when she grabs her speaker and puts on her flip flops to head to the bathroom. I hear the song fade down the hall as she walks to the bathroom. I can’t part with the music quite yet so I quickly strip, kick her damp sports bra over to her side of the room, and join her in the neighboring shower for one of our classic shower parties. Usually reserved for desperate pregames in a time crunch, the girls on my floor, Nicole included, had grown accustomed to showering while someone, who declared themselves the DJ, blasted throwback 2003 pop hits from their carefully placed speaker at the edge of the windowsill facing the showers in our communal bathroom. We finished our shower party, sans the usual White Claw Hard Seltzer, and around 4 PM I finally climb in bed like I’d been dreaming of since 10 AM chem class.

Buzz. Buzz.

With my eyes still closed, I reach under my pillow for my phone to turn my alarm off.

Buzz. Buzz.

I finally feel it and tap the bottom of the screen where the “stop” button usually is but,

buzz. Buzz.

Buzz. Buzz.

I suddenly remember that I didn’t set an alarm before my nap and open my eyes to check my phone. The room is dark but from the streetlight coming in through the window I can see Sarah’s bed is unmade but empty. I flip my phone over to three notifications.

“hey sleepy roomie! i went to dinner didn’t wanna risk waking you lol should be back by 8:30 i’ll bring u sushi you shouldn’t go out on an empty stomach” I quickly respond to thank her and move on to the next notification.

8 missed calls from my dad, followed by a text,

“Moms been in an accident. Call me back when you can please.”

I feel a sudden pressure on my chest and sit up. I reluctantly look back down at my phone hoping I’d dreamt the text from my dad but there it is,

“Moms been in an accident. Call me back when you can please.”

The room is suddenly spinning, my lungs seem to not be working.

Two sentences. Two sentences and suddenly I was craving when Miller’s 10 AM lecture on isotopes was the worst thing in my life.

I swipe right on the missed call notification to call my dad back. It rings for what seems like hours and goes to voicemail. I try him again. Same result. I text my siblings and ask them to call me. Still no response. I throw the covers off and jump out of bed. Feeling utterly helpless I don’t know how to proceed. I leave my room only to immediately re-enter three separate times. I’d never felt like this in my life. My lungs still don’t seem to be working properly and I run out of my room once more and across the hall into Nicole’s room, silently praying she didn’t go to dinner with Sarah.

Nicole is at her desk, in a towel blow, drying her hair and doesn’t hear me come in. We lock eyes in her desktop mirror and she immediately knows something is wrong. She shuts off the blow dryer and spins in her chair to face me.

“What is it? Did Kirby do something?” Of course she assumes the issue is with my boyfriend, or ex- boyfriend I guess, what do you call the guy who broke up with me two months ago but I’m hooking up with currently? That’s a reasonable assumption considering our recent roller coaster of a relationship, also because until ten minutes ago that was where my bar for catastrophe was at. I open my mouth but nothing comes out and instead my eyes start spewing waterfalls down my cheeks. She hops up to hug me and her towel, caught on the chair rips off. I think the fact that I didn’t make some inappropriate joke tips her off to the severity of the situation and she leads me over to her couch, throws on a large t-shirt, and hops down next to me.

“Claire? Claire what is it?” She holds my face up by the chin and turns it to face her. I’m sobbing and sniffling uncontrollably in her face and in any other situation we would’ve both been on the floor within seconds hysterically laughing at how ridiculous I was being.

“My...my...my mom” I manage to get some words out in between the wails.

She just holds me tighter and waits for it to end.

Twenty minutes later Sarah, who had returned with my sushi and heard our voices across the hall, Nicole, and I are sitting on the rug in front of the couch, silently huddled around my phone waiting for it to ring.

Another ten minutes pass and buzz, buz- it doesn’t even have a chance to fully start ringing before I snatch it up and answer,

“Dad, what... how…. Why…” the thousand questions I had are suddenly overpowered by my inability to breathe much less get a coherent thought out.

“How bad is it?” I finally manage.

“Um, bad,” he responds, “she’s lucky but really bad.” Leave it to my dad to be as cryptic as possible during quite literally the most important phone call we’ve ever had.

My dad’s incompetency forces me to control my emotions in order to get some answers. “What exactly happened?”

“Well a driver ran a red light and t-boned her car,” he finally explains. “She was launched out the front window while the car went spinning. She’s not awake yet but she’s heading into surgery soon.”

The dizziness is back, my lungs don’t work again, I hand the phone to Nicole, or maybe Sarah, I don’t quite remember and lean back onto the couch tilting my head back to keep the tears where they belong.

The phone call ends and both Sarah and Nicole are waiting on my next move as we sit in silence. I hop up and declare we are still going out. Sarah and Nicole stay on the floor and look up at me as if I’ve just sprouted wings.

“Well what is sitting around worrying going to do?” I explain, “She’s in surgery, someone will update me when she’s out, until then I’m going to get drunk instead of crying about it.”

“Or at least be drunk if you’re going to cry about it” Nicole offers. In this moment I love her for being on my side, shitty joke and all, and remember why she is my best friend.

Sarah hesitantly agrees, only to keep an eye on me as she claims, but I don’t care the reason as long as the trio is going out. There’s never been a bad mood we can’t fix, although in the past the worst of our bad moods were caused by shitty partners or bad grades, not hospitalized parents.

While Sarah is getting ready I go downstairs to my friend Issa’s dorm. After meeting at a party Nicole had brought me to a months ago, we had become inseparable and as much as I loved my girlfriends I knew he’d be the one to cheer me up.

I walk into his room and get out “my mom was in an accident” before bursting into tears, improvement right? He holds me while I cry it out and when I’m done he takes a step back to get more details.

As I’m explaining the specifics I got from my dad, he sees that I’m dressed to go out and I can see twelve different emotions cross over his face. “Wait you’re still going to the opening? Do you want me to stay in with you, this seems…” he doesn’t finish but I know what he means.

“No, I need a distraction” I say firmly enough that he doesn’t push further.

“Ok whatever you say kid, but if you need to leave, I’m your guy” he swings his keys in my direction and I am suddenly so grateful to have a friend who doesn’t drink coming out with me tonight.

“Ok I love you but I need to go fix my makeup and start drinking” I give him a quick hug and walk out of his room. On the way to the stairs to go back upstairs I walk past Kirby’s room. Fate had put us in the same building every year of college and while I had considered that luck in the past, it seemed like my own personal hell once we’d broken up. I hesitate for a minute and wonder if I should knock. Up until two months ago he was my rock in college. After meeting during a pregame his roommate had invited me and Nicole to our first year of college, we had started hooking up almost immediately. Once we spent some sober time together I thought he was the nicest, sweetest, most caring man I’d ever met and although we never actually had an official conversation, we started dating pretty quickly and had survived two summers long distance before he abruptly ended things two months ago. We stayed apart for a few weeks but once we started running into each other at bars and parties again, things had started back up, but it was different this time. I took a step back from his door and decided to send him a text instead,

“Hey are you around, something huge just happened, could use someone to talk to”

I hear the ding of his phone through the door and silently thank god that he always had his phone volume on regardless of how many times I’d teased that only old people keep their ringer volume on. I step towards the door and my hand is on the knob ready to enter when buzz, buzz. I look down at my phone in my other hand and see Kirby had responded.

“Sorry i’m swamped im actually at The House, u know how it is”

I knew ‘The House’ meant his fraternity’s mansion on the other side of campus where new member education, read: hazing, was currently taking place. Livid at his lie, but not actually surprised by the response I walk away from his door and continue heading to the staircase.

Buzz. Buzz. Another text from him. “I’d love to see you later tho, nightcap? We can talk then… or not” followed by a few sexually suggestive emojis. Angry at myself for expecting him to still be the person he was before the breakup I open the message, fully aware I have my read receipts on, and don’t respond.

Around 11:30 PM, Sarah, Nicole, Issa’s roommate, and I pile into Issa’s car and head to Drinkys. By 12:30 my plans to stay shitfaced have been ruined by the $16 being charged for drinks so I decide to head out. I check my phone to see if Kirby has texted me and when I see my blank home screen I’m mad at myself for caring and annoyed at my dad for not having updated me all night.

I call my dad but quickly hang up when I realize I can barely hear the ringer over the blasting music and people shouting to hear each other around the bar. I doubt my dad would be as understanding as Nicole about why I couldn’t stay in, waiting for a call, all night. I slide my phone back into the right back pocket of my favourite black “going out jeans” and scan the room once over to find Issa. I spot him at the opposite end of the bar talking to his girlfriend so I decide to not interrupt and head out on my own while Sarah and Nicole are distracted by some basketball players. I step out into the streets of St. Mary’s, the town, best described as ‘quaint’, Augustine College is located in, and the first snowfall of the unusually warm Maryland winter nips at my exposed stomach. I hug my arms around my body trying to preserve my alcohol blanket, pissed for not having taken one last shot for the road, and look up the dark streets of St. Mary’s leading back to campus.

All of Augustine College’s social life, bars and house parties included, usually take place within blocks of campus. This bar is the only one worth driving, or usually ubering, to and for a split second I regret leaving without Issa. I shake it off, check my phone once more, making sure the ringer is on in case my dad calls back, and start the trek back to campus. Once I’m a few blocks from downtown I notice the space between street lights growing longer, the shadows on the buildings around me growing more ominous and I’m suddenly reminded of all the safety tips I, like all girls, was taught growing up,

“Stay in groups”

“Don’t walk alone”

“Carry your keys between your knuckles”

I don’t have keys or friends with me and I realize I really don’t care. Me, who normally jumps at my own shadow when I’m walking alone at night from the library to my room, didn’t even seem to bat an eye at the huddled men across the street cat calling me, or the long shadows dancing off the buildings around me. I’m more than three quarters of the way back to campus and I can see the staircase that doubles as my smoke spot at the end of the block. A car blasting music speeds down the street past me, screeches to a halt, and begins to reverse back to me. I’m holding eye contact with the bright red lights on the back of it as it starts to make its way back to the spot adjacent to where I am on the sidewalk.

Buzz. Buzz. I forget about the potential threat momentarily and whip my phone out of my pocket.

1 new text from Dad, “she made it through surgery but still not awake, also some broken ribs, broken arm, and her spinal column is misaligned”

I look back up at the street, the car now a mere two or three feet away from me, still assuming the worst, and realize for the first time in my life I’m not scared of the dangers I grew up being warned about by my mother, aunts, and older female cousins or friends. I’m almost welcoming it? The passengers side window closest to me slides down and I hear “ayo ma where you headed?” I peel my eyes away from the text I’m re-reading and realize I recognize the car. I look in the passenger window and see Kyle, Kirby’s roommate smirking, clearly satisfied by his own joke. I look past him to see Kirby with one hand on the wheel, he winks and unlocks the doors, gesturing for me to get in. I climb into the backset next to the box of donuts they must have been downtown getting and offer a halfhearted greeting, they don’t realize. I try to convince myself it's because Kyle has turned the music back up, not because Kirby doesn’t care about me enough to read my emotions anymore. As the car climbs up the hill, past my dorm, to The House, I identify the feeling that had replaced what should have been relief when I saw it was my friends and not kidnappers or murderers who had pulled up next to me. I felt disappointment.

#losingmyself #college #trauma #growth #story #storytelling #chapter1

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usatrendingsports · 6 years

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25 issues for spring 2018: School soccer names, battles, storylines you have to know

Fifteen practices. Eight of them in pads.

That makes coaches drool this time of yr. Spring practices are starting to open across the nation reminding us as soon as once more there is no such thing as a offseason.

What to look at for: 22 teaching adjustments … quarterback battles for each groups that performed for the nationwide championship … document teaching turnover within the SEC … Arizona State’s daring new look … a key season for Jim Harbaugh … the completely tough-as-nails Huge Ten East.

Carry a garden chair and a cooler or a blanket and a seat again. Welcome to the excessive level of the offseason.

Here is 25 issues to look at this spring.

1. Tuscaloosa two-step: Probably the most anticipated, intriguing, delicate quarterback battle in years kicks off March 21. That is when the battle begins. Jalen Hurts seemingly misplaced the job at halftime of the School Soccer Playoff Nationwide Championship, however Tua Tagovailoa has to observe by after the second-half comeback in opposition to Georgia. Will Hurts switch? Will Tua flourish? Will each play? The one factor at stake is the continuation of Alabama’s dynasty.

2. Talking of quarterback battles … Georgia might need an much more attention-grabbing state of affairs. Jake Fromm led the Dawgs to the brink of a championship. However right here comes the No. 1 prospect within the nation, Justin Fields, one other Georgia native son with higher all-around instruments. Assume Deshaun Watson with a greater arm. Both method, it does not seem to be Kirby Good can lose.

Three. SEC makeover: The six full-time coaches in new positions this yr essentially the most within the league since 1946. This time. over half the convention is popping over with Dan Mullen (Mississippi State to Florida), Joe Moorhead (Penn State offensive coordinator to Mississippi State), Jimbo Fisher (Florida State to Texas A&M), Chad Morris (SMU to Arkansas) and Jeremy Pruitt (Alabama defensive coordinator to Tennessee) getting new jobs. One clarification: Ole Miss’ Matt Luke bought the full-time gig after serving as interim in 2017.

four. Chip involves Westwood: UCLA did one factor good final yr in throwing the ball with Josh Rosen. However that reality led to the firing of Jim Mora Jr and the hiring of Chip Kelly, who has a little bit of rebuilding to do with a program that should win town (beat USC), then win the Pac-12. Kelly did that 3 times with Oregon. Chip is the proper coach on the good time for the imperfect workforce. There’s a lot work to be completed till anticipated quarterback recruit Dorian Thompson-Robinson arrives this summer season.

5. Frosty Nebraska: The Cornhuskers’ spring recreation was offered out faster than you possibly can say, “Hometown boy!” Scott has fully rejuvenated a drained program that wanted path. Nebraska’s former championship quarterback (and UCF coach) has completed simply that. The completely satisfied vibe in Lincoln ought to increase chilly temps at the least 10 levels.

Jim Harbaugh’s seat could heat up if Michigan struggles once more. USATSI

6. Who’s bought it harder than Michigan? Jim Harbaugh faces a key marketing campaign (his fourth) after his worst season — Eight-5 in 2017. The Wolverines want a quarterback (see beneath), extra workforce pace and a few hope to beat Ohio State and Penn State. In a Huge Ten East that will probably be completely loaded, Harbaugh and Michigan cannot afford to stumble.

7. The Determination, Shea Patterson-style: We must always be taught quickly if Michigan has that quarterback. Patterson is in search of a waiver to be eligible immediately after transferring from Ole Miss. And he seemingly has a great case for that attraction. It is secure to say Michigan’s season hinges on whether or not that waiver goes by. It is turning into greater than a speaking level that Harbaugh hasn’t been in a position to produce a difference-making quarterback but in Ann Arbor.

Eight. Houston’s once-in-a-generation star: Ed Oliver Jr. cleared his lifetime of muddle by declaring for the draft this week. Why not? The rising junior defensive lineman has performed solely two years of school soccer, accumulating 39.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and 5 compelled fumbles. He has already gained the Outland Trophy, grow to be an All-American and made himself the No. 1 participant within the nation, based on one publication. Oliver is also the No. 1 defensive Heisman Trophy candidate for 2018. Simply ask him.

9. Clemson is locked and loaded: A little bit of Alabama Jr. right here. There’s a whole lot of hypothesis about Kelly Bryant’s job safety now that No. 1 recruit Trevor Lawrence is within the fold. Bryant’s backup Hunter Johnson can also be within the combine. To be clear, Bryant goes into spring because the starter. For pure viewing pleasure, I’d suggest attending any Clemson spring observe. The very best defensive position in ball will probably be on show. All 4 starters return.

10. Michigan State turmoil: The Spartans are as loaded as any Huge Ten workforce. Twenty returning starters together with quarterback Brian Lewerke and tailback LJ Scott. Michigan and Ohio State come to East Lansing. However Mark Dantonio has needed to deny an ESPN report that sexual assaults by his gamers have been shielded.

11. Keep in mind the Buckeyes: For the second consecutive yr, the Huge Ten champions bought overlooked of the CFP. This time, it was Ohio State which should now rebound from (a) that slight and (b) the loss 9 starters from a 12-2 workforce. Two 1,000-yard rushers return (Mike Weber, J.Okay. Dobbins), however the true query is at quarterback. All-time Buckeye nice J.T. Barrett is gone leaving the quarterback combat to junior Joe Burrow, sophomore Dwayne Haskins and freshman Tate Martell. Haskins (565 passing yards in eight video games) is the favourite.

12. High 5 assistants beginning new jobs:

Kendal Briles, offensive coordinator, Houston

Charlie Weis Jr., offensive coordinator, FAU

John Chavis, defensive coordinator, Arkansas

Craig Kuligowski, defensive position, Alabama

Mike Elko, defensive coordinator, Texas A&M

13. Which method, Notre Dame? Brian Kelly should preserve the momentum going from his third season of at the least 10 wins in South Bend. He loses two All-Individuals alongside the offensive line (Quenton Nelson, Mike McGlinchey) and should get Brandon Wimbush to be a more practical thrower. However the Irish will not enhance except a protection that returns 10 starters retains rolling with the lack of Mike Elko, this will probably be one other playoff-less season.

14. Did not you was once Oregon? Mario Cristobal is the Geese’ third coach in as many seasons. The final man (Willie Taggart) stayed one yr. It is exhausting to imagine solely 4 years in the past, Oregon was enjoying for a nationwide championship. Now, Taggart’s former offensive coordinator takes over. That is the second likelihood Cristobal by no means thought he’d get after being fired at FIU in 2012. The mandate is to get Oregon again to being a nationwide program.

15. Jimbo takes over A&M: We realized quite a bit about Jimbo Fisher on Nationwide Signing Day. He’ll be putting in a brand new offense and selecting between Nick Starkel and Kellen Mond for quarterback. A&M has one of the best every thing — stadium, cash, recruiting base and now probably coach. The Aggies are working out of excuses.

16. LSU has every thing however a quarterback: The place have you ever heard that earlier than? The stress ramps up in full-time yr No. 2 for Coach O. Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda is being paid greater than 80 FBS head coaches ($2.5 million per yr). Derrius Guice is gone. Oh yeah, sophomore Myles Brennan (24 profession passes) is that quarterback who has to return by. He’s the inheritor obvious to Danny Etling. Ed Orgeron must ship in 2018.

Herm Edwards is again in school. Sure, actually. USATSI

17. Ray Anderson’s Grand Experiment: Arizona State’s new soccer coach just lately spent a half 4 on Kansas Metropolis radio breaking down the Marcus Peters commerce. Huh? You’d suppose Herm Edwards had higher issues to do together with his time. That is only one oddity of hiring a 63-year-old TV analyst who final coached within the NFL 10 years in the past and in school 29 years in the past. Anderson, Arizona State’s athletic director, says coaches all the time know tips on how to coach. We’ll discover out.

18. Pac-12 comeback: If there’s a subdivision among the many Energy 5, it begins with the Pac-12 on the backside. The income distinction continues to develop. The convention community has by no means gotten huge distribution. Nothing will be completed about late-starting video games. It is beginning to be a Energy 4 with Pac-12 slippage on the nationwide panorama. 5 new coaches debuting this spring could assist resuscitate the worst of the Energy 5 leagues.

19. Derek Dooley, lightning rod: Tennessee’s former coach, who has by no means known as an offensive play or coached a quarterback, was not solely was employed as Missouri’s offensive coordinator however inherits the projected No. 1 quarterback prospect in 2019 (Drew Lock). What may go incorrect?

20. Submit-Sam Darnold at USC: Whereas sophomore Matt Fink and freshman Jack Seats battle it out within the spring, it is attainable USC’s subsequent quarterback should be in highschool. Blue-chip prospect J.T. Daniels is trying to reclassify at Orange County energy Mater Dei. Which means jamming a bunch of courses into this semester so Daniels can enroll in time for the autumn. There’s cause for optimism. Mater Dei has produced two Heisman winners (John Huarte, Matt Leinart) in addition to USC’s all-time passing chief, Matt Barkley.

21. Stress, thy identify is Josh Heupel: Missouri’s offensive coordinator had one heck of a second half of the season. The Tigers gained their remaining six regular-season video games whereas Lock lit it up. Nonetheless, Heupel was a little bit of a shock at UCF the place he inherits a “nationwide championship” and the nation’s longest profitable streak. Like Frost earlier than him, Heupel has by no means been a head coach. Can UCF hit on an inexperienced choose twice in a row?

22. 12 months 2 at Texas: The turnaround wasn’t fast. Surprisingly, in 12 months 1 underneath Tom Herman, the Horns have been a defense-first squad. Which means Herman nonetheless has to seek out, establish and set up a quarterback. He hasn’t but. One other 7-6 end and the always-patient Texas administration (sarcasm added) will need a phrase with him.

Will Dan Mullen deliver a championship again to Florida? Getty Photos

23. Florida will get again to being offensive: Dan Mullen returns to Florida after 9 years at Mississippi State for mainly one cause: to make Florida soccer thrilling once more. The offensive malaise lasted by Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain. Mullen has technically coached two Heisman winners (Tim Tebow, Cam Newton for one season) and the Cowboys’ beginning quarterback (Dak Prescott). Feleipe Franks and Emory Jones, you are up.

24. Nonetheless on the lookout for jobs: These guys have tried, however except one thing develops quickly, Hugh Freeze, Butch Jones and Bret Bielema will probably be out of teaching in 2018. Of their careers, the three have mixed to common eight wins a season and go to 19 bowls. Jones, solely 50, is the oldest — and in addition appears to be the closest to touchdown a gig as he is in conversations to hitch Alabama as an off-field offensive analyst.

25. A remaining farewell in Pullman: Washington State is trying to find one other quarterback this spring due to essentially the most tragic of causes. Tyler Hilinski dedicated suicide in January. His household took out a half-page advert within the Seattle Instances to thank everybody who reached out.

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